#maya inclusion makes me happy though

[sliipppy]

Yall. I haven't read Batman and Robin. Might idk but this panel is so cute and I actually like Joshua Williamson one of the few modern dc writers I enjoy.

Keep seeing it circled around and I love it but it also bothers me because like Babs but no Steph 😔 after everything they've been through. But like that's to be expected tbh what I'm more shocked about is NO TALIA????? And what baffles me is that Ra's is there and also Williamson has been pretty good at writing Talia. Like is there a reason or??? 😭😭😭

Again. I haven't read this. Idk the context behind this. But it just makes me sad to see no Steph and it BAFFLES me that there's no Talia.

[mayakern]

I honestly don’t know how to write this; I have spent all week attempting to figure out what to say.

Last Monday I was informed by our factory that our merchandiser and direct point of contact with the factory passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago. She was someone who I have spent a great deal of time speaking to ever since we switched factories two years ago. She helped us realize designs for new products, sent us samples of garments extremely quickly and kept track of all our orders. She went to bat for us if something went wrong with our print shop or if I was unhappy with how a garment pattern was interpreted by their team. As their first American client and a brand that focuses on size inclusion, something that is not typical of their other clients, she handled a lot of crazy requests from us without blinking and she was dedicated to ensuring that both us and our customers were happy. We talked nearly every day, and though it was work related she was one of the kindest people I have had the pleasure interacting with daily.

She was beyond dedicated to her work and to working with us. Turkey has an 11-hour time difference from me in California, which means when she was emailing me at 2pm in the afternoon it was 1am there. You can sure bet that I extended her the same courtesy and tried my best to answer her emails at night too, even when I would rather just be sleeping.

It was also clear just how much she loved her job, and now much she loved you guys. She had been silently watching our social media since we first started working with them. She got just as excited as we did on launch days and would often email me unprompted about how she was glad people were leaving such positive comments and reviews. She read your feedback when no one ever asked her to do that or even expected it of her. She did it because she really, really cared.

Even though she was miles away and we never met in person, she was like a coworker to me and the loss of her is like losing someone on our team.

The Maya Kern team, as a whole, has been dealing with a lot lately. I personally just moved (which took far longer than we expected) and Maya and Devin are gearing up to move back to Minneapolis pretty soon. With the loss of our merchandizer, it has taken the wind out of my sails a little bit. I was trying to push through, even though I am exhausted, and carry out the photo shoot for our new products this weekend, but it has become clear that my body just can’t handle it. My arthritis has finally told me to stop moving, so unfortunately, we are going to have to reschedule the shoot for later on.

We are doing everything we can to make sure our next product drop on the 21st still happens. But as of right now, due to this sudden loss, the garments haven’t even shipped from the factory yet and I am not optimistic that they will clear customs and get checked into the fulfillment center in time for the launch. This means the drop is likely going to be pushed back to December 5th and instead of a full photo shoot, we will probably have to settle for taking quick photos of everyone at home, and likely with our phones. 

We work really hard to deliver not just garments we believe in, but also pictures of said garments on bodies that our customers can relate to, and unfortunately I just do not think that is possible this time. As always, we really appreciate your patience and understanding during what has been a very difficult time for us.

Ash

Chief Operations Officer

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Rhythm of War Review

PART 1

It feels a little separate from the rest of the book to me at the moment because I read it pre-release, but I think it did a good job setting up the rest of the plot. I greatly enjoyed Navani’s perspective and ideas throughout the book, and the first section established her much more firmly as a character than any of the previous books; her couple of chapters in Oathbringer were more focused on politics and her relationship with Dalinar, so it was great yo see much more of her scientific side.

When I first read Part 1 it felt very Kaladin-heavy, but after completing the book I see how it was necessary to establish his burnout in order to set up the rest of the plot. And Chapter 12 (A Way to Help), in addition to being our only chance in the book to see our trio together, did a great job setting up Kaladin’s later work with mentally ill people, both by establishing the need and showing what kind of help was needed. I was nonetheless quite frustrated by Kaladin reacting to Shallan’s DID with “that would be nice...”. She’s having serious problems, Kal! She’s your friend and could use support, not you regarding her issues as a neat way to take a holiday from one’s own brain! Kaladin’s very kind and caring with those he chooses to protect, as we see with Bridge 4 in TWOK and the mentally ill people in Chapter 25, but sometimes I think he’s not a very good friend. I know he was not in a good place, but in Oathbringer when they were in Shadesmar Shallan had just had a complete breakdown and she still went out of her way to emotionally support Kal, so it would be nice to see his friendships become a bit more two-way. (For similar reasons, I liked seeing the moments of Shallan-to-Adolin emotional support in Shadesmar in ROW, because a lot of their relationship in OB was her relying on him; it felt balanced in ROW as both supported each other.)

PART 2

I loved the Shadesmar arc! The emotional arcs for both main characters were very strong - I had been looking forward to seeing Adolin’s reaction to (in-universe) Oathbringer, and it did not disappoint; the conflict between genuinely loving Dalinar and being unable to forgive what he’d done was well-drawn. I was so pissed off at Dalinar in that last conversation! You burned his mom to death, you do not get to take the moral high ground and lecture him. And I do see a difference between killing innocents, as Taravangian does, and killing someone who’s effectively declared war on you and has a history of treason.

I also liked Adolin’s sense of being generally at sea with his purpose in the world. He’s been trained primarily as a warrior and general, and his combat skills have been made virtually obsolete by the Radiants. And at the same time, the reader can see what makes Adolin special, and it’s not combat skills - though those do give him a big heroic moment in a pinch - it’s his care and compassion for others. The way he interacts with Maya and slowly brings her life is absolutely beautiful. Chapter 35 was such a wonderful Shadolin moment (and starspren are amazing!); he really gets her and understands what she needs. Chapter 24 was sweet too, though super cheesy.

I spent the entire Shadesmar arc side-eying Veil and Radiant, especially with Veil’s takeover stunt at the start, but in the end they genuinely were supporting and helping Shallan. So in retrospect I do like scenes like the one with Veil trying to draw Shallan out by drawing Adolin badly.

Spoeking of drawing, I love the spren art, it’s some of the best art so far, and fascianting to see how they all look!

Kaladin finding non-violent ways to protect, culminating in pioneering Rosharan therapy - and Teft insisting on staying to support him - was everything I wanted for him. His arc could have just been that, and I’d have been perfectly happy. Chapter 25 (Devotary of Mercy) is still my favourite in the entire book.

Unfortunately, then Odium’s forces had to show up and SPOIL EVERYTHING. I’m rather appalled by how quickly Urithiru fell - the enemy forces were literally in the pillar room by the time anyone noticed them.

PART 3

Part 3 was a real slog for me, partly because it is a slog and partly because I hit it at the height of my sleep deptivation. (It’s really...not a good thing to be reading on zero sleep at the literal darkest-hour-before-dawn.) Kaladin’s arc in Urithiru is just so exhausting; he’s so clearly worn to the boneand everything feels so hopeless. Kaladin’s had bad times before - Bridge 4 in TWOK, for example - but then the reader could see progress even if Kaladin couldn’t. (Kaladin: I’m getting nowhere and failing at everything! Everyone else: Kaladin, you were literally just miraculously resurrected.) Here, though - well, I genuinely spent the whole book from Part 3 through to the climax thinking that they would lose Urithiru.

Navani’s arc, and Venli’s, I did enjoy.

The other section of Part 3, in Emul, just felt rather disjointed. It had some interesting moments, but it didn’t have a sense of cohesion or of where it was going. I was entertained by Dalinar’s musings on the merits of despositism and the need to free Queen Fen from having - horrors! - a parliament. (I wonder if the Fourth Ideal will be something like “I will recognize that it can sometimes be beneficial to have people oppose my decisions.”)

PART 4

Again, adored the Shadesmar arc. Really strong character arcs for both Adolin and Shallan, combined with excellent plots and a strong sense of momentum. I was pretty sure Maya would be crucial in the trial, but that didn’t make the moment any less powerful (though Sanders probably shouldn’t have tried quite as hard to replicate his “You. Cannot. Have. My. Pain.” moment from Oathbringer). I need to put together a proper post on the theme of choice in Oathbringer, because that moment - combined with Kaladin’s fourth ideal and the conflict with Lirin over the way he’s inspiring the resistance - really crystallized it for me. To treat a person’s choice and sacrifices as something done to them is to devalue their volition, their agency. Maya is put in the horrifying situation of being used as a prop and treated as evidence of a point that she is diametrically opposed to and turned into a weapon against someone she loves, and it’s enough to drive her to regain her voice and speak for herself. I am very curious to know what specifically led the spren to agree to the Recreance!

I did not remotely guess what Shallan’s secret was, even though in retrospect the Cryptic deadeye should have made it incredibly obvious. I think her fear that she’d lose Adolin if it came out was overblown - he already knows she killed both her parents, he’s not going to be fazed by “I was so distraught over having to kill my own mother in self-defence at age ten that I broke my Radiant oaths”. But obviously it’s not something Shalkan would be able to consider duspassionately. Her arc was rather terrifying once I realized that Formless was, well, basically her, but more specifically, Shallan’s idea of the monster that she was, and her breakdown was driving her to “accept who she was” as being that monster. I like Shallan and was never that into Veil - though she was fairly good in this book and went out well - so I’m not sad to see the back of her.

I haven’t managed to work through all the espionage/mole elements. Yes, Pattern used the box to talk to Wit, and Radiant killed Ialai so Shallan wouldn’t, but who’s Mraize’s spy close to Dalinar?

This arc ended too abruptly. I think Sanderson could easily have traded a Kaladin chapter in Part 3 for an extra chapter wrapping up events in Shadesmar; maybe one where Shallan first goes to see Testament.

I enjoyed the Urithiru arc in Part 4 as well. Switching to Bridge 4 points of view other than Kaladin was a good move - we already know he’s worn to ribbons, so we don’t need to be inside his head to see it. “The Dog and the Dragon” was amazing, and the most appropriate story ever for Kaladin. (I get how Wit’s schtick of telling incredibly topical stories and then saying “no, I don’t have a point, what point?” would be really aggravating in person.) It was nice to see him be gentle with Kaladin for a change, the way he is with Shallan - his two previous encounters with Kaladin read as rather baiting, which annoyed me.

Dabbid was - I don’t know quite how to say this, but his inclusion struck an amazing balance in this book. Navani’s arc is all about two amazingly smart people doing science and making incredible breakthroughs, and that is sincerely valued and given importance by the narrative, and then you get chapters like Dabbid’s and one of Taravangian’s emphasizing that a person’s value and ability to contribute is not determined by their intelligence.

Navani’s arc continued to be excellent. All of her research, and the way the story took you through the process, and her complex relationship with Raboniel, was great.

I loved Venli’s character development, and growing willingness to take risks for the sake of others. To me, her arc parallels Dalinar’s in the last book in some ways. If we can love the story of a bloodthirsty conqueror growing to become a good person, why can’t we equally love the story of a coward coming to become a good person? There seems to be a tendency to be more drawn to strength, even in its most terrible forms, than to weakness. To me, Venli’s confession to Rlain and acceptance of his disgust at her was one of the book’s great moments. (And I can’t understand people saying her arc took up two much space. She had 5 chapters in Part 3, and 4 in Part 4. That’s not very many! I’ll grant that the flasbacks packed less punch than some earlier flashback sequences because we already knew the main events - Brandon acknowledged that even before the book came out - but I still liked them well enough, and Venli’s present-day arc was excellent.)

Anyway, the amount of space I’ve spent on this section relative to Part 3 is another strong inducation of the differences in how I feel about them!

PART 5

I should probably start this section with a discussion of Moash. I’ll try to keep it summarized. here - I could, and may, write a short essay on his development through The Stormlight Archive. The first thing that jumps out about Moash’s arc in this book is his reaction to Renarin’s vision in Part 1. I think that vision is showing Moash who he could still be, in a similar way to Shallan’s inspirational drawings of people - both use the Surge of Illumination. So it’s not that Moash is irredeemable; Renarin is specifucally holding out to him the possibility of redemption.

And Moash’s reaction is to run away in terror. Because he desperately wants his decision to be irrevocable. He desperately wants there to only be one possible path forward for him. Because if there are alternative paths, it means he can choose them, and that would mean facing guilt, facing the fact that his past choices were wrong, and his current choices are wrong. And that is exactly what Moash sought to avoid by giving up his pain and sense of guilt to Odium.

Moash is, nonetheless, very much Moash and not Vyre, as evidenced by his continuing obsession with Kaladin. As with his above need to not be wrong, here he needs to feel that he’s right, and the only way he can feel that he’s right is if Kaladin - whom he still deeply admires - makes the same decision as him, and if Moash can convince himself that he’s doing Kaladin a favour in driving him to that point. It’s ironic that he’s given up almost all feeling abd become almost enturely detached, but his worst actions are driven by his attitude towards the one person in the world who he still does have very strong feelings about. By the end of the book, he’s comprehensively broken, to the point that even when his ability to feel is restored he’s unable to even feel genuine remose over the cold-blooded murder of a friend. I don’t know where he’ll go from here - it would be ironic if he was only ever really appealing to Rayse-Odium, and Taravangian-Odium found Moash too much of a flat villain for his purposes and cast him off.

As the plot climaxes go, I thought the ones for Navani and Venli were excellent and very satisfying. I enjoyed Kaladin’s as well and found it cathartic, but it a was moment we all knew had to come, so it didn’t have quite the kick of some of Kaladin’s other big moments. I did love his reconciliation with Lirin. One of the themes of the book was finding common ground despite deeply felt disagreements - with Navani and Raboniel, with Navani and the Sibling, and with humans and singers/Fused more generally - and Kaladin and Lirin’s reconciliation fit well with that. I am far more favourable to Lirin than most people - if you’ve lived as a pacifist in storming Alethkar, which values the lives of its people slightly more than it does crem, you’re going to have been right a solid 95% of the time, where everyone else was wrong. I can make allowances for the other five percent, especially when Lirin’s life lesson from the last five or so years has been “resisting oppression and standing up for what you believe in will destroy everyone you love”.

And on the topic of finding common ground, Leshwi’s reaction to the revelation that Venli was a Radiant was one of the single most beautiful moments of the book, and one of my absolute favourites. It’s gorgeous and moving, and at the same time rather tragic, because - what might have bern different if Venli had revealed herself to Leshwi at the start of the book? How much of the conflict could have been avoided. Singers don’t appear to attract spren as strongly as humans do, which makes Leshwi drawing joyspren particularly powerful. And then the bittersweet note from “My soul is too long owned by someone else”. (Come to think of it, this is another inverted paralell to Moash. This is someone realizing “I was wrong about everything and I’m so glad about that because it means I have a chance to be someone better than I was.”) Oh my goodness, I would love a Leshwi chapter in a later book, just to check in on her and see how she’s doing in her new life with the Singers.

I also loved the climax of Navani’s arc, and was so relieved, because up until that very moment I wasn’t sure if the Sibling would survuve uncorrupted. I know that some people weren’t pleased because the Sibling didn’t even like her, but to me that became a core part of the story, like I said above - people who deeply disagree finding common ground and common cause. That is a key element of being a Bondsmith - the process of bringing people together in spite of their differences - and something that fits Navani so well given the rapport she found with Raboniel. (Though I was conflicted about the latter. On the one hand, she made amazing discoveries that enabled her to save Urithiru. One the other hand, she...kind of collaborated with the enemy and gave them terrible weapons out of intellectual curiosity and a desire to prove herself?) I will grant that it makes the series, and the characters with the most crucial importance to Roshar, rather Kholin-heavy.

For Taravodium, all I can say is - YIPES. I have no idea how to process the implications of that, but I feel like it will be bad. Really really bad. (Taravangian is probably my least favourite character in the entire Stormlight Archive. The attitude of “I am so brave and selfless for doing evil things and look at how wonderful I am for sacrificing my own morality for the benefit of all, you petty selfish people wanting to be good could never make such a grand sacrifice” drives me absolutely nuts. It’s a complete inversion and twisting of morality, and intensely arrogant.)

Dalinar’s encounter with Ishar was fascinating, and I’m very curious to see where this goes. The spren experiments were deeply creepy! And the way Radiant Oaths can temporarily restore a Herald’s sanity was fascinating - I’m very eager to see where this goes in the next book. I suspect that Dalinar may have made a very serious mistake with regards to this trial my combat, and I have no idea how/if they’re going to fit Szeth’s whole arc into the ten days before the duel. I’ve been eagerly anticipating Szeth’s arc ever since The Way of Kings!

[smartguyreviewed]

2x4 - Dateline

Original air date: Oct 1, 1997

Anyone who was holding their breath for me to get back to this, thank you. Been going through a lot like most people right now but I had to remember this blog is a good distraction because I get to write about one of my favorite shows growing up. Anyways, enjoy. :) 

Let’s talk about cock-blocking or to be more gender inclusive...actually, I can’t think of a term similar that utilizes both a male and female part. Anyhoo, let’s talk about it.

I’ve done it (unintentionally). You’ve done it. We’ve all had it done to us as well. Like the night you finally got a chance to be alone with your dipshit crush and your annoying friend tried to insert herself until she finally realized what was going on and left you two alone so you could have your first kiss ever at age 19.

TJ is an extreme cock blocker. He will break your shit up and then pout because he’s still just a kid. Normally, TJ only wants to punish Marcus by enacting this cruel tactic but in this episode, he shifts gears to the person who is both a mother and father to him: Daddy Flody.

We begin this episode at a supermarket. Tj is checking out cereals and Floyd is checking out dat ass.

TJ catches Floyd staring and in his precocious little way, starts asking him questions about women. It kind of reminds me of Frank from Milk Money. which is a horrible movie that I adore and you should watch it because despite a little kid befriending a prostitute, it’s still a decent 90s coming-of-age tale. And Alex DeLarge is in it.

After TJ makes his dad sweat further by asking what body type gets his penis erect, TJ comes to the conclusion that Floyd is lonely and could probably benefit from some female companionship.

Cut to TJ on an unrealistically chatty PC barking at TJ to fill in the boxes for Floyd. I don’t know about you, but if my computer kept talking to me, I’d throw it out of the fucking window. I am so glad websites that talk at you are obsolete. Apparently, this computer is also sentient because TJ pauses for just a moment too long when Marcus comes in and this impatient computer bitch asks for the rest of the info in a more demanding tone.

But because TJ was distracted, he inputs his own height instead of his dad’s and the computer announces that she’s transferring him to their little people’s section. Hey, they gotta find love too!

Marcus is skeptical of why TJ is trying to set Floyd up. Just then, Yvette walks in and asks who is using her eyeliner to write down phone messages, which I totally expect a straight man to do. After fessing up, Marcus asks Yvette to dissuade TJ from setting up his dad. Yvette then uses her soon-to-be psychology degree on Marcus and reasons that he might be a little salty because he doesn’t want another woman to replace his mom. But no, Marcus is a teenage boy and completely lacking depth until certain episodes call for it. Instead, he says he just wants the car on weekend evenings so he can try to bang his latest girl of the week. Of course, he could just be deflecting to avoid a heavy conversation but I’m gonna go with the former because Marcus is the horniest boy on the show.

Yvette decides to help TJ since Floyd has few dating options. Her plan is to beef up his personal ad by making him younger and a fan of soul food and Maya Angelou. Marcus is still not with the shits and says that nobody wants to date an “old guy with three kids.” Completely forgetting about the fact that his dad is an attractive man, this happens instead:

TJ and the gang are now making final cuts on the 130 prospects Floyd had. I mean, that’s great and all but I’m sure at least half of those women were catfishes. Then again, in the 90s, maybe there was more legitimacy since there wasn’t enough technology to hide behind? I dunno. But Floyd definitely has some options.

While deliberating who will receive the clock from Floyd, Marcus makes what would be considered a transphobic comment questing if some of them really are women and how he doesn’t want Floyd to end up like Eddie Murphy. Mo, on the other hand is questing if this is even legal. Mo is a teenage boy and is probably likening it to what Tinder now is: a place to meet horny individuals.

Yvette thinks the ladies are good picks but then begins nitpicking their flaws, among one of them being that one of the ladies has breast implants. Because women who get surgeries to help boost their self esteem apparently don’t deserve love? Yvette is such a hypocrite as we’ll see in the future. Mo then begins taking the rejected pics because he loves older women, especially ones with perceived low self esteem. Just then, Floyd comes in the room and the gang has to cover up their dirty work. Floyd makes a bad joke and then dips out.

They eventually settle on a light-skinned natural woman named Jamie. They agree to meet at the grocery store, sot hat’s where we end up. Marcus is acting like he’s never seen pretty girls outside of school and leaves to spit game at women who just wanna be left alone so they can buy their frozen pizza and wine in peace.

Jamie sees who she thinks is her suitor and immediately is pissed because she, you know, thought she’d be meeting Floyd and not a little boy. Yvette comes over to smooth things over and convinces Jamie to meet Floyd. Well, TJ’s cute face convinced her after she was understandably freaked out. They go to meet Floyd. 

Jamie shows up and explains what happened and that she was pre-screened to make sure she wasn’t a guy. Floyd actually even gives her an up and down look before she says she passed! Pretty sure this also wouldn’t go over well today. Jamie and Floyd, however, hit it off and leave to go on a date. When they get back, Yvette and TJ are spying on the new couple to see how it went. Floyd was actually bigging up TJ and talking about how smart he is to Jamie when they got in. Aww. Floyd is proud of his son for hooking him up. Yvette is noticeably annoyed at how he gets all of the credit, but I mean, it was his idea. Yvette just helped him out. 

Upon completion of this totally selfless act to get his father some love, TJ is happy at first. Yay TJ! You’re on the right track to becoming a thoughtful human be--

Sike! TJ immediately regrets this decision once he realizes that his father having a personal life means that he won’t see him as much. TJ has a basketball game coming up that Floyd won’t be able to attend now. Yvette offers to take him but it’s not the same because Yvette is a girl and girls aren’t fun. And just like that, TJ the petty, cock-blocking asshole comes back.

The next day, TJ and Floyd are playing basketball when Jamie comes home. Floyd invites her to play but TJ is all like “bitch, wait your turn” and then Floyd puts her on TJ’s team. She then bribes TJ with the food she’s about to cook for them. He agrees but then Jamie and Floyd start flirting because duh. TJ leaves in a jealous fit, upset that this woman he hooked his father up with has the gall to want to spend time with him. He simulates what he wants to do to her body on a bag of Funions.

I have to say though, how long was the frame of this episode? Days? Weeks? Jamie has essentially become their stepmom. She’s even giving Marcus advice on how to treat a girl like a human being instead of a meat popsicle with titties. Yvette and Marcus then leave, allowing Jamie and Floyd their Blockbuster and Chill time with The Preacher’s Wife.

But TJ is a boner detector because as soon as Jamie and Floyd are about to mash faces, TJ whimpers for his pa because he doesn’t feel good. We think Floyd banished him to his room but then TJ comes over and pushes the two would-be lovers apart so he can ruin their night. Jamie eventually decides to leave, even though it’s clear she was holding out in case she could get a piece of Floyd but TJ completely squashed that possibility. Floyd actually whines when Jamie says she’s leaving. Aww. Floyd is lonely. Does TJ care? Of course not. 

TJ sounds perfectly fine when he says he’s sorry he ruined the night. Father and son decide to just watch the movie together instead.

