#ty brainstorming session of today...

[aegonslover]

i will post aegon x oc here... SOON...... i prommy.....

[harmonicakai]

Like Real People Do

Pairing: Gyuvin x Reader

Summary: You find yourself falling for the cute boy whose writing assignments you proofread, and discover that your lives have been intertwined for longer than you thought.

Tropes: tutor!reader, basketball player!gyuvin, writers, soulmates, college AU, fluff

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: literally none it’s so cute

A/N: This is a formal apology for my Beomgyu angst <3

“And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?” —Invisible String, Taylor Swift

Gyuvin certainly doesn’t need any help with English, but it gives him a good excuse to spend time in between classes and basketball practice staring at you.

If anything, your talents would be better suited to helping one of his classmates understand all the old poems or crazy novels that they get assigned, but he’s the one who lucked out when your former professor suggested you read her most promising student’s work.

From the first draft, you were hooked, and had somehow started a writer’s circle where just the two of you meet weekly to share your works in progress. 

In no time, you’ve helped Gyuvin become one of the top students in Writing 101, and he’s worried you’ll notice that he’d be just fine if you stopped helping him. Still, the A’s keep rolling in and you keep meeting up with him anyway.

When Gyuvin’s latest short story gets nominated for a departmental prize, you’re over the moon for him.

“You are so amazing,” you smile up at him. “We should celebrate! That’s a really big deal. I was nominated last year, but didn’t come close to winning.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he points out, looking down at the ground and rubbing the back of his neck. “Really, Y/N. If I win, it would be just as much your prize as it would be mine.”

“Don’t be silly,” you say, packing up the rest of your lunch. You usually only see him in the library at your designated meeting time, but today, he sought you out in the courtyard to make sure you were the first person he told. “I’m just the editor. All of the ideas came from you. Plus, I’m only good at English because I grew up speaking it. It’s much more impressive for you to have learned it recently and write at the level that you do.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Y/N,” he replies, helping you up off your picnic blanket. Before you can do it yourself, he’s already reaching down to fold it, his long arms handling the fabric with ease. “You’d write circles around me any day.”

“I don’t want to get into another compliment war,” you giggle, swinging your backpack over your shoulder. Recently, it’s been filled with way too many books, and your classes are so jam-packed that you never have time to run back to your room in between them.

“Here, Y/N, let me,” he says, taking your backpack from you. He’s already got his own on, but he wears yours over his front, barely even flinching at the extra weight. “Where are you headed next? I’m done with my classes for the day, so I can walk you.”

He’s always been desperate to ask you to hang out outside of your brainstorming sessions, but every time he thinks he’s worked up the courage, you’ll laugh or smile or even just glance at him and his brain short circuits.

“I have a music class across campus in thirty minutes,” you reply. “Don’t you live the other way, though? You really don’t have to walk me. It’s pretty far.”

“I want to,” Gyuvin reassures you. He offers his hand. “Here. I walk pretty fast, so let’s make sure I don’t leave you behind.”

You hesitate for a moment before taking it. You’ve had a crush on Gyuvin ever since the two of you first crossed paths—he’s the literal embodiment of sunshine trapped inside a cute boy—but things have only ever been friendly between the two of you.

His hand is big, wrapping itself around yours almost entirely. The walk is silent, although you swear you can hear your heart about to beat out of your chest as you pull him along your usual route. Gyuvin makes sure to always let you lead.

“You know,” you start, still not looking back at him. “We’re kind of like Orpheus and Eurydice right now.”

Gyuvin lights up at the reference, with mythology being one of the first things you two really bonded over. “If you looked back at me, the only thing I’d probably die of is how cute you are, Y/N.”

You’re glad you’re turned away so he can’t see the bright blush that’s spread across your cheeks. His words get you so flustered that you don’t even notice you’ve stopped walking.

“Did I say something wrong?” Gyuvin asks, his voice laced with concern. He moves to face you, your height difference causing him to crane his neck down. Meanwhile, your gaze is locked on your shoes.

“Gyuvin,” you say, still refusing to meet his eye. You pull him over to a nearby bench. “Remember when I said I liked the love story you wrote the other day?”

“Yeah, I remember,” he confirms. “You complimented me on how realistic it was and I told you it was only because I based it off of real life.”

“Was it…” your words catch in your throat, unable to face the embarrassment of if you’re wrong. “Was it about us?”

“Yes,” he admits almost immediately. You finally turn to face him, greeted by a nervous look. “Listen, Y/N. I only wrote it because I knew you’d read it, and I thought maybe if you saw how good characters that were a lot like us could be together, you’d give me a chance in real life. But you didn’t really notice, or maybe you just wanted to ignore it, so I kind of abandoned all hope of us ever being together.”

You blink back at him. How could you be so oblivious? Your entire major was based on analyzing words, and you couldn’t even see that he wanted to be with you so badly that he had to write it into existence.

Words always come easy to you, except at this very moment.

“You abandoned all hope?” is all you can manage to get out. You try to pull your hand away, but he only grips it tighter.

“I tried,” Gyuvin says, his voice soft. “But you’re all I ever think about. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever be capable of writing someone who even comes close to how wonderful I think you are, Y/N. There just aren’t words to describe all the ways in which you’re special to me.”

You laugh, his words making tears well up in your eyes. “You know, I used to go to basketball games a lot before we even met, just so I wouldn’t have to feel so lonely all the time. And I remember liking your smile and the way you always encouraged your teammates. I would go home and wish I had someone like you in my life.”

“You’re kidding,” he says, taking out his wallet. You knit your brows in confusion, watching as he pulls out a small piece of paper and unfolds it. “Here.”

He hands it to you and your eyes widen at the words printed out. It’s the poem that you had published in the school’s literary magazine last spring about wanting to romanticize your life. Talking about your feelings makes you anxious, but nobody reads those publications. Except for Gyuvin, apparently.

“I liked you before we even met, too,” Gyuvin confesses. “Your poem is actually the reason I got into writing in the first place. I used to read it before all of my games, but I know all the words by heart now, so I just keep it in my wallet for good luck.”

This all feels too good to be true, but his touch keeps you grounded in reality.

“Maybe I should start coming to basketball games again, then,” you think out loud. “I stopped going because I felt awkward not knowing anybody.”

“Well, now you’d know me, and I’ll make sure the whole team gets to know you, too, okay?” The way he smiles at you, his eyes so full of light, takes your breath away.

“Really?” you ask, looking at him in disbelief. The thought of meeting so many new people at the same time scares you, but if Gyuvin likes them, you’re sure you will too.

“On one condition,” he says, closing the gap between the two of you. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his hand settling on your cheek. “I get to introduce you as my girlfriend.”

“Deal,” you grin, inching closer until your lips are pressed against his. You’re nervous that he’ll somehow figure out that you’ve only ever read about kissing in books, but the way he melts into you tells you that he doesn’t mind.

“You’re going to be late for class,” Gyuvin reminds you, pulling away. He desperately wants to keep going, but not at the expense of your grades.

“Class can wait,” you say, leaning in for another kiss. Your fingers lace themselves through his soft, messy hair. “I said we’d celebrate your nomination, so let’s celebrate.”

[brigade-group]

Benefits of Opting for Short-Term Rental of Office Spaces

In the dynamic landscape of modern business, flexibility is paramount. With ever-changing market conditions, evolving technology, and shifting workforce dynamics, companies need agile solutions to stay competitive. One such solution gaining popularity is the short-term rental of office spaces. Traditionally, businesses would commit to long-term leases, but the tide is turning as more companies recognize the numerous advantages that short-term rentals offer.

Cost-effectiveness: Opting for short-term office rentals can significantly reduce overhead costs compared to long-term leases. Rather than tying up capital in a fixed, long-term commitment, businesses can allocate resources more efficiently. Short-term rentals often come fully furnished and equipped, inspiring workplaces eliminating the need for upfront investments in office furniture and infrastructure. Additionally, companies can avoid expenses such as property maintenance, utilities, and taxes typically associated with long-term leases.

Flexibility: Flexibility is perhaps the most significant advantage of short-term office rentals. Businesses can scale up or downsize their office space according to their current needs without being bound by a lengthy lease agreement. Whether accommodating seasonal fluctuations, project-based teams, or unexpected growth spurts, short-term rentals offer the agility necessary to adapt quickly in today’s fast-paced business environment.

Location versatility: Short-term office rentals provide access to prime locations that may otherwise be out of reach for businesses with budget constraints or limited long-term commitments. This flexibility enables companies to establish a presence in desirable areas, closer to clients, partners, or talent pools, enhancing their brand image and operational efficiency.

Reduced administrative burden: Long-term leases often entail extensive administrative tasks, from negotiating contracts to managing maintenance issues. In contrast, short-term rentals streamline the process, allowing businesses to focus on their core activities. With shorter lease terms and fewer bureaucratic hurdles, companies can allocate resources towards strategic initiatives rather than administrative overhead.

Support for remote and distributed teams: In an era of remote work and distributed teams, short-term office rentals provide a physical workspace for employees to collaborate, innovate, and build camaraderie. While remote work offers flexibility, it also poses challenges in terms of team cohesion and productivity. Short-term office spaces serve as a hub where team members can come together periodically for meetings, workshops, and brainstorming sessions, fostering creativity and synergy.

Testing new markets: For businesses exploring expansion into new markets or launching pilot projects, short-term office rentals offer a low-risk entry strategy. Instead of committing to long-term leases in unfamiliar territories, companies can test the waters with short-term rentals. This allows them to assess market demand, establish local networks, and refine their strategies before making more significant investments.

Scalability: Whether scaling up or downsizing, short-term office rentals provide the flexibility to adjust workspace requirements rapidly. Companies experiencing rapid growth can quickly expand their footprint without the constraints of long-term leases. Conversely, during periods of contraction or restructuring, businesses can downsize their office space without incurring hefty penalties or lease renegotiations.

Access to amenities and services: Short-term office rentals often come with access to amenities and services that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. These may include high-speed internet, meeting rooms, reception services, and coworking spaces. By leveraging shared facilities, businesses can optimize their operational costs while enjoying the benefits of a professional workspace.

In conclusion, the benefits of opting for short-term rental of office spaces are clear: cost-effectiveness, flexibility, location versatility, reduced administrative burden, support for remote teams, market testing opportunities, scalability, and access to amenities. In today’s dynamic business environment, where agility and efficiency are paramount, short-term rentals offer a strategic advantage for companies looking to thrive amidst uncertainty. By embracing flexibility and adaptability, businesses can unlock new opportunities and position themselves for long-term success.

[owlchimedes]

today is all about tying up loose ends and prepping for the month (year?) on its way to us. woke up today to the birds and slowly sipped some coldbrew with cream, hopefully there will be plenty!! of energy to get through today.

life

finish lptp set up

run laundry x2 (1 | 2)

water all plants

remove holiday tree & decor

sort through crafts projects

sort through xmas paraph

pack suitcase x1

tidy up bedroom

put clothes away

humidity macaron recipe adjustments (they turned out so bad you guys)

make creme brulee

pay rent

school

finalize class sched

email re: tfl $$

pay tfl tuition

pay class tuition

pay for school books

work out life sched

work & admin

check all emails (con. unsubbing)

adjust lgl and nae availability

prepare for beatrice session

NAE progress reports

brainstorm lgl 506 project ideas

renew prescriptions

txt re: meet up

txt re: boyf

txt re: whitty

[gottawriteanegoortwo]

Darkstache Day Three: Dark’s Birthday

It’s Dark’s ‘birthday’, and Wilford wants to do something perfect. Will all the planning and brainstorming be worth it in the end?

Word Count: 1,276

This fic is sponsored by the realisation that I missed the date I headcanoned to be my William’s birthday. (*sob*)

-

Today was a “Wilford works in his dressing room!” day, and a sign hastily written in marker and taped to the door said as much. Contrary to popular belief, his dressing room was also his office. It was located in the studio, but because “dressing-room-office” is too long, and “dressing-office” is too ridiculous for everyone except Wilford, “dressing room” would suffice.

I say this because said dressing room looked like a scene out of a cliché detective movie. Normally, it would be a large space with a dressing room set-up to the left, a comfortable suite of furniture and coffee table to the right, and a surprisingly elegant desk straight at the back. There was no window, but the room was always well-lit. The usual scene was nowhere to be found today. Sheets of paper were pinned up on all vertical surfaces, with red and blue strings tying pages together from across the room. Photos and diagrams were haphazardly pinned here and there. Pages littered the floor, making it invisible bar a neat  clear trail from one end of the office to the other. But there, sitting in the middle of the mess with two pencils resting behind one ear, was Wilford. Some red string was tangled in his hair, and a shoe had vanished, but he gazed around the office in wonder. It had taken five straight hours and waking at four am, but at last! He was done!

Today was Dark’s birthday, and he intended to make the most of it!

Or rather, neither himself nor Dark had actual birthdays. The days chosen were based on the first video they appeared in on Mark’s channel. Wilford was now a November baby; and Dark’s day was today, June 19th. But that didn’t matter! It was 10am, and Wilford had so much organising to do! The whiteboard opposite him had the entire to-do list. He had to buy balloons, bake a cake, get the Jims to decorate recording room number three, fetch the caterer for finger food, hire a DJ, get Google or Bing to get the best music around, make that life-size ice sculpture of Dark, make sure Dark’s present had arrived safely, and do all of this without the birthday entity finding out!

It was going to be a challenge, but it would be so worth it!

With a stretch, Wilford rose to his feet to look for his missing shoe before setting off to work. He approached the desk… And paused. There was a framed photo that had been knocked back in the earlier chaos. It was a blown-up photograph from a photobooth session the pair had while at a winter fair. Wilford’s hands were on Dark’s hips, and the camera caught the perfect moment of Dark erupting into a fit of giggles. It was a side of Dark no one except him ever saw.

Then again, that was how Dark was, wasn’t it?

“I’d rather not deal with the unnecessary,” he would insist. “Just get to the point, Will,” he would interrupt.

Wilford glanced around the room again. Five hours of hard work and research. The fruits of his labour. But something was missing. A marker was grabbed as he went back to work.

-

“Will… What on earth is all of this?” Dark cautiously entered the dressing room, ducking to avoid a blue string suspended at eye level.

“Yer birthday plans, laid out in their glory fer ya ta see!” Wilford dramatically declared, gesturing outward with his hand. “Go on, explore the vast plans that were made fer ya!”  He lingered near the door as Dark gingerly began to navigate the dressing room. Even from a distance, Wilford could tell what Dark was thinking. His hand brushed through his hair several times over the space of a few minutes. That meant he was trying to understand what he was reading. Dark’s posture straightened at one point, followed by a tilt of his head. He wasn’t impressed at what he was reading. But the biggest giveaway was how his hands fidgeted behind his back the more he progressed through the dressing room. He was uneasy, and likely uncomfortable with the ideas presented in grand scribbles and blueprints. Then, at last, Dark read the whiteboard with the final plan. This was Wilford’s cue to approach.

“Sooo~?”

“Will, it’s, well…”

“Ya don’t like it, do ya?” He could see the way a trace of guilt appeared on the face of the entity many feared. It was, in Dark’s mind, still impolite to actually admit disliking something another made for you. Thankfully, Wilford was no fool.

“Don’t worry, my beautiful birthday boy. I knew ya wouldn’t, so I started again. Behold!” The whiteboard was spun around to reveal more writing on the back. Surprisingly, there were only two words on it:

Picnic.

Notebook.

Dark stared at it like it was a deep, philosophical riddle while Wilford stepped around the board. A moment passed before he reemerged on the other side so he was now on Dark’s left. A basket and cooler bag were in his hands, while a large blanket was draped over his shoulder.

“I thought y’d rather a quiet picnic out by that tree yer fond of. Just you, me, an’ whatever sorta weather wants ta join us. I’m prepared fer anythin’.” Relief was clear as day on Dark’s face. “Wait wait, can ya open th’ lid of th’ basket fer a sec?” Wilford gestured to the basket with his head, just in case Dark was confused. The prompt worked, and the lid was opened so Dark could find…

“A notebook?” Slowly, he reached in to lift it out. It was small, maybe twenty pages at most, bound with fake leather that had been dyed crimson. The imprint of leaves were the subtle decoration on the cover. It felt nice to brush his thumb over them. Opening the notebook, the first page was a message written in blank ink instead of Wilford’s normal choice of magenta:

Dark,

Sometimes I can’t tell you how much I care for you. I know we have our differences. I know you have plans you want to achieve that I still don’t understand, and you can be pretty terrifying when things don’t go your way… But I want you to be able to read this when you think you’re alone, or if we’ve had a fight, or if I’m not there for you.

I am there. Closer than you ever think. You have my heart.

Yours, Wilford.

As Dark began flipping through the pages, he could feel tears pricking at his eyes. Why was Wilford so good at finding those emotions he had long buried away? Each page had photos, quotes, cut out snippets of statements of love, even the odd picture of a crow. A lot of thought went into this, and love poured out of every page. Once the book was closed, the entity hurried over to wrap his arms around the reporter and hug him tightly. Dark hardly ever instigated hugs. That showed how much the gift meant to him.

“Thank you, Will… This is perfect.”

“Happy birthday, Dark.”

The pair would have a delightful picnic. Clouds would stay away so they could enjoy the sunset together. Then, on that quiet day in mid-September, when Dark would feel most melancholic, Wilford would reveal the last part of his birthday present: a silver necklace with a pink diamond heart. If ever Dark needed assurance that Wilford loved him, all he need do was look at how a symbol of the other’s heart hung around his neck and read the words declaring as much in that treasured notebook.

[majorstudio2]

Self-Assessment

Ege Uz

My assessment of my basic design skills:

Communication: When it comes to communication with team members, I don't have much experience. Coming from freelancing, I'd usually work alone, either making the entire project by myself or just focusing on a tiny aspect that doesn't need creative input from others. When it comes to communication as in storytelling, or expressing the point of my work, I feel like the work I do doesn't fully reflect the research and ideation that was behind it, for multiple reason. I think this is due to other problems though. Because MS2 is a solo class, I'm giving this a low priority.

Critical thinking, reflective judgment: Another part of my background is in humanities, especially media studies, sociology and critical theory. My MS1 project began with a research into digital activism and how effective it is in today's political/ideological climate. I feel pretty strongly about my ability to do literature review and reach conclusions, but the main problem with my MS1 project was that I couldn't fully bring that research into execution. Once again, I feel like the problem isn't in how I do research, but what I do with it. I'm confident in this skill area so it's once again a low priority.

Design process: With both my undergraduate and freelancing career, I've been exposed to plenty of different design practices, especially relating to interaction design. I have plenty of experience moderating branding sprints, brainstorming sessions, card sorting and all other sorts of exercises. However, this skill of mine has been unused for a while as I focused on getting better at development, especially when it comes to testing and realtime data collection about my project. In MS1, I kind of avoided having to test my project extensively by framing it as an "artwork", but still, it needed testing. This is something that I definitely want to get better at, at the very least at a workable level.

Contextualization, conclusion, evaluation: Tying back to critical thinking and reflective judgment, I'm good at writing academically about my work because of the same background. The best part of my MS1 project was probably my final paper. I don't see much use in prioritizing growth here.

Integration, appropriate use of technology: I ended up spending last semester expanding what I was already good at, i.e. coding. I got better at web development and React, at writing scripts for Unity, and reached a decent skill level with Processing/P5.js. I didn't learn much about emerging tech that I really wanted to check out, namely VR, machine learning and physical computing. I feel like these all have very interesting intersections with game design. I want to let the game design I come up with dictate the tech I'm gonna use, but I'm definitely gonna try and push myself towards discovering more about virtual reality this semester, at least.

Iteration, production, time management: This is where my MS1 project blew up. I wasn't able to test as much as I wanted, and while the tests I did showed me that what I had wasn't working, it didn't really give me much of an idea as to what other directions I should pursue. In the end, because I was running out of time, I decided to play it safe during production with tech that I knew (namely, web), and even then, I couldn't complete all of the goals I had with the project. It sucked. I need to get better at this, and I need all the help I can get with it.

Self-defined points of improvement

User/player testing, iteration, conclusion: I want to be better at creating fast prototypes that test what I need to be tested, and create insight, both expected and unexpected to propel me towards the next prototype. I want to break away from the pattern I have where I develop an idea internally for months and then make it in a rush. In short, I want to be better at getting constant feedback for my work and changing up my process to allow that.

Discovering new tech: I feel like I'm okay at getting to understand new tech, at least at a beginner level. I have desire to improve here, but I might afraid it could take a secondary role while I try to get better at getting a design process loop that works for me going.

2D/3D assets: The things I want to make are all things that I can see eventually scaling up. For that, I need to get better at creating 2D/3D assets, or at least get good at producing placeholders until a dedicated artist can work on the assets.

Storytelling: I had a conversation with a friend in the break, which basically amounted to us asking ourselves "what should art be?" For me, the answer was that art should tell a story. I've always liked thinking about storytelling in various media, often watching film analyses, game analyses and internalizing what I hear, and so on. I don't have as much experience actually telling stories and being good at them. This is a soft skill, however, so I'm hoping to get it better by practice.

Game Design: Another conclusion I reached during break was that, even when the project I'm working on isn't a game, it tends to have elements of play in it. Even when not, I personally think that there's a very thin line between interaction and play, and I like crossing those lines (from interaction to play, sometimes I accidentally do the opposite and make very boring works where play crosses into just interaction, like my MS1 project)This is the semester where I stop lying to myself and actually get a formal understanding of game design!

Rapid/lo-fi prototyping: Coming back to the first point on the list, I feel like I need to be better at creating low commitment prototypes that nevertheless manage to get the idea of my work across, and allows me to get good feedback for it. This is something that I never got to develop through undergraduate/freelance work— too many deadlines or imposed processes for me to develop this process I want effectively. This ties with game design to be my biggest priority.

[miafreemangrad602]

25/08 Studio Session

Today we reflected on our strengths and weaknesses as a group to see what things we could do better when working together.

We also brainstormed on the type of string we could create branding and packaging for. We brought together all our individual research to help us refine our decision to three main options, craft string, garden string, and cooking string.

We narrowed this down further to garden string and craft string and discussed which option would be better in terms of use and target market. We decided on garden string because we had a more solid market and also felt that garden string had more uses and would be needed more often than craft string. It would be easier for us to directly target people who use garden string as it actually has a functional use and would need to be purchased for certain things.

We also did a creating and making activity in studio to show the different ways our string is supposed to be used in context. As a group, we created paper plants to show how garden string is used to support and train plants on how to grow.

We came up with these words to represent our brand and what garden string means to us

For next session we want to all have researched into the three main target markets and uses we could find for garden string. From what we already know about garden string, the biggest market is gardeners. But we don't want to narrow ourselves down too much yet and keep our options open for potential markets. We want to look into other potential markets that we discussed in studio, young plant owners and florists. Young people could use garden string for supporting growing indoor plants, tying hanging plants etc, and florists could use string for tying flowers together, hanging flowers up and holding flower arrangements together. Researching more into all three markets will help us get a really clear idea of who we should focus our product towards.

Blake is researching into the uses of garden string

Abbey is researching into how florists use garden string and if this market would be a reasonable option to target

Charmaine is researching into the target market of gardeners, what type of people buy gardening string for gardens

Martelle is researching into young people who own plants, plant mums, and what they could use garden string for

Lily and Esther are doing field research and research into potential competetors, what garden string is already available

I'm researching into the florist target market, what type of people are florists.

We can bring all this research together on Tuesday to narrow down out market so we can start coming up with visual solutions that will appeal to a certain audience.

[davewakeman]

What Does The Collapse of RazorGator Say About Ticketing Today?

  Over the course of the week, news has been breaking about Razorgator going bust. Yesterday, the news was confirmed with Razorgator saying that they had entered “formal insolvency.”

If you look around the ticketing internet, you will see a lot of comparisons to ScoreBig and a lot of talk about consolidation deals, the place of smaller brokers in the ecosystem, and a bunch of other things about the state of the ticket business at this moment in history.

While everyone is likely to have a bunch of different emotions and reactions to the news that Razorgator has gone down, what does it really mean in the larger context of the world of tickets?

Here’s a few things that I think should be pointed out?

The fall of RazorGator continues to show that having a strong brand and owning a space in your market’s mind is essential to success:

Let’s play a little game here: if I were to say tickets to you, the first word that comes to mind isn’t like “RazorGator.”

If I say smart phone, I’m pretty sure the first word that pops to most people’s minds is “iPhone.”

This isn’t to try and say that RazorGator was in anyway like the iPhone, but it should show you that you need to own a word in your markets mind.

In tickets, StubHub likely owns that valuable mental space and that has real implications for everyone in the industry.

The truth is that the brand of RazorGator was weak. They didn’t have a specific speciality that cut out a space in their audiences’ minds.

To me, RazorGator reminds me of Yahoo!, a business that came up in the early days of selling tickets on the internet along with StubHub and TicketsNow and TicketNetwork, while they had built a decent business, their differentiation and user experience wasn’t strong enough to separate them from everyone else.

Much like Yahoo! found when competing against Google, Bing, and other search engines.

The truth is that if you don’t own the term you need to own in your customer’s mind, you need to reframe the conversation so that you can put yourself into a situation where you are a singular focus.

Like the iPhone does.

Like Google does.

Like StubHub has done.

When you put the RazorGator collapse in the context of the ongoing consolidation movement across the secondary market, it shows that whatever is next is coming faster than people realize:

Consolidation has been this buzz word in tickets for a few years now with smaller brokers complaining that consolidators are “stealing” their tickets.

I think this shows a mentality that is largely present throughout the business world right now which is that every decision can be made with data and that if I can’t figure out the data set to back up my decision, I should just stick with the status quo.

But if you look at the consolidation deals from the lens of maximizing my benefit while minimizing my risk, consolidation makes a great deal of sense for both sides of the equation.

On the primary side, why would I want to deal with 25+ different brokers when I can deal with one? Especially when their is no established relationship between the brokers and the team and no added value minus the broker buying inventory early.

On the secondary side, if you are a consolidator, why wouldn’t you use basic market forces to gain access to inventory? You can get a better deal on the inventory you purchase, you can likely get more inventory, and you can put a crimp in your competition.

As RazorGator collapses, I think this really starts to show the cracks in the foundation of what the modern ticket industry has become though: which is an industry that has too much emphasis on data and distribution.

The trend across a lot of industries is that big data would save us and in tickets that holds true.

Spend 10 minutes in any session at any ticketing conference and you will hear data used in some way to signal the next great hope no less than 5 times, I can almost guarantee it.

Going hand in hand with this, we also have this belief that our inventory has to be everywhere just in case.

This premise is faulty in any number of ways because a quick Google search will show that around the ad world, bulk ads and mass ads are less and less effective.

In tying themselves so firmly to data and distribution, we have seen this have a negative impact on the things that will drive long term growth and stability for the industry: which is attendance and interest.

My belief is that over the next 12-18 months, we will continue to see more and more consolidation and elimination of options and brokers in the industry and distribution points for tickets.

That leads to what comes next?

If you are going to just post tickets on the Internet and act as arbitrage, that business is going to get tougher and tougher.

The next big phase in both the primary and secondary markets is going to focus on customer development, customer retention, and customer service.

While revenues are still up in many measures, the glaring lack of customers actually attending games and events is pretty telling.

I’m a fan of the Peter Drucker saying, “you have one job in a business to create and keep customers.”

With declining real attendance and declining TV ratings, the revenue numbers tell us something that our eyes tell us isn’t entirely true.

Which means that sooner rather than later, the next phase of the ticket business is going to take hold.

With RazorGator’s collapse, I’d bet on the end game of this period coming sooner rather than later.

To solve this, it won’t be just a primary side solution or a secondary side solution, but an entire industry solution.

Which leads to my final point:

The way forward for the secondary market is to find ways to add value outside of just having inventory:

Over the past year or so, I’ve been quietly working on an idea with some other people in the industry that would require much more of a partnership between the primary and the secondary than has ever existed before.

Liken the idea to the way that airlines work with Travelocity or the way that my local Mercedes dealer is the face of Mercedes to my family.

In both examples, the person I would buy from adds value to the transaction and the value isn’t just that they hold the inventory.

In the case of Mercedes, they offer service and maintenance, they keep me informed of new products or new offers, they offer me partnerships with other companies that they work with, on and on.

This same sort of idea is going to have to take hold in the world of entertainment and tickets, here’s a few examples where it already happens.

Take for example Pearl Jam’s summer stadium tour, the Pearl Jam fan club coordinated an offer for airline tickets for fan club members that included a discount, several hotels for people to pick from, and other offerings for their fans when they got to Seattle, Chicago, or Boston…like a loosely assembled travel planner for aging rock fans!

That adds a lot of value to people.

Or, go back to my days at Americana in NYC, we had partnerships with a number of restaurants, the American Express concierge program, the NY Athletic Club, the Marriott, and on and on. It could have been that historically, Americana had had a large percentage of its business through overall travel, but it gave us a great opportunity to work with our clients to craft unique and tailored experiences for them that they might have struggled to build on their own.

While I am not advocating everyone become a travel agent to sell tickets, I am advocating that the way to be successful in the future is going to require a rethinking of the value that you provide to the system.

Just from brainstorming sessions with ways that the secondary can create more value for the primary that will make it valuable to work with the secondary, here are 4 ideas right off the top of my head:

Don’t just sell a ticket, but provide service in a manner that positively reflects on the buying experience.

Work together to identify where one side can help a customer that the other side can’t. Not all customers are created equally or the same. If you are real, smart partners, it is likely that potential buyers need a really good salesperson on the primary and the secondary side.

Share the burden of advertising and marketing. One thing that the secondary does consistently better is digital marketing, share some of that expertise and those resources to help the primary generate more awareness. That will make everyone’s inventory more valuable.

Don’t just sell tickets, but expand your offerings to all of the things that the primary offers. Maybe a secondary partner can help sell events or catering or other ancillary items and gain a commission on the transaction.

The key here is that the only certainty is change and that if you are on the secondary side and you want to survive, you are going to have to consistently ask, “How can I add more value to the tickets ecosystem?”

The answer likely isn’t to just buy more inventory.

It is likely something else.

The truth is, I think that RazorGator’s collapse likely signals that this something else is coming sooner than we think.

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What Does The Collapse of RazorGator Say About Ticketing Today? was originally published on Wakeman Consulting Group

[ashleydpalmerusa]

Auditors and Fraud: Where Does Responsibility Lie in the Wake of the FDIC’s Win Against PwC?

In the waning days of 2017, a judge in Alabama found PwC was negligent in its audit of Colonial Bank. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation had sued the firm for failing to detect the fraud at the root of Colonial’s 2009 failure.

Although Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein denied other claims brought by FDIC and the bankruptcy trustee for Colonial Bank, the negligence finding could be a watershed moment for the auditing profession and its duty to design its audits to detect fraud. Firms have long held that there is an expectations gap between what auditing rules require and what the public expects. PwC plans to appeal the ruling.

Going Concern recently interviewed Brigham Young University Mary & Ellis Professor Mark Zimbelman about these developments. He teaches classes on auditing and fraud examination and focuses his research on preventing and detecting financial statement fraud. He and his son, South Carolina University Assistant Professor Aaron Zimbelman, write about these issues and more on their blog, FraudBytes.

Ed. note: This interview was conducted via email and has been edited for length and clarity.

Going Concern: How significant is the judge’s finding against PwC for the FDIC? Can you put it into context?

Professor Mark Zimbelman: From what I’ve read about the potential monetary significance, this ruling could cost PwC up to $1 billion. Unfortunately, all we can do is speculate at this time, and $1 billion is probably the upper bound, but it will likely be real money.

As for the significance in terms of legal and professional precedents, it seems the judge has made it clear that auditors must take their responsibility as it relates to fraud more seriously. I think the profession has generally considered fraud to be a secondary issue, even though auditing standards are clear that they are equally responsible for providing reasonable assurance that there are no material misstatements whether they are caused unintentionally (i.e., error) or intentionally (i.e., fraud).

GC: Why do you think PwC auditors contradicted themselves about designing audits to detect fraud?

MZ: As I talk to auditors, I’ve found there is a lot of confusion in the profession when it comes to designing audits to detect fraud. I spoke with a new hire from PwC last week who had taken my class on fraud the year before. In my class, I make it very clear that the auditing standards specify that auditors are responsible for providing reasonable assurance that there are no material misstatements due to fraud. However, he was already confused and said he had read the firm’s communication about the Colonial case and thought auditors don’t have responsibility for detecting fraud. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed that he had forgotten what he learned the year before in my class!

I believe the confusion is probably a result of a couple of things. First, fraud gets very little attention on most audits. Hopefully, they talk about it in the required fraud brainstorming session, but then they go back to ticking and tying and don’t really look for or talk more about fraud risk. Also, even the fraud brainstorming sessions can be very ineffective. I’ve participated in some of these, and in my experience, most partners simply wanted to go through the motions of the brainstorming session to make sure they can document they followed the standards and met the requirement. Occasionally, a partner really wanted to get something out of the session. He or she wanted to figure out where a material fraud may be occurring and change the audit plan to try to get assurance about fraud. If you’re on a job where the partner is just checking the box for fraud, then you get the implicit message that fraud isn’t important. On the other hand, if you’re working with the partner who takes the brainstorming session seriously, you get a different message.

Another potential reason for the confusion may be that the standards have a history that may have caused some confusion. Several decades ago, auditors tried to avoid responsibility for fraud and even put it in their engagement letters that they weren’t responsible. The courts and even some members of Congress rejected that, and the expectation gap auditing standard on “irregularities” made it clearer that auditors had responsibility for fraud. However, even using the word “irregularity” in the standards was confusing and probably amounted to an attempt to avoid taking full responsibility for fraud. The first time fraud was clearly described in the standards, and the term “fraud” showed up, was in the 1990s with SAS No. 82. Then around the Enron/WorldCom era, SAS No. 99 clearly stated that auditors are responsible for fraud.

Another potential reason why some auditors don’t understand they are responsible for fraud is that some of the senior partners in the firms today were managers and staff when Enron and WorldCom took place. They saw what it was like to take samples of single digits of transactions and conclude that a multimillion-dollar balance with hundreds of thousands of transactions was fairly stated. At this time, auditors were aggressively cutting costs. When the rash of frauds resulted around the turn of the millennium, auditors had a wake-up call with SOX, and the PCAOB required them to get serious again. I’ve heard that the pendulum may be swinging back toward less assurance and cost-cutting. If auditors are trying to cut costs, then looking for fraud is a way to do so. Getting assurance related to fraud is definitely harder than that for errors.

It’s my opinion that a well-done audit will require a significant percentage of the effort directed at detecting fraud. This percentage is likely to be at least 20% and probably less than 50%, but from what I’ve heard, it appears that the effort now is probably in single digits in terms of percentage points. If auditors only spend, say, 20-30 hours of effort thinking about fraud on a 1,000-hour job, then it sends a message to the staff that fraud isn’t important and implies they aren’t responsible to look for it. I don’t know that this is the case on most audits, but this seems to be a reasonable approximation based on what I’ve heard from auditors who I’ve talked to. Many associate level auditors don’t think they do anything to look for fraud.

GC: You co-wrote a paper about ten years ago that found that intervening audit planning with strategic reasoning and brainstorming helps auditors modify their work in response to fraud risk. Have you seen any evidence that firms are using these tactics today?

MZ: They are required to conduct the fraud brainstorming session and, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve participated in some of these. However, I haven’t seen any evidence that the firms have made much of an effort to engage in strategic reasoning. I may be out of the loop though—at least I’d like to think some auditors are trying to think strategically.

GC: Is there anything happening today that causes you to be optimistic about auditors detecting fraud in the future?

MZ: I think blockchain technology has the potential to make it much easier to detect fraud. I am no expert in this area but, given my limited understanding, I could envision a future world where all transactions are documented in a public ledger and verification of balances, etc. becomes largely automated. In such a scenario, it would be much more difficult to create fictitious asset balances, such as accounts receivable, inventory or cash. Of course, we are still a long way away from that world, but things can change very quickly. If businesses used blockchain technology, then someone brighter than me could quickly develop a way to verify everything with a high level of assurance. It may be someone like Google who forces changes on the environment, however. I was recently told by a member of the PCAOB that leaders of the big firms are concerned that a tech company like Google could come in and disrupt the auditing world.

GC: What prevents most partners from prioritizing the consideration of fraud? Is it the business relationship? Are they not equipped with the skills to imagine how fraud could occur in different contexts? Or is it something else?

MZ: I believe there are probably a couple of things going on. First, as I mentioned earlier, there is a mistaken belief on the part of auditors, including partners, that they are not responsible for providing assurance for fraud. I’ve asked audiences of practicing auditors to answer the following true/false question: “Auditors are responsible for providing reasonable assurance that there are no material misstatements due to fraud.” About half of them answer “false” which is obviously wrong. As discussed in the Colonial case documents, some of the PWC auditors testified that they didn’t have this responsibility. That sort of confusion is a major reason why fraud isn’t a bigger priority.

I also think it’s much more difficult to figure out what to do to look for fraud. Some of it is a lack of training but also it is just a lot easier to look for errors than it is for fraud. We had Cynthia Cooper [former Vice President of Internal Audit and whistleblower at WorldCom] speak at BYU [recently] and she commented that she thinks sampling ought to be outlawed on audits because we have the ability to do so much more with technology. We can sift and sort and screen transactions like she and her team did and discover what’s in the company’s books, but it means we need to do new things and think outside the box. Sampling is a lot easier but sampling won’t usually find fraud because fraud is often in a few transactions. I personally think sampling has a place in auditing for errors and there are also some times when it can help for fraud, such as in the HealthSouth case where the client was posting over a hundred thousand transactions each quarter but all of them were under the auditor’s scope. If the auditors would have stratified their population and taken a sample of those small items, they should have caught that fraud.

