#music studio insurance

[musicinsurancecompany]

A Guide to Insuring Your Music Studio

Picture this - You are right in the flow, lost in your musical world, while carefully layering sounds in your music studio. Then, out of nowhere, a power surge strikes. Unfortunately, your prized vintage synth could not withstand this sudden jerk, and it sputters and dies, leaving you staring at it in disbelief. It is like your muse just up and disappeared in thin air. Well! No one would ever want to imagine such a dreadful scenario. However, calamities do happen and you need to be prepared with the right arsenal to ensure your recording studio’s safety.

A note to all the musicians reading this!

Are you a music studio owner reading this and are terrified of this thought? Don't panic! This disaster doesn't have to swallow everything. There is a hero in an invisible cloak waiting in the wings. Can you guess what? It is Music Studio Insurance for your den. Most importantly, it is not just for sophisticated concert halls. It is for anyone and everyone who makes music. Yes, right from the bedroom musician to the basement band, it is a masterstroke for all.

Unwanted scenarios often pop up!

This insurance product shields your studio from the unexpected and pesky perils that creep around every corner, well-prepared to derail your creative flow. Here is a rundown of what we are talking about -

Your prized guitar mysteriously disappears, leaving you feeling lost and heartbroken.

A faulty wire starts a fire, and your studio goes up in smoke.

A sudden downpour floods your studio, leaving your gear damaged and unusable.

An earthquake shakes everything up, sending your equipment crashing to the ground.

A clumsy bandmate knocks over your priceless vintage amp during an energetic performance.

A cocoon of protection!

But wait, there is more to it! A dedicated and all-encompassing Music Studio Insurance plan is not just about replacing your gear. It also protects your income in several ways. Here you go -

If a disaster forces you to cancel gigs or shut down your studio, your insurance can help cover the financial losses.

Let's say a band practicing at your studio gets a little too enthusiastic during a jam session and accidentally breaks a valuable gear. Oops! Your insurance can help cover the damages.

What if someone accuses you of using someone else's music without permission? Your insurance is there to help you with legal fees and any potential settlements.

Tailor your policy according to your needs!

Now, let's get down to the details. Comprehensive music recording studio coverage policies can be customized to fit your needs, just like a tailor-made suit. Here are the crucial aspects to consider beforehand:

Keep a detailed list of all your equipment. Make sure to include serial numbers and when you bought them. It will make the claim procedure much easier for you.

Decide how much coverage you need for your instruments, equipment, and potential legal issues.

Always choose a deductible amount that is affordable for you, in case, you need to file a claim.

Consider adding extra protection for specific risks, like flood insurance, earthquake insurance, business interruption coverage, etc.

Find the right partner for the unexpected!

Finding the right insurance company can feel overwhelming. It could feel like trying to find the perfect chord progression. But don't worry, fellow musicians! Here are a few tips to help you out:

Get quotes from multiple insurance firms operating in your state to compare coverage and prices.

Make sure you understand everything in your policy before you sign up.

Don't shy away from asking your insurance agent any questions you have. They're there to help!

Some final words of wisdom!

Always remember! Before you dive headfirst into your next musical adventure, do not miss this out. Insurance is not just for professionals. It is for the dreamers, the visionaries, the souls who pour their hearts and souls into music. It is like a safety net for your studio, giving you peace of mind so you can focus on what truly matters the most, i.e., creating amazing music.

[heritage-instrument-insurance]

How is Audio Equipment Insurance Better for Your Musical Paraphernalia?

When it comes to protecting your valuable possessions, insurance is a crucial tool. However, not all insurance products are the same. While home insurance provides blanket coverage for your property and belongings, it may not adequately protect specialized items like audio equipment. In this blog, we'll delve into the key differences between audio equipment insurance and home insurance to help you make informed decisions about safeguarding your audio gear.

Audio Equipment Insurance: A Specialized Solution

Audio instrument insurance is designed specifically to protect your audio gear, including speakers, amplifiers, mixers, microphones, and musical instruments. Unlike home insurance, which covers a broad range of possessions and perils, a dedicated insurance plan hones in on your specialized equipment, offering tailored coverage that addresses the unique risks associated with it.

Coverage Scope

One of the fundamental differences between audio equipment or musical instrument insurance and home insurance is the scope of coverage. Home insurance typically provides coverage for the structure of your home, your personal belongings, and liability protection. While this may include some coverage for personal property, the limits may be insufficient to cover high-value audio equipment adequately.

Standalone insurance, on the other hand, is laser-focused on protecting your gear. It covers a wide range of risks, including theft, accidental damage, fire, water damage, and even loss during transit. This specialized coverage ensures that your audio equipment is fully protected in various scenarios that might not be covered by a standard home insurance policy.

Valuation

Home insurance often uses an actual cash value (ACV) approach for personal property. It means your items are covered for their depreciated value at the time of loss. It can be problematic for audio equipment, as its value can fluctuate differently than other household items. Over time, audio equipment can appreciate in value due to factors like rarity, brand reputation, or technological advancements.

Audio equipment coverage typically uses an agreed-upon value or replacement cost coverage, allowing you to insure your gear for its current market value or the cost to replace it with a similar item. This ensures that you won't be left with a fraction of the value when filing a claim, which is a common occurrence with home insurance.

Deductibles

Deductibles in insurance represent the amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurance coverage kicks in. Home insurance policies often have standard deductibles that apply to all claims. These deductibles can be relatively high, making it less cost-effective to file a claim for lower-value items like audio equipment.

A comprehensive audio equipment insurance plan typically offers more flexible deductible options. You can choose a deductible that aligns with your budget and risk tolerance, allowing you to customize your coverage to suit your needs. This flexibility can make it more cost-effective to protect your audio equipment with insurance tailored to its value.

Coverage Limits

Home insurance policies often impose coverage limits on certain categories of personal property, such as electronics. These limits can vary widely between insurance providers and policies. If your audio equipment exceeds these limits, you might need to purchase additional endorsements or riders to increase coverage, which can be costly.

Specialized equipment insurance doesn't have the same rigid coverage limits as home insurance. It's designed to accommodate high-value audio gear, so you can obtain coverage that accurately reflects the worth of your equipment without worrying about hitting policy limits.

Dedication to Audio Enthusiasts

Perhaps one of the most significant advantages of dedicated insurance is the specialized expertise it offers. Many audio instrument insurance providers understand the unique needs and concerns of audio enthusiasts, musicians, and professionals. They often have dedicated support teams and resources to assist you in evaluating and protecting your equipment effectively.

Home insurance providers, while knowledgeable in their field, may not have the same depth of expertise when it comes to audio gear. This specialization can make a significant difference when it comes to assessing the value of your equipment, processing claims, and providing support in the event of a loss.

[musicinstrumentsins]

How Recording Studio Insurance Protects the Creative Spaces?

The landscape of the music industry is ever-evolving. And recording studios stand as the creative epicenters where musical magic comes to life. These places are more than just rooms loaded with equipment. They are sanctuaries for artists, producers, and engineers. These are the spaces where musical heads collaborate to capture and shape soundscapes that resonate with audiences around the world. However, running a music studio comes with its fair share of risks and challenges. It is where recording studio insurance plays a pivotal role. This document safeguards these creative spaces and the professionals who bring music to our ears. Read on for better insights.

The Significance of Recording Studios

Recording studios are more than just buildings with advanced audio gear and a perfect setting for musicians. They serve as the birthplaces of albums, singles, and soundtracks that become the soundtrack of our lives. Reasons why these spaces are important include the following:

They make room for creativity and innovation.

Recording studios provide the perfect environment for artists to experiment, innovate, and create something unique. The acoustic design, high-quality equipment, and sound engineers' expertise allow artists to explore new sonic territories.

They have the infrastructure to polish the sound quality.

Studios are equipped with top-notch gear, soundproofing, and acoustically designed rooms. It ensures that the recorded music achieves the highest possible sound quality, which is crucial for making an impact in today's competitive music industry.

They offer a platform to collaborate.

Recording spaces are collaborative rooms where artists, producers, songwriters, and engineers come together to refine their ideas and create polished musical products. The synergy between different creative minds often results in exceptional compositions.

They promote a sense of professionalism.

A recording studio adds a level of professionalism to the music-making process. It's where raw talent is transformed into a finished product suitable for distribution and consumption by the masses.

They hold great historical significance.

Many iconic albums were recorded in legendary studios, adding to their cultural and historical value. These spaces become part of the musical narrative, attracting artists who seek to capture the essence of their predecessors.

Understanding Recording Studio Insurance

Music studio insurance is a specialized type of coverage designed to protect recording studios from a range of potential risks and liabilities. Here's how it works:

Property Protection: Recording studios have expensive equipment, instruments, and technology. Property insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing these items in case of damage due to events like fire, theft, or natural disasters.

Liability Coverage: Public liability insurance covers legal expenses and compensation if a third party, such as a client or visitor, is injured on the studio premises. It is crucial given the foot traffic and often intricate equipment setup in recording studios.

Equipment Breakdown: Studio equipment is sensitive and prone to malfunctions. Equipment breakdown insurance helps cover the cost of repairs or replacements, ensuring that recording sessions are not disrupted for extended periods.

Business Interruption: If the studio becomes temporarily unusable due to an insured event, business interruption insurance can compensate for the lost income during the downtime.

Errors and Omissions (E&O): E&O insurance, also known as professional liability insurance, protects studios from legal claims related to mistakes, oversights, or negligence in the services provided.

Personal Accident Coverage: Studios that offer services to artists might consider personal accident coverage, which provides financial support to artists and employees in case of accidents that result in injuries.

Remember the Words of Wisdom

Recording studios are the beating heart of the music industry, nurturing creativity and birthing musical masterpieces. Their importance cannot be overstated. The reason - they provide the foundation upon which the sonic world is built. However, the risks and challenges that come with running a recording studio necessitate the protection of a comprehensive recording studio insurance plan. This specialized coverage ensures that these creative havens can continue to thrive, allowing musicians, engineers, and producers to shape the future of music without being hindered by unforeseen setbacks.