The next day at school, Marcus is spitting his game at the girl he went on a date with. Turns out, treating women like actual people has been working well for him! He’s even going on a second date. Yvette comes by to let TJ know that she’s picking him up again. TJ is, of course, pissed because Jamie had come over to the house the night before, albeit dick-less. Yvette has to explain to TJ that when you date someone, the goal is to see them frequently and that he’s the reason their last date sucked. She then shatters Marcus’s dreams by letting him know that Floyd is taking his car on his date. Guess Marcus is gonna have to make out on the bus.

TJ’s lips are all puckered because he’s losing his father to another woman. He’s so distressed that he actually picks a fight with a senior. Mo steps in and literally drags TJ home. No, seriously. He carried TJ like a bag of groceries all the way to the Henderson house during school. Then he transformed into a therapist to get to the root of TJ’s outburst. This is during school hours. Mo skipped school to bring TJ home and give Floyd advice. Mo is amazing.

TJ is playing basketball with himself when Floyd comes in and then he spills that he’s sick of Jamie. Floyd reminds TJ that he’s the one who set them up and I guess TJ didn’t know things would actually change. Now would have been a good time to mention if he feels some way about another woman besides Yvette playing a maternal figure in the wake of his mother’s never explained death. But Floyd does a good job as usual and says this is temporary because when TJ is a teenager, he won’t want anything to do with Floyd. TJ finally stops being a prick and Floyd offers to be careful about how he schedules his time and then continues the basketball game he let Jamie interrupt previously. Aww Floyd. Too bad TJ is probably going to hold onto this for a while because he was giving his dad a lot of shit in the end credits. This isn’t even the last time he does this to Floyd and we never see Jamie again, so I guess it’s safe to assume that TJ killed Jamie. 

Things I noticed:

- Can we just take a moment to appreciate how hot Floyd is? How could Marcus ever think his dad wouldn’t be able to attract women?

- This brilliant cover for the gang if Floyd came in during the date deliberation:

- Marcus doesn’t want Floyd to go out on dates because he wants the car to himself on the weekends. He says if Floyd starts going out, he’s making out in the back of the bus. Yvette then says, “No, thanks to Rosa Parks, you can make out anywhere on the bus.” Brilliant retort. I really hand it to the writers of this show.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

If you have sent me an Ask in the last thirty-six hours or so, This post is for you.

I was almost entirely done with answering all your beloved messages, when Tumblr decided to crash. Lost all the paragraphs of my rambling (which is why I’m no longer taking chances and am typing this on Google Docs) and even worse, the Asks seem to have been eaten by Tumblr’s great void. They’re gone, and nothing I’ve tried seems to work to get them back. Thankfully, I’m fresh off of responding, so I’ll try to summarize with one big epic post. Apologies for the inconvenience and unusual style, blame the Tumblr Overlords. 

WARNING: If you don’t read the data-mines and don’t want spoilers, do not go beyond this point. This mainly concerns The Quidditch Cup. 

There were a couple of Asks about Ismelda, someone talked about the head-canon that she’s secretly blonde and dyes her hair. Which I agree with, and really like. It would tie in to how Ismelda saw Penny as being no different from her sister. It would be a sign of her trying to spite her parents and distance herself from her family, to the point of even looking like them. I also think it would echo with Beatrice and how she changed her look to reinvent herself and be less of a “Mini Penny.” Another message was talking about her parents, wondering why they would ever visit her at Hogwarts given how they were portrayed. After all, they’re not about to be the next Ethan Parkin, are they? Not going to turn around and be well-meaning, but oblivious. I think it’s far more likely that they would visit her sister at Hogwarts, and it would be pure chance that Ismelda was there at the same time - if there was indeed any overlap where both sisters were at school. But that’s the real question of the hour - just what is the sister like? After all, it’s not her fault that she’s the favorite, right? Newt Scamander was estranged from his brother, who was engaged to his ex-girlfriend. From that description alone, we might think he was awful, but he wasn’t. Theseus was genuinely caring, he just didn’t know how to connect with Newt. We might have a similar situation on our hands here. Or, who knows, the sister might be the “Dudley” to Ismelda’s “Harry.” She was compared to both Emily and Penny, if memory serves. But until such a time that we meet her, we have no way of knowing who she’s really more like. Psst, Jam City, you getting this down? This would be a great TLSQ, to have Ismelda come face to face with her sister. Could perhaps end with, oh I dunno, befriending her? Just a thought…

I saw another Ask talking about how Beatrice would go back and forth between MC and Jae during their detention and how adorable it was to see her all flustered and excited, how it looked like she was gushing to MC “He’s so dreamy” and things of the like. It’s making me wish they would come back to this sub-plot because it’s funny as hell and a good way, again, to tie in Ismelda. She also fancied someone she had no chance with, she was also jealous of another person. (Chiara might not actually have a thing with Jae, but if memory serves, Beatrice is shown to be jealous of them talking anyway.) 

There was an Ask that talked about punching Barnaby’s father in the face. Or at least, the idea of doing so. But regrettably, he is in Azkaban and it cannot be done. Well, maybe not by MC, but someone who was already there could do it. New head-canon, Sirius decked him on his way out. It happened, I don’t make the rules.

@guppygirl I read the first chapter of your fic! Do you know what you’ve done to me, do you know how many feelz it gave me to see Rowan alive and well and acting so sweet? You nailed their character and I love the inclusion of their parents! Maya’s reactions make just want to give her a hug. Everyone should check out the fanfic on her page, seriously!

I believe there was an Ask lamenting that the Festival TLSQ didn’t come out this week, and believe me friend, I’m right there clowning with you. It seems like every week now, we think, “Okay, this time it will come out, they can’t delay it anymore.” And we’re always wrong. Here I am just starting to worry that my far-fetched theory about them shelving it until next year because it’s no longer “seasonal” isn’t so far-fetched after all…

But the vast majority of messages that were lost were, as I’m sure you can guess, about the data-mined House Cup for Season 2. I wrote a lot about it and I do indeed have some thoughts and feelings. 

Before I get into anything else, can I just say...that first scene with Ethan where he meets MC. I don’t think it’s possible for me to ever dislike Skye. All it ever takes is one vulnerable moment to erase any doubts and have me back in her corner. And you cannot tell me that Ethan knowing everything about MC because “Isn’t this the best mate you always talk about?” Didn’t melt your heart or at least give you feelz. Think back to how hurt Skye was when MC befriended Rath - to the point of snapping a broomstick in half. This is just proof of what I’ve been saying. She has no social skills and hardly any friends. Of course she sees MC as her bestie. The poor thing, oh my god, it’s adorable...

Ethan Parkin….I’m not a fan, even now. As I heard, he’s not as bad as we all feared he would be. He definitely has his moments. Still...he’s still pretty annoying. Ethan is basically a less obnoxious version of Lockhart, who actually has the talent to back it up. But I didn’t like how he involved himself in the practice and took over deciding who should be leader. Seriously, if he knows the game this well then he should know we already have a leader assigned. That’s what a Captain is. He was quite rude to Orion and while his pressuring Skye might have been inadvertent, it was still his fault. He’s also an extremely violent Quidditch player, which I’m not a fan of (Although apparently Penny is? The fuck?) I get that he would never cross the line into cheating, but I’m not impressed by how he lied. Didn’t give his team credit. And seriously...is cheating morally inferior to harming another player in a “legal” way? I guess it’s just a Quidditch culture thing, but I’m not here for it. 

Orion’s reaction to Ethan, though? God I loved it. He took everything completely in stride, had the maturity to say that no, he was happy to learn from a Quidditch master. His concern wasn’t about his ego, it was about Skye’s feelings. Because once again, he’s the only one with the empathy to realize what she might be going through. Orion’s response was measured and thoughtful and god, I love him so much. Side note: Were they seriously debating whether or not keeping Ethan around to learn his mystery move was worth it, even if it was stressing Skye out? My dudes, this is the exact same mistake you made during the Rath TLSQ. Involving someone who doesn’t need to be involved, just for the sake of a potential advantage in a meaningless sports game, regardless of how much it will hurt someone who is supposed to be our friend. Screw that. 

Folks were talking about Erika Rath. Someone brought up how hilarious it was in a previous chapter to see Andre actually tell her to be quiet, and for her to do so. And yeah, I agree. It’s a testament to how close their friendship must really be (Sorry, Depressed Erika Anon) I mean, most people wouldn’t dare say that to her. And I don’t think she’d have such a calm and passive reaction to just anyone. It’s unconventional, but their relationship is a sweet one. Overall, they’re involving Rath more and I’m quite glad of it. Seeing her proud of MC is heartwarming. Seeing her become more of a main character is great - I mean, she is one of the main four, after all. Face Paint Kid is a background character, as much as I love him. Penny is only here to develop Skye, and Andre is only here to develop Rath. There was also an interesting comparison made between her and Ethan, about how they both play pretty violently. Still not a fan of this. Maybe that’s one of the reasons that I’m mostly indifferent to Rath. But I’m coming around on her. 

This was a lovely place to cap off Skye’s character arc. Seeing MC stand up to Ethan (although I wish you could be firm without having to say that stupid “You’re off the team, Parkin!” line) was especially cathartic, and it’s clear that Skye appreciates it. She’s happier by the end, and has actually communicated with her father. I would sincerely like it if Season 3 focused on, say, Murphy a little more. He hasn’t gotten any development since the first half of Season 1. Even Orion got some development in this TLSQ. But...make no mistake, we’re not done hearing about Skye. I know that no one wants to hear this, but...they slipped in that line about her wishing she could play Rath. She still hates her. That hasn’t been resolved. Oh well, at least it’s an opportunity to further flesh out Rath. There’s also the possibility that, if they do give focus to Orion, it might be that Season 3 is his last hurrah. I hope he stays for the entire story, but even if they don’t want to confirm character ages...he could very well graduate. If he does, there’s going to be a story-line about choosing his successor. And again, I know that nobody wants to see this happen, but...the only candidates who matter in the story are MC and Skye. So they could be pitted against each other again. But I hope that won’t happen.

Curse you, Tumblr. Oh well, it should be safe to send in Asks again because I’m quite literally going to copy them onto a Google Doc from now on just to be safe. If I missed out on one that you sent in, please feel free to let me know or re-send it. I’ve also seen people taking screenshots of their Asks and then responding to the picture instead of just responding outright. Might do that too...thank you for your patience, this has been a doozy. 

[thuskindlyshescatters]

Volume Six Opening

So... I’m just gonna do this all in one long-ass post. If you’re in the “recent” RWBY tag or on my blog, God save you, because the “Keep reading” won’t work. So, if you’re not interested in this, SCROLL. Scroll like it’s that “do you love the color of the sky” bullshit.

Number one, let me just say that I’ll have to see if I warm up to this opening, because, while I like it, I’ll probably like it a lot more (as it has been in the past) once the Volume progresses and a few things become clarified in foreshadowing.

Anyways, the logo/title card fades away, as is per tradition, though the letters are turning into snow instead of petals! Nice.

While the moon is usually a figure of interest in openings, the specific emphasis on the breaking thereof may FINALLY be foreshadowing some goddamn backstory.

is that an atlesian knight or, like, yknow

you aint slick roosterteeth

please watch gen:lock it will help support roosterteeth’s animation department

Earlier in the episode we saw Blake feeling bad, but now we also see Yang’s sour expression and Blake’s turn to melancholy as well upon seeing a happy partnership go by. This confirms that the Bumbleby conflict will hold focus, which I’m pleased by.

When Yang looks out the window at Adam’s reflection, Blake actually also turns her head to look at the same place. I think this might be a continuation of the moment she had while separating the train. This didn’t have much emphasis, though, so I’m not sure if it’s important.

The inclusion of Qrow in this sequence assumably alluding to Silver Eyes is just one of the hints dropped that this may be the volume in which we learn about Summer.

Also, Maria survived that train crash without Weiss’s grounding, so... there’s definitely some magic Yoda shit going on with her.

I don’t think that this is just alcohol symbolism or whatever, because those are specific Nuckelavee arms. I think this might allude to why Qrow drinks in the way he does -- hence, more evidence for a STRQ backstory.

It also transitions into this dark hellscape with Ruby being attacked by these things, so this may actually be Qrow’s nightmare. Once again, I can’t help but feel like Summer’s involved. This may be a literal scene, like Giant!Salem in Volume Five, but for now I’m assuming a metaphorical stance.

The inclusion of the Relic here is important, too -- since it wasn’t on Ruby in any other scenes in this opening, it probably has a special significance to why these creepy Nuckelavee arms are attacking her.

I know that we’re freaking out over the existence of Roman’s hat and being either like “OMG NEO” or “OMG CINDER” (I’m in the latter camp), but let’s not forget that it actually gets slashed through, and the figure takes a defensive stance. We might be able to have our cake and eat it too -- Cinder being followed/attacked by Neo in a weird revenge plot.

Emerald is not posing in a badass or SmircuryTM-esque pose here -- she looks tired and worried, which connects to her role in the trailer.

We’ve never seen Salem so legit FURIOUS before, so this is either a reaction to their failure at Haven, or (more likely) the next sequence with Ozpin.

I...have no idea what this is. Her outfit and her color palette suggest to me “Winter Maiden”, but that’s a weird conclusion to jump to. I’ve seen theories saying this was Salem waaaaay long ago, but that makes “Raven is Ruby from the future” sense to me.

However, what I can tell is that that Ozpin looks like this Ozpin:

He may have been one of the more significant Ozpins, though I’m not sure doing what. The hem of his jacket matches that of the floating “Reverence” figure in the trailer, so I’m assuming that there will be a flashback sequence, or even a whole flashback episode, about Ozpin.

This is also suggested by the presence of an Ozpin Maya model -- not just a matte painting, like his face in the Volume Five opening, but an actual poseable figure, which may be used in a flashback.

I’d also like to point out that the turquoise color that filled the screen of Angry!Salem is the same as that of Hipster!Ozpin’s wristband and King of Vale!Ozpin’s shirt, implying a strong connection between them. I can’t remember -- is there any turquoise in Oscar’s outfit, or just green?

By the way, if this IS the King of Vale, then his design only partially matches the one in the Great War WOR, but it seems accurate to the description -- the stories that Qrow tells in that WOR include “unusually harsh weather conditions” in the final battle, implying the use of Maidens.

Uhhh... that’s the Haven apartment. Did they just need a background, or is this also an allusion to a flashback? At this point, it’s getting more and more likely that there’s an Ozpin flashback episode in our future, a la Volume 3 Chapter 7.

So, this is definitely the tavern where ‘Cinder’ met with purple lady and her gang, so this fight is probably at least part of this subplot of whatever Cinder is doing this volume. (Also, good image of her hand and sword, for those who still think it could be Neo. However, while the hat could have been a red herring, the hand might ALSO be a red herring, and we’re double crossed and this ends up actually being Neo. Which makes no sense, but, hey, belief is the spirit of truth.)

So, all we really see of our main RWBY cast + Qrow is on the train. Which is, frankly, terrifying, because we JUST ESTABLISHED that we wouldn’t really be seeing any more train time after this episode, so aside from wandering through the wilderness and some Silver Eye/Summer exposition, I really have no idea what’s going to happen to them. All I know is that, from this image, Ruby might have a character arc that is as significant as Weiss’s with the return to Atlas, hence their front-and-center nature in this group shot. Maria is there, which confirms her importance in this volume. There is prominence of Ozpin’s cane, which leads me to believe that, as before, Ozpin will have focus this volume. Finally, Blake and Yang are on opposite sides of the screen, facing away from each other. I believe this is also meant to be symbolic of the Bumbleby conflict, which hopefully is resolved by the end of the volume.

Overall, I’m looking forward to a ton of flashbacks and expositional narration! I know that there are people who HATE the show-don’t-tell thing RWBY has going on, but I’m fine with a little bit of sitting-around-and-talking to enhance our story and characters. This volume looks kinda dark, which might be a good thing, considering the MANY overlapping subplots in this opening and the trailer that haven’t even been touched on yet.

Things are looking pretty cool for Volume Six.

[ambitionsource]

AMBITION Season 1 ♫ “Before the Storm” [ 1.11 ]

CREATED BY Esther (rapunzles) & Maggie (quincywillows)

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES – The sophomore stars throw their hat in the ring for the chance to attend a highly regarded performance summer program, but only three students can progress from Adams to the final audition. Lucas has a daunting decision to make.

60 Minutes (15K words) || No warnings apply.

[ ← Birds of a Feather ] [ S1 Synopsis ] [ The World Will Never Be the Same → ]

( Follow along with the music on Spotify here! )

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The halls of Adams greet us for the penultimate episode, cutting between shots of the setting we’ve come to know and love. Through windows in the doors, students rehearse in the music and dance studios. The locker hallways are pristine and decorated for the end of term. Graduation memorabilia is all around.

As the scenery shifts, the voice of Principal Hunter lectures on the importance of the school, everything that the institution stands for. Next to bulletin boards where students are welcome to jot down their summer plans to share, a display case in the atrium shows photos and mementos from the past school year. Les Mis is certainly included, as well as the winter showcase.

Jack: Adams exists to give students the chance to pursue a passion. Something important to them, so pivotal to their future endeavors and true happiness that they can’t even fathom doing anything else. It’s a silly notion, to some, but I’ve always admired that piece to it. That chance to give a young mind the power and potential to do whatever it is that they’ve always dreamed about.

Focus eases in on one advertisement on the bulletin board in particular – an informational flyer about the Kossal Summer Program, which has been referenced multiple times since the pilot. In bold lettering, the text “rising juniors only,” seems sharply emphasized.

Jack: More than anything, I try to give our students as much opportunity as possible. Getting here was the first step, and then I want to help them reach higher. Achieve further. Find access to doors and avenues that they may not have even known existed or felt capable of entering. I work hard to create that space. I work hard with all of the faculty and staff here to foster that environment, where any student can come to a safe, inclusive environment and throw their hat in the ring.

INT. AAA - JACK’S OFFICE - DAY

It becomes clear why JACK HUNTER is monologuing. He is in his disciplinary meeting with WYATT LIVINGSTON, following their deduction that he is the one running AAA Confessions.

Jack: Thus, it’s always such a shame when someone deems to take advantage of this space, and twists it into something it shouldn’t be.

Wyatt doesn’t seem all that impressed. Jack questions him on why the hell he would create a page like this, or barring that, be a part of it in the first place. Wyatt claims he didn’t make the Insta, but Jack presses the question again. Not buying it.

Wyatt dispels Jack’s rosy view of the school, claiming it’s no oasis for creativity and collaboration. It’s a cesspool of egomaniacs and cutthroat competition, and he knows it. The whole reason that the AAAC even works at all is because of the collective terrible attitude at the school. It’s a “safe environment” for them to take shots at each other and be as repulsive and reductive as they all actually are.

Jack snaps at this, claiming that’s not entirely true. He references the very targeted attack on a single student just a few days ago with Lucas, which Wyatt clearly orchestrated and was not just the full petty whimsy of the student body. Unable to fully deny this, Wyatt admits his hand in making some of the initial posts, but he didn’t orchestrate anything. If anything, the Lucas White Trash Dump Day is a perfect example of what he’s talking about – he lit a match, and the sophomore class set the whole forest on fire with it.

Wyatt: Besides, it’s not my fault that everyone hates Lucas. He does that to himself.

Jack doesn’t want to hear anymore. He doesn’t think he can face it. He moves onto discussing punishment, positing what he believes are fair consequences – expulsion, effective immediately. This finally seems to knock Wyatt off his high horse. He claims that’s bullshit considering one student can beat up another and not get kicked out, but he makes a couple of mean anonymous posts and he’s on the chopping block?

Jack argues that it’s the principle of the thing, and that every situation is different. The situation between him and Lucas was an isolated incident with bigoted implications, whereas the page has been an ongoing toxic presence at the school –

Wyatt: But I don’t deserve to get punished for it! I didn’t create the page!

Jack: Fine. Fine, if that’s the case, then tell me who did. Tell me who should take the fall for this, and we can renegotiate your involvement.

Wyatt can’t, because he doesn’t know. Nobody does. Jack takes his silence as an admission of guilt, but it’s evident that he is truly distraught about taking the consequences for it. Perhaps the severity of the punishment may be a bit too harsh…

After a beat, Jack claims that he will take some time to determine the proper punishment. Until then, Wyatt would be smart to keep his head down and enjoy his last couple weeks of sophomore year without further trouble.

Wyatt rises in a huff, storming out. Jack waits until he exits before letting his composed facade crumble, obviously overwhelmed by the chaos this whole situation has caused.

Hopefully, it’s about to come to an end. But not without some major decisions…

Cue opening titles.

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

ANGELA MOORE is at her desk in the black box classroom, fretfully flipping through the schedule of the touring spot she’s been offered. She’s cross-referencing it with her personal calendar, obviously not thrilled with how much it’s consuming of her current life.

She’s been waiting so long for an opportunity like this. It’s her dream, yet now that it’s in front of her she doesn’t know what to do with it. Angela lifts her head, gazing blankly at the empty classroom around her. Wondering what it would be like to leave it behind…

SHAWN HUNTER breaks her out of her daze, entering with coffee and a breakfast bagel. He hands it to her and she takes it gratefully. He tentatively asks if she’s made any decisions yet, to which she gives a definitive no. Still very much in the realm of indecision.

Shawn seems relieved that it’s not a guaranteed yes, but being in uncertain territory isn’t much better. But uncertain ground they’ll continue to tread…

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Ain’t It Fun” as performed by Tufts Beezlebubs || Performed by Nigel Chey, Yindra Amino, Chai Fresco, Nick Yogi, Clarissa Cruz, and Haley Fisher

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

NIGEL CHEY leads this acapella rendition, playfully rehearsing with his fellow sophomores. It’s one of the few numbers we’ve seen so far that gives due focus to the other performers in the classroom, and it gives an upbeat (if subtly ominous) musical start to the episode.

He dances around the stage with YINDRA AMINO, CHAI FRESCO, NICK YOGI, CLARISSA CRUZ, and HALEY FISHER. In keeping with the truce, most of the techies are hanging around with them and half-grooving along while working on set pieces. DYLAN ORLANDO sways with ASHER GARCIA in a bouncy waltz, the latter somewhat singing along.

DAVE WILLIAMS shows off his usual terrible dancing. Nigel sings directly to JADE BEAMON at one point, and she just about passes out. Yogi films the jam session with his A/V club camera to commemorate the end of the year.

Absolutely charmed.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

While the acapella underscores, FARKLE MINKUS is making his way through the hallway after finishing up at his locker, headphones blocking out the rest of the world. He seems a little out of it, traversing the school with less of the impatient, high-maintenance energy than he was bursting with earlier in the year. Subtle, but definitely a shift.

DARBY WINTERS and SARAH CARLSON catch up to him, startling him into conversation. As he removes his headphones, he struggles to catch up to their fast-paced questioning.

Darby: … your audition number? We want to start taking bets on whether you’re going to be able to best Maya or not in this final epic diva showdown.

Farkle: My audi – okay, slow down pixies, and start over. I can’t understand you at warp speed.

They eagerly ask him if he has decided what song he’s using for his audition. Suddenly feeling as though he’s forgotten something, he asks them what the hell they’re talking about.

Sarah: The Kossal auditions? They’re this weekend. Preliminaries are going to be all this week. [ Like he’s stupid. ] You know, the most coveted opportunity of the year?

Farkle: Oh. Oh… yeah. Yeah, I guess I forgot.

