hate that the closest thing we’re getting to a musical episode of discovery is the carpool karaoke episode and that one scene where they sing space oddity

so I just watched “In the Heights”

here are some positive and negative thoughts:

is it odd that within the first music number the very first thing that caught my eye is that they have dancers of different body types? for real that was the very first thing that cught my eye as I already know the song, so details like that were more important in my mind 

speaking of odd, the accents in this movie. Even when I watch a film that happens to have Latino representation it still called out my atention a lot to hear so many Caribbean accents. So often latino artists either play them down or try too hard to sound Mexican and on this one that Caribbean accents are what really caught my atention and I don’t know how many people will point that out. 

not to compliment him too much but this is the best LMM has ever sung tbh. Who knew that to make that happen you had to give him 3 songs instead of 30.

Corey Hawkins as Benny is probably the best casting decision in the whole film, I know that he has done other stuff, but a million doors better open for this guy after this ok I had no idea he could sing and dance and command the screen this much. 

Daniela and Carla as an offical couple, YAS QUEENS!!! just what we needed for Pride Month even if they are secondary characters, they just always act like a couple. 

Cameos from famous latinos like Mark Anthony and mentions of great artists like Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno and Celia Cruz. Finally some education on screen. 

Olga Merediz singing “Paciencia y Fe” made me cry so hard that my mom came to see if I was ok, I demand an Oscar nom for her!!!! Olga owns that role so hard ok she originated it on Broadway, played Abuela for 3 years, was in the OBS cast recording, and is still killing it at it 12 years alter

very good cinematography which is Jon Chu’s strong suit no matter what

overall cast does a really solid job

now for the bad under a read more cause it got LONG and spoilery

They shouldnt have added more characters. Mark Anthony makes a cameo, as in literal 1 minute cameo and the reason why becomes an important plot point later on ok, he adds more to the story in one minute than plenty other characters with less time do. Example: 

there was no reason to add Cuca, there just wasn’t. Other than giving Dasha Polanco (queen) a paycheck there was nothing for her character to do. She was added to the movie ok the role wasn’t in the play, and thus there is nothing for her to do 

bit of a spoiler but all she does is twerk from time to time and follow around Daniela and Carla like a third wheel. If it was a 3 way polyam relationship then that would at least be something but nah, she just flirts with Usnavi (who she knows likes someone else) and shakes her ass, thats it

not enough Pete!!!! he was such a cool character in the play but in the movie he almost does not exist and you don’t get to see the Abuela Claudia’s portrait ok it feels like a waste 

they cut out Priscilla!!! why? the fact that both of Nina’s parents want to support her is great and we have enough orphans in the movie already, it makes that fact that Nina’s dad is not a perfect man less impactful and instead make so that everything he does in the movie is seen as perfect, Priscilla putting him in his place was a great scene and we don’t get it 

the couples have no chemistry. There I said it. I am ok with the actors they chose but I was rotting for those couples a lot less than in the play.

I expected more out of Blackout ok that song is such a tense and scary moment and here it feels like its played for laughs ok stuff that really hits in the play feels watered down because it is being made into a joke.

This sounds mean but Nina’s voice in the og recording is way stronger than Leslie Grace’s and I knwo that the comparison will be seen as unfair but I have to say it.

to be even meaner, I’m sorry, but Anthony Ramos is a way less emotional Usnavi to me and the reason is that he doesn’t even need the winning ticket to move back to DR, he just gets the check inmediately at the begining of the story so I’m like “ok why bother staying is the other option is always fucking open”.

now for my biggest gripe with the movie: Vanessa’s clothing. Not what she wears but what she designs. Why cleaning rags? just why? 

the movie complains and shows the issues with gentrification only for Vanessa to take cleaning rags, from Pete’s job, and turn them into gentrified clothing. I know that the movie was shot 2 years ago but already the clothes she desings look a. out of fashion and b. annoying. 

The complain that rich people will buy pants and shirts that are already broken and stained but look down on poor people who broke and stained their clothes while doing actual work has been around for a while, so that pissed me off. You can’t make a movie against gentrification and then gentrify clothes and call it your leading lady being “creative” and “great”. 

The fact that no one in the production throught of that tells you that by now they are more “Hollywood” than “from the block” no matter how much they say they are not. Also, remember my Blackout complain? yeah its cause the reason it isn’t tense anymore is that movie brings up over and over again how a tragedy can happen and latinos will just dance and sing like they dont care. 

Characters go from being worried about their safety and their businesses that they need to survive to breakdancing to fire works, why? why do you do it like that? why can’t you show latinos as people with troubles trying to fix them through hard work and instead no one was worried about the blackout until Abuela Claudia died ok they were having a bingo party instead of worrying about their livehood and the safety of their homes.

after “Paciencia y Fe” the movie was pretty much not doing it for me anymore and it is these “small details” that bothered me and took me out of it. Yeah those last 40 min of the movie made me rant this hard so I don’t know if I recommend it or not ok I can’t recommend 2/3 of a movie and tell you to just not finish it. No one will care about this much ranting so whatever, up to you. 

Good Omens - “Love and Glory” (Rated E)

Summary:

Now that Armageddon is over and Aziraphale and Crowley are free agents, Crowley finds himself drawn to Hell more and more. It's fun to be bad every once in a while. But while investigating Hastur's latest bordello enterprise, Crowley's life gets complicated by a new, presumably demon, lover. Presumably because Crowley wouldn't know. He's never seen their face.

Notes: Written for @likearumchocolatesouffle, who graciously bid for me to write them a fic through Fandom Trumps Hate, and with my deepest apologies for how long it's taken to finish.

Read on AO3.

Chapter 1 (2433 words)

"Well, well, well... wot have we here?" Crowley asks, addressing the lock securing the door in front of him. He traces the outside with a pointed fingernail, searching for a way to open it.

An alternate way. He knows what’s required, but he’s hoping to find a slot for a key (which he doesn’t have) that a paper clip or nail file might fit into. 

Nope.

Nothing.

The lock is a solid, square block of black metal with no indents, no cracks, and no holes, glowing red in the low light.

The side effect of a powerful hex.

Magic won't work on it. That would backfire phenomenally - take off his ear or singe his hair to the roots. Magic doesn’t work on a hex when you haven’t cast it. Supernatural problems require mundane solutions nine times out of ten. 

Like a sledgehammer. 

But Crowley doesn’t have one, and there isn’t a home improvement store for miles. 

"A sigil lock.” He sighs. “Don’t that fuck all?"

Crowley doesn’t like locks he can’t pick, doesn’t like the existence of a door he isn’t meant to open. 

He sees that as tremendously rude.

The lock is Hastur’s handiwork. For a demon who doesn't know what a computer is and has never used a cellular phone, Hastur is a master locksmith. Maybe because locks, even hexed locks, are simple in their execution and binary in their intent. 

You can either get in or you can’t.  

A sigil lock means Crowley will have to sign in, and he hates accountability. 

He should turn around and leave. If he stays, he runs the risk of arriving late for his next appointment. But curiosity gets the better of him. He's heard too much buzz about Hastur's latest house of debauchery to not sneak in and grab a peek.

If nothing else, maybe Hastur will have stocked one or two bottles of decent whiskey.

Crowley takes a final drag of his ciggy, flicks away the ash, then chucks the filter, obliterating it with a snap of his fingers before it hits the pavement. The move is an unnecessary waste of magic. It'll attract attention, announce his arrival, but who cares at this point?

If he can’t sneak in through the back door, he might as well kick down the front.

He licks his fingers and draws his sigil on the lock. Flames flare over his fingertips, scorching his skin, causing him to pull back.

But nothing else happens. 

Crowley’s lips part in surprise. He’s been loitering outside smoking for the past fifteen minutes, watched several demons come and go already. He knows this is how the lock works. Could Hastur have gone so far as to block his sigil specifically? 

Not a chance. Hastur loves any opportunity to show Crowley up, prove that the old ways (sex and perversion) are the best at getting the job done.

He doesn't have to get with the times to be a better bad influence than Hell’s Golden Boy.  

Another beat of silence passes as Crowley considers whether forcing the issue is worth the price of admission when gears start to roll. Mechanisms click, and the door pops open uneventfully. How cool would it have been if a disembodied voice had said, "Welcome, Anthony J. Crowley," like in a James Bond movie?

Alas, no.

The door swings in on its own, allowing Crowley entrance. He saunters inside, like a wealthy alumnus heading to the trophy case of his old uni to check in with his Varsity photo and remember when. That’s how Crowley walks into Hell when he visits - strutting about with head held high.

Aziraphale would say that he's taking his reputation as "untouchable" too far, but Crowley thinks he's taking it far enough.

After he, angel, and that tribe of ankle-biters thwarted Armageddon, Crowley steered clear of Hell, as Aziraphale did with Heaven. They were done being pawns in God’s divine game of Yahtzee. Aziraphale is fine with it. Retirement suits him. But it had a strange effect on Crowley.

After weeks of staying away, Crowley found that he missed Hell.

The only reason he avoided work in the first place was because of his superiors. Now that he no longer has them, Crowley wants to be evil for fun. Not horrible evil. Not ‘start the next world war’ evil. More like ‘short the sheets on hotel beds’ evil. Or ‘boot the cars parked on Savile Row’ evil. Or ‘steal the flakes from the ice cream carts’ evil.

Traveling to Hell's establishments has ceased to be a job and has become Crowley's dirty little secret. Without Beelzebub breathing down his neck, he finds joy in dabbling with the taboo.

Dark shapes pass Crowley in the halls as he journeys into the deep. They reach out to him, fingers flexing in the air, beckoning to him, but he waves them away. He has to chuckle at the atmosphere of Hastur's latest enterprise. He takes the construction of these underworld bordellos too seriously. 

But that’s why they work.

For mortals, atmosphere is the thing.

The dim lighting, the velvet-upholstered furniture, the red-painted walls with their strategically drilled holes, the veil of dread in the air - for mortals locked into dull existences, living the same life day after day after day, a pinch of excitement is more enticing than self-preservation.

The staircase Crowley descends spirals further and further, leveling off after a solid three minutes. The temperature has changed, gotten cooler. The air smells musty, has a dampness to it. Did Hastur build his bordello in a wine cellar?

Or a catacomb?

Since thinking about a demon too much inevitably causes them to appear, Crowley finds Hastur haunting the bottom of the staircase as if he’s been waiting for him.

“Good evening, Crowley,” Hastur drawls like a dusty-throated vampire. “Glad you could make it.”

Plot twist, Crowley thinks. He sounds far from glad.

"Wot is this place?” Crowley strolls up to the Duke of Hell, giving the room a good look around. “It feels sort of… familiar." 

"Figures. Used to be a church," Hastur digs, poking fun at the amount of time Crowley has spent in the company of an angel. "We scrubbed the walls with Hellfire, of course, but the priests wot ran it were some of ours, so the holy water weren't even dangerous. The blessings on the stones didn't give us much of a fight. If you breathe in deep, you can catch the faintest whiff of holy. We sprayed the whole place down with bear pheromones to mask the odor."

Crowley scrunches his nose. "Charming." He had taken a big sniff when he walked in and did indeed catch a familiar scent, one he sampled a second time to identify. The pheromone thing is more info than he needs. "Still, this would have been consecrated ground. If this was a church, how come we can walk around in here?"

Hastur gives the stones beneath his feet a triumphant stomp. "Ground's been deconsecrated. We kept the old furniture, too. Useful for a bordello. The pews for one. Those padded benches make it easier on the knees. Gotta keep the customers happy."

Crowley snorts. “I’ll bet.”

Hastur side-eyes Crowley while Crowley scans the room, sizing up the writhing occupants, stuck to the wall like flies on flypaper, unwilling to move while unspeakable pleasures ripple through them.

Crowley wets his lips, nibbles the lower one in repression of his own desires, and Hastur hides a grin.

He’s got him.

Crowley is so simple-minded. How did Hastur never realize this before? Too much time spent with those accursed humans, indulging in their vices, has turned him native.

Native is as native does.

And humans have never been a match for Hastur.

"Come on. Have a go." Hastur pats the wall of holes with the flat of his grimy palm. "For old time's sake."

Crowley sinks his teeth deeper into his flesh, fidgeting with his hands in his pockets to keep from taking Hastur up on his offer too quickly.

"Nah.” Crowley is intrigued but not eager to give Hastur, of all demons, the satisfaction. “You know how it is."

"No, I don’t. I don’t know nothin’ about you!"

"Nor I you. Let's not go ruining a good thing."

"Too good for us now? Is that it?" Hastur asks, leaning on implications that would make most demons hiss in disgust. Crowley shrugs them off without further acknowledgment.  

"Do they know who we are?" he asks instead, moving the conversation along.

Hastur’s lip curls in a silent snarl, but he drops the subject all the same. "Some."

A tongue sticks through one of the holes on the far end, searching, attempting to entice another victim. "Are they human?"

"Some," Hastur repeats impatiently. "Stick your dick in one and find out! It's not brain science!"

Crowley shakes his head. Hastur loathes him, but he’ll let Crowley sample the merchandise, train the little minions out of their gag reflexes. That task isn't Hastur's speed. 

Crowley definitely doesn’t hate it.

“Brain surgery,” he corrects, walking down the length of the wall. He runs his fingers over the holes, stopping to investigate the willing mouths on the other side. Fifty holes in all, and Crowley makes it a point to pause at every one. When he reaches the end and begins to circle back, Hastur loses his patience.

"Pick a hole, Crowley! Any hole! They're all the same!"

"Wot's your rush? Gotta take a pill?” Crowley shoots a look over his shoulder at a seething Hastur when he doesn’t get an answer. “Or are you waiting for a show? You gonna stand there and watch? Is that how you get your rocks off?" Crowley stops himself, momentarily befuddled. Has Hastur ever made an effort? He seems to get his jollies from putting mortals in sticky sexual situations, but does he partake in his own poison?

Probably not, Crowley resolves. If he did, he wouldn’t look so damned constipated all of the time.

“Fuck you,” Hastur mutters as if he read his mind. He cuts his losses and storms off. Let the bastard take his time. It's no concern of his.  

He has the arsehole where he wants him. That’s all that matters.

Crowley watches Hastur stomp off into the shadows, then goes back to his work. He’s not shy, doesn’t give a rat’s arse who watches. He assumes Hell has got their eyes on him every waking hour anyway. But he’d rather not have Hastur at his shoulder.

He wants a moment alone. 

Because Hastur has it wrong. 

They're not all the same. 

Power lurks beyond the wall that Crowley can't see. But he can feel it.

It calls to him.

Crowley stops at the hole with the beckoning tongue and slides his middle finger in slowly. Heat surrounds it immediately as he enters. He reaches the back of the tongue and pushes in further, but the mouth offers no resistance.

No gag reflex. 

Interesting.  

That should make his mind up for him. He should move on, find an untrained mouth to violate, but he doesn't. His finger lingers, and during the time he spends contemplating, soft lips close around it, suck the intrusive digit gently. Threads of prickly heat chase one another up and down Crowley’s arm from that one point of contact. They gather around his throat, tighten slightly, and his breath catches. He swallows as the blood in his veins rushes away from his brain.

Yup. This one. He chooses this one.

Crowley steps up to the wall, unzips his trousers, and slides his hardening cock through the hole. Hot breath brushes his skin, and Crowley inclines towards it. The owner of the mouth wastes no time. Crowley rests his forehead against the wall and lets that mouth work its magic.

And magic is definitely the word for it.

Plush lips close around the head and slide down. An inquisitive tongue maps out dips, planes, and ridges, and Crowley moans loudly into the open air.

Satan help him. It’s been a while.

“Jeez… us… “

Crowley isn’t a sentimental demon. He doesn’t need connection the way humans do, with touch and eye contact and syrupy confessions of love. 

He just needs to get off every once in a while. 

Glory hole bordellos have, historically, been his favorites. These holes, with their tantalizing favors, offer the perfect compromise between intimacy and anonymity, along with ease of access. He doesn’t need to persuade or seduce. He can walk up, plug in (as it were), get what he needs, and go.

Like a petrol station convenience store.

He tries to picture what is happening on the other side of the wall, tries to picture who - human or demon - is doing this to him. Is it someone he’s seen? Someone he’s palled around with in the break room, or whose mind he’s touched in the fulfillment of his demon duties? Is it one of Hastur’s zombies, working off their useless penance on their knees? 

Speed increases, suction intensifies, and Crowley’s brain data dumps - any attempt to reach across the divide with his mind ceasing when he feels the wash of an orgasm creeping up his chest.

“That’s it… “ he whispers into the cold, hard wall as if he’s whispering into his lover’s ear. Whether or not the person on the other side can hear him is irrelevant. This moment belongs to him. The fact that it involves someone else is inconsequential. “Easy does it… “ Crowley melds to the wall, every inch pressed to the plaster in an attempt to get closer. He balls his fists, clenches his teeth to keep from fucking the hole in his need to have more of that mouth torturing him.

Too late to stop time, he fights to stay his body as he comes, cursing himself for not lasting longer, though, in this windowless void, hours could have gone by, and he’d scarcely know. 

Hours of this exquisite torment, his mind repeats. Why would that be a bad thing again?

"Fuck… " he moans, drifting down from his incredible high with a full-body shudder, knuckles knocking involuntarily against the wall. That was it. The out-of-body experience he’d been craving when he saw that tongue tasting the air. "F-fuck… " His head rolls back and forth while the unseen mouth licks him clean. His eyelids flutter open, a loopy smile lifting his lips… until he catches sight of his watch. He jerks away from the wall, and that sinful mouth, as if he’d had his cock bitten off. "FUCK! I'm late!"

Some previously unshared HSMTMTS thoughts because it’s apparently my new hyperfixation

I decided to rewatch the Belle audition scene this morning (and have been watching it on loop for hours since), and I just... I love it so much! So now I’ve got some things to say about it and about the series in general because it’s all I’ve been able to think about for over a week.

My favourite parts, in no particular order:

Carlos starting off the song (Frankie’s voice just, how you say, butters my toast, waters my crops, clears my skin... is that what young people say these days? Boy, I feel way too old)

Seb's expressive singing - he should have been given a part that actually gets to sing and I will die on this hill

Ashlyn absolutely nailing the role of Belle (can we talk about her facial expressions and gestures in the 'no sir, not me...' part tho)

Ricky absolutely blowing the audition... how he got the lead is still a mystery to me. Being awkward and unprepared is in character for Troy, but not for Beast [side note: I usually refer to the Beast by his actual name, Adam, and I just find it funny that his name literally means ‘man’... IDK, this is old news, like last-century old, but that doesn’t stop it from being funny]

Gina doing a French accent... or at least trying to. Also, it’s totally visible in her audition why she got Babette, whereas some other people’s casting is questionable at best (*cough* Ricky as the Beast and Seb as Chip *cough*)

Big Red being adorably awkward and hiding behind his sheet music

Carlos' high-pitched rendition of Gaston's part - he was like, yeah, I'm not even gonna bother - and we love him for that

EJ just effortlessly being Gaston, while Ricky does that ridiculous fake deep voice (so adorable btw)

Just literally everyone being themselves and having their little quirks. Not Lily, though. That girl can go to Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire and I hope she stays there.

Some things I want from upcoming episodes and I want them NOW:

Their version of ‘Gaston’ - I need EJ to finally sing again, plus if they don’t give LeFou a tap solo I will riot! They can’t just waste casting my Reddy in the role, right? Right?

Carlos singing, nay, performing ‘Be Our Guest’ (I need more of Frankie’s voice this instant) and putting on a French accent that is lowkey better than Antoine’s, which will eventually lead to the revelation that ‘Antoine’ is not French at all, and his name is, like, Anthony or something. IDK, that’s just a little theory I’ve had for a while. Just... let Frankie sing more, ok?

[On that note, who is their Cogsworth? I’m lowkey hoping it’s Kaden, he was cool in the auditions. Or will Cogsworth  be given the Ryan treatment from last season? I guess when someone is cast opposite Seblos that person turns into a living prop, which... cool for my boys getting their time to shine, but the background characters are kind of underrated. Be that as it may, I need answers re: Cogsworth now!]

More of Seb calling Kourtney ‘Mom’, that was precious plus I miss their interactions. I’m still bitter that Seb didn’t get an actual singing role, but if that’s how things are, let’s try and make the most of it, right?

Big Red confronting Antoine about Ashlyn, but like, in a mature and classy way. That would be so cool! I mean, I know it’s probably not happening, but a girl can dream, right?

WHOLESOME SEBLOS WHOLESOME SEBLOS OK please don’t let them have a fight or anything I can’t handle any more relationship drama, the Redlyn jealousy arc is quite enough please and thank you

okay so. frositron. bUT i wanna challenge u to take the fluff prompt "is that my shirt?" "you mean our shirt?" and make it angst/dark instead huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu *rubs palms together*

Loki absently wiped the blood from his face, his mind no longer a madhouse ruled by dozens of mini-Thors and mini-Lokis, as he so often thought. Instead, there was only a mist of gold and green, soothing him. The blood was no longer warm, the heart of its owner stopped beating a long time ago.

But Loki couldn’t regret it. For him, it had been a conquering, a conquest to honour the bond he was creating with Anthony. Courting a Midgardian had never looked that difficult in his books, they were supposedly swooning and falling all over themselves in order to get a look at them – but not Anthony. Not his mortal who rather would lose a foot than to keep his mouth shut, who bantered and bickered as if it was his natural state of being; chatting away like a singing bird.

It was maddening and it created such chaos in Loki himself that he was chasing more and more of it; kept in solitude where Anthony chased clouds with his words so that they turned into warm sunshine that tickled on Loki’s face.

But Loki was followed by this thrice-damned curse of the Norns, who were having a laugh over his fate. He was sentenced to live in the vast shadows that were cast by the people he loved and laid his heart at their feet, all the tasks no ordinary man would want to execute, they were thrown in his lap, waiting to be accepted.

He ran his dirty hand over the thick material of the shirt, noted the bloodstains centred at the left. When he put his mind to it, then Loki could still see those bright brown eyes looking at him fearlessly. Only loyalty and unquestioned love was written in them, short curly hair decorated with bright red spots.

Oh, Loki could only hope to inspire one day that kind of loyalty in one of his own people before he’d flicker out. Loyalty without question, only blind and pure faith, the fervent wish for their friend to lead the life they were owned by fate. A trick played on the Norns that Loki wished would make him happy but it didn’t, because he knew that it cost a lot.

But it was done. Harold “Happy” Hogan was no more.

The door to the bedroom slid open, Anthony’s steps heavy and the odour of his sweat tangibly in the air.

“Back from your workshop binge?” Loki asked.

“Yes.” A light chuckle. “Missed me yet or were you busy with your own books?”

“A combination of both.” Loki gripped the shirt between his hands. The purple colour didn’t absorb the colour of the blood, it looked more like ugly black splotches on it, the grim yellow patter on it that didn’t make much sense to Loki, even darker. It was the shirt Anthony had worn when they’d met in the penthouse at the peak of the invasion, the banter fast, the rejoinders quicker and cut to the core.

“Awwwww,” Anthony cooed from behind him. “What are you holding in your hands there? A gift?”

“Something akin to that.” Loki turned his head around. “If I were to tell you, mínn svass, that I found a way to turn you into an immortal, what would you say?”

“That I’m fucking delighted, that’s what I’m going to say.” But there was a notch of something in Anthony’s voice, as if he was tasting the but in the air that Loki was dangling between them.

“If I tell you that it was a messy affair and cost something in return?”

“That it better had been worth it.”

Loki swallowed the fear down that was trying to crawl up his throat. He saw the sceptical look in Anthony’s eyes, the way his hands were fidgeting at his sides and perhaps, perhaps Loki had made a mistake and called for action too soon. But he wouldn’t let Harold’s sacrifice go to waste, that would be a disgrace to him and a shameful moment to the friendship of him and Anthony—

“Is that my shirt?”

“You mean our shirt?” Loki asked, the tone too light for it to be jokingly. But this was it, either he’d do it now or never —

He presented the shirt to Anthony, covered in blood as it was.

“Blood is for life, and there has been one given voluntarily so you may stay at my side for longer,” Loki quietly informed Anthony. Trepidation was building up in him. A stray hair fell into his face, almost as if it wished to get a good look at the show.

“Loki—” The tremble in Anthony’s voice didn’t promise anything good. “What– whose blood is that?”

“Hogan’s,” Loki replied, eyes cast down as he let a wave of grief wash over him. He had liked the man, had felt good in his company, the fact that he could be sure he wouldn’t try to gain information on him to use it against him at some point. No. Hogan didn’t care about him as long as he wasn’t trying to harm Anthony, which Loki had promised to him, he never would do willingly, not for as long as he had his wit about him.

He’d promised it to the fading life, one he wished he could have had more of. But it was done.

“Loki—”

“He agreed to it,” Loki cut Anthony off. “He only wants you to be happy.” He got up from the bed, the shirt in his hands, crumpled like the sheets.

“Please,” he offered the shirt again to Anthony, waiting with hold breath for it to be taken from his hands. “Please,” he said again, remembering Hogan’s eyes and his desire for his friends to be happy.

Tony Stark Bingo Prompt Meme

So, we did another Prompt Meme game, and came up with these summaries based on a three-tag prompt. This is an open prompt, if any of these summaries look like fun to you, please feel free to write them!! Tag us or the writer of the prompt when you do so we can all see how cool you are and what you’ve given us for the promot

@summerpipedream - Winteriron - All Tony wanted to do after finishing up at MIT was to pack up his desk at Stark Industries and quietly fade into obscurity. Sure money was tight, but he never expected Jan to actually sign him up for one of those social media reality shows. Now, he was stuck in a house, with no phone, no internet, or access to the outside world, trying to avoid the sexy Bucky Barnes, who's mission in life seemed to be to never wear a shirt around him.

@darthbloodorange - The world is ending, an alien race has all but taken over the world, it is an apocalypse of devastating proportions, most of the world is dead. The Avengers, those who are left, have retreated to a bunker built a fourth of the way down into the Earth’s core. Tony and Steve have been growing closer, when they are not working together to find a way to fight back against the aliens, they are fuck buddies. Tony’s a genius, he knows the odd of surviving this are not in their favour. Odds were that they were going to die… and well, Tony doesn’t want to die without letting Steve know how he feels. Before the battle Tony corners Steve in the armoury and confesses that he loves him. Steve is aromatic, has been since project rebirth.  They are both so very sorry. 

@newnewyorker93 - After a series of strange killings where the victims are found set up kneeling like they're praying, Tony Stark (a private detective) is on the case. An initial (false) suspect is the local priest, Matt Murdoch, who ends up being a helpful ally in solving the case (and possibly more)

@27dragons - Winteriron: You'd think that Tony Stark would have learned to ski when he was growing up. You'd think wrong; Howard never saw the point in it. So here he is, almost done with his PhD, and his friends have decided on a spring break trip to go skiing. He doesn't want to admit to them that he doesn't know how, so their first night at the lodge, he offers one of the ski instructors a large sum of money to sneak him up onto the slopes for a few lessons that night. Against his better judgment -- but desperately needing the cash -- Ski instructor Bucky Barnes takes Tony up on the slopes. Unfortunately, just as Tony's starting to get the hang of things, it starts snowing. Hard. Even more unfortunately, the newfallen snow disguises a patch of ice and Tony tumbles out of control. By the time Bucky catches up to him and verifies that he's not badly hurt, the snow is coming down too hard to see the lodge -- so what else are they to do but seek shelter in a caretaker's cabin conveniently (TM) nearby and wait for morning...?

@gavilansblog - Tony is kidnapped as part of an Evil Plot (TM). He's handling things just fine, tyvm, until his would-be rescuer (who he's been pining for, obviously), gets dragged in and handcuffed back to back with him. Seriously, dude? If you insist on breaking the kidnapping procedure at least actually rescue me! The taxes come in when the Evil Plot Master does his monologue and reveals that the kidnapping is part of a Villain Logic scheme to get Stark Industries to throw money behind the campaign to get a new law requiring actually taxing billionaires to fail. Evil Plot Master is, naturally, a billionaire. Tony would facepalm if he weren't handcuffed to his idiot rescuer, seriously. And then the kidnapping protocol kicks in and Jarvis shuts the whole facility down only instead of being handcuffed by himself Tony is now handcuffed to his rescuer so they have to do the whole escaping part of the plan while handcuffed together, resulting is the standard Tension (TM) moments and possibly an almost-kiss.

Fey Relay - Bruce, Tony, and Peter, resident science geeks, get de-aged and really want to play in the lab. You know, the one that has lots of things that can kill them in it? But they're still sort of mentally in there, just cranky and smol. So they get assigned their own Non-Science Adults who they hand-hold and point to do their sciency bidding. Thor, Steve, and Natasha oblige them and have great fun!

@rise-up-ting-ting-like-glitter Dragons were real. Okay they were actually just souped-up dinosaurs, but that didn’t mean Tony wasn’t being hunted—with intent—by lizards. He hadn’t wanted to come to this stupid Island in the first place. SI funding had explicitly been removed from the crackpot idea to return dinosaurs to the food chain. He could have told everyone that this was going to happen. Instead he was climbing through a jungle with a one-armed man who refused to give his name and if they didn’t get to the raptor enclave, retrieve the anti-venom, and return in time, people Tony loved were going to die.

His guide had better live up to his scruffy wild-man appearance or Tony was going to lose everything.

@somesortofitalianroast - Nurse Bucky Barnes wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. The vigilante known as Nomad had just crashed through the (luckily) open fire escape window. While he was lucky not to have any broken bones, he was unlucky enough to have a bad concussion. A really bad one. One that meant he couldn’t fall asleep. Also unfortunately, he only had the one bed and the enormous Nomad wouldn’t fit on his couch, so they’d have to share. It was only after he helped Nomad into his bed that he noticed the blood, and, unthinking, he pulled the cowl off to check for another, serious injury. And gasped. Nomad was Steve Rogers, his best friend in school, who’d died in an IED attack in Iraq 5 years earlier.

@polizwrites Natasha Romanov and Virginia Potts are the proprietors  of  Chaykus -  a Russian tea room on the seedy side of town.  Its new mission  is to be a sanctuary for women  who have been smuggled into the country for sex trafficking purposes.  As for the men who engage in such practices? Well, they are quickly discovering that their days are numbered.

@dixiehellcat - Pepper is the manager of the heavy metal band War Machine. James Rhodes, lead guitarist and founder of the band, is looking for a new lead singer. He did not expect the woo-loving Virginia to get horoscopes cast for the applicants and decide based on that. He just wants somebody who can sing, dammit. This Stark kid is uncomfortably attractive, yeah, but he's been thrown out of two bands already. what? the shower sex? it was only that one time after a show, and they were both wasted...

@dracusfyre Tony was born without a soul mark. Bucky's was lost forever when Hydra took his arm.  Without the universe to give you a hint that this person is The One, falling in love is gambling with your heart. But soulmates don't have to be born, they can be made - and Bucky and Tony decide that the same should be true of soul marks, as well

@ceealaina Tony was like nerd prime growing up. Normally he doesn’t let it bother him too much — he’s got inventions to invent, after all. But all of a sudden he realizes that he’s almost 20, he’s got two degrees under his belt, and has no idea how to do much more than kiss. He’s not entirely sure how he manages to convince Rhodey to sleep with him to “get it out of the way,” or how he manages to convince him to keep sleeping with him to “help improve my technique,” but it’s the best sex of his life (not that he has much to compare it to) and he never wants it to end. But it’s the night when they’re watching movies, and Tony’s ends up dozing against Rhodey’s shoulder only to wake up to a feather light kiss against his forehead that he realizes he might be in trouble. 

@thudworm - King Anthony considers it part of his royal duties to protect his people by going out and taking care of any monsters harassing them. Of course, no one can know that the knight Iron Man is really the king, which leads to some fun assumptions about Iron Man’s identity.

@jacarandabanyan Tony’s mom forbid him to purposefully drive out his roommates so that he can have a room all to himself where he can tinker until morning light. She had to hear about it from friends, acquaintances, and other well-known socialites often enough when Tony went to boarding school and ran his roommates off there. Now that he’s in college, that behavior must stop. Luckily for Tony, he doesn’t even have to try to get the first two roommates at MIT to request a room switch. But then he meets his third roommate- a tall, handsome, funny man named James Rhodes. At first it was just natural joy at having a fellow competent engineer to hang out with, and perhaps the occasional dirty thought. But his crush on the man quickly grows. Before he knows it, Tony’s pining hard for his best friend. Every once in a while he thinks Rhodey might be interested too- but then he hears Rhodey lecturing a computer science senior for plying Tony with :beer: alcohol at a party because “come on, man, kid’s only 16. Have a little class and try chasing skirts a little closer to your age.” After that, he’s convinced Rhodey will only ever see him as a friend and a kid.

psychiccatpanda - Tony works hard and puts in long hours.  So what if some of his long nights turn into very early mornings at CHew 2 OH.  The only drawback is his business partner and head baker, Steve, with his disappointed looks and his continual arguing.  When Steve's friend Bucky starts hanging around the shop, though, Tony notices.  Oh lord, he notices. A month or so later, one night when he and Steve are working after hours at Steve's place to plan their seasonal menu, Steve tells him that he's noticed him checking out Bucky.  Tony hits him with a decorative pillow and things kind of get out of hand.  Surveying the damage (let's face it - Steve's coffee table was never going to be quite right again), Steve turns to him, "I was just going to suggest you get some practice kissing before asking him out."  Oh.  Oh...

@tisfan So... the problem with being a necromancer is being able to practice one's skill. The local cemeteries won't even let you look at a dead body if you're not a relative. Tony Stark, budding necromancer, forges a marriage certificate for the John Doe so that he can practice his craft. Only to find that it works perfectly. Bucky is No Longer Dead, and 100% interested in staying married...

@abrighterdarkness He didn’t mean to snoop.  He knew that wasn’t what he was being paid for here--the loud laughter of the party echoing from down the hall where he was actually supposed to be, was clear enough reminder of that fact. All Tony wanted was two short minutes to breathe without being pawed at--yes, yes, that might be his job but breathing room was much appreciated just the same--and now he was stuck in this closet sized bathroom with what sounded like a mob-hit being discuss right outside the door.  He knew he should’ve turned this job down.

magica - Howard Stark had an idea. Some people - alright, most people, stop hitting me, Maria! - would say it was a terrible idea. But it was only a little injection of stuff based on that strange glowing blue cube they'd found in the Arctic. And Tony was absolutely willing, let's get that straight, Maria! How was Howard supposed to know that it'd enable Tony to open up his own portals? And if some mystical green energy happened to swamp Tony just as he was opening a portal to Egypt? Well, that wasn't his fault. The dark-haired, well-built Priest of Anubis that Tony manages to bring back with him? That is not his fault either, damn it, Maria!

@festiveferret - Tony could say with absolute confidence - at least, if he could say anything at all in his current predicament - that this was not the way his PR rep, Pepper, would have wanted him to come out. There were, he figured, several hundred ways that the day could have gone better, but if asked to rank the top three, he'd put them thusly: 

1) That he decided to come out by having a wild, unabashed make out session with none other than Captain America, in the middle of a busy New York street.

2) That it was, in fact, the morning after their first "date" - a term he was applying loosely here - and not a tasteful reveal of a long-standing, safe, secure, adult relationship.

And 3) That at some point between the first floor lobby of his apartment building and the front door off his penthouse suite he'd suddenly, unexpectedly, and so-far permanently been turned into a ferret and no one knew.

It would also probably concern her to discover that of all these rather bewildering turns in his life, the one at the forefront of his mind was that ferrets couldn't send morning-after texts, and he didn't want Steve to think their little dalliance had been nothing more than an - albeit unfortunately public - one night stand.

Of one thing he was sure, however: Pepper was going to need a raise.

ELLIS IN FREEDOMLAND

Spring 1952

Directed by Abby Berlin Produced by Roland D. Reed Written by Arthur Hoerl Music by Albert Colombo Choreography by Alex Romero

Synopsis ~ A 82 minute, technicolor promotional film for salesmen of Westinghouse appliances, featuring the voices of major Hollywood celebrities. Westinghouse claims its electric appliances "freed women from the drudgery of housework." The first half involves dream salesman Ellis at work; the second focuses on the "Spring Sales Event," called "Freedomland."

Westinghouse Electric Corporation was founded on January 8, 1886 by George Westinghouse (1846–1914). The corporation purchased CBS in 1995.

Live Cast

Robert Rockwell (Ellis Homan) is probably best remembered as biology teacher Mr. Boynton on the Desilu series “Our Miss Brooks” (1952-56). Although not the first to play Mr. Boynton, he assumed the role on radio and made the transition with the show to television. He played Viv’s handsome match in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (TLS S1;E2) the second installment of “The Lucy Show” in 1962. He then played night school teacher Jack Scott in “The Not-So-Popular Mechanics” (HL S5;E23). He continued working until 1995 and died in 2003 at age 82.  

Robert Carson (Phil Pryor, Westinghouse Representative) was a busy Canadian-born character actor who appeared on six episodes of “The Lucy Show” and made five appearance on “Here’s Lucy.” 

Byron Foulger (Andy, Night Watchman)  played the leader of the Friends of the Friendless in “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25). He appeared on “The Lucy Show” in “My Fair Lucy” (TLS S3;E20) and “Lucy Meets the Law” (TLS S5;E19).

Ann O'Neal (Customer in Mink) appeared in more than 100 films in the 1940s including the Lucille Ball film Lover Come Back (1946).

Betty Furness (Herself, Spokeswoman for Westinghouse) was an actress and model who became the face and voice of Westinghouse in many television commercials. When “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” was sponsored by Westinghouse, Furness appeared with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in commercials for their products. 

The Starlighters (Vocals) was a singing group that performed mainly as backing vocalists, frequently backing Jo Stafford as well as many other artists on a number of singles. They also performed songs in cartoon and live short films and the feature films Song of Idaho (1948) and With a Song in My Heart (1952). 

Voice Cast

Lucille Ball (Lina the Laundromat) was then filming the second half of her first season of “I Love Lucy” playing Lucy Ricardo, although her voice alone was familiar to radio audiences as Liz Cooper in “My Favorite Husband.”

Edward Arnold (Speedy the Range) lends his deep baritone voice to the role. He appeared with Lucille Ball in Roman Scandals (1933) and Ziegfeld Follies (1945). He died in 1956.

James Mason (Frosty the Refrigerator) was a three time Oscar-nominee who appeared as Lucille Ball’s Angel in Forever Darling (1956).

Percy Kilbride (Drip the Dehumidifier) was best remembered as Pa Kettle in a series of films from 1947 to 1954. 

Jerry Colonna (Chop-Along Waste-Away the Garbage Disposal) was a comic sidekick of Bob Hope on radio and television. In 1966 he played Smithers, Lucille Ball’s chauffeur on “Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies”. 

Andy Devine (Lanky the Water Heater) brought his high-pitched raspy voice to the film. He was known for his many appearances in westerns on both the small and big screen. 

Marie Wilson (Dinah the Dryer) is best known for playing the title role in the film and television series “My Friend Irma”.  Later in 1952, Wilson and Lucille Ball were both part of “Stars in the Eye” celebrating the opening of CBS Television Center. Coincidentally, Gale Gordon’s mother Gloria was also in “My Friend Irma” and on “The Lucy Show” Mr. Mooney’s off-screen wife was named Irma in her honor. 

Maureen O'Sullivan (Pearly the Dishwasher) played Jane in the early Tarzan films.  Her career lasted from 1930 to 1994. In 1987, Lucille Ball and O’Sullivan were two of the many stars in “Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood”. 

Mannequins

Jack Mulhall appeared with Lucille Ball in Broadway Bill (1934).

Alan Hale Jr. (Hunter) will forever be remembered as the Skipper on “Gilligan’s Island” but also appeared with Lucille Ball on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy”.  

Iron Eyes Cody (Chief Running Water) made a career of playing Native American characters despite the fact that he was of Italian ancestry. He first worked with Lucy and Desi in 1940’s Too Many Girls and 1942’s Valley of the Sun both as an Indian character. He played an Eskimo in a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” but is probably best remembered as the Indian that sheds a single tear in the ‘Keep America Beautiful’ ads that ran from 1971 to the 1980s. He played a Navajo Medicine Man in “Lucy and the Indian Chief” (HL S2;E3). 

Willie Best (Chauffeur) was one of the most popular African-American actors of Hollywood's Golden Era. He starred alongside some of film's great comedians including the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Laurel and Hardy, and three films with Shirley Temple. He did one film with Lucille Ball: Muss ‘em Up (1936). 

Karen Sharpe appeared on the “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” in 1959.

Mickey Simpson appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1939 film Panama Lady. 

Anthony Sydes (Bobby, the Boy in Buster Brown Outfit) was 8 years old at the time of filming. He left the business in 1958 and died in 2015 at age 74. 

With...

Lisa Abbott, Mildred Coles,  Richard Crane, Nancy Hadley, Noreen Michaels, Crystal Reeves, Darla Ridgeway, Anne Rubin, Carol Lowe, Frances Zucco

Uncredited Cast

Ralph Brooks (Stove Demonstrator) appeared in four films with Lucille Ball, as well as “The Lucy-Desi Milton Berle Special” and “Lucy Goes to Las Vegas” (TLS S3;E17). 

Sam Harris (Showroom Guest) did a dozen films with Lucille Ball before appearing in the audience of Over the Teacups in “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E8) and playing a subway passenger in “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12). In between, he was a wedding guest in Lucy and Desi’s film Forever Darling (1956). Along with Monty O'Grady and Murray Pollack, he was in the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” in 1959.

Stuart Holmes (Showroom Guest) appeared with Lucille Ball in Lover Come Back (1946) and Critic’s Choice (1963).

Hans Moebus (Washer / Dryer Demonstrator) appeared as an uncredited background performer in hundreds of movies and TV shows, including the Lucille Ball films DuBarry Was a Lady (1943), A Woman of Distinction (1950) and The Facts of Life (1960). He was seen on the dock during the “I Love Lucy” episode “Bon Voyage” (ILL S5;E13) and part of the riverboat chorus in “Lucy Meets Arthur Godfrey” (TLS S3;E23).  

Charles Sherlock (Television Viewer) appeared in three feature films with Lucille Ball from 1935 to 1963.

PART ONE - DON’T MEET COMPETITION, MAKE IT!

Westinghouse Rep Phil Pryer meets salesman Ellis Homan at his office on the department store showroom. Ellis tells Phil about the time he dozed off at his desk and the mannequins came to life: menswear, formal wear, beach wear, and (inexplicably) an American Indian in full regalia. Frosty the Refrigerator (James Mason) gets Ellis’ attention to demonstrate his frost-free features, as well as his unique butter tray and meat keeper. 

Ellis then has a conversation with Speedy the Electric Range (Edward Arnold) about all its features. Ellis even makes coffee and cookies for Mabel, a mannequin standing in for a ‘prospect’.  

MABEL: “Ellis, you’re cute. I wish you were a dummy.”

Ellis then has a chat with Pearly the Dishwasher (Maureen O’Sullivan) and Chop-Along Waste-Away the Garbage Disposal (Jerry Colonna), who sings during his demonstration. 

Lanky the Water Heater (Andy Devine) is upset because no one pays him much attention. Pearly draws Ellis’s attention to the drip who has shown up in the showroom lately, the Dehumidifier (Percy Kilbride) who promises to rid homes of damaging dampness.

Chiming in (literally) Lina the Laundromat (Lucille Ball) and Dinah the Dryer (Marie Wilson) sing their greeting. Known as ‘The Westinghouse Twins’, they often finish each others’ sentences and speak at the same time - all in aid of showing that they are a perfect freedom-fighting duo in a home. Ellis demonstrates a typical wash cycle. 

PART TWO - FREEDOM FAIR

Back in the present, Phil tells Ellis that Westinghouse is sponsoring radio and television coverage of the summer’s 1952 Republican and Democratic conventions, with ‘Get Out the Vote’ programs to follow. In the meantime, Phil tells Ellis about the big Spring Selling Event - Freedom Fair.  The event will be rolled out in the April 11, 1952 issue of Life Magazine and the April 16, 1952 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. On television, it will be announced by Betty Furness on “Studio One”.  

After Phil leaves, the scene changes to a typical suburban couple’s bedroom where the morning alarm has just gone off. The bedraggled housewife dances through the home trying to get ready for the day ahead - despite the fact that she does not have any time-saving Westinghouse electric appliances. As the harried husband downs a quick cup of coffee and dashes off to work, the song begins (with offscreen vocals by the Starlighters) and the frustrated housewife realizes just how much work she has ahead of her to clean her home. Just then an ethereal voice sings the name “Westinghouse! Westinghouse!” and there is suddenly a handsome young salesman ringing her doorbell. He sings:

“They say that Lincoln freed the slaves, With that I disagree. Women have been slaves for years Till Westinghouse set them free!”

He whisks her away to ‘Westinghousewives’ Heaven’ where all the products we previously saw demonstrated are extolled in joyous song, some even have angel wings! The housewife (still in her curlers and pajamas) ducks behind a cloud and is suddenly revealed in a diaphanous white gown complete with apron!  Amid a large group of ballet dancers, the Westinghousewife and Salesman dance in blissful happiness.

At the last moment the Starlighters appear and sing to us about Westinghouse, while the dancers swirl merrily around the May Pole!

Stereotypes

This film is obviously aimed at a male sales force. All the ‘prospects’ are assumed to be female and referred to in such terms as “the little lady”. The female mannequins are only interested in Ellis as romantic partners. Clearly, housewives were the main target of male salesmen. 

The film also presents a stereotypical black chauffeur, the only person of color in the cast. The actor is asked to pull comical faces that make him appear silly - the source of humor

“Mmmm. There’s gonna be a watermelon missin’, ‘round here.” 

Needless to say, that an American Indian chasing a scantily clad Caucasian woman around the store plays on stereotypical images of predatory Native Americans. The actor playing the Chief is Iron Eyes Cody, who, despite his name, was born Espera Oscar de Corti, an Italian-American. When trying to communicate all he says is “Ugg!”

Homosexuals don’t escape either. A man with an effeminate manner and lisping voice wearing a coonskin cap swishes in to say “Hello, Fellas” with a toss of the raccoon tail he swans off. The two men in suits look uncomfortable and deny knowing him.

Voice casting reflects gender stereotypes of the time. Cooling and heating appliances are voiced by men while washing appliances are voiced by women.

Trivia

Lucille Ball’s participation in this film may have influenced or been influenced by the fact that for the first season of “I Love Lucy” Lucy Ricardo had a 1951 Westinghouse Frost-Free refrigerator in her kitchen - very similar to “Frosty” - the model shown here in the film. It was widely promoted in print publications and on TV during 1951. Previously, the freezer cabinet had to be thawed manually when frost and ice built up in and around it.  

LUCY: “Didn’t you watch the conventions on television?”

Phil tells Ellis that Westinghouse will take out extensive advertising on radio and TV during the Conventions. In July 1952 both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions were televised live from Chicago. Although the conventions were also televised in 1948, few Americans owned a TV set to watch them. This time, an estimated 70 million voters watched the broadcasts, which ended with the nominations of Adlai Stevenson II and Dwight D. Eisenhower. There is a popular myth that Stevenson lost the election because of backlash from interrupting airings of “I Love Lucy” with hour-long campaign ads. Perhaps from Westinghouse?  The conventions were mentioned on “I Love Lucy” (appropriately) in “The Club Election” (ILL S2;E19) which aired in February 1953. However, it was filmed in September 1952, when the reference would have been much more timely.  By the time it eventually aired, Eisenhower had been inaugurated and the conventions were a distant memory. 

Distribution: Who Saw It - The film series reached 25,000 dealers in 75 cities in a single week. Released in Technicolor and in 16mm. Longest of four dealer promotion films in a two-hour series produced to promote Westinghouse home appliances.

The wall calendar above Ellis’s desk matches the calendar for January 1952, which was likely the filming date. The calendar depicts a loaf of bread with the brand name redacted for filming. On the table close to the bottom of the frame are copies of Life Magazine. Later on, Ellis makes instant coffee from a jar labeled Maxwell House Coffee, although the dish washing detergent and the food in the fridge are obviously props with no brand identification.  The laundry soap, however, is clearly labelled ‘All’ but is not in their usual bright colored packaging. 

Blooper Alerts! 

Dates! Phil tells Ellis that Freedom Fair will be announced in the April 11 issue of Life. However, the issue is actually dated April 7, 1952, not April 11. Interestingly, copies of Life Magazine are used as set decoration in Ellis’s office. Similarly, the April 16 edition of the Saturday Evening Post is really dated April 12.  

Weather Forecast! The put-upon housewife at the end of the film realizes her wash is still on the line when there is a sudden cloudburst (she does not own an electric dryer). The next moment, she answers the door to the Westinghouse Salesman and it is a clear day. Not really a blooper, just an indication that Westinghouse makes a rainy day into a sunny one - at least in the movies!

Fast Forward!

“Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” was a television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS between 1958 and 1960. Two of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television series “The Twilight Zone” and “The Untouchables.” It also presented 11 of the 13 episodes of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” after its initial sponsorship by Ford.  

In joining forces with Desilu, Westinghouse canceled their other anthology series “Studio One” which ran on CBS from 1948 to 1958. 

To kick off the partnership between Desilu and Westinghouse, a similar film (informally titled “Lucy Buys Westinghouse”) was produced which depicted Lucy and Desi giving a Westinghouse Executive a tour of their studio, formerly RKO. All through the tour, much to the dismay of Desi, Lucy is trying to order appliances for her dressing room from the executive!  At the end, Lucy appears inside a Westinghouse dryer - hiding from Desi!  Like Ellis in Freedomland, this film was only shown to Westinghouse employees. Unlike Ellis, it was filmed in black and white - only later colorized for home video. Throughout the film, Desi mispronounces the company’s name as “Westin-Gouse” and its spokesperson as Betty “Furnace”.  

During that time, the cast often did long-form commercials for Westinghouse. Here, Betty Furness and Vivian Vance join Lucille Ball to talk about the 1959 Westinghouse washing machine, the same type of appliance Ball voiced in this film seven years earlier. 

Naturally, during this period Lucy Ricardo had the most up-to-date Westinghouse appliances in her Westport home. Like this two-toned refrigerator and freezer.

Back in New York City, the Ricardos owned a Westinghouse Clock Radio! 

The Handy Dandy vacuum cleaner was actually a Westinghouse model! 

In 1954, Lucy made breakfast with her Westinghouse "Grill-n-Waffler" Waffle Iron - if only she can remember to pay the electricity bill, that is! 

Lucy squeezes oranges for juice with her Westinghouse Model #FM-511 Food Crafter with juicer attachment (sold separately). 

Lucy owned two different models of the Westinghouse Commander Super-Corox Range. This 1950 model was used during season one...

...and this 1954 Model on a later season. It looks similar to the 1950 model, but the controls have a different layout.

In 1953, ownership of a washing machine was a point of contention between the Ricardos and Mertzes. The appliance used in the episode is labeled Epernay (a fictional brand). In actuality, it is probably a Launderall Horton 500 with gas stove handles affixed to the sides to help move it back and forth on the narrow porch.

Lucy uses the washing machine (a lot!) in Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). It is impossible to see what brand it is. 

Coincidentally, in April 1952, “I Love Lucy” did an episode titled “The Freezer” (ILL S1;E29) where Lucy and Ethel want to buy a home freezer to economize, but end up buying a walk-in model instead. In Jess Oppenheimer’s book, he states that newspapers and magazines were full of ads for home freezers at the time. Once they came up with the idea of Lucy getting trapped in the freezer, they had to abandon the home freezer idea for a larger, walk-in model.  

In 1966, a TV musical titled “Evening Primrose” with music by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, also explored the idea of department store mannequins coming to life. Anthony Perkins starred. 

The idea of anthropomorphized laundry room appliances was also explored in the 2004 Broadway musical Caroline, or Change, in which actors played embodiment of the Washing Machine and the Dryer.  A revival of the musical was on track for Broadway but interrupted by the Corona Virus pandemic. 

In 1987, the film Mannequin starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall also explored the idea of department store mannequin coming to life. It was partly based on the 1948 film One Touch of Venus, although in that film, the mannequin was a statue. 

Hamilton: Ranking Every Song from the Soundtrack

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Imagine the experience of being one of the first individuals to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s now-classic Hamilton: An American Musical live. 

The first thing you notice is the spartan, largely empty stage. Then as Leslie Odom Jr. takes the stage as Aaron Burr followed by Miranda’s Hamilton, you realize that this production about America’s founding fathers is made up almost exclusively of People of Color. That’s a lot to take in from the start. At a certain point, however, you’re bound to realize that the play is about 40 minutes in and The. Music. Has. Not. Stopped. 

In addition to its many ingenious quirks and hooks, Hamilton is truly a musical musical. Miranda’s book and lyrics about one of the country’s most colorful and impressive founders has a lot of ground to cover. And it does so at a musical sprint with almost no expository time-wasting in-between.

As such, the Hamilton soundtrack is a staggeringly impressive piece of recent culture. At 46 tracks spread out over nearly two and a half hours, this album closely replicates the experience of a show most could never get a ticket to live. A passionate, thriving Hamilton fandom rose up out of that soundtrack and it continues through to this day.

Now, with Hamilton about to be more accessible than ever by joining Disney+, we decided to rank all 46 of those tracks.

46. Hurricane

The hurricane that ravaged Alexander Hamilton’s Caribbean island home of St. Croix was a crucial part of his life and led to him securing passage to the United States. But the song “Hurricane” uses the storm late in the play as a tortured metaphor for his turbulent public life. It’s undoubtedly the least energetic and weakest full song on the Hamilton soundtrack.

45. Farmer Refuted

“Farmer Refuted” does well to capture a young Hamilton’s rhetorical brilliance early on in the play but doesn’t hold up well against other, more fully crafted tunes. Hercules Mulligan mumbling “tear this dude apart” is certainly a soundtrack highlight though. 

44. The Story of Tonight (Reprise)

What would any Broadway musical soundtrack be without a reprise or two? “The Story of Tonight (Reprise)” is certainly fun. But, ultimately, tales of Hamilton’s legendary horniness would have been better suited with a full song. 

43. Schuyler Defeated

Just about every line of dialogue in Hamilton is sung… including heavily expository moments like Burr defeating Hamilton’s father-in-law in a local election. The subject matter and lack of true musical gusto makes “Schuyler Defeated” one of the least essential tracks in the show.

42. We Know

It’s a testament to how strong the Hamilton soundtrack is that a song like “We Know” could appear this low on the list. This account of Jefferson and company informing Hamilton of what they know is quite good; it just pales in comparison to the song in which they uncover Hamilton’s misdeeds. 

41. It’s Quiet Uptown

This is sure to be a controversial spot on the list for this much-loved ballad. “It’s Quiet Uptown” is indeed composed quite beautifully. It also features lyrics that seem to be almost impatient in nature – as though the song is trying to rush the Hamiltons through the grieving process to get back on with the show. 

40. Take a Break

Part of the miracle of Hamilton is how the soundtrack is able to turn rather mundane concepts and events in Hamilton’s life into rousing, larger-than-life musical numbers. “Take a Break” is charged with dramatizing the notion that Hamilton simply works too much with a sweetly melancholic melody. It does quite a good job in this regard but naturally can’t compete with some of the more bombastic songs on the list. 

39. Stay Alive

Set in the brutal dredge of the Revolutionary War, “Stay Alive” is a song about desperation. And between its urgent piano rhythm and panicky Miranda vocals, it does quite a good job of capturing the appropriate mood. It also feels like one long middle with no compelling introduction or conclusion. 

38. Best of Wives and Best of Women

Talk about “the calm before the storm.” “Best of Wives and Best of Women” captures one last quiet moment between Alexander and Eliza before Aaron Burr canonizes his one-time friend to the $10 bill. It’s brief, lovely, and effective. 

37. The Adams Administration

Hamilton wisely surmises that the best way to introduce audiences to new eras of its title character’s life story is through the narration of the man who killed him in Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.). Odom Jr.’s real flare for showmanship turns what could be throw-away intros into truly excellent material. It also features a hilarious nod to Sherman Edwards’ 1776 musical when Hamilton says, “Sit down, John” and then adds a colorful, “you fat motherf***er!”

36. A Winter’s Ball

Again: Burr’s monologues are always a welcome presence in these tracks. And in “A Winter’s Ball,” he does some of his best work by setting up Burr and Hamilton’s prowess… “with the ladiessssss!”

35. Meet Me Inside

Despite a brief running time, “Meet Me Inside” is able to establish George Washington’s general bona fides and Hamilton’s daddy issues in equal measure. 

34. Your Obedient Servant

“Your Obedient Servant” is Hamilton’s loving ode to passive aggression. In just two minutes and thirty seconds, you’ll believe that two grown men could somehow neg themselves into a duel via letter-writing. 

33. The Reynolds Pamphlet

You know that old adage of “he could read out of a phonebook and it would be interesting?” Well Hamilton basically does that with “The Reynolds Pamphlet.” The ominous music injects real import into the simple act of writing that would upend the Hamilton family’s lives. 

32. That Would Be Enough

Eliza’s refrain of “look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now” recurs at the beginning of “That Would Be Enough” in a truly touching way. This song is a real tonal whiplash from the revolutionary battles and duels that precede it, but it is ultimately strong enough to bring the focus back to Alexander and Eliza and not just the hectic world they inhabit. 

31. The Story of Tonight

“The Story of Tonight” is both a clever drinking song among bros and a subtle setup for the show’s larger theme of one’s story being told after they’re gone. The song is both affecting and effective, just a little too short to stand out and make big waves on our list. 

30. Blow Us All Away

“Blow Us All Away” is a fun, jaunty little ditty from Anthony Ramos’ Philip Hamilton. It rather ingeniously incorporates the young Philip’s own musical motif before ending in tragedy. 

29. Stay Alive (Reprise)

It’s hard for any song to emotionally contend with the death of a child in under two minutes but “Stay Alive (Reprise)” does a shockingly good job. There’s a real sense of urgency to the music before it settles in for poor Philip to say his final words. 

28. Burn

Musically, “Burn” is not one of the better ballads in Hamilton. Lyrically, however, its power is hard to deny. Phillipa Soo does a remarkable job communicating Eliza’s pain at her husband’s betrayal. More impressive is how she communicates the only way to work through that pain, which is through burning all of his personal correspondences and writings to her. 

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27. The Election of 1800

Hamilton is the rare musical where one character can sing “can we get back to politics please?” and the audience’s response is “hell yeah!”. The show is uncommonly good at dramatizing boring political processes, and “The Election of 1800” is no exception. The song builds up to a pseudo-reprisal of “Washington on Your Side” in a shockingly effective and cathartic way. 

26. History Has Its Eyes on You

“History Has Its Eyes on You” is a powerful recurring phrase through the entirety of Hamilton. Each and every time the concept comes up in a song, it truly stands out. Strangely though, the song that bears its name is only in the middle of the pack in terms of the show’s numbers. Perhaps it’s because it occurs near the middle of the first act, before we can properly appreciate its heady themes? 

25. Aaron Burr, Sir

One of Hamilton’s most charming traits is how readily it acknowledges what an annoying pain in the ass its lead character can be at times. “Aaron Burr, Sir” is literally the second song of the entire musical and helps establish its playful tone as much as the bombastic opening number establishes a deadly serious one. 

24. Guns and Ships

Ballads are nice. “I want” songs are nice. Recurring motifs are nice. But sometimes you need a song that just goes hard. Thanks to “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman” that’s what “Guns and Ships” delivers. Lafayette actor Daveed Diggs faces an enormous challenge in Act One by filling out the character’s growth in bits and pieces. “Guns and Ships” is the reward, where a fully unleashed (and English-fluent) Lafayette makes it very clear what hell he has in store for the British army. 

23. Washington on Your Side

Thomas Jefferson is such a dynamo of a presence in Hamilton that one could be forgiven for forgetting how infrequently he turns up. Jefferson (and Daveed Diggs) is operating at an absurdly high capacity in “Washington on Your Side.” Meanwhile the music has a ball keeping up with the increasingly incensed backroom scheming of Jefferson and his “Southern motherfucking Democratic-Republicans!”

22. Right Hand Man

Thirty-two thousand troops in New York Harbor. That’s uh… that’s a lot. While the second act of Hamilton has to work a little harder to capture the drama of the inner-workings of a fledgling government, the first act is able to absolutely breeze through some truly epic and exciting songs covering the Revolutionary War. “Right Hand Man” is one such ditty that really captures the frenetic urgency of a bunch of up-jumped wannabe philosophers trying to topple the world’s most powerful empire. 

21. The Schuyler Sisters

Honestly, “The Schuyler Sisters” deserve better than its placement on this list. It’s just that everything that comes after is such a banger, that it’s hard to justify moving up the dynamic introduction of Angelicaaaa, Elizzzaaaaa… and Peggy.

20. Ten Duel Commandments

Imagine how insane you would sound in circa 1998 explaining that there would one day be a musical about the founding fathers that uses the framework of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments” to describe the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Then imagine how insane you would sound when explaining that it was great. “Ten Duel Commandments” doesn’t cover the “big” duel of Hamilton. It’s a teaser for what’s to come. Thankfully it’s a hell of a good teaser. 

19. Cabinet Battle #2

Hamilton’s two cabinet battles run the risk of being the cringiest part of the show. Every concept has its stylistic limit, and a rap battle between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson should absolutely fly past that limit. Somehow, however, the novelty works and the creativity of Miranda’s writing shines through. 

18. Cabinet Battle #1

The two Cabinet Battles are pretty interchangeable on the list. #1 gets the nod because of “we know who’s really doing the planting.”

17. What Comes Next

The trilogy of King George III songs is some of the most purely joyful songwriting on the Hamilton soundtrack. We can dive into the specifics of what really works about the songs in a later entry. For now, know that “What Comes Next” falls the lowest on our list due to featuring only one round of “da-da-da’s.”

16. I Know Him

“I Know Him” also features only one burst of “da-da-da’s.” But it still gets the nod over “What Comes Next” for King George III calling John Adams “that little guy who spoke to me.” 

15. Dear Theodosia

Perhaps more so than any other character in Hamilton, Aaron Burr works best on his own. The character (and the man he was based on) plays things close to the vest by design. It’s only through his musical soliloquies that we get a real sense of the guy. That’s what makes “Dear Theodosia” so powerful in particular. Burr wants the same thing for his daughter that Hamilton wants for his son: “Some day you’ll blow us all away.”

14. One Last Time

George Washington owned slaves. Yeah yeah, you can bandy around the usual “bUt He ReLeAsEd ThEm AlL lAtEr In LiFe” all you want. At the end of the day, it’s an inescapable fact for the country to confront. It’s a hard thing for Hamilton, however,  a show realistic about America’s flaws but still reverential to its founding story, to deal with. Hamilton presents the George Washington of American mythos for the most part and he strikes an undeniably impressive and imposing figure. To that end, “One Last Time” is one of the most unexpectedly moving songs in the show. Washington is committing one of the most important and selfless acts in American history by stepping aside. Yet there’s a real sense of sadness as the cast chants “George Washington’s going hooo-ooo-ooome.”

13. Non-Stop

“Non-Stop” is an extremely atypical choice for an Act-ender. Hamilton could have just as easily chosen to wrap up Act One with the rebels’ victory over Great Britain. Instead it takes a moment to process that then deftly sets up the rest of its story with “Non-Stop,” which is simply a song about Hamilton’s insane work ethic. The key to the track’s success is how relentless it is, as if it were trying to keep up with and mimic the title character’s pace. Then there are all the usual exciting Act-ending reprisals and recurring motifs to boot. 

12. Say No To This

Just as was the case in Hamilton’s life, Maria Reynolds has only a brief role in the show, but her influence casts quite a long shadow. “Say No To This” is a real showcase for both Miranda and Maria actress Jasmine Cephas Jones. This is a devastatingly catchy jazzy number about marital infidelity…. as all songs about marital infidelity should be. 

11. Alexander Hamilton

“How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore / And a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot / In the Caribbean by providence impoverished / In squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar?” our narrator Aaron Burr asks in Hamilton’s superb opening number. A play with so many moving parts, and such a high-concept needs an indelible opening track to convince audiences that the madness that is about to follow is worth waiting for. “Alexander Hamilton” is more than up to the task. This is an exhilarating starter that introduces its audience to all the important characters, themes, and sounds of the show. It also has its lead character spell out his full name in a rap, which somehow ends up being awesome and endearing rather than corny. 

10. Wait for It

Just like the rest of us, Burr is the main character of his own story. And the show allows him to tell that story in songs like “Wait For It.” “Wait For It” is an exciting, downright explosive bit of songwriting. It’s every bit the “I want” song for Burr that “My Shot” is to Hamilton. And just like Burr and Hamilton are two sides of the same coin, so too are these two songs. Burr is alone once again in this powerful number. And he uses that privacy as an excuse to loudly… LOUDLY exclaim his modus operandi. He comes from a similar background as Hamilton and he wants mostly the same things as Hamilton. The difference between the two of them is that Burr is willing to wait for it all.

9.  The Room Where it Happens

Bless this musical for having a song as brilliant  as “The Room Where it Happens” only just being able to crack the top 10. There are hundreds of musicals in which “The Room Where it Happens” would be far and away the standout number. For Hamilton, it’s ninth. “The Room Where It Happens” is another example of the show taking a seemingly bland topic (backroom deal-making) and turning it into something transcendently entertaining for its audience and something transcendently illustrative for its characters. This is the song where the borders between Aaron Burr: Narrator and Aaron Burr: Vengeance-Seeker come down.  Burr starts off as a patient observer of what kind of nefarious negotiations go into the building of a country before his frustration slowly builds into the recognition that he needs to be in the room where it happens. 

8. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

Truly there is no more fitting ending to Hamilton than “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.” At its core, this is a play not only about legacy but about the fungible nature of legacy. Alexander Hamilton is gone and we know his story lives on. But who will tell that story? Like any good closing number, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” knows the importance of bringing back many of the play’s core concepts and characters. And none of those are more important than Eliza’s assertion that she is ready “to write herself back into the narrative.” In the end, it’s not the revolutions or the pamphlets but the love. And that’s how one finds oneself in the absurd position of crying over the guy on the $10 bill.

7. What’d I Miss?

Lin-Manuel Miranda has described Thomas Jefferson as the show’s Bugs Bunny. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the ludicrously jaunty track that opens up Hamilton’s Act Two. There might not be a more joyful or outright hilarious three minutes in any of the soundtrack’s 46 songs. After several years spent living it up in France, Daveed Diggs’s TJ returns to the United States. The rest of his fellow revolutionaries have moved on to R&B and rap, but Jefferson is still stuck in full on jazz mode. “What’d I Miss” serves as the perfect introduction to a crucial character and the themes of the show’s second half. 

6. The World Was Wide Enough

If “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” is designed to make the audience cry, then “The World Was Wide Enough” exists to make them gasp. This penultimate song is a truly stunning piece of work. This is a sprawling performance that brings back “The 10 Duel Commandments” in expected yet still emotional fashion. Then at the play’s climactic moment, it cuts out the music entirely to make room for Hamilton’s internal monologue – his one last ride through all the pages he won’t write. Finally it covers the grim aftermath of Burr and Hamilton’s duel as the survivor grapples with what he has done. There is a lot packed into these five minutes of song and each moment is more compelling than the last. 

5. You’ll Be Back

If absolutely nothing else in Hamilton worked – if the characterizations were off, if the costumes were too simple, if the “Founding Fathers rapping” concept couldn’t be executed – the play’s two and a half hours all still would have been worth it for this one, tremendously goofy song. King George III (portrayed by Jonathan Groff in the original Broadway production) pops up three times throughout the show to deliver pointed little reminders to the American colonists about how good they used to have it. The first time around is by far the best, in large part because it’s so charmingly unexpected and weird. By the time King George III gets to the “da-da-da” section of his breakup song with America, it’s hard to imagine anyone resisting the song… or the show’s charms. 

4. My Shot

While “You’ll Be Back” may go down as the most enduring karaoke song from Hamilton, “My Shot” is almost certainly the play’s most recognizable and iconic tune. Every musical needs an “I want” song in which its lead articulates what they want out of this whole endeavor. Rarely are those “I wants” as passionate and thrilling as “My Shot.” This was reportedly the song that Miranda took the longest to write and it’s clear now to see why. Not only is “My Shot” lyrically and musically intricate, but it does the majority of play’s heavy lifting in establishing Hamilton as a character. Just about everything we need to know about Alexander Hamilton and what drives him is introduced here. And the work put into “My Shot” makes all of its recurring themes and concepts hit so much harder in the songs to come. 

3. Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

In many ways, “Yorktown” benefits from the precedent that earlier songs like “My Shot” established. This is a song that puts energetic renditions of previous lines like “I’m not throwing away my shot” and “I imagine death so much it feels like a memory” to grand use. But for as much as “Yorktown” deftly invokes Hamilton’s past, what makes this song truly special is how solely focused it is on the present. To put it quite simply: “Yorktown” goes hard. It is fast, harsh, chaotic, and thrilling. This is the song that captures the moment that American troops defeated the British empire and “the world turned upside down.” It’s to the song’s immense credit that the music and lyrics capture the enormity of the moment. Also, there’s “stealing the show” and then there’s what Hercules Mulligan (Okieriete Onaodowan) does here in “Yorktown.” We’re in the shit now, and Hercules is loving it. 

2. Helpless

“Helpless” might be pound for pound the best musical moment in all of Hamilton. It’s a simple, seemingly effortless love song that, even removed from the context of the show, would sound beautiful coming out of anyone’s car radio on a lovely summer day. Within the context of the show, it’s even better. It acts as a rare moment of celebration for all the characters involved before the Revolutionary War really gets churning and before a young America needs capable young Americans to guide it. What makes “Helpless” truly great, however, is the song that follows it…

1. Satisfied

Wait, wait… why is Angelica saying “rewind?” Why do we need to rewind? We had such a lovely night! The transition between “Helpless” and “Satisfied” is Hamilton’s greatest magic trick. The former presents a night of unambiguous love and celebration. Then the latter arrives to teach us that there is no such thing as “unambiguous” in Hamilton. In a truly remarkable performance, Angelica Schuyler (Renée Elise Goldsberry) teaches us what really happened the night Hamilton met the Schuyler sisters. Angelica will never be satisfied, and it’s because she’s “a girl in a world in which (her) only job is to marry rich.” Hamilton and Eliza’s story is a love story. But it’s also a story of Angelica’s loss. “Satisfied” imbues the musical with a sense of subtle melancholy that it never quite shakes through to the very end. “Satisfied” is the emotional lynchpin of Hamilton, and as such also its very best song. 

The post Hamilton: Ranking Every Song from the Soundtrack appeared first on Den of Geek.

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The Greatest Example of Wasted Potential

Recently, The Greatest Showman became available for purchase on DVD, and of course, I had to watch it again. When I watched it the first time, I was captivated by the excellent costume and set design, catchy soundtrack, and of course, the fact that it’s centered around Hugh Jackman.

However, as is the theme for watching movies a second time, you start to see the cracks in the yellow brick road, so to speak. Yes, the songs sound nice, and the actors aren’t unpleasant to look at, but what is The Greatest Showman really about? It’s a story about P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) and how he goes about making himself a name and a fortune starting the world’s first circus. It’s loosely based on the life of the real P. T. Barnum, but aside from the names of his family members, his dramatic flair, and abandoning his job to create a circus, their lives were infinitely different.

In the musical, P. T. begins as a young child, living in poverty and awe of his future wife, Charity (Michelle Williams) and the audience watches the pair sing their way into adulthood. They have two young children, Caroline and Helen, and P. T. supports the family as a clerk for a shipping company until he loses his job. At that point, he establishes himself as a bad person as he uses collateral that he doesn’t actually have to take out a loan. He uses the loan to buy a museum, and upon realizing that it was a terrible idea, assembles a posse of “freaks” to keep his family from slipping under the poverty line. The collection consists of Charles Stratton (Sam Humphrey), a man with dwarfism going by the stage name “General Tom Thumb,” a pair of conjoined twins named Chang and Eng Bunker (Daniel Son and Yusaku Komori), the Huge Man (Daniel Everidge), and black acrobats W. D. and Anne Wheeler (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Zendaya), among others. Of course, P. T. can’t do it all by himself, so while he could’ve turned to his wife for guidance and assistance, he instead offered a position to Philip Carlyle (Zac Efron).

Philip’s character is a rough outline of James Anthony Bailey, though he does more to Anne than he does for the circus. His and Anne’s relationship is very trope-heavy, with Anne believing that he would be better off without her, and it requiring him to almost die for her to realize that she needs him. She comes to her original conclusion after Philip (a white man from a wealthy family) introduces her to his family, when they promptly criticized her social status. It’s implied that the underlying issue is that they’re uncomfortable with their son’s blossoming interracial relationship, but it’s never directly stated and therefore can’t be discussed thoroughly.

Of course, Philip’s family is somewhat of an exception to the city’s attitudes towards Barnum’s circus. There are some that commit arson in a direct attempt to harm the performers, a definite hate crime, and I applaud the film for acknowledging the crimes committed against people who are different, but it was executed poorlyーthe only character injured was Philip, and the crime was used to further their romantic subplot. The rest of the citizens are much more docile in their hatred towards Barnum’s posse; they just attend his shows and gawk at the performers. Outside of the city, Queen Victoria of England didn’t allow the performers to attend her ball, and only the able-bodied white men were present. The rest of Barnum’s cast sings a song about not needing other people’s acceptance to be who they are (“This Is Me”) and clearly fits into the message the movie is trying to get across: be your own person, everyone else be damned, and celebrate your differences.

This message, however, was executed poorly, as the main focus is not on the “odd” characters learning to love themselves; the film is centered around the struggle of an able-bodied, lying white man to profit off of people’s differences. Because he’s trying to profit off of appearances, his goal is not for the citizens to see the beauty in their varied physical characteristics, but instead for them to gawk at the performers. By putting them together in a “freak show,” he is teaching New Yorkers that dwarfism, being black, having tattoos, or being a conjoined twin isn’t something that’s normal, and that it’s so odd that they should pay to marvel at the oddities. Barnumーand The Greatest Showman with itーare perpetuating the lie that there is no way an outwardly different person can get a job for being intelligent or a hard worker. He’s demonstrating that these sorts of people cannot exist in the “real world,” and is reducing them to their appearances. The audience never learns what any of the characters are like because of the lack of screen-time they have individually. The only time they have a voice, as the movie has presented it, is when they’re together, saying that they’re more than the eye can see. But, because Barnum profits off of what the eye can see, the intended message effectively contradicts with the film’s very premise.

In short, while The Greatest Showman is an eye-catching musical with easily quoted lyrics, it fails to comply with the message it’s being widely praised for. While it could be called inspiring for having a vaguely diverse cast, it’s still centered around an able-bodied white man’s ability to exploit those who are unlike him, such that there’s no room within its hefty run-time to develop the characters fans are so excited to see onscreen. We as an audience need to recognize that simply having a sundry cast doesn’t make a film “groundbreaking,” or at least that it shouldn’t. Having so many characters like that and leaving them to only be effective in numbers conveys the wrong message, and is a disappointing waste of potential.

Lazy Days and You

Summary: Love carries no expiration date. All you know is, with a little luck and fairy dust, you’ll feel Cupid’s arrow!  Redemption and love...two vital ingredients for joy!

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Original Character of Color Marisol Kincaid

OFC: Steve, Nat, Sam, Wanda, Tony and Anthony Grant Barnes (eventually)

Warning: Redemption and happiness (misspelled on purpose)

Word Count: 882

A/N: My entry in @supersoldierslover Taw’s 3k Writing Challenge! Congratulations my friend.  You’re a sweetheart. Enjoy!

An Avenger has little to no time for a relationship. Clint and Laura’s marriage is exception to the rule. With each mission, moments of uncertainty looms overhead. What if they were mortally wounded or killed? No one deserved to constantly be on edge.

Happiness eluded James Buchanan Barnes like the plague. So, he resorted to playing the field. Pretty soon, he amassed quite the reputation. Bucky Barnes, lady killer.

Marisol wasn’t an Avenger. Her position at Stark Industries lacked adventure and danger. As supervisor over the Records Room, Marisol ensured staff uploaded pertinent HYDRA data, via computer into F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s data bank for storage. Also, Marisol personally transferred delicate notes onto a USB, where they were sealed and placed in Tony’s private safe…..off site.

Tony found a reason to throw one of his over-the-top parties. Standing at the bar with Steve, Bucky scanned the crowd for this elusive woman whose peaked his curiosity.

Greeting her friends, Marisol strolled to the bar. “Jack straight please.”

Turning on the charm, Bucky attempted to reel her in. “Jack straight? Pretty ballsy drink for a dame.”

Rolling her eyes, Marisol shot him down. “II know all about your womanizing reputation and I will not be another notch in your bedpost. Have a good evening.”

Sam witnessed the exchange and couldn’t wait to tease Bucky. “Damn man. She turned you down like a hotel bed.”

“I love challenges.” Bucky gulped his drink, joining Steve, Sam, Tony, and Thor.

Sam chuckled, “Hey Tin Can, your 40s bullshit won’t work on her. The hottie in the black dress shot him down,” motioning towards a group of ladies having an animated conversation.

Tony snorted, “Who Marisol? You’d stand a better chance talking to the nice lady in HR. You know, Ms. Channing; medium height, support hose, always smells like Ben-Gay?”

Steve, Sam and Thor laughed so hard, tears rolled down their faces. Bucky didn’t find it amusing. This goddess turned James Buchanan Barnes away??

Snapping back, Bucky mused “I’ve always loved a challenge. Game on doll.”

First, he abstained from frivolous flirting and sex. Anytime women attempted to latch onto him, Bucky refused to acknowledge their presence.

Next, Bucky knew in order to make a full 360, he’d make the ultimate sacrifice; torching his expansive library of black books.

Punching the up button, James Buchanan Barnes exhaled and stepped into the elevator. Bucky scrolled through his phone’s playlist, stopping at the mournful tune, ‘Taps.’ Mumbling to himself, “It’s now or never Barnes.”

Upon arrival on the roof, he started a fire in the pit. One by one, Bucky tossed his books into the crackling fire. A lone tear dropped from his eyelash. The time to settle down arrived! He wanted much more than an occasional booty call.

Days, weeks, and months passed. Bucky delivered flowers to Marisol’s office, asked her out for coffee…….nothing.

Tony played matchmaker, inviting Marisol to movie night. Steve and Bucky were last to arrive. They’d completed a rigorous training session.

Engaged in deep conversation about who won, Bucky didn’t see Marisol sitting on the loveseat.

Steve nudged his arm, “Buck, look who’s here.”

Sam taunted the speechless former assassin. “What’s wrong tin can? Cat got your tongue?”

Marisol waved at Bucky, tucking a lock of hair behind her left ear.

Tony, Nat and Wanda took advantage of the moment, snapping a picture of Bucky’s dumbfounded expression.

Steve extended his hand, “Hello I’m Steve Rogers.” “Marisol Kincaid, nice to meet you.”

Tony couldn’t let this priceless moment go without busting Bucky’s chops. “Marisol, Oil Can’s usually not tongue tied. Well, say something?

“H-hello. M’Bucky.” Everyone laughed at his nervous behavior.

“We’ve met remember? Tony’s last party? By the way, I love roses. How did you know?

Bucky responded, “Didn’t know. Lucky guess?”

“Wanna sit with me?” Marisol patted the seat next to her.

Nodding ‘yes’, Bucky flopped down in the seat; a goofy grin plastered on his face.

“Can we start the movie already?” Nat blurted out.

Tonight’s choice selected by Marisol………”The Jaws Collection”

Placing a bowl of popcorn in her lap, Wanda loved Marisol’s movie choices.

Sipping on a beer, Sam set the rules. “Okay kiddies. Light’s out and Barnes, NO NECKING!”

“Shut up Birdboy. You’re just mad. Turn around and watch the movie.

A chorus of ‘shhhhh’ echoed around the room.

Scooting close to Bucky’s side, Marisol whispered, “Would you join me for pizza and ice cream tomorrow?”

Clearly startled, Bucky stammered, “Y-yeah, um I’d like that a lot.”

“I’ll meet you in the common room around 2 p.m. Okay?’

“Okay.” She and Bucky turned towards the movie screen, munching on popcorn and beer.

Sleep eludes him most nights. Bucky would toss and turn from horrific nightmares. After movie night, he slept like a baby.

A bundle of nerves, Steve and Sam tried to calm Bucky down. Unsure of his outfit, Steve recommended a shirt, jeans and boots.

“M’hands are sweatin’ something awful. Maybe I shouldn’t go.” Bucky’s hesitance pissed Sam off.

Sam, rolling his eyes, scolded him, “Look you ancient asshole, you’ve done nothing but talked about this woman for months. Get your clothes on and have fun.”

Bucky shook his head up and down. Steve pushed him towards the shower. He and Sam left the room.

Dressed and ready to go, Bucky inhaled, exhaled, stepping in the elevator.

A vision of loveliness, Marisol sported ripped knee stonewashed skinny jeans, multi-colored sweater that really made her eyes pop, Ugg boots and a leather jacket.

Bucky offered his arm. “Shall we m’lady?”

Giggling, Marisol beamed, “Why yes, kind sir. We shall!”

Bucky and Marisol walked to her favorite pizza parlor, “Dominique’s.” It was quiet and intimate. They ordered pizza and colas. She listened attentively to stories about pre-serum Steves’ wild adventure. No mention of his time in HYDRA’s clutches. In turn, Marisol explained how her family was killed by HYDRA. They were mistaken for another family.

She couldn’t stop the flow of salty liquid rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry Bucky. It’s still raw after two years.”

Using his calloused thumb, Bucky wiped the tears from her face. “S’okay doll. I understand.”

Marisol and Bucky enjoyed lazy days, picnics in the backyard of the compound and long walks through Central Park . Although she lived off site, Nick Fury insisted she and her staff move in due to threats from HYDRA.

Bucky was over the moon elated. His best girl one floor down.

Most days though, the lovebirds could be found tangled together, making out like hormonal teenagers.

Tony and Sam didn’t waste the opportunity to annoy Bucky. “Hey Birdman. Look at Veronica and Jughead sucking face.”

Sam added, “Damn would y’all go to your room?”

Grabbing his hand, Marisol pulled Bucky towards his room. “Bye bye haters.”

Nat and Wanda returned from their month long recon mission, Marisol greeted the ladies with a hug.

“Yay, you’re back!!! Go shower and we’ll have girl time,” in her sing-song voice.

Wanda and Nat left the room to shower and prepare for mani/pedis, wine and rom coms.

“I’ll see you later Bucky,” placing a chaste kiss on his pouting lips.

Of course he didn’t mind. Bucky’s love for Marisol grew more and more.

Having been together for almost two years,  Bucky wanted Marisol to become his wife. So, operation “Let’s Get Married” was birthed.

Under the ruse of a 1940s Anthony Stark party, Nat and Wanda coaxed Marisol into an excursion of epic proportion…shopping in New York using Tony Stark’s unlimited credit card..

At the compound, caterers and decorators scurried in the ballroom. A disco ball hung from the ceiling; casting a kaleidoscope of shapes on the wall. Silver and black balloons swayed at the entrance of the room.

The melodic sound of Glenn Miller waft from the speakers. Topping off the affair, Pepper hired them a waiter. On the menu: Duck a l’orange, Sauteed Broccoli, Savory Sage Cornbread Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Butter Pecan Topping. Dessert…LATER!

Nat found the perfect dress, shoes and clutch purse for Marisol.

“Now, skedaddle.  Wanda and I gotta get dressed. Meet us in the ballroom?” Nat smirked.

“See you downstairs.”

Wanda texted Bucky:

W: Marisol’s on the way

Buckaroo: Everything’s all set.

W: Good luck

Buckaroo: I’m really nervous

W: Nat says you’ll be fine

James Buchanan Barnes stood frozen. He was transformed back to the 40s. A tear rolled down his cheek. Marisol was a vision of loveliness.

“My don’t you look handsome Bucky.” Marisol blushed.

Bucky’s voice cracked, “Doll, I can’t begin to say how gorgeous you are. Wow. I’m a lucky man.”

Escorting her to the table, Bucky pulled out Marisol’s chair. “Thank you. Always a gentleman.”

Their elegant meal and champagne were presented. The happy couple dined, laughed, and made small talk savoring every moment.

Bucky raised his glass for a toast. “To the love of my life. You’re more than I could’ve ever hoped for. I’mma better man ‘cause of you.”

Reaching inside his pocket, Bucky took to one knee. “Marisol Kincaid, I’ll love you till the end of time and beyond. No one will ever compare to you. Would you be my wife?”

Unable to hold back tears, she whispered ‘yes.’

Bucky led his fiance’ to the dance floor swaying to Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade”.  

Showing off some impressive dance moves, the newly engaged couple danced the night away.

Three months later, Bucky and Marisol married in an intimate ceremony. Bruce officiated, Tony and Sam escorted Marisol down the aisle.

Two years after marrying, a chubby cheek baby boy, Anthony Grant Barnes was born.  Weighing 8 lbs. 6 ozs., curly brown hair and bright blue gray eyes.

Of course everyone fawned over him. Bucky couldn’t be prouder. He had a wife, son, and free will.

Snuggled in his daddy’s safe arms, 4 year old Grant peered out the floor length window.

“Daddy, guess what? I love you this much,” stretching his little arms as far as he could.

Bucky’s heart swelled with pride. “Hey tiger, guess what? I love you to the moon and beyond.”

Leaning against the door jamb, Mrs. Barnes admired her two favorite guys.

Spying his mommy, Grant wiggled out his daddy’s arms, running to Marisol. “Hello sweetheart. Are you watching the raindrops?”

“Uh huh. Daddy hold me up to the window. S’lotta rain.”

She walked over, standing next to her husband. “Just think. Next year, we’ll have two kids.”

“Wh-wh-what? I-you-we’re gonna have a baby?”

“Yes, my sweet, I’m 2 months pregnant. Are you excited?”

“You’ve given me so much. I’m the luckiest sap in the face of the earth. Didn’t think happiness would come my way. Now, there’s no way I could live without my family.”

“Yay, I’m gonna have a brudder or sister!!!” Grant jumped around the room.

Bucky placed a kiss on Marisol’s flat tummy. “Hey little one, this is your daddy. Grant and I are excited about meeting ya. Please don’t make mommy sick. See’ya in 7 months peanut!”

Fin

I posted 20,913 times in 2021

128 posts created (1%)

20785 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 162.4 posts.

I added 3,599 tags in 2021

#the untamed - 1157 posts

#wangxian - 481 posts

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#food - 283 posts

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Longest Tag: 140 characters

#females raise their tail to give a ‘follow me’ signal to their cubs and also use it to communicate with each other when hunting prey.  a lio

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I was legit thinking that this needs a part 2

131 notes • Posted 2021-10-02 19:58:13 GMT

#4

so I just watched “In the Heights”

here are some positive and negative thoughts:

is it odd that within the first music number the very first thing that caught my eye is that they have dancers of different body types? for real that was the very first thing that cught my eye as I already know the song, so details like that were more important in my mind 

speaking of odd, the accents in this movie. Even when I watch a film that happens to have Latino representation it still called out my atention a lot to hear so many Caribbean accents. So often latino artists either play them down or try too hard to sound Mexican and on this one that Caribbean accents are what really caught my atention and I don’t know how many people will point that out. 

not to compliment him too much but this is the best LMM has ever sung tbh. Who knew that to make that happen you had to give him 3 songs instead of 30.

Corey Hawkins as Benny is probably the best casting decision in the whole film, I know that he has done other stuff, but a million doors better open for this guy after this ok I had no idea he could sing and dance and command the screen this much. 

Daniela and Carla as an offical couple, YAS QUEENS!!! just what we needed for Pride Month even if they are secondary characters, they just always act like a couple. 

Cameos from famous latinos like Mark Anthony and mentions of great artists like Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno and Celia Cruz. Finally some education on screen. 

Olga Merediz singing “Paciencia y Fe” made me cry so hard that my mom came to see if I was ok, I demand an Oscar nom for her!!!! Olga owns that role so hard ok she originated it on Broadway, played Abuela for 3 years, was in the OBS cast recording, and is still killing it at it 12 years alter

very good cinematography which is Jon Chu’s strong suit no matter what

overall cast does a really solid job

now for the bad under a read more cause it got LONG and spoilery

They shouldnt have added more characters. Mark Anthony makes a cameo, as in literal 1 minute cameo and the reason why becomes an important plot point later on ok, he adds more to the story in one minute than plenty other characters with less time do. Example: 

there was no reason to add Cuca, there just wasn’t. Other than giving Dasha Polanco (queen) a paycheck there was nothing for her character to do. She was added to the movie ok the role wasn’t in the play, and thus there is nothing for her to do 

bit of a spoiler but all she does is twerk from time to time and follow around Daniela and Carla like a third wheel. If it was a 3 way polyam relationship then that would at least be something but nah, she just flirts with Usnavi (who she knows likes someone else) and shakes her ass, thats it

not enough Pete!!!! he was such a cool character in the play but in the movie he almost does not exist and you don’t get to see the Abuela Claudia’s portrait ok it feels like a waste 

they cut out Priscilla!!! why? the fact that both of Nina’s parents want to support her is great and we have enough orphans in the movie already, it makes that fact that Nina’s dad is not a perfect man less impactful and instead make so that everything he does in the movie is seen as perfect, Priscilla putting him in his place was a great scene and we don’t get it 

the couples have no chemistry. There I said it. I am ok with the actors they chose but I was rotting for those couples a lot less than in the play.

I expected more out of Blackout ok that song is such a tense and scary moment and here it feels like its played for laughs ok stuff that really hits in the play feels watered down because it is being made into a joke.

This sounds mean but Nina’s voice in the og recording is way stronger than Leslie Grace’s and I knwo that the comparison will be seen as unfair but I have to say it.

to be even meaner, I’m sorry, but Anthony Ramos is a way less emotional Usnavi to me and the reason is that he doesn’t even need the winning ticket to move back to DR, he just gets the check inmediately at the begining of the story so I’m like “ok why bother staying is the other option is always fucking open”.

now for my biggest gripe with the movie: Vanessa’s clothing. Not what she wears but what she designs. Why cleaning rags? just why? 

the movie complains and shows the issues with gentrification only for Vanessa to take cleaning rags, from Pete’s job, and turn them into gentrified clothing. I know that the movie was shot 2 years ago but already the clothes she desings look a. out of fashion and b. annoying. 

The complain that rich people will buy pants and shirts that are already broken and stained but look down on poor people who broke and stained their clothes while doing actual work has been around for a while, so that pissed me off. You can’t make a movie against gentrification and then gentrify clothes and call it your leading lady being “creative” and “great”. 

The fact that no one in the production throught of that tells you that by now they are more “Hollywood” than “from the block” no matter how much they say they are not. Also, remember my Blackout complain? yeah its cause the reason it isn’t tense anymore is that movie brings up over and over again how a tragedy can happen and latinos will just dance and sing like they dont care. 

Characters go from being worried about their safety and their businesses that they need to survive to breakdancing to fire works, why? why do you do it like that? why can’t you show latinos as people with troubles trying to fix them through hard work and instead no one was worried about the blackout until Abuela Claudia died ok they were having a bingo party instead of worrying about their livehood and the safety of their homes.

after “Paciencia y Fe” the movie was pretty much not doing it for me anymore and it is these “small details” that bothered me and took me out of it. Yeah those last 40 min of the movie made me rant this hard so I don’t know if I recommend it or not ok I can’t recommend 2/3 of a movie and tell you to just not finish it. No one will care about this much ranting so whatever, up to you. 

135 notes • Posted 2021-06-11 23:14:48 GMT

#3

the realest irony of the year is Andrew Garfield recieving universal aclaim for “Tick Tick Boom” when he didn’t know if he would be a good singer but took the role anyway and worked hard af to be as good as he was; while Ben Platt (someone that people already know is a good singer) getting a movie tailor made for him and him alone to shine and then getting panned by literally everyone for not letting someone else play his role in “Dear Evan Hansen” 

I do recommend “Tick Tick Boom”. I don’t know if it will be for everyone but like... if you are closer to 30 than 20, or want to get in the industry, or if you feel in general like you are just getting the success you hoped for then... this musical is the most honest thing you will see all year. 

258 notes • Posted 2021-11-28 03:56:33 GMT

#2

Everything is shit but at least theres this

468 notes • Posted 2021-07-21 11:30:48 GMT

#1

Castlevania artbook spoiler has me dead...

768 notes • Posted 2021-08-25 02:58:12 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

Goths just wan na have a good time

The BBC reported that in March 2012, Shia militias in Iraq shot or beat to fatality as many as 58 young Iraqi emos. Metalheads as well as punks often were known for despising emos and slamming the emo subculture.

This was described as "Haute Goth" by Cintra Wilson in the New York City Times. Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Jean Paul Gaultier as well as Christian Lacroix have additionally been associated with a gothic style.

How do I become emo?

It is stereotyped as eerie, mysterious, complex and exotic. A dark, sometimes morbid fashion and style of dress, typical gothic fashion includes colored black hair and black period-styled clothing. Both male and female goths can wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernail polish, most especially black.

AFI's tune "Love Like Winter seasons" came to a head at number 68 on the Signboard Hot 100 on January 13, 2007. a sort of guitar-based songs established from emocore yet having a softer, pop or mainstream noise. The first success experienced by the Goths motivated them to engage in a collection of raiding projects at the close of the third century - a number of which resulted in having numerous captives sent back to Gothic settlements north of the Danube and also the Black Sea. Ulfilas, that became bishop of the Goths in 341 ADVERTISEMENT, was the grandson of one such female Christian captive from Sadagolthina in Cappadocia.

How do I become a goth boy?

a fan of emo, especially a person who is overly sensitive and full of angst or adopts a certain style characterized by dyed black hair, tight t-shirts and jeans, etc.

Integrating shorts or a miniskirt with socks or long boots may flaunt component of your legs, or every one of your legs if you pick no socks or different shoes. Don't bother with being "as well old" to wear goth style. A septum piercing experiences the facility of your nostrils. You can identify it as a hoop going through both nostrils, sort of like a bull.

The sessions for the brand-new album started in 1994 with just Smith as well as Bamonte present; the pair were later joined by Gallup (who was recuperating from physical issues) and keyboardist O'Donnell, that had actually been asked to rejoin the band at the end of 1994. Cooper additionally took part in the recording of the album.

Standard Goth (or Trad Goth) is a term defining the visual that shows the classic and also initial aesthetic appeals of Goth from the 1980s.

Hair was cropped and intentionally made to look unpleasant, and was commonly dyed bright unnatural colours.

Its efficiencies were public, psychological removes where audience members occasionally wept.

By late April 1976, Ceccagno and also the various other 2 college good friends had left, as well as Tolhurst (drums), Martin Creasy (vocals), and also Pearl Thompson (guitar) had actually joined the band.

Band members.

Why do Goths wear black?

To look emo, pair vintage or band shirts with dark skinny jeans or skirts. For example, you could wear an emo band t-shirt, a red flannel, and black skinny jeans. For shoes, go for canvas shoes, combat boots, or sneakers.

By the very early 2010s, emo's popularity had declined, with some teams changing their audio as well as others dissolving. At the same time, nevertheless, a mostly below ground emo resurgence emerged, with bands such as The World Is a Beautiful Area & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and also Modern Baseball drawing on the sound and visual of 1990s emo.

" The River Bed-- Small Brown Bike-- Tunes, Evaluations, Credit Scores, Awards-- AllMusic". " American cd accreditations-- My Chemical Romance-- The Black Ceremony". The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' "Face Down" peaked at number 24 on the Signboard Hot 100 as well as its album, Don't You Fake It, sold 852,000 copies in the United States. AFI's albums Sing the Grief as well as Decemberunderground both were certified platinum by the RIAA, with Decemberunderground coming to a head at number 1 the Signboard 200. AFI's song "Miss Murder" came to a head at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 24, 2006.

What is the Gothic look?

Using dating websites such as OKCupid.com, cupid.com, and many others is one of the best ways to find gothic people around you. Many of these sites are set up to allow you to search for the exact kind of people you're looking for. Just search using Goth keywords and start messaging people to make friends.

When emo seemed like a brand-new principle-- back in the previous millenium-- there were a handful of bands that seemed to get it right the first time (Brandtson, Appleseed Cast, and also Dear Ephesus). We just intended to provide a little credit rating to among the very best mid- '90s emo bands around. Combining emo, metal, and also hard rock, Going after Triumph are a band from Camilla, GA, who have actually embraced an effective, no-quarter sound to express a positive message. Anthony Raneri, diva as well as guitar player of the emo rock band Bayside, does not care what other individuals consider him or atrioventricular bundle. They do a capable task of combining Hum-like dark space rock with The Stand up Kids-flavored emo-pop.

What is considered emo?

The yarns are exclusively made in Italy with a fully traceable supply chain. Gucci was also the first luxury brand to use ECONYL ® regenerated nylon in ready-to-wear pieces, a 100% recycled nylon fibre derived from fishnets, textile waste and a thick pile fabric used for carpets and upholstery called moquette.

What Realtors can learn from the Wiggles

Ready, steady, real estate....?

Did you know that the currently there still one active Wiggle from the original cast? You probably didn't. I didn't and I've watched Wiggles with my little brother in the 2000's and again now with my son. If you had a child (or were a child) in the last 25 years, you probably know who the Wiggles are. Hell, even if you haven't had one, you probably still know who they are.

If you somehow were able to avoid learning about them, the Wiggles are a musical group turned children's entertainment empire. They are known throughout the world. Active since '91, the Wiggles started with the original members: Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt as a children's band in Australia, since then they've grown to being an incredibly successful business. Throughout the years, all but Anthony Field have retired with Cook and Fatt retaining their share.

Whether you've watched the Wiggles or not, if you know them, you know them. But I'm sure you don't know any of their names. I've watched them often and I barely remember their names. Before researching for this article, I didn't realize that there were any original members still active.

Alternatively, do you remember these guys?

Sharon, Louis & Bram. You might remember them. It's who I grew up listening to. They did the same thing, but it would be fair to say they are not nearly as popular as the Wiggles today are, and they've been operating longer than the Wiggles. The difference is that although Sharon, Louis & Bram are incredibly talented and unique, much like Field, Wilcher, Cook and Page are, they are the business. When Louis stepped away from the group in the 2000s, Sharon & Bram continued, but it would be clear that as the members aged and eventually retired, it would be difficult for the business to continue. The Wiggles are different, as the business can not only last, but thrive without any of the starting members.

Now you may be wondering what Agents can learn from a children's band, what does singing songs to toddlers have to do with real estate? Well, the industries may be different, but you can definitely learn from them.

Watching and helping agents start and build their businesses for the last 15 years I had the unique opportunity to learn as well as pick up on a few trends; one of them being that many (if not most) people build their real estate careers off of their names. This makes sense as consumers typically choose their representatives because they trust some aspect of them--whether it is their experience or their personality. Many highly successful agents have built their careers using their names, accumulating an incredible book off business that is the envy of many but that's just it, they've built careers. Not businesses.

This is the difference. This is what can be learned. Using your name can build an incredible career but it's hard to leave that name for someone else to take over when you retire. It's difficult to leave "Joe's team" to Peter and have him be as successful as Joe was. You've spent years building a brand, systems, processes and materials perfecting your business and when you decide to walk away from it all, you should have something that can continue without you. Something someone else can take, use and continue as you collect dividends--but it's hard to do that if you've built it off your name because clients will always want to work with "Joe". The Wiggles may have been built using the personalities of the original members, but it continues as well as it does today because it wasn't built to rely on any one member. If the group was called Cook and friends, it would have collapsed as soon as Cook wanted out. The moment Cook left, you would have had millions of kids asking where he went, followed by millions of kids tuning out. Same goes for clients, if they sign up to use Joe's team, they are expecting to be working with Joe, or at least meet him. By having your name be the focus of your brand you limit your ability to have it continue after you decide to walk away, which essentially leaves whatever you've built after years of blood, sweat and tears to go to waste. This means if you want to make money from it, you need to be active.

Sure, if you don't care to much about what happens when you want to slow down, branding using your name is perfectly fine, but if you want to create something different, something that would make it easier to profit from when you decide to call a quits, creating a brand that's bigger than your name is something to consider. Just ask any of the past Wiggles...which is any one of them, except the Blue one...I think.

Multiples of 5?

5: Book/series I reread?I really liked the Maisy books when I was in kindergarten, actually.

10: The word that I use all the time to describe something great?I dunno? Amazing?

15: Last song I listened to?Never Too Late, Secondhand Serenade

20: Favourite video games?I’ve never played a video game? Zelda seems pretty cool though? I also heard these kids talking about one- Mirrors Edge? I think that sounds fun.

25: Actor/actress you trust enough to watch whatever they’re in?I don’t really know any actors or actresses. Sorry.

30: Eye colour?Boring Brown

35: Am I excited about anything?Wednesday! And Saturday!

40: What do I think about most? It’s probably a tie between what not to do when a situation gets bad, and what to do with this… thing.

45: Last film I watched?I watched Lilo and Stitch with Les on Friday and cried a lot.

50: How do I destress?….I punch my brother. Which sounds awful but he punches me back. I love him.

55: Play any sports?Uh? No. I’m pretty sure I would be bad at all of them

60: Pet peeve?Right now? People misgendering others on total purpose.

65: What fictional universe would I like to be a part of?Whatever one my friends want to be a part of so I can be with them?

70: Can I sing?Oscar says I had a really good voice and I made it into honor choir before I dropped out

75: Where do I want to live?I don’t have a preference

80: Can I drive?Nope

85: Favourite genre of music?Does Minor key count as a genre?

90: Favourite sporty activity?Uh… I have no clue

95: How tall am I?Last time I checked I was 6'5"? …I’m like a tree…

100: Do I have more girl friends or boy friends?Oops I don’t have any girl friends???

105: Last person I texted?Snitch. Or Henry. Or Bumlets. One of those three I can’t remember

110: Do I like selfies?I’ve actually never taken a selfie

115: Favourite number?10

120: Am I much of a daredevil?I mean I guess you could say that????

125: The Beatles or Elvis?Elvis is kinda- much. And I’ve never really listened to the Beatles?

130: Favourite piece of advice?“Whatever your first impulse is towards someone? Do the exact opposite.” -Oscar, during the first few days of our flip when I was really struggling.

135: Do I like gossip? I used to punch the kids who would gossip. So no.

140: Do I believe people are capable of change?I want to believe it… I really do.

145: In a film about my life, who would I cast as myself, friends and family?Well, there’s this handsome guy named Adam Kaplan, who looks a lot like me? So id cast him as me. Les would be themselves because their an actor. Oscar would probably be Anthony Norman. And everyone else can choose who they want to play them?

150: What is the best decision I have made in life so far?To listen to Oscar when he told me to get a tumblr.

155: Who is the most intelligent person I know?Darcy. Hands down.

160: What colour mostly dominates my wardrobe?Carmine

165: Do I believe in fate?I’m starting to.

170: One of my favourite quotes?The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. Don’t waste yours.

175: Do I dream?Yeah… I nightmare too. More often than dream actually.

180: Do I like shopping?Not really, but I do what I have to do.

185: If I could master one skill, what would I choose?Being a good person.

190: If I could time travel, where and when would I want to go?Back to when I was really little, and teach myself and Oscar the right way to do things. Maybe I wouldn’t be so miserable.

195: Would I ever want to encounter aliens?Yes! That would be so cool.

200: Dragons or wizards?If I could be a wizard, then wizards. If not? Dragons.

205: Do I like my handwriting?I don’t mind it

210: What is on my bucket list?Get out of the city.

215: What is the weirdest talent I have?I’m double jointed in my fingers?

I've just recently in the past few years gotten more into musical theater, so I have a lot to learn. I'm not a singer or anything, but I like to watch and listen. Also, I have to randomly ask something. Why the heck did " Glee" have Brian Stokes Mitchell on the show and not let him sing more? What a waste. Ha ha. What are some really underrated musicals?

That’s awesome! Nah man, you don’t have to be a singer to get into/like musical theater! We actually need more people to appreciate musical theater who don’t participate, honestly. Same with opera, but that’s another story I know no one here wants to get into lol.

Who knows, man? I mean, they had Victor Garber on and didn’t have him sing and fucking Cheyenne Jackson!!!! Even The Real O’Neals had Cheyenne sing!!!! And he was on one ep of that unlike being in several episodes like he was for glee.

Okay, so as I said, I’m a bit of an MT hipster. So I like a lot of weird shit lol. A not very detailed list is below, with some notes by yours truly lol. Sorry that this got so long omfg

Bat Boy - based on the Daily News articles, this chronichles the story of a bat boy found in a cave in West Virginia. He’s taken to the local vet, and while everyone in town just wants the doctor to kill him, the vet’s wife wants to take care of the teen, who she names Edgar, and teach him how to behave. The doctor kind of goes crazy and their daughter, Shelly, falls for Edgar. A lot of the parts in the show outside of the family are double casted, and it’s honestly hilarious and also makes me cry by the end, poking a lot of fun at “Christian Charity” (that’s the name of one of the songs that also gets a reprise) and the like. It’s extra loved by me for featuring the impeccable Kerry Butler (the original Penny in Hairspray, female lead in Xanadu, Catch Me If You Can...the ageless girl wonder)Reefer Madness - the Off-Broadway production opened the weekend of 9/11, which definitely effected its possible success. It’s, of course, based off the ridiculous propaganda film of the same name, though it takes it a bit farther and pokes fun at all of it and even more of the racist/sexist attitudes of the 1930s. While all/most of the others I’m talking about here only have CDs and maybe some bootlegs, this one has a movie version!!!! That actually is almost 100% like the stage version (at least based on what I saw). The movie features Kristen Bell as Mary Lane, the part she originated, and also features Alan Cumming and the forever under-appreciated Ana Gasteyer and Amy Spanger. Side Show - you can debate which version is better, but whether you prefer the original cast or the 2014 revival that changed some of the story to make it more accurate, it’s absolutely amazing. A musical based (loosely) off the true story of the conjoined Hilton twins who made a career of their oddity by working in freak shows, vaudeville, and even a few movies, though they were all critically panned. Features some of the best duets for female voices (most famously “Who Will Love Me As I Am?” and “I Will Never Leave You”). The original has Alice Ripley as one of the twins (Violet, and while I still think she screams a lot, she does a great job), and Norm Lewis as Jake. If you ever want to cry, just listen to his big song “You Should Be Loved” or the above duets. Or just read about the Hilton’s lives because it’s so depressing and the musical doesn’t even touch on that. I’m forever sad this never gets awards or the long runs it deserves. It should also be noted that Alice and her fellow twin, Emily Skinner (Daisy Hilton), were nominated together for the Tony.[title of show] - okay, this show is just...fucking........hilarious. “It’s a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical...” Just a lot of silly fun and also some great quotes, like “I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing.” It also points out a lot of flaws in Broadway, like the lack of original musicals and how there are waaaaaaaay too many musicals based off movies lol. It’s a four person cast, all of whom are named after the people who originated the roles, and it manages to be just so funny and still inspirational and such a joy to listen to.Zanna, Don’t! - okay. so I get why most “oppressed group written as oppressors” stories are awful, like that whole “save our pearls” book or w/e that happened a few years back. But Zanna, Don’t was written by a gay man who just wanted to write some musicals with fun, catchy love songs for gay couples. So, in this world, being gay is the norm and straight people are the hated group. Zanna is an actual fairy (in high school) who matches up everyone in his town and never actually remembers to pair himself up with anyone. So when a straight A student and the quarterback of the football team fall in love...well, it finds a way to be cute, funny, and poignant all in one. Features Queer Eye “culture vulture” Jai Rodriguez in the title role and the show should get extra points for the line “what kind of world would this be if the football star wasn’t the lead in the musical??”In the Heights - not necessarily underrated so much as it’s just forgotten in Hamilton’s success. This tells the day in the life of people in Washington Heights. It also features a completely diverse cast and, imo, has some catchy songs that outdo some of Hamilton. If you don’t bawl while singing along to “Breathe” while stressing about failing at college/your dreams, what do you even do with your spare time? That used to be my most common activity.The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown - Idk if I can truly say it’s underrated since it really hasn’t been on Broadway so it’s never had a chance to get known...plus I think it’s popular among actual theater performers, but not enough of musical fans know about this. A lot of theater kids probably know “Freedom” and “Run Away With Me”, as the duet is a great choice for two women and shows a ton of depth/vocal prowess, while the solo can show a very tender male voice, but the show is more than those songs or “The Proposal” or “The Girl Who Drove Away”. The story starts with Sam sitting in her car. She’s supposed to be driving to college, but she’s fantasizing about driving away. She conjures up her best friend, Kelly, in her mind, and Kelly convinces her to relive her senior year and figure out why she wants to leave. You eventually find out Kelly died that year, and along the way you learn about Sam’s college applications, her boyfriend, and how lost she felt all year, all while still trying to learn how to drive. It’s so moving, and, honestly, “Freedom” is still a jam and probably does deserve to be one of the most famous songs from the show. The show might also inspire you to run away so...watch out for that. The bootleg I have is what inspire my love for Melissa, quite literally, since I had stopped watching g/lee at the time. The Boy from Oz - one of the better done jukebox musicals, since it focuses on the writer of those songs, and also is the best role Hugh Jackman will ever have. I’m sure a lot of people on my dash are familiar with Chris’ version of “Not the Boy Next Door” on g/lee. If you like it, you should check out Hugh performing that at the Tony’s. Anyways, it tells the life story of Peter Allen, whose songwriting credits include the above song, “I Honestly Love You”, and “Don’t Cry Out Loud”. He met Judy Garland and, of course, then met and married her daughter, Liza Minelli. I will never praise Stephanie J. Block’s Liza enough, she is perf. And, again, Hugh is flawless, and he originated the part both in Australia (Peter Allen’s home country) and then on Broadway. Getting to see the original cast in this was one of the highlights of my life.

That’s it for now. I’d also suggest checking out some classics. I didn’t put it on the list since it’s not underrated, but the original cast of Sweeney Todd is the best thing you could ever listen to - Victor Garber in his prime and Angela Landsbury is the forever best interpretation of Mrs. Lovett, #notsorry Patti. The movie version directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp is truly a disgrace compared to the actual version which has a legal taped version available for your viewing pleasure! You can see why it’s performed in opera houses nowadays!!! Though the video sadly doesn’t  have the original Anthony (Victor Garber) and the Johanna is bad...not that I’ve heard a Johanna I truly like. Rodgers and Hammerstein should at least be somewhat known, though a lot of their stories are like...gross. But Sondheim is pretty damn solid -- and if you didn’t know, he wrote the lyrics for Gypsy and West Side Story. A lot of people seem to not know that, but like he was making some big strides long before Company was a hit. Which also deserves a listen

Daveed x reader

REQUEST: Daveed x reader where during intermission they decide to take a nap on his couch and are caught and photos are taken

“Alright everybody, great show!” one of the stage managers called out. “Everyone take a break and we’ll rally just before the thirty minute call!”

You weren’t quite used to the schedule yet. You had moved here about two weeks ago, and had been in the show as an ensemble member for about a week now. The role of a nameless ensemble member turned out to be lightyears more difficult than you had first imagined. You were in practically every song, singing your lungs out with the rest of the cast and dancing until you almost passed out. Your body wasn’t entirely used to your job yet. Every day you went home aching and fatigued, sometimes struggling to scale the stairs to your new apartment. One of the most embarrassing moments of your life was when you decided to take a break on the steps, then completely zonked. You didn’t wake up until your landlord mistook you for a bum and you woke up to him shouting threats at you to get out of his building.

Sleeping in New York City was an entirely new experience as well. You were new, and you barely had time to adapt to life here, but you didn’t think you would have any trouble passing out after every show. But alas, the roaring sirens outside your window, the noisy, sometimes drunk people passing by and sporadic car horns kept you awake.

Basically, you were currently a walking ball of sleep deprivation.

You always felt somewhat embarrassed by this. Your co-workers were all people who had been with the show since its conception or were recruited shortly after, and all of them had performed the show so many times that they knew it by heart and had no problem with the demanding schedule and didn’t let it affect their work. You prayed you could be like that one day.

You paced back to the girls’ dressing room, changed into a tank top, cotton shorts and a light jacket, and got ready to go get some grub when you heard a voice calling after you.

“(Y/N)!”

You turned around to see Oak rushing towards you, smiling and still thriving off of the momentum of the fast-paced show.

“What’s up?!”

“Auuuuugghhhh…..” you groaned in response.

“I can’t blame you. The first month or so is rough.” he laughed, totally understanding your pain.

“Hey, we’re about to gather in Javi’s room for some cafecito, do you want to try some? It might wake you up for the second show.”

“Thanks Oak, but I really need a nap. I think I’m gonna head home for a bit.”

“You sure? You might be late if you sleep in.”

“Honestly, I’m willing to risk it at this point.”

“Why don’t you use the couch in my dressing room? I’m pretty sure Daveed is out signing right now so he won’t need it, and I’m gonna go grab some lunch.” he suggested.

“That’d be great, are you sure?”

“Anything for you, girl.” he smiled.

“Thanks, you’re the best!”

He grinned and waved his hand as if to say ‘no big deal’ and then trotted off to go pick up some food.

You turned and made your way to his dressing room, and approached the closed door. Lightly tapping on it to make sure that you weren’t going to walk in on someone, you heard no response and swung the door open to reveal a pitch-black dressing room. You sighed in relief that you were alone, tore your jacket off, discarded it onto the floor and flung yourself onto the large, empty couch.

Or at least, a couch you thought was empty.

Your head connected with a soft cushion and your eyes fluttered shut, finally able to get some rest. You felt yourself began to drift away when a deep, gruff voice startled you.

“Hey.”

You immediately shot out of your position and tumbled off the furniture onto the floor.

Daveed laughed as you sat up, eyes wide with alarm.

“Daveed, what the fuck!”

“I’m sorry (Y/N) but that was too good to pass up on.”

Your eyes adjusted to the dark, and you were able to see Daveed’s figure spread out onto the couch, adorning sweatpants and no shirt.

You knew that work should be separated from play, but you had to admit for that the week you had been in the show, you were very, very attracted to him. The fact that he never seemed to wear any clothes made your life very difficult.

“I have no clue how you didn’t see me here,” he continued, still laughing.

“Well for one thing, the room is pitch black, and you also didn’t answer when I knocked.” you retorted.

“I thought if I didn’t answer, whoever was knocking would get the message that I was sleeping.” he responded.

Your cheeks grew hot with embarrassment.

“Well…. I’ll just leave then. Sorry for bothering you.” you quickly said, standing up and turning for the door.

“Wait.”

You instantly stopped in your tracks and spun your head to face him.

He stretched a hand out to you and beckoned.

“Stay.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re tired, you need rest.” he began as he shifted his body to one side of the couch, creating room. “We can share.”

You wordlessly agreed and slowly approached the couch once more and lay next to him, your back against his chest. You felt rather tiny beside his large figure.

“You know,” he suddenly said, “when I saw you come in here and take your jacket off I thought things were going to be a lot more interesting than they actually were.”

“Fuck you.” you shot back, giving him a gentle elbow to the abdomen.

He chuckled shimmied a bit closer towards you. You were suddenly surprised to find two large arms snaking around your waist, pulling you into his chest and placing his chin on the top of your head.

“I’d be more than happy to.” he chuckled.

You felt your face grow warmer and your heart begin to pound. Was he serious? Should you respond?

You swallowed thickly as you thought of a response.

“We both need sleep, Diggs.”

“Maybe later then.” he replied, moving his head down to your shoulder and nuzzling. “Goodnight, (Y/N).”

“Goodnight Daveed.” you yawned as you felt him pull you closer. Eventually your eyelids lost the fight against your exhaustion, and you began falling into a desperately needed deep sleep.

*************************************************************************

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are at thirty minutes. Thirty minutes ‘till the top of the show.” the voice rang out, filling the room with radio static.

You groggily opened your eyes and found yourself still trapped in Daveed’s arms, who still seemed to be asleep.

You squirmed in an attempt to free yourself.

“Come on Diggs, we’re at thirty minutes.”

He groaned in protest.

“Just a bit longer.” he begged, still not opening his eyes yet.

“No, I have to get dressed.”

His arms left your sides, finally releasing you, but not before you felt the unmistakeable sensation of soft kisses being pressed onto your shoulder.

You turned in surprise to meet face to face with a smirking Daveed, with messy hair and tired eyes.

He was adorable.

“You’re very quick to rush into things, you know that?” you commented on his act of affection.

“Yup,” he agreed. “I don’t waste any time.”

He drew close to you, eyes locking with yours and hand settling on your thigh.

“Especially not with something I want.”

You looked down at him and smiled.

“I’ll meet you after the show,” you flirted, bending down and connecting your lips with his.

They were soft and velvety, and moved in sync with yours. It was more of a short, sweet kiss than a lover’s kiss. As if you two had been doing this for a long time, and were both entirely comfortable with each other. You were filled with a sense of accomplishment as you parted, stood up and grabbed your jacket off the floor.

“Well I need to go change, I’ll see you out there.”

“Can I come with?”

“Nice try.”

***************************************************************************************

You shut your notebook and slipped your pen into the rings that bound it as the company post show notes ended. The company shifted to its feet as you all readied yourself for the show, some people stretching and others readying their voices.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Anthony said as he approached you, smirking in an unusual fashion. “How was your nap?” He choked out between laughs.“

“Fine?” you responded as you looked behind him to see both Jasmine and Lin giggling like school girls. “What’s the big deal?”

“Ah, nothing.” he lied, beginning to turn away.

“Not much happened, I don’t know what’s got you all giggly.”

“Not much happened?” He instantly questioned, turning back to you and whipping his phone out of his back pocket. “Then explain this.”

As he help up the phone a tweet about an hour old flashed onto the screen, made by Oak’s account. It was a selfie he took with you and Daveed cuddling on the couch in the background, both asleep and embracing each other. The caption read:

Walked into my dressing room to change for the second show and found these two love birds getting it on! #katyperry #itsmatingseason

Anthony and the rest of the cast practically burst out laughing as they saw your face grow red and contort as you read the caption and saw all of the likes and retweets fans had given it.

“You have to admit, they are cute together.” Lin managed to choke out between laughs. “You really should thank Oak for setting you up like that.”

The sudden realization that this entire ordeal was a set up by Oak fell onto you, and your cheeks grew red as your cast mates laughed. You looked to see him standing in the opposite corner of the room, waving to you and giving you thumbs up.

“Not if I kill him first.”