[ns2dstudios]

My EPIC Journey

Where do I even begin? I have dreamt of being an animator ever since I was a little girl, growing up with the Disney animation renaissance era as well as a non-stop barrage of anime, in particular Dragonball Z. I even wrote in my high school yearbook that I dreamed of one day working for the studio that worked on Dragonball Z just so I can animate for that very series. And I made sure everyone knew it LOL

The dream didn't materialize, but after decades of struggle, I got something far better than I could ever have imagined. I get to animate at the comfort of my own home. I get the career I've always wanted, and am able to generally work at my own time. I get to work with a wonderful team (drawmisu, Camalemsy, Novi, Nathan Kuan, Jenny) who are generous with their time and talents and are fun to work with. And I get to work with wonderful clients who have changed my life and afforded me and my family the comforts we are enjoying, from Mortius, to Casper Fox, but most of all to Jorge Rivera-Herrans, whom I fondly call simply as Jay.

Jay gave me the amazing opportunity to be part of the roster of talented (skillented according to Casper) animator for the official EPIC: The Musical animatics and animations. He entrusted me with his vision, is just an overall joy to work with, and as some of you may know during the Vengeance Saga, literally saved my life for the simple fact that he commissioned me two animations (Dangerous and 600 strike finale), which allowed me, who does not have health insurance, to afford expensive care for a bad case of pneumonia. Without Jay, I would not only have reached my dreams, but I would literally not be here typing this. (Don't worry, with the generosity of my clients, I am actually now shopping around for a good health insurance company....which I know is a hot button topic right now, but I don't live in the US and our private health care here is often times better than public).

But I digress.

With the premiere of the Ithaca Saga, comes the conclusion of the concept album of EPIC: The Musical. But as Jay mentioned, the journey is far from done. I have so many things planned: more commissioned animatics from clients whom I also consider dear friends, more EPIC fan animatics and animations, more musical animatics from other IPs, an animated short, an animated trailer for my upcoming animated pilot episode, and so much more in the future!

Everything I have, the happiness and contentment that I am experiencing right now would not be possible had my paths not crossed with Jay's and his wonderful EPIC the Musical project. Our paths would not have crossed where it not for the EPIC fans who relentlessly tagged him in my animated works, which made him take notice and reach out. And I would not have become a big fan of EPIC, where it not for my cousin Julia, who had been relentless in her goal to turn me into an EPIC fan ever since the TROY saga dropped (I will never stop thank you, pinsan! Love you so much!)

This is not goodbye. This is see you again soon.

REAL SOON.

Bye for now, you guys! This has been Gwendy from NS2D Studios saying, I will see you, when I see you.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Cyd Charisse (The Bandwagon, Brigadoon, Singin’ in the Rain)—LEGS LEGS LEGS I would sell my soul for the legs of Cyd Charisse - she oozed style and glamour and sex appeal!! And she could DANCE! She was dancing next to the greats - Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire but they are never who you're looking at because why would you when you can look at her. I will only sit through too long ballet breaks for her. If there was any woman who you could call sex on legs it was her. These dances are everything to meeee (she comes in at the minute mark) and this dance too of course is iconic. In the words of Fred Astaire 'When you've danced with Cyd Charisse you stay danced with'

Rosaura Revueltas (Salt of the Earth)—She was a Mexican actress who is best known for starring in salt of the earth, an amazing pro-labor movie made by blacklisted filmmakers. She also starred in the Mexican remake of madchen in uniform, one of the first representations of lesbian romance onscreen. She was really dedicated to making progressive films and was also such an incredible actress and artist I truly believe more people should know about her and her work.

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Cyd Charisse:

Arguably the Best female dancer of her time, she supposedly insured her legs for $5 million dollars. Stole the show whenever she had a dance number, even if she went uncredited. Musicals started to go out of fashion so unfortunately she didn't have as many big roles as she should have, but those she did are unforgettable. The Broadway Melody number in Singin' in the Rain - the green dress!

Incredibly, Cyd Charisse only started learning to dance as a rehab exercise to strengthen her body after a childhood bout of polio. She was in high demand as a dance partner, Fred Astaire called her beautiful dynamite and said "When you've danced with her, you stayed danced with". She was one of a few leading ladies to dance with both Astaire and Kelly, declaring them both delicious. Kelly apparently was stronger, while Astaire was more coordinated. She also said her husband would always know who she had been dancing with because Kelly left her bruised, while Astaire didn't leave a mark. She's better known for her dance numbers today, but she was a leading lady in her time! Her Scottish accent in Brigadoon leaves a lot to be desired, but compared to the other actors in the movie, it's almost good. She appeared in The Harvey Girls alongside Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury in her first speaking role, but she really burst onto the scene with Singin' in the Rain and her infamous Broadway Melody Ballet number with Gene Kelly (no one could handle a length of fabric like Cyd Charisse). She was brought in because Debbie Reynolds wasn't really a dancer and Kelly was notoriously a stickler about his Vision. After that she starred opposite Astaire in The Band Wagon, which was a bit of a flop but created some enduringly incredible dance numbers. She went on to star in a number of MGM movies, and was one of the last of the Studio era stars to remain on contract. Since we've got up to 1970, I'm including her opening routine in The Silencers (1966) to show just how long she was making a splash - she's into her 40s here and still a siren:

and of course, the iconic Broadway Melody Ballet -

Photos do not do Cyd Charisse justice, unfortunately, because she is at her hottest while dancing, which she was exquisitely good at. Just go watch her first number in Singin' in the Rain, in that green dress; nothing I could say here will be more convincing that that.

She had amazing legs, and she knew how to use them! You probably know her best from the dream sequence in Singin' In The Rain. She was such a stunning dancer, and all her dance scenes are hard to look away from.

Dancing in the Dark clip:

She's an amazing dancer and my favorite from the period. Here's her and Fred Astaire in the Band Wagon:

I just like a woman who's there to be really incredibly good at dancing.

One of the most talented female dancers in Hollywood history, but what sets her apart from other competitors for that title is that she...umm...well let's be blunt, she was the dancer who put sex into it. The one who said "Hey, you know that A+ leg tone that naturally develops from doing this for a living? Why don't I let people see that? Like at every opportunity?" She reportedly insured her legs for five million dollars after hitting it big, which just goes to show that fame makes you crazy. It should have been ten million.

She could pirouette in pointes or tear it up in taps. Fred Astaire called her "beautiful dynamite" and wrote, "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with." Gene Kelly partnered with her three times. Her legs were (reportedly) insured for $5 million in 1952 ($57.8 million in 2024 dollars)! Everyone in this poll will be iconic, but for raw physical grace, Cyd is up there with the best.

Legs for days, beautiful dancer in the most iconic scenes of Singin in the Rain. She's glorious. As some guys sung to her in It's Always fair weather, 'baby you knock me out!'

No additional propaganda was submitted for Rosaura Revueltas. Please send me some.

[fuckyeaharthuriana]

Do you think The Great Arthurian Movie To Rule Them All will ever be made? I know many think that it's Excalibur but we do really need for this century a movie (or perhaps a 2/3 movie saga, but no more) that covers Arthur and his world from his dark begetting at Tintagel to his last travel to Morgan's realm Avalon.

Ohh how I would love it. Unfortunately, I do not think so. I AM SORRY THIS IS GOING TO BE SO LONG

It looks like the movie industry in general is not doing so good, and I do not see them investing in a movie saga on King Arthur after the past flops. I do maybe have more hopes for smaller movies (smaller in scope/plot) like "The Green Knight", so nothing that comprehensive but maybe themes used here and there.

But yeah, I feel like it could only happens if/when we first have a very big success now. Merlin BBC was very successful I feel and it kind of gave rise to a bunch of movies and attempts, but after Camelot Starz, Cursed, the Winter King, the 2017 Guy Ritchie movie - it looks like it is failure after failure.

It is a pretty harsh space nowadays. People have been "trained out" from going to the movies during the main years of the pandemic, with studios sending their movies to digital very early (and sometimes directly). And old small tv-trashy movies are in such small number, because the competition is so high - you cannot throw it on some tv channel and force people to watch it because now people choose. Movies, shows, videogames - it is harsh out there.

Regarding tv shows, I have a bit more trust, but the streaming model also killed the old build up. Now it is one season or you get the axe, and with the competition it has to be a very good show or a very big name attached to it, or someone who insists on insuring that they will have multiple seasons (thank you "The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos", I had no doubt it would have been axed on s2 without an agreement).

I do have small hopes for tv series and maybe a new Camelot musical movie still. Maybe my hopes are silly, but if Wicked is a success it would be another in a series of movie musicals that were successful or well received. And regarding tv show, if there is a popular enough novel or series of novel in the future maybe we will have one. They really dropped the ball with the Winter King.

BTW, I just wanted to say, these last few years are a on the side of the less-arthurian-media (movies and shows) years. These are the last arthurian movies, all from 2021-2020:

We have three moves in the Fate series, which is the one successful arthurian franchise, alongside Kaamelott movie (another successful arthurian franchise), then we have two animated movies that are just arthurian-themed, then "Arthur and Merlin" which is from a smaller studio, and finally "The Green Knight" which is the one big studio movie there and it was also a success (it made a few million more than what it spent).

2022-2024 no arthurian movies.

If we look from the 60s till now we usually have at least a movie a year with sometimes a year being skipped. The other longer time was 1985-1987 where we had no movies, so we only have these two gaps.

For series, I have more hopes. I actually also hope for a full arthurian anime too. We had a lot of arthurian popular stuff from Japan: Nanatsu no Taizai, the whole Fate franchise which has multiple movies and series, plus there have been two arthurian musicals in the past few years.

So who knows! Maybe the next big arthurian "full on Arthur story" might end up being an expanded Camelot musical movie, or an anime!

