#this is like 90% scheming and 10% concert

[solar-halos]

odesta baby fic!! except he’s not a baby he’s 14 and is trying his hardest to sneak out of the house to go to a concert with his besties!!

[einsteinsugly]

How I would overhaul That 90s Show, via my verse. Downstairs People (or The Kids are Alright, I haven't decided).

The Premise: 1998/99. Away from the city lights, it's either summer camp or spending a couple of weeks at their grandparents' abode for the Forman and Hyde kids. With lots of adventure, and lots of shenanigans. Just like the good 'ol days.

Here, there are really no clear parallels to the OG gang, other than Chelsea being an artsier Donna and Kate having main character syndrome like Eric. They're tweens (like they should be), figuring out themselves, with no filter. No Disney-esque facade, no superficial diversity. It's a deep dive, into what makes kids tick, as they interact with the world around them. Much like season 1 of That 70s Show, whereas Netflix's That 90s Show? Reeks of The Conners (so. much. retconning, to the point of it being an obvious AU), and Girl Meets World. A dumpster fire mixed with outright mediocrity.

Main:

Kate Forman: Eric and Donna's 12/13 year old daughter, and the central character of the series. In Chicago, she's the endearing popular girl with straight As. As a budding activist, and with a bohemian flair. Can she reinvent herself in Point Place, and can she ever relax and just be a typical kid, with typical adventures?

Becca Hyde: Jackie and Hyde's 12/13 year old daughter, who's struggling to come to grips with her budding bisexuality. She has a crush both on Leonardo DiCaprio and Lindsay Lohan. Her on-off boyfriend Danny, and her best friend Kate. And meeting Mel brings it all to light, slowly but surely.

Adrian Forman: Fez and Laurie's 13/14/15 year old son. Abandoned by his mother at a very young age, he has little to nothing in common with his flamboyant, bisexual father. He spends his summer with his grandparents every summer, because he identifies so much more with them. Red in particular. But as he goes through growing pains, and lovingly eyes the girl next door, he'll have to confront the fact that maybe, just maybe? He isn't as much like his grandfather as he thinks, as the generational divide becomes more and more apparent.

Chelsea O'Connor: The girl next door, and the granddaughter of Red's childhood best friend Arch. Quiet but rebellious, she's an artistic soul with a love of music. Her parents, Edie (Arch's daughter) and Elliot, are local music teachers with nightly "concerts" that drive Red crazy. Her parents might be...eccentric, but at least they helped bring Red and Arch back together again, after decades apart.

James Hyde: Jackie and Hyde's 10/11 year old son, and the "little brother" figure for Adrian. Well, and he's Becca's literal little brother, and he drives her insane. With his wild schemes, and entrepreneurial dreams.

Leah Forman: Eric and Donna's 8/9 year old daughter, who loves stirring the pot. Green Day is her soundtrack, and she's having the time of her life. With her best friend James by her side, and not those snotty girls at stupid camp.

*****

Recurring:

Kevin and Daniel "Danny" Acosta: Buddy Morgan's stepsons, and Leo's great-grandsons. They spend their weekends with their mother (and Leo's granddaughter) Maura. Kevin is Adrian's best friend, a STEM nerd to the max. And Danny is a reckless, rebellious skater boy, and Becca's on-off boyfriend. Who Hyde hates.

Melanie "Mel" Parker: Raquel's daughter, Colette's niece, and Becca's secret girlfriend. She drags a socially awkward Becca to many local hangouts, from Mt Hump to Grooves.

Arthur "Arch" Holland: Chelsea's grandfather, Edie's father, and Red's childhood best friend. Oh, and current best friend.

Eric: Aw, Dad has a best friend!

Red: Wipe that damn smirk off of your face!

They fell out after fighting over a girl in high school, and they firmly went their separate ways. With Red going the more conventional route, and with Arch floating around for awhile before starting a construction company. Ever since '80, when the O'Connors moved next door, they've been reconstructing their friendship. Step by step.

Hannah Kelso: Kelso and Brooke's 13/14 year old daughter. She loves the Backstreet Boys, all things Disney, and animals (including stuffed animals). In 1998, she chooses summer camp ("it was my last chance, to be a kid!"), and in 1999? She chooses to hang out with her boyfriend Tommy in Chicago, but Fez and Kelso still try to set her up with Adrian, with bad results.

Hannah: But Daddy, I have a boyfriend!

Kelso: C'mon, you guys would be like Red and Kitty!

Hannah: And Adrian has a girlfriend!

Fez (with a gasp): I didn't know that!

Kelso (patting Fez's shoulder): Now you do.

Hannah (loudly clearing her throat): That means you can stop trying to set us up...

Kelso (with a crazy laugh): Yeah, right...

Fez (interjecting): Rome wasn't built in a day.

[sublimeobservationarcade]

Australia Fast Becoming One Of The Most Inequitable Nations On Earth

Recent research published by The Australia Institute confirms that the decade 2009-2019 was the most inequitable, in terms of wealth-growth-share, in Australia’s history. A decade overseen by the Coalition of Liberals and Nationals on the federal stage. A mining boom and surging  property market has rocketed 90% of new wealth growth into the hands of the top 10% of earners and owners in Australia during this period. Australia fast becoming one of the most inequitable nations on earth should not surprise many, as they have supported policies pushing the nation in this direction.

Inequality In Australia 2009-19 On World Record Pace

Australians have been voting out of their hip pockets for some time now. The wealthy are more concerned with increasing their own wealth than any ideas of fairness or a fair go for all Australians. They voted in a Coalition government that flattened the tax rate making it less progressive and thus much more unfair to the poor. A Coalition that went after the poorest Australians via the Robodebt scheme, in a misguided and nasty attempt to paint them as welfare cheats. This spectacularly backfired and cost us the tax payers $1.8 billion in a class action settlement. It also cost the lives of several vulnerable Australians, who killed themselves after being wrongly accused of owing large sums of money. All Australians are equally responsible for sitting back and letting this scheme go on for 5 years, indifferent to the suffering of the poor among us.

Australian Inequality Championed By The Coalition

Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison, Alan Tudge, Stuart Robert, Marise Payne and Christian Porter were all gung ho zealots leading Australia down a road toward greater inequality and less compassion for those less fortunate. Australia used to be a largely equitable place, a land of the fair go, but that state has been rescinded long ago. The Coalition pushed an Americanisation onto Australia, with attempts to change our higher education system and they would have done the same to the health insurance system if possible. Privatisation has delivered huge windfalls for a small coterie of wealthy mates and no benefits for consumers, as seen in the energy sector, where prices continue to climb and promised savings are like the Tasmanian Tiger- rarely sighted.

Lantern Slide - Economic Cycles, circa 1930s-1940s by Manufacturer: Beavis Photographic Studio is licensed under CC-PDM 1.0 Neoliberalism is the great conservative con promising the trickle down effect. The wealthy make massive profits and the average Australian gets bugger all. Everything now is pay as you go and services are reduced across the spectrum. The rich get much richer and the poor get poorer over the life of the ordinary Aussie. The conservative push is for less regulation and oversight. All the regulatory bodies in Australia are toothless tigers, as was revealed in the Royal Commission into the banks and financial sector. The same with the aged care sector, where promises about caring for your elderly are hardly worth the paper they’re printed on. It is convenient for Australians to believe these things, however, as it lessons the guilt for not looking after their own parents and grandparents. We get the governments we deserve. Australia fast becoming one of the most inequitable nations on earth is no surprise to those elderly being maltreated in institutional care. Wage growth in Australia has stagnated over the last decade and a half. The Coalition has been union bashing for many years and this in concert with the Murdoch media empire has seen a huge decline in the union presence by membership numbers in Australia. The workers have lost their united voice and wages have stagnated what a surprise. Australians are still too dumb to realise the correlation. The media in Australia has been an oligopoly bordering on monopoly in many cities and states. The arch conservative voice of Murdoch’s newspapers and networks all sing from the same right wing song sheet.  Australians have been too dumb and apathetic to do anything about this for a long time. Governments have been complicit in this, especially the Coalition changing the media ownership rules to serve Murdoch. Only the ABC has maintained its independence and the Coalition embarked on a virulent campaign to tone down Auntie for many years. It has been effective with most journalism neutered into a bland rendition of what it once was. Again, Australians seem to lack the nous to understand that private enterprise media, corporate media, always backs its advertisers at the expense of true objectivity in reporting the news. Murdoch replaced investigative journalism with opinion based editorial and advertorial in his papers and on his radio and TV networks. They tell the stories the way they want it to sound. You don’t hear these folks warning about inequality, despite it happening at a world record pace here in Australia. Mateship in Australia is reserved for corporates mates looking out for each other in divvying up Australia’s wealth. Australia fast becoming one of the most inequitable nations on earth – thanks to the Coalition.

Photo by Dustin Tray on Pexels.com Tony Abbott played politics with climate change and so did all his Liberal mates that followed. I seriously would like to see these people prosecuted at the Hague for crimes against humanity. Australian efforts to transition from fossil fuels in the energy sector have been put back decades. It will now be far more painful and demand much more severe action to meet the existential challenge ahead. Our children will not be thanking the Liberal Party and the Nationals. Peter Dutton is playing politics with the Voice to Parliament and Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Liberals and Nationals are once again attempting to derail an important national move toward recognition of our Indigenous brothers and sisters. How do you think Aboriginal Australia went in getting their fair share of the wealth growth during 2009-19? How do you think the many Indigenous Aussies are doing in the bush in terms of getting their fare share of Australian wealth? Do you think that it has been a level playing field? Get real Australia and stop looking at yourselves in the mirror with rose coloured glasses on. Out of sight, out of mind indifference is your default position.

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com The richer are getting richer and all you care about is getting a share for yourself and your family. The super wealthy are becoming even more outrageously wealthy and you sit back and applaud. Then you listen to right wing shock jocks complain about crime in Alice Springs. What do you think is going to happen if you apathetically allow some folks to take the lot and leave slim pickings for the rest? Social unrest and crime waves are already happening. You did nothing, you voted out of self-interest time and time again. Don’t complain to me when the shit hits the fan. Be warned. Inequality breeds violent reprisals born out of the bitterness of always being short-changed by life. The Australian fair go is a sham, probably a furphy even from back then. Australia fast becoming one of the most inequitable nations on earth and you sit idly by. ©MidasWord Read the full article

[johannesviii]

Top 12 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2013

The best year in a trio of awesome years for hits. So awesome, in fact, I had to leave several excellent songs out of the list, even with two additional slots, and limit the list to songs I actually put on my mp3 player at one point or another.

What’s that? People usually call it a bad year? Well screw them.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

The year I stopped working in Paris, found a job closer to home that finally made me feel helpful in the grand scheme of things, and I finally had more free time. Goodbye daily trains. I also went to some concerts! This never happened before.

2013: also the year when just about every band and artist I liked decided to make a good album. Except Depeche Mode. Depeche Mode made Delta Machine. It wasn’t great. But, uh, let’s see, Placebo made Loud Like Love (with the fantastic A Million Little Pieces), VNV Nation made Transnational, Daft Punk made Random Access Memories... Nine Inch Nails came back with Hesitation Marks, which is pretty great with a couple of fantastic songs. Lady Gaga made the vastly underrated ArtPop! Even Eminem made a pretty decent album! Eminem! In the year of our lord 2013! And The 1975 made their debut album. They would eventually become one of my favorite bands of the 2010s, but not yet, though. And Indochine redeemed themselves by releasing Black City Parade, their absolute best album of the decade.

However, despite Indochine’s excellent effort and the return of Nine Inch Nails, the album of the year, at least to me, was Kveikur by Sigur Rós. At that point, I had been following their stuff for ten years, and this album still blew my goddamn mind. It’s so heavy and dark and so different from what they had been doing since Agaetis Byrjun. It’s loud and textured and industrial and yet, there’s so much light above the dark. They out-NIN’ed Nine Inch Nails. There isn’t a single track I don’t love on this album. It’s their best one in my humble opinion.

As far as unelligible songs go, boy, where do I start. Uh. Copy of A and Came Back Haunted (Nine Inch Nails), certainly, A Million Little Pieces (Placebo) as I already mentioned, Memoria and College Boy (Indochine - I’m actually shocked they aren’t on the French top 100), Chocolate by The 1975, and most infuriating of all, Castle of Glass by Linkin Park, which is imho their best song of the 2010s. Oh well.

But there’s still a shit ton of stuff which was elligible but didn’t make the list. Here’s a lot of honorable mentions. There were like ten more of them initially, mind you.