Sarah raises her eyebrows, clearly shocked. Darby breezes right past it, telling him he should really start thinking about it, although he’s likely to do amazing regardless. As they flutter away, Farkle shakes off his daze.

He honestly can’t believe he forgot about the program he’s been waiting all year to audition for. But suppose when you actually get friends and stop being all-consumed by your one passion, that’ll do it to you.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

ERIC MATTHEWS is sitting down with RILEY MATTHEWS, obviously excited about whatever information he’s about to share with her. She still has her focus set on a different matter, though, and figures that’s what the meeting is going to be about.

Riley, hopefully: You’ve figured out who is running AAAC?

Eric: … still working on that. But making progress, undoubtedly.

Riley sighs, slouching back in her seat. Eric promises her that what he has to tell her is just as exciting, another great opportunity here at the end of term. He goes on to explain that at the conclusion to each school year, Michael Jacobs and the school board fund an art gala in which all the major art magnet schools from the area come together to celebrate their achievements of the past year and share in their love of the craft.

He slides a small invitation across the table for her to look at. On the front is a fancy-looking ballroom where the event is usually held, with details and logistics on the backside.

Eric: Now, obviously Jack and I will be attending, as principal and MVP of Adams.

[ Riley glances at him, giggling at his given title for himself. ]

Eric: But we’re allowed to bring one student as a representative for our school, and we were thinking you.

Riley: [ blinking, taking a moment to realize she heard him correctly ] Me – me? You want me?

Eric: The nomination was unanimous.

Riley is evidently stunned by this. Eric goes on to explain all that she helped achieve at AAA that year, particularly how instrumental she was in bridging the divide and improving the overall quality of culture in the sophomore class. There is no one else they can think of more deserving of the opportunity. She should be proud of everything she’s accomplished this year.

The caveat, however, is that the gala conflicts with the district-wide audition evening for Kossal. So should she get chosen from the school-level auditions to progress onward, she would have to decide which one to attend. Riley claims she’s not planning on auditioning anyway.

Eric: What? Why on Earth not?

Riley: Are you – are you serious? You literally just said to me –

Eric: You know, you’re right. You’re right, shh. We’ll unpack that later.

Eric opts instead to highlight all the fun aspects to the gala that Riley should start gearing up for. She gets to dress up! There’s performances, and dancing, and great food! Oh, and she gets to bring a plus one, so she should start thinking about who she might like to bring along.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Class has assembled for the day, bustling into their seats and alive with restless end-of-term energy as Angela brings their attention to the front. She goes on to talk further about the Kossal program, how it is an intensive six-week summer camp in upstate New York where participants are deeply immersed in the art of performance. It is one of the most highly anticipated opportunities of the year for the sophomore class. The program boasts many notable alumni, and they’ve rarely had a student attend it from AAA who didn’t see success in their future.

As she describes it, it’s evident that MAYA HART and Farkle are both totally invested. ZAY BABINEAUX seems inspired too, but less openly determined than the other two divas. Everyone else is somewhere in between, indecisive about whether it’s worth it to try for it at all.

Angela continues on, explaining the catch – given it’s highly selective criteria, the audition process is staggered and competitive. It starts at the school level, where they will select three of their best students to move on to the district-wide auditions. From there, one lucky student from Adams will get to experience the program.

The techies are like… great. This week is going to be hell, isn’t it. ISADORA DE LA CRUZ exchanges a look with DYLAN ORLANDO and ASHER GARCIA, who look less than enthused. Angela dismisses them to work on their auditions or final projects, whichever they deem fit.

In the wings, Farkle pulls Maya aside. In an attempt to preserve their new and blossoming friendship, he proposes that they should help one another with their auditions. Essentially, be there to support one another rather than fall into their usual habits. Given the circumstances, it’s very unlikely that they both won’t progress to the next round, and he doesn’t want their naturally competitive instincts to come between them.

Maya is surprised and a bit hesitant towards this initiative, but she’s not going to be the one to cause trouble. Besides, as far as she can tell, Farkle does seem entirely genuine in his motivations. She agrees with a “hell yeah,” taking a pass on the drama if they can hack it.

They shake on it, agreeing they’ll be on each other’s teams.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

Zay is at his usual table, YINDRA AMINO and NIGEL CHEY occupying the other primary seats around him. They’re engaging in their typical comfortable conversation, Zay allowing them to take the brunt of it.

His focus shifts when CHARLIE GARDNER approaches with lunch in hand, coming to stand awkwardly by their table. He and Zay hold eye contact for a long moment, before Charlie asks if there’s room for him to join them. Although there’s clear tension, Yindra and Nigel don’t seem to pick up on it.

Zay claims there’s room, because he actually has to get going. He rises to leave without much more to say to Charlie. It’s clear this stings a bit, and Charlie watches him go before sliding into the seat he just vacated.

Yindra snaps him out of it when she asks whether or not he’s planning on auditioning for the Kossal program. Charlie says no, as he has a family obligation – there’s this big communal springfest dinner at his church that same night that is super important to his parents. His mother is part of the planning committee, and all that.

Nigel explains that he and Yindra were both considering it, but with only three spots and three known divas, it sort of seems like improbable odds. Charlie nods along, but he’s not really paying that much attention to their complaints. His gaze keeps lingering on the doors where Zay left.

INT. LUCAS’S APARTMENT - DAY

LUCAS FRIAR hastily makes his way from the hall to his bedroom towards the door, obviously on a mission. He has his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear, slipping on his boots.

Lucas: I’ll be there in like five minutes, you can pick me up at the usual corner. [ a beat ] No, tell Dylan he’s not coming over. [ beat ] Yes, I have the fireworks, now could you –

From the kitchen, his mother calls out for him. This is pretty unusual, so Lucas tells Asher he’ll be there in a minute before hanging up and sauntering back towards the kitchen.

INT. LUCAS’S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - DAY

Lucas pokes his head in, finding GRACE FRIAR seated at their small dining table. She’s petite, disarmingly beautiful, and looks deceptively too young to have a teenage son. She asks if he has a minute to chat about something. He starts to state that he has plans, but rather than explaining to his mother that he’s off to go set off illegal fireworks with his dumbass friends, he figures he can spare the few seconds to talk.

Lucas settles into the chair across from her, and the closer we are to her the more the cracks in her dainty exterior seem to show. There are healing bruises on her face from the events of 1.09, and once you notice them underneath the makeup, it’s hard to unsee.

She goes on to explain that through one of her friends at work, she was able to get in touch with the dean of admissions at McCullough, a private all-boys boarding school in upstate New York. Given Lucas’s excellent academic record at AAA – behavioral record aside – Grace believes that if he applied, he could totally get a spot in their elite student body for the last two years of high school. She wants to put his application in for the fall, if that’s something he might want.

Lucas, stunned: You mean… you mean like leave triple A?

Grace hurriedly explains that she knows AAA was never Lucas’s top choice as far as schooling. He never had any artistic interests, there were just no… better alternatives. But this school has excellent reviews, top rated academics. It’s in the countryside rather than the city, so maybe the fresh air could do him good. A little space. And all of its alumni go on to have successful careers as doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs – whatever Lucas decides he wants to do.

Lucas doesn’t know what to think. Never before has there been another option besides AAA, and the mere prospect of it seems impossible to fathom. Not to mention, so much has changed in the past year at the school he always claimed he hated. He doesn’t know how to answer.

Grace claims that he should take the next couple of weeks to consider it, as the application isn’t due until then anyway. It just might be a viable different route, an… escape from everything going on here. A loaded conversation to drop so suddenly…

Angela, pre-lap: How is anybody supposed to make a decision like this?

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Angela is hanging out with Eric in his office, both of them relaxing after the students have cleared out for the day. They’re sharing sodas in fancy glasses (i.e., what they’re allowed to consume on school property), and Eric is leaning back with his feet up on his desk as they muse.

Angela laments her current situation, definitely feeling torn between two worlds.

Angela: It’s like, all my life, I had one dream. This gig, this draining, paradoxical, invigorating art of performing, that was it for me. All of this from acing an audition to getting a spot on a tour or production, I mean, that was the whole plan, you know? That would fall into place, and the universe would do the rest.

Eric: I hear you, sister. Amen.

Angela: But here I am, finally steps away from the dream. It’s right in front of me. I can taste it. And… I’m holding back. I’m hesitating. How can I be hesitating now?

As Eric points out, there’s a chance her dreams have changed. She certainly has, as has he, and everyone else they know. Hell, look at how much they’ve all grown in just this school year alone.

Eric: Beginning of this year, Jack and I fought about everything.

Angela: Believe me, I remember.

Eric: You and Shawn couldn’t even look at each other, and the school was at war. Quite literally, given everything that conspired after.

Now, all things considered, they’ve found harmony. They’ve found peace, and they’re on their way to almost quelling the last remaining symbol of bad blood. They opened themselves to change, and it turned out to be exactly what they needed.

Eric: Change happens, and it’s scary. But it can be good. You shouldn’t run from it. In fact, it may behoove you to listen to what it’s trying to tell you.

Angela ruminates on this, taking a long sip of her cola. Much to think about.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - NIGHT

Zay is eating dinner with OMAR BABINEAUX and DONNA BABINEAUX, attempting to find the right time to tell them about the summer program. As Omar wraps up discussing a new development at work, Zay takes a deep breath and gears up to speak. Donna beats him to it, however, suddenly remembering an important news bulletin they meant to share with him.

His older sister Jada was selected for an exclusive study abroad program this summer. She’ll be studying fashion in Milan and Paris, so they’re planning a family vacation there as well to take advantage of the opportunity. It’s an exciting update, but definitely throws a potential wrench into Zay’s quest for Kossal.

Donna: Isn’t that exciting?

Zay: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s… I mean, dope.

Omar: What were you going to say, Zay? Looked like you had something on your mind.

Zay: Just that, uh… my grades have really turned around since fall semester. So the tutoring did actually help. That’s all.

He doesn’t push the issue further, allowing his parents to congratulate him and take back control of the conversation. Might as well be a sign… right?

INT. JACK’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Jack and Shawn are having their traditional dinner. Shawn raises his glass in a toast, cheering on Jack for catching the dumbass who was running the AAAC. Jack takes the praise, but hesitantly. After they both drink, Jack expresses his qualms about how to progress with punishment towards Wyatt.

Shawn shares no such reluctance to be brutal.

Shawn: What do you do when you catch a cold, Jackie?

Jack: Down a pint of Gatorade and hope for the best.

Shawn: [ with an eye roll ] Okay, how about a malignant mole? A tumor? Any sort of cancerous presence?

Jack: Well I’ve been lucky enough not to –

Shawn: You remove it. You cut the thing out so it’s disease can’t spread. It’s that simple.

Jack points out that some might say similar rhetoric about, say… Lucas, to which Shawn scoffs. He claims that they’re completely different situations.

Shawn: Listen, Friar is a mess all his own. I would know. But he isn’t going around using slurs towards other students, or posting increasingly vitriolic hate just to rile people up. There’s a difference.

Jack references the fact that Wyatt claims he’s not the moderator, that there’s another student running it. Shawn blows this off, stating that has to be a lie.

Shawn: [ with his mouth full ] I would know. I used to lie to get out of trouble all the time.

Jack: Once again, you continue to reassure me of your right state of mind to be teaching the youth of tomorrow…

Shawn states that Jack knows what the right decision is, he’s just wallowing in it. And if he won’t do the right thing, then he’ll just take matters into his own hands. Jack knows he’s just shooting the breeze, but he is also like don’t do anything stupid please, I have enough to deal with.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - NIGHT

That night, it’s just CORY MATTHEWS and Riley there for dinner at the apartment. In the midst of the meal, Cory congratulates her on being selected as representative, and there’s a soft moment between them reflecting on just how far she’s come in a year. He’s so, so proud of her.

She agrees that there is a lot to think about, like what she’s going to wear and who she should bring along. Cory additionally mentions the decision over which song to perform for her audition for the summer program, until Riley expresses that she isn’t planning on auditioning.

Much like Eric, Cory is totally opposed to this notion. He states that she should at least throw her hat in the ring, and it’s even more low stakes for her considering if she doesn’t make it to the district level, she has another plan already in place.

Cory: Other potential conflicts aside, you shouldn’t keep yourself from getting the chance to run the bases by never letting yourself take one swing at bat.

INT. RILEY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

This sentiment is still lingering with Riley as she gets ready for bed. She hesitates, glancing up at her moodboard to search for inspiration.

It’s drastically different than when it was first made, more intricate and decorated than ever. Lots of little details have been added, including photos of her classmates, playbills from Les Mis, and lots of other little mementos throughout the school year.

She zeroes in on one item in particular – a scrap of notebook paper. It’s the note she and Lucas were passing back in forth in 1.10, during Maya and Farkle’s rendition of “Bop to the Top.” While the majority of it is just a back and forth about how Lucas doesn’t know what the movie is and he thinks Maya and Farkle aren’t that good, the most important statement is the last.

As Riley is defending their performing abilities, he’s followed up with a very bold counterargument: “You’re better.”

It’s evident that is the reason the conversation is hanging up at all. She hangs on this, lightly smiling… wheels are beginning to turn in her head again…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Charlie shows up to the auditorium early, finding Zay on the stage exactly as he hoped he would. He’s running through what would have been his audition routine, the vaguely familiar orchestral arrangement from A Chorus Line playing on his iPhone speaker. Charlie hangs back and watches for a moment, in awe of Zay’s obvious skill as always.

Charlie: Looks pretty good.

Zay is surprised by his presence, both because he didn’t realize he was there and because he’s suddenly deeming him worth talking to again. He rushes to turn off his speaker, taking a second to catch his breath. Then he forfeits the stage, saying that he’ll get out of his way if he needs to use it. Charlie rushes to stop him, asking if he’ll give him just half a second to talk.

Zay looks wary, but he doesn’t leave. He crosses his arms, waiting for Charlie to say his piece.

Charlie: I’m sorry I’ve been acting so distant. Ghosting you, and stuff. I don’t have an excuse. I’ve just been… it’s been weird.

Zay: Bit of an understatement.

Charlie: I haven’t exactly felt like myself much, lately. [ a beat, then he laughs ] Honestly, it’s more like I don’t even know what “myself” actually is. Kind of wondering if maybe I ever did.

[ It’s really hard not to empathize with him. Zay is clearly softening. ]

Charlie: Anyway, it’s not a good reason to treat you the way I did. I can’t explain why I did what I did, but I’m genuinely sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings. And regardless of what’s going on with me, I don’t want to lose you. I mean, someone has to be able to keep up with me around here.

Zay can’t help but chuckle, earning a hopeful smile from Charlie. But the deal isn’t closed yet.

Charlie, sincerely: I understand if you can’t forgive me. I just wanted you to know.

There’s a moment of silence. Charlie may as well be holding his breath. Then, Zay sighs.

Zay: I don’t know what your so-called God has you used to, but I wouldn’t call what you did unforgivable. Or maybe I’m just a gracious deity.

Jokes aside, he’s accepting the apology. Charlie is clearly relieved, laughing in spite of himself and nodding. Zay mirrors his smile, before prodding further on what he mentioned earlier.

Zay: What did you mean by that? Not feeling like yourself?

Charlie: I don’t know. It’s like… do you remember during acoustic week, we talked about your lack of friends?

Zay: Well, I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but yes.

Charlie: It’s… I guess it’s kind of like that. What I talked about, that feeling where you feel like you’re outside yourself. Only… way worse. Like now I’m out there, and I don’t even recognize the person I’m looking at. It doesn’t feel like me anymore. Or maybe it never really was.

Zay can tell that Charlie is seriously struggling with this. Charlie goes on to explain that he was scared that things were changing, but now he doesn’t even know if that’s the case anymore. He isn’t sure if things are changing, or if he’s just becoming aware of how things already are. He can’t figure out which is worse.

Vague cryptic statements aside, Zay states that he’s there to help if he thinks he needs it. Charlie thinks on it, before agreeing that just doing something fun to get his mind off everything might be exactly what he needs.

Charlie: And, well, you’ve always been the expert on that front.

Zay: This we know. I’ll see what I can do.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Riley catches Isadora in the hall, asking if she’s seen Lucas. After she suggests checking the usual places, Riley follows up by asking whether or not Isadora is planning on auditioning for the summer program. Her derisive laugh is enough of a response.

Isadora: Are you kidding me? I’m not trying to insert myself into that bloodbath. Farkle, Maya, and Zay can take it, I’m not aiming to scrap in the last two weeks of school.

A valid analysis of the situation. Even still, Riley makes her focus on her as she states that she truly believes Isadora is good enough to earn herself a spot on her own merit. Then she flutters off, Isadora unable to hold back the ghost of a smile at the touching sentiment.

INT. AAA - PRACTICE ROOM - DAY

Maya and Farkle are in the same practice room where they met for tutoring in 1.03, running through some scales together with the latter on piano. They’re interrupted when KATY HART shows up, nervously poking her head in and clearly not sure if she’s in the right place. Maya eagerly leaps forward to greet her, hugging her and guiding her into the space.

Farkle is surprised, Maya quickly catching them both up to speed. She explains that her mother had never seen the inside of the school before, so she was able to work something out with Jack so that she could come by for lunch and stick around to see her audition. Katy expresses awe over how state-of-the-art the facilities are, Maya walking her through everything in their current room. Farkle watches them, obviously touched by their tight-knit relationship.

As Maya goes into further detail about what their practicing for and the summer program, Katy grows anxious again. She’s uncertain about the financial aspect of it. Farkle jumps in, helpfully stating that the summer program is all-expenses paid. That’s partially why their audition process is so thorough – they want to make sure only the most deserving and talented students are mixing and mingling at this shindig.

Good news, for the Harts at least. Katy brightens again, eagerly requesting to hear a little bit of what they’ve been working on. Maya claims that she’ll get to see the full audition in just a bit, but she pleads for a sneak preview. Farkle raises his eyebrows, wiggling his fingers over the keys to show he’s ready.

Maya relents, gesturing her mother towards the chairs to settle in and listen. Then she exchanges a look with Farkle, nodding to count each other in. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then, as Farkle hits the first chord…

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Listen” as performed by Glee Cast  || Performed by Maya Hart

Maya kicks off this brassy display of her vocal talent, true evidence to how hard she’s worked all year. “The Wizard and I” was impressive, but this is a whole new level of ambition. It’s raw with emotion, even more so given the fact that her mother is there to witness. She smiles at her as she sings, obviously one of her greatest sources of inspiration.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

As the performance continues, it shifts to Maya center stage performing for Angela, Shawn, Jack, and Eric. A large crop of her classmates are there to cheer her on as well – Farkle, Zay, Charlie, Riley, Isadora, Darby, Sarah, etc. How nice it is, seeing the divas show up to support one another rather than tear each other down…

As she finishes, her classmates burst into resounding applause. Angela, grinning, thanks her. Katy wipes a couple of tears. Maya can’t stop smiling, nodding gratefully with the spotlight shining all around her.

EXT. AAA - LUNCH COURTYARD - DAY

Lucas and Isadora are at lunch, the latter rattling off what she thinks her summer plans are going to be with this short film idea that came to her during first period. She’s already got storyboards going in a notebook.

Lucas isn’t listening. He’s distracted, watching the other goobs in his techie crew throw food at each other and crack up and live their generally silly existences. Isadora realizes he’s a million miles away and snaps him out of it, asking him if he heard a word she said.

Lucas: Please. Of course I did.

Isadora: Right. So what was I thinking was going to be the climactic plot twist that makes the entire short and dare I say rivals Alfred Hitchcock?

Lucas: You know I don’t understand that reference.

Isadora, bluntly: You really should. Well?

Lucas: … okay. Okay! I wasn’t listening. You caught me, congratulations. You’re Sherlock of the month.

Isadora makes an offhand comment about how she doesn’t see why she bothers to open her mouth, but Lucas is already zoning out again. It’s clear that the decision of McCullough is all he can think about, so he ventures the topic – albeit vaguely – with his most trusted source.

Lucas: Can I ask you a question?

Isadora: Was that not just a question?

Lucas, deadpan: You’re fucking hilarious, seriously.

Isadora: [ with a smirk ] I know. Anyway, go on.

Lucas finds a way of twisting the decision to leave into a thinly veiled alternative scenario, almost like… a scientific hypothetical. Something she would inherently understand.

Isadora: You realize that most often supposed “hypotheticals” are in fact very real situations that one is simply posing as a hypothetical –

He waves her off, going with the ruse anyway. He lays it all down before asking for her advice as to how she would proceed to make the most effective choice. She plainly states that she would make a list of pros and cons to each outcome. From there, it’s far simpler to deduce the best method moving forward.

Lucas absorbs this, nodding along and thanking her. Then she continues on with her film sketch, but he’s already checked out again. Already mentally crafting his list…

INT. AAA - GIRLS DRESSING ROOM - DAY

Sarah and Darby are in the dressing room with Chai, hanging out before class resumes. As Darby touches up her makeup, the three of them discuss whether or not they’re auditioning. Sarah complains it’s not really worth trying either way, and Chai concurs. But she blithely states she wasn’t planning on auditioning anyway. In fact, she won’t be returning next year, either.

Darby: [ whipping around and smearing mascara on her cheek ] Oh my God, WHY?

Chai: Relax, Darbs. It’s not goodbye forever. I was able to work out a study abroad sort of situation with Principal Hunter given that I’ll be spending the year in London.

Sarah: London? Where the hell did that come from?

Chai: Well, papa’s still attempting to win over me and mom after getting caught with his pants down with the secretary in our parlor –

Darby, sadly: It’s always the parlor… I’m so glad we don’t have one.

Chai: So he’s paying for me to spend the year across the pond. And it’s like what, am I gonna say no? I can hate his guts and spend his money, thank you very much. I’ll be studying the dramatic arts in the birthplace of Shakespeare, Andrew Lloyd Webber, wandering the West End…

Certainly a not-too-shabby alternative to AAA for a year, that’s for sure. Their conversation is interrupted as Riley enters to drop her things, Darby cheerfully posing the same question to her. Despite her former hesitation, Riley admits that she’s been considering it more and more. Sarah scoffs, asking her if she thinks she stands a chance against the divas. Riley shrugs and states that even if she doesn’t, that’s not a good enough reason to sit it out entirely.  

Chai applauds her confidence, but manages to underhandedly point out that it will give her yet another opportunity to publicly fumble like she did all the time at the start of the year. Sarah laughs along and Darby can’t help but giggle, although her expression is more apologetic.

Riley takes the hit, wishing all of them well with their own endeavors and keeping her chin up before heading out to the auditorium. Chai watches her go, but the expression on her face isn’t resentment. In some ways, it seems closer to envy.

Darby: Hm. Maybe I’ll audition, too.

Sarah: Yeah, uh-huh. I’ll believe it when I see it.

INT. AAA - TEACHER’S LOUNGE - DAY

Jack manages to catch Angela in the teacher’s lounge, brewing a thermos of coffee before she’s due back in the auditorium. He requests a moment to chat with her if she can spare it, which she happily does. The two of them settle in at a round table.

Jack poses the Wyatt problem, giving as much context as possible before asking Angela what she would do in his shoes. He notes the perspective he’s already gotten from Shawn. Angela grants that she isn’t surprised at all that he had that response, but is reluctant to provide her own.

Angela: I don’t know if you want to ask me. I can hardly make my own choices.

Jack: I just want to know your thoughts. Honestly.

