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mystargirl-interlude · 3 months

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𝐒𝐀𝐌 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐍 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

Social media AU

In which Dylan rose Carrollton can’t shut up about her celebrity crush

Chapter 1 : 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒

DYLAN ROSE CARROLLTON

#333 most popular | ★ Boost

Multi talent; Athlete, Film writer, Director, Broadway writer, part time singer

Birthday

August 3, 1994

Birth sign

Leo

Birth place

United States

Age

29 years old

ABOUT

Multi talented celebrity and fashion icon who gained attention after starring in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette along side Kirsten Dunst at the age of 12, Since then she has continued to work behind the scenes in multiple award winning films including bodies bodies bodies, Priscilla, Saltburn, Barbie, and the X trilogy and even creating multiple of her own such as sleep walk and Norman Fucking Rockwell which was also the title of her recent album. Dylan is a 4x Figure skating Grand Prix gold medalist setting numerous world records and even breaking her own. She released her debut album titled Andromeda in late 2019.

BEFORE FAME

At the age of 14 she participated in her first Grand Prix event and won a gold medal setting the record for youngest person to land 3 triple axels in one program, youngest woman to land a triple axel and youngest person ever to win a Grand Prix gold medal, Dylan is also known to be a dancer.

TRIVIA

She wrote and produced every song on the Broadway production of mean girls and continued to write most of the musical itself.

FAMILY LIFE

Dylan is constantly posting family and friends on her official instagram page, she has a younger sister named Mazzy Lynn Carrollton, Older brother Montgomery Lee Carrollton, and is extremely close friends with YouTube star Enya Umanzor and Drew Phillips along side Movie star Rachel Sennott .

ASSOCIATED WITH

She is known to be close friends with model Hailey Beiber and is family friends with writer and director Sofia Coppola

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Currently out on wattpad

it’s better on there I promise

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ hi what okay I have come to the conclusion that there are absolutely no Sam claflin fics out there so I made one myself smh, but I am actually really excited to continue with this story line!

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ next chapter is going to be all the details you need to know before continuing such as social medias and the rest of the cast including the other celebs that are going to be mentioned throughout

k bye

©Mystargirl-interlude 2024

#lana del rey #finnick odair x oc #finnick x reader #finnick odair fanfic #finnick odair #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair smut #thg series #sam claflin x reader #billy dunne x reader #daisy jones and the six x reader #social media #social media au #devon lee carlson #sam claflin

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kakiastro · 1 year

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Astrology of Ryan Reynolds

As Promised we’ll look at Ryan Reynolds chart! I Hope everyone had a good holiday yesterday

I’m using whole sign system

Virgo Rising which means his Mercury is his chart ruler and that’s in Libra 2h. Well I think shows why he’s so hilarious and charming with it😅. I do wonder though if he has a habit of being passive aggressive though but plays it off well LOL . He’s probably indecisive as well. But I’ll tell you what he would be a great writer and fashion icon if he pursued those things. Mercury Libra beautiful wordplay

His chart ruler is conj his fame asteroid, so he’s meant to be famous, well known and it would be in the arts(libra) 2h.

His aura is conj his Pluto in Libra 2h, he’s charming and has a easy going but powerful energy to him, fyi his wife Blake has aura in libra as well! They have the same energy but I’ll make a separate post of their synastry at another time

Scorpio stellium- listen I know astrology community talk a lot about Leo with acting but we need to talk about Scorpio placements being amazing actors as well. Scorpio can reach the depthness of emotion and bring it out onto stage. Using derivative houses Leo is 4 spaces from Scorpio. 4h is cancer which is ruled by the moon(emotions)

I’ll make a separate post on fame in astrology if y’all want?

His Sun conj Moon Scorpio-very private with his emotions in public but when he does open up, there’s a lot of depth there that you probably didn’t realize because he so humorous and charming but there’s more to him that meets the eye for sure.

Sun Conj Mars- this is so funny because men are nuts about him, I’ve see so many men say they have a man crush on him😅his Sun(public) connected to mars(men). The Sun also represents the entertainment industry and Mars represents action, action movies suit him well, (Deadpool fits him perfectly) also Scorpio so I think horror would be dope for him if he wanted to pursue that path.

The fact that his Sun conj his Moon &Mars; both men and women equally love him, this is really good for his career field because people will always want to work with him!

Mc(career+status) Gemini 22°(cap degree)- this just backs up what I said earlier about him being humorous to the public eye and the media(Gemini) with the 22°, his public image will only get better as he ages, and it has in many ways. Capricorn ages better as time go on, it’s like a Benjamin button affect.

Varuna (worldwide public and fame) Gemini 10h- having Varuna here is a great placement for fame

He has his vertex(fated meetings) in his 7h (partnerships) in Pisces w/ house rulers jupiter in Taurus 9h 29° and Neptune in Sagittarius 4h. Now vertex doesn’t always mean romantic partners, it just means you’ll meet people who helps you grow on a soulful level, not all fated meetings are meant to last. Now his vertex is in close relationships house, so the people close to him helps him be a better person! Especially his wife, Blake has a Mc Taurus! Their partnership is a soulful one, they both helped each other prosper especially career wise.

I Hope you all enjoyed this post

#astrology community #astrology #astro observations #knowledge #love astrology #birth chart #celebritybirthchart #derivative houses #natal chart #celebrity astrology #ryan reynolds

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rue-bennett · 30 days

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I saw a tweet trying to claim Timothee isn’t the closest thing we have to a big movie star but I disagree. I think Wonka and Dune opened the doors for him to be a huge box office draw which is what was lacking for him before. He already has a versatile filmography with big directors and has builded solid relationships with them. He had Scorsese directing one of his fashion campaigns. And he has people like Leo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise giving him career advice. I think his career will only get better once he turns 30. Anya Taylor Joy is for sure rising as a big movie star and she has done quiet a few good things as well before. I think Furiosa is what will give her the big box office numbers as a leading lady. Florence Pugh is a critical acclaim darling and she has crafted a name for herself - she just isn’t a box office draw actress yet. I think Austin Butler is building himself out there… he is making his way with interesting choices. There’s a few names that I think aren’t making waves yet but will be soon enough such as Cailee Spaeny.

Zendaya is a very interesting topic to me because she’s a great actress but I think her hype doesn’t match up with her portafolio. She doesn’t have a diverse filmography or enough accolades in the movie industry. She has yet to prove that she’s someone that can be versatile and live up to her hype. She’s been in many franchises but never as the lead role or main character being targeted for the audience. I think Challengers is a big one for her because it will challenge her status as a movie star/critically acclaimed actress and if she really can pull off numbers on the box office as a titular character.

I think there will never be someone like Jlaw that was able to make huge numbers with original content and not just IPs or franchises but the truth is that the movie industry is way different than before - there’s way more content to consume than it was before. But I feel like her era of dominating both fields was iconic.

I’m so late replying but in the meantime Timothee has signed an ongoing first look deal with Warner Bros Discovery to star and produce so um. Yeah. That person is fuckin wrong and you’re bang on the money. I agree!! 2021 on things have truly shifted in his career. He went from indie acclaimed darling/rising teen heartthrob star/Oscar nominee to proven box office draw. Okay, I do see the argument, he’s been in existing franchises. He needs to lead an original romcom (a la Anyone But You) or original action movie (a la Tenet) or original crime drama (a la… nothing in ages sadly lmao, if we’re talking successes since everything’s a remake or sequel or based on a book or video game now, but anyway). EVEN STILL. He’s pretty A list now and there are v v few Gen Z actors who can say the same. I agree. He’ll def have to keep up the momentum + not make too many mistakes, like the ppl giving him advice is v promising. I agree about ATJ and I too think Furiosa will be HUGE for making her a star in her own right. I agree about Florence too. She’s known but not like. By everyone idk. Agreeeed about Austin and Cailee, sooo many are on the cusp !