Sirens Call (Cats On Trees) - You know how in just about every top ten post I’ve made so far, there’s a song where I’m like “if I had better taste this would be higher”? This is this song for 2013.

Don’t You Worry Child (Swedish House Mafia) - Catchy but borderline annoying. Still very good.

Counting Stars (One Republic) - This is so happy and catchy. More songs like this nowadays, please.

I Cry (Flo Rida) - Still elligible. Still great. Still not on the list.

Ho Hey (The Lumineers) - Same thing here, sadly.

Animals (Martin Garrix) - I called Bangarang from the previous list a perfect stim song, and this is in the same ballpark. Not as good, but great shapes and colors all around.

Berserk (Eminem) - That song has a lot of really bad lines, but also a lot of much needed energy, it’s a ton of fun, and I love the “say f█ck it before you kick the bucket” part of the chorus. I was so glad to hear Eminem having fun again. Would certainly have made the list in a more mediocre year. Not the most infuriating thing I had to leave out of the list, though.

Radioactive (Imagine Dragons) - THIS IS IT THE APOCALYPSE OH WOHO no I don’t have anything intelligent to say, it’s just great.

Best Song Ever (One Direction) - This is my favorite song from that band. It might be because it sounds suspiciously like Baba O’Riley. If you think I’m gonna complain about people ripping off good songs, please check my entry about I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas a few top 10s before this one.

Wait. Waiiit. What if the “best song ever” they can’t remember in the lyrics WAS Baba O’Riley?? Wouldn’t that be the best meta song ever? What do you think? I mean, that one could indeed claim the title of best song ever.

Get Lucky (Daft Punk) - I know. I know. But I couldn’t put it on the list. It’s not my favorite song from the album, it was overplayed, and even if it’s extremely good it stays roughly at the same level for the entirety of the song. I love it, but I had to draw the line somewhere and cut the list. I didn’t want to make another top 15.

Carry On (fun.) - This was the last cut from the list. It was a really painful one. Not my favorite song from them, but still very, very good.

There’s been lists where I had to put filler. If I had to put actual grades to them, some songs I put on some lists would get a 6/10 or even a 5/10 for really bad years (looking at you 1990). Sometimes, I had to put stuff I’d grade 7/10 as high as #3.

If I had to grade this 2013 list according to my personal taste in music, #12 would get an 8/10, #11 would get a 9/10, and everything in the top ten would either be a 9,5 or a 10. No joke. That’s how good that year was for hits.

Let’s go.

12 - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light’Em Up) (Fall Out Boy)

US: #40 / FR: Not on the list

There you have it. Three songs from a band I consider pretentious asshats ended on my lists. Including this one, in a year where I decided to severely limit my options for songs. And at the time? I thought it was just an okay song, way too slow but okay. Not great. At all.

It took it about three whole years to grow on me, and it also took me a while to actually know what it was about, and as I said previously, framing is everything ; knowing this song basically said “we’re back, and we’ve changed, and you’re not gonna like it so you’re gonna feel betrayed and you’re gonna burn your old posters, and in the end you’re also gonna betray us” makes it a lot, lot better. I especially love the “Burn everything you love then burn the. ashes” line with the weird pause for emphasis.

It just goes stomp, stomp, stomp. It’s heavy. You can’t dance to it. You can’t even have fun while listening to it. But you can certainly stomp along, and feel angry, and, yes, betrayed, and three years after 2013, I certainly needed that kind of song. A lot. You know exactly why.

11 - Burn (Ellie Goulding)

US: Not on the list / FR: #54

I discovered Doctor Who at the very, very end of 2013, and for some reason I associate this song with Martha’s journey during the year that never was at the end of S3, trying to convince the entire Earth to fight back against the Master. That’s all I have to say about this song. It’s great.

10 - Instant Crush (Daft Punk ft Julian Casablancas)

US: Not on the list / FR: #26

So yep, Get Lucky isn’t my favorite song on Random Access Memories, and thank you French charts for allowing me to put this one on the list instead.

Like a ton of people, I couldn’t figure out what the chorus was, apart from a couple of isolated words, and that felt exactly like being 10 and trying to decipher songs with my limited English. And then I checked the lyrics, and they were mostly variations on “I don’t want to be alone” and they rhyme “go” with “go”, so, uh, nothing of value was lost that day. And it still sounds fantastic.

9 - Applause (Lady Gaga)

US: #37 / FR: #66

Yes, there’s some really stupid shit in the lyrics and the theme of the song itself isn’t particularly inspiring, but that chorus is a happy burst of fuzzy bright angular shapes, and it’s so energetic it feels like you could phase through walls by sheer force of will while listening to it. It would be even higher if the lyrics were better, I swear.

8 - Papaoutai (Stromae)

US: Not on the list / FR: #4

And the boss of cleverly written hit songs strikes again. Pretty sure that one, like Alors On Danse, is well known even if you don’t speak French. As I understand it, apparently French teachers like to use it in class. But yeah, just in case: it’s a song about his absent father. My favorite part:

Un jour ou l'autre on sera tous papas (One day or another we’ll be dads) Et d'un jour à l'autre, on aura disparu (And one day or the next, we’ll be gone) Serons-nous détestables? (Will we be despicable?) Serons-nous admirables? (Will we be admirable?) Des géniteurs ou des génies (Parents or geniuses) Dites-nous qui donne naissance aux irresponsables? (Tell us who birthes irresponsible people?) Ah, dites-nous qui, tiens (Ah, tell us who ; weird) Tout le monde sait comment on fait des bébés (Everybody knows how to make babies) Mais personne ne sait comment on fait des papas (But nobody knows how to make dads)

And it’s also horribly catchy. And it was kind of a meme here. It was everywhere. I’m surprised it wasn’t even higher than that on the French year end top 100.

7 - Underwater (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #70

Why do I love this song so much even though I usually hate songs like that. This is the kind of romantic bullshit Robbie Williams does, and for the record I absolutely hate Angels, and Underwater even sounds a bit like Angels, and it also has the same kind of corny central metaphor. So. Why do I love Underwater again? How can I justify this? I’ve got no clue.

We don’t deserve Mika.

6 - I Need Your Love (Calvin Harris ft Ellie Goulding)

US: #56 / FR: #51

By now you must all be extremely tired of reading me describing songs in visual ways but this song is the sound equivalent of some sort of light show mixed with Dance Dance Revolution patterns. It’s incredibly kinetic and full of joyful, glittering energy, and I love it so goddamn much.

As a 90s kid who loved eurodance, I’m incredibly grateful this kind of music still exists and is still charting.

5 - Treasure (Bruno Mars)

US: #30 / FR: #23

Speaking of nostalgia. Well, not really, since I wasn’t born in the era this is trying to mimic, but still. I don’t have anything to say about this, apart maybe from the fact this is the song that finally made me like Bruno Mars.

4 - Hey Brother (Avicii)

US: Not on the list / FR: #18

I already mentioned how much I loved Avicii’s music when I briefly talked about Levels, and Hey Brother is even better. As you might know I have a little brother and as it is often the case with siblings we fought a bit but we also shared a lot of things, and games, and weird private jokes, and yeah that song can occasionally make me cry a fair bit if I’m being honest.

Also, it’s kind of my main theme song for Charley and C’rizz, so, yeah, it’s just another layer of Feelings(tm).

3 - I Will Wait (Mumford & Sons)

US: #52 / FR: Not on the list

As you might have noticed, there’s one genre that is conspicuously absent from my lists as far as the US hit songs are concerned, and that’s country. I’ve got nothing against country music, I just rarely find it visually interesting. Now I do like folk rock on the other hand, but its big era is long gone, and it’s quite rare to hear anything from it in the charts nowadays. I liked Ho Hey by the Lumineers, but I always thought it was a little bit too slow.

And then I found Babel by Mumford & Sons at the library, gave it a try, loved it, felt like discovering a modern band version of Bob Dylan with simpler lyrics, and this isn’t my favorite song on the album and it’s still at #3 on this list. Quality, man, just quality.

My favorite song from the album is Lover of the Light, by the way.

2 - Can’t Hold Us (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)

US: #5 / FR: #8

Sometimes you need angry fight songs, sometimes you need energetic fight songs, and sometimes you need happy fight songs. And when something combines the last two, it’s like you caught a star in a Mario game and you’re f█cking unstoppable.

If Macklemore doesn’t get more hit songs at some point in the near future I’m gonna punch a wall.

1 - Roadgame (Kavinsky)

US: Not on the list / FR: #44

This song has no music video. It was still an enormous hit.

As you may recall, I already said once or twice that I liked to hang out at the disc store after class while I was in highschool and uni, and it still happened regularly after I started to work. Even nowadays, if I had a really, really bad day, there’s a good chance I’ll go there and spend at least an hour there just listening to stuff.

So here I was, one fine (actually bad) day, and this song was playing, and I was mesmerised, and for the first time ever, I felt the need to find a vendor and ask what was playing. I found one and the guy instantly beamed and went “oooooh I picked that album to play it in the store today! :D That’s Kavinsky, he’s great, here, have a listen” but it was already getting late so... I trusted him and basically bought the album blind.

Best decision ever. On top of being one of the best albums of the 2010s, OutRun is a concept album presented as if it was the soundtrack of a movie that never existed, about a young guy getting killed in a car crash in 1986 and somehow fusing with his car mentally and reappearing as some sort of technological zombie in 2006. And Roadgame is one of the best songs on the album if not the best. Well, my favorite song on it is actually Testarossa Autodrive, but you get my point.

I was like “there’s no way this is going to be big”, and I was dead wrong, thankfully. As a big fan of electronic music full of lights and flashes and colors but with dark overtones, I couldn’t be happier about this being one of the sounds of the year. Just fantastic stuff.

It’s 2020, man. Please drop that second album. We’re ready to have our minds blown all over again. Just do it.

Also, thank you random vendor from the disc store.

Next up: I have no idea why some people call 2014 a really bad year for hit songs tbh

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: Tokyo 7th Sisters: Bokura wa Aozora ni Naru

Genres: Girl Idols // 1 movie (1h 16m)

Obligatory “I don’t know anything about the source material so this review is solely based on the movie” disclaimer.

✧  story  ✧

So, the story of this 1 hour long movie is that there’s no story. I wish I were kidding. We’re told that there’s an “idol ice-age” in which a group called 777☆SISTERS... well, exists. We aren’t shown much of anything about how popular they’re in the beginning of the anime before the “story” begins. The group is at an idol studio called Nanastar however they find out that one of the most prolific idol studios is going to be shut down. But it can be saved if they can fill the concert hall. This is a pretty generic premise for an idol anime so I’m not sure how they managed to mess this up. In the end, nothing that happened particularly matters in the grand scheme of things and I just came away wondering what the point of this whole movie even was.

✧  characters  ✧

In my opinion, this is where the core problem lies with this movie. The members of 777☆SISTERS all stand out in their own ways. The first 10 minutes of the movie is spent introducing them in a fun relay fashion and while one might not remember all 12(!) members’ names, they are easy to recognize and despite the huge number of female main characters (which is actually 13 including the manager) it never becomes too cluttered. I think this movie would’ve been quite good if it focused on the girls primarily.

But it doesn’t. In a decision that I cannot understand, half of this movie focuses on 2 very bland male characters, one of whom is trying to support the girls and the other being the most bland, generic, annoying villain you’d find in any low-tier garbage anime. This villain dude has more lines than 90% of 777☆SISTERS COMBINED! This character doesn’t even NEED to exist in the story. The whole villain behind the shut down/buy out of this studio could’ve just been a merely mentioned, faceless corporation. 

The supporting guy character annoyed me less but the presence of these 2 takes away a lot of precious time that could’ve been spent on the, you know, *actual main characters* of the anime? Thus, while I liked the girls, the majority of the potential was wasted.

✧  art  ✧

The art is very nice and clean, props on not using CGI for the dance scenes. I really like the distinctive designs of the girls as well. 

✧  sound ✧

Oddly weak? The insert songs are good but they’re pretty generic pop songs. The OST seemed a bit limited as well with scenes having a lot less impact as there was literally just no OST playing during them and the silence was pretty jarring.

✧  overview ✧

Ahhhh, what a waste! Unfortunately, I don’t play rhythm games, so this will probably be the last time I see these girls which is really a shame.

My Rating: 5/10

[azraeldigabriel]

I posted 1,602 times in 2021

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Longest Tag: 125 characters

#one of my absolute deepest regrets is not warning my best friend that the concert i had him go to with me would be super loud

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Right so since I’m at work on mobile atm I’m just gonna do bullets for this ep so uh. Here ya go.