Angela hesitates. She explains that she knows what Wyatt did was irrevocably wrong, from the despicable words to Isadora all the way through to the involvement with the confessions page and his targeted derision towards Lucas. It’s bullying in all its varied forms, and it shouldn’t be tolerated. Even still… she expresses hesitation at ousting him so harshly and hastily.

When Jack prods further, Angela points out that Wyatt is still one of her students. He’s making dozens of poor choices, she can concede that, and he deserves to be punished. But she’s also seen him in his brighter moments, instances of participation and camaraderie and learning. That exists in him just as much as the nastiness. As Jack has said himself, it’s never simply black and white, especially with adolescents who have so much growing to do.

For Angela, it just seems a little cruel to kick him out with so little time left in the school year. But she’s a softie, she claims, so what does she know? Maybe that’s not the best advice. Especially if he intends to leave an impression to deter others from exhibiting the same behavior. Jack thanks her regardless, insisting that her feedback was helpful.

Jack, softly: If you do decide to leave us this year as well, you will be sorely missed. I can promise you that.

Ouchie. Angela nods, suddenly a little more somber than before as Jack leaves her to it.

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY

Charlie is out with Zay, the two of them walking side by side as they make their way through the streets while keeping up a conversation. Zay refuses to tell him where they’re headed. Charlie is nervous, but also clearly excited. Invigorated with that infectious energy he gets from being around Zay Babineaux.

Zay declares they’ve made it, turning the corner. Curious, Charlie jogs to keep up.

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DANCE LOT - DAY

Zay has dragged them to a back alley park, the empty lot transforming into a break dance spot in the after school hours. A group of a couple dozen or so students is assembled, both older and younger than them. It’s sort of an impromptu crew, coming here after school to jam and challenge each other and just groove together. Most of them are also quite similar to Zay in displaying confidence in their unique sense of style – and come off pretty distinctly queer.

Charlie is more than intimated. He states he can’t do this before whipping around and trying to leave, but Zay grabs his shoulders and pulls him back. He braces him, going on to explain that as long as they’ve been friends – hell, even just classmates – Charlie has always seemed most centered when he’s dancing. These people, they’re the exact same, in fact they’re the experts at using it for self-expression. Zay is positive Charlie has never experienced dancing with freedom quite like this.

There’s a moment where it seems like maybe he’s being convinced… but no. He’s still scared. He tries to run again but is thwarted when one of the older, more respected members of the crew greets Zay and calls them over. Nowhere to hide, Charlie sheepishly follows Zay as he bounces over to greet his acquaintance.

Zay eagerly introduces Charlie, nudging him into standing straighter and not shying away from the moment. The assembled dancers sort of swarm and welcome him warmly, asking him what kind of dancing he’s into and if he thinks he can keep up. After a little bit of banter, let the dancing jam session begin!

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Step Up” as performed by Samantha Jade  || Instrumental

Yes, it’s the title track from Step Up. Yes, this entire sequence sort of feels like it’s ripped straight out of a Step Up movie. But that’s all part of the fun, and watching the teenagers all groove together and encourage each other is engaging to watch. The dancing is fresh, enthusiastic, clearly important to every single one of the kids assembled there.

Charlie is no exception. It takes a little while him to loosen up, the other dancers showing him new moves or helping him get comfortable. But true to Zay’s word, once he relaxes it’s like he transforms – he’s a completely different person. In his element, grounded, alive.

When the bridge hits (“And when the symphony plays, I feel my feet / Lifting from underneath”), focus zeroes in on just Zay and Charlie. In an instant they’re pulled together, and suddenly they’re dancing more with one another than we’ve seen thus far. Sure, they’ve done duets before, but never have they experimented with a dance that really includes the other.

But it’s good. Really good. And it seems pretty natural for the both of them to work out. As the bridge descends back into the chorus, they blend back with the rest of the crew and end out the jam session. Afterwards, the crew applauds, pulling Charlie into the group and giving him pats on the back. A new source of family, maybe…

His smile is impressively bright. Zay mirrors it. It’s impossible not to.

INT. AAA - SHAWN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Angela and Shawn are at his apartment, having just finished up watching a movie. Well, sort of watching a movie, sort of on the road to Netflix and chilling.

After breaking a kiss, Angela tentatively broaches the topic of what will happen for the two of them if she decides to go on tour. Shawn bristles a bit, claiming that she’s decided then. She disputes this, stating that she’s far from having decided anything in an attempt to keep the situation from imploding. But Shawn has already pulled away, getting to his feet and busying himself by turning off the TV and hitting the lights.

Angela: Shawn, would you listen to me? I haven’t made a choice. I’m just… I’m trying to figure out my plan.

Shawn: You can’t make plans until after you’ve made the decision! [ off her expression ] You’re avoiding it because you don’t want to choose. You want there to be an easy out, but there’s not. You have to decide.

After a little more back and forth, Shawn points out that this is starting to feel eerily like the conversations they had right before the last time things ended badly between them. Angela frowns, stating that it’s different this time. They’re different.

But Shawn has already been emotionally spooked. He asks if he can be alone for a bit, retreating to the bedroom and leaving her alone to stew in it. Angela groans, flopping back on the couch and covering her face.

Weird, how not making a decision can almost make things worse…

INT. CHUBBIE’S DINER - NIGHT

Charlie and Zay are getting a late dinner at Chubbie’s, a credit in part to Charlie’s growth considering plenty of people can see them there who know them. But they’re friends, after all, so what does he have to hide? Just dancing pals.

He thanks Zay for taking him to the lot, stating that while he’s not entirely upright again, he does feel better. Zay is happy to have helped. When the two of them reach for the plate of fries at the same time, there’s a moment where their hands brush together and that tension returns between them again. Zay glances at Charlie, who is staring at their hands.

Then, Charlie proceeds for the fry as normal. Not commenting on the moment, but not immediately shying away from it either.

As he pops the fry into his mouth, he asks Zay what his plan for the summer program is. The number he was working on in the auditorium seemed pretty legit. Zay shrugs it off, claiming he’s not doing the audition. Charlie nearly chokes on his fries.

Zay: Jesus, man. [ sliding his water across the table in case he needs it ] If you survived the scary dancing pit, don’t let a stray potato take you out.

Charlie: What do you mean you’re not auditioning?

Zay: It’s no biggie. My family has this whole summer plan already, and I don’t want to mess with it. Not to mention the Farkle and Maya of it all, who knows what they might do if someone presents even a shred of competition –

Charlie, incredulously: I can’t believe I’m hearing this right now. You need to audition. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you’re too good to pass it up.

Zay: Um, could say the same to you.

Charlie: Yeah, thanks, but I’ve got enough going on internally without adding a stressful audition into the mix. Think you can admit to that.

Zay: Yes, you certainly are a bit of a basketcase at the moment…

Case in point, Zay needs to do this. Charlie won’t hear anything else, and he’s sure his family will understand. He at least needs to try. Zay contemplates this – the notion of actually giving it a shot as well as Charlie getting fired up on his behalf – before eating another fry.

INT. AAA - BOYS DRESSING ROOM - DAY

Farkle is gearing up for his audition, doing vocal warm-ups and mouth stretches in the mirror. Yogi and Dave are also present, shooting the breeze and poking fun at Farkle’s pre-show rituals. Dave shares that he heard Riley might be auditioning too, which freaks out Farkle. He wasn’t expecting more than the three of them to audition, and suddenly the calm of this whole situation feels precarious.

Maya pokes her head in, checking for Farkle and telling him they’re ready. Yogi and Dave tell him to break a leg, but he ignores them as he marches out of the dressing room.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Farkle and Maya make their way into the wings, the spotlight gleaming on stage and waiting for him. He stands apprehensively in the shadow of the curtains, suddenly prickling with stage fright he’s never really experienced before.

Maya gives him a bracing pat on the shoulder, pulling him out of his own head. She jostles him a bit, giving him a smirk and assuring him that he’s got this.

Wow, how nice it is to have friends instead of adversaries. Farkle nods, exhaling through his lips and regaining his performance mojo.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Not the Boy Next Door” as performed by Glee Cast  || Performed by Farkle Minkus

The instrumental precedes him, setting us up for a jaunty, energetic solo as Farkle marches his way onto the stage. It’s an enthusiastic and skillful performance, delivering all of the star power and talent that he’s been serving since “Man About Town” but leaner, looser, more an expression of heart rather than a strangled declaration of perfectionism.

More than anything, it’s clear he’s having fun, which can’t be said for every performance he’s given over the course of the year. He totally loses himself in the number, spurred on by the encouraging cheers from his classmates who came out to see him – notably Maya and Riley, amongst scattered other performers.

He’s out of breath when he belts out the final note, but boy, did he make an impression. Angela thanks him proudly, the rest of the judges smiling as well.

INT. AAA - TECHNICIAN’S BOOTH - DAY

Lucas is alone in the booth, in his usual chair. He’s got his pros and cons list in a small notebook, tapping his pen against it as he contemplates it. Presently, there’s a couple more cons than pros.

He raises his gaze to look at the booth around him. Much like the moment that gripped Angela in the black box, Lucas becomes acutely aware of the fact that he may never be back in this space after the school year is done. It’s oddly surreal. His pen starts tapping faster out of instinct.

He’s broken out of his fugue when Riley pops in, knocking lightly before stepping inside.

Riley: I hope I’m not intruding.

Lucas: No, uh, no. It’s fine. You’re fine. What’s up?

Riley can tell he’s not quite himself, but she chooses to brush past it for now. She’s a bit nervous herself, given what she’s there to talk to him about. After a bit of beating around the bush – a pointed eyebrow raises from Lucas to make it evident he knows she’s beating around the bush – Riley works up the courage to ask him to be her date to the Jacobs gala.

Before he can respond, she launches into a frantic ramble explaining exactly what it is and what he’d be expected to do. Lucas does his best to absorb her words at warp speed, obviously stunned she considered to ask him at all.

Riley: [ following her breathless explanation ] Essentially, it’s just a fanciful folly for the arts, but apparently I’m good enough to represent. And I’m supposed to bring a plus one, and I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I just keep… I figured it might be nice to have a technician there as well. I couldn’t think of another person better suited for the job.

Lucas: … wow.

Lucas, still slow from the shock, admits that he’s flattered. And he concurs that her reasoning makes sense, bringing a technician along and all that. Riley nods along, chewing her lip and twisting her fingers together.

Lucas: But uh… no.

Riley: No. [ blinking ] No?

Ouch. Lucas presses his lips together, managing a shake of his head. Suddenly, the booth feels a million times more claustrophobic. As Riley tries to digest this turn of events, Lucas scrambles to provide an explanation of his own.

Lucas: Again, I really appreciate you considering me. But it seems like a pretty important thing for the school, or whatever, and a whole glamorous to-do. I just think that there’s a lot riding on you, here, and you should present yourself accordingly. Pick someone more… fitting to the role.

Riley: [ timidly ] What if I think you fit the role?

Well, hard to argue with that. Yet somehow, Lucas finds a way, still declining the invitation although with less certainty the second time around.

Riley is stung, stumbling out a few assurances of “cool” and “sure.” Lucas is apologetic, seemingly genuinely so, but at present Riley just needs to escape. She makes an excuse and darts out of there, Lucas watching her go. There’s a moment where it looks like he might go after her, but it passes without action.

Instead, Lucas sighs and pulls his notebook back onto his lap. He stares at his lists, grabbing his pen and adding Riley to the bottom of it. It’s in the middle of the page, not clear at all which column she falls under.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - NIGHT

As Donna prepares for dinner and Omar chats with her from the table with his work, Zay barrels into the room and declares that he has something to tell them. He doesn’t give them the chance to react as he claims he wants to audition for the Kossal summer program, rattling off what it is and why he wants to do it. He states that he wants to go on the summer trip and this may not even work out, but the chance feels too important to ignore and really important to him.

When he finishes, he’s out of breath. He stares at his parents, wide-eyed, waiting for their reaction. Unsurprisingly they are more than supportive, telling him to go for it and show everyone at that school why he is the best they’ve got. The rest, they’ll figure out later. Zay exhales in relief and hugs his mom, earning a laugh from her.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - ZAY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Zay retreats to his bedroom, obviously in far better spirits than earlier in the week. He crafts a message to Charlie, before deciding that’s not enough. He pulls up his contact, dialing his number instead.

INT. GARDNER HOME - CHARLIE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Charlie sees Zay light up his phone, grabbing it and escaping out to his balcony. He answers on the fourth ring, not keeping him hanging.

Zay tells him what his parents said, and that he’s going to audition. Charlie congratulates him, claiming that he knew it would all work out.

Zay: How is it when I always think I’ve got the one-up on you, you repay the favor before I even realize it?

Charlie, charmed: Well, I have to be the expert at something in this relationship.

Zay hangs on his acknowledgement of their friendship as a “relationship,” before pushing past it. He repeats the sentiment that his parents said about proving that he is the best AAA has, and Charlie seconds it without hesitation.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “The Music and the Mirror” as performed by A Chorus Line Original Cast || Performed by Zay Babineaux

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Starting from the opening piano tinkles, focus is solely with Zay on the stage. As much an honorary diva as he is, he’s more so a team player than anything else, so this ownership of center stage feels long overdue.

And boy, is it worth the wait. Zay absolutely destroys the classic triple-threat number, singing the hell out of it and then proceeding to dance the hell out of it. It’s four minutes dedicated to giving the star our undisputed attention, and it feels more earned than words can describe.

As the dance unfolds in the second half, focus cuts to some of the friends who have come to see him audition. Nearly the entire class is there considering how popular he is, all in awe of his dancing ability as they should be. Charlie looks prouder than ever. Riley is basically jumping out of her seat from excitement. That’s her first friend!

The judges are deeply impressed, and seemingly grateful at their current three auditionees there’s not actually a decision to make. Farkle seems less relieved, starting to get a little bit antsy as they applaud Zay and he gives a confident bow.

INT. LAW OFFICE - DAY

Riley visits her mother at work, distinctly out of place in the high intensity and strait-laced setting of the law office with her thrift store tee and flare jeans and propensity for knocking things over. It’s a relief when TOPANGA LAWRENCE emerges from her office and happily gestures her in, freeing her from the scrutinizing gaze of her colleagues at the front.

INT. TOPANGA’S OFFICE - DAY

Topanga and Riley catch up as they settle in, Riley primly sitting in the large leather chair opposite her mother’s desk. When prompted on how school is going, Riley offhandedly explains all of the stuff going on at school with things winding down to summer. When Topanga gets wind of the summer program, she comments what a wonderful opportunity that sounds like and questions whether Riley is going to audition.

Riley admits that she was thinking about it, but has sort of decided she’s not going to. Topanga totally turns the usual argument on its head, wondering why Riley would ever hesitate when she’s so gifted but more so curious as to why she’d neglect such a great opportunity when they’re certainly forking over a chunk of change for her to attend the school in the first place. A fair point, but not the most empathetic approach.

It’s encouragement in its most aggravating form. Rather than motivating Riley it almost completely turns her off to the whole thing. Although she states she’ll continue to consider it, her expression makes that statement difficult to buy. Tough day for Miss Matthews…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Class is assembled before first bell, discussing all the auditionees so far and how nothing has been much of a surprise. Wyatt is cleverly keeping his mouth shut giving he’s on probation, but somehow his classmates manage to pull some commentary out of him.

When he says something harsh towards Zay’s performance Charlie starts to refute but Lucas beats him to it, firing back with a dig at Wyatt that makes most of the assorted group chuckle but also wince. Pissed at being ridiculed by him once again, Wyatt serves up a harsh reality check of his own.

Wyatt: At least we know if there was a competition for which one of them to get rid of, there’d be a unanimous decision across the board.

The message is clear enough. Isadora jumps in and tells Wyatt to fuck off, but Lucas is less reactive. In fact, he’s totally blithe when he says something offhand in response, alluding to the fact that Wyatt might very well get his wish.

He gets up, retreating to the booth and leaving an uncomfortable and uncertain quiet in his place. The situation feels serious, but none of them have any clue why…

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

Angela is still grappling with her own indecision, alone in her classroom. Only this time, Shawn isn’t there with coffee and a warm gesture to rescue her.

She checks her phone, revealing a couple of messages sent to him that have gone unanswered. Frustrated, running out of time, and as uncertain as ever, Angela shuts off her phone and jumps to her feet. Unable to sit still any longer.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” as performed by Jools Holland & Kylie Minogue || Performed by Angela Moore

Launching into this anthem for indecision, Angela dances around her classroom as she lets out her aggravation. It’s refreshing to get another track with our favorite performance coach showing off why she’s been offered a touring position in the first place. The vocals are top notch, but the emotion behind them is what really sells the rendition.

As she continues to sing, she makes her way out into the halls…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

In the following montage, Angela’s singing underscores both she and Lucas going through their day as they continue to balance their decisions. Whereas Angela is more about chewing up the scenery and expressing reluctance to leave, Lucas is observing the things about the school he enjoys (his fellow technicians, the booth, the occasional moments where the performers are entertaining) along with all the things he hates (the drama, the stupidity, the incessant singing). With every beat, he makes a little note in his list when no one is paying attention.

Angela finishes off the montage at center stage, dipping her head back and absorbing the spotlight. Exasperated, but evidently no more at home than when she’s performing. It does truly feel like an impossible decision.

Then, she closes up for the night, clicking off all the lights and shrouding the place in darkness.

EXT. OUTDOOR HIDEOUT - DAY

The montage concludes for Lucas somewhere just out of the city, more wilderness than we’ve seen yet. He’s seated on the hood of Dylan’s jeep which is parked in the clearing just beyond the trees, sort of a natural hideaway that the three of frequent somewhat often. Asher and Dylan focus on setting up something further into the space, leaving Lucas alone.

He’s got his list again, distracted by it rather than the task at hand. Asher jogs over with Dylan on his heels, the two of them questioning why he’s been out of it this week and why he’s waiting up. Dylan holds up a bottle rocket impatiently.

Dylan: Come on. We know you like to have first light.

Idiotic antics aside, Asher observes Lucas for a moment before wondering if he knows that if something major were going on, he could talk to them about it.

Asher: Whatever’s going on, you know you could talk to us about it, right? [ off Dylan’s nod of agreement ] I mean, no guarantee that we’d have good advice –

Dylan: [ with a snort ] Definitely not.

Asher: But we’d listen. We got your back. You know?

Lucas examines the two of them – his truest lieutenants – and just takes them in for a long moment. It’s difficult to imagine what his day-to-day would be like without them in it.

He assures them he’s aware, then tells them not to worry about it. He directs them to go finish setting up the rocket, to which Dylan cheers and sprints back over. After they’ve gone far enough away, Lucas takes a moment to add their names on the pros side of the list as a totally separate entity from the rest of the techies.

With that, he officially comes out to an even tally – no clear decision. All that remains in flux is Riley, now having been underlined and with a couple of question marks. This indecision’s killing me…

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Jack stops by Eric’s office, surprising him given they rarely have cordial friendly chats with one another. He attempts to play it casual at first, commenting on how lovely the auditions have been so far. Since only three have auditioned, guess their job is pretty simple, huh?

Eric: Yeah, for sure. And why are you here again?

Jack: What? I can’t come by to have a chat with my best counselor?

Eric: I’m your only counselor.

Jack: And?

Eric gives him a look, breaking his facade. Jack relents, easing further into the room to settle into the chair opposite his desk. He gets into his qualm with Wyatt once again, especially now that Shawn and Angela have given him opposing advice.

He still feels stuck. He wants to make the best choice as an administrator, but he also knows that teenagers are stupid. They’re ignorant. They make mistakes. He’s seen that shift firsthand all year long, in just about every single one of their students. But he doesn’t want this behavior to continue either…

Eric empathizes, giving Jack what he’s been wanting to hear this entire time which is simply that there isn’t a right or easy decision. He just has to go with his gut. Considering he’s an excellent educator, Eric has little doubt that he will make the best one.

Jack appreciates the sentiment, but still isn’t convinced. He asks Eric what he would do in his position, seeking counsel from him seeing as that’s presumably his job title and all that.

After a beat of contemplation, Eric states that he thinks he would ask Wyatt to leave. Not because he’s irredeemable, but because they have to think about what is best for the collective. Regardless of how they feel about individual students, what always matters most is how all of them can best proceed. Isn’t that true?

Jack takes this to heart, genuinely grateful for the help. Eric accepts his gratitude, offering him an encouraging smile.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Lucas is seated on the edge of the stage, one leg dangling off the side as he painstakingly wraps microphone cables. Riley makes her way in from the audience entrance, hoping to find Isadora and stumbling into him instead. Their staging mirrors their face off at the end of 1.03, now with Riley standing in the aisles and looking up at him on the stage.

They’re a bit awkward with one another as she asks whether he’s seen Isadora, given how recent his rejection of her was. He claims he doesn’t know, curiously wondering why she’s trying to find her. Riley expresses that she wanted to ask her about the audition, letting it slip that she has almost effectively decided she’s not going to do it.

Lucas is shocked, coming off more miffed than he intends to. He questions if she’s serious, not believing there’s a world in which she’s not auditioning. Riley stammers into an explanation, Lucas remaining unimpressed as she lists all the factors that have stacked against her in the past week. He claims none of that matters.

Lucas: This is just you stepping back into the shadows because suddenly overwhelming factors have come into play. You’re really just going to go back to how things were? As if you’ve learned nothing?

Riley: [ scoffing ] Are you really about to give me this lecture right now?

[ Lucas rolls his eyes, diverting his attention back to his cables. But Riley isn’t finished, storming closer to the stage. ]

Riley: So what, you just want me to rock the boat for the sake of rocking the boat? You want me to just do whatever my mother says I should?

Lucas: This isn’t about your mom. And this isn’t about rebellion either. This is about you, and the fact that you are too damn talented to be stepping out of the spotlight just because other people want it. Just because someone else wants what you have doesn’t mean you have to give it up.

Choice words, and not a bad point. Riley absorbs this, crossing her arms and looking at her feet. Lucas gazes at her for a long moment, twisting the microphone cable in his fingers.

Lucas, calmer: Earlier this year, someone told me that if something is important to you then you go out and do it. No matter what anyone else tells you to do or how to be. You stand up for yourself.

Lucas gets to his feet, placing the microphone in the box with the rest and snapping the lid shut. He hops off the lip of the stage, passing her to head back towards the technician’s booth. But he hesitates once he’s passed her.

Lucas: Are you really going to go back to hiding in the chorus line?

He doesn’t give her the chance to respond, marching towards the back of the auditorium. Riley looks over her shoulder and watches him go, obviously torn up all over again. For what it’s worth, what she wants suddenly seems less muddled than before…

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Thus, march onward Riley does. She approaches the audition list, hesitating before officially adding a fourth name to the roster. All the sudden, there’s actual stakes to this game. As she writes her name, a voiceover of her introducing herself before her audition pre-laps…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Riley is alone center stage, spotlight shining on her. She’s squinting to attempt and see Eric, Angela, any of them – but it’s like they’re not there at all. Basically the entire class has showed up in the seats, wanting to see how a non-diva contender plans to throw down with such a bold move against the status quo.

Angela grants Riley permission to begin whenever she’s ready. Her fingers are shaking as she holds the microphone stand. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath and grounding herself.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “She Used to Be Mine” as performed by Sara Bareilles || Performed by Riley Matthews

If there’s a pivotal example of how much a performer can blossom in the span of a year, then this performance would be it. Although she starts out timid, Riley delivers an impassioned and powerful rendition of the Broadway belter, obviously channeling all of her emotion and passion into it like never before. It’s stunning, breathtaking, the kind of game-changer that throws this entire competition into a toss-up.

It’s a testament to how far she’s come that nearly the entire class seems impressed. They’re supportive too, smiling and nodding as she decimates the number. Isadora is smug on her behalf, glancing to the other techies proudly. Even Farkle is playing nice, although he’s starting to get a little twitchy…

INT. AAA - TECHNICIAN’S BOOTH - DAY

As she rounds out the number, focus draws to Lucas in the booth. He’s totally captivated, although not that surprised – he’s the one who told her she had it in her, after all.

Still, there’s a contemplative edge to his expression. Trying to figure her out, wondering if he could actually walk away from her…

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Inspired by Riley’s bold move, suddenly the audition list is swimming in the names of other hopeful auditionees. Farkle is staring at it, trying extremely hard to keep his cool and not freak out over the increasing loss of control.

Maya joins him, poking her chin over his shoulder and eyeing it as well before stating that he can’t keep watching it like this. Yet the two of them stare transfixed for a second longer, Maya physically having to turn them both away from it to break the trance.

She gives a pep talk, stating that they both gave kickass performances and all there is left to do is let the deliberation speak for itself. When Farkle doesn’t seem convinced, she tells him she’s getting him away from it. They’re getting out of there – they’re playing hooky. Now there’s a way to get the attention of a goody-two-shoes academic.

Farkle: Um? I’ve never missed a day of class in my sixteen years.

Maya: Aw, so honored to be your first time! Let’s go.

She grabs his hand, yanking him down the hall.

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY

Launching into their day of freedom, Maya and Farkle are meandering their way about town. They’re window shopping in the fashion district, sipping fancy coffee drinks and trying to find their zen – Farkle’s is pointedly marked decaf.

As they chat, they somehow gets on the subject of the local theater scene and the hangouts for up and coming performers. Farkle claims that his parents have membership at this elite club lounge where a lot of Broadway performers congregate and rehearse.

Maya: What’s it called?

Farkle: Emerald City, I think.

Maya: [ stopping cold ] WHAT?

Farkle: I know, feels a little on the nose, but –

Maya grabs him by the shirt collar, yanking him towards her and causing him to drop his drink. She’s got a frenzied gleam in her eyes.

Farkle: I was drinking that!

Maya: You have access to the Emerald City lounge? Where the future stars of Broadway mix and mingle? Where it’s rumored Carly Rae Jepsen snuck her way in and was able to get her stint as Cinderella? How have you never told me this?

Farkle: Ow, unclaw me, please! [ as she does so ] I don’t know, it never came up. I’ve always wanted to go, but I didn’t want to go alone. And to be fair, we weren’t exactly chummy for me to be sharing these things.

Maya: I know, I’m surprised you weren’t just bragging incessantly about it. And listen, had you mentioned this sooner? We would’ve been friends ages ago.

Farkle gives her a look, Maya nudging him playfully before insisting they have to go. If the only reason he’s never gone is because he didn’t want to go stag, well, that problem is now solved.

She starts to drag him down the street but he gets her to slow down, first thanking her for getting him out of that school and out of his own head. He truly needed it, and he’s grateful for it – and her. Maya grins, shrugging it off like it’s nothing.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “One Short Day” as performed by Wicked Original Broadway Cast || Performed by Maya Hart & Farkle Minkus

As the jaunty and uplifting descent into glamourous kicks off, Maya and Farkle dance their way through the streets together as only two divas in paradise can. It’s endearing and comfortable, such a far cry from “What Is This Feeling?” in 1.03. It also doesn’t paint NYC in such a bad light either. In fact, it’s pretty damn beautiful.

On the beat where Glinda tells Elphaba they’re going to be late for “Wiz-a-mania,” Farkle gets caught up checking his phone. People are posting on their own accounts about how auditions are going, and the competition seems to be getting thicker and thicker. But Maya pulls him out of it, yanking him down the stairwell to the hidden depths of Emerald City.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

As Farkle and Maya enter the depths of the working performers, a montage ensues of the rest of the sophomore class performing their auditions.

INT. EMERALD CITY LOUNGE - DAY

An eclectic, shimmering testament to Broadway and those struggling to work in it, Emerald City is somewhere between a bar lounge and a dressing room. Maya and Farkle watch in awe as working actors and dancers buzz around them, before inevitably pulling them into the dance. Because it’s television, and musical television, and we can do what we want.

After the very necessary and super cute kick line, Maya and Farkle come back together to share their moment on the lyrics “and then just like now we can say…” Farkle states that they’re “two good friends,” before Maya takes his hand and holds their joined fingers up between them. “Two best friends.”

Then the professionals pull them back into the number, rounding out the number with a flourish. What a way to spend a school day!

INT. AAA - TECHNICIAN’S BOOTH - NIGHT

Lucas is back in the booth, although not in his usual chair. A little further into the booth, a panel has popped out of the wall and leaned against the electrical cabinet. And it’s the basic crawl space of an alcove that is revealed behind it where Lucas has built his hideaway, the place he sleeps when he’s avoiding going home. It’s not much, but it’s the coziest space he’s ever known.

This is where he is now, cooped up and regarding his full list. Cons include the horrible competitive environment, all the performers, the constant singing, etc. The pros, however, are strong and difficult to ignore – Isadora at the top and underlined, the techies, Mister Shawn, Principal Hunter (someone has to keep his life interesting), Dylan and Asher…

And yet, the tally comes to an even draw. All save for Riley at the bottom, somehow having become the deciding factor.

The booth door opening scares Lucas out of his melancholy. He scrambles to get up and start frantically attempt to hide everything away, when Isadora appears around the other side of the electrical cabinet. She tells him to relax, he doesn’t have to pack away his whole set-up. Also, she brought dinner. Lucas tries to act indifferent about her discovering his shelter, but she truly isn’t all that impressed.

Isadora: You really thought I didn’t know about all that? It’s not hard to deduce. You hate being at home. You’re always in here, and you’re always here first thing in the morning, which I know isn’t plausible otherwise because you’re not a morning person.

Lucas: Well, when you put it that way. [ a beat, softer ] Forget you’re a genius, sometimes.

Isadora: [ with a shrug ] You’re my best friend. It’s not that hard to figure you out.

He sits back down in his alcove, Isadora settling down across from him. She asks how his “hypothetical” is going. He defensively wonders if she’s figured that all out too, which she admits she has not. But she claims that if it were truly important, she knows he would tell her.

In this case, far from the truth. There’s a reason he’s avoided telling her what’s going on outright – he can’t imagine how she would take the news that he may be leaving for good. He explains that he’s hit a dead end and doesn’t know how to move forward. He’s done the pros and cons like she said, but he’s torn on this last factor that might tip the scales in either direction.

Isadora: First things first, is it an important factor? If it’s extraneous, then you shouldn’t even bother with it.

Lucas: … yes. Yeah, it is. How do I determine where it falls?

Isadora: Well, if this were an actual scientific theory, your next step would be to draft an experiment. Decide what you want your hypothesis to be – which outcome you want it to be, unless we’re talking null hypothesis – and then find a way to test whether or not it’s true. That’s what any good scientist would do. Basic scientific method.

Lucas takes this in, already puzzling over how to accomplish such a thing. Isadora distracts him by tossing food at him, commanding him to eat. He relents, digging in with her.

INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Angela is typing out an email to the touring company, effectively making her decision. From the looks of it, it seems as though she’s going to decline the offer. She’s interrupted when there’s a knock at her door.

Shawn is on the other side, holding a bouquet of flowers and ansty with earnest. Angela starts to question what he’s doing but he cuts her off, stepping in past her and launching into a poem from the book she gave him. The thematics are essentially well-matched to their current situation, and Angela can’t help but giggle in a what are you doing sort of fashion.

When Shawn finishes the recitation, he puts the flowers on the table and takes her arms. He’s breathless with nerves, but clearly wants her to hear him.

Shawn: I’ve changed a lot since the last time we had these conversations. I have, but I sure wasn’t acting like it. I’m sorry about the way I reacted, and I don’t care if you want to pursue this thing. In fact, I’m proud of you, and I want you to, if that’s what you want. And if it means another few years apart, then so be it. We came back to each other once.

Angela doesn’t even know what to say. She doesn’t know how to convey that she was going to decline the offer, or if she even still should with this turn of events. Thankfully, she’s saved by the bell, in this case her cell phone ringing. He steps back and allows her to pick it up.

As she engages with the call, we can tell that the news is shocking. Shawn tries to get something out of her as she listens, desperately trying to get a read on the situation. When she hangs up, she just stares at him for a couple of seconds.

Shawn: Ange, you’re killing me.

Angela manages to stammer out that she’s been offered a role in an off-Broadway show. Then, she’s finally able to grin. She repeats the statement, trying to make herself believe it. It’s not her big break, no, but it’s a start – and it’s here. She doesn’t have to go anywhere. The two of them, her time here, aren’t finished quite yet.

Shawn pulls her into a hug, lifting her and spinning her. When she lands back on her feet, the two of them share a big damn kiss –

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The sophomore class is assembled outside the door to the black box, anxiously waiting for Angela to put up the finalists for Kossal. The performers are trying their best not to throw jabs at each other, while the techies hang back against the wall and watch the near stampede in mild amusement.

Lucas: If any of you decide you’re going to the pit because of this, can I watch?

Riley tells them to ignore him, reminding the core group that whatever happens, they’re going to be happy for one another. They all agree, although it’s hard to tell if that sentiment is going to hold true…

Angela emerges, silence immediately settling over the crowd. You could hear a pin drop. She begs for a moment to escape once she puts it up before they all stampede, then moves to pin the list onto the bulletin board. She dives back into the classroom and slams the door just as the wolves descend, trying to see who got the three coveted spots.

Farkle elbows his way through, making it to the front first and getting a look for himself. From his expression, we can almost imagine the list before we see it.

Zay Babineaux. Maya Hart. Riley Matthews.

No Farkle Minkus. No summer program. No successful path to the top.

Sound grows muted around Farkle as the others get close enough to look for themselves. He can’t bring himself to react. He can’t even breathe.

He’s jostled out of it when Charlie bumps him in the back on accident, en route to giving Zay an enthusiastic hug. Maya and Riley eagerly congratulate one another, turning expectantly towards Farkle. Obviously not certain what to say to him, but hoping he’ll opt to take the gracious approach instead and make it easy on them to enjoy their laurels.

What do they want from him? A congratulations? Farkle doesn’t have it in him to give. He sort of sputters an incoherent statement and backs away, trying to wrap his head around it. How this could have possibly happened.

Zay: Seriously? Are you about to diva meltdown? What happened to being happy for each other?

Farkle, panicked: Yeah, well, that’s easy to say when –

Charlie: It’s okay, dude. There will be other opportunities –

Farkle is beyond that. He’s sliding back into manic, figuring he must have let himself slip up somewhere along the way. Or that this is all some elaborate ruse on their part – like they all knew if they got him off his game, he’d be easier to thwart.

Zay: You think I’d choose to be friends with you just to get some made up advantage over you? Believe me, man, I don’t hate myself that much.

Riley: Farkle, that’s not true –

Maya: Farkle. [ breaking through the haze, over everyone else ] Can’t you just be happy for me?

She holds his gaze, obviously hurt. Hoping he’ll say the right thing. But all he can manage is a non-answer.

Farkle: I – need a second. I need – just leave me alone.

Farkle storms away towards the auditorium, desperate to escape. The others watch him go, a myriad of emotions swirling around them but disappointment being the most unifying one.

Zay: Guess people don’t really change.

Maya looks more wounded than anyone else. She breaks away from the group, marching in the other direction.

INT. AAA - JACK’S OFFICE - DAY

Jack is having his final conduct meeting with Wyatt, having made his decision on what his punishment will be. Eric is also present.

The final verdict is somewhere down the middle: Wyatt is being expelled from AAA effective at the start of the new term, but he will be allowed to finish out the remainder of this school year. Wyatt doesn’t have any complaints at this point, resigned. He claims that AAA is a hellscape and totally corrupt. The administration clearly has their favorites, and they have no idea how rotten the place is from the inside out.

Eric, calmly: You seem quite critical of this so-called rotten environment, in spite of how you had an active hand in keeping it alive…

Wyatt chooses not to comment, Jack dismissing him. As he heads out, he warns Jack that getting rid of him isn’t going to get rid of the problems at Adams. For one, he’s not the creator of the AAAC, but more pointedly the page is not the perpetrator of all the mean stuff people say about each other. They do all that themselves. Like he’s been saying, it’s just the messenger. And they’ve just shot it.

Wyatt: So if you really believe you’re making a difference, maybe you try tackling the toxic waste that serves as the very core of this school. But that would require actually being a competent administrator, so…

Eric rises and shoos him out, Jack taking the intended hit anyway. He closes his eyes and rubs his temples as Eric shuts the door behind Wyatt, releasing a sigh and claiming he thinks they made the right choice expelling that kind of bad energy.

When Jack doesn’t seem placated, Eric settles down across from him and comes to his defense. Wyatt is just postulating, and he made a good decision.

Jack nods along, but it’s evident there’s a lingering inkling of doubt…

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - DAY

As Wyatt exits the front office, he pulls out his phone. He crafts a message to AAA Confessions, warning them that Jack is on the warpath. The page is probably going to be officially shut down before the end of the school year. What are they planning to do?

The confessions page starts a message back… then doesn’t respond. Wyatt never gets an answer.

INT/EXT. LUCAS’S BEDROOM / LUCAS’S FIRE ESCAPE - DAY

Lucas is flipping through the McCullough pamphlet, but he can’t stomach looking at it for too long. Still feels like too daunting a decision to make.

He climbs out onto his fire escape, settling down and releasing a sigh. He stares out towards the city for a moment, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He starts a message to Riley, but nothing he wants to say comes out right. He finds himself calling her instead.

Lucas: Hey. I know I said… [ a beat ] things have been kind of… [ willing himself to be outright ] Do you still need a plus one?

Let the experiment begin…

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

School has emptied out for the day, only a few stragglers left behind. Farkle is back in front of the bulletin board, staring at the three names and unable to believe that he’s not there.

Something about him isn’t quite right. He’s frantic, frenzied in a way that’s beyond just disappointment from a jilted diva. The longer he glares at the list, clenching his jaw and fidgeting in place, the worse the hysteria seems to become.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “It’s All Over” as performed by Glee Cast || Performed by Farkle Minkus (feat. Zay Babineaux, Maya Hart, Riley Matthews, Isadora De La Cruz, Charlie Gardner, and Lucas Friar)

[ Lyrics specific to characters – follow along here! ]

Farkle spits the words “Miss Moore was supposed to love me, I turn my back and find myself out on the line” towards the list, before whipping around –

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

And suddenly center on a brightly lit stage. It’s almost glaringly bright, to the point where it would hurt to look at. If you’re not in his immediate line of sight, then you’re shrouded in shadow – which is how the figures standing on the stage look to him until they make themselves known and step into the light to argue with him.

Although the rest of the core group is included in the number, it’s more than clear that they’re not actually there. This isn’t actually Maya, Zay, even Lucas singing in opposition to him – they’re all in his imagination, but it doesn’t make it feel any less real. In regards to who is saying what, well, if you read any set of specific lyrics in this show, let it be this number.

As Farkle grows more and more frantic, the opposition towards him grows more and more pronounced. Although this whole thing started with a dashed dream, the way he’s so emotional over them all “dropping” him through the course of the song or turning him away seems like a greater trigger for him than the missed opportunity. So it’s not actually clear what is causing the meltdown, or if he really knows himself.

All he knows is that the entire core group is telling him it’s all over, and he’s fighting against it with whatever he’s got – back to the teeth-gnashing, scrappy, obsessive starlet who clawed his way to first on stage at the start of the school year.

No, Farkle Minkus is far from going quietly. He’s not going anywhere, and he swears that this isn’t how this is going to end.

Oh, boy…

END OF EPISODE.

[chwrpg]

What is it, asshole day? -- Kenya Stratford

A NOTE FROM ADMIN B: Welcome back Mollie! The fact that you found your way back to us after so long is so wild, not to mention the fact that you swung by at the perfect time to apply for the character (albeit a new version) you originally played! I love how you’ve taken your own growth in the time you’ve been away to expand on your vision of Kenya and what makes her tick. You absolutely understand her, and we couldn’t be happier to put her in your capable hands!

OOC NAME/ALIAS, PREFERRED PRONOUNS, AGE & TIMEZONE:

Mollie, She/Her, 25, MST 

DESIRED CHARACTER:

Kenya Stratford

HOW ACTIVE WILL YOU BE?

7/10? I work full time but like it’s COVID and I live alone and have very little to do, I also fully have not RP’ed since 2015 when you guys last saw me at CHW, so please forgive me if I take a minute to get formatting and stuff down :)

SECONDARY CHOICE:

N/A

DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER:

Ahhh, first of all I just wanted to say how excited I am that you guys brought the Stratford sisters back! I think many moons ago when I played Silver, the first iteration of Kat, I was too young to see the nuance in this character. I saw Kat/Silver/Kenya for who I wanted her to be, which is coincidentally who she sees herself as; somebody who does not need direction, who thinks they have it all figured out and isn’t willing to take any input or advice from external forces. Time has given me the perspective to realize that yes, she is all of those things, but she is also somebody who was tremendously hurt, somebody who is afraid of that hurt both in being that hurt and being the reason that others feel that hurt. It’s the reason why she sticks up for those who can’t do it for themselves, why she makes such a big deal about creating inclusive spaces and why she is unafraid to call men assholes to their faces. She is unafraid to take up space and make noise. Kenya is also somebody who likes to think she has it under control, while also being so afraid of what happens when she loses it. She is a walking contradiction in the most fun of ways, I truly think she is just figuring out who she is while also attempting to save her sister from all the hurt she had to go through alone. 

SAMPLE WRITING:

It hadn’t been a conscious thought of Kenya’s to drink more than half of a bottle of  vodka whose bottle was adorned by some smug Russian prick, it had felt more gravitational than purposeful. 

From the moment she had gotten to the party she made a beeline for the bathroom, half because she had the earnest need to pee and half because she needed to text Maya and see if she had made it out that night. Sure she had a ‘date’, but was Pete somebody she could really talk to? The banter was fun, exhilarating even, yet that night she had an insatiable craving that infallible closeness that was best found between two young women. Unwilling to consciously ponder if that craving for connection boiled down to the fact that the only reason Kenya was out for the night was so that Birdie could have a taste of the overrated ‘normalcy’ she had her heart set on, she washed her hands both of whatever germs or thoughts on the matter lingered. After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely no more than six minutes (an eternity to an anxious young woman), Kenya’s text remained unanswered. Here she was stuck at the precipice of what could be a waste of a perfectly good Friday night stuck among the type of people who she actively separated herself from, or the beginning of a fun night. There was only one way for her to find out, but the feeling of her heart thumping in the back of her throat freaked out by the roll 

Kenya went back downstairs from the bathroom, passing a group of freshmen debating which hard seltzer ‘fucked hardest.’ If she had rolled her eyes any harder she would have been able to describe what the back of her head looked like in full detail. This night was going to be absolute shit, the only person she kind of felt like talking to at this point was Pete and she had separated herself from him entirely. Her palms felt sweaty, she wiped them against her giraffe print pants (the ones her sister had called heinous while their father had given them the ‘your actions have consequences’ speech) and she wondered if her escort for the evening was having actual fun, if this was the kind of setting he thrived in. She didn’t want to believe that it was, he didn’t seem like the type to spend his nights throwing ping pong balls into half full cups of warm beer. Kenya hated that she was this girl right now, the girl at the basic college party thinking about some guy. 

Her mind swirled with the kind of anxiety that started in the tips of her toes, urging her to find the nearest exit. What about this latent excuse for the Ravenwood student population to collect foggy memories of how their bodies felt pressed up against each other was supposed to be idealing? Looking to her left she saw a guy who had challenged her stance of wage equality in a freshman year sociology class pass a joint to a member of the basketball team whose opinions on access to healthcare were as jarring as the fact that he was a blonde adult. For a moment she thought about bolting, she thought about walking down the wide dark streets until she wound up back home. She couldn’t do that to Birdie though, for some reason her sister wanted to be a part of all of this and after all the two of them had been through her sister deserved some ease and happiness, even if it did come in the form of Kenya’s own misery. 

She heard his voice before she saw him, that same nasal cackle that she used to try and coax out of him had remained unchanged as though it had been captured in a glass bottle. Slowly, Kenya peered over her shoulder and saw Joey Donner standing there in the tightest white tank top ever to be worn in the month of February. Her stomach lurched and she made a mental note of the nearest exit. Her hands balled into fists and she thought of just giving him one good whop from behind, she would get a great headstart running and even that man sized piece of dogshit likely wouldn’t try and physically retaliate against a girl. “Kenyaaaa,” she heard his voice call out before a chorus of snickers from his audience followed. 

Unable to shake the power that Joey seemed to have over her, Kenya felt trapped. There at the precipice of her own misery she thought to the girl who she used to be, the girl who did first and thought later, maybe there was wisdom to that unabashed way of living. She was the only thing standing between her and having some semblance of fun. That’s when she saw the bottle, it felt kismet. The seal hadn’t been perforated and though it had been years since she drank straight from a bottle, there was a natural electricity that flowed through her as the cheap red metal cracked. The first few sips were hard to get through, but after a few pulls from the bottle her body began to sway to the music she had hated only but seconds ago. After half the bottle she found herself on top of a table, her hips swaying and dipping to a song she had never heard before but suddenly knew every word to. The impossible was happening, Kenya Stratford was having fun. Hell, she was being the life of the party… shame she never saw that chandelier coming. 

ANYTHING ELSE?

1985

[mubal4]

Holiday Break Thoughts

 Haven’t put anything out over the last week.  Planned on taking time away from most things and for the most part, I’ve been successful.  I struggle with completely shutting down and there are always a few days when I “shut down” that I don’t really shut down.  However, this time around, I’ve been pretty good about it.  The only commitments I’ve stayed consistent with is meditating, praying, and moving each day.  I’ve picked up my Kindle a few days, checked email a bit, made a phone call or two, but stayed away from everything else.  Even running, only ran a couple of days the last week.  That has been tough for me and although there have been a few days I’ve really wanted to go; I took the dog for a walk or Robin and I went out for a hike. I wanted to purposely stay away from it, so I am truly refreshed and ready to go come next week when things begin to get serious (story for another day 😊).  There have been a couple other things I have NOT stayed away from this holiday break however, my family – which has been a gift and a ton of fun (more details on that), as well as likely the most positive, although they may disagree 😊; the other two are food and beer.  It’s been quite the week but, in our defense, we were on vacation for 6 days so, and it was an all-inclusive resort therefor I felt compelled to get our money’s worth – and boy did we.

 As mentioned above when we go on vacation it is difficult for me to completely unplug.  I think that may be for a lot of you out there too; an email you just want to get back to, a call you won’t to make, or a post/podcast or another commitment you want to stay true to, even though the break is deserved and warranted.  This time I wanted to test myself.  Sounds kind of weird but yes, I wanted to get myself out of my comfort zone and do what I wanted to do and what came to me. Yes, there are days I don’t want to run, write, do the podcast, read, etc.……...!!  Crazy to hear that someone doesn’t want to do these thinks 😊 – yes, there is sarcasm there.  But even though we don’t want to do the things we believe we must do & should do; we still do them.  Relentless Forward Progress, right?  But, on this trip – I truly wanted to unplug and even from running.  That is why I decided to do an ultramarathon 3 days before we left. Therefore, I wouldn’t feel that pull to run while on vacation. It was still a challenge and yes, I did get uncomfortable at points but that is because, like some of you out there, I am way too hard on myself, as well as way too critical of myself.  This time though, I stuck to my plan and there is much progress.  I am slowing things down a bit and my walks with Robin and Bear are engaging and I am present.  When I have ran, it was just to run, and miles don’t matter.  It is just to be out there moving. When I was laying on the beach, I was present, watching the world go by, not thinking about something I “should be doing.”  Sounds weird but it was a challenge for me.  