[prettyfilmz]

currently speaking from my heart at 1 am that this song is what hobie plays in his mind everytime he is around you.

when he bumps into you when browsing at a record store and you have a record of sade’s love tucked carefully in your arm, he makes a comment around the lines of “finally I bumped into someone with great taste.” which makes you laugh in return.

once he takes in how beautiful you are…he’s speechless for the first time in his life. from your glowing brown skin that looked so soft from just looking at you, your locs that were held high in a bun with a patterned head scarf, the smile that peeked from your thick glossed lips which made his heart quicken and your outfit…god you knew how to rock a dress and knit cardigan combo.

you both end up spending 45 minutes inside the store chatting about music and which artists you enjoy to listen to. it was genuinely warming to see that you enjoy the almost the same artists. hobie didn’t end up buying any records but he did end up with your number in his phone for when he calls you later.

when you facetime him, your phone is propped up on your nightstand while you show him all the vinyls you’ve collected so far. your locs were now free down your back and you were dressed in a a skimpy tank top and shorts which made him think some very…not so nice thoughts but those were pushed to the back burner once he saw how excited you were to show your records off. it made him happy to see you boast about how hard it was to find certain pressings and how you’re doing your best to keep them in great condition. often times he’ll tease you about selling them to him just to get a playfully flippant response from you.

“how much can I pay for the frank ocean vinyl?”

“your health insurance.”

“fair enough.”

after countless times of hanging out, going on record store trips together and face-timing to show off each other’s growing collections, hobie invites you over to his studio apartment. when you both finish the takeout you’ve ordered from the chinese restaurant near his place, he leads you to his room where his record player sat patiently on top of a small table and a shelf full of records were ready to be chosen from.

he motions for you to pick one to listen to and you eagerly oblige. when pulling out michael jackson’s bad, he remarks “never took you for a bad girl.” and smirks when you glare at him playfully. when the needle drops on the record and ‘liberian girl’ starts to play, you both lay sprawled out on his bed taking in the ambience around you. he has his arm wrapped around you and you have a hand playing with the rings that were displayed on the fingers of his free hand.

“this is my favorite song, y’know?” you say after a few bouts of silence. “word?” he says in a surprised tone. you nodded in response with a ‘mmhm’ and returned your focus to the rings on his hands. he chuckles silently to which brings you out of your zone. “what’s so funny? is the song too ‘unpunk’ for you?” you quirk with a teasing arch of your brow as you look at him for an answer. “actually quite the opposite,” he nudges your shoulder playfully. “it’s quite a coincidence that’s your favorite song though.” you furrowed your brows at this response and silently urged him to continue.

“I say that because whenever I play this song, I think of you.” he admits. “in fact, that song was in my head when we first bumped into each other that day.” if you could look at yourself in the mirror right you, you were 100% sure your jaw was on the verge of hitting the floor. here you were cuddling up in bed with a man who made your heart flutter and soul smile, confessing that he thinks of you whenever he listens to your favorite song.

"just like the song says you are more precious than any pearl, doll." his hand pulls away from your grasp to cup your face, still in awe at his revelation. by now you realize how close you are to each other, lips merely breaths apart.

"hobie..I-"

"can I kiss you?"

"...please do."

you didn’t have to ask him twice and he captured your lips delicately with his own, kissing you with the right amount of softness and hunger that gained sweet little noises from you that made his heart swell. as time progresses, you both live in your own little world of bliss with your hands caressing each other with soft touches and wet kisses and the sounds of michael jackson's harmonies with mix of the cars driving around outside his apartment window added an extra lick of intimacy.

with all the chaos going around in the world, here you both were celebrating your sprouting love being brought together by the one thing that made you meet in the first place...music.

[twelvroses]

cw: death.

INOUE MIO (generally stylised as MiO) was born in Hongo, Tokyo, Japan, on May 10th, 2001. Both of Mio's parents were regular, white collar workers, who lived paycheck to paycheck and worked hard to make ends meet. This meant that they weren't often home, and from a young age, Mio had grown used to taking care of herself. Socially awkward and unpopular among her classmates, the living room television became Mio's greatest source of company. It didn't really matter if it was anime or music shows, award-winning movies or trash TV; Mio consumed and studied it all, and from a very young age she developed her first dream - to be on television.

In late 2013, at 12 years old, Mio achieved her life's goal on the first episode of HOMETOWN IDOL, a reality singing competition show, open to 12-19 year olds across Japan without professional entertainment experience. Mio was the youngest on the show, and became a popular contestant for being initially underestimated by the others due to her shy and nervous demeanor, only to unveil a powerful and emotional singing voice. After six weeks, Mio won the show in a landslide public vote. Alongside a hefty cash prize deposited straight into her parents' bank account, she was awarded a contract with Pantheon Entertainment’s Japanese subsidiary, EPONA.

In 2016, Mio released her debut album, MELT♡, alongside it's title track WORLD iS MiNE. The track shot to number one on the Oricon chart, and the album's following singles all ranked within the top ten. Mio would tour the album around Asia. Although in the two years between the show and her debut Mio had taken supporting or smaller roles in children's shows or pre-teen dramas, which had helped maintain her popularity to a degree, MELT♡ would launch her to new heights, making her a household name across Japan. EPONA were quick to capitalize on Mio's new brand recognition, signing her up for every CF and variety show that came their way.

The trajectory of Mio's success would continue upwards; as the years passed she would continue to release more music, embark on more tours, and diligently pop up on television screens again and again, promoting anything from sneakers to soft drinks to life insurance. Initially popular amongst younger audiences, she would officially break into the Japanese mainstream with her second full length album MiOLOGY, which had a more serious and personal tone, with far more emotional depth than Mio's previous work. The album marked her first collaboration with producer Kobayashi Kentaro, who would act as executive producer for the remainder of her releases. Kentaro was close in age to Mio, only a year older, and encouraged her to become involved in the writing and production of her music. By her request, he was made a member of EPONA's in-house production team.

In 2022, Mio scored her first starring role in a movie, which had been a box office success and received rave reviews. She was set to begin work on her fourth studio album, for which anticipation was high. Unfortunately, upon arriving at the studio for a recording session with Kentaro, Mio stumbled upon him dead at the soundboard. As she was the one to report his death, she was interrogated by the police, though was very quickly cleared of any suspicion as security cameras confirmed her discovery of the body. The cause of death was later ruled as cardiac arrest, suffered in the early hours of the morning. Speaking of Kentaro before his death, Mio often referred to him as her best friend and the closest thing she has to family.

Mio announced an indefinite hiatus following Kentaro's death, ceasing all schedules and social media activity. Her final, unwilling, public appearance saw her mobbed by cameras at Kentaro's memorial service, and then, she was gone.

It would later be revealed that EPONA had quietly let Mio out of her contract in 2023. As far as anybody knows, there's no reason to believe she has anything to do with Valentine Records ...

NAME : Inoue Mio.

BIRTHDAY : May 10 2001.

ZODIAC : Taurus.

NATIONALITY : Japanese.

HOMETOWN : Hongo, Tokyo, Japan.

FOCUS OF TRAINING : Vocal, Dance.

FC : Kondou Chisa.

[octuscle]

So this one Black guy I've been working out with said he needed a new boyfriend, and now I'm swelling up with muscle and fat. My skin's gotten a lot darker, too. What's happening?

Malcolm is a picture of a man. A nubian god. Ebony black, flawless body. Works as a personal trainer here at the studio. Actually, you have no idea why someone like that is training with a linnet like you. But you didn't question it. You enjoy it as long as it goes well.

The chocolate protein shake after training tastes bitter. And sweet at the same time. It's incredibly rich. Malcolm empties his canister in one go. You can't quite manage it. But almost. And then you have to burp. Malcolm laughs. And you say goodbye with a fist bump. You can feel the questioning looks from the other guests. What does the Adonis want with the linnet?

I'm neither particularly clever nor particularly successful. The training with Malcolm is actually starting to take effect. But you still have arms like twigs. And your pale, pimply face with the red hair isn't exactly an eye-catcher either. Nevertheless, you got a decent job as a developer in the administration department of a large insurance company. It pays good money. And you work in a nice team where you are largely left alone. Thank God. Because things are different today. As you develop your code, you notice how your hands change. Your fingers are getting meatier. And the skin darkens. You grin. Is it the chocolate milk? Hardly. More likely the light in the office, you suspect. You're having a good run today. Work is going well. Normally you need your peace and quiet, but now you feel like listening to music at work. You put on your airpods and ask Siri for some chill tunes to help you concentrate. At lunchtime, you order something from the Indian restaurant. In the evening you had sushi. You've forgotten the time. You look at your watch. Obviously it's time to go home. Apparently you're fantasizing. When did you start wearing such a fat gold watch? And the back of your hand really looks like you probably do after three weeks of beach vacation. In other words, like a normal person after a three-week beach vacation. You'd probably be red as a sheet. Barry White is booming out of your fat overears. It's time to go home and go to bed.

While you're brushing your teeth, your moustache is bothering you. You didn't have one this morning. And the whiskers are black. But your teeth are dazzling white. But maybe it's only because of the dark color of your face. Damn, it must be the protein shake. Your pyjama bottoms are tight around your thighs. And the T-shirt is stretched across your chest. When the alarm clock wakes you up at 05:30, it doesn't. You ripped it off your upper body in your sleep.

Malcolm is waiting for you with a big grin and a chocolate protein shake. As you fist-bump, you notice that his skin is barely any darker than yours. You're lifting more than ever. You're sweating like a pig. But this is the best workout ever. As you rub the sweat from your forehead, something is different. Something is missing. Your hair. Your hands are calloused. Like from years of hard workouts. You look in the mirror. The horseshoe on your face makes you look older. Is that why Malcolm calls you "Daddy"? You just grin about it. Nevertheless, you need to take a shower now. Malcolm, because the first paying customers are about to arrive. You, because as head of department you want to be the first and last in the office.