Jon sleeps with his eyes open and has since the eyepocalypse started?? Also love how Martin keeps comparing him to some sort of eldritch router

Still finding the cult pseudo-mansplaining things to Jon fucking hysterical thanks

Martin honey I am so sorry if those tins contain peaches

“Yeah well. Your truth is rude.”

Battle of the Poets 2021 LETS GO

As funny as their break in salesa’s little bubble was, I forgot Jon didn’t remember anything from it. Obnoxious.

“They’re archivists.” EXCUSE ME

So archivists can linger and may be coming to the panopticon?? Are we gonna get some sort of archivist battle royale?

Love of my life jonathan sims voicing the entire fandoms concerns rn

*fabric rustles*

AUGHHH THE I LOVE YOUS....S-SOFT

Ah it’s light roasting of Jon time

No longer light roasting, dark roasting time

It still staggers me sometimes how much Melanie reminds me of captain Lovelace?

Petition for her and Georgie to just get married at the end of this jfc where is my serotonin

GIVE HER HER GODDAMN CAT BACK

29 notes • Posted 2021-01-21 17:08:54 GMT

#4

199. I am. So nervous.

Still makes me so sad that I only hear Tim’s voice via ads now. Miss you baby.

Martin still doing damage control through tea

“Let Jon become god” ...no :)

Jon your martyrdom complex is infuriating, let them loVE YOU

I am loving basira’s ethical approach to this, I can’t even imagine having to vote or have input on a situation like this

This is. This is just going to be a 24 minute argument isn’t it lmao

Yes ladies, thank you for not letting Jon go full Guilt Spiral

CALL HIM OUT MARTIN SHUT HIM DOWN

Melanie sweetie, I also want you to stab Jonah but I get you.

I am gonna slap some sense into this man I stg

Well at least I get Jon and Georgie bonding

Georgie hanging onto the lighter concerns me

And like. The tiny bit of static when she takes it, portraying he’s uncomfortable. Wow.

I am not ready for this conversation I am soBBING

I’M DYING SQUIRTLE

THESE LINES KEEP HITTING ME LIKE TRUCKS, I’M IN FULL RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC

“I love you, I’ll always love you. And I know you love me too” waILS

Martin Killabitch Blackwood will end Jonah Magnus. This is all I ever wanted.

Basira I care you!!

Wow okay leave me to die I’m gonna be emotional up until the last ep god

29 notes • Posted 2021-03-18 16:51:54 GMT

#3

I do find it really interesting that as Jon is getting more enveloped by his archivist position/powers, he’s tending to forget that Knowing and knowing are two separate things.

Like just because he Knows what awaits upstairs in the warped institute, he doesn’t know what the other survivors have gone through up there.

It’s really interesting to see!

36 notes • Posted 2021-01-21 17:28:28 GMT

#2

Hey I mean. If Martin really does have to die in the grand scheme of things, at least give me a good old fashioned anguished cry from Jon that dissolves into tape static as he becomes the monster he thinks he is.

55 notes • Posted 2021-03-04 20:52:10 GMT

#1

Tfw the animal crossing update drops early and you and your friends collectively lose your goddamn minds about it

73 notes • Posted 2021-11-04 03:29:45 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[rohobi]

Drive me crazy | (B)

pairing— jung hoseok x reader, boynextdoor AU genre — blurb, fluff, angst summary — based entirely off the late 90′s romantic comedy “Drive me crazy”. Not my plot at all, added lots of bits that are mine but mostly this film.  ↪ A/N: Literally on a 90′s movie binge and I hate myself because all I can think about is how great these movies would be if BTS were in it.  ► Listen | May this fuel your daydreams!  You and Hoseok live next door to each other. He lives with his single and lonely father. You live with your divorced candle making mother. Despite only living separated by an oak tree, after Hoseok goes through a difficulty grieving period, he pushes you away. You grow up worlds apart as a result. 

Obsessed with the latest trends, you’re a popular socialist. Hoseok is the beanie wearing opposite, an unpopular activist with a passion for hip hop dancing. 

You wouldn’t miss a single basketball game with your socialite friends. In fact, it was unthinkable, you couldn’t miss Min Yoongi play. He needed water and towels and support, and when he did, you wanted to be there for him.  Hoseok can be found in underground cafes or in record stores with his dorky crew of misfits. And if you want to be specific, you’d find him walking through the doors of Misfits on a Friday night at 10:12pm because no one cool turns up to before 10. 

You want a dream date with the star basketball player, Min Yoongi, for senior prom. You were certain everybody in the goddamn school but him knew you did but right before it was certain you were going together, Yoongi falls in love with a cheerleader named Park Jimin. He swears it was love at first sight. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tree, Hoseok’s girlfriend, Lia, dumps him for not joining her in anti-fur march -very publicly in front of all of his friends. Heartbroken and determined to get her back, you and Hoseok reluctantly join forces to get them back. 

Brainstorming on his star wars covered blankets, you order pizza and come up with ideas to make them jealous. “I don’t see how any of this could make Lia jealous, unlike Yoongi, she is a very intellectual person.”  Slapping your forehead, you grown. “I have a feeling you’re going to drive me crazy.” 

Rolling his eyes, he shoves a piece of pizza in your mouth. “Well that’s good because you can’t drive.” 

“Oh shut up.” 

You spend the rest of the night researching through rom coms. Hoseok’s never had a girl in his room before but he’s not about to tell you that, it’s nice having you back in his life again. 

But he’s not going to tell you that either. 

Hoseok allows you to do a makeover on him to make him more presentable to the other social circles at school. Purely for your own benefit, you make him trade in Hawaiian shirts for college hoodies and snapbacks, nike chinos and proper sneakers. The school is bewitched by his new look and low key …so are you. 

In return, Hoseok takes you to a concert of his favourite underground rap artist and then drives you up the hill to look at the stars. You fall into a deep discussion about what happened all those years ago that pushed you apart as friends. You hug and then decide you both fucking deserve love too, so you make a scheme to win Yoongi and Lia back. 

Hoseok agrees while you stare at the stars. “It’s beautiful, don’t you think?” 

He smiles, bewitched by the look on your face. “Yeah, beautiful.”

The scheme is to publicly date each other and it works. Nothing is excluded; you date, hug, hold hands, laugh, share clothes and in front of everyone at the school cafeteria when Lia loudly scolds him for becoming one of the cool kids weeks later. To save him from the humiliation, you pull him close and kiss him. 

And you kiss him hard. 

The cafeteria erupts with squealing, smiling against your mouth, he scoops you up into his arms and you kiss until you’re both breathless and forced apart by his friends begging you both to “get a room”. 

Which prompts you to say, “we’ve got one, you’re just in it.” 

Lia storms off at this, prompting Hoseok to push you away and run after her. You watch on, feeling a strange tug of pain in your stomach. Am I not good enough? But this is apart of the scheme, this is good, you shouldn’t be feeling this way. 

Yoongi sweeps in not that long after, wanting to get to know the girl who’s making a guy so happy the whole school can feel it. “Hi, want to get dinner tonight, unless you and Hoseok are …serious.” 

You falter but you smile because this is what you wanted right? “Sure, pick me up at 7.” 

Your scheme begins to work: you both get the people you wanted. Yoongi falls in love with your laughter, prompted by the jealousy he felt watching you with Hoseok. 

But in the midst of planning the details of the prom and staring off into the distance thinking about Hoseok whenever Yoongi talked and when Lia dragged Hoseok away from talking to you, you both realise that the scheme worked. 

Just …with each other. 

Yoongi gets drunk at Jimin’s house party and hooks up with him in front of you. You wish you cared and all you do is shrug when they both look at you. “Guess it just wasn’t meant to be?” you say. 

Jimin starts kissing up his neck, Yoongi grins sympathetically. “I’m sorry I’m not him.”  You leave the party, stealing a couple bottles of red wine as you go. The lord knows you’ll be needing these. You cry and drink the rest of the wine as you put on your slim fitting black ball gown. 

“Honey, you ready to go? I’ve got a date soon, so we need to make a move!” your mother shouts, knocking on your door. Wiping the tears away from yours eyes, you shout back, “Yes mum!”  You attend the prom alone. Meanwhile, Hoseok can’t stop thinking about you and that goddamn kiss. Looking up at the stars, he realises that he misses you. “They were only ever beautiful when I was with you.”  Hoseok dumps Lia across town at an animal rights protest to be with you. He checks his watch, certain, he has enough time to go home and suit up. His father drives him to the prom with your mother in the passenger seat, he doesn’t question why they look dishevelled. 

Arriving at the prom, he punches Yoongi in the face when he spots him making out with Jimin. Yoongi falls to the ground and Jimin pushes Hoseok away, telling him that he has no right to punch Yoongi, in fact, Yoongi has more of a right to punch Hoseok. Confused, Jimin explains that you looked more in love with him than you ever did when you were with Yoongi. 

“She likes me?” Hoseok questions, running his fingers through his hair. 

Folding his arms over his chest, he nods his head. “Duh.”  

Hoseok watches you watch all of your friends dance with their dates. You were way too shy to ask anyone else to dance, that was clear. So, you sip your drink. And then, Hoseok watches you pull out a flask from your bra as you pour what looks like red wine into your glass.  He shakes his head in laughter before crossing the floor. “Typical.” 

He moves swiftly, one polished leather shoe after the other until he stands before you, hand outstretched, smile across his face. “Y/N, can I have this dance? or would you prefer to drink with me outside.” 

You look him up and down. Black and white suit, first three buttons undone like you had taught him and with his burgundy hair parted in the middle, he looked gorgeous. Smiling back, you place your hand into his. “I thought you’d never ask …I’m saying yes to the dance…” 

Hoseok smiles down at your hand as he holds it tight. “I’m glad you did because I can’t handle my alcohol.” 

You snort, wrapping your arms around his neck when you move onto the dance floor. “Never knew I had anything in common with alcohol because you can’t handle me either.” 

Resting his hands on your hips, he pulls you close until your noses touch. “Not true. I don’t want to get drunk and black out on alcohol but I would love to get drunk on you and remember how red your cheeks get when I call you beautiful, or how tenderly you hold my face as though I would break when you kiss me, or how long it would take you to notice the food on your face when we’re eating burgers or-

“-Hoseok, I get it, you love me.” 

Leaning his forehead on yours, he grins. “I do.” 

You close your eyes. “And I love you too.” 

You dance with him for the rest of the night, admitting to each other that you both majority fucked up and fell in love with each other but that it was the best kind of fuck up they could’ve made. You hate basketball and Hoseok couldn’t care less about animals when humans were in a dire state. 

He kisses you when Yoongi is crowned prom king and then he kisses you again, right underneath the disco ball with more tongue than should be allowed on school property when Tinashe’s Flame begins to blast through the big PA system. 

He walks you home, tenderly kissing you by your front door when the moment is ruined by his dad sneaking out. Your mother runs up behind him, as equally as dishevelled. Caught red handed, your parents confess to wanting to move in together. Hoseok laughs at the turn of events, wrapping his hand around your waist instead of commenting on it. 

“We should talk.” your mother says, looking at Hoseok’s hand around you in alarm. 

Leaning into Hoseok, you snort at her. “You two can talk about it here, Hoseok and I can talk about it at his.” 

Your parents watch Hoseok happily pick you up in your ball dress, twirling you around on the driveway before you push him away when he grabs your ass. Laughter fills the silent suburbia as you run in your heels to his door with Hoseok closely behind.  Hoseok’s father holds your mother close as they both watch in equal parts shock and happiness. “Like father, like son. What can I say, theres something about you girls that just make us go loco.”  “I have a feeling it’s mutual,” your mother says, slapping his hand away as she steps back inside. “They’re old enough to do whatever they want, come back inside, I want you to do that thing with your tongue again.”

“Coming right up my love,” he shuffles you away from the door so he can close it behind him. “God you drive me crazy.” 

Drive me crazy (1999)

[independentartistbuzz]

Good News, Good Music 4.0

We are so delighted we get to end this year on a HIGH NOTE thanks to all of the musicians who have contributed their GOOD NEWS via Cyber PR Music. We wish you a safe and happy new year and please keep your music and your good news flowing!  The best way to reach us is through Twitter @IndieBuzztweets

Please Follow the Spotify Playlist below to hear all of these amazing tracks.

Thanks to all of the artists who shared their music AND their good news.