 As much as we go and go, I do believe rest and recovery are important.  When I say that though, I don’t necessarily mean not staying active, moving, or doing things to help you grow.  It could just mean doing things different.  It could just mean not having all the bullshit we have occupying our mind each day, distracting us, from a conversation with your family, or a stranger on the beach in Cabo 😊.  The worries and responsibility are still there, that doesn’t go away, but you are resting, recovering from it.  Make sense? That can be taking the break for the bullshit, running, work, relationship, whatever it is that may keep you going all day, every day.  

 And with the way 2020 went, we all needed to change things up.  Actually, we were all, in a way, forced to change things up a bit.  So, as the fall rolled around for us, we thought about what we were going to do for Christmas this year.  At this point, in September or so, things with Covid were still flat and the cases hadn’t begun to go up.  That said, we knew we weren’t going back to PA considering all that was going on there and our families wouldn’t be traveling to come out to us.  We did think about heading to CO to visit the Shane’s up there, do some skiing, and play in the snow.  We also thought about heading to the beach and get into warm weather. Well, the girls voted, and they wanted sun, sand, ocean, and……... & all-inclusive resort.  A couple of years ago we went to Riviera Maya for spring break, stayed at an all-inclusive and the girls loved it (so did dad 😊).  We didn’t want to head back there and decided that maybe Cabo San Lucas may be an option.  Robin and I had visited there when we first started dated almost 20 years ago and really enjoyed it.  So, she and the girls did their research and found where they wanted to stay.  At this point, as I mentioned, things were stable with Covid, I did some research on how things were being handled down there, all made sense, so we booked the trip.  Then things started to go a bit sideways with the cases throughout the US and as Thanksgiving rolled around, we started thinking about possible alternatives, canceling, what should we do?  We had not gotten any notifications from the travel folks on flights being canceled or hotels being shut down.  Actually, when doing some further research earlier this month, I found out that Cabo had only 200 total cases of Covid since March.  They put in high level protocols for the resort towns, and they have had visitors to the resorts since the summer with no issues at least that I was able to find. After visiting, seeing the protocols in place, and speaking to the staff on what they did, we now understand how they were able to stabilize the virus, at least in the state of Baja California.  That all said, a week out we were still a bit nervous with what was happening here in the states, we were getting tested, and still setting expectations in our family if we need to make other plans.  

 Well, they day of the flight down came, and all went off fine.  The only issue I was concerned about was the time in the airports.  The planes not so much but just being able to social distance in the airport was challenging.  Actually, the airport was packed.  Before Covid hit I traveled every week and last week when we left, here in Phoenix, it seemed like a normal travel day pre-Covid.  Fortunately, we didn’t experience any major travel issues, some delays going down and coming back, but safe and sound arrivals on both ends.

 So, in the spirit of 2020 and doing things differently, we were doing Christmas different and spending it on the beach in Cabo San Lucas Mexico.  We did open our stockings before we left and had a gift to open Christmas Day, in our room, with the sliders open, looking at the beach listening to the waves crash and sun rise.  It was way different but certainly pretty cool to experience.  Just a side note, as the time to head out last week got closer, I realized this was going to be very weird.  Not having a tree, waking up on Christmas Day, not late-night Christmas Eve slighted intoxicated present wrapping………. not gonna lie, I was feeling a bit off, it was going to be very weird.  As I look back on it, it was very weird and different.  However, being able to experience this with the family was very special.  Because, not sure when the next time we will be able to take a trip like this; this time of year, or any for that part.  With Covid this year, the start of Isabella’s meet season and Alaina’s high school soccer season is pushed back.  Typically, we would be having games last week and likely a meet too.  We would certainly be leaving for SoCal this coming weekend for a meet for Bella.  However, with the delay at this point, we figured we would have an opportunity to get a way for Christmas.  Next year, Bella’s senior year, she is likely not going to want to travel because of gymnastics and everything else that goes with being a senior and Alaina will be in mid-season with soccer – that is if things swing back to a typical schedule.

 That was our driver and it actually worked. We had a great trip.  There was plenty of lounging on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and taking in the beautiful scenery.  We certainly ate our money’s worth and Robin and I did our part to curb the Corona Beer population.  I may have helped with that in the tequila department too 😊.  The resorts were great, water was fantastic, and Alain & I even went parasailing one day together.  That was a pretty special experience.  Robin and I had plenty of walks on the beach.  We felt incredibly safe and healthy everywhere went.  All were wearing masks where necessary.  The staffs at all the resorts did their part and the folks we were around were very respectful…. well, most of them were 😊.  We met some great people, some interesting people, and some funny families.  Our servers at the beach and pool were fantastic and we got to know one, Felix, very well.  Really cool having him just sit down with us and tell us about his family, kids, and life. Was an awesome treat just to engage with him and be present as he continued to serve me copious amounts of Modelo. 😊 I didn’t open my laptop once and tried very hard to stay off the phone other than Christmas greetings and Facetimes with family.  

 Overall, it was a phenomenal trip and definitely well worth it.  I am very grateful we did it an had the opportunity to be able to.  Next year who knows where we will be or what the situation, we will be in.  I don’t want to sit back then and say, “we should have taken that trip last year.” Yeah – 2020 has been incredibly different so we played into that and celebrated our Christmas incredibly different.  We’ve already heard from folks that thought we were nuts for doing it considering the pandemic.  We get it; however, we were likely safer there than we are in the US.  Others expressed their happiness and wanted to come along with us – we would have loved it. We saw an opportunity to do something we wanted to do, and we felt safe, comfortable, and healthy in which to do so.  Therefore, we did it, enjoyed it, and would do it again. It is possible we can get the virus. That can be said if we were in Mexico, AZ, PA, or any where else other than sheltered in our home, not living our life.  

 Robin said it best, and this was quite funny, but – “are you going to be sitting down in a few weeks thinking, ‘I really should have run more while in Cabo?’” – I won’t and I won’t be thinking “we really shouldn’t have gone to Cabo in 2020 for Christmas.”

 Happy Holidays everyone and have a great New Year’s!!

[ia21136melly]

SUBMISSIONS

The above were my original submission designs, although my work have been ready to submit a few weeks before the extended deadline my gut told me to wait until closer to the deadline in case a spark comes back. I had become exhausted and ‘done’ with the project, riddled with self-doubt and exhaustion I believed this was the best I could produce. My tutor messaged me on Monday the week of the deadline, stating I could still submit my work for feedback. I was not going to bother but decided too anyway and did. In the end I am so glad as I did, my feedback was not what I was expecting and it helped to create a drive which was just what I needed to get past the hump. 

FEED BACK

Prior to a message I received from my tutor reminding us we could submit our work for feedback (something I forgot) I had given up and my work would be “good enough”. I did not think the idea was that spectacular. I was confused by what concept boards were supposed to be (all the examples seemed to be on one page). So I went for that with a storyboard. It was not until I received my feedback that I realized that putting in a little more effort would be worth it, as my idea was not as terrible as I thought it was. I have now left it too late to achieve what I wanted too but I gave it my best shot. I also did not see the message until Wednesday night as I was finishing off other bits of work ready for submission. I found the balancing act a little tricky but persisted. I am aware that I lack the technical skills to do things I wanted to do, using my newly gained 3D skills I went to use Adobe Dimension with full confidence. My previous photography skills came in handy when it came to setting up the lighting. I found it really simple to follow, it was a case of designing the designs. Because I didn’t have time to sketch ideas ahead of time I did it on the spot, which I know is not the best way to work. On Wednesday night I stayed up a little later than normal to get my storyboard drawn out. I hated it but told myself it was better than nothing and I could expand in the morning. (3rd image). I also created a paper ad design which I was also not happy with (4th image).

I decided I would re-do my main concept page and based it off some of my favorite magazine layout style which is usually used more in collage style. That wouldn’t work with the Durex brand so I used it to make quotes around some images I found. I decided I would add a moodboard of the type of feel I was going for. I read to add texture for the design but I honestly had no idea what that meant and no time to discuss with with my tutor. Once again I found finding diverse images difficult, I mostly found white, female’s in wheel chairs. I am aware there are more disabilities than this and the disability community is fed up of being represented by a wheelchair. It is an even bigger issue in the POC (people of colour) community, in which they have even less representation. To get around this I looked for fashion editorials and looked up gay/black figures that was sat down. That way it was easier to pass off as a hidden disability. Even though you are still able to stand up with one. It was a tricky line to balance.  

Unless I was to do an all night and risk not finishing other work adjustments, I ran out of time to make the pop-up shop, so I choose not to place this in. I have a rough design but I wanted to do more to it. (image 5) It was a difficult choice, but I knew deep down to pull it off I needed to be more experienced with 3D modelling than I was. Although the shapes would have been simple, I know myself enough to know that I would have spent additional time trying to make it right. This is something I will be developing over summer as I am wanting to expand a project I have been working on for another module.  I am feeling happier with my outcome. It is better than it was and although it is not where I want it to be, I am working hard to be compassionate towards myself. University has been the first time I have touched any digital tools. And reflecting I have achieved an awful lot in the 2 years of learning, within those 2 years I have not been able to consistently work on each program either as I was usually working on other project. What this experience has been doing is helping me see what skills I need to develop and which areas I enjoy. For example, I have (to my surprise) discovered that I love working with 3D in Maya. I much prefer Illustrator to photoshop. And I am a fan of video edition and creating. As much as I love to look at typography I have a hard time creating it. With this task it really felt like I was needing to wear multiple hats as I was an art director, designer, graphic maker, creator, idea generator and more. All the things I know people typically do working in a team (which is much better, easier and quicker). This experience has also reminded me how important it is for me to be more proactive with getting my work accessed and adjusting quickly to continue the cycle until it is ready or okay to abandon. I achieved this with a different module this semester and as a result I have produced some work I am incredibly proud of. I will be using that experienced paired this the consequences of this one, to help continue to develop my design process for future projects. 

POSTER BACKGROUND REFLECTION

When it came to setting up a backdrop I went to look back at previous Durex posters. It was there that I was reminded about their emoji campaign and that is what inspired me to use the peach and aubergine for the poster. I thought a simple poster with these items in the background could promote all kinds of fun poses for the younger side of the target audience. Especially the ones who are social media users. Many countries have strict laws on advertising condoms, especially when children are involved. By using emojis I am reaching a very particular type of audience who are aware of emojis and able to read them, they are the same group of people most likely to take selfies and share on social media. In terms of tackling the audience in the older range my TV advert was designed with them mostly in mind as these are the ones less likely to use hastags or take selfies to share. They are also the ones more likely to have grown-up during a time when racism, sexism and other forms of oppression was viewed as okay. They are the groups that may be struggling to adjust to a more equal society that we are working towards. By having my advert show a more delicate, human side, followed by the excitement and joy of connection/sex, I hope for the audience to be engaged. This will also help the disability community feel included, understood and represented as they are given a platform to succeed on. For additional inclusion I paired the image up with the same (e.g. peach and peach). I envious couples finding their representation and going up to it in excitement to take a pose. Additional reference is the emojis helps to show body sizes, slim and tall, wide, and short and all in between. Body diversity is another issue I wanted to touch on with this camping but not make it the center, as it is more of a cousin issue to disability. Using the emoji code felt the most diverse way to hit all my target audience group in a safe way. Even though my brief was surrounding disability, it felt important to me to acknowledge inclusion of others as disabilities can impact anyone, regardless of your gender, race, or sexuality.  When it came to decide on a paper advert, I knew I wanted it to be interactive. The first thing that came to mind was making some kind of game with it. That triggered a memory I have at college were I would play exquisite corpse. It did not seem like too much of a stretch to create a page to do this. It would encourage others to communicate together and hopefully people would be interested in what the hashtag is all about. Sharing online is something people love to do and can be a great way to connect to a community. With it being a body related game it fitted in with the tag line of “sex for every body”. Grab people to play with. Tear out this page, fold on the black lines. Then take turns to draw in secret the head, body and legs. Take a snapshot and share on social media at #gotyoucovered.      

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior’s Top 25 of 2019

This was such a good year for movies. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The amount of good or great movies and the amount of variety among the better movies made it hard to know where to cut off my annual top 25 and to which movies to give “Honorable Mentions” instead. As has always been the case, I make an effort to see the better movies two or sometimes even three times before deciding where they place, and that was the case with most of the movies below.

There have been quite a few years where I haven’t rewarded a single movie a 10 out of 10, and this year, there are FOUR! Even so, 2019 will forever be known as the year I started to appreciate and even love the music of Elton John and George Michael, although only one of those movies made my list.  Just a reminder that this is a list of my favorite movies of the year and it’s based solely on my own opinion. If you don’t like one of the movies on my list that’s fine – it’s your prerogative – but if there’s something you may have missed and you check it out based on inclusion here and you like it, then please let me know!

Also, if you just want to peruse everything that I wrote this year, you can find all of it at my Weekend Warrior Blog.

25. Wild Rose (NEON)

I’d be remiss if I ignored this wonderful film directed by Tom Harper that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2018 but finally was released this year. It stars Jessie Buckley as a Glaswegian country singer, a single mother freshly released from prison who just can’t get her act together, even though she is a terrific singer with a real passion for country music.  Buckley is such a revelation in the role, and I just loved the songs written for the movie, and I’m not even remotely a fan of country music. (So I guess that’s a third type of music I began to appreciate this year.)

24. Fighting with my Family (U.A. Releasing)

Another terrific and nearly forgotten film this year was this wrestling biopic about WWE superstar Paige, as played by Florence Pugh (she’s gotta be this year’s actor of the year, right?). Written and directed by Stephen Merchant and co-produced by Dwayne Johnson, Paige’s story really is pretty fantastic, as you follow her trying to make her way in the WWE where she’s nothing like the other women wrestlers. The movie was warm and funny and not at all what you’d expect from a WWE Films movie, but it’s definitely the studio’s finest work to date.

MY REVIEW

23. Plus One (RLJE Films)

One of the nicer surprises out of Tribeca this year was this twist on the rom-com by filmmakers Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer, starring Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine as two best friends who decide to attend all their weddings together to act as wingmen to help each other hook up. It’s a plan that works out well at first but starts to falter once they realize they might have feelings for each other. It’s classic rom-com territory but the movie is hilarious (Erskine is an absolute gem!) and you’re on board even when it goes to somewhat predicable places. (Some of the wedding speeches given by Jon Bass, Beck Bennett are particularly funny.) This is a movie that I’m bummed I haven’t had a chance to see a second or third time, as I’m sure it might be higher up on my year end list if I had.

22. Spider-Man: Far from Home (Sony)

You can’t argue when the fans are right but when Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios came on board to produce Spider-Man: Homecoming, it actually was pretty good and you had to have confidence they could make a sequel just as good or better. There was a lot to love about this one including the decision to take Spider-Man out of New York, which makes sense when you realize all the space-faring he’d been doing in Infinity War and Endgame. Then there was Jake Gyllenhaal as “Mysterio,” a fun and twisty take on the classic Spider-Man villain that also allowed director Jon Watts to play with some of the ideas introduced in Avengers: Endgame, while also giving Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury more to do than he has in many movies. I can’t wait to see what Tom Holland’s Spider-Man gets up to next!

MY REVIEW

21. One Cut of the Dead (Shudder)

The Japanese META zombie movie that’s been winding its way through the genre festival circuit for most of the past year, it’s an amazing bit of mind-fuckery where you think it’s merely about a zombie attack on a low budget movie but as we learn after the first 30 minutes, there’s a lot more going on than what seems… and that’s about all I can say, because it’s the kind of movie that’s more amazing when you go in not knowing what’s happening. And yet, you probably should know that there’s a lot more going on since the first 30 minutes on their own aren’t very good.

20. The Irishman (Netflix)

Don’t get me wrong. I really liked and appreciated Martin Scorsese’s reunion with De Niro and Pesci, as well as their pairing with Al Pacino to tell the story of the man responsible for the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, but just not as much as other movies. Granted, Scorsese continues to be one of the best filmmakers working today but it did feel like he and De Niro were returning to familiar and popular territory to try to claim back their cinematic throne. I guess it worked, because The Irishman is a great film, and heck, I’d watch it a thousand more times on Netflix if I didn’t have other things to watch.

MY REVIEW

19. Little Women (Sony)

I just wrote about Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott last week, and I’m probably more surprised by most about how how much I loved this movie, maybe even more than Lady Bird. Those performances by Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Timothée Chalamet just makes this film so wonderful at times and heartbreaking at others. It’s always been a great story but Gerwig found an original way into it that made it a wonderful follow-up to Lady Bird.

18. Sword of Trust (IFC Films)

I’ve been a Lynn Shelton stan for a number of years now, mostly from Your Sister’s Sister, but I generally like much of her work, whether it’s all improvised like that one and Humpday, or scripted like her pairing with Jay Duplass for Outside In. This one was really special, as it paired her with her Glow star Marc Maron and a trio of really great actors to bounce off of, including Jillian Bell and Michaela Watkins (from the almost equally great Brittany Runs a Marathon), as well as Jon Bass. The interaction and improvisation between these four actors as they deal with a sword from the Civil War with a controversial past makes this one of Shelton’s more entertaining movies, deserving of its placement in my year-end list.

Thoughts from My Column

17. Good Boys (Universal)

You’ll notice that I have quite a few comedies on my Top 25 this year, and that shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone who has read my reviews over the years. I love comedies and I love to laugh, and this high concept comedy about three 6thgraders, one of them played by Jacob Tremblay, just cracked me up so much. No surprise that it’s from the mega-comedy-kings Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who produced this movie from the team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, who are best known for “The Office” and a number of not-so-great comedy hits like Bad Teacher. Like Booksmart (see below), this one involved a fairly simple all-in-day quest by the three main characters but it led to some absolutely hilarious situations. Totally reminded me of myself when I was their age. Can’t wait to see what Brady Noon and Keith L. Williams get up to next as they’re amazing.

16. Late Night (Amazon)

While Mindy Kaling’s feature film might have come out of the whole SJW virtue signaling movements that surfaced post-Trump, her movie loosely, based on her own experiences working on the staff at a late night show, was a beautifully insightful look into the business. It starred Emma Thompson as veteran late night host Katherine Newbury, who is forced into diversifying her writing crew by hiring the less-than-experienced Molly (Kaling’s character). Over the next few months, Molly tries to make her way through the ins and outs of writing for late night, dealing with sexism and even some racism, even from Newbury.  Unlike the recent Bombshell, this is a comedy and both Kaling and Thompson were both terrific, to the point that it was a bummer that Amazon decided not to give this any sort of awards push by sending out screeners with some of their other movies.

MY REVIEW

15. Peterloo (Amazon)

While I’ve been a fan of filmmaker Mike Leigh almost as long as I’ve been writing about movies, I always seem to be in the minority when I’m not as into some of the movies my fellow critics love (like Mr. Turner), but this amazing movie about the political climate of England in the 16thCentury and the violence spurred on by a peaceful protest is an amazing bit of writing/directing by the British master. This is another movie that I wish got a lot more attention because the writing and cast were so good, and it just seemed to come and go without much fanfare. A real shame.

MY REVIEW

14. Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (Sony)

I probably won’t have too much to add about Tarantino’s movie beyond my earlier review, but this is a movie that I liked quite a bit the first time and even more the second time I saw it.  It’s just a fun portrait of Hollywood in 1969 through the eyes of a filmmaker who was six years old at the time. The performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie drove this film about what it was like trying to make a living as an actor in the climate of the late ‘60s with peace and love… and brutal murder in the form of the Manson Family. And yet, Tarantino found a way to give the Sharon Tate story a happy ending. Go figure.

MY REVIEW

13. Pain and Glory (Sony Pictures Classics)

Pedro Amodovar has been a bit hit or miss in recent years, so seeing him reunite with his regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz to write his best (and possibly most personal?) screenplay to date made Pain and Gloryone of the year’s nice surprises. Despite doing a lot of questionable movies in recent years, Banderas once again proved his worth as an actor, giving a performance as a has-been director that hopefully will get him his very first Oscar nomination.

12. First Love (Go West USA)

Another filmmaker whose work I’ve loved but who has also made some real dogs is Japan’s Takashi Miike. His latest take on the crime genre ended up being one of his best movies in twenty years. It may even be better than Audition, which celebrated its 20thanniversary this year. It’s a simple story of a young Japanese boxer who encounters a young woman who has been sold into sex slavery, but in helping her to escape, they get caught up in a gang war that includes some of the craziest characters to ever appear in a Miike movie. But as the title says, this is a love story more than anything, and that helped Miike prove that he has not gone soft, but still knows what it means to be human.

11. The Two Popes (Netflix)

I just wrote about this dramatic two-hander, written by Anthony McCarten and directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God), last week, after putting it off for far too long. (It’s hard to get inspired to write reviews of movies when you’re not being paid to do so, let me tell you.) It’s an amazing film about the relationship between Popes Benedict and Francis, as played by Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce. While you wonder how McCarten researched a movie between two very private public figures, neither of whom have written about this meeting, this is another great film from Netflix this year that’s proving that the studio is not going away and it’s going to produce quality films as great as the big boys.

10. Avengers: Endgame (Marvel Studios)

It shouldn’t be too big a surprise that a Marvel movie has made my top 10, as there have been others, like last year’s Ant Man and the Wasp, Iron Man, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy. Oddly, only one of the three Russo Brothers movies made my list – Captain America: The Winter Soldier – but with Avengers: Endgame, they managed to create a culmination of everything that’s come before but also made a Marvel movie that is the most like the Avengers comics I love, even to the point of having various members going off on their own missions. I’ve seen this movie three or four times now, and I still love some of the big moments like Captain America stating, “Avengers Assemble!” (finally) and this more than made up for Infinity War, which was good but not great.

9. Waves (A24)

A rather late addition to my year’s best is the new movie from Trey Edward Schutts, which delivered another amazing performance by Kelvin Harrison, Jr, who was also fantastic as the little-seen drama, Luce. The energy Schutts gives the movie with the use of music is fantastic, but it’s just an interesting character portrait that halfway through, throws you for a major loop before switching gears to follow the characters played by Lucas Hedges and the equally talented Taylor Russell. And then on top of that, you have Sterling K. Brown giving a moving performance as Harrison and Russell’s characters, who just doesn’t know how to deal with what’s going on with his family. There have been some great teen coming-of-age dramas over the years but Waves is one for the ages.

8. Book Smart (UA Releasing)

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut has been compared both favorably (and sometimes unfavorably) to a female Superbad, but I think a better comparison would be a modern-day Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Like Good Boys, it was a single night movie where two best friends (Beanie Feldstein, Kaitly Dever) decide to spend their last night in high school rebelling against their overly studios nature by going out to a party and have fun. What happens to them and the crazy characters they interact with makes this one of the funniest movies of the year. What was really amazing, besides the entire cast, was that I could watch this movie and see stuff that would have happened in my own high school days (which was more in the Ridgemont High days), and to see that high school just doesn’t change despite the technology and all the different standards and morals that come along.  Wilde is one filmmaker who I can’t wait to see what she does next and same for her entire cast. I’ve been saying since seeing this that I’d love to see Wilde do another movie with the exact same cast, all of them playing different characters, as I think we’ll see that these actors can do anything.