Normally you can easily wrap towels around your hips in the gym. Today it only lasts a few steps. Then it slips to the floor. No wonder, with your roid gut padded with healthy fat. As you pick up the towel, your gaze falls on your reflection in the mirror. Your cock is dangling between your legs. As big as a beer can, even though it's flaccid. And it's as black as a piece of coal. Like your bushy pubic hair. You're no longer a pimply twenty-year-old Irishman. You're black African-American prime beef. A sweaty black piece of prime beef. You need to take a shower.

Malcolm has soaped himself up by the time you arrive in the shower. Damn, your cock has a life of its own. He slowly gets up. Malcolm grins. And drops the soap.

Pic found @roughridingrednecks

[foreveralwaysanauthor]

I'm baaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!

My sister, Honey, brought me home last night so I could surprise everyone at her early birthday party (today is her birthday). I was going to be coming home anyway, but I'm glad I didn't have to rely on the buses to get me home since none of them go directly from Northfield to Ware. The party was great, I didn't get home until almost eleven, and I didn't get to sleep til after midnight, but I have been writing for a while to get some of my ideas out. It's good to be home, but I'm not really looking forward to heading back to work in about ten minutes. I can just tell it's going to be so much fun (she says sarcastically).

Now, putting that whole mess aside and moving onto something absolutely amazing, I saw your graduation post on Insta! Congratulations, El! All of the hard work you've put in over the last five years has finally paid off and I am so over-the-moon happy for you. You deserve a looong break after all of that. I'm hoping to finish making a little something as a congratulations, but the only hint I'm giving you is that it has something to do with a particular Chicago-musical-based trend on TikTok.

Now, I wanted to get everything that happened at camp - good, bad, and weird - out of my head, since a lot happened. I realize I never said it before, but I arrived at camp on the 5th of July - a day earlier than everyone else - because, as the pseudo-niece of the camp's director (he was my aunt's ex and has been a friend of the family since long before I was born), I wanted to be there to help get everything ready for the staff weekend. I've worked the summer there before and been a camper since I was maybe eight or nine, so I know the place inside and out. A majority of Camp Wanamaker's layout is similar to Camp Northfield's, and if the name sounds familiar, it's the camp name I used way back during the winter prompts of 2022 - Making an Effort, I believe it was.

Camp Northfield is different in the way the cabins are laid out - boys on the west side of the grounds, girls on the east side, and co-ed lodging (usually for workers and families) in the middle. The swimming pool, sports fields, campfire pit, and medical areas are similar, if not the same, but the music hall, dance studio, ropes course, and playhouse are something I based off of an all-girls camp I went to for a couple summers that was, thankfully, paid for by my friend's family as I definitely would not have been able to afford the $9,275 price tag - Camp Wicosuta.

To be honest, it's been years since I was a camper there, but now that I've given the Camp Wico map a glance, I can see how most of Camp Wanamaker's layout is the same. I'll put up a picture of Camp Wico's map, but you'll definitely see I moved some stuff around to fit my mental layout better. Like, for example, the changing rooms by the lake would be on the right side instead, as it's currently where I see the Lakeside Lodge being; the Main House and Bungalow are where I picture the Library and Art Barn; the Art Barn on the map just doesn't exist in my head as I've just expanded the playground area (that's where Royce and Miles had that water balloon fight with some kids); the dining hall and main office are closer together in my head; and, well, I'll let you imagine the rest as you've read Camp Wanamaker and have your own vision for it, I'm sure.

I don't know if you can see the resemblance here, but I know I can. It kind of makes me wish that I'd taken the summer to work there as it feels very much like what I picture Camp Wanamaker. Well, apart from the fact that it's an all-girls camp, that is lmao.

Now, onto what's happened so far!

There was a huge thunderstorm that lasted all day and into the night. Because of high winds, a wire from a telephone pole landed on the front porch of a nearby house, and it burned the front porch of that house but didn't damage the rest of it; a tree fell on a car in the parking lot - yay for insurance - and the power went out for almost four hours, which meant no air conditioning, no fans, no showers for the sweaty abominations we called campers, and no popcorn for movie night. It was a catastrophe.

Baby’s first sunburn. That's right - ya girl is naturally tan due to my dad's family being a blend of Mediterranean and Native American, and despite the mix of Irish and French on my mom's side of the family, I have never gotten a sunburn before in my life. However, I got my very first sunburn after falling asleep on a floating unicorn in the lake while listening to an audiobook I saved to my phone. Naturally, I was in a bit of pain, but it turned into a tan after a day or so, so it wasn't nearly as horrible as my pasty-white older sisters always make it out to be.

Nacho night! We spread tin foil over the tables in the mess hall and had a nacho dump night. It wasn't nearly as messy as we thought it would be, and I really enjoyed it. I wish I had taken pictures of it, but I leave my phone in my cabin for meals, so my Mount Kilimanjaro of nachos will have to remain in my brain. Just know, they were incredible.

Made a librarian friend, Susan. Susan is a 73yo librarian who, frankly, doesn't give a damn anymore. I adore her and her no-bullshit attitude, and I wish she worked at the library down the street from my house. Susan gave me a stack of extra books they were going to toss out soon, including some old copies of S.E. Hinton's books and some books that they mistakenly bought 2-3 extra copies of. She said I could visit her anytime, and I plan to. I love Susan. She’s a real one.

A group of Amish people visited to help fix the horse stables. We had multiple children try to “help”. The Amish didn’t mind and let them. They are cool and enjoyed the snow cones we made them before they left.

Multiple days of sun showers. Danced in the rain a lot this summer. Felt very reminiscent of Can I Have This Dance from HSM3. 10/10, very fun.

Apparently, someone shot Trump at a rally. We didn’t know anything about it until the newspaper came for one of the office ladies. Seriously... what is this country coming to? I'm contemplating moving abroad once I have the money to do so. It's getting ridiculous out here.

On a better note, we had a visiting camp join us one weekend. Camp Nero. They are a medieval/renaissance camp where everyone runs around in full costume. I "jousted" very beautiful, very sweet Lady Gilmoira Embers of Willowdale (or, as I later discovered, Kenzie of Salem). She was epic. I lost. A group of us played a DND one-shot that night. I ended up just barely making my second death-saving throw against a 50s biker-esque tiefling warlock whose gang chased us on possessed motorcycles. Twas epic. Would absolutely join them again.

I managed a puppet show. We had a talking lion. I feel like whoever wrote the script must have smoked something before working on it. It was hilarious. I'm waiting for my CIT to send me the video she recorded of one of our rehearsals, but if I get it, I'll post it.

Last week, staff members had the chance to do fun presentations on their favorite things that we would present after the campers left on Saturday. Three completely separate people did presentations on sleep. Two girls did a shared one on the Romanovs; it was very informative and well-researched. 10/10. I did one about the Titanic (big shock, I know), and two of my friends recreated the Jack and Rose thing with one of those dolly push-cart things while singing Celine Dion. It was not planned, but they did great.

A literal eight-year-old called me “Mom” on accident because I’m the same age as his mom… Yeah, I had to do some mental math and suffer through a bit of an existential crisis with that one, but he was sweet and really well-mannered. I gave him extra marshmallows at campfire time. 

Two teen morons dumped vodka into the orange juice during adventure week. Both got sent home after drunkenly confessing to their crimes. Thankfully, the staff caught it before the children could be affected. I’m grateful I prefer tomato juice.

To keep this list relatively short, I befriended our camp babies - Smores, Elvira, and Mochi. Smores is a mouthy cat (as you can see) who wandered onto camp property years ago. Some campers lured her in with bits of graham crackers, and she never left. She now resides in her own little area of the main lodge where campers go to spoil her with treats before going upstairs for lunch in the mess hall. Elvira is an all-black cat who Chief Byron and his wife brought to camp as an emotional support cat. She doesn't take this job seriously anymore and will automatically climb onto people's shoulders just to lay across them like a scarf. She loves to cuddle and makes excellent biscuits when she wants to be snuggled or get belly rubs. Mochi is the camp's two-year-old husky. She's taken over for Elvira as the camp's emotional support animal, and loves all the attention she gets every day. She's very spoiled, but I had to put Mochi in jail (her crate) because she ate a kid's unattended mochi ice cream, and cannibalism is frowned upon at our camp. Her eyes were killing me internally, but she had to remain there until dessert was over.

Also, I got the chance to work on some old drawings I had started drawing on my phone waaaay back. I mean, like, 2019-2021. I think the only one I completed is one I started back in 2022, right after you posted the first part of the prologue for TMM, which feels insane now that I think about it, but these are the lengths I went to in order to keep myself from boredom between archery groups. Some of the pictures are faceless, as I can't draw faces realistically all that well, but the one I did for TMM is one of the last "cartoon-ish" pieces I've done, so that one has faces. It just felt wrong to not give them faces when I feel fairly confident drawing in that art style. I was originally going to draw everyone in outfits I've seen in my mom's yearbook and my family photo albums from that decade, but I ended up with only Bentley and Kona before I got home. Before I go into detail on the other pictures I finished, here's the one for TMM as well as the more saturated version of it (on the right) that my C.I.T (counselor-in-training) Lily, said looks cooler:

Personally, I like the og, but that's just because I'm used to looking at it. I was going to go back in and add more details as the story progresses, but I kept it simple in the end. I might add more characters if I feel up to it, but for now, it is what it is. Kona's little friendship bracelet, her Kool-Aid dyed hair, Bentley's perpetual injuries, and his watch, despite him never being on time for anything in his life (including his own birth, lmao) are the only hints to anything that I ended up keeping. I was also going to do their DnD characters once I figured out what they would be, but maybe that'll wait until later on. After all, now that I'm playing DnD myself, I want to make it as accurate as possible.

My gang's characters are chaotic at best and are definitely not a great example to work off of, but DnD art is so much fun. In our little group of six, we've got a 500lb Tortle Bard named Nik who flirts with everything that so much as looks his way; a Dragonborn Fighter named Oybek who is all brawn, and absolutely no brains, but eats the flesh of his enemies after he kills them to absorb some of their abilities; a variant human Warlock-Sorcerer named Denji who has chainsaws for arms and has some kind of deal with the mafia; a Half-Elf Gunslinger Rogue named Jordeau who wears only red and has this weird obsession with dragons; and my character Irynia, a High Elf Twilight Cleric of Apollo whose only mission is to restore light to the Underdark, but she gets tied up with this group because they're a bunch of absolute morons who think with their fists more than their brains. Yeah... we're an odd bunch, that's for sure.