Miriam Lieberman | “Legacy”

Received A Grant To Record Her New EP

My good news is that during lock down with gigs cancelled and no where to go but with a toddler and all, I got down to songwriting and grant writing. Now that we are emerging into a Covid normal (here in Australia), I am finishing off a new EP of the songs I wrote during this time, also funded (mostly) by a successful grant application to Create NSW. The new single from the EP launches on 26th February and the EP in March.

Steve Andrews | “Where Does All The Plastic Go?”

Raised Awareness For Ocean Pollution

My song “Where Does All The Plastic Go?” is getting included on playlists on Spotify, getting great reviews, and opening doors for me in unexpected places. This is wonderful because I'm thinking big and also came up with the idea for Ocean Aid Concerts to raise awareness of threats to the oceans.  I am leading the way with songs on the subject of plastic pollution and my song could be included in any concerts that happen.

I have recently been featured in Australia by Wyndham Harbour Rotary Club in their The Wave magazine. I am going to be a guest speaker for this Rotary Club in February. In March I will be featured in SWND magazine of Welsh Connections, talking about my song and Ocean Aid Concerts idea. 

J Desja | “Desire Now”

Released Two Albums In One Year

 My good news story is that 2020 was the year I released not one but two albums. I had never released an album before. The first album I released was in September with my band Below Canada. We each set up our own home studios in March, learned Logic Pro, and recorded 10 songs, trading tracks back and forth. My second album is a solo album, artist name J Desja, and I am nearly finished. I've released several songs from the album so far though. This album was born out of the inspiration I was feeling from making the first album. 

My last bit of good news is that I have finally decided that music is no longer a hobby for me; it is now my career, my joy and my passion. I can only hope that my music resonates with others and connects me to them.

Kim Edgar | “Witness”

Sharing The Love Via Virtual Hugs

I decided to release an album as a kind of "virtual hug" as it’s hard not to be able to touch people we care about; it’s often how we embody love, compassion and friendship. We currently demonstrate care for others by keeping our distance, despite the fact that now, more than ever, people may need, or want, to be held. So with this album, I have tried to create a musical hug. In the scheme of things, it’s a very small offering, but I’m grateful that music can still give us a sense of connection - and it’s what I have to give! People have responded really well to that so far.

Sami Chohfi | “Extraordinary World”

From Teacher To Band Member

With everything that has happened this year, Sami went from losing all of his students at the beginning of the year, to now having to turn away students and starting a new band, doing online live shows and releasing his solo album in September.

Echo Twelve | “I Can't Find You! (Locked Down by Echo Twelve) [Echo Twelve Remix]"

Pro-Bono Remix Leads to New Connection

A couple of months ago, a transgender, autistic indie artist name Matti Charlton, who was living rough on the streets of Toronto at the height of the pandemic, reached out to me via SoundBetter to request a remix of his 80s-synth-inspired I Can't Find You. Given his circumstances, I decided to do the remix pro-bono. While one could not call my remix "uplifting" by any means, Matti got a lot of joy out of having it done, and our collaboration and back-and-forth on SoundBetter seemed to give a sense of hope.

Diana Zinni | “Point of No Return”

Birthday Livestream Fundraiser for White Eagle Hall & Rockwood Music Hall

I did a birthday livestream in April and raised hundreds of dollars. I was able to donate it to White Eagle Hall and Rockwood Music Hall because I was blessed enough to remain employed. I’ve been more consistent with content in 2020 than any other year, releasing 3 singles and 2 music videos, which yielded views, streams, sales, reviews and interviews!

Afroshoujo | “Eggs & Pencils”

Grew Fanbase and Released A Teen-Angst Inspired EP

When the pandemic hit I was working on my first album but I had to change my whole course of action both professionally and emotionally! 

I hooked up with Michael Walker (whom I’m sure you’ve heard of) and started to learn about growing my fan base. It gave me so much confidence that I was able to write, produce and release a whole EP addressing my teenage angst and how it had affected me in adulthood. It was a very eye opening experience that I would have never had without quarantine and the appreciation of life and growth! 

Downupright | “Got That”

Launched New Project & Released 21 Singles

 I launched my new project, Downupright, in the beginning of 2020 and have released 21 singles this year as this new artist name. It's been the most prolific year of my entire life artistically, I have never released so much music in a single year. COVID kept me stuck at home with nothing else to do but compose, so I've been lighting it up with nearly biweekly releases. COVID is awful, but at least instead of lamenting the time I've spent stuck inside, I have been mastering my craft. There's a lot of singles to choose from, but here's the latest. They're all High Energy EDM, which is how I refer to my new style- extremely hyped, active, distracting, attention-grabbing music with lots of cuts and beats.

Anniee | “Starry Night”

Released First Single Inspired By Airplane Passenger Turned Best Friend

My first release is a song called ‘Starry Night.’ (Link below!) It is a throwback to 90’s house music with some jazz vibes thrown in. The lyrics seem pretty straight forward, but behind the simplicity is a greater message: Let’s share are troubles, let’s be there for one another, and then—have a good time!

The inspiration came from countless friends who showed up for me at a dark time in my life. One of these friends I met serendipitously on an airplane - we shared our stories, what we were going through - and now we are best friends. Even though the song is energetic and light, this kind of powerful human connection is the deeper message. Even in the pandemic I’m amazed how human beings find creative ways to connect. That’s what this seemingly straightforward dance track is all about!

Vivian Severn (on behalf of Gabriel Severn) | “Kick Start”

Won “2020 Bassist of the Year” At Age 16

My 16-year-old son, Gabriel, has had his heart set on studying music after high school, and works his ass off to be the best musician he can be. As it did to everyone, Covid 19 stole plans and damaged dreams. His resolve began to waver and the challenges of this year exhausted him. But 2 weeks ago, Gabriel was notified he’s won a 2021 National Young Arts Award, a prestigious award for high school students in the arts. The following day, he found out he’s one of five Finalists for Bass Player Magazine’s "2020 Bassist of the Year". These moments of recognition have reignited his motivation to continue sharing his music to the world, and he’s now working harder to finish and release his debut solo EP as well as his band’s debut album in 2021.

Dustin from ReEmerge | “Can’t Feel You”

Inspired A Fan To Ask For Help When They Need It

Recently a young lady who was pregnant with her third child was suffering from some serious mental health issues. She put off going to the doctor for sometime or talking to anyone about it. It seemed to be getting worse and worse and she just wanted to be able to be clear headed and able to provide and be a good mother to her kids. She finally reached a point where she made herself go to the doctor and get the right medication and it was life changing. I didn’t know about her until I saw she used one of our songs on TikTok. It was a very touching video and resonated with a lot of people. Including me.  She has almost 100,000 views from this video and growing. Her message was that it was okay to seek help and you don’t have to do it alone and our song apparently helped convey that message. That was very nice to see and hear that! Thank you for your time and the opportunity!

Leanna Primiani (ANASIA) | “Sounds Like Fear”

Surprise Premiere Broadcasted Live on CBS 

I had a big recording date at the Newman scoring stage on the Fox lot with my score Ivory Wave for String Quartet and Electronics (to be released in 2021) https://muse.ai/vd/BBYymyt, and I had the surprise premiere of my orchestral piece, 'Gaudete for Orchestra', that was broadcast Live on CBS on the East Coast! Two big surprises for me. I'm glad I pushed through and kept composing!

Stay tuned… There’s more Good News Coming!

[schwazombie]

I have lived in another country for the past six years and yet multiple people from my old country keep trying to get me to buy stuff from the pyramid scheme they joined.

Like first of all, I am in debt to my eyeballs. If I have €20 going spare to spend on fun shit, I am 100% going to be using it on concert tickets or a CD or an eyeshadow pallet from my favourite brand or a weighted stuffed animal.

Secondly, I only know you because you are my parental’s friend’s adult daughter whom I met a handful of times in the mid to late 90s; or we went to highschool together 10 years ago and you were friends with my sister so I feel obliged to accept your friendship request on social media, or something equally . Please stop trying to take my money.

Thirdly, even if I did want to buy something from you, this thing you’re doing doesn’t have international shipping and even if it did it would be way out of my price range.

And finally, bitch I live in another country, no I cannot attend your virtual Product-Targeted-At-Women party I will literally be in bed asleep please fuck off.

[rackydfo]

Full Translation and Summary, in the link above or in the read more

Gun Blader

PV Video

Former Empyrean private bodyguard.

No need to wait for the 2nd awakening; it'll come with the update.

4 Subclasses:

Agent (Enforcer) || 1/18 Release

Kodachi, Pistol, Leather.

Close-ranged battle.

The caster introduced the class as "Pure dps".

Trouble Shooter (Wild Card) || 1/18 Release

Heavy Blade, Shotgun, Heavy Armor.

Utilizes bombs.

Seems to have dodge/roll skill.

Gameplay Video for Agent & Trouble Shooter (Hitman / Specialist videos not released yet)

Hitman (Big Boss) || 2/22 Release

Long Blade, SMG, Light Armor.

Synergy skill available, similar to Paladin.

Specialist (Core Master) || 2/22 Release

Core Blade, Core Pistol, Cloth.

Gun Blader Event: Lv90 Gun Blader Craft Epic box & Lv85 Epic Subequipment specific for Gun Blader (2)

PVP Season 5

Addition of Epic-grade PVP gears.

PVP gears are now easier to farm. (Good news if you're looking into getting +2 skill lvl top)

Knights / F.Priests / M.Mages PVP enabled.

Explorer Club Revamp

Proficiency system: Rewards given when reaching certain levels of Proficiency.

Empire Coliseum

New Lv90 Content without any entrance limit.

You can form a team with 2 of your characters to battle against monsters. (Works like Tekken tag system)

Different mobs everyday with different weaknesses.

Special dungeon / Empire gears available upon clear.

UI customization system

You can resize your UI regardless of your resolution. (Proportionally)

Farming system revamp

OV and Ancient are now fused into one dungeon with new attack patterns.

You have a chance of meeting a hidden boss (similar to Gruff).

Does not require FP, but does require endless eternity.

It'll drop both Quest Legendaries and OV gears.

Increased chance of drop based on selected difficulty.

Towers revamp

Lv80 gears removed from Anguish pots. (You will either get 85s or 90s)

Pots are no longer purchasable. Instead, they will drop as rewards.

No longer need to reach 100th floor to gain rewards. (i.e. It's possible to get reward starting from floor 1)

Tower of Anguish / Despair pot costs reduced. (Price not mentioned, but they did mention that 10m is ridiculous now that they think of it)

Epic revamp

All Lv85-90 Epic gears (including Craft Epics) will be revamped.

Mentioned general scheme of revamp: Phys/Magic/Ind. Attack to Crit Smash.

Luke Epics revamp

7SINS BOOM IS COMING:

Equivalent skill effects buffs to fsader skills

Shoulder - STR211/INT211/VIT216/SPR176 || +25kg Inventory Weight, +3 1a Passive, +10% Skill Atk, Divine Flash Buff duration +30%

Bottom - STR111/INT111/VIT114/SPR66 || 22.5% Casting Speed, +3 Wisdom Blessing, 14% Phys/Magic/Ind. Atk, Wisdom Blessing INT +15%

Shoes - STR92/INT92/VIT96/SPR66 || 19% Movement Speed, +3 SoP, 14% Additional Smash, SoP VIT/SPR +25% / Shared Damage +25%

Top - STR111/INT111/VIT114/SPR66 || 12% Hit Rate, +3 Striking, 14% Additional Crit Smash, Striking STR&Phys.Atk +15%

Belt - STR92/INT92/VIT96/SPR66 || 15% Attack Speed, 14% All Atk, BoD Effect 20% Increase.

Set[3] - DI STR/INT +20%, +22% Additional Crit Smash

Set[5] - 5% AS/MS, 10% CS, +5 DI/Striking/Wisdom Blessing, +2 1a Aura within 500px, +35% Skill Atk

Nagaraja:

Shoulder - Water dmg +14, 3% Skill Atk (Increased by 1% per reinforce/amplify up to 12), -30 Freeze Resist aura within 500px

Belt - No more camoflauge. 7% AS/MS, 10% CS, Shadow dmg +14, +12% STR/INT, -30 Poison Resist aura within 500px

Top - 10% Elenore (Increased by 1% per reinforce/amplify up to 12), -30 Bleed Resist aura within 500px

Set[3] - 3% Critical, 25% All Atk

Set[5] - 7% Critical, 35% Skill Atk

Remaining set effects weren't revealed.