7. Yesterday (Universal)

Here’s a surprise for you all, but again, if you realize how many Danny Boyle movies have been in my top 10 over the years, you’ll know what a big fan I am of the Oscar-winning filmmaker. Teaming him with Richard Curtis for a high concept comedy where the world has forgotten the Beatles’ music and a young busker named Jack (Himesh Patel) who remembers them starts to make a career for himself by claiming the music as his own. I loved the lead, but it was especially his friendship/romance with Lily James’ Ellie Appleton that made me love this movie enough to put it in my top 10.

6. Marriage Story (Netflix)

While I really appreciated Noah Baumbach’s latest movie quite a bit when I first saw it at the New York Film Festival back in September, it was my rewatch on Netflix more recently that really made me appreciate what Baumbach has accomplished after nearly twenty years making movies. Granted, the movie might be seen as a bit of a downer, but you know what? Sometimes, I have to even out all the laughs and humor with something more serious.  Having a friend who went through a (far less litigious) divorce with a small child, I couldn’t help but thinking how much worse it could have been. As much as this was about Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s characters and the change in their relationship, it was a good lesson in how ugly things can get when lawyers get involved with Baumbach having a powerful trio in Laura Dern, Ray Liotta and the wonderful Alan Alda in those roles. This created a beautiful bookend to Baumbach’s earlier film The Squid and The Whale, based on his parents’ divorce, but this didn’t seem autobiographical as much as it showed the work of a mature filmmaker who has created his most personal and best work.

5. Knives Out (Lionsgate)

Speaking of dysfunctional family relationships, Rian Johnson’s look at the death of a wealthy mystery author’s (played by Christopher Plummer) and how his greedy family might be responsible, as investigated by Daniel Craig’s “gentleman detective” Benoit Blanc and the author’s maid, played by Ana de Armas. Besides putting a clever a spin on the ensemble whodunnit typified by the work of Agatha Christie and others, the movie was insanely funny thanks to the cast assembled by Johnson, which was literally an all-star team doing some of their funniest work. Really, there wasn’t a weak link in delivering Johnson’s best screenplay to date, and I look forward to seeing if we’ll get another movie in this realm. As with most of the movies in my Top 10, this is a movie I could see repeatedly and get more out of each time.

MY REVIEW

4. Rocketman  (Paramount)

And here it is, the Elton John movie that made me a fan of Elton John’s music after nearly 40 years of mostly shunning it. What director Dexter Fletcher and star Taron Egerton did in telling John’s story though his music, essentially creating an original jukebox musical on screen was the perfect way to frame the music and story. A lot of people compared this to last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody– which I also liked, mind you – but however much work Fletcher did to finish that movie after Bryan Singer’s firing, this was clearly something he had a clear vision of from beginning to end. This is one of the few movies I’ve seen this year three times, and I’ve been going down the Elton John rabbit hole of music ever since.

MY REVIEW

3. Ford v Ferrari (20thCentury Fox)

When I reviewed James Mangold’s Le Mans racing movie, starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, back in October, I gave it a 9.5/10, and then I saw it again in IMAX and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I took off half a point. The movie is just about perfect.  This is such a great story and the way the action is framed by the relationship between the former’s Ken Miles and the latter’s Carol Shellby with all the other players in the mix just made the movie one that was extremely watchable. And boy, those racing scenes! I haven’t seen action that exciting in years and that includes some of the best recent action movies, including Baby Driver and some of the “Fast and Furious” movies.

MY REVIEW

2. 1917 (Universal)

This was almost my #1 because it’s such a masterful achievement in all aspects of filmmaking that it also earned a rare 10 out of 10. Granted, I’ve been a Sam Mendes fan for many, many years, and he probably has had a few movies in my top 25 over the years, most notably with his second film, The Road to Perdition, which was actually my #1 movie that year. I’ve generally followed Mendes’ career with interest with only one or two movies just not working for me, but with just eight movies in 20 years, it’s amazing that it took that long for Mendes to be back in the Oscar conversation after winning for American Beauty. Frankly, I think this is unequivocally one of the best movies of the year between the screenplay, co-written with Kristy Wilson-Cairns, and the performances by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, making it a movie that’s a wonder to marvel at how they achieved such a powerful cinematic experience to behold.

MY REVIEW

1b. The Biggest Little Farm  (NEON)

As with every year, I like to pick one documentary as my favorite and best of the year, but instead of deciding where it fares among the narrative features, I just make it a tie for #1. My favorite doc of the year was John Chester’s movie about show he and his wife Molly decided to move out to a farm and try to get it work fiscally despite tons of issues, some they could control, others they couldn’t. While I also liked Apollo 11, and I’m sure that will win the Oscar, the way Chester told this story was done in such a wonderful way that it was far more enjoyable and entertaining than most docs. (And as you know, I do LOVE docs!)

1a. The Farewell (A24)

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed me on Twitter, where Lulu Wang’s China-set dramedy has been my profile picture almost since I first saw it in June – I’ve seen it three more times since then, each then having the same emotional reaction. Based on a story from Wang’s own life, it stars Awkwafina as Billi a poor starving New York artist who travels to China when she learns her Nana (the terrific Chinese veteran actor Shuzhen Zhao) was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her family has decided not to tell Nana that she may be dying, but they all return to Mainland China under the guise of a wedding for Billi’s cousin, but she knows the truth and has to skirt around while trying to spend possibly her last time with her beloved Nana. The movie was emotional but also quite amusing and entertaining, really showing what life in China is like in a way that was far more personal and human than last year’s Crazy Rich Asians i.e. that was more fantasy than this movie’s reality.

Some More Thoughts

Honorable Mentions: Motherless Brooklyn, Les Miserables, Honey Boy, Long Shot, Toy Story 4, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (As I said above, it was tough to leave a couple of these out of my top 25.)

Top 12 Docs

Not going to write too much about all of these but this was a pretty fantastic year for docs, and if you have a chance to watch any of the below, I would jump on it, especially since some of them barely got a theatrical release.

1. The Biggest Little Farm

2. Apollo 11

3. The Cave

4. WRESTLE

5. Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice

6. Marianne and Leonard: Words of Love

7. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

8. 63 Up

9. Agnès on Varda

10. One Child Nation

11. Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy

12. Love, Antosha

I used to do a TERRIBLE 25 as a separate thing, but this year, I’m just going to list six movies, although a few of these I saw so long ago, I barely remember why they sucked so bad.

In fact, Jeffrey Nachmanoff’s REPLICAS was one of the first movies released in 2019 picked up by Entertainment Studios from TIFF the year before. It’s funny how much love Keanu Reeves got this year for John Wick: Chapter Three and other stuff, but everyone seemed to completely forget that he started the year with this stupid high concept sci-fi thriller about a man obsessed with bringing his family back from the dead.

Also, not many people saw Joe Chappelle’s AN ACCEPTABLE LOSS, which opened just a week after Replicas, but it was a political thriller starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tika Sumpter that was so poorly written and so boring that I felt bad for Sumpter, who was giving her all.

I probably have said as much as much about Tom Hooper’s CATS as I plan to – you can read my review over at The Beat– but it’s also the most recent of this year’s bad movies, so it’s the freshest on my mind on how awful it was. I’m not going to pile on any further.

It’s been a while since I saw Tim Story’s SHAFT sequel/reboot, and as excited I was to see Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree back in the role, it’s Jessie T. Usher’s presence as John Shaft, Jr, meant to be the main running gag of the action-comedy that made it one of the worst movies of the year.

Another remake that really didn’t need to happen was this Neil Marshall remake of HELLBOY, and sure, maybe I was a bit biased, having loved Guillermo del Toro’s movies, particularly Hellboy: The Golden Army, but this just wasn’t a good movie as hard as it seemed to try. (You can read my review of that here.)

And yet, that wasn’t even the worst movie of the year. No, that would be Rob Zombie’s 3 FROM HELL, a movie so abhorrible that I couldn’t believe what I was watching. I called it the “worst movie of the year” back in September, and that sentiment didn’t change.

Before we wrap things up, here are some of my favorite records of the year. You may have heard of a few of them. Maybe not others? Most of them should be on Spotify.

1. Smiley’s Friends - In the Sixth Sense

2. Kevin So - S.O.U.L.

3. Pixies - Beyond the Eire

4. The Alarm - Sigma

5. Silversun Pickups - Widow’s Weeds

Best concert of the year? Easy one. Dave Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets with my buddy Jonathan Baylis when former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters shows up to perform one of the classic Pink Floyd songs! Possibly one of the best concert moments of the last couple decades!

That’s it for 2019... onto 2020!

[zak-animation]

Mystery Box: Final Animatic Review

In this week’s animatic masterclass, we were able to develop our own animatic for the Mystery Box project. Working off my own video reference for timing and posing, I took the opportunity to develop a refined animatic using the principles outlined in my own independent research and applied these to my own work, producing a simple lined animatic before adding grey tones in Photoshop, inspired by industry practice. This use of block shades separates the background and foreground elements and works to direct the viewer’s eye to the important and focal point of the shot: in this example, the main performance.

With my animatic, I wanted to compose the shot a little differently to the reference video to present a more visually clear and appealing shot, composing the character with a pleasing framing centrality and balance to the shot. Admittedly, this is an ambitious sequence and so my focus was on creating a more intensive and refined animatic, working past the still-image nature of a few of the shots analysed in the previous post and instead of working to hone in and refine the timing and flow of the sequence in preparation for animation.

In terms of composition, the sequence was inspired by cinematography choices by auteur directors such as Wes Anderson and Sam Esmail, wanting to go for a central framing technique to present my performance. This gives the shot a pleasing visual composition, whilst also placing our focus on the father’s actions. There’s a clear line of sight, and the sequence itself has been designed to make use of the space in an original way that highlights the three-dimensional nature of the shot.

One of Helen’s feedback points to me, after I questioned how to make an interesting sequence using a locked camera was to ‘use the space’. Instead of having the character walk directly to the box, I wanted to begin my sequence with an already-playing narrative: a father playing peek a boo with his son. This is happening without the inclusion of the box, and this makes the shot feel like a window into the character’s life rather than a simulation. When I began work on this project, I knew I wanted to place a focus on character performance and tell a story beyond the simple ‘reacting to box’ plot that the brief describes - meeting the brief’s requirements but also adding a sense of character and story to the scene.

Looking back, I feel as if I have managed to capture the key moments from my own live-action reference, in a way that exaggerates the poses outlined in my own performance and highlights the silhouettes to better tell the story. This can be seen in my developed, greyed iteration of the animatic, which draws attention to clear staging and an understanding of posing principles to communicate the character’s emotions.

From this, I feel like I have been able to create successful storytelling poses that clearly communicate the narrative beats of the sequence. This is a key part of the storyboarding and animatic process, and looking back, this has been inspired by my own performance in the reference video - something which has effectively outlined my entire creative direction since.

Despite this, the most important element of a successful animatic would be the use of timing: does my animatic present the sequence in a visually interesting way, with a sense of flow and movement that captures my action? In a word, yes. My focus with this was to make sure the initial walk has enough time to convey the lunging nature of the movement, and to add enough processing time for the audience to understand that the character is thinking, and changes emotion.

For an assignment such as this one, the use of processing time to communicate a change of emotion is a key element to the project. Looking at my own reference, I can see that a change in expression isn’t instant or seamless: with real, human emotion there is a certain sense of pause before any change in emotion, as we need time to process and understand the news or information that we have just received, which causes the change in mood. It’s not an instant change, and that idea was something that I feel I have managed to successfully include in this animatic.

With an example such as mine, it was important to have considered timing: having the father look from right to left and move very quickly would instantly create a sense of serious urgency, and make the light-hearted response somewhat out of place. The entire idea of the sequence is how the father is playing a game with his son, who has simply hidden from his sight. Admittedly, this was expected - but not quite like this. There’s a slow quality to the movements in my animatic that represents my vision for the shot better than my video reference does, and the pause when the father finally notices the box is clearer here, I feel. There’s a stronger sense of him thinking about his actions before he does them, which was my intention for the scene.

Despite this, there are some potential improvements to be made on this animatic. Firstly, whilst the use of grey tones is a good start, I’m tempted to explore the use of highlights in my animatic: this isn’t present in all animatics, but it was something that Helen mentioned in the workshop. Adding this would allow the character to stand out from simply being a grey silhouette, and act as an initial vision for the lighting of the shot, too. Finally, something that I consistently found in my animatic research was the use of sound in the animatic. This helps pre-visualise the sequence and ‘polish’ the animatic. Although the brief doesn’t mention audio, I would like to go back and include my original audio created for the video reference, as an initial experiment into this idea.

Finally, I was able to show my finished animatic to a tutor, who gave me some feedback on the sequence. Firstly, it’s a good idea to use the space in such a way, and to ‘challenge the brief’ a little bit. Interestingly, I found out that this approach has ‘never been done before’ in response to this mystery box, and represents an original approach to the task beyond the expectations of the brief. The main questions I need to consider will be how can I communicate a strong emotion simply through body language, and to convey a change in emotion through just the character’s torso.

As a whole, the feedback suggested that it was an interesting, original approach to the brief evidencing me working ‘outside the box’. The idea to play around with camera placement and space was one that really resonated with him, and I was encouraged to pursue this idea further. I was assured it will be ‘a challenge’, but I feel like I can handle such a task. At the very least, I will be able to begin blocking out the sequence - and take the opportunity to ask for more feedback on the posing, and whether or not I should cut any elements.

As it stands though, I’m very happy with my animatic: it’s a successful piece that conveys the action of my sequence, with an accurate representation of timing and posing. The idea itself represents an interesting and engaging challenge to the brief’s expectations and allows me to really develop a character performance and narrative storyline.

Summary With this, I’ve been able to create a refined ‘story reel’ or animatic that successfully conveys my sequence through rough illustrations that communicate my initial vision for the project, with a clear understanding of timing and posing principles being applied to the piece. Inspired by my own research, I’m tempted to add my own sound and voice acting to the animatic as a way to explore an extremely common industry practice - but I’m now at a place where I’m happy with my idea for the mystery box, have planned it out extensively through storyboarding, an animatic and video referencing iterations and am now ready to move onto the animation process.

Next, I will be delving back into digital 3D animation software Maya, being introduced to the basics of character animation within the program, making use of a predefined rig. With the timing and posing outlined here,  I will soon begin blocking out the sequence using the key poses described in my animatic.

[celebritylive]

The roots of Barack Obama‘s family tree grow deep and wide — Hawaii, Kansas, Kenya, Indonesia — and his post-presidential life has been similarly expansive.

On Friday morning, he and younger sister Maya Soetoro-Ng will appear in Malaysia at his eponymous foundation’s annual leadership summit. Their talk, which can be watched here, will focus on what it means to lead and the multicultural childhood they shared, which inspired the belief that leadership — good leadership — is fearless, humble, collaborative and creative.

“We’re really looking for leaders who are embedded, who are grassroots leaders who understand that although they may have a great many skills and accomplishments, that we accomplish more together,” Soetoro-Ng says.

An adviser to The Obama Foundation, Soetoro-Ng, 49, spoke with PEOPLE ahead of her Friday conservation with her brother. She previewed some of the childhood memories and rare photos that she and Obama, 58, will discuss. And she reflected on the legacy of the mother who raised them both — who was always “brave about loving people who were very different from her.”

• First Lady Michelle Obama has been on her own trip to Vietnam this week, to focus on girls’ education. For more, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.

Hawaii and Back Again

Of the photos that will be shown at Friday’s event, Soetoro-Ng points to three that show “our family’s complexity and hybridity, but also the importance of this work and connecting the United States with the Asia Pacific region.”

Last year, the foundation mentored leaders in Africa. This year’s class of 200, from the private and public sectors, come from 33 nations and territories across the Asia-Pacific region who have been meeting in Kuala Lumpur this week.

“We can’t afford to move in isolation,” Soetoro-Ng says. “We need to be promoting and supporting rich dialogue and understanding. And so we hope that this program is a demonstration of that commitment between the United States and the Asia-Pacific region. Our desire to continue to support and learn from one another and to grow with mutual health and happiness and peace.”

The first photo she talks about is the earliest, in Hawaii, “an important starting point” where “so much of our family story takes place.”

“We really feel that although we’re in Southeast Asia now that so much of our program is infused with the spirit of aloha and the Pacific and we really want to uplift the Pacific Islands and shine a light on the many solutions that the Pacific Cup presents — indigenous wisdom and lots of sustainable and environmental connection and reverence for nature,” Soetoro-Ng tells PEOPLE.

The first childhood photo shows Obama with their mother, Ann Dunham, in the mid 1960s, and Soetoro-Ng is almost certain it’s when their mom graduated with her bachelor’s degree in anthropology. She went on to earn two graduate degrees in the field.

RELATED: Inside Michelle Obama & Julia Roberts’ Emotional Day with Vietnamese Schoolgirls — ‘I Will Never Recover’

“It would have been right before she made that long journey to Indonesia,” Soetoro-Ng recalls. Obama was about 6. Dunham was divorced from his father and later moved with him to Indonesia to live with her second husband, Soetoro-Ng’s father. She was born in Jakarta in 1970.

From their mother, “a pioneer in microfinance and in supporting women and children’s village and rural cottage industries throughout Asia,” Obama learned his “sense of compassion and social justice and inclusion,” his sister says.

In their new home, far away from their old one and her Kansas family, Dunham “built bridge to give out the experiences from home that were familiar in a place which was different,” Soetoro-Ng says.

“I remember when it was, in Indonesia, hard to get Christmas things, would get a sort of scraggly-looking pine tree and red and green construction paper because ornaments were hard to find back in those days,” Soetoro-Ng says. “And she would string the tree with red and green construction paper chains put together with Elmer’s glue and then she would hang red and green chili peppers all over the tree, which was, I thought, kind of a fun way to make the best of limited resources.”

Even decades later, from his early years in Indonesia, “embedded” in Obama’s leadership style is “that balance between rugged individualism and sort of a lot of Asian-specific collected community sensibilities,” his sister says.

“He understood by virtue of those four years of childhood here in Indonesia that beauty can be found in unexpected places and people, with little in the way of resources,” Soetoro-Ng says.

(And, she notes, “It’s funny, he’s not a huge eater — that’s why he’s so lean — but he gets very excited about Southeast Asian food. He will throw down.”)

Even those same chilis his mom hung popped up on an Obama family Christmas tree years later, in their way — this time as ornaments, his sister says.

The second of three photos Soetoro-Ng wants to talk about is from June 1972 and shows her and Obama with their mother, Soetoro-Ng’s paternal grandmother and the family’s nanny at the Prambanan, a Hindu temple in Indonesia, which is one of the United Nations’ World Heritage Sites.

“We spent a lot of time during those years scrambling around and on this temple,” Soetoro-Ng says. She and Obama went back to Prambanan in recent years with both of their families.

“ is sort of emblematic of the deep connection that we feel to the art and the beauty and the culture of the Asia Pacific region,” she explains, “and it demonstrates that our childhood learning was not simply through books. It was very much in place of community. And I love that these places are being also protected now.”

The third photo is back in Hawaii, where Obama attended middle and high school. The photo was taken around late 1972 or 1973, Soetoro-Ng says. It shows the two of them with their mother and maternal grandfather in a place that has been a constant in a family with many different homes and many different pasts.

“My brother has made a commitment to taking his kids to Hawaii every single Christmas,” Soetoro-Ng says.

With Malia and Sasha both in college this year, he and wife Michelle have been traveling in Asia recently — Tokyo, Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore — before joining their girls in Hawaii.

RELATED: Obama Delivers Message of Tolerance as He Closes Out Nostalgic Visit to Boyhood Home — ‘Indonesia Is a Part of Me!’

Back home, Soetoro-Ng says, Obama reconnects with old school friends, sees extended family and relishes local traditions. (Even though he abstains from most sugar, he allows himself shaved ice with the kids.)

There’s a bonfire, a big luau and guitar-playing, plus hiking and eating.

“There’s always time at Hanauma Bay, where our mother used to take us,” Soetoro-Ng says.

A Tearful Gift and Wandering the World Now

When Obama was preparing to leave the White House, actually, staffers there — with some Obama family — got together on a sentimental gift to evoke his mother, who died in 1995.

“Kids, staff all pitched in and bought a bench, which they inscribed in memory of our mother that sits there now ,” Soetoro-Ng says. “It’s a place that looks out over the bay and where he can go and sit and reflect and contemplate.”

“He got teary when he got that gift,” she says. “It was so touching.”

RELATED: Michelle Obama Looks Back on the ‘Panic,’ Vulnerability & Gratitude of Her Record-Setting Year

Since leaving office, Obama’s life has certainly slowed, though he’s far from retirement. Wife Michelle published a record-breaking memoir, Becoming, last year, followed by a popular book tour. He’s writing his own memoir. Both are focused on the foundation’s work, including fostering the next generation of leaders.

As Mrs. Obama told Today this week: “Replacing ourselves, getting out of the way and letting some young people sit in some of these seats — we’ll be doing that, Barack and I, for the rest of our lives.”

There is also time, more and more, for travel on their own. The whole world, one person at a time.

“My brother … he’s a wanderer,” Soetoro-Ng says. She adds: “I think that if he had the choice, he would just set out and spend hours wandering. He is definitely not an in-a-hotel-spa tourist. He is definitely somebody who visits markets  sitting on the steps listening to street musicians. He loves museums, always did, and would definitely go see different sites, churches and temples. He would spend a majority of his time, if he could, just exploring.”

from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/349RlQI

[gorepastelkawaii-blog]

Discovering The Answers To Aspects For Horoscope

โหราศาสตร์ ยูเรเนียน

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Useful Questions On Finding Vital Elements For

As Lisa Jarnot relates in her new biography of Duncan, the Symmeses interpreted their son’s dream immediately: it was a ‘wound in time’, a memory from a previous life. The boy was watching the inundation of his native Atlantis. This notion about Atlantis was an old one, older even than Duncan himself. He was born in Oakland about ten hours before his birth mother died, possibly from Spanish flu. His father, a railroad engineer, was stricken with grief and refused help from relatives; within a year Duncan and his seven siblings were ‘effectively orphaned’. The Symmeses had been told by an astrologer that their destiny was to raise a boy born at dawn on 7 January 1919, and they confirmed the truth of their hermetic beliefs by doing just that. They brought up their new son to believe he had been an Atlantean inventor in a former life, ‘of the ancient generation that had recklessly destroyed its own world’. The Symmeses’ esoteric interests faded as they settled into lives of middle-class rectitude, but their ‘pot and pantheism’ was a powerful influence on Duncan: ‘It was not a dogma nor was it a magic that I understood for myself … but I understood that the meanings of life would always be, as they were in childhood, hidden away, in a mystery, exciting question after question, a lasting fascination.’ And even though Duncan stopped believing in ‘a historical Atlantis’ by the time he was a teenager, the myth remained, Jarnot writes, ‘an enduring inspiration’ for his work. The dream of the sunken city supplied the setting for what is probably his best-known poem, ‘Often I Am Permitted to Return to a Meadow’, in which the dream-field acquires a hyper-uranian aspect to become wherefrom the shadows that are forms fall. As a mature poet, Duncan was accused by his friend Charles Olson – along with just about everyone else who read his work – of wanton myth-mongering, a charge against which he didn’t even try to defend himself. Olson, he wrote, suspects, and rightly, that I indulge myself in pretentious fictions.

For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit https://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n20/robert-baird/use-use-use

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Emerging Challenges In Picking Out Central Issues In [astrology]

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FILE PHOTO: Amazon.com's logo is seen at Amazon Japan's office building in Tokyo, Japan, August 8, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Amazon, in a response, said it took issue with the settings of its face ID tool during the test. The findings nonetheless highlight the risks that individuals could face if police use the technology in certain ways to catch criminals. Since May, the ACLU and other civil rights groups have pressured Amazon to stop selling governments access to Rekognition, a powerful image ID software unveiled in 2016 by the company’s cloud-computing division. The groups cited use of Rekognition by law enforcement in Oregon and Florida and warned that the tool could be used to target immigrants and people of color unfairly. Their activism has kicked off a public debate. The president of Microsoft Corp ( MSFT.O ), Amazon’s rival which also uses facial recognition technology, called on Congress earlier this month to study possible regulations. The ACLU said it wants Congress to enact a moratorium on use of the technology by law enforcement. Facial recognition is already widely used in China for police purposes, and a number of start-up companies there - some valued at billions of dollars - are aggressively pursuing the technology. Amazon has touted a range of uses for Rekognition, from detecting offensive content online to identifying celebrities.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-facial-recognition/amazons-face-id-tool-mismatched-28-members-of-congress-to-mugshots-aclu-idUSKBN1KG1K7?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews ดูดวงตามวันเดือนปีเกิด ดู ดวง ตาม วัน เดือน ปี เกิด จีน ดู ดวง ตาม วัน เดือน ปี เกิด ฟรี 2560

[ourwomanhood]

Interview: Vix Harris of Vix Harris Designs on Inclusive and Empowering Feminist Art and the Deep International Impact of her Community Projects

Vix Harris is an artist, textile designer, and English language teacher from the United Kingdom. She graduated from art college, gaining a degree in Textile and Fashion Design. Currently, Vix is based in Singapore where she creates as an artist and operates as a full-time English language teacher. The ongoing mission to empower women and champion feminist causes through her art is widely recognized through the year-long "50 Rebel Women" project she most recently completed. Her travels span over almost two decades and across many countries to include Italy, Australia, Spain, South Korea, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Vietnam and Indonesia. These travels have allowed her to create and support local projects that range from sponsorships and donations to the co-founding of a sustainable farm.

Check out the interview I conducted with Vix to find out why she started her year-long creative project "50 Rebel Women," and the importance behind it; how she came to support sponsorships in Tanzania - now sustained for over 10 years; why she was drawn to a local non-profit, Sinar Sofia, located in Johor Bahru, and how she recently supported this organization through the act of donations from a month-long creative project where 100% of the proceeds from the month of May were donated directly to this organization; the story behind how she assisted with the co-creation of Project S.E.E.D, a sustainble farm located in Tanzania, run by its local community; the topic of feminism and what it means to her; and future collaboration projects in store.

Interview: Vix Harris of Vix Harris Designs on Inclusive and Empowering Feminist Art and the Deep International Impact of her Community Projects

 Jasmine: Hi, Vix, thank you for interviewing with me. You are an artist and textile designer from the UK whose mission is to empower women of all ethnicities and —as you’ve shared with me—champion feminist causes through your art. You’ve traveled to many countries to include Italy, Australia, Spain, South Korea, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Vietnam and Indonesia. In return, these travels have greatly influenced your work. Currently, you are living and working in Singapore. Tell me some things I might not know about you.

Vix: Hi Jasmine! Thanks so much for the opportunity to talk about my work and what's important to me. You mentioned some of the countries I've lived in, but you might be interested to hear that I was a real homebody when I was younger. I had no real desire to travel and never imagined that I would spend almost two decades living and working abroad! But when I graduated from art college with a degree in Textile and Fashion Design, I struggled to find a job and after a couple of disastrous work experience placements, became disillusioned with the industry.

That's when I decided to get out of England and spend a year travelling around Australia. I needed to get away and get some perspective.

What actually happened though was that my passion for travel overpowered my passion for art, and I didn't so much as pick up a pencil for the next ten years.

Instead, I became an English language teacher (teaching seems to run in my family) and have lived and worked in eight countries over the last 16 years. I suppose my way of being creative was taking photos during my trips. I never lost my interest in art and creativity, I just didn't feel the need to create art myself until about 5 years ago when I started to get curious again and picked up that pencil. 

Jasmine: I think most artists seek to complete projects that continually stretch them. I also believe artists create to open the door for inward journeys, journey’s not only they will go on, but others will as well, in their own way and on their own time. You are in the midst of completing a year-long project, “50 Rebel Women,” in which every week you’ve highlighted a strong woman who has made a significant effort to make the world a better place. There are 3 pieces from the “50 Rebel Women” project that are personal favorites: Maya Angelou, Rahayu Rahmat, and Grace Jones. Although Maya Angelou is no longer here in body, I do believe her spirit lingers in the words she wrote, the talks she gave, and the presence left in rooms she once stood. Her impact is ever-present and her contributions will never be forgotten. All three women are phenomenal: strong women in their own right, have lived lives that are memorable, have significantly impacted others, and have made it their regular itinerary to empower women. Tell me about the inspiration behind this project and what you hope others gain from it.

Vix: I started the project in the spring of 2016 because I wanted to get better at what I did and I knew that the only real way to do that was to practise, to create more art on a regular basis. I also knew from following artists like Lisa Congdon that you have to hold yourself accountable and if you make a project public then others would hold you accountable too.

I had already started messing around with illustrating black and white photographs and had done one of Frida Kahlo that I then shared on my Facebook page. I got some positive feedback from friends and family and this gave me the idea of continuing along the same lines. I knew the project had to be something that would hold my interest for a long time and thanks to my mum, who is a staunch feminist, I am passionate about women's rights and promoting the achievements of strong female role models.

I am still working full-time as a teacher so I had to be realistic about the restrictions on my time and thought I would be able to produce one A4 (approx. 11 x 8.5 inches) piece per week. I thought 50 was a nice round number and there are 52 weeks in a year so I decided on the hashtag #50rebelwomen. I announced the start of the project on Facebook and asked friends and family for suggestions. I already knew a lot of the women I wanted to illustrate and write about, but asking other people gives you a much wider perspective.

In terms of what I hoped others might gain from it, the goal was quite simple; to put a spotlight on some of the strong, intelligent, resilient women in our world and inspire others to aim higher and achieve more.

I have four nieces ranging in age from 3 to 12 and I feel very strongly that they should have an abundance of positive female role models as evidence that with hard work and determination they are capable of anything.

Once I got started on the project, I was overwhelmed by the stories of all these amazing women that I had previously been oblivious to. It opened my eyes to just how biased history can be and to how many talented, inspirational women have been overlooked by the media and by society as a whole.

 Jasmine: So Vix, let’s talk about the projects you are involved in. I truly believe that giving back, on a local and global scale, is the only way to move our communities forward. Even in the smallest of ways, we all have something to offer through the giving of our time, finances, and/or talent.  In addition to the work you do as an artist and textile designer, you currently co-run two projects in Tanzania. They were created there 10 years ago after teaching English at a primary school. Tell me about these two projects and the decision behind starting them.

 Vix:

Of all the things I have achieved so far, my involvement in these projects is the thing I am most proud of.

I never intended for either of them to happen but I've always been a spontaneous person and a great believer in taking opportunities when they come along.

In 2007, I went to Tanzania for 3 months to teach English in a primary school. I had been talking about returning to Africa for years. My parents had both gone out there to teach in the 60s, met in Kenya and got married in Nairobi cathedral. Both my siblings were born out there and I had spent some of my early childhood in Kenya and Malawi. I had always, always wanted to return but I knew that a two-week holiday wasn't going to be enough - I wanted to live within a community and get to know the people and their culture.

Originally, I had planned to volunteer in Kenya but the organisation I went out there with, MondoChallenge Foundation, decided that the need was greater in Tanzania. Of course, I was happy to go wherever I was sent.

The whole experience changed my life. I spent 3 months living in a village called Ngaramtoni (in Northern Tanzania) with the Kinisi family, who I completely fell in love with. The parents, Mr David and Mama Baraka, were unusual because he was Masai and she was Chaga and members of different tribes don't usually marry. Even more unusual for a place where most women stay at home and raise children, Mama Baraka was an anaesthetist at the local hospital. They had 3 sons of their own but had also taken in their nephew and did a lot of work within the community to support those whose needs were much greater. They were both an inspiration to me and still are.

I started the sponsorship project accidentally, really. The primary school where I was working had over 1500 pupils and only 5 teachers, so my average class size was 120. I had a little boy in one of my classes who was incredibly bright and ridiculously enthusiastic.

His name was Ndobiri. He had this huge smile which lit up the room and he always had his hand up, desperate to answer questions. I started to think about the possibility of sponsoring him so that he could continue with his education - many kids drop out after primary school because their families can’t afford to pay the fees.

I asked MondoChallenge Foundation about it and they arranged for me to meet his father, Sambeke, a farmer, who was raising 7 kids on his own. He didn’t speak a word of English and my Swahili was pretty rubbish so one of the teachers from the school came with me to translate. It was so humbling to sit with this man who was so desperate to give his children an education but who had next to nothing.

When I returned to the UK and told friends and family about Ndobiri they started to ask about doing something similar. Because I had such a strong relationship with the Kinisi family, I knew that Mr David and Mama Baraka would support me in any way they could and make sure the money I sent each month would go exactly where it was needed. That was 10 years ago and we currently sponsor 7 young adults - they’re not really kids anymore! They’re all at secondary school and working hard to give themselves a brighter future. Ndobiri is 21 now and studying to be a doctor.

 The second project started just as organically. During my time in the village, I met James who was working at a local orphanage. We became friends and kept in touch. I have been back to Tanzania 3 times since my first trip out there and during the last visit in 2013 I met up with him again. He had moved back to his home town 3 hours south of Dar Es Salaam and was living in the bush with his father. He was restless and bored and was looking to start some kind of community project. I told him that I would be more than happy to help - a lot of my friends in the UK were looking for projects to support which were not linked to big charities. They wanted to know exactly where their money was going and get regular updates, etc.

 So Project S.E.E.D (www.facebook.com/TZProjects) was started in 2014.

It’s a sustainable farm run by James which employs local people and teaches community members how to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

It’s been a tough few years and we’ve had many setbacks along the way - drought, flooding, malaria, snake bites, robbery, you name it! - but James’s enthusiasm and hard work has ensured that they’re now harvesting their own maize and selling their produce at local markets. The goal is for the project to be completely self-sufficient in the near future and we’re getting closer to that as each month passes.

I plan to return to Tanzania in December this year to spend some quality time with my African friends and family and update our donors on the progress of both projects. I am so incredibly blessed to have had such an amazing experience there and to have these wonderful people in my life who have taught me the real meaning of strength, love, resilience and friendship.

 Jasmine: While in Singapore, you’ve reached further to support a local non-profit, Sinar Sofia, located in Johor Bahru (across the border in Malaysia). In a brief synopsis, you explained to me that this organization “helps to get prostituted women off the streets of Johor Bahru and into meaningful employment. Many of them are drug addicts and also HIV positive.” Tell me more about this organization, how you’ve come to work with them, and your thoughts on the impact you believe your art/work has made toward their cause.

Vix: Sinar Sofia was set up by Roslee Ismail in 2011 and his partner Rahayu Rahmat is its co-founder.

It is an NGO which helps those infected and affected by drug addiction and the HIV virus to live a long, meaningful and healthy life.

Rahayu was sold to a brothel by her ex-husband in 2004 and spent the next 6 years on the streets of Johor Bahru, trying to feed her 4 kids. She spends most of her time with the women experiencing the same thing she did, women working on the streets and using drugs to numb the pain or prostituting themselves to support their drug habit.

I got involved with Sinar Sofia through Sangeeta Nambiar, a theatre director here in Singapore. I had gone to see her production of the Vagina Monologues, which she was also acting in, and at the end of the show she talked about Sinar Sofia and Rahayu. I knew there and then that I wanted to find out more about this amazing organisation. As luck would have it, a week or so later Sangeeta came to the British Council (where I work as an English teacher) as part of their International Women’s Day celebrations and I got to meet her then and ask her more about Sinar Sofia.

After hearing Rahayu’s story, I decided to make her one of my #50rebelwomen. At Sangeeta’s next show, The Unreasonable Feminist, I presented her with the design. That was the first time I met her and got to give her a massive hug. For the month of May all money made from my Etsy shop was donated to Sinar Sofia. I also sold prints at Sangeeta’s show and at another local craft fair. I raised S$376 in total, which will go towards their halfway house in Johor Bahru, which has just been completed.

 In terms of the impact my artwork has made, I think it’s probably a very small one but I knew that I had to get involved. My design of Rahayu has easily been my most popular Rebel Woman so I hope I’ve brought more attention to her cause and to women with stories like hers in general.

I’m sure that my involvement with Sinar Sofia will continue and I hope to design and paint a mural in the new halfway house in Johor Bahru over the next couple of months. The great thing this whole experience has done is connect me with some amazing women here in Singapore who are inspiring others every day with their hard work and determination.

Jasmine: I think people start out with the drive and energy to complete community projects they are passionate about. But, somehow, somewhere in the midst of it all, that passion turns into a burden, an inconvenience. Life happens and stress emerges, which leads to the end of a project that had great potential. It may even be abandoned because of an opinion a non-supporter or friend voices—thinking the results aren’t worth the effort, the project isn’t something one should support, or even, that the end goal is unachievable. How have you managed to disregard the opinion of others and sit personal struggles aside in order to consistently and successfully do a greater work for humanity?

 Vix: Wow! What a great question. The answer is pretty simple: Love. I love the people I’ve developed these projects with. They’re my friends. I think if you love someone, you will do anything for them and all you want is for them to succeed.

I never intended to go to Tanzania and set up two community projects, but I fell in love with the people I met there and so 10 years later I’m still there for them, doing what I can to make their lives a little bit easier.

They are passionate people, determined, hard working, incredibly generous, funny and kind. I just want to help my friends.

I am incredibly fortunate to come from a loving, supportive family and have never wanted for anything in my life. It’s not OK for people like me to sit back and do nothing. Other people have it harder - way, way harder - and that needs to be recognised and acted upon.

I’m also pretty stubborn.

The moment someone tells me something is not possible or shouldn’t be done, that’s when I get stuck in. Don’t ever tell me what to do!

Jasmine: With everything you are involved in—serving two projects in Tanzania (for over 10 years), currently supporting a local NGO in Johor Bahru, working, and collaborating with other creatives—tell me how find time to renew yourself, and what you do to refill.

Vix: Another great question! I’m a very sociable person, I love people, but I also need time alone. I love my own company and I spend as much time as possible with my own thoughts. I sometimes go to a cafe by the beach with a notebook and just think and write stuff down. I love listening to music (especially when I’m drawing) and am a great movie-goer. I’m very lucky to have the beautiful MacRitchie Reservoir just down the road from where I live so I go there often to be in nature and to destress and recharge my batteries.

Jasmine: I want to pivot and talk about feminism for a moment. From the words of a writer, feminist theorist, and cultural critic, bell hooks explained in her book, “Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics,”—a book I’ve owned since my undergraduate classes in feminism—that “simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression,” and declared that “feminism is for everybody.” You are a feminist. Tell me what feminism means to you and how you’ve been able to incorporate it into your work.

 Vix: Feminism is incredibly important to me. I was a feminist before I knew what the word meant, thanks to my mother’s great example. She is my 50th and final Rebel Woman and she taught by example. I was brought up to believe I could do anything I put my mind to and it never occurred to me that certain things might be off limits because I was a girl.

When I was 24 I travelled solo for a year around Australia and a few people then were worried about my safety because I was a woman travelling alone. But the urge to travel was always stronger than any fear of danger. I’ve subsequently lived and worked in South Korea on my own, in Hong Kong, Spain, Tanzania, Vietnam, Indonesia, and scores of other countries where I could have faced scary situations. If you let these fears stop you from doing the stuff you really want to do, then you’re finished before you’ve even begun.

I’m also very passionate about calling myself a feminist, about naming it.

There’s so much debate nowadays about what being a feminist means, but as an English teacher I just refer people to the dictionary: ‘The advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes’. Women should have equal rights to men, end of story. 

It has to be a big part of my work because it’s part of who I am as a person and any artist will tell you that your work is an extension of you, of who you are and what you stand for, what you believe, what you hold dear. I also have 4 nieces who are growing up in a very different world to the one that I grew up in so it’s important for me to lead by example and show them what’s possible.

Jasmine: What advice would you give to women who are looking to deeply blend their work, passions, and philanthropy into one? 

I think the best advice is to just embrace who you are fully. Show your complete self. Don’t hide the stuff that’s a part of you because you think others might reject it or because you haven’t seen a template for it.

Most people just have a job and they go to work and come home and maybe have a couple of hobbies that they do at the weekend. That’s great, nothing wrong with that. But I want to be a teacher AND an artist, and I want to be involved in development projects. Can I organise my time so that this is possible? Yes? OK, then that’s what I’ll do.

When I was 21 I watched my ex-boyfriend’s dad (to whom I was very close) slowly die of throat cancer at the age of 49, and a few months ago I lost my beloved cousin Ben to pancreatic cancer at the age of 50. None of us knows what the future holds but we’re here now, and living half a life is an insult to those who never got that opportunity.

One of my favourite quotes is by the poet Mary Oliver. I love it so much that I have printed it out and put it above my desk as a daily reminder:

"Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?"

I know it’s a cliche, but life is short. You have to follow your heart, go with what makes you feel good, the stuff that lights you up inside, and take every opportunity that comes your way.

Jasmine: Vix, tell me one word that would describe your journey thus far.

Vix: Joyous.

Jasmine: Are there any current or future projects you’d like to talk about beyond the “50 Rebel Women” project? Vix: I think for the next 6 months or so I’m going to be focusing on collaborations with other artists, mainly photographers. I’ve already worked with Jelisa Peterson and her gorgeous images of the people of Mozambique, and I hope to do more with her. I’ve also done a piece with Henry Morris (aka @Sharpozz) and am looking forward to working with him again and developing our professional relationship. There are lots of exciting things in the pipeline so watch this space!

 Jasmine: Where can you be found online/off-line?

Vix: My website is www.vixharrisdesigns.com and you can find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/VixHarrisDesigns), Instagram (@vixharrisdesigns) and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/VixDesigns). You can find updates on my Tanzanian project at www.facebook.com/TZprojects and www.justgiving.com/Vicky-Harris1

Thanks so much, Jasmine! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed answering all your questions.

 Jasmine: And, thank you, Vix!

[bobkerse]

This Artist Sent Her Painting To The New Yorker On A Whim. Now It’s The Cover.

Ahead of its Feb. 6 issue, The New Yorker released a sneak peek of its upcoming cover ― a tribute to the Women’s March that attracted over 3 million protestors around the world.

Familiar at first glance, the cover features a collared-shirt-clad woman flexing her arm in the style of Rosie the Riveter, the WWII-era feminist icon. Though a few details set this Rosie apart: She’s a woman of color, for starters. And instead of a bandana, she dons a “pussy hat,” the reigning symbol of the Jan. 21 march.

Maine-based artist Abigail Gray Swartz created the image after attending a march in Augusta, at which she wore a hand-painted cape decorated with the words “Equality for Womankind.” The following week, Swartz decided to send her updated portrait of Rosie to The New Yorker unsolicited, not anticipating a response. It’d been a longtime dream to have her work accepted by the magazine, she told The Portland Press Herald.

Unexpectedly, art editor Françoise Mouly responded asking Swartz to send a few more variations of Rosie. Seventy-two hours later, Swartz learned that her work had made the cover. A new image of feminism ― intersectional, DIY, unapologetically pink ― was solidified.

Ahead of her cover’s official debut, we checked in with Swartz over email to learn more about her radical art, her dedication to activism, and why she believes the revolution will be handmade. Check out our interview below:

What inspired you to revisit Rosie the Riveter? And what motivated you to update her in the ways that you did?

I’m a knitter and I knit several pussy hats for myself and for my friends to wear to the [Women’s] March. Watching all of my friends and strangers sharing their Instagram stories of knitting hat after hat was incredible. The act of making the symbol brought unity to the event even before it began. Therefore, I knew that the hat would be a symbol of the woman’s movement.

So on the Monday following the march, I sat down and started thinking about the art I wanted to make in response to my own experience on Saturday as well as the collective experience of women nationally and worldwide. I adored seeing the images flooding in of the sea of women (and men) in pink hats. So much pink! I saw a headline from a newspaper that read “She the People” and I thought, “She The People: The revolution will be handmade.” I started thinking how there was this effort on the part of women to create a symbol for the march. It felt reminiscent of World War II when women rationed silk stockings in order to have enough material for the soldiers’ parachutes. How women knit for the soldiers and filled in at the factories while the men were away at war. Just like how we are reclaiming the word “pussy,” the hat is also a symbol of our history in our country ― we are knitting something for the new “war effort” to fight for our rights as women. We are knitting for ourselves.

As a result, I turned to Rosie as a symbol to convey the transformation we have taken from the times of WWII. I made Rosie a woman of color, because as an artist I feel it’s my job to paint diversity. I recently read how important it is for children, especially for children of color, to see images of Barack Obama in their schools. So I concluded, why not give girls of color, and everyone for that matter, an image of a Rosie with brown skin. It was just a no brainer ― I want to paint Rosie as a symbol of the Women’s March and she should look like this.

When The New Yorker commissioned an image for “The March” issue, did [editors] ask for any visual details or messaging in particular?

I actually reached out to Françoise Mouly of The New Yorker. My Rosa Parks portrait was in her Women’s March newspaper, Resist. I had this idea on Monday, quickly sketched it up, added some paint and sent it to them on a total whim. They got back to me and said yes, we’d like to see more sketches. So after emailing them multiple sketches, and two different finished portraits, they asked for me to send the art to them via FedEx on Wednesday night and they called me on Thursday night and said it was officially a “go” and they would release it on Friday.

And I ugly cried and my kids were like, “Dad what’s wrong with Mom?” And he said, “It’s happy tears. This is a good thing, Your mom has wanted this for a long time.” So it’s been a whirlwind week career-wise. I’ve wanted to paint covers for The New Yorker for years, and here is my first cover, it’s a dream come true!

Online, fans of the cover have already praised your illustration’s emphasis on the role of intersectionality in feminism. Have you been pleased with the ways fans have read into your work?

Yes, I have been pleased. I’ve had women, like Adrienne Lawrence thank me on Instagram. And others have thanked me on Twitter. It’s been really nice. As a white woman, I am sensitive to the issues about race and the Women’s March. I was well aware of the need for inclusion. I agree that white women need to show up to the Black Lives Matter rallies. If one hurts, we all hurt. Plus it’s simply your moral obligation as a white woman to acknowledge your privilege and to use it to help others. It’s the rent you must pay. And, if we are going to get anywhere as a movement we must be united and that also means accepting all forms of feminism. It’s like what Maya Angelou said about the women’s movement, “The sadness of the women’s movement is that they don’t allow the necessity of love. See, I don’t personally trust any revolution where love is not allowed.” That, to me, means inclusion and allowing for a variety of definitions of feminism.

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