#the ally coalition talent show

[tayfabe75]

December 19, 2022: Matty joins Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Weyes Blood, Jack Antonoff, and Trey Anastasio to perform a live cover of Nico's 'These Days' at the 8th Ally Coalition Talent Show at the NYU Skirball Center in New York, New York. (source)

[sentimental-boulder]

matty playing be my mistake @ the ally coalition talent show, december 2022

[brinagirlicons]

at ally coalition talent show (like or reblog) 💌

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

It is the East and Rachel Zegler is the Sun ☀️

[annieisshehuman]

St. Vincent performing for Ally coalition talent show

19/12/23

📷 by @ pawprints777 on Instagram

[eternal--returned]

Lana del Rey (ft. Jack Antonoff) ֍ Hey Blue Baby (Live at The Ally Coalition Talent Show) (2018)

Hey blue baby Put that Hank Williams on It's your little blue baby Callin' for her favorite song Get out that whiskey Pour it right quickly Put them hallway lights on I hope one day you can remember Our love before it all went wrong

But the only stars we saw were in the sky Not the boulevard And the only thing we wanted was to be free And the only girl you had eyes for played downtown At the local bar That was me She was me

Do what you have to do Just know your baby's back here waiting Just know she thinks you're really cool

[snowbairdd]

SABRINA CARPENTER & Bleachers performing "Please Please Please" at The Ally Coalition Talent Show (December 17, 2024)

[onthisdayts]

December 5, 2018 - 2018 Ally Coalition Talent Show in New York City, New York

[totallylost4you]

"Betty" live from the Academy of Country Music Awards (September 2020)

Taylor Swift and Hayley Kiyoko performed an acoustic version of "Delicate" during the Jack Antonoff-organized Ally Coalition Talent Show! (December 2018)

Forever in our minds. 🏳️‍🌈

[mermaidinthecity]

10th Annual Ally Coalition Talent Show in New York City - December 17, 2024

[verity1989]

Sabrina Carpenter at The Ally Coalition talent show last night

[tayfabe75]

December 19, 2022: Jack Antonoff and Matty share a funny moment on stage at The Ally Coalition Talent Show in New York, NY. (source)

[sentimental-boulder]

matty on 35mm film doing matty things at the ally coalition talent show, december 2022

[wickedsick]

Psychonauts Secret Santa 2023

@wonderlaneyart I'm your secret Santa this year! Sorry if it's a little short.

“This is going to be horrendous.”

Gloria sat behind a large black curtain, the only thing protecting her from what would surely be the worst flop of her entire acting career.

Nearby, Fred hovered nervously, wanting to help but unable to find the right words.

“...No?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Fred saw Napoleon looking at him with disdain.

“Non? You did this for a living and you say non?”

“Shut up,” Fred muttered under his breath. Turning back to Gloria, he tried again. “Look- e-even if it doesn't go to plan, it- it's going to be alright. There's no critics out there, nobody's going to- to do whatever mean people who don't like plays do. I don't know.”

Sitting down next to Gloria and adjusting his cape, he continued. “But, if you really don't want to do this, you don't have to. We can just show off Edgar’s props,” he said, gesturing to the backdrop and props of cardboard and black velvet Edgar had prepared.

“No-no, I can do this. I want to do this,” Gloria said, standing up.

“Gotcha. Well, I'll go raise the curtain then,” Fred said, running off to do just that.

Turning to face the thick curtain, Gloria felt the nerves that Fred had help calm get jumpy again.

I haven't been onstage in ages-

What if I've lost my talent-

Am I forcing everyone into this-

But then the curtain started to rise and she didn't have the time to think of those things.

It was time to act.

“The year is 1815,” Edgar narrated from behind the stage, flicking switches on his light board. “The month is May. The location is Blois, France. The weather is sunny. Our heroine sits in her study.”

The spotlight landed on Gloria.

“Ah, woe is me,” she said, “my husband, Napoleon, has been dethroned- and I know not yet what will happen to me, nor my son.” She gestured to a cardboard cutout of a small boy. “We were sent to this small village to escape the Sixth Coalition, but what are we to do now?”

As the light spread across the rest of the stage, Boyd entered, holding a prop letter. “Uh- madam, this arrived for you. It comes from Paris.”

As Gloria took the letter, she spared a quick glance to stage left, where Fred waited in the darkness.

“My dear Marie Louise,” Gloria read. As Fred’s spotlight flicked on, he began speaking with Gloria, writing the letter as she read it.

“I am writing you this letter to inform you that I have returned from exile. I have, with the support of my army and those fools who claimed to betray me to Louis XVIII, retaken my throne as Emperor, and removed the usurper who dared sit in my home.” Gloria stopped speaking, letting Fred lead. “Various countries- Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia- have pledged large armies to destroy me, and yet it shall be I who destroy them.” Fred’s French accent was comically over-the-top; he said he did it to annoy his ancestor. “Soon, ai shall march to meet zese armees, ét drive between zem a wedge. Ai mak fair bélgium een déux month's time. Béfaire zén, ai invité you to rejoin me een paris. Yur 'usband and empairair…” Fred’s light shut off-

“Napoleon,” Gloria read. “Oh, what am I to do? It is three days’ travel to Paris, so I have almost sixty days to decide. Ally myself once again with Napoleon, or remain here in Blois?”

She turned to the cardboard cutout boy. “Ah, my son. The Treaty of Fontaine prevents you from inheriting your father’s lands, his titles- You, who were once the heir to the French Empire, the King of Rome- what would you wish? To remain the prince of Parma? Or to reunite with your father, for a chance to reclaim the titles you were bestowed at birth? Be it better to stand upon the cliff, safe, or to leap for the heavens, at risk of falling like did Icarus to far lower than you have ever been?” Gloria was proud of that monologue- she had written that part herself. Most of the script was Fred’s invention.

“What troubles you, milady?” Edgar came in from offstage, as Boyd took over the lights.

“A-ah! Count Niepperg! What brings you here?”

“Checking in on you. And your son,” Edgar said. “No doubt that madman did horrible things to you both back in Paris- but worry not! The Seventh Coalition shall deal with him.”

Gloria’s face and tone turned icy. “The first five Coalitions did not ‘deal with him’. Even the sixth only deterred him for a time. Why should this one be the one to succeed?”

Edgar stepped back. He was quite a good actor- managing to make himself look small, as the shadows made Gloria seem more regal. “Milady, I- if it will assuage your fears-”

“I do not fear Napoleon. I bear no ill will towards him, as I hope he bears none to me. However, while there are no fears to be assuaged, you have indeed helped me- by helping me make up my mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“Napoleon has invited me to return to Paris. And now, I shall. I know not what will happen, with Napoleon or the Seventh Coalition, but I know the path I must walk.”

“Then I shall walk that path with you,” Edgar said. “May we both live to see the path’s end.”

As the curtain fell, the lighting changed to basic, warm light. With a deep exhale, Gloria stopped being Marie Louise and went back to just plain old Gloria. “How was that, everyone?” She asked, as Boyd and Edgar came out from behind the painted backdrop.

“I- I think that went pretty well,” Boyd said. “I mean, I only had one line, but I think I said the line well!”

“It’s your play, Gloria,” Fred said. “Do you think it went well?”

“Yes, I enjoyed it,” Gloria said, “But I don’t think I wanted it to be my play. I wanted to do it with you- so I do hope you all enjoyed it.”

“I liked painting the backdrop,” Edgar said. “I may have preferred to be the mailman, though.”

“I’d be good with being the- the Neeper guy,” Boyd offered.

“Niepperg,” Fred corrected. “Napoleon’s still muttering in my ear about that accent, but he says you made a great Marie Louise.”

“Oh, good,” Gloria said. “In that case, I say we take our bow.”

As the former inmates came out from behind the curtain, they looked out at the crowd- particularly, at row three, seat seven, where a kid in goggles sat, clapping louder than anyone.

As everyone worked together to take down the makeshift stage, Razputin came up to them.

“Hey, so- there’s no second act, so I was wondering what happened. Is this before or after the board game?”

“Before,” Fred said, chuckling. “Count Niepperg and Marie Louise went back to Paris, after which Napoleon left for the battle of Waterloo- which he lost. Ow!” Flinching, Fred turned back to Raz. “Yeah, he wanted me to say the game’s inaccurate. He actually lost because of the French Psychoseparatist Movement.”

“The huh?”

“A bunch of psychics who wanted to secede from the country and make their own little psycho-nation. A few of them attacked during the battle of Waterloo and messed up Napoleon’s back lines with a horde of bunnies.”

“Wait, bunnies?” Raz said.

“Yeah, some guy named Marcel Oleander controlled, like, three thousand bunnies to attack the French forces. Combined with a whole bunch of other stuff, they actually tilted the scales against Napoleon, and he ended up losing the battle.”

Raz looked deep in thought. “Huh.”

“They added some of that stuff in one of the expansions, but I always felt it messed with the game’s balance too much.”

[dongzhou3kingdoms]

The Wikipedia page on Taishi Ci says that when it was recommended he be given a command to oppose Sun Ce, Liu Yao said, "If I appoint Taishi Ci, Xu Zijiang will laugh at me." Know the source of this and what Xu Zijiang's issue with Taishi Ci would of been/why Liu Yao would care?

It is from Taishi Ci's biography, acting as an explainer why this future Wu figure was not shining in another state (not an unknown explainer that makes an officer and their new employee look better)

Just to note, Zijiang is the style name of Xu Shao the famed talent spotter who made that comment about Cao Cao. There isn't any known reaction of Xu Shao to Taishi Ci. What he might have potentially objected to could be a couple of things 1. Taishi Ci's career so far was being a scholar, holding a minor local position, then forced into exile after he disrupted and his bold break out for Kong Rong to act as an envoy. On what grounds would you give this young man (30 years old) a senior command position? 2. Taishi Ci made the not unreasonable gamble that someone from his home town would show him preferment. Even if he hadn't had dealing with Liu Yao before. Xu Shao might not be so impressed by blatant favouritism of someone from Liu Yao's home area. Nor incidently might be the powerful families of the south, key local allies and those holding administrative posts in the area. In terms of why Liu Yao would care: Liu Yao had only been in the area a few years and his appointment to the province was a mere one year. His control of the province was less than that after he engineered the throwing out of Yuan Shu's representatives Sun Ben and Wu Jing. Liu Yao had constructed a coalition of support against Yuan Shu, but his control of Yang had its limits.

Having Xu Shao's support was a prestigious boon, he was a man who could make and break reputations, a figure known through the land. Such endorsement was valuable to any warlord and a good signal to Yang province (and abroad) that Liu Yao was a worthy figure. Even if Liu Yao thought Xu Shao was the stupidest of stupidest people, he would have to be seen to value such a worthy gentleman. If Xu Shao complained that Liu Yao was appointing young, undeserving people based on coming from his home commandery, not a good look for Liu Yao. Or even if he just mocked the appointment in the army made by the new lord, it would cause damage to Liu Yao's reputation at a time when he needs to keep hold of support. So why not make Taishi Ci have to prove himself and show the southern lords he would pick by merit, not seek to replace them with northern men? Hope that helped

[annieisshehuman]

St. Vincent performing for Ally coalition talent show

19/12/23

📸 by @ joeysaturday on Instagram