Anyway, my unfinished, (mostly) faceless drawings include a very shakily finger-drawn, unpolished picture of Vivien playing drums, an old, semi-finished drawing of what I originally thought Mick and Butchy would look like together on a beach date, a very clearly unfinished partial sketch of something that will eventually become Jade playing guitar (ignore the fact that her skin is super pale, I have yet to add any shading), a half-assed attempt at drawing Miles sleeping that will, presumably, take forever to get further than its current state as the coloring for the background has become my undoing, and a somewhat blurry picture of a few OCs in the Five Nights At Freddy's: Security Breach universe (Juliet as a Mazercise instructor, Mick as a Kid's Cove snack stand worker, Carrie as a Roxy Raceway race starter, Vivien as a nail artist in the GlamRock salon, and Kona as a photographer for the photo ops in Rockstar Row). The last one is super blurry, but I think that's because I layered each image onto one canvas instead of editing it properly later on, so that's entirely my bad. I don't have the originals of each, so this is all I have to work with. I am going to go back and edit everything now that I can actually use my tablet to draw instead of my phone, but that'll take a while.

I could nitpick these pictures all day since they're not finished, but some of these were my first actual attempts at doing something realistic, so I'm giving myself a bit of a pass on them and allowing myself to feel alright with how they look. It'll all improve with time and effort, I'm sure. All the same, I had fun with them.

So, yeah, have fun with those. They are just rough drafts right now - especially the faceless ones - but I enjoyed working on them a bit this last month, so I wanted to share them before I finish them off. I might go back to my old style in some ways - like I did with the Miles one - as it's super hard to draw realistic features, but I'm pleased with them for the most part.

Now, hopefully, I'll be able to sit down and read through everything you've posted lately because, tbh, I feel like I've missed a lot while I was gone, lmao. I am super excited to read through your post about Starlight Express since it's just not possible for me to see it over here. If you have a slime tutorial 👀 hook your girl up! I can't find one for The Outsiders, sadly. I have the script, so I've been reading that and riding that emotional rollercoaster (or train, I suppose, since that's a huge theme in the background of everything), but I would love to watch Starlight Express if you have that.

Anyway, I promise I'll be back to writing STDP and CW2 soon as I need to adjust to my old schedule again, but for now, here's a sneak peek of the first five-ish pages of the first chapter of Camp Wanamaker 2 (still calling it Electric Boogaloo, ngl, but yeah)!

Warm summer air filtered through the open window, rustling the curtains that danced along the sill. Air conditioners had yet to be put into the upstairs windows of the Birch family cabin as their arrival the night before had been more of a drop-your-belongings-by-the-door-and-crash kind of arrival than a calm, well-planned one. The air conditioners stored in the basement would be taken out sooner or later, but in the meantime, the slightly overheated log cabin was cooled by open windows that allowed the sixty-degree air to clear out the dust that had settled since their last visit to New Hampshire and a handful of oscillating floor fans that send waves of chilled air circulating throughout the rooms.

The group’s mid-afternoon departure from the California airport had been a rush of overstuffed backpacks and hastily checked baggage, making their late-night arrival at the Logan International Airport in Boston even more chaotic. The almost two-hour drive from the airport to the log cabin had been… entertaining, to say the least. The Birches had rented a fifteen-passenger van ahead of time, allowing everyone a seat as well as providing extra room for their belongings in the trunk and on the roof rack. Miles had sandwiched his girlfriend between himself and one of their additional guests - a certain blonde Texan who seemed oblivious to her best friend’s raging red cheeks. Ignoring the conversations around them, Royce had watched from the far seat as Bentley’s face smushed against the window within the first few minutes of the long drive, his steady breaths fogging up the glass, but it wasn’t until Kona’s head landed on his shoulder that Royce had felt the pull of exhaustion himself. 

It had been Vivien’s idea to invite Kona. The two had become rather close during Vivien’s initial stay with them - something Vivien chalked up to having a sister the same age as the younger blonde - and after spending another spring break with them to celebrate her early graduation, Vivien decided to invite Kona along for the summer. Kona had initially brushed off the invitation, claiming she wouldn’t want to intrude on the girl’s summer of fun, but after some pushing from Bentley and Vivien, telling her about all of the fun activities she could do without her parents even knowing she had left their small town, Kona relented.

Royce remembered how excited Vivien was after that, spouting off about all the things they could do and how fun it would be, all while Kona just smiled and nodded. Vivien had tried to convince Juliet to join them as well that day, but the blonde Texan needed a bit more convincing. Camping just wasn’t her thing. She hated bugs with a passion, hiking had never been her forte, and the last time she went fishing, she had ended up driving her dad to the emergency room after her hook had embedded itself into his arm. It wasn’t until after Vivien began showing her pictures of the camp - the log cabins Vivien made sure to mention had plumbing and air conditioning, the playhouse all decked out from their performance of Hairspray the year before, and, most importantly, the dance studio - that Juliet admitted to being tempted to join them.

Carrie had settled the matter entirely, only slightly joking when she mentioned to Juliet that, if she stayed at the camp, she would get to spend not only time with Vivien and herself but also with a certain auburn-haired boy they knew all too well. Juliet had initially argued that she and Riven had nothing between them - something neither Carrie nor Vivien entirely believed - but after much talking and more than one drink, Juliet had been convinced to join them “for the sake of the dance studio.”

Vivien had gone back home not long after getting Juliet roped into her scheming plans for the summer, but that wasn’t the end of the list of people joining them at the summer camp that year. After telling their friends about her planned trip north to visit the future, Kona had managed to rope August and Zack into the group, using her knowledge of August’s people-pleasing tendencies and the ease with which Zack argued with her to her advantage. After practically begging August so that she "wouldn't have to go alone" and taunting Zack about him not wanting to go because he was too much of a wuss to climb the ropes course, it wasn't long before Kona sealed the deal, adding two more members to their ever-growing party.

What she had forgotten, however, was to tell the people in charge of bringing them that she had invited extra guests. 

It was quite the sight. They had shown up on their bicycles with their backpacks filled to the brim with clothes, ready to leave at a moment’s notice, only to find out that nobody other than Kona had any idea that they were joining them. Upon questioning, Bentley insisted he hadn’t known, something corroborated by August and Zack as they had simply been asking questions about what the camp was like, not if they could join. Faced with the reality that she had been too excited about the trip to think about asking anyone to let them join the already large group, Kona asked if it was alright, something Mick encouraged Butchy to agree to as the kids were already there and ready for the trip.

After arriving at the cabin, everyone had pretty much gone to their respective rooms and crashed, but with the five extra people under their roof, it wasn’t as simple as assigning rooms and hoping for the best. The upstairs rooms were filled easily by the usual suspects - Royce and Bentley took up their usual room while August and Zack shared an air mattress they pressed up against the dresser for the time being; Mick and Butchy had Mick’s old bedroom that still had a handful of glow-in-the-dark stars that no longer glowed plastered on the ceiling that was too high for anyone to get down without a ladder; then, Miles and Carrie had the room Miles’ had been given years prior - the scent of his cologne and, now, her perfume clinging to the walls. The only difference, really, was that Lela’s usual room was shared with Juliet and Kona - Kona using the plush, oversized chaise as a base of operations while the older girls decided to share the queen-sized bed for the next night or so until camp started.

Nobody really complained about their sleeping arrangements, not that anyone felt inclined to argue at all as the clock ticked over to two in the morning just as they walked in the door. Normally, Royce would have to bite his tongue to keep himself from complaining about the snoring that filled the room he now shared with not only his brother, but also Bentley’s friends. However, once his headphones were on and an ASMR video was playing just loud enough to block out the noise, he found himself drifting off in the hopes that he would wake up in a matter of minutes, wanting nothing more than to see his Vivien. When he woke up almost five hours later, the sun glaring through his bedside window, he had to force himself to go about his normal routine of writing something about the previous day in his journal as he realized Vivien wouldn’t be home from her final skating practice of the summer for at least half an hour.

Royce’s pen wiggled between his fingers, the nib tapping the pages of his open notebook with each downswing. He had been contemplating what to write for the greater part of a half hour already, yet nothing had come to mind apart from the only thought that consistently came to mind whenever he opened his eyes - Vivien. Was she on the ice already? Was she having a good day? Did she make herself another picture-worthy coffee with a foam heart in it? Would she show it to him later, even if it wasn’t? For what must have been the hundredth time since he woke up that morning, Royce turned toward the open window beside his bed and imagined her climbing in through it the way she almost always did while they were there.

Granted, Vivien didn’t know they were there. They weren’t supposed to arrive in Sanbornton for another day. Still, the idea of her setting the ladder against the house and climbing up to crawl into his bedroom window made Royce smile. Now that he had admitted it to not only himself but also to Vivien, he couldn’t wait to see her, wrap her in the tightest hug he could muster, and tell her how much he loved her. Two months was simply too long a time to go without her. Even though, technically, it had only been two weeks in his world since he had seen her, it had been almost two whole months for her. He had gone back with her to her graduation that took place just after April vacation, but had returned home after her family’s celebration with the excuse that he had to go back to school. He had missed her since the moment the Birch's van left her family’s driveway, but she had left his world on the first of June - his two-week wait a lot shorter than the month and a half she had to spend waiting for him.

His two weeks without contact with Vivien had felt like torture; he could only imagine how it must have felt for her to spend nearly two months without being able to contact him.