Beast Dungeon

Gameplay Video

Dungeon with hardest difficulty; it's for characters with upgraded gears. The caster confirmed that it's harder than Luke. You can party as 4.

6 Phases per boss and you can challenge each boss once a day (Multiple bosses available).

Live ranking system integrated.

Rewards: New Epic Accessory sets

You can now upgrade Infinites / Senses / Sky Traveller.

You can also get these set pieces as a complete item instead of upgrading them.

Aspect: Torin Set (Sader Set)

Equivalent skill effects buffs to fsader skills*

Bracelet - INT210/VIT100/SPR100 || -20% CD on DI, +20% Party member selection range during buff casts.

Necklace - INT100/VIT180/SPR180 || Casting skills gives you SA for 10 seconds (10s CD)

Ring - INT100/VIT108/SPR107 || +2 SoP

Set[2] - +30 All Elemental Resist, +30 All Abnormal Status Resist, DI/Striking/Wisdom Blessing +1

Set[3] - STR/INT/VIT/SPR +100, Apo +1

Vyraba's Descendant (Stronger than 5 senses)

Bracelet - VIT107 || 5% AS/MS, 7% CS, 20% Skill Atk

Necklace - SPR107 || 5% AS/MS, 7% CS, 20% All Atk

Ring - STR64/INT64 || 5% AS/MS, 7% CS, 20% Phys/Magic/Ind. Atk

Set[2] - 10% Additional Smash, 10% Additional Crit Smash

Set[3] - STR/INT +10%, 7% AS/MS, 10% CS

Final phase clears will yield Account-bound accessory pots.

Director Discussion Panel

They're making a new DFO-mobile game.

Director (Myung Jin Yoon) hinted that a different person will be taking over. He will instead join the development of DFO-mobile game.

하얗게 불태우고 가시는구려, 띵진영감. 잘 가시게나...

New Director (Sung Wook Kim). He's the one who designed (Old) Gaia Crasher and OV gears. He used to be the head of Character balancing team. We will now start calling him "Wook-Shiva". (It sounds almost identical to a Korean curse, laughing point)

They assigned a new person who supposedly knows DFO well as a new head of Character balancing team.

They're trying to add alternatives for non-whale users to reach the end game. (AKA No need to run hell parties to join Lukes. Most likely going to be Echon revamp)

They're planning to buff Savior Cross. (What kind of buff? No idea, they didn't say a thing)

Lvling alts will be easier (Boxes, tickets, & et cetera) and they will also add contents related to having more alts (Not much details on this).

More achievement contents will be added.

They're planning to balance reset items.

Hell party balancing: Even with new lines of epics from new characters, the chance of acquiring equippable epics won't go lower. (They didn't announce how they will do it)

Service Director (Yoon Ho Nam). He manages concerts, leagues, websites, and other services.

2017 Winter Event (Not for DFOG)

Lv80 exp capsule, awakening tickets, halidoms, slot ticket, 60 hell party passes.

Togg-Egene creature.

2018 DNF League

Modification of PVP / PVE Leagues.

The description's vague, but they're trying to add PVP and PVE league contents into one league for the sake of making it more interesting; it'll still be called DPL.

Mobs that were deleted from original DPL for convenience will be added back.

3X Rewards for DPL. 3 times a year.

DFO ON: More features (Not for DFOG)

Adding secretary-like notification features to DFO ON (Facebook-like app for DFO).

DNF Global Animation

10-episodes Animation. Famous Korean VA (Yu-ri Seo) will be participating.

Togg-Egene dolls

Addition of new lines of dolls to Bread-ton (or Bbangton) doll series. No purchase limits or pre-orders. Too bad it's not for us

Oh but I can just tell my friends to order it for me kek time to order 'em all ecks dee

DNF Check Card

Debit card integrated to DNF. Cash-back (directly to DNF) features per purchase. For the true whales

Special Shout-outs to SrHeart, for giving me the motivation to actually do this. Took me a while to rewind back and forth while translating.

[from-russia-with-mixed-feelings]

I'd love more info on the Russian school system/traditions, especially university (especially since I'll be studying abroad in St. Petersburg in about 2 weeks :D )

God, I am. SO SORRY for how long this took. It’s been way longer than 2 weeks since I received this ask, and I can only hope that you’re doing great figuring out your Uni’s traditions on your own.

[EDIT]: Un-readmored this post, because several people couldn’t access it.

Anyway! The scheme of Russian education looks something like this (image source):

You may notice a weird fork on the road to higher University level education. Well, that happened because USSR had the 5 year Specialist system, then Russia decided to move to the more western 4+2 years system, but didn’t do it all the way, so now they kinda. Coexist.

Another amusing fact is that until the 90s Primary general education was 3 years, not 4, and overall school lasted 10 years. But once again, when we were trying to make our education system more western weird things started happening.

First, Russia tried adopting the 11 year school system wholesale. But then primary school teachers started complaining that they were fitting what was now taught in 4 years just fine in only 3 years before. So instead of extending the program or something Russia decided to uninstall Grade 4 from existence. Yep, for some time the Grades went: 1, 2, 3, then 5, 6, 7 etc. And one year was famous for making everyone skip their next grade, whatever that was.

By the way, children and even some teachers were mystified by this arrangement and many continue not to know why the hell it happened to this day.

One last big recent novelty is the Unified State Exam, aka ЕГЭ, which descended upon unsuspecting students out of nowhere one day and doesn’t seem to be going away soon, despite all the controversy.

Ok, now let’s briefly touch upon traditions! On all levels of education you can expect big fancy ceremonies for entrance and graduation, and outside of them the traditions are pretty malleable and depend on the institutions and their speciality. For example, students of MSU Faculty of Chemistrycelebrate Chemist Day every year, taking a different element from the Periodic Table as a theme each time. Many schools and Unis compete in a hugely popular, versatile and competitive humorous game called КВН, and yep, you’ve guessed it, I’ll probably talk more about it later.

Now, as for entrance and graduation ceremonies, every level puts their own spin on it. In higher education you can expect to be welcomed with an official ceremony in the largest auditorium available, and bidden farewell with a concert and/or banquet. Graduate speeches, caps and robes are also a thing in some places.

In general education all 1st graders go through an acceptance ceremony on the 1st of September, where this goddamn song plays at least once and 11th graders give them presents. (Oh yeah! I forgot to mention: in general a Russian kid will study in the same school from start to finish. There are exceptions, of course, but the “everyone in the same building” system is the most widespread.) And in the end of May Последний Звонок (Posledniy Zvonok) - the Last Bell/Farewell Bell ceremony takes place, where 11th graders waltz, let helium balloons (that are supposed to symbolize their destinies or w/e) into the sky, wear a “graduate” sash, and hear this goddamn song at least once. The eponymous last bell is the one a 1st grader rings while perched on an 11th grader’s shoulder. It looks cute and almost never ends with them getting dropped. Almost.

After that, there’s a second, less official part to graduating school - Выпускной Вечер (Vypusknoi Vecher) - Graduation Evening. It’s kinda like a prom, except there’s no King or Queen, it lasts till sunrise, and might take place on a boat, or in a cafe, or in a park… Come to think about it, it’s not really like a prom at all xD Here, check out this photo report from 2017 Vypusknoi in Gorky Park to see what the graduates’ outfits and activities may look like.

Thank you for the question, @durfeedraws! I hope I got all of this right, but if not @yantiskra (or anyone else) are welcome to correct me.

[whittlebaggett8]

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of ‘Glee’ 10 years later, Defence Online

“Glee” premiered on Fox in May 2009 and helped launch the careers of the show’s young stars, like Lea Michele (who portrayed Rachel Berry).

The show lasted for six seasons before ending in 2015.

Since then, the cast members have gone on to get married, write books, and release solo music.

Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.

“Glee” lasted for six seasons on Fox and focused on the misfit students at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, who found a common interest in a glee club led by Will Schuester (portrayed by Matthew Morrison).

From its start in May 2009 to its conclusion in 2015, the award-winning show featured tons of musical numbers and teenage drama, in addition to the rivalry between Mr. Schuester and Cheerios coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). At the height of the show’s popularity, Lea Michele (Rachel Berry), Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson), Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel), and the other young cast members became breakout stars.

Here’s what the stars of “Glee” have been up to.

Matthew Morrison starred as Will Schuester, the leader of McKinley’s glee club..

caption

Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester on “Glee.”

source

Fox

He was a former student at McKinley and a member of the glee club in the ’90s. At the start of the show, Will was married to Terri. He later married Emma Pillsbury, the school’s guidance counselor, and they welcomed a son during season five.

After “Glee” ended, Morrison returned to Broadway and guest-starred on a few shows.

He starred as J.M. Barrie in a Broadway production of “Finding Neverland” from 2015 to 2016. You might have also seen the 40-year-old Emmy nominee on “Younger,” ‘The Good Wife,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Morrison hasn’t released any albums since his 2013 one titled “Where It All Began,” but he still performs shows across the US.

In early 2019, Morrison appeared as a dance captain on a competition series called “The Greatest Dancer.”

He’s a real-life father, too. In 2017, Morison and Renee Puente (who he has been married to since 2014), welcomed a son named Revel James Makai.

“We wanted to revel in our child and we were like, Revel, that is just so cool and we will call him Rev for short,” he told “E! News” in October 2017.

Morrison also co-founded a company called Sherpapa, which sells apparel geared toward new fathers.

Jane Lynch portrayed Sue Sylvester, the tracksuit-loving coach of the Cheerios, McKinley’s cheerleading team.

caption

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester on “Glee.”

source

Fox

She and Will were constantly at odds with each other and Sue often devised schemes to interfere with the glee club. In the end, she left the high school behind and became the Vice President of the US.

Lynch has kept busy by guest-starring on shows, hosting, and performing.

caption

Jane Lynch in February 2019.

source

Andrew Toth/WireImage via Getty Images

Lynch hosted NBC’s Emmy-winning game show called “Hollywood Game Night.” In addition, the 58-year-old actress released a holiday album in 2016 called “Swingin’ Little Christmas.”

She recently voiced characters in “UglyDolls,” The Stinky & Dirty Show,” “The Simpsons,” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” Lynch guest-starred as a comedian named Sophie Lennon on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” too.

Lynch also participates in concerts with Kate Flannery (Meredith from “The Office”).

In the fall, Lynch will host an episode of the revamped “Inside the Actors Studio” on Ovation and interview David Oyelowo.

Cory Monteith became a breakout actor for his role as Finn Hudson, a high school football star with a passion for singing.

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Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson on “Glee.”

source

Fox

He sometimes gave into peer pressure and felt judged for joining New Directions. After the death of Monteith in 2013, his character was killed off. They didn’t reveal that cause of Finn’s death and instead focused on his life and impact.

McKinley’s auditorium was renamed the “Finn Hudson Auditorium” in honor of him.

Monteith died of an overdose in July 2013 at 31 years old.

He was found dead in his Vancouver, Canada hotel room. Later reports stated that alcohol and heroin were found in his system.

In 2011, Monteith spoke about his history of drug abuse during an interview with Parade. He said that at 13 years old, he began drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. Six years later, he went to rehab.

In March 2013, Monteith admitted himself into a treatment facility for his substance abuse. The following month, he had completed rehab and was photographed in public with Lea Michele.

Monteith’s “Glee” costars have since honored the late actor on the anniversary of his death and on his birthday (May 11).

In May 2019, Morrison posted a heartfelt video on Instagram and said that he ran out of photos to post of Monteith on his birthday. Instead, Morrison and his wife paid tribute by putting together a puzzle of Monteith’s hometown.

“I love keeping his memory alive, and his bright light shining,” Morrison captioned the video. “He inspired so many, including myself. I hope you all embrace the ones you love extra tight this weekend (especially your Moms!), and take some thoughtful moments to remember loved ones passed.”

Lea Michele played Rachel Berry, an ambitious student who had her sights set on becoming famous someday.

caption

Lea Michele as Rachel Berry on “Glee.”

source

Fox

By the show’s end, she successfully became a star and Tony winner.

Rachel also had an on-again, off-again relationship with Finn and later married Jesse St. James (played by Michele’s real-life best friend Jonathan Groff).

Michele has released two studio albums, and a third one is on the way.

According to the actress, the album will be released in 2019.

Her debut album, “Louder,” was released in 2014 and included a song dedicated to Monteith called “If You Say So.” The couple reportedly started dating in 2012 until his death in July 2013.