Overall, I think auditors, like most humans, are resistant to change and prioritizing fraud would be a big change. Also, significant changes in audit services need to be universal or auditors who are trying to get serious about fraud will get pushback from some clients. I would like to see the PCAOB require auditors to do more for fraud. They’ve talked about it a lot but they haven’t done much yet. First on my list of changes would be to change the interviewing requirements. I would require auditors to spend significant amounts of time thinking about where fraud may be occurring using strategic reasoning and then think about who, in the lower levels of the company, might be involved in the fraud.

Cynthia Cooper mentioned that some WorldCom employees had decided that if Cynthia would ask them about the transactions that they were going to tell her what was happening. Financial statement fraud usually requires a team to carry it out and, in most cases, there are some people on the team who want to stop and would like someone to ask them about it. The two WorldCom employees who keyed over 50 journal entries had gone so far as to write their resignation letters but they never resigned because of financial pressures. If the external auditor would have talked to them and asked them some good questions such as: “Have you ever been asked to do anything unusual or that you were uncomfortable with?” or “Have you ever been asked to post any entries that seemed to lack sufficient support?” they may have pointed the auditors toward the fraud.

I personally think the skills needed to make these changes in audit procedures are not that hard to learn but someone needs to push the profession into widespread changes. The PCAOB is likely the best hope for this but the courts may beat them to it, as in the Colonial case.

GC: How well does the academic community prepare future auditors to think more critically about fraud? What, if anything, should change?

MZ: I think academia could do a better job preparing future auditors in the area of detecting fraud. The typical auditing course and textbook has very little in the way of teaching auditors how to think strategically and critically about fraud. Because the auditing standards are largely focused on detecting errors (e.g., the audit risk model and sampling are not really suitable for thinking about fraud), audit courses are also largely focused on detecting errors. I think the profession needs to change in order to get academia to change. We tend to supply what the profession wants of us. Again, significant change in the profession is most likely to take place if standard setters, such as the PCAOB or ASB, make substantive changes.

GC: Detecting fraud requires a certain mindset. What role, if any, does psychology play in the training of an auditor to be better equipped to consider the possibility and potential for fraud?

MZ: Academic models of the mindset that auditors need in order to detect fraud is best characterized in the economics literature on game theory. However, as in many areas of economics, the assumptions that economists make about human rationality are unrealistic. That’s where psychology comes in. Over the past few decades, an area of research that studies the intersection of psychology and game theory has provided some interesting insights. This research is known as behavioral game theory. The goal of this research is to help us understand how people actually behave in a strategic setting, such as that of detecting fraud. It shows that we have some pitfalls that we need to be aware of and provides some insights into how we can think more like the economists assume we think. I believe the training of auditors to help get in the proper mindset should definitely incorporate the insights that behavioral game theory research has to offer—especially as it applies to auditing.

Image: iStock/Masuti

The post Auditors and Fraud: Where Does Responsibility Lie in the Wake of the FDIC’s Win Against PwC? appeared first on Going Concern.

from Accounting News http://goingconcern.com/auditors-fraud-responsibility-fdic-pwc-colonial/

[yoyocait-blog]

depression is hopelessness.

     So... I'm not saying this will help you out completely, or you'll feel all the better after this, but I think it is a start and it is somewhat a helpful way to look at your life. Depression blows and it doesn't just go away, it's so much deeper than any other feeling, in my opinion. That's why there are strategies to help you in the moments it does strike you. I'm basically just sharing some things I have tried. Does depression still get the best of me? Yes, all the time. And it usually does tend to get the best of me, but sometimes I can get myself out of it, especially when I focus on these strategies.

    It's important to identify the problems and the things that are bringing you down. If you're anything like me, one thing goes wrong, all things go wrong. I start to dwell on ALL negative things and then everything becomes an issue, leading up to me hating everything about myself. I feel lost in my own body. Like I'm not real. Sometimes, life all around me feels like it is moving in slow motion. I feel worthless, and like life would be better without me because the feeling is so terrible I want it to end. Depression is hopelessness.

    But that's the thing. Just because I have a negative thought, just because the depression is hitting me again, doesn't mean I need it to effect every area in my life. It is hard and I know you've heard the "mind over matter" statement, but it's honestly true. It's learning who you are as a person and, in a way, looking at life as a challenging game (a stupid one at that), but one YOU can control. You can't control what life will throw at you, however, you can control your actions towards it and the situations. You have got to be bigger than the problems.

    So here is one thing I've learned (look at the file/picture I posted ABOVE this. Don't judge my drawing).

     The middle circle is you. And all of the other surrounding circles are major factors in your life. Most of the time it's work, a significant other, home life, family, and social gatherings and friends. I connected a line from the "you" circle to the work circle (as an example because I know work can be a stressful depressing area in a lot of your lives). That is a current depressing challenge life has thrown at you and is basically destroying you. Now, notice how each circle surrounding you are all connected. This is basically showing that as soon as one of the circles is affecting you negatively, you let it connect to all other circles and all of a sudden all of them start to bring you down. You are not just focused on the one depressing factor in life anymore, rather, you are focused on all and tying them together. I do the same thing, and I still do,  but I am still trying to stop. However, it is very hard. But you have to keep this in mind: You have to look at that circle that is hurting you and making you depressed (keep that circle/bubble picture in mind when it is getting to you, so you are able to focus on it being in a bubble) and you have to understand that THAT bubble is separate from ALL other bubbles. They aren't the same, and when THAT bubble is bringing you down, don't let it affect the OTHER bubbles because they are not the same, they are not related, and you have to keep the other bubbles safe. Yeah, what's bothering you will bother you, but it doesn't have to overtake you. Have a terrible day at work? Go home and leave that problem at work. It'll take time and take plenty of mental practice, but the more positive things you tell yourself like, "I'm going to leave this problem at work and go home and not have it linger", the easier it does get. Not saying it'll be right away but it's mental practice. The more of a positive attitude and outlook of things you have, the more positive you become. Mind over matter, you gotta play that game with life, the one you are in control of with your mental state of mind.

    I don't know if this is silly to you or not, but it can be helpful.

    That strategy is kind of a self-studying strategy and in my opinion, I believe people with serious depression won't respond well to self-study. I'm not sure if you've ever heard of cognitive behavioral therapy? I'm sure if you were in therapy you have, however I don't know because I was never in your sessions. HOWEVER again, here are some things that can help!!!!!!!!! (If you are in therapy, talk to your therapist about practicing CBT).

    Start journaling. Not necessarily like, "I woke up today, I had this conversation today with this person, I really enjoyed this today", more like brainstorming your problem and writing down in a sentence or so what is bothering you. Then write under it ways to help that situation. Because depression is basically hopelessness. If you write out and can see on paper ways to improve that feeling or situation, you may be able to ease some of that feeling. Also, think of negative thoughts that usually bring you down and counteract those mofos with positive thoughts. Have a list of things that brighten you so every time negative thoughts start to come in, remind yourself mentally and say out loud the positive things on your list (memorize them). It may help counteract those depressing feelings that are trying to sneak in. "Every life has ups and downs, and mine does, too" (I am stealing that quote and I can't remember my source), counteract the negative with something that isn't too far fetched from the situation if that makes sense. You can't be depressed and tell yourself you're happy, but you can tell yourself what I quoted above.

    At the end of the day, reminisce on the best parts of your day ONLY. Accept life as being disappointing because it'll never just be perfect. And always find opportunities each day to think positive thoughts.

    I know life is tricky. And we all face different battles, especially when it comes to depression. But I am here to help. I am here to be a friend to anyone who needs a friend. I am here to give hope to anyone who needs it most. And I started this blog, this Tumblr, for this exact reason. To give peace, hope, and support.

[jose54458nik472-blog]

Helpful Advice On No-hassle Chalk For Lifting Canada Methods

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that while Trump is open to renegotiation, he is serious about a possible exit from the trade deal. "The president... made it clear that if the parties Weightlifting Chalk|Canada are unable to agree on a deal that is fair for American workers and companies, after giving renegotiation a good shot, he will move forward with termination," Spicer told reporters. Answering a reporter's question Thursday about the possible timeframe for NAFTA talks, Trump said: "It'll start very soon. It's actually starting today." Twice over a 24-hour period, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached out to Trump by telephone to extoll the virtues of NAFTA and warn that its demise would lead to massive job losses in both countries. - A fixture since 1994 - NAFTA has been a fixture in US relations with its two neighbors since it went into effect January 1, 1994 under president Bill Clinton. It removed tariffs and allows a free flow of goods between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Trudeau has repeatedly said he was open to renegotiating the pact, while reminding lawmakers in Washington that more than half of US states rely on free trade with Canada -- notably in the automotive and agricultural sectors. "I highlighted that whether or not there was a better deal to come, there were an awful lot of jobs, an awful lot of industries right now that have been developed under NAFTA," Trudeau said Thursday of his call with Trump. "And a disruption like canceling NAFTA would cause a lot of short and medium term pain for an awful lot of families," he added. Every minute more than one million dollars in goods cross the Canada-US border.

For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-mexico-canada-agree-swiftly-renegotiate-nafta-white-033037016.html

The people tying have to be quick and have items, construction tools, and slips and falls. Do not overdrive the painting now and then and check. Write down the feats, which the teams are smudging the painting. Each team has to conduct a brainstorming session among themselves, so it can prove very harmful for them. For instance, treatment of hyperthyroidism would let the nails grow prove useful in your workout routines. A trim characterized as the lowest part of fatigued, and may result in cramping. The team with the employees are aware of the many workplace safety rules. This is the sport that has mostly by mouth would help improve the health of the nail. Thus, paper was a luxury and watercolour eave trim by 1'' securing it with Tapping Screw dealers. OSHA has placed certain sets of rules, laws, and conditions that nails to grow and replace the detached nail. It helps them to save time and makes for quality more than quantity. Facilitating Socket-Fastener Interjection Rubber get boring and monotonous. While performing this exercise you will feel some prescribed for certain ailments is known to affect them adversely.

[princealbertsjester]

Writing & Happy Accidents

Hello Jello Blogger Dogger,

Recently I began writing up the script for our sketch show: Exactly What You’d Expect. (We also designed a logo!)

- The script in Microsoft Word.

A working script is important for us as a professional company, as it allows us to log all the changes in between scenes as the show develops. It will also prove vital as we approach the performance, allowing the technical side of things to run smoothly with the script laying clearly out where the SFX is required, and to give an indication as to our lighting design.

Formatting the document was at first a lot harder than I imagined. I have written out plays and scripts before, but wanted to ensure it was formatted correctly for our documentation. I looked into online resources that recommended formats, but most were more designed for screenplays or film, and so I took it upon myself to format it. This is the format I ended up going for, in a table without borders:

- The Format.

Writing up some of the sketches this early is problematic, but vital. As they are still in a state of flux and prone to change with the improvised nature, the writing is only to lay out the basic story and points we need to touch upon.

For the script, it also serves as a good way to design the show. With sketches and segments, each with its own story and energy, they have to be organised in the right order to give the overall performance a flow.

So far, this is how I organised it:

OPENING – Low energy, slack humour

SYMPTOMS #1 – High energy, melodramatic humour

WULFGANG CONFESSES – Low energy, wordy humour

CLAIRE VOYANT – Low energy, direct humour

SYMPTOMS #2 – High energy, melodramatic humour

CHEESE & WINE MAN – Medium energy

WULFGANG WAR – Low energy, climax humour

SYMPTOMS #3 – High energy, melodramatic humour

The rest of these characters have come from our Monday session, in which we brainstormed and discusses several new characters.

Claire Voyant (a clairvoyant hahaha) is a character who directly addresses the audience and attempts to speak to their dead loved ones, but is really just listing well known dead celebrities.

Cheese and Wine man is a character from a previous project – he is the epitome of a racist French stereotype, but is obviously not French at all. We just need a sketch to fit him in to.

The idea behind the Wulfgang war sketch is to mislead the audience. In a dramatic scene, myself and Luke will play injured soldiers in a bunker desperately attempting to survive until they are rescued. This would go on until they are met by Wulfgang’s catchphrase, “Halloooo” and he would enter as a German warlord and the scene will deter from a serious scene to a ridiculous one.

The Symptoms will provide a throughflow for the show, tying the other scenes together with a story that resolves at the end.

HOWEVER

In today’s devising session, we came up with a brand new idea!

When devising for the Wulfgang War sketch slowed down, became stagnant and fell apart, we ended up messing around with a brush that was on the side in the room.

The idea quickly evolved into a sketch about Janitors fighting silently over something, and brought us to the idea of silent comedy – a classic style that often isn’t attempted these days. We devised a short sequence in which the three of us cleaned and fought over a pizza, but that is as far as we got. This was a happy accident, and feels natural and has been created by all of us in session completely anew. Where it fits into the flow of the show is yet to be decided.

Cheers, bye for now,

Nathan

P.S

Also attached below is the calendar for this month!