He knew he had to see her before all the workers began arriving at camp the next morning. He wasn’t going to be able to sit around, waiting for another day, knowing she was within walking distance from the house. Glancing around at his slumbering roommates, Royce took in a deep breath and scribbled out a note for his brother and friends on a spare piece of paper before slowly tearing it out of his journal so as to not make much noise. Making sure they were all still asleep, he quietly closed his journal and tucked it away under his pillow before slipping out of his bed, grabbing his phone, placing the note on his blanket, and making his way out of the room, grabbing a hoodie on his way out. Pulling the hoodie on over a t-shirt he was sure he had gotten from Butchy at some point, Royce rounded the banister and headed downstairs, avoiding the creaky steps to the best of his ability before padding over to the mudroom to slip on a pair of sneakers he had abandoned over winter break.

Sneaking into the garage and softly closing the door behind him, Royce jogged over to the bicycles he and Bentley had gotten dirt cheap at a garage sale, swiping away cobwebs and dust as he pulled his bike into the early morning sunlight that poured in from the still-open garage door. Forgoing his helmet for the short trip, Royce ensured his tires were full enough before swinging a leg over the bike and gliding down the small hill the Birch’s cabin was perched on. The air was crisp and clear as he pedaled down the street, morning dew still lingering on the grass and leaves as wind whipped through his hair, but Royce didn’t care about the way his cheeks burned or the way the rubber of the well-loved handlebars flaked onto his palms. He was going to see his girlfriend, and, frankly, that was all that mattered.

Smirking to himself as the O’Brian family’s winery came into view, the event barn on the edge of the property appeared first as he pushed himself to stand and push through the rest of the ride. The home’s large veranda was typically vacant; however, that morning, a head of honey-brown, nearly blonde hair swung limply from the porch swing as it creaked back and forth. Dismounting his bike as it rolled to a stop, Royce grinned and stepped up to the edge of the porch, reaching up to tug a strand of the person’s hair. Whipping her head back over the edge of the swing, Abigail’s olive green eyes widened as she realized just who had pulled her hair.

Nearly colliding with the wooden planks that made up the deck, Abby scrambled off the swing as Royce jogged up the stairs, her arms flinging around Royce’s middle as she laughed, “What the hell, man!”

Awkwardly patting Abby on the back, Royce chuckled, “Good to see you too, Abby.”

Releasing her sister’s boyfriend, Abby took a step back and glanced back at the house as she rested her hands on her hips, “Did you two keep this a secret or something, ‘cause that’s so not cool.”

Royce shook his head, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants, “Actually, she doesn’t even know I’m here yet.”

A smirk took over Abby’s face as her eyes practically glittered. She loved surprises, especially if she was one of the people working behind the scenes to make someone else happy. Being able to surprise her older sister - the same sister who prided herself on being some all-knowing, unsurprisable being - brought an almost maniacal laugh rippling through her. “Sissy’s gonna be pissed I saw you first. I hope you know that.”

With a soft laugh, Royce gestured to the front door and asked, “Is she upstairs?”

As she ascended the front steps once more, Abby shook her head, a sigh falling from her lips as she picked her Kindle up from where it had tumbled to the creaky veranda floorboards. “She’s out with Riven still. From what Riven told Dad on the phone, though, practice didn’t go well.”

As Abby sat back down on the swing, toeing her fluffy socks against the creaky boards to push herself back and forth slightly, Royce took in a deep breath and leaned against the railing, sighing out his question, “That Lexi girl didn’t stop in again, did she?”

Abby was quick to shake her head. “Thankfully, no. She’s fucked back off to Maine and is probably back to harassing the people up there.”

Relieved to know that Vivien’s ex-girlfriend was no longer trying to weasel her way into Vivien’s head, Royce crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “Any idea what happened, then?”

“I didn’t get the whole gist of the conversation,” Abby sighed, her shoulder just barely tugging into a shrug as she glanced out at the driveway, “but Dad said it would be a miracle if she made it home without working herself into a panic attack. Something about her dance teacher, I’m sure.”

Umber eyes rolled as Royce fought the urge to cuss out the elderly ballet teacher. He had met the woman twice in his nearly two-year-long relationship with Vivien, and neither time had been pleasant. Her constant remarks about Vivien’s “obvious lack of feminine grace” made Royce’s blood boil the longer he was subjected to her snarky, nasally voice, but it was her remark about his girlfriend’s “almost manly build and borderline morbid weight” that resulted in him having to be carried away by Riven. With the ease of someone who had been subjected to the old bitty’s torturous bullying, Vivien handled the woman with a blank face and calm tone, but Royce had a hard time refraining from lunging into the classroom and pushing the woman out the nearest window. He knew all too well how deeply the woman’s words hurt Vivien internally, especially as most of the things the woman took issue with were things Vivien couldn’t change about herself, but she always kept a stoic expression in front of the woman just to keep herself from scrambling to find a new teacher.

Glancing at the front door, Royce met Abby’s olive eyes and asked, “Think I should talk to your dad about it before she gets here?”

“Probably,” Abby nodded, shifting to lift her legs onto the swing, folding them, and resting her elbows on her thighs as she scanned Royce’s eyes. “Riven called Dad, so something has to be wrong, but since they’re not rushing to the hospital, I’d say there's a good chance it’s something psychological rather than something physical." The blonde thought for a moment and sighed, tipping her head to the side in a sort of shrug before tacking on, "Although, given how much Vivien hates hospitals, I guess we can't be sure. My advice: brace for the worst, but hope for the best.”

Nodding to himself as he sucked in a deep breath, Royce pushed off of the railing and headed for the door, turning back to offer Abby a small smile as he said, “Thanks, Abby.”

Brushing off his gratitude with a shrug, Abby grinned, “Anything to keep my favorite ship afloat.” Unlocking her Kindle and turning her attention to the novel on the screen as Royce pushed open the door, she called out, “I won’t tell her you’re here. She needs a happy surprise after this week.”

Poking his head back outside, Royce observed the middle O’Brian child for a moment, waiting until she slowly lifted her gaze from the device in her hands before saying, “Seriously, Abby, thank you.”

Although she had always gotten along well with Royce - even before her sister began dating him - Abby suddenly found herself grateful her sister had better taste in men than she did women. All things considered, Royce was a total upgrade from the psycho stalker Vivien was previously with. Nodding minutely at her fellow middle child, Abby allowed herself to smile as she said, “You’re welcome. Dad should be in his office, by the way. He’s avoiding Mom like the plague-” she paused to glance back at the event barn where she knew her mom was lurking, making sure the woman wasn’t outside before turning back to Royce and stage-whispering, “-and, TBH, I can’t blame him.”

Nodding in understanding, Royce lowered his voice and muttered, “Thanks for the heads up.”

Giving the nearly eighteen-year-old a mock salute, Abby turned back to her sticker-covered Kindle and said, “Godspeed, soldier.”

[tgmsunmontue]

More than movie magic... 3/24

Hangster AU. Explicit (eventually). Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries.

ONE TWO

THREE

                “Have you seen this?”

“What?” Bradley asks, looking up from where he’s doing his stretches; they’re meat to be practicing parkour today. Natasha gives him an eye roll and he takes the proffered phone from her outreached hand, gives her a look when he sees Jake Seresin's face paused on the screen.

                “Do I want to watch this?” Bradley asks her, because he knows his little crush didn’t go unnoticed,

                “Yeah you do. It’s only about thirty seconds. You've got a fan...”

                “What?”

                “Just watch it.”

                He presses play and it’s a promo interview for the film which is due to come out in about six weeks. It’s been over a year since he worked on it, worked with Jake, and he may have followed Jake on a couple of social media platforms just to stay up-to-date on his whereabouts. Not that he trusts them, too used to false trails sometimes being laid by Mav. But there are still the pretty pictures, and Jake Seresin is definitely a pretty picture. He turns up the sound and ignores Natasha’s snort of amusement.

                “So, Jake, there was a lot of stunt work in this movie. Did you have to prepare for it in any particular way?”

“I had to prepare for the physical presentation aspect of the role and look good with my shirt off, but in terms of stunts, well. No. I did as much as I was allowed, but Bradshaw and his team are very good and very dedicated about ensuring no-one gets hurt on set. I wasn't deemed experienced enough for a lot of the particular stunt work involved.”

“That’s a shame. Maybe you need to do a movie where you can tap into your experience doing rodeo.”

                “Yeah, maybe. Can you imagine the insurance required though?”

The studio audience laugh and Bradley decides he needs to find out what kind of rodeo Jake did exactly, because there isn’t any mention of him doing any of that type of stuff now, which makes sense given how busy he is as an actor. He misses the next question the interviewer asks, but his attention is on Jake anyway;

                “Bradley, uh, Bradshaw, is very good at what he does. He kept everyone performing the stunts incredibly safe.”

                “Look at him getting all flustered about using your first name,” Natasha says, poking him in the shoulder and Bradley thinks she might have a point.

                Hmm.

                Interesting.

                Later that night he finds the interview again and rewatches it. He’s well aware of the image that is crafted for actors in Hollywood, the careful dissemination of information and pictures released in order to create a narrative. He grew up watching it all and already knew he didn’t want to be a part of it, at least not front and center like actors are. Of course he’s still working in the industry and has helped formulate parts of those narratives. Jake was not born to parents who worked in Hollywood.

                There was a time before, a time when Jake was maybe captured on film before his image was carefully maintained and presented to the world and he wants to see it, needs to see it. Of course it feels a little skeevy to be searching for old videos but he can’t find it in himself to care. He could say he’s seeking a professional point of view on exactly what Jake’s past experience is but no, he’s simply curious as to what the interviewer was referring to.

                There are lots of videos. Whole channels dedicated to Jake Seresin’s days as an up-and-coming rodeo star before he was scouted to audition for his first role at the age of seventeen. There are compilations. Some are set to music and the comments make him remind himself to not read any more comments, even if he does agree with them.

                Fucking hell.

FOUR

[musicinsurancecompany]

How Technology Has Shaped the Music Recording Industry?

The music industry has undergone a significant shift. All the thanks go to the aspiring musicians and the advent of technology. If you go back in time and see the timeline of recording, you will begin from the early days of analog recording to the current era of digital production. Technology has changed how music is created, recorded, and distributed dramatically. This blog will take you through these technological advancements that have transformed music studios and the overall fabric of the industry.