“Listening to it, it’s therapeutic and difficult,” Michele told Billboard of the emotional track. “It will always represent the most devastating thing that’s ever happened to me in my whole life.”

Michele also remains good friends with “Glee” costar Darren Criss, and the two embarked on a joint tour in 2018 called the LM/DC Tour.

In addition to music, Michele also released two books, New York Times Bestseller “Brunette Ambition” (released in 2014) and “You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life” (which came out in 2015).

On the acting front, the 32-year-old starred as antagonist Hester Ulrich on “Scream Queens,” which was created by Ryan Murphy. She also played a political advisor named Valentina Barella on the short-lived ABC comedy series called “The Mayor.”

In March 2019, Michele married Zandy Reich, who’s the president of the clothing brand AYR. The actress met Reich at her best friend’s wedding and they went public with their relationship in July 2017.

Chris Colfer portrayed Kurt Hummel, one of the school’s most fashionable and talented students who was able to hit high notes.

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Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel on “Glee.”

source

Fox

After graduating high school, he attended the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts (NYADA) with Rachel.

Colfer is now the author of a best-selling book series called “The Land of Stories.”

The Golden Globe winner released six books as part of the series. In March 2019, Colfer revealed a new book series called “A Tale of Magic.”

Colfer has also appeared on “Hot in Cleveland,” “Julie’s Greenroom,” and “Chopped Junior” (on which he served as one of the judges).

Artie Abrams, played by Kevin McHale, joined New Directions because of a dare, but he came to enjoy being part of the club.

caption

Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams on “Glee.”

source

Fox

Artie went to film school and became a director.

After years, McHale will finally be releasing his debut solo EP called “Boy.”

The EP comes out on May 24, 2019. He gave fans a taste of his sound with the track “Help Me Now.”

Speaking to Out in March 2019, the 30-year-old said that during previous years when he hadn’t publicly confirmed his sexuality, he felt pressured to sing about girls or be “less specific” and avoid using pronouns in his lyrics.

“I’m singing about guys so I’m going to talk about guys,” McHale told Out. “I was so unhappy with what I was doing before that whenever I’d think about putting out music again, that’s what would happen. I allowed myself to write and sing freely and these songs came out.”

In addition, McHale co-created an app called +ONE, designed to make it easier for friends to make plans and meet up.

He’s also up for a “Glee” reunion.

“I was talking about it with Amber Riley a couple [of] weeks ago and she said it would be fun,” McHale told People. “She tried to put one together a couple [of] years ago and it didn’t work out. It would be fun to do it and raise money for charity and do a one-off concert.”

Naya Rivera played a Cheerio and New Directions member named Santana Lopez.

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Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez on “Glee.”

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Fox

She married Brittany during season six.

Rivera still acts, but she’s also an author and a mother.

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Naya Rivera in Beverly Hills, California in May 2019.

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Tasia Wells/Getty Images

Most recently, Rivera starred as Collette Jones on YouTube premium’s “Step Up: High Water,” a spin-off of the “Step Up” franchise. She also guest-starred on “Devious Maids” and “American Dad!” and was a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2017.

Rivera welcomed a son named Josey Hollis Dorsey with then-husband Ryan Dorsey in September 2015. The couple got married in Mexico in 2014 but had a messy split in the years following.

In November 2016, Rivera filed for divorce from Dorsey. The following year, she reportedly filed a request to dismiss the divorce. In November 2017, Rivera filed for divorce again after an altercation that resulted in the actress being arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery. The charges were later dropped.

Rivera and Dorsey’s divorce was finalized in June 2018 and the two stars have joint custody of their son.

In her 2016 memoir titled “Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up,” Rivera shared surprising revelations about her personal life and her time on “Glee.” Rivera said that she had an abortion after her breakup with Dorsey (the two previously dated before splitting and rekindling their relationship years later) and showed up to the set of “Glee” the next day to continue working.

She also opened up about her past struggles with anorexia, her friendship with Monteith, and her relationship with costar and ex Mark Salling.

Jenna Ushkowitz starred as Tina Cohen-Chang, one of the original members of New Directions.

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Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang on “Glee.”

source

Fox

Tina was chosen as the prom queen on season five. By the show’s end, she became an actress and starred in one of Artie’s movies.

Ushkowitz launched a podcast called “Showmance” with “Glee” costar McHale.

caption

Jenna Ushkowitz in Los Angeles in November 2018.

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Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Some “Glee” alum, like Colfer and Amber Riley, have appeared as guests on the podcast. Ushkowitz also had a cameo in Katy Perry’s 2017 music video for “Swish Swish.”

The 33-year-old has a successful theater background, too. In 2016, she starred as Dawn in a Broadway production of “Waitress.” In 2018, “Once on This Island,” which she co-produced, won a Tony Award for best revival of a musical.

Ushkowitz also co-wrote a book released in 2013 titled “Choosing Glee: 10 Rules to Finding Inspiration, Happiness, and the Real You.”

Amber Riley played Mercedes Jones, a confident New Directions member with an impressive vocal range.

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Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones on “Glee.”

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Fox

Mercedes went on to join a record label and earn a spot as the opening act for Beyoncé’s world tour.

Riley appeared in the 2018 comedy “Nobody’s Fool,” which starred Tiffany Haddish.

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Amber Riley in New York City in October 2018.

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Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images

Riley also guest-starred on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” starred in a holiday movie called “One Christmas Wish,” and portrayed Addapearle in “The Wiz Live!” From 2016 to 2017, she starred as Effie White in a West End production of “Dreamgirls.”

Riley also won season 17 of “Dancing With the Stars” in 2013 with Derek Hough.

In 2019, she reunited with “Glee” costars Ushkowitz, Harry Shum Jr., Heather Morris, and Becca Tobin for an episode of the TBS show “Drop the Mic.”

Heather Morris starred as Brittany Pierce, another Cheerio.

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Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce on “Glee.”

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Fox

She seemed to be lacking in common sense, but excelled at math and was called a “mathematical genius.”

These days, Morris keeps busy with acting and dancing.

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Heather Morris in October 2018.

source

Steve Granitz/WireImage via Getty Images.

Morris, a dancer who toured with Beyoncé prior to joining “Glee,” competed on season 24 of “Dancing With the Stars” with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

In May 2015, Morris married longtime boyfriend Taylor Hubbel in Topanga, California. The couple has two sons, Elijah (born in 2013) and Owen (born in 2016).

Mark Salling played Noah “Puck” Puckerman, who started off as a jock and bully at McKinley.

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Mark Salling as Noah “Puck” Puckerman on “Glee.”

source

Fox

He welcomed a daughter named Beth with Quinn Fabray during season one.

Salling committed suicide in January 2018 at the age of 35.

Salling died of asphyxia by hanging. He was originally scheduled to be sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography.

In 2017, the actor pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography that involved a prepubescent minor. The LAPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit also obtained a search warrant and found more than 50,000 images of child porn on his computer and flash drive. Salling was also required to register as a sex offender and was expected to serve four to seven years in prison.

Harry Shum Jr. showed off his smooth dance moves as Mike Chang.

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Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang on “Glee.”

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Fox

Mike had a passion for dancing, but his father wanted him to focus on academics.

Shum Jr. starred as warlock Magnus Bane on Freeform’s “Shadowhunters.”

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Harry Shum Jr. in February 2019.

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Jim Spellman/Getty Images

The show, based on a book series from Cassandra Clare, came to an end in May 2019 after three seasons. He won a People’s Choice Award in 2018 for favorite male TV actor for his role on the fantasy series.

Shum Jr. also starred as Charlie Wu in the hit 2018 movie “Crazy Rich Asians.”

In November 2015, the actor and dancer married Shelby Rabara. The couple revealed the birth of their first child together, a daughter named Xia, with a sweet black-and-white photo shared on social media in late March 2019.

Chord Overstreet joined “Glee” during season two as a transfer student named Sam Evans.

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Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans on “Glee.”

source

Fox

On the series finale, Sam became the new teacher of New Directions.

Chord Overstreet is primarily focused on his music career.

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Chord Overstreet in Beverly Hills, California in November 2018.

source

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Michael Kors

After getting signed to a record label co-founded by Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas, Overstreet appeared as the opening act for a few shows as part of their 2016 Future Now Tour. He appears in Jonas’ music video for “Bacon,” too.

Since that tour, he’s released an EP titled “Tree House Tapes” and a few singles: “Hold On,” “Wasted Time,” and “Carried Away.”

In 2019, he released another new song called “All Nighter.”

The 30-year-old actor also had a brief romance with “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson. The two never commented on their relationship, but they were photographed showing PDA in 2018.

Darren Criss starred as Blaine Anderson, a member of the Dalton Academy Warblers who later transferred to McKinley.

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Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson on “Glee.”

source

Fox

He married Kurt during season six and Rachel became their surrogate mother.

Criss’ portrayal of Andrew Cunanan on “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” earned him an Emmy, a SAG Award, and a Golden Globe.

In addition to guest-starring as the Music Meister on a crossover episode for “The Flash” and “Supergirl,” the 32-year-old co-founded a musical festival called Elsie Fest, which features a variety of talented musicians.

Criss briefly starred as J. Pierrepont Finch in the Broadway show “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 2011. He returned to Broadway three years later to star as the titular character of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”

In 2017, Criss created a pop duo called Computer Grames with his brother, Chuck Criss. They released a four-track EP that year titled “Lost Boys Life.” Criss also released a solo EP in 2017 called “Homework.”

Criss married his longtime girlfriend, Mia Swier, in New Orleans, Louisiana in February 2019. They were joined by Criss’ “Glee” costars, too.

Dianna Agron played a popular cheerleader named Quinn Fabray.

caption

Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray on “Glee.”

source

Fox

She was also the president of the celibacy club. Quinn’s daughter was adopted by Rachel’s biological mom, Shelby Corcoran.

Agron has mainly appeared in movies since “Glee” ended.

Her credits include “The Crash,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and “Berlin, I Love You.”

Aside from acting, Agron has also been a supporter of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for several years. In 2016, she traveled to Austria to meet with refugees. She also met Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Agron has been married to Mumford & Sons member Winston Marshall since October 2016.

The post WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of ‘Glee’ 10 years later, Defence Online appeared first on Defence Online.

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[financeandtechnology]

Bitcoins and the Blockchain

I never thought a first day at an internship could have such an impact on me. The team allowed me to sit in on a client meeting and gain an understanding of intellectual property law and how they enable entrepreneurs and start-ups through low cost overhead and competitive pricing. Through this experience, I learned about digital currencies and how they are traded.

The client wanted to patent this type of algorithmic idea that would pay people who like and share content in the form of digital currency, or crypto currency. These currencies can be exchanged like stocks, sort of (I will get to this later in the post). This presents a way to overcome the problem of discovery. In the early 1990s, the Internet was a small, primitive platform with only a handful of websites. However, the Internet and its content grew at an exponential rate past what people could really conceive in real time. So, the client looked at how Google and other search engines first solved this problem of discovery. He, then, analyzed Facebook and their approach in overcoming this problem. I am not allowed to get into his idea too much for confidentiality reasons, but I will explain bitcoins and crypto currencies. 

A bitcoin is a form of new currency that was created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. These online transactions are made without no middle man, which means no banks. There are no transaction fees and you do not have to provide your real name. This man’s idea cracked a problem that had stumped cryptographers for years. The idea of digital money, both convenient and untraceable, had been a hot topic since the birth of the Internet. Some innovators tried, but none could get their feet off the ground. 

One of the core challenges of designing a digital currency involves the “double-spending” problem. If a digital dollar is just information, the problem is preventing people from copying and pasting it as easily as a chunk of text, “spending” it as many times as they want. The answer to this issue involved using a central clearinghouse to keep a real-time ledger of all transactions - ensuring that, if someone spends his last digital dollar, he cannot then spend it again. The ledger prevents fraud, but it also requires a third party to administer it. 

Bitcoin did away with this third party by publicly distributing the ledger, which Nakamoto called the “block chain.” Users willing to devote CPU power to running a special piece of software would be called miners and would form a network to maintain the block chain collectively. In the process, they would also generate new currency. Transactions would be broadcast to the network, and computers running the software would compete to solve irreversible cryptographic puzzles that contain data from several transactions. The first miner to solve each puzzle would be awarded 50 new bitcoins, and the associated block of transactions would be added to the chain. The difficulty of each puzzle would increase as the number of miners increased, which would keep production to one block of transactions roughly every 10 minutes. In addition, the size of each block bounty would halve every 210,000 blocks—first from 50 bitcoins to 25, then from 25 to 12.5, and so on. Around the year 2140, the currency would reach its preordained limit of 21 million bitcoins.

Bitcoins can be used to buy merchandise anonymously. In addition, international payments are easy and cheap because bitcoins are not tied to any country or subject to regulation. Small businesses may like them because there are no credit card fees. Some people just buy bitcoins as an investment, hoping that they’ll go up in value. Bitcoins can be stored in a variety of places—from a “wallet” on a desktop computer to a centralized service in the cloud.

Two twins recently proposed creating an exchange-traded fund based on Bitcoin (BTC) to the SEC, but it was shot down due to the SEC’s concerns about manipulation and other issues. The 30th of this month, another investment group called SolidX is proposing an ETF for BTC as well, so investors are eager to see what will happen. An ETF based on BTC would be incredibly volatile and hot. 

Bitcoin is certainly fairly new, so it is definitely volatile, but so many other countries are using it, and the amount of people buying and selling it is incredible. Even though anyone can make a crypto, this does not devalue BTC at all. BTC is regarded as the strongest crypto and it always will be if the way of obtaining them does not change. Each crypto almost operates independently of one another in terms of value. BTC was first, so it managed to get integrated pretty deeply into people’s lives, hence why it will hold its value. It definitely suffers from manipulation, and a lot of skepticism follows it. Markets are all about psychology, and you cannot have people scared about it or it just will not catch on. 

For this new currency, a primitive and unregulated financial-services industry began to develop. Online “wallet services” promised to safeguard clients’ digital assets. Exchanges allowed anyone to trade bitcoins for dollars or other currencies. Bitcoin itself might have been decentralized, but users were now blindly entrusting increasing amounts of currency to third parties, which were most likely not more secure than federally insured institutions. Most were Internet storefronts, run by anyone willing to operate a storefront.

Sure enough, as the price headed upward, disturbing events began to bedevil the bitcoiners. In mid-June, someone calling himself Allinvain reported that 25,000 bitcoins worth more than $500,000 had been stolen from his computer. About a week later, a hacker pulled off an ingenious attack on a Tokyo-based exchange site called Mt. Gox, which handled 90 percent of all bitcoin exchange transactions. Mt. Gox restricted account withdrawals to $1,000 worth of bitcoins per day (at the time of the attack, roughly 35 bitcoins). After he broke into Mt. Gox’s system, the hacker simulated a massive sell-off, driving the exchange rate to zero and letting him withdraw potentially tens of thousands of other people’s bitcoins.

As it happened, market forces conspired to thwart the scheme. The price plummeted, but as speculators flocked to take advantage of the fire sale, they quickly drove it back up, limiting the thief’s haul to only around 2,000 bitcoins. The exchange ceased operations for a week and rolled back the postcrash transactions, but the damage had been done; the bitcoin never got back above $17. Within a month, Mt. Gox had lost 10 percent of its market share to a Chile-based upstart named TradeHill. Most significantly, the incident had shaken the confidence of the community and inspired loads of bad press.

Bitcoin has risen exponentially, but fallen dramatically. The underlying vulnerabilities that led to bitcoin’s troubles—its dependence on unregulated, centralized exchanges and online wallets—persist. Indeed, the bulk of mining is now concentrated in a handful of huge mining pools, which theoretically could hijack the entire network if they worked in concert.

Beyond the most hardcore users, skepticism has only increased. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman wrote that the currency’s tendency to fluctuate has encouraged hoarding. Stefan Brands, a former ecash consultant and digital currency pioneer, calls bitcoin “clever” and is unwilling to bash it but believes it is structured like “a pyramid scheme” that rewards early adopters. “I think the big problems are ultimately the trust issues,” he says. “There’s nothing there to back it up. I know the counterargument, that that’s true of fiat money, too, but that’s completely wrong. There’s a whole trust fabric that’s been established through legal mechanisms.”

It will be interesting to watch the development of digital currency and analyzing the makret for BTC is the best place to start. As I continue to intern and through my Summer Analyst position at JP Morgan Chase & Co., I will update this blog with more content about financial markets, mostly focusing on digital currency and trading. 

[etiasvisaschengen]

10 Best Cities to Visit in Europe with an ETIAS Visa Waiver

Have you ever wondered what it’s like in other cities besides the one you live in now? In Europe, city life is definitely something else. The best cities in Europe are like nowhere else, boasting cool art, unique buildings, patches of landscaped greenery, preserved historical sites, and lovely people. But with so many countries across Europe that you could visit, it’s almost impossible to choose which one to go to first.

A lot of cities in Europe make great destinations to explore the rich culture of the countries they’re from. If you’ve got plans to see a lot of them scattered across Schengen areas in 2021, then you’d have to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver. This allows you to visit many of them within 90 days. So make the most of it and visit 10 of the best cities in Europe listed below.

  10 Best Cities to Explore in Europe

  Modern Cities

From charming architecture to mind blowing art, these modern cities reflect the incredible modern pop culture that European countries have.  

1. Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Modern architecture is on a whole other level when you visit the city of Rotterdam. The buildings look almost like they’ve come straight out of a futuristic cartoon that you sometimes forget what reality looks like.

Points of Interest:

Cube House

Market Hall

Rotterdam Centraal Station

Erasmus Bridge

2. Gothenburg, Sweden

Modern art is not just displayed in museums here in Gothenburg. Street art is scattered across this city, giving life and color to the old-style architecture of most buildings here.

Points of Interest:

The Gothenburg Museum of Art (Goteborgs Konstmuseum)

Feskekörka: The Fish Market

Haga

3. Oslo, Norway

Oslo definitely has its own charm to it, surrounded by green scapes and a mix of old and modern architecture. As the capital of Norway, Oslo is definitely a large city filled with different parts that contribute to its appeal.

Points of Interest:

Aker Brygge

Viking Ship Museum

The Royal Palace

Oslo Opera House

4. Prague, Czech Republic

Prague at a glance would look like a well-preserved city of old and intricately crafted buildings. But going deeper in this city, you’d find a mix of stunning modern and creative architecture that stands out from the side of the street.

Points of Interest:

Dancing House

Municipal House

Prague Castle

Old Town Square 

5. Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is a laid-back city surrounded by water and colorful buildings. It’s also full of attractions, which means you’d never really run out of things to do here.

Points of Interest:

Tivoli Gardens

Nyhavn

The Round Tower

Historical Cities

Travel back in time by visiting these European countries that preserved their culture and heritage throughout the years. 

6. Athens, Greece

If you want a glimpse of the glory that Greece once possessed in earlier centuries, then visiting Athens would make you feel like you were actually there. This stone pathed city has kept the history alive, with several heritage sites protected under UNESCO.

 Points of Interest:

Parthenon

Mount Lycabettus

Theatre of Dionysus

Acropolis of Athens

7. Matera, Italy

With not a skyscraper in sight, the city of Matera in Southern Italy is full of stone buildings and stone residences. The landscapes here are absolutely stunning, being one of the oldest inhabited settlements in history. 

 Points of Interest:

Sassi di Matera

Crypt of Original Sin

Grotta dei Pipistrelli e Grotta Funeraria

8. Plovdiv, Bulgaria

This ancient city happens to be the second-largest city in Bulgaria built around 7 hills. Mixed with some modern architecture, Plovdiv still maintains its heritage sites and was named a cultural capital in Europe.

Points of Interest:

Plovdiv Roman Stadium

Ancient Theater of Philippopolis

Great Basilica

9. Seville, Spain

Seville is part of the top-visited countries of 2019, and it’s not hard to tell why. Its intricate architecture is a mix of old and new, which will leave you in total awe.

Points of Interest:

Royal Alcázar of Seville

Plaza de Espana

Metropol Parasol 

10. Sintra, Portugal

Sintra is a town near Lisbon that has preserved its gothic castles. There are tons of hidden historical treasures in this city, all of which feel very much like a fairytale.

Points of Interest:

Quinta da Regaleira

Sintra-Cascais Natural Park

Sintra Mountains  

Travel Tips: How to Make the Most of Your European City Travels

Ride a Bike

Driving around in a car wouldn’t give you the chance to see the city in full view. But with many places to see and not enough time to see it, you’d be burning daylight if you decide to walk. The best way to get around for a full tour is to rent a bike or scooter around these cities. That way, you’d get to places faster but still get a proper feel of the city.

Visit the Local Markets

They say you really get to know the community of a certain city by exploring its markets. Here, you’d get to see the delicacies that the city is rich in and what the locals enjoy.

Make an Itinerary

The good places are scattered around the city, so you need a guide that will tell you the places you want to see and the ways to get there. Create an itinerary of everything you want to see and experience so you don’t miss out on all the things you want to do.

Experience the Nightlife

Modern cities in Europe are famous for their nightlife, so it would be a waste not to try it out at least once. Expect lively parties and pubs full of Europeans that definitely know how to have fun.

Attend an Event

Whether it’s an art exhibit of an artist you don’t know, a concert of a musician you’ve never heard of, or a play in a language you don’t speak, it’s still worth your time going to an event just to mingle with the people there. Just make sure you don’t crash an invite-only gathering!

  It’s mind boggling to think that there are actual people that live in these stunning cities. The sceneries and landmarks make these cities seem almost unreal. Luckily, with a bit of a budget and an adventurous spirit, you can take off and see these unbelievable places for yourself.

ALSO READ: Everything You Need to Know About Oporto, the Portuguese City of Wine

Creating a city-hop itinerary by the year 2021? Then you out to know that by then, the European Travel Information and Authorization System or ETIAS will come into play for visa-exempt countries like the US. The process is done online and is quite simple. Etiasvisaschengen.com visa assistance service that provides up-to-date information about the ETIAS scheme, so if you want to know more about this, then you can head over to our main page to find out more. Or if you have any other concerns in regard to European travel, then you can contact us for any help you may need.

Check out our news page for more interesting content.

The post 10 Best Cities to Visit in Europe with an ETIAS Visa Waiver appeared first on ETIAS VISA Schengen.

Article source here: 10 Best Cities to Visit in Europe with an ETIAS Visa Waiver

[wikitopx]

Not quite a city and not quite a town, the Woodlands is a master-planned community, in Texas.

In the 2000s, it was nearly incorporated as part of Houston, Texas, but successfully resisted. Now, the Woodlands is a growing commercial hub, but also a green sanctuary that gives meaning to its name. Read on to learn about 10 of the many interesting activities, for the whole family, in the Woodlands.

1. Take part in a race

One way for every member of the family to bond, while in the Woodlands, could be to take part in a running or walking event together. The Woodlands hosts a number of activities yearly, with different levels of difficulty. A great option is the GE Run Thru the Woods on Thanksgiving, a 20-year old event, which features one-mile (1.6 km), three-mile (4.8 km), or five-mile (8 km) events. Not only do you get to see the beautiful scenery of the Woodlands up close, but you can also contribute something to the community.

Participants are asked to bring food items with them on the morning of the event, for donation to local food bank. Feel free to also dress as a turkey for this race! Other races catered specially for kids in the Woodlands includes the One for Texas (a simple one-mile / 1.6 km event), the YMCA Kids Triathlon, or the Little Muddy Kid’s Fun Run.

2. Visit a rodeo and livestock show

Be sure to catch cowboys and cowgirls alike, competing in a rodeo which attracts more than 2.5 million people, yearly. Nearby, in Houston, there is also a livestock show, which aims to teach visitors about animals and agricultural practices, through live presentations and displays. To top the festivities off, you can even catch performances from a huge variety of musicians and performers. Headliners for previous rodeos have included the amazing Alicia Keys and Blink 182. This is an attraction you definitely can’t miss!

3. Learn to play roller hockey

The whole family will have a blast at the Houston Premier Sportsplex. At 170 by 70 feet (51.8 by 21.3 metres) in size, this humongous space will give beginners room to try out the sport recreationally and the more experienced players a chance to advance their skills. If you’re feeling competitive, the centre also features drop-in hockey scrimmages. For those not so interested in roller hockey, the centre also offers soccer, indoor lacrosse, dodge ball, and other sporting activities.

4. Visit a dog park

Let’s not forget about the families with a furry member of their own. The Woodlands is a relatively dog-friendly city, with five major dog parks. Cattail Park, in particular, is a popular choice for socializing amongst families and their pets. Its range of human-friendly facilities includes a large playground and even two tennis courts.

Meanwhile, canine-friendly Bear Branch Park also features an impressive skate park, with props like rails, ramps, and benches, for you to pull off some crazy tricks. Before making a visit, however, do take note of the various park rules, requiring pets to be vaccinated and to clean up after your pet and so on.

5. Hit the shops at the Woodlands Mall

With around 160 stores to cover at the Woodlands Mall, you’ll be relieved to know that the complex is open from 10 am all the way to 9 pm. The extensive range of fashion outlets, at different price points, includes the Banana Republic, Coach, and Forever 21. Even the younger members of the family will be entertained, with attractions like the Build-A-Bear Workshop, where you can customize your new fuzzy friend, with its own signature scent and outfit. With all the walking to be done, give your feet a rest at Carlo’s Bakery or Starbucks and you will surely be refreshed for another round.

6. Take a trolley or cruiser ride

If you are near the Woodlands Mall, hop aboard the Woodlands Waterway Trolley or the Woodlands Waterway Cruiser, for a fun, free and informative tour. Rides are available from 11 am to 8 pm every day, passing the Woodlands’ key shopping areas, hotels, parks, gardens, and a lake. The route is especially picturesque during the Christmas season.

7. Feast on a perfectly done steak

If you crave a steak while in the Woodlands, you are in luck! The Woodlands is home to a number of outstanding steakhouses. Fine dining establishments, like Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille and Kirby’s Prime Steakhouse, boast tender and flavourful steaks, with special menus for kids. Robard’s Steakhouse is also highly rated for its prime steaks and happy hour promotions, with discounts on beer, wine, and cocktails.

8. Feed yourself at a farmers market

Feel great feeding yourself at the Woodlands Farmers Market at Grogan’s Mill, while contributing to the community. Part of the profits are returned to the Woodlands’ community, through various charity programs, including a scheme to provide scholarships to residents. Open every Saturday, from 8 am to 12 pm, the Farmers Market is a great option for families to pick up some handicrafts, wholesome, fresh groceries, a hearty brunch, and introduce the kids to the locally-grown produce.

9. Enjoy live music in the park

Northshore Park, in the Woodlands, is famous for its fabulous picnics on Sundays, where you can sit back on a mat or lawn chair and enjoy free live music, under the sun. A whole variety of musical acts means there will be someone for everyone. In fact, there are concerts here featuring music from the 50’s all the way to the 90’s, country, jazz, classic rock and more.

Plenty of activities for kids are also available (and space for them to race around). In fact, a fair is even held at the start of every summer, showcasing the different summer camps which will be available for the year.

10. Cool off at a water park

To combat its hot summers, there are more than ten pools and water parks located across the Woodlands. Some are more intimate and nestled in the pocket of a bigger park, while others form large complexes of their own. Kids will love the Ridgewood Pool at Panther Creek, with its tumbling buckets and huge water sprayers. Don’t miss the Rob Fleming Aquatic Center either, which has an enormous 150-gallon (567.8 litre) dump bucket, for really epic splashing.

For the more adventurous, the pool at Falconwing Park boasts diving boards, while Forestgate Park has a thrilling 103-foot (31.4 metre) slide. Let out your inner Ninja Warrior!

Read also: Top 10 things to do in Veszprem, Hungary

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-woodlands-texas-705220.html

[newyorktheater]

  The city has announced plans  to build a performing arts center dedicated to Immigrants. The proposed Immigrant Research and Performing Arts Center will go up in Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood in Manhattan

Meanwhile, Waterwell theater company and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition launched the  Flores Exhibits, now available online, part of a national campaign to establish legal protections for immigrant children held in U.S. government facilities. Named after the  1997 Flores Settlement Agreement that set a limit on the length of time a child can be detained — an agreement that the Trump Administration wants to rescind — the exhibits are a series of videos read by about a dozen actors from David Schwimmer to Elizabeth Rodriguez and theater artists such as playwright David Henry Hwang and costume designer Clint Ramos, along with  lawyers and advocates. They each read aloud the sworn testimony of experts and also of young people detained at the Clint and Ursula border detention facilities that were collected in June of this year by a team of immigration lawyers.

“Many of the detainees were teen mothers, already being exposed to tremendous trauma in their home countries,” Kathleen Chalfant reads the testimony of  pediatrician Dr. Dolly Lucio Sevier, who examined the detainees…The conditions in which they are being held could be compared to torture facilities….extreme cold temperatures, lights on 24 hours a day, no access to medical care, basic sanitation, water or adequate food….To deny parents the ability to wash their infant’s bottles is unconscionable, and could be considered intentional mental and emotional abuse.”

Scene at Broadway Flea Market

Celebs like Brandon Uranowitz waiting to serve their Selfie duty

Adam Cohen, who plays the rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, baked cookies for the Fiddler table. Notice the clever brown paper poster behind him.

Staffing The Lion King booth at the Broadway flea is Local 1 stage hand Nick Liotta, who made up his own Lion King stage hand T-shirt

flea crowd

auctioning

swag from Roundabout

child buskers

a collage of The Cher Show by the entire cast, auctioned off for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS

Broadway Live on Netflix and Audible and…

currently on Netflix

Thoughts on the new era of Broadway streaming on the occasion of the death of Betty Corwin, 98, the founder of Theater on Tape and Film (TOFT) at the Lincoln Center library.

. @MrJasonRBrown‘s 2008 musical “13” will be adapted as a family film for @Netflix by @rhorn1 (Tony-winning book writer for @TootsieMusical.) Added to my post about the evolution of Broadway stage-to- stream (@Netflix, @Audible, @BroadwayHD etc)https://t.co/xkhtfpiNV6 pic.twitter.com/uK97JPc4Ni

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 21, 2019

  The Week in New York Theater Reviews

Dimitri Moise and Brandon Gill. Photo by Gioncarlo Valentine.

As Much As I Can

“As Much As I Can,” a show that illustrates the continuing AIDS crisis among African-American men, exists on two different planes, which are not in complete alignment with one another. It is a work of theater, running for just five days at Joe’s Pub (two final performances this evening.) The 14-member cast is largely comprised of professional New York stage actors.

But it is also an effort at outreach. The script, credited to Sarah Hall, is based on interviews with hundreds of men in two communities hard hit by HIV — Baltimore, Maryland and Jackson, Mississippi

Ken Barnett, Justin Genna

Novenas for a Lost Hospital

How do people care for one another in dangerous times? That’s the still-relevant question underlying this beautiful, sad, enraging, uplifting, and awesomely staged theater piece that sweeps through the 161-year history of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village, dwelling on two traumatic periods – the cholera epidemic, during which four nuns from the Sisters of Charity founded the hospital in 1849, and the AIDS epidemic that surrounded it in the 1980s and 90s….There are many personal reasons why I considered “Novenas” a must-see…

Madelyn Rose Robinson, Susan Ly, Mirra Kardonne, Alice Marcondes, Drita Kabashi, Ana Semedo, Macy Lanceta, Sophia Aranda, Zoe Zimin | Photo by Hunter Canning

The Invention of Tragedy

“The Invention of Tragedy,” a 70-minute excursion into a puzzling world of word play, cat ears, and synchronized neon footwear, is the third of the five plays in the Mac Wellman festival at The Flea. What I like best about it is the title. This would not be the work I would personally choose as the ideal introduction for a first-time Wellman watcher. Yet there are three ways of looking at “The Invention of Tragedy” that offer some satisfactions – as a political parable, as a metaphor for Western theater,  or as entertaining nonsense full of such surface pleasures as colorful design, pleasing music and an appealing cast.

Book: Discovering the Clown

Christopher Bayes, founder of the Funny School of Good Acting in Brooklyn and professor and head of physical acting at the Yale School of Drama,…offers  many zany Zen-like observations and instructions in “Discovering the Clown,” a brief, off-beat book that attempts to translate Bayes’ teaching to the printed page, but is more effective as a tease for his classes.

entrance to the exhibition

The “Theatre is a Gamble” roulette wheel that Prince’s associate producer Ruth Mitchell created for him as a gift in 1998, with the names of his shows.

Michael Bennett, Ruth Mitchell and Harold Prince during rehearsals for the stage production Company, around 1970.

Exhibition: Harold Prince at Lincoln Center Library

The Week in Awards

New York Independent Theater Awards

Multiple-winning shows include “Eight Tales of Pedro” by The Secret Theater; “Shinka” by Ren Gyo Soh, “Electronic City” by New Stage Theatre Company. Special awards went to Magie Dominic, one of the founding members of the Off-Off Broadway movement; playwright Barbara Kahn; La MaMa curator and long-time downtown figure Nicky Paraiso,  and TOSOS – The Other Side of Silence, the first professional gay theatre company in NY

Broadway at the Emmys: Billy Porter wins 

Billy Porter is now an O away from an EGOT.

— Mark Peikert (@MarkPeikert) September 23, 2019

Celebrate @theebillyporter‘s big five-o today by rewatching his AMAZING karaoke of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” during a #TonyAwards commercial break – captured by @JKCorden & @latelateshow. Happy birthday to a Tony Award-winning #Broadway superstar! https://t.co/4QahcPrmy1

— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) September 21, 2019

74th Annual Tony Awards will be held once again at Radio City Music Hall —  on Sunday, June 7, 2020. The eligibility cut-off date will be Thursday, April 23, 2020 — earlier than in the past (which may mean a very crowded schedule of openings.) Nominations will be announced April 28th.

LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Leslie Uggams at the 9th annual Salute Her Awards

Black women of Broadway were honored at the 9th annual Salute Her awards:  Leslie Uggams (Legend Award), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Director’s Award), Lynn Nottage (International Playwright Award), Alia Jones-Harvey (Broadway Producer Award), Dominique Morisseau (Playwright Award), Dr. Indira Etwaroo(Theater Community Award), Cookie Jordan (Woman of Style Award), Linda Stewart (Trailblazer Award).

The Week in New York Theater News

NYC Off-Broadway Week

Beginning today, 33 participating shows, 19 of which are new to the program this season, offer 2-for-1 performances through October 6

Added to my Broadway 2019-2020 Season Guide

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” the fifth Broadway production of Albee’s 1962 play about George and Martha (& Nick and Honey) w/ Rupert Everett, Laurie Metcalf, Patsy Ferran, Russell Tovey. It opens April 9th at the Booth

Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell will star in the fourth Broadway production of David Mamet’s rat-a-tat 1977 play about three low-level crooks conjuring up a get-rich-quick scheme. It opens April 14, though no theater yet (nor website nor Twitter!)

This apparently takes up the slot planned by the same producers for the all-female production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glenn Ross? Its producers say it has been delayed until the 2020-2021 season.

Sara Holdren is leaving her post as the theater critic at New York Magazine in early October to go back to directing.  She was hired in July 2017.

Top 14 Most Produced Plays in 2019-2020…and 22 most produced playwrights in America

“A Doll’s House, Part 2” by Lucas Hnath and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens have tied as the most produced plays scheduled for the 2019-2020 season, according to the annual compilation of Top 10 Most Produced by American Theatre Magazine.

Tony Kushner at the Public

Cast for Public Theater’s revival of Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day: Michael Esper, Grace Gummer, Nikki James, Crystal Lucas-Perry, Mark Margolis, Nadine Malouf, Michael Urie, Max Woertendyke added to the previously announced Linda Emond, Jonathan Hadary, Estelle Parsons.

Quincy Tyler Bernstine

Sean Carvajal

Liza Colon Zayas

Playwright Stephen Adly Gurigis

Terrific cast announced for Stephen Adly Guirgis’s new play “Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven” at Atlantic: Victor Almanzar, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Elizabeth Canavan, Sean Carvajal, Molly Collier, Liza Colón-Zayas, Esteban Cruz, Greg Keller, Kristina Poe, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, Andrea Syglowski, Benja Kay Thomas, Pernell Walker, and Kara Young.

Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly

What a pairing – playwright Young Jean Lee and director/choreographer Raja Feather Kelly in a new production of Lee’s rock concert/confessional “We’re Gonna Die” performed by Janelle Mcdormeth at Second Stages Feb 4 – March 29

Full schedule of plays-in-progress, panels and a party, etc. at @segalcenter‘s #Prelude2019 Oct 3 – 5 mostly at @GC_CUNYhttps://t.co/luZQtHekG5 pic.twitter.com/RmXVJH62uS

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 16, 2019

The difference between principals, swings and standbys

Scenes at Broadway Flea. Immigrants Get Their Own Theater, and a Voice. Billy Porter Wins at 50. #Stageworthy News of the Week The city has announced plans  to build a performing arts center dedicated to Immigrants. The proposed Immigrant Research and Performing Arts Center will go up in Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood in Manhattan…