I would also add that Harris Dickinson and Joe Alwyn are potentialllyyyy on the cusp but they’re both more of indie boys who are slowly getting more mainstream, like years behind where Timmy was in like. 2018. Ya feel? But for Harris, The Iron Claw is a biggie (loved him in Beach Rats myself) and for Joe I think this new Yorgos movie (Kinds of Kindness) could help him bc of the Poor Things momentum/acclaim for Yorgos in theaters. Not just bc I’m a stan but also Paul Mescal. He’s definitely an indie darling but has risen pretty fucking fast (Normal People breakthrough, Aftersun with that Oscar nom, All of Us Strangers, etc) but he’s leading Gladiator 2. That is HUGE. Big make or break moment for him but genuinely he has the look + talent for movie star. So we shall see.

I think you’re exactly right about Zendaya. And like having the pressure of leading a Luca Guadagnino movie that’s been delayed a ton is not an easy task. I really hope it does well lol I’m in her corner for sure. But yeah I think people definitely do bank on her star power and like her producing and stuff but I could see it being like either she stays in prestige TV and non-risky movies like she has been so far, or she becomes a full blown movie star. And who knows which yet! She’s so young.

Oooh it really was and it was right when everyone was online but streaming wasn’t ubiquitous yet. A very particular and interesting time. I agree.

#asks #anonymous #celeb talk

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blahblahblahoohrottmnt · 10 months

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Taken Seriously AU (Rottmnt)

BM: Big Mama

L: Leo

D: Donnie

R: Raph

M: Mikey

D: we need to find a way into Big Mama’s office again

L: don’t worry, Hermano. I’ll just use my ultra reliable portaling sword!

R: Leo…please no…the last time you teleported without strategy, you ended up on the Eiffel Tower

M: and the last time you portalled us, you took us to BARRY’S LAB! INSIDE THE TUBE!

L: well…suit yourself…*portals himself*

All - L: LEO!

(In the office)

L: *phew*…keep it together Leo. If you can’t keep them happy, what’s the point? Well…you got in here…so… I guess that’s a start

BM: I’m telling you, Reynard, he- Ah! My turtly-boo! Such an extravagant meeting with you, Dear. Now tell me, what brings you into my establishment?

L: I- Me and my brothers are supposed to take a few gold coins from you. Mystic gold coins. Think that exchange can be done without my life on the line?

BM: Well a deal wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t get anything. Now, what extraordinary part of yourself shall I take now?

L: You already took my dignity, what else can you take?

BM:…what do you want me to take, Blue?

L: uh- want to take?

BM: yes! It may be more on your side but at least I get something!

L: I mean…It’s more give than take but…

BM: but?

L: I want to be more serious. For my brothers. I- just…I think they’d like it more if their leader was more of a leader than….a circus joker

BM: so you want me to take your humor?

L: part…I mean, how can I be the face-man without my humor, am I right?

BM: let’s do little by little. 50% and then we take 55%, 60%. Does that sound good, turtle-blue?

L: turtle-blue, that’s new…ok…fine

BM: good! *gives the coins* there, you got what you want, now I can get my end of the bargain.

L: *sigh* for my brothers

BM: follow me, Leonardo.

(Donnie, Raph, and Mikey successfully infiltrate Big Mama’s Grand Nexus Hotel, they walk by and see Leo being pulled away by Big Mama)

M: oh no!

R: keep quiet Mikey, he’ll be ok

D: in iconic Leo Fashion, Leo is captured first

R: cmon guys, let’s just find those coins, get Leo out, and get out

D: an extra step because of Leo’s stupidity

R: don’t be so rough on him

M: what if…we were too rough?

D: impossible, my analytics say otherwise

R: when was the last time you updated that?

D: 3 years ago

R: update it now

D: fine (like it needs to) *updates it*

R: now, mystic coins, mystic coins

D: oh! Oh my

R: what?

D: analytics…50% higher

R: what was it at before?

D: 45%…there’s a 95% chance that we were too rough

R: Leo’s a tough guy, that 5% will take over. I promise you

(In Big Mama’s special lab)

BM: Reynard! Set him up for the test

Reynard: yes, yes, of course. *gets him started*

BM: don’t worry my turtly-boo, you won’t feel a thing…kinda

L: I’m trusting you

BM: don’t worry! Just turn it on Reynard, 50%

Reynard: but miss-

BM: turn…it on

Reynard:…..yes ma’am

L: AGH!

BM: don’t worry! Just for a minute!

(In Leo’s head)

L: ugh…Big Mama, what did you do? Wait- why is it a white void?

Memory:

M: LEO WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?

L: SORRY! IT JUST WONT TAKE US-

D: YOU CAN’T TAKE US THERE! JUST GET IT TO WORK ALREADY, BEFORE BARRY COMES IN AND FIGURES OUT WE’RE IN HERE!

L: oh no…

Memory:

M: LE-E-E-O—O

L: wait…what?

Memory:

D: Y-Y-OU CA-A-AN’T T-TAKE U-US TH-THERE!

L: hey is it…is the memory glitching?

Memory:

L: I-IT WONT T-T-T-AKE U-U-U-S TH-THEEE-ER

L: what?

Memory:

L: I-I-IT-I-I I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ll get us there

L: that…isn’t what happened…*gasps and turns around*

Memory:

D: is this Tahiti? Well let me make a sand angel on this lovely, soft, wooden sand. Ouch

L: ok, not what i meant to do but I got rid of the pirates!

D: is this t-a-ta-tabi-tahiti? We-well

L: o-o-o-ok, n-no-Not what i meant to do bu-bu-b-b

L: what’s going on?

Memory:

L: b-u-bu but I’m really sorry I keep making these royally embarrassing mistakes. I’ll get the hang of it. And when I get the chance, I’ll portal you guys, maybe me too, back to Tahiti! Promise

L: that is also not what happened. Are these glitchy memories just gonna help me become more serious because phew I can feel it…and it feels super not like me! Like, being the goofy one and then that being cut in half it just-

Inner Leo: hey boring me!

L: AH!- WHA- wha- who are you?

Inner Leo: the inner you, of course! The one who DIDNT want to be more serious. I’m just a back up if you want to go back

L: heh, like I will

(Back in the real world)

BM: how do you feel, Turtly-boo?

L: thank you.. *portals to the others*

(In big mama’s office)

L: *Portals to them* Hello, Hermanos

D: Leo! Where have you been? And how did you get out on your own? But still, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?

R: RAPH, MIKEY, AND DONNIE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND THE MYSTIC COINS BUT THERE’S NOTHING!

L: *takes out the coins from portal*

M: where did you get that?

L: big mama, arranged a deal

D: what deal? A deal for your annoyingness?

L: (yes) no! Is that what you think of me?

D: quite yes

L: uh…I just needed to Portal an employee back to her…for the coins

D: so this search was…somehow…saved by Leo’s stubbornness. Sigh, let us go home

M: ok…

R: wouldn’t it be easier to use Leo’s portals?

D: you must be joking, Raph. He’ll probably Portal us to Paris, on top of the Eiffel Tower

L: i could try

D: key word, try

L: *portals* if it makes you feel better, I’ll go in myself *jumps in*

R: that was…oddly mature of him

L: yup, it’s the lair

D: well, this once it seems that his portals actually were useful *jumps in*

M: yay! *canon ball*

R: *jumps*

(At the lair)

R: good going there, Leo!

L: thanks Raph

R: y’know, keep this up and you can be a true leader!

L:…thanks…y’know what I’m gonna go grab some pizza!

R: ok! Half meat lovers, half cheese!

L: you got it! *portals away*

(At the Grand Nexus Hotel)

BM: ah! My little foozle! Up for another round?

L: yes…

BM: REYNARD!

(After a few days of doing this, Mikey notices Leo’s personality changing)

M: pfft HAHAAH!

L: yes Mikey?

M: ok ok…what do you call (pfft) a fish? With no eyes?

L: an eyeless fish?

M: A FSH AAHAHAHHAHHA!

L: Wow that’s a really good joke ,Mikey ,but I’m trying to train so that my portals are more accurate. If you’d like, you can go tell dad or April that joke!

M: oh…ok *walks out* why is Leo so different? He’s been near that hotel a lot…maybe I should go ask Big mama

(At the Nexus Hotel)

M: big mama?

BM: ah! Orange! My little foozle, what brings you here?

M: has Leo done anything with you? Say…change his personality?

BM: well if you’d really like to know, Leo made a deal with me for the mystic coins he got last week. I told him that in exchange for bits of his humor, he gets the mystic coins. He says he wants to be more serious for you and your brothers!

M: so…he wanted to change…because of us?

BM: why yes! He said that he did all this to make you happy!

M: happy…happy….*gasps and running back to the lair*

(Back at the lair)

D: hey Mikey, has Leo been acting weird to you? I made him look at a meme and he just said to send it to others

R: and I tickled Leo but Leo just got…annoyed

M: IT’S BECAUSE OF US!

R: what do you mean?

M: big mama has been taking Leo’s humor, in exchange, he got the mystic coins

D: so his weird behavior was big mama’s fault!

M: no…big mama told me the reason…Leo wanted to have his humor removed to make us happy. They thought that if his humor was taken away, he’d make you guys happier. Being more serious seems to be Leo’s way of saying that he’s sorry…for being so stupid…

D: no…no Mikey you’re joking

M: I wish I was

D: see! My analytics were never wrong!

M: we need to get him back!

R: how?

D: maybe there’s a way to get him back with some simple psychological manipulation

M: I can try?

(In Leo’s room)

M: hey Leo? Big Mama told me everything…why have you been giving away your humor?

L: well..I thought you’d like me better if I did! It’s working, isn’t it?

M: we’re sorry

L: what?

M: we’re sorry for making you feel this way

L: no no no NO! *running to the nexus hotel*

M: LEO! GUYS LEO’S GOING TO THE HOTEL, I THINK

D: FOLLOW HIM!

(at the hotel)

L: I want all of it erased

BM: are you su-

M,D,R: *bursts in*

M: LEO!

D: *Starts fighting big mama*

BM: HOW DARE YOU!? HE WANTED THIS!

D: BUT THIS ISNT WHAT WE WANTED…(and my plan failed terribly)

L: *gasp*

M: WE JUST WANTED LEO TO UNDERSTAND HIS ACTIONS!

R: WE DIDNT MEAN TO MAKE HIM FEEL THIS WAY!

M: LEO! WE JUST WANT TO HELP

L: hm

M: ok uh…which one of these buttons…

R: *presses the big red button*

L: *gasp*

(In Leo’s head)

M: Leo we’re so sorry!

L: don’t worry, I forgive you. Now where is he? Oh jeez

Inner Leo: hey boring me

L: I want you to come back

Inner Leo: really? Jeez, our brothers did a lot to get to this moment. Alright!

(In reality)

L: alright, let’s do this, Hermanos!

All - Leo, Big mama: LEO!

D: a Little Help with the giant spider?

L: right! Mikey, distract big mama, Raph get her legs. Dee, take her head!

All - L, BM: GOT IT!

L: I’ll take what was mine

(Leo and his brother pursue the fight. With big mama down, Leo takes Big Mama’s webs which she spat out on the walls and chains her in her own webs on the ceiling. With Big mama defeated for another day, The brothers head home…or..to the sewers. Same thing)

(After the fight)

L: oh that feels so much better!

M: glad to have you back, Leo!

D: I’m glad you’re back too

L: Bet you did miss my awesomeness

All - Leo: Leo!

L: it was a good one!

D: *sigh* fine…it was

#rottmnt #fanfiction #i am so tired

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dumbdotcomm · 4 years

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a little luck and some frogs

(a/n) the iconic @pricklydapper drew this amazing piece for me of Mikey and Raph and I just had to write a angst/fluff one-shot for it!!!

There’s a still and a quiet that comes with rain, gentle and slow and lulling. They haven’t had quiet in so long, it seems; it feels like days blend into one another, new paths unlocked in their destinies or whatever.

Sometimes Raph would just like to stop. Go back to being that 15 year old kid living below Queens, having nothing but his tight knit family and a lair game tournament to worry about.

They’ve been firing on all cylinders for days, and god he’s just tired, overstimulated and definitely in need of, like, a detox or something- Leo and April go on about those kinds of things. Maybe he’ll give that a try.

But even as the days pass, long long after they’ve settled back into home and dealing with low-level crime, Raph still can’t really relax. Not in the way that lasts. He’s always looking, anticipating the moment their relative peace will elude them, and the next thing he’ll know is they’ll be miles high, falling from a building, pushing and pushing to catch one another- or at the docks watching his brother get torn apart.

Raph feels like he’s gonna hurl and he does, nothing but last night’s dinner and severe anxiety spilling out from him.

It’s gross and embarrassing and Raph knows it’s nothing he can control; the little helpful part of his brain is reassuring that way. But it was easier to feel so panicky when everyone else was still reeling from the fight.

Leo’s got his detoxing with April, Mikey’s gone off and found Draxum to rehabilitate for god knows what reason, and Donnie’s regulated his sleeping cycle again and he’s gone back to shittalking and watching gophers on Youtube so- he’s okay.

Everyone’s okay…. except for Raph.

But maybe what Raph doesn’t know is that the somewhat okay thing about it, the silver-ish lining in all of it is- even if he’s feeling alone… he’s not. He never is. And Raph has always hated his panic-stink but maybe it’s doing him some good, because he brothers are attentive, and Mikey’s especially perceptive.

It’s why, on this languid, rainy ass day, Mikey barges into Raph’s room with a shopping bag from Old Navy. How he got to, and inside, and outside of Old Navy, Raph doesn’t really have to wonder (humans were so funny in ignoring obvious things, it made raph wonder why mutants stayed hidden anyway).

But Mikey’s got a grin that stretches a mile wide and is pretty contagious, as he struts into the room after having stood in the entrance in that weird ‘younger sibling is now here to bother you’ stance.

“Whaaat are we doing…?” Raph asks cautiously, but can’t hide his own growing smile the longer Mikey beams.

He says ‘we’ because there’s always a ‘we’ in these types of situations, and he’d rather just include himself now off the bat.

“Glad’ja asked,” Mikey says, and dumps the Old Navy bag out of Raph’s bed, “Behold….the best freakin’ things ever.”

And woah- they kinda are the best freaking things ever. Practically see-through jackets with-

“No way! Mikey!” Raph clutches his- he already knows it’s his by the size, extra huge and all, “Bro this-? Is pretty sick. How’d you even get it this big?!”

The thing about them and clothes is: Leo, Donnie and Mikey are all, at least, human people sizes. It’s easy for them to snag just about anything, even some of April’s old stuff fits them. Hell, Leo could fit into Dad’s old suit. And that luxury was kinda foreign to Raph.

Humans barely even made enough fashionable clothes for all of their people- and Raph was kind of outside of that caliber.

He’s kinda getting teary eyed, but, like, who wouldn’t, and Mikey’s already slipping into his own coat, see-through and speckled with little oranges.

“Eh, it’s no biggie,” he sniffs, shrugging the jacket on the rest of the way (it’s totally a biggie), “I kinda...customized ‘em. They were havin’ this special, and I thought ‘screw it baby, we need raincoats’!”

And, careful of his strength, Raph goes for a hug that he knows Mikey was anticipating anyway, with the force that he hugs back and all. Raph doesn’t really need to say anything, but his warbly thank you to Mikey is just a fraction of the depth of emotion he feels now.

It’s funny, silly maybe, because this doesn’t erase the threat of a bigger fight, a worse enemy lurking in the shadows to trip them up- it’s just a custom made see-through raincoat with Raph’s favorite fruit, adorable little strawberries, on it.

And yet he feels indescribably lighter than he’s felt in weeks.

“I figured we could do some adventuring, and I gotta cooks tonight so…”

Mikey wriggles his brow ridge, and Raph can’t help but, like, wanna combust from this surge of excitement and normalcy that he hasn’t felt in too long.

“Trip to Katagiri, hell yes!”

/////

The nice thing about rain in the city is, even though traffic is all the same, and people are still moving around, the sky gets dark enough from the clouds that the lights kinda shine prematurely. The streetlamps come on with a dim, orangey light, and with the autumn leaves mixed with green ones still clinging on, it was just so peaceful.

No one, again, seems to care that two turtles are walking down Lexington, and one couple briskly compliments their jackets and so that’s a plus.

Mikey compliments the one girl’s hair, shaved with hearts dyed into her scalp, and Raph can only appreciate that his brother is so well-spoken- that he just is so natural and confident out here.

That he doesn’t worry.

Raph remembers his first time topside, and how his fear led him into the state of consciousness that he hates to be in- where he’s on all instinct and fear and nothing else.

It’s gotten better since then, but the unease still lingers all these years. Raph wonders if he’ll get rid of it all the way.

Donnie realistically told him he might not, but that all he has to do is count to ten and back again, look around, find something to focus on- something ordinary or something great, and cling to it till he can convince his body and mind that he’s safe- that things will return to normal in a sec.

And right now, Raph keeps his eyes locked on his brother’s feet, as they pound the sidewalk, making little splashes in rain water.

As he’s watching, a frog of all things, just hops along the sidewalk, right at Raph’s feet. It makes him halt, because....maybe it’s coincidental or maybe Raph’s reading too into it, but Mikey turns around too, sees the frog that Raph stoops beside, and smiles in soft understanding.

It’s an omen of some sorts, Dad always said so. Of good luck, and of things returning.

Raph breathes out a laugh, shaking his head.

Just as quickly as the frog comes, it hops away, and Raph stands, still a bit speechless, still kinda processing the meaning behind what just happened, desperately wanting to cling to it meaning good fortune.

He doesn’t wanna worry his brother though, and so he thinks of something to joke or talk about as they start to walk again, only for Mikey to beat him to it.

“I never told you thanks,” he says, gently, like he’s been reading Raph’s aura. Maybe he has.

And somehow Raph already knows what he’s thanking him for, but decides within himself that Mikey really, really shouldn’t. He was just doing his job. He tells Mikey this breezily, with a soft smile.

“Bullshit,” Mikey snaps back, but only because he knows Raphael so well, “We’re kids- we don’t got jobs- except for Donnie occasionally….suspiciously-” he shakes off the trailing thought, “Anyway- it’s not ‘your job’. It was just a shitty...long fight and ya really held us down, Raph.”

They cross the street, momentarily separating with the influx of people but find their way back in a second, the neon ‘Gonbei’ sign now visible to them.

And it’s not that Raph is all that surprised by Mikey. He knows his brother’s always had a knack for speaking in a way that just...made so much sense and was so profound without any complexity. But maybe it’s his brother being 14 now, that makes him even wiser.

“I know we don’t got jobs,” Raph concedes, as they pass the Lexington Flowers shop, “But, you know, I’m big...bigger than you guys, an’ I might not be as smart but when it comes to protecting, an’ planning….it’s what a leader’s s’posed ta do, y’know?”

They don’t often talk about the leadership thing- not that it’s touchy, it’s just not really relevant with how they function. But Mikey knows Raph’s internalized the role a bit more recently. And that Leo getting dropped from a building may have been the catalyst.

He knows his brother’s technically got a job to do. Mikey resents that, and their Dad a little bit, for not making Raph ready for all of what happened weeks ago.

Though he knows that’s not all fair. His father was only protecting them.

Still….it sucks.

“Well, if it means anything, I think you’re smart. And ‘m not sure if I can promise this, but I’m gonna do it anyway...” Mikey says, stopping in his tracks and turning to Raph, who also stops walking and gets called a ‘fuckin asshat’ for blocking a chunk of the sidewalk but- hey.

Mikey politely tells the guy to go fuck himself and when the guy turns to get a good enough look- not at Raph’s size, but at his little gremlin brother with a chain that’s starting to flame up- he decides this whole situation is not something he wants any parts of.

Mikey rolls his eyes and turns back to Raph, face all sincere and kind for someone who just...did that, “I promise we’re okay, and we’re always gonna be stuck together, Raph. I know that won’t magically make you feel better but...just thought I’d say it.”

And Raph tries to say something, but has to clear his throat, and it’s definitely the rain on his cheeks and beak.

“No,” he croaks, and laughs at his voice, happy that Mikey laughs too, “Nah, it- it really helps a lot Mikey….thank you- thanks, man.”

Satisfied, Mikey turns to keep on walking, patting Raph’s shell, “Anytime bud.”

////

Katagiri’s never disappoints. Mikey leaves with milk tea, shrimp tempura and shiso, more milk tea and a couple boxes of mochi ice. It’s one of those days.

He swings his groceries as they walk.

Raph doesn’t wonder about the frog and its meaning, and doesn’t doubt its luck and why it appeared to him.

He’s kinda figured it out. Because he still has moments like this, watching his brother merrily skip a few steps ahead of him, chatting breezily about pineapple upside down pancakes- and Mikey made a promise, after all, that they’re gonna be together, no matter what.

If that’s not lucky, being with his family, leaning on them when it counts, then Raph’s got no clue what is.

#rise of the tmnt #michelangelo #raphael #tmnt 2018 #rottmnt #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph

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oscopelabs · 4 years

Text

Unbroken Windows: How New York Gentrified Itself On Screen by Jason Bailey

It was 1972, and Lewis Rudin had a problem—specifically, a Johnny Carson problem. Rudin, a real estate developer and committed New Yorker, had founded the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), an organization dedicated to cleaning up the city’s image (and thus, its attractiveness to corporate clients) via aggressive campaigning and spit-shine marketing; the organization was, for example, instrumental in the development of the iconic I ❤ NY campaign.

But all the good work ABNY was doing, Rudin fumed to the organization’s executive director Mary Holloway, felt like pushing Sisyphus’ boulder when he switched on NBC late at night: “How can we change the image of New York when Johnny Carson's opening monologue every night is about people getting mugged in Central Park?”

As reported by Miriam Greenberg in her book Branding New York: How a City in Crisis Was Sold to the World, Rudin went to the trouble of meeting with network heads, imploring them to pressure personalities like Carson to lighten up on the “New York City is a crime-ridden cesspool” jokes. In 1973, Mayor John Lindsay himself called network executives and even some comedians to a City Hall meeting where he made a similar plea. This was in stark contrast to the usual modus operandi of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting, which prided itself on avoiding censorship or editorial interference in the making of motion pictures in the city—indeed, several of the grimmest, grimiest portraits of life in New York (Death Wish, Panic in Needle Park, Little Murders, The French Connection) were borne of this period. But people had to go out to see those. Johnny Carson came into their living room every night to tell them what a shithole New York was.

Rudin and Lindsay’s efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. Johnny Carson continued to roast the city—especially after escaping it when The Tonight Show relocated to Burbank, California in 1972—and prime-time comedies like All in the Family, Taxi, and Welcome Back, Kotter mined similar veins of urban unrest. Meanwhile, gritty crime series from Kojak to Cagney & Lacey to The Equalizer presented a similar picture of the city—dirty, grimy, and dangerous—to that of films like Taxi Driver, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Warriors, and Fort Apache, The Bronx.

But in the 1990s, that all changed. And there’s a compelling case to be made that the change began with Jerry Seinfeld.

If we talk about Jerry Seinfeld, of course, we have to talk about Woody Allen, and not just their obvious similarities (roots in stand-up comedy, neurotic Jewish New Yorker persona, tabloid mainstay). In the 1970s and 1980s, while most New York movies were dwelling in the horrors and shortcomings of the city, Allen insulated himself in his upper-class Upper East Side neighborhood and made movies about people who were mostly untouched by crime, homelessness, and graffiti. In films like Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Crimes and Misdemeanors, Allen’s characters sip wine and trade hard truths and pointed witticisms at the city’s finest restaurants, parties, and apartments as the city burns around them; in Manhattan (which, by its own opening monologue admission, romances the city “all out of proportion”) he even edited out a joke about muggings from a Central Park carriage ride sequence, so as not to spoil the delicate mood. Allen’s New York was “not another world,” Martin Scorsese once said. “It’s another planet.”

That vision of New York—upper-crust, erudite, sophisticated—wasn’t entirely absent from the big and small screen in the ‘70s and ‘80s, thanks to films like An Unmarried Woman and Kramer Vs. Kramer, and such TV shows as Diff’rent Strokes and The Cosby Show. But Allen’s films, and even more so Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron’s Allen-esque When Harry Met Sally (a far bigger commercial success than any of Woody’s work), created a vision of comfortable, upscale, wise-cracking New York living that would reach a mass audience via Seinfeld, which debuted in 1989.

The first two brief seasons of Seinfeld (or, as it was originally titled, The Seinfeld Chronicles) struggled in the ratings, but it slowly built an audience and climbed in the Nielsens, and by season five (1993-1994) it was one of the top five shows on the air, anchoring NBC’s “Must See TV” line-up of Thursday night sitcoms. In September 1994, it was joined on Thursdays by another comedy, in which urbane New York pals joked, dated, and shared the horrors of city living. Friends, however, was a rating smash right away, and not only because of its killer schedule placement. It sanded away the rougher edges of Seinfeld; its characters were more likable (or, at least, intended to be), and its humor was less spiky. It ran even longer than Seinfeld, ten seasons, every one of them in the top ten, all but one in the top five.

Even as these New York comedies—and others that followed, like Mad About You, Caroline in the City, and The Single Guy—were topping the ratings, the face of the city was changing. “Don’t forget to in the late ’80s, you came off of a couple of financial crises, some bad times,” explains agent Chris Fry, of Elegran Real Estate. ”It was a little bit more affordable, things were dropping. And I think the shows that you’re talking about definitely had a positive effect on what people perceived New York City to be.”

Crime was on the decline across the country, but especially in New York City, a drop that began under Mayor David Dinkins and continued under Rudy Giuliani. The latter, in coordination with NYPD commissioner William Bratton, instituted an aggressive policy of enforcing so-called “quality of life” crimes like graffiti, turnstile-jumping, and panhandling; this philosophy, modeled on James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling’s controversial “broken windows” theory, held that if these comparatively minor yet highly visible crimes were eradicated, the city would look clean and controlled, and thus psychologically discourage a lawlessness that would result in fewer serious offenses like murder, rape, and theft.

This vision of the city was certainly reflected in NBC’s Thursday night lineup. The early ‘90s comedies found fodder in the minor inconveniences of city life, but rarely trod into the seediness and crime that defined such earlier sitcoms as Night Court and Barney Miller. Paul and Jamie Buchman’s apartment wasn’t burglarized; none of the Friends were mugged in Central Park. When a blackout hit New York City in the summer of 1977, there were over one thousand fires, over 1500 damaged and/or looted stores, and nearly four thousand arrests. When a blackout hit NBC’s Thursday night New York City in the fall of 1994, Chandler Bing got trapped in an ATM vestibule with a supermodel.

If these sitcoms were the television reflection of the “broken windows” theory, their creators had a much easier time cleaning up New York City—in part because they weren’t shooting in it. Much like the films set in New York City before Mayor Lindsay established the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting, all of these series were shot on soundstages and backlots in California, with the exception of the occasional second-unit exterior establishing shot. So they took place in New York City, but the version of New York City they presented was highly fictionalized. Just as Paul and Jamie, Jerry and the gang, and the Central Perk crew were funnier and sharper than real New Yorkers (and lived in apartments far beyond their means), the New York they lived in was squeakier and clearer.

“I love Friends,” says Sire Leo Lamar-Becker, who was inspired by the shows of the ‘90s to leave California and move to New York, where he currently works in the fashion industry. “But Friends was so sterile. It didn’t feel real. And what Sex and the City offered was, I felt, a more nuanced portrayal of the city.”

Like the New York movies from the late 1960s onward, Sex and the City had the advantage of authenticity: It was shot entirely in New York, the exteriors and the sets (constructed and filmed at Silvercup Studios) and everything in between. “If you’re familiar with this series, and the movies, the city is integral to it,” explains tour guide Lou Matthews. “They've called it, like the fifth girl is the city. It's really crucial.” As a guide for the “Sex and the City Hotspots Tour,” which On Location Tours has conducted since 2001, Matthews has seen, firsthand, the psychological effect of that particular show.

“I've definitely met girls in their twenties, or maybe they’re still in college, on the tour who are saying, ‘Yeah, I fell in love with Sex in the City and New York City because of Sex in the City. And like, I’m already trying to figure out how I can get a job here.’ And then I’ve definitely met a few where the reason they moved here was because of Sex in the City, like they wanted the life that Carrie has. And here they are.”

The life they found was, in most cases, not exactly what these shows promised. “As someone who has lived here for 10 years,” laughs Lamar-Becker, “sure, there are some things that are unrealistic—like, Carrie being able to afford all her shoes. That’s unrealistic. But the feeling of the city is always captured well.”

And that indefinable but unmistakable quality, that feeling of the city, is what’s shifted most over the past quarter-century or so – through Seinfeld and Friends and Sex and the City into 30 Rock and Gossip Girl and Girls, through When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail to The Devil Wears Prada, Trainwreck, and even The Avengers. Some of that shift in public perception is merely a reflection of reality, of filmmakers and show-runners pointing their cameras at the city and capturing the gentrified, yuppified, Disney-fied mutation it’s become.

But some of that is also life imitating art. Every day, Lou Matthews’s tour bus is filled with people like Sire Leo Lamar-Becker, members of a generation of viewers whose impressions of New York were formed not by Taxi Driver and Kojak, but by the Sex and the City films and Netflix binges of Friends. They watched those shows and memorized those movies, and then migrated to New York City like so many immigrants before them. Their predecessors flocked to Ellis Island, lured by promises of a new world. These settlers came to the Magnolia Bakery, seeking not so much a new world as a better one, full of enviable careers, witty friends, and all the cosmos they could drink.

Lewis Rudin would have been proud.

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the-everlasting-dream · 5 years

Note

MC asks for amazing Athena Park, please and thank you

Perfect Match MC

How tall are they?

At 5’9” Athena stands a good nine inches taller than her cousin Nadia.

How do they tend to dress?

Not afraid of showing off her gorgeous body, Athena Park likes to make a statement. That doesn’t necessarily mean wearing the fanciest outfit or have the craziest hair in the room. Sometimes it means putting on a silky form fitting wine colored dress with a hint of cleavage and letting your look speak for itself.

Do they like how they look?

With a cousin like Nadia Park one woman hype squad how can she not? That doesn’t mean she’s got no insecurities. Athena was very acne prone as a teen and if she doesn’t watch her diet and drink plenty of water, she gets a few angry red visitors coming to stay.

Are they an only child or do they have siblings?

Athena’s mum lived with her brother after she gave birth to her only child, meaning Athena and Nadia grew up in the same house, becoming as close as sisters. They bonded over annoying the hell out of Nadia’s older brother Noah. Of course during the biannual family reunion, they caused their fair share of havoc too.

After becoming friends with Elizabeth Richmond, the cousins got swept up into the craziness of the Indian community as if they were one of their own.

Are they a morning person or a night owl?

Night owl. Athena simply can’t find enough hours in the day to accomplish what she wants and if she has to sacrifice a bit of sleep to get it all done, she’s fine with that as long as she can make up for it in cat naps later on. Also someone’s gotta keep Damien entertained after those long stakeouts right?

Are they a cat or dog person?

Athena prefers cats but Damien is deathly allergic. She often jokes that if he annoys her enough

Got any favorite foods?

Peanut butter M&Ms. She will happily admit that she’s a slut for them. (And what of it? She challenges when Damien questions her)

What are their favorite movies/ tv shows?

Athena loooooves reality tv shows like America’s Most Eligible and super cheesy romances like Tender Nothings. It’s her tradition with Nadia to stay holed up on the couch during that time of the month and dissect each trashy interaction

Do they have any hidden talents?

Athena can tie a cherry stem into a knot with her tongue (of course she can) and she’s weirdly good at Sudoku

Do they believe in love at first sight?

She might have if Nadia hadn’t fallen so hard and fast for her first boyfriend - an endeavor that ended in a wonderfully flaming mess. As the dutifully cousin, she stepped in to do damage control and learnt more from Nadia’s lesson than she did herself. She’s a big flirt and can easily get anyone she pleases into bed but the big L Word scares her a little.

What are they afraid of?

While her best friend Elizabeth Richmond is afraid of everything creepy crawly Athena has no qualms putting the unwelcome intruder out of their misery. She’d never admit it out loud but she’s terrified of horror movies.

What are their guilty pleasures?

Ice cream. Sounds cliche but she’s worked hard to keep that tight body of hers staying tight so she usually resigns herself to a very strict diet until Damien brings home cookies and cream and that diet goes out the window.

Also sex. She likes that. A lot.

What was their dream job as a kid? Is it their dream job now?

Rich and famous was what young Athena Park wanted to be when anyone asked. Her tastes have evolved to value her privacy more especially after Eros but definitely keen for that glamazon life. Her promising career at a very prestigious fashion magazine allows her to have the best of both worlds including a little taste of modeling.

Have they ever broken a bone?

No but she got very close when she tripped down the stairs wearing her mother’s 6 inch stilettos as a kid while playing dress up with Nadia and Elizabeth

Have they ever been in trouble with the law?

Just a couple of counts in indecent exposure from her college days (hello streaking and skinny dipping) and trespassing when she was dared to sneak up the water tower but nothing a bag of her long eyelashes and pretty smile couldn’t get her out of.

+ three other random facts about them

> Her fashion icon is Jasmine Tookes who she follows almost obsessively on every socia; media platform and has been mistaken for more than once (including one time she made it all the way to the set of a fashion shoot before the real Jasmine walked on set!)

> She has a secret file of Damien’s most embarrassing secrets and has shared them loudly and proudly with her cousin and best friend - much to his chagrin. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was doing it on purpose so she could get punished later. Actually scratch that, Athena definitely likes getting punished.

> In an AU she has hooked up with both Leo and Bastien. At the same time.

Thanks for the ask @saivilo sorry I took so long to get to it!

#athena park #mc ask #playchoices #perfect match

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teampandawang · 5 years

Text

21 REASONS TO LOVE CHWE HANSOL

A promise is a promise, and this is our way to pay you off with this cutie birthday post.

We hope you enjoy it!

VISUALS

He’s one of the most handsome boys we have ever see. He’s just handsomely gorgeous.

EYES

If dreams have a color it must be Vernon's eyes one. They’re like pure and sweet honey.

RAP

His skills when we’re talking about rapping are amazing. He’s reaaaally talented.

LOTTO

This song is hit. And the collab with the whole Hip Hop Team is indescribable. Is a MUST see.

COMPOSER

He has created music on his own. In SVT's mixtape, there is a masterpiece that deserves more appreciation:

SEVENTEEN Mixtape vol.10- 'Lizzie Velasquez' (Vernon)

MEMESOL

He’s way too relatable. He’s always been funny just naturally. All the things he does can become easily a reaction meme.

ICONIC ENGLISH LINES

‘They’re like ocean waaaaves’, ‘I know I’m only 17, I only got a few dollars’ and mooore... The compilation is amazing. He has even cursed.

HEADLINES

This moment... is something that... Okay.

SEXY DANCE

Have you ever seen his video doing a sexy dance on a fan sign? It was hilarious. Even Seungcheol tried to stop him. (Sorry but we didn’t found the gif)

COOKIE HAIR

Sometimes Pledis don’t decide the best look at their artists, and this hairstyle is the proof of that.

½ AMERICAN LINE

They are one of the best lines in SVT. They’re so funny together. And obviously, they’re the ones that we can understand easily.

ROCKET

And talking about this iconic duo, let’s talk about this masterpiece. Is maybe one of the prettiest songs of the groups. It’s too joyful.

PRE-DEBUT VIDEOS

Just remember that: ‘Kidney function is not a privilege: it’s a right.’ Just kidding... He was kind of Youtuber when younger, even though he talked about being mixed.

MOSHI MOSHI

What about him being the center in this part? He killed us with his little Japanese line, but for sure: WE STAN.

SHY

He’s so cute when getting shy. And he has said that he’s maybe the timidest boy in the group. Such a baby!

DICAPRIO

Fight us... But he’s the Asian version of Leo. They’re both so handsome perfect.

OUTFITS

His fashion choices are maybe the comfiest thing we’ve ever seen. Like he’s feeding our lazy souls.

SISTER

His love for his younger sister is something we all should learn. They seem to be really close and that’s awesome.

VERKWAN

This is the ultimate ship. Their friendship is the reason we live for. They always look so happy together.

HIP-HOP TEAM

The talent and aesthetic of this subunit is something to die for. They’re so fucking incredible!

SEVENTEEN

These amazing 13 boys that warm our hearts daily has this amazing member like a part of them. A precious family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VERNONIE!

We hope all your dreams and goals come true. You’re an amazing guy that we’re never getting tired of loving.

#seventee #svt #seventeen kpop #svt kpop #carat #kpop carat #seventeen car #svt carat #vernon #hansol chwe #hansol choi #vernon chwe #hansol vernon chwe #seventeen hansol

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catholicartistsnyc · 4 years

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Meet DC Metro-Based Artist Colin O’Brien

(Assumpta)

COLIN O’BRIEN is a Hyattsville, MD (DC Metro area)-based artist, whose disciplines include painting, choral singing, writing (poetry, essay), and fashion design. (O'[email protected])

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): Where are you from originally, and what brought you to the DC area?

COLIN O’BRIEN (CB): I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minn. and lived in Minnesota until I was 25. I moved from St. Paul to New York City in 1999 and lived there (Harlem and then Woodside, Queens) until 2010 when I moved to DC. I went east from Minnesota to have an adventure and to distance myself from a difficult family situation. I moved to the DC area because I was in a relationship with someone who was established here; I was also a little tired of the noise and pace of New York after 11 years. The relationship didn't result in marriage, but we're still close and dear friends, and I have a strong community in the DC area that supports me. I feel at home with the people here in a way I've not felt before.

CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? Do you call yourself a Catholic artist?

CB: I would say I'm a Catholic artist. My faith is both central and foundational to my daily life; I'm a professed Benedictine oblate, which means I have made a promise to live according to the Rule of St. Benedict according to my state in life. From that monastic basis, I strive to live a life of "ora et labora" (prayer and work) that is central to Benedictine spirituality. My painting and writing is an expression of that faith, though I rarely paint works with explicitly "Catholic" themes. My paintings, however, have a noticeably religious spirit about them that viewers enter into.

My personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts is to use my talents in service of evangelization; I wish to depict the Hope of life in Christ to viewers in fresh, accessible ways. Additionally, I hope to show to fellow Catholics that modern, contemporary art can still be a vehicle for evangelization. I think many people are tempted to look back to earlier periods, such as the Baroque, and remain fixed there as ideal time periods for Catholic art. To me, that strikes me as an admission of defeat; the Gospel is relevant to our own time and can be conveyed ever new using contemporary themes as a jumping-off point.

CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

CB: I have to give credit first and foremost to Leo Feroleto, owner of Six Summit Gallery, who curates the art display at the Leo House in New York City. Leo House is a Catholic guest house/hostel in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, a vibrant arts community. I've been blessed to have Leo invite me to display my paintings there, where hundreds of guests pass by them.

I think, however, that the Church needs to do much better generally in supporting the arts. By this I mean that religious education should incorporate an artistic dimension. A painting or sculpture needs to be "read" in order to understand the fullness of the symbolism contained within. We direct much effort toward literacy with regard to text, but very little toward understanding visual symbolism, which leaves us bereft.

In addition to education, we need to cultivate an understanding of art as a common good: it's not enough for artists to be trained to make beautiful works that convey the faith or that enhance the liturgical life of the Church. We also need to foster a spirit of communal support by encouraging people of faith to buy pieces by contemporary artists, for example. We need gallerists, impresarios, and collectors who are willing to give material and spiritual support to artists.

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

CB: Among the artists here in the Route 1 community, it has not really come up as a topic of extended conversation, I'm sad to admit. During open studio tours, I've mentioned the faith aspects of my paintings. I talk about faith with one of my artist acquaintances; he talks about the church he goes to, and one time he came to evensong that I sang with the Anglican Ordinariate community.

CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

CB: Recognize our contributions and being willing to pay for our works. I know many church musicians who volunteer their time, or who are asked to sing for friends' weddings and the like on a volunteer basis because it's "for the church." Musicians ought to be compensated fairly. I volunteer to sing in my parish choir, as well as in the schola with my Benedictine oblate community, and also for evensong once a month with the Anglican Ordinariate community; I'm at home with those and it's a way of doing service. However, especially for weddings, couples ought to be willing to budget the musicians' time into their wedding plans, rather than to expect friends to volunteer.

For the visual arts, as I said earlier, I think educating Catholics on their own artistic heritage is fundamental. This can, at the practical level, mean having discussion groups or retreats at the parish with artists or art historians who can talk about the importance of art in supporting evangelization. Paintings and sculpture can strengthen devotion serve as catechetical works as much as they are beautiful adornments.

Additionally, we need to know that there are current, living artists of faith who are creating beautiful works reflecting and illuminating our faith; we ought to showcase those works and support the creators where we can. An example of this that comes to mind is the case of a couple from Ukraine who wrote icons on pieces of wood salvaged from ammunition crates from the war currently going on in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in Philadelphia displayed had those icons on display inside the church in conjunction with the recent enthronement of their new archbishop. Through efforts like this, the Church exposes the faithful to contemporary artists and also potentially draws in people to view the works who might not otherwise go inside the church building. This can be a win-win situation where artists get exposure and support and the Church can introduce people to the beauty of her own artistic traditions.

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

CB: I think approaching artists of faith on their artistic merits is a good starting point, and the artists I've worked around have been good about that and supportive.

CAC: Where in DC (and beyond) do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?

I am a member of St. Jerome's parish in Hyattsville, and I sing in the choir there. Additionally, I'm a Benedictine oblate of St. Anselm's Abbey in northeast DC. I periodically go to pray the liturgy of the hours in choir with the Dominican brothers at the Dominican House of Studies, which I find particularly refreshing. The chapel is beautiful, and the brothers welcome the laity to pray with them. I also have friends who are members of the Anglican Ordinariate, which is in full communion with the Catholic Church but retains the Anglican liturgical and cultural traditions. Lastly, I also worship with the Ukrainian Greek Catholics at the Shrine of the Holy Family, particularly during Lent. The Byzantine liturgy has fullness and grandeur to it that I deeply appreciate; almost all of it is sung, with the congregation responding to the priest in harmonies. It's a transcendent experience.

I periodically visit New York City and enjoy going to Mass at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, which is an exceptionally beautiful Gothic church with stained glass windows, paintings, and statuary that make you feel like you've stepped into a medieval cathedral.

CAC: Where in the DC metro area do you regularly find artistic fulfillment? Where do you go to get inspired?

CB: Washington, DC is a great area for free museums: the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, and the Renwick Gallery are all favorite places for me to go spend an afternoon.

A lot of my work is inspired by things I've seen in dreams or by things I read, so often any place that's quiet where I can have some time of silent prayer or reading is where I can exercise my imagination. Periodically I will see an image or a phrase will come to me while I'm at Mass, and I tend especially to pay attention to those things that come to me while I'm praying.

CAC: How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist in the DC metro area?

CB: My parish has a rather strong community, so when I moved here I was already dialed in through the woman I was seeing at the time. Over the years, I've been able to build a large and supportive network of friends, including with people I've met from social media. Ironically, I don't have much of a network of artists that I socialize with regularly, so I'm in some ways an outsider to the artistic community. I'm an introverted person, so "networking" type events are not something I tend to seek out, preferring instead to spend time with close trusted friends. I have 24-hour access to my studio space, so I work there on weekends or at night; my favorite time is when I'm there by myself and I can turn up my music while I work.

(Phthalo Blue)

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice? And if you have a spiritual director, how did you find that person?

CB: As a Benedictine oblate, my primary devotion is to pray the liturgy of the hours each day. I do my best to pray morning prayer and evening prayer, as well as the office of readings. Additionally, I go to daily Mass at noon, which is the center and focus of my work day. Sometimes I pray the rosary, too, but it's not a regular daily practice. I carry a pocket copy of the Rule of St. Benedict around in my backpack and periodically take it out to read and meditate upon. Though it's primarily a rule of governing religious life, it's also a rich spiritual text that has many principles worth emulating and incorporating into your life.

My spiritual director is one of the Benedictine monks at St. Anselm's. He is also the oblate director, so it is through him that I came to be an oblate. I met him at the recommendation of one of the other monks, who recommended him to me as a spiritual director.

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice?

CB: I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my practice is very much start-and-stop. I've had some health problems over the past year or so that have left me easily fatigued. As a result, I'm often tired out after a full day of working at my full-time job. However, I've noticed that my mood significantly improves if I do even about an hour's work in the studio. I try to get in a couple of hours each week, even if it's just to put a coat of gesso on a panel.

CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.

CB: I recently was in New York in conjunction with the High Line Open Studios Tour in Chelsea, as the Leo House was one of the stops on the tour. I enjoyed visiting other artists there and also interacting with people who came to see the works on display at the Leo House. A thing that moves me is when people ask me about my work and I explain to them the symbolism or the meaning I'm trying to convey, and they open up about their own spiritual lives or emotions. To have an experience of knowing I've reached the heart of the viewer is a very special feeling.

CAC: How do you afford housing as an artist?

CB: I work a full-time job that allows me to pay my bills including my rent, car insurance, and expenses. I live in a house with roommates, after a time of living in an apartment by myself. I room with two of my closest friends, both of whom are self-employed. One of them was diagnosed this past winter with cancer and so I moved into a spare room upstairs at her house to help her out with expenses and to be of support while she undergoes treatment.

I've sold some pieces, but at this point, I work primarily for my own pleasure rather than with a financial motive or an eye toward supporting myself through my work.

CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in the DC metro area?

CB: I would encourage people to visit the studios and galleries along the Route 1 corridor just outside Washington in Prince George's County. There are new restaurants opening there these days, as well as craft breweries and Vigilante Coffee in Hyattsville, which is an artist-friendly space with the SoHy Gallery next door. We have an art supply shop, Artist & Craftsman, that is a bit of a hub for local artists to get supplies and to banter with the friendly staff. We're just down the road from the University of Maryland campus in College Park, and the Catholic University of America in Northeast DC, so there's a nearby college scene.

(The Lovers)

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dcngereuse · 5 years

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Kathryn Merteuil, 24, bisexual, demiromantic, cisfemale, ENTJ Enneagram Type 3w2; model, heiress, socialite, entrepreneur is it just me, or is that literally Kathryn Merteuil from Cruel Intentions?

Do you think I relished the fact that I had to act like Mary Sunshine 24/7 so I could be considered a lady? Fuck that. If I had been honest about myself before the age of politically-correct twitter, Mœurs would’ve never made it big. I was the Marcia fucking Brady of the Upper East Side, and I still wanted to kill myself. There's your psychoanalysis, Dr. Freud. Now drop the People Magazine, and let’s just do what we came here to do. I’m depressingly sober, and I wanna fuck. Tell me — are you in, or are you out?

full name: kathryn odette merteuil

birthday: 2 april 1995

signs: aries sun, cancer moon, leo rising

love language: quality time, physical touch

soundtrack: “ still sane ” by lorde ( alt: if u seek amy by britney spears )

Bio Points — addiction tw, drugs tw

born and raised in paris, france, kathryn is the daughter of xavier merteuil, chairman and CEO of a multinational luxury goods conglomerate, and as his only child, she is also the sole heir to the corporations. when the french billionaire married the a-list actress margaret simmons, attention stuck to them and never left. born to a life under the spotlight meant it followed kathryn around, too

kathryn’s parents were a mess and the press loved them. she was thirteen when her parents divorced. her mother got custody of her due to a minor allegation against xavier and his company — one of mommy’s brilliant plans, kathryn soon realized. after that, she went to live with her in new york, seeing her dad in paris from to time. not long after that, her mother remarried and suddenly, kathryn had a two new men in her life

kathryn has been modelling both couture and commercial ever since she was born. the media liked featuring the disaster couple, but they adored the little princess that charmed her way into everyone’s lives — the french sweetheart beloved by all

at 18, she started her own fashion empire, mœurs — a luxury brand that sold high end everything from accessories to lingerie. convinced that she held nothing but promise, her her father supported and funding it all the way. his only condition was that she get a business degree to solidify her hold on his corporations which she did

when kathryn was 14, she started to develop a not-so-loving relationship with drugs. she started with mj and eventually worked her way up until she owned a a little crucifix that doubled as a vial for coke and had it with her at all times

she hit rock bottom late last year. drug scandals, celebrity drama, twitter stans and haters — all that stuff. it was a mess, and everyone loved seeing how the kathryn merteuil fell from her gilded throne. as punishment, her parents made her take a break from new york, so she ended up in shermer. her inheritance, her contract with her modeling agency, and her time in the spotlight was all put on hold. she had to recover and get on the wagon. now she’s trying to clean up her act, still somewhat torn whether or not she’s doing it for show or for real this time

Personality

actually a smortie — kathryn’s got p big brains ok, she just never bothered to showcase it in school or wtvr bc she don’t need it; she hot n rich. she kinda has some principled views on things, but they’re also shoved in the dark and end up twisted because of what she wants to preserve n achieve. her love for how people see her superceded all that wordy brainy jazz. so long as they know she’s pretty and business smart, she was golden

image-obsessed as sheet — the list of things kathryn wouldn’t do for the sake of preserving her name is barely a list. she did everything she could since ‘95, and then it all went to shit. still, she remains as charismatic and strong-willed as ever. things may have fucked up, but she’s still confident in herself. it’s other people that’s shitty, not her

manipulative as phuck — she doesn’t care how she gets there or who she hurts, she has to get there. makes sense bc she doesn’t handle emotions well at all. kathryn has slept, lied, and, twisted her way to get what she wants, and she always got away with it. the pretty rich girl always does in her world

Possible Connections

the pop culture savvy — it’d be cool to see someone sorta fangirl about her. good way or bad way, but just someone who has kind of actually Knows Her yknow ? do they love her mom who has been in a bunch of diff genre films but were gr9 ? do they hate her father but love his brands ? do they think she’s a crazy hottie or a business icon ? do they love her and stan all that she is and about ? come @ me, boiz n gals n nb palz

kathryn who now ? — opposite of the first one, basically. someone who rlly dk who she is. “ u look familiar but i cant put my finger on it ” typa shit thatd make kathryn go a lil bitch wtf but idk maybe they wanna know her and it strokes kathryn’s ego to talk abt the good shit abt herself or wtvr ? i aint sure but lets discuss

lil’ devil — mayhaps someone who is sorta urging them to hop off the wagon ? sleep around again, manipulate people, flip off the press ? idk just smth !

savior complex personified — basically someone who thinks they can right all that’s wrong w her. romanticized her to the nth degree and just wants to love her woes away

Established Connections

step-brother, sebastian valmont — tbd soon, but they a mess, wbk

( a lotta holes here im not ecstatic abt it but thnx for reading, ya sweets. again, this what i get for birthing twins. as always, i’m open to anything ! just drop an IM or hit dat like & ill slide in ur dmz w love & plots & rainbows x )

( also ! she’s supposed to be really popular, think kardashian-jenner goes thru britney’s 2007, so if you would be so kind as to have your muse play along and at least recognize her unless they rlly dont follow pop culture, i would be ur bitch. tysmily )

#shermerintro #km

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theinsatiables · 7 years

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боже мой...

My first sight of Yekaterina Golubeva was in Claire Denis’ J’ai pas sommeil (I Can’t Sleep, 1994). The film opens with the bracing image of her driving her beat-up car into Paris, cigarette held at a neat downward angle from her mouth, holding a stare of concentrated insolence. She played a young Lithuanian girl barely able to speak French who’s drawn to the city by the promise of work from a theatre director who had once seduced her.

In fact her story is almost a sideline to that of a series of murders of old ladies committed by a gang of gay men, all based on a real incident. But Golubeva’s defiant attitude and arresting looks (she wears overlarge men’s jackets with great style) created a thrilling screen presence. Particularly memorable were scenes in which she uncontrollably laughs out loud in a porno cinema, and in the midst of heavy traffic determinedly bashes the car in front being driven by the unresponsive director. Her resilience carries her through, but then as her eccentric aunt tells her, “When you don’t know how to do anything, beauty can be a real help.”

Golubeva (who usually appeared on credits as Katerina or Katia) was in fact born in St Petersburg when it was still Leningrad, and had come to attention through the films made by her husband, the Lithuanian Sharunas Bartas. First appearing in Three Days (1991), she plays one of a quartet of lost youths trying to find their way in the broken down city of Kalingrad. Bartas belongs to the minimalist, not to say miserabilist, school of filmmaking of whom the high priest is Béla Tarr. But his reliance on long takes allows the audience an intimate view of Golubeva’s extraordinary looks, her doe eyes and fleshy lips placing her somewhere between a Baltic Nastassja Kinski and a Balthus model. Seeing this film, maverick French filmmaker Leos Carax declared himself in love, switched muses from Juliette Binoche and cast Golubeva in the central female role in his ambitious and extravagant Hermann Melville adaptation, (1999).

Pola X dealt with a young author (Guillaume Depardieu) who abandons his exquisite country-chateau lifestyle to follow a mysterious, dowdily dressed young woman who claims to be his forgotten half-sister (Golubeva) into a forbidding Paris for a life in the gutter. Golubeva’s heavy accent and poverty-row attire are used to underline her presence as a symbol of suffering and the ravages of war, following in line the way she appeared in Bartas’s films. She also took part in a very explicit sex scene, played out in semi-darkness.

Her fearless attitude to self-exposure was again evident in Bruno Dumont’s misfire of a road movie Twenty Nine Palms (2005), in which she played one half of an ill-matched couple driving through the Californian desert on a journey into appalling violence. Dumont has said he cast Golubeva because she was so much the character, who in his eyes was a wildly temperamental young woman with a slight grasp of French and even less of English, and whose mood swings made her the girlfriend from hell. While gallantly performing scenes of highly vocal sex, nevertheless she seemed perhaps to be revealing how unhappy she was as a foreign actress playing out the fantasies of very singular French male directors.

Claire Denis cast Golubeva again in The Intruder (2005), as the mysterious woman who facilitates the black-market heart transplant of the film’s central character. Once more she was smoking cigarettes meaningfully and remaining apart from everyone else, but at least Denis allowed her to express humour and illuminated her beauty in a gentler fashion.

However, her fate was usually to be asked to perform roles that played more on her tortured, mournful side. From what little is known publicly of Golubeva’s private life, her move to Paris was never fully resolved. She had three children (the last of whom is being raised by Carax), and her death, which is rumoured to have been by her own hand, came only at the age of 44. But like a latter-day Louise Brooks, her iconic image will forever remain alive with us on the screen.

-David Thompson

#Yekaterina Golubeva #Mon dieu #Why so beautiful?

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