DAW to bring a new DAWN in the music industry

Do you know one of the biggest technological breakthroughs in recording studios? It is the invention of digital audio workstations (DAWs). So, what are DAWs? These are software applications or programs that allow music producers or musicians to record, edit, mix, and master their compositions all in one place. Unlike analog recording, which uses physical equipment like tape recorders and mixing consoles, DAWs offer a flexible and efficient way to work on a computer or laptop. It has made it easier for musicians to create high-quality recordings at home or in small studios, making music production more accessible to everyone.

The digital toolbox!

The shifting to digital audio has also led to the creation of virtual musical instruments and effects plugins. These tools can simulate the sound of real devices. Plus, these allow for adding different effects to recordings. This gives musicians and producers a huge range of sounds to choose from that were not available before. For example, a guitarist can use a plugin to make their guitar sound like a vintage amplifier, or a singer can try out different vocal effects. This flexibility and controls have opened up new possibilities for creating unique and interesting soundscapes that were unimaginable in the past.

Kudos to the internet!

Another big technological change that has affected the music industry is the internet. This global computer network has made it easier for musicians to share their work with people all over the world. With noted social media platforms, artists can reach listeners around the globe with just a few clicks. Plus, these portals have given musicians new ways to connect with fans and promote their music. This move from traditional ways of distributing music to digital platforms has given artists more control over their careers and let them bypass the gatekeepers of the industry.

Challenges and dedicated insurance plan

While technology has brought many good things to the music industry, it has also thrown some challenges. One of the biggest challenges facing musicians today is the increase in cheap recording equipment and software. This has led to a flood of musical pieces being released, making it harder for artists to be noticed. Also, the rise of streaming services has raised questions about the value of the piece and the fair pay that artists get. Despite these challenges, technology is still changing quickly, and we can expect to see even more big changes in the industry in the future. The most important thing - is to overcome the known challenges and be prepared for the unforeseen ones, a comprehensive music studio insurance plan is a must.

The bottom line

Technology has changed how music is made, recorded, and shared. The development of digital audio workstations, virtual instruments, and effects plugins has given musicians and producers more autonomy and control over their recordings. The internet has made it easier for artists to reach out to a global audience and avoid the gatekeepers of the oh-so-big industry. While there are challenges in the digital age, technology is still changing quickly, and we can expect to see even more creative and exciting developments in the music industry in the future. And, with a music studio insurance plan, you can protect your studio from many unknown threats that may launch out of the blue.

[heritage-instrument-insurance]

Types of Protection You Get with a Studio Coverage Policy

A music recording studio is a place where dreams come true. It is a haven for musicians, singers, and other artists who aspire to achieve name and fame in the industry. Many music studios also offer instrumental and vocal training sessions to their students. Do you also own a music recording studio? If so, you probably know what role your facility plays in the music industry. Right?

Did you know - according to studies, in the United States of America, the sound recording industry has been scaling by around 3.7% since 2018? Moreover, it is expected that the revenue of the sound production studios in the country is likely to reach nearly $ 1.002,5 million by the year 2014.

So, regardless of the type and size of your sound recording studio, you ought to make it all-peril-safe because it plays a crucial role in many people's lives. And how can you do that? A music recording studio is, after all, susceptible to multiple risks, such as property damage, general liability, workman's compensation, business interruption, and more. Isn't it? Well! You can do it simply by purchasing an all-encompassing and dedicated Studio Coverage for your recording facility.

Let's take you through how a studio insurance policy is designed to help studio owners navigate the possible risks without having to take financial pain. Read on!

Types of coverage options a studio insurance plan offers

Here is a list of coverage options a recording studio plan offers that you will benefit from:

All-risk coverage

As far as the all-risk coverage clause is concerned, an experienced and trusted insurance company offers coverage for all possible kinds of damage or loss your studio may face in the form of theft, fire, flood, vandalism, public liability, and any more. However, there are some exclusions, like any other insurance product. So, ensure reading your policy documents carefully before signing.

Worldwide coverage

It means exactly what it reads - WORLDWIDE COVERAGE! A dedicated studio insurance policy with a reputed dealer works and stays with you no matter where you go in the world.

General liability coverage

Did you know you may be held liable if someone - your students or clients - suffers property damage or gets injured while in your studio? Yes! That's true. Accidents can happen anytime and, most of the time - out of the blue. What if a client falls while entangled in a wire on the floor? What if a student's electric guitar burns due to faulty wiring at your studio? With the right amount of Studio Coverage by your side, it has your back covered, as your insurance provider will pay off on your behalf.

Workers' compensation coverage

Most of the states of the US require that business entities have workers' compensation coverage. Just like your students, the people who work for you may also suffer bodily and property damage. Right? So, without an insurance plan, you will have to pay out of your pocket. However, a standalone insurance plan will compensate for the medical or legal costs incurred for an on-site injury or damage to your employees and make you peril-safe.

Business interruption coverage

What if you need to close your studio or halt your operations for quite some time following an accident - fire, flood, or any other covered situation? It will lead to a loss of income for the time being. A good insurance policy will reimburse you in case of a loss of income scenario due to a covered damage or loss.

A note to remember

Not all insurance providers who claim to be the best in the market can live up to their claims. So, make it a point to study the market thoroughly to find the most reliable and customer-friendly insurance partner. Or else your insurance coverage may not be sufficient to extend proper protection during tough times. Therefore, industry experts always emphasize choosing a company that deals with music instruments and studios.

[bedaesung]

hello! i'm denver [sh/th, cst, 21+] and i'm stoked to be joining wannabe with hwang daesung, a character i've loved for many years and explored many renditions of 🫶 i have a pinterest board for him here if you're interested in taking a look at that, and you can read all about him under the cut! as per usual, please like this post if you're interested in plotting and i'll come to you asap!

i.

hwang daesung, english name dylan hwang, was born june 14, 2004 in queens, new york as the first and only hwang child. his parents, lee "mona" mirae and richard "richie" hwang always intended to have at least two children, but then they met dylan and they loved him so intensely that they didn't feel like they needed another.

family is important in dylan's story, so here's a rundown on the main characters: richie is a life-long dreamer, often getting carried away with the potential of what could be rather than what is. he's a fun-loving, enthusiastic man who spent his life playing in bands that never got as famous as he wanted. made most of his money as a studio musician, and shortly after dylan's birth, he opened a record store called just strings that became the family's financial stronghold. / mona is grounded in reality, rarely allowing herself to dream at all. she's a hairdresser, though any passion she had for it must've died in beauty school. but a job is a job, and it's what she's good at. she loves richie, which is why she doesn't pursue more than what she has. she's the stable one so that he can take risks. she's realistic, but never pessimistic. she loves her family and they are the most important thing to her. / edward "eddie" hwang is richie's older brother. as a teenager and young adult, he lived similarly to richie; but with age, he settled down with much less resistance. was an accountant for much of dylan's early life, and a frequent babysitter. arguably knows dylan better than his parents.

dylan's earliest memories consist of listening to and watching his dad play music. he was always at his dad's side; the gentler, more forgiving parent, and it didn't take long for dylan to decide he wanted to be just like him with both the music and the exuberant personality. he put on countless air-guitar performances for his extended family at holidays, and even more lousy stand-up comedy routines. he loved attention, and he got plenty of it.

finances started to dwindle a bit as time went on because richie seemed to be getting sick often and didn't have enough help to keep the record store open regularly; tensions rose in the family, but dylan was shielded from most of it. he did start to pull away from his parents a bit out of concern that they were keeping something from him.

TW CANCER, PARENTAL DEATH / eventually, months-long complaints of headaches and nausea followed by a bout of doctor visits saw richie getting diagnosed with brain cancer in summer 2016, which he had suspected by neglected to get checked earlier in a state of denial. by early 2017, he was gone. / END TW

mona used the life insurance payout to relocate back to seoul, south korea, where her parents were, as she felt the need to be close to them and suspected that she would need financial support and help raising dylan. eddie followed suit to stay close to dylan, and re-opened just strings in mapo-gu to honor richie.

for a while, things were tough. dylan immediately started going by his korean name, daesung, to avoid sticking out... but his newfound behavioral issues made him stick out all the same. grief manifested as anger; he was acting out at home and at school, and said a lot of things that he couldn't take back. didn't start to calm down until early 2018, when he completely threw himself into music. started getting more serious about the guitar especially. his mom, desperate to see him happy, gladly forked out money to buy him any equipment that he wanted/needed and paid for instrument and vocal lessons. did occasionally try to steer him away from music considering she watched her husband try and fail his whole life, but ultimately she knew that music was the one (1) thing that he felt connected to, and that it helped him feel close to his dad, so she agreed to support it as long as he was certain it was what he wanted.

let's speed-run through the rest of this... extremely average grades in school, excelled in creative after-school activities / started his band, backyard bones, in 2021 and really started to lighten up again since he had this thing that he was passionate and excited about / didn't plan on college, but his family talked him into it—enrolled in kyonggi university march 2022 as an animation major (because it "sounded fun" and his family just wanted him to have an education, any education) / has been half-secretly* aspiring to be an idol since 2018-2019. is happy playing independent music, but views idoldom as a shortcut to fame; and he wants to achieve the fame that his dad never did. *i say half-secretly because he's never passed an audition and tries to make it sound like a joke if he gets to talking about it to protect his own feelings, as he doesn't really feel that capable. is down for whatever happens first: his band getting signed, or becoming an idol trainee.

ii.

has an addictive personality, which is his achilles heel. does not know when to quit, does not care to know. since enrolling in university, he's gotten increasingly into partying/clubbing. (often hungover, which has cost him a few jobs—luckily, he always has the record shop and his mom's salon to fall back on when he's in need of work.) is obsessive, throwing himself completely into whatever piques his interest; a lot of times, this is a person who he'll make the center of his universe for a month of two and then ditch when the feeling of new-ness wears off. awful at maintaining relationships, romantic or platonic, and does not care to improve. many acquaintances, very few friends; and he's likely on thin ice with any friends he does manage to have. swings from high highs to low lows.

overall, he's kind. rarely (if ever) speaks maliciously, and never aims to hurt. in fact, he often aims to build people up. loves giving compliments and cheering up someone who's sad. in denial of the shitty parts of his personality, great at convincing himself he's not in the wrong. good comedic timing, somewhat charming, and usually down for whatever. a very fun person to be with in the moment; a difficult person to deal with long term, as he never seems to take anything seriously and, when it comes down to it, will almost always put himself first.

is in unreliable narrator and exists in a morally grey area. he will do whatever it takes to succeed.

iii.

open to all kinds of plots!!! but here are some basic ideas:

a long-term bff. maybe someone he met in early-mid 2017, shortly after he moved to seoul? this would be a somewhat tumultuous relationship as daesung is pretty inconsistent and self-centered, but i'd imagine they've stuck around because of how good a friend he is when he's present + a sense of obligation to look out for him? the only person who can reel him in when he starts to get out of control. i will go wherever you go. his rock, but as the person he's most comfortable with, they also get the worst of him. are they over it yet?

a new bff. someone who daesung might've known for a while, but only became close to in the past couple of months. naturally, they haven't seen his mood swings yet and haven't been a victim of his long-term ghosting/abandonment. peas in a pod. where have you been my whole life? of course, all things come to an end. it's just a matter of time.

some girl who gets her hair done by daesung's mom who absolutely adores her. every session is filled with mona talking her son up to this poor girl who might be humored or maybe just wants her to shut the fuck up and only keeps coming back because it's cheap. either way, mona's pretty sure this is daesung's future wife, and she will be arranging an "accidental double-booking" for her next appointment so that she's too busy and daesung has to be one to cut her hair.

+ any customers at the salon would be fun. daesung isn't actually trained/qualified to be cutting hair, but he's been helping out long enough that you'd probably never guess. or maybe you would. but there's bound to be some good conversation, right?

regulars at the record store too... lots of directions to go with this. someone who comes in to buy music and has to deal with daesung acting like their taste sucks and he knows more about music than they do? musicians who come in to buy supplies? where's the regular daesung's actually trying to charm and they couldn't possibly act less interested in him...

short-term exes. nothing serious. dated for a month or so, had a whirlwind romance, and then daesung got bored or they realized his heart wasn't really in it and ditched. does he still text? only when he's romanticizing what could've been. do they answer?

fans of backyard bones, if such a thing exists. someone who's trying to get closer to daesung, but whom he's currently holding at a distance out of fear of disappointing them / someone who never misses a show / a heckler who thinks this band that keeps playing at their favorite dive bar fucking sucks.

gaming buddies (pokemon, mtg, d&d, any card or board games really) / any previous victims of his ghosting really... close friends turned almost strangers. did he ditch when they needed him the most? people who will call him out. / previous coworkers, or current coworkers; he is a job-hopper and has a new job every two months or so. who's having to train him on some laggy pos system? / acquaintances from the indie music scene; drinking buddies, clubbing buddies / etc etc etc... again, i'm super open! please plot with me! <3

[glennk56]

William Hootkins in the 1970s.

William Hootkins was born in Texas in 1948. He was active in theater in High School and at Princeton University and interested in becoming a professional actor after graduating. His his friend John Lithgow recommended he move to England to continue his acting education, probably because he knew he'd get greater opportunities. So he moved to England in the 1970s and trained at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He continued mainly in theater and took film roles when he could. His first film role was a small role as a henchman in the British R rated film, Big Zapper in 1973.

Big Zapper, 1973. Small role and Hootkins would've been 24-25 years old during filming.

Anthology series Plays for Britain. Hootkins gets a small role in the episode The Paradise Run in 1976.

An anthology Documentary series, Horizon, which featured film adaptations of real-life events. Hootkins had a greater role in this 1976 offering Billion Dollar Bubble which starred James Woods about Insurance Company fraud in the early years of computers.

Still in his 20s, Hootkins got a small role in a major American film directed by Robert Aldrich and the opportunity to share a scene with Charles Durning, Twilight's Last Gleaming in 1977.

Also in 1977, Hootkins played Porkins in a small role in the 1977 blockbuster Star Wars. Small role but big enough to get his own action figure.

And again in 1977, Hootkins worked with Director Ken Russell in Valentino in a high energy scene of a drunken, egotistical silent film star. The movie was a bomb mainly because it wasn't the biopic of Rudolph Valentino that people expected. Russell took too much license in the life of Valentino to tell a more interesting story. I think what was known of the real lives of stars back then was greatly what the studio wanted to present to the public. So I think Russell was justified.

1977 was an especially good year for William Hootkins. The above photos are from a US-UK collaboration of a teleplay version of Come Back, Little Sheba starring Laurence Olivier and Joanne Woodward. Hootkins is in one scene only. Also in 1977, Hootkins appeared in episodes of British TV series, Van der Volk, Yanks Go Home, Plum's Plots and Plans and Documentary Series, The Lively Arts.

In 1978. Hootkins appeared in Part 1 of Clouds of Glory, a 2-part series of the lives of Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel T Coleridge. Hootkins appeared with David Warner.

Late 1978, now William Hootkins is 30 years old and no denying the hair loss. He appears in all 3 episodes of the British miniseries The Lost Boys, about Peter Pan writer J. M. Barrie starring Ian Holm, presenting Barrie as homosexual and a pedophile (at least only in his mind). Hootkins plays Barrie's American friend, Broadway and London Theater Producer Charles Frohman.

Hootkins appeared in one episode of British 13-part miniseries Lillie, the story of Lillie Langtry in 1978.

In 1979, Hootkins appeared in Hanover Street as Beef with Harrison Ford.

Also in 1979, he played a very small role in a remake of The Lady Vanishes with Cybill Shepherd and Angela Lansbury.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Cyd Charisse (The Bandwagon, Brigadoon, Singin’ in the Rain)—LEGS LEGS LEGS I would sell my soul for the legs of Cyd Charisse - she oozed style and glamour and sex appeal!! And she could DANCE! She was dancing next to the greats - Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire but they are never who you're looking at because why would you when you can look at her. I will only sit through too long ballet breaks for her. If there was any woman who you could call sex on legs it was her. These dances are everything to meeee (she comes in at the minute mark) and this dance too of course is iconic. In the words of Fred Astaire 'When you've danced with Cyd Charisse you stay danced with'

Mbissine Thérèse Diop (Black Girl)—She’s a Senegalese actress known for starring in Black Girl, one of the first African films to receive international attention/acclaim. So much of the movie relies on her ability to convey her character’s sense of isolation/loneliness, she’s so amazing, I really wish she had acted more. However, she just recently appeared in the film Cuties!

This is round 4 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Cyd Charisse:

Arguably the Best female dancer of her time, she supposedly insured her legs for $5 million dollars. Stole the show whenever she had a dance number, even if she went uncredited. Musicals started to go out of fashion so unfortunately she didn't have as many big roles as she should have, but those she did are unforgettable. The Broadway Melody number in Singin' in the Rain - the green dress!

Incredibly, Cyd Charisse only started learning to dance as a rehab exercise to strengthen her body after a childhood bout of polio. She was in high demand as a dance partner, Fred Astaire called her beautiful dynamite and said "When you've danced with her, you stayed danced with". She was one of a few leading ladies to dance with both Astaire and Kelly, declaring them both delicious. Kelly apparently was stronger, while Astaire was more coordinated. She also said her husband would always know who she had been dancing with because Kelly left her bruised, while Astaire didn't leave a mark. She's better known for her dance numbers today, but she was a leading lady in her time! Her Scottish accent in Brigadoon leaves a lot to be desired, but compared to the other actors in the movie, it's almost good. She appeared in The Harvey Girls alongside Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury in her first speaking role, but she really burst onto the scene with Singin' in the Rain and her infamous Broadway Melody Ballet number with Gene Kelly (no one could handle a length of fabric like Cyd Charisse). She was brought in because Debbie Reynolds wasn't really a dancer and Kelly was notoriously a stickler about his Vision. After that she starred opposite Astaire in The Band Wagon, which was a bit of a flop but created some enduringly incredible dance numbers. She went on to star in a number of MGM movies, and was one of the last of the Studio era stars to remain on contract. Since we've got up to 1970, I'm including her opening routine in The Silencers (1966) to show just how long she was making a splash - she's into her 40s here and still a siren:

and of course, the iconic Broadway Melody Ballet -

She had amazing legs, and she knew how to use them! You probably know her best from the dream sequence in Singin' In The Rain. She was such a stunning dancer, and all her dance scenes are hard to look away from.

Legs for days, beautiful dancer in the most iconic scenes of Singin in the Rain. She's glorious. As some guys sung to her in It's Always fair weather, 'baby you knock me out!'

Photos do not do Cyd Charisse justice, unfortunately, because she is at her hottest while dancing, which she was exquisitely good at. Just go watch her first number in Singin' in the Rain, in that green dress; nothing I could say here will be more convincing that that.

Dancing in the Dark clip:

She's an amazing dancer and my favorite from the period. Here's her and Fred Astaire in the Band Wagon:

I just like a woman who's there to be really incredibly good at dancing.

She could pirouette in pointes or tear it up in taps. Fred Astaire called her "beautiful dynamite" and wrote, "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with." Gene Kelly partnered with her three times. Her legs were (reportedly) insured for $5 million in 1952 ($57.8 million in 2024 dollars)! Everyone in this poll will be iconic, but for raw physical grace, Cyd is up there with the best.

One of the most talented female dancers in Hollywood history, but what sets her apart from other competitors for that title is that she...umm...well let's be blunt, she was the dancer who put sex into it. The one who said "Hey, you know that A+ leg tone that naturally develops from doing this for a living? Why don't I let people see that? Like at every opportunity?" She reportedly insured her legs for five million dollars after hitting it big, which just goes to show that fame makes you crazy. It should have been ten million.

Mbissine Thérèse Diop: