Sewn For Solitude [Camila & Temp]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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April 11th, 2028

Vivian's sock puppet show had been more than a hit, and the higher-ups had immediately started asking if there was a way to introduce more of these sorts of things into the children's programming. Juniper, like the good employee she was, complied, and shamelessly ripped off a famous muggle television broadcast: Sesame Street. Obviously what she was doing was drastically different, focusing more on magic and their own community than what the muggle show had done, but there were still similar life lessons to be had in them. Instead of funny looking creatures, they decided to use magical creatures that could talk to humans. Thus, Nigel the Niffler and the other denizens of Vertic Alley were born. She wished she had been the one to come up with all of that, but the majority of her focus was set in actual 'lesson plans' for the broadcasts than the creativity portion. Nigel's whole schtick was that he liked to have story time with celebrities. It put a face to the names that a lot of children heard, and was also great for promotion. Again, that was all according to the marketing department, who basically told her what to focus on at this point.

Typically Juniper wasn't on the production stage for these sorts of things. It wasn't part of her job description and frankly wasted her time from developing the next couple of shows (and her actual teaching work). Her boss's words, not hers. Today though, she was standing near the back of the sound stage, watching the current production wrap up. Somehow, they had managed to snag Camila Calderón, and that was the exact reason she was on set to watch. When her producers had asked her to list out potential celebs she'd like to see, she thought it had been more of a wish list than a guide they were going by.

She also wanted to thank Temp Fleming, who was overseeing the show so far as one of the producers. Juniper was waiting for everything to conclude to try and get a word in, all while hastily making notes on how to make the show better going forward. Being on set was surprisingly good for generating new ideas, now that she had a better vision of how everything worked. Though she still couldn't get over how silly it looked to have Nigel flopping around across from the singer, a hand shoved up his backside, and a disembodied voice coming from somewhere behind the set blocking. With a camera moving into her view of the set, Juniper quickly made her way around the stage just in time to see things wrap up. Before everyone ran off back to their respective offices and departments, she had to talk to Temperance about a future show. That was easier said than done though, and making her way to where the producer was looked like it would be difficult. She didn't exactly know how to inject herself into a conversation between the producers and a top tier celebrity...

camila calderón & temperance elizabeth fleming ● 505 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[camila calderón]

April 11, 2028

Television programming was relatively new to the magical world, and children's television programming was even more so. Having grown up with one parent who was magical and one who wasn't, though, Camila had a good idea of what she could expect from the Witch TV series on which she had been asked to appear as a special guest going into it. Programming with a young target audience was usually very tame, since it had to be age-appropriate. The risk of creating controversy was low, and it hadn't seemed as though interacting with puppets would be exceptionally difficult. The hardest part, Camila had thought, would be that the puppets would be controlled by a human whom she had to avoid acknowledging while the cameras were rolling.

Although Camila was used to performing and being interviewed, it had turned out that there was just as much work involved—if not more, in some ways—in making a television show. There was blocking, for one, which wouldn't have been too bad if not for the aforementioned individuals operating the puppets. The set was constructed to make the world around the puppets look just as real for them as it was for her, and that meant that either she or the puppeteers had to adjust (and readjust, and readjust again) how they were positioned to avoid breaking the illusion that the puppet characters were sentient little beings.

After what seemed like an eternity of trying to hold a "conversation" with a Niffler puppet called Nigel about the story she had been reading to him in the episode, they were finished filming, and Camila had been able to stand up from the fake exterior step on which she had been sitting to speak with some of the show's producers.

That conversation had been mostly business at first, and then she had gotten to talking with one of the producers, a young woman named Temperance Fleming, separately. Tiring though the experience of having a guest appearance on the series had been, Camila had had nothing but praise for her and the rest of the crew, which had turned into chitchat.

temperance elizabeth fleming
juniper minerva mcgonagall

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

tv taught me how to feel

now real life has no appeal

April 11, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall
camila calderón

Temp hadn’t decided which was worse. A children’s program where every character had a high-pitched voice that often made her eye twitch or preparing a Quidditch-related series where every third question was about her father. Theron Fleming’s career had been remarkable but only enough that only true Quidditch fans knew his name. But there was nothing like the publicity one received from dying if only he were still around to see it. But she had work to do, and it was the best for her right now. Temp found that throwing herself into her work and all the legal documents and items regarding the family kept her mind occupied. And this particular project had occupied so much of her mind that Temp almost forgot that the following week she was due to hear back about the legal guardianship of her youngest sister.

The room was noisy as the witch, wizard puppeteers, and voice actors climbed out of their various spots under the stage and behind objects. For all of magical society’s advancements, puppeteering was not one of them. When Juniper had brought the idea to Temp, she immediately saw the parallels between this and that no-maj show. But rather than throw the script back at her, Temp thought it was brilliant. Plus, the ratings had immediately shot up after their first celebrity guest, Adelaide Oakes, the only living cast member of ‘The Former Real Housewives of London’. And through her connections, Temp was able to snag Camila Calderon for this episode.

”I still can’t thank you enough for making time for this.” Temp had worked with Quidditch players for so long that she’d almost forgotten how busy a musician’s life could be, but their fans would generate a ton of viewership.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Awkward hovering. That had become more of a trait these days than ever before in school or at her first job within the Ministry. There was something about Witch TV where Juniper knew she wasn't top of the food chain and couldn't act like she was. Sure, she sort of controlled the writing aspect of a lot of the educational shows but everything still lived and died by the producers and the available budget. Looking at how things were going lately, specifically with this show, she had a feeling that there would be a lot more money to play around with after the next budgetary meeting happened. If they could get Camila, they could get more money.

It looked like Temperance was already talking to the star, which was what had led to Juniper keeping to the outer edge of the circle that had formed around them. Different assistants and aids was the majority of them, the occasional producer wandering around aimlessly while trying to find whoever they needed to talk to. She didn't want to just interject herself into whatever the two were talking about, but also sort of needed to. Staring down at her notes, Juniper twirled her pen around in a circle. She had made a number of rings around a specific note she wanted to ask Temp about for the following week's taping, as it involved a Quidditch player. Personally, she sucked at dealing with the athletes. But Temp basically spent all of her time with them. Trying to come up with content that differed from the usual Q&A that players were put through was difficult as well. Not following the sport left her in a bit of a bind too.

Strange was probably the best adjective for how she was feeling as she inched closer and closer to the conversation, until the point where she was pretty sure she could catch Temp's attention. Juniper had no problem waiting until her colleague was done speaking with the singer, and as much as she was typically forward with everything, it felt like a better career decision to stay silent for the time being. She didn't want to be that rude woman at Witch TV who would be talked about during interviews with Camila in the future. Somehow her students would find out and hold it over her.

camila calderón & temperance elizabeth fleming ● 390 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[camila calderón]

April 11, 2028

"I still can’t thank you enough for making time for this."

"Of course. It was very enjoyable," Camila assured Temperance. Really, she was just happy that her schedule had allowed for it. She wasn't on tour or busy promoting anything new of hers, so it was a good opportunity. While her previous team would have wanted to wait until she had something that they could use as a marketing tie-in for her gain (and theirs, obviously), reminding the world that her existing music was out there and that she didn't take herself so seriously that she couldn't act alongside a puppet was nice, too.

"And Nigel is so cute," she added. She didn't know who had come up with the idea of the fictional Niffler in the first place, but he wasn't one of those puppets that looked like it might come alive and wreak havoc in the middle of the night. "You should make toys of him. To sell." Well, Camila didn't mean Temperance specifically; she meant the network, in some sort of arrangement with a manufacturer.

temperance elizabeth fleming
juniper minerva mcgonagall

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

tv taught me how to feel

now real life has no appeal

April 11, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall
camila calderón

Temp nodded habitually. If she had a sickle for every time someone told her to merchandise Nigel, she wouldn’t need this job anymore. But such things were not in her hands. ”I think they’re working on it. He’s become pretty popular with the kids.” This was still the awkward part. Temp had to connect with their celebrity guests, but the conversation was not always easy. Not for lack of trying on either side, but what did they have in common with one another? However, she spotted those familiar big frames out of the corner of her eye.

”Oh—Juniper.” She waved the writer over and looked back to Camila. ”Camila, this is the show’s writer—Juniper McGonagall.” Either this would be an even more awkward conversation, or maybe it would flow better now. Either way, Camila's participation in future episodes mattered to the Temp and her bosses. ”We were just talking about how more of your musical talent could be written into an episode.” Temp stressed the ‘We’ because she definitely had not told Juniper this yet, but the director wanted some mini puppet musical. Temp had talked Jackson Blishwick off that ledge, and they’d start with maybe some educational song that would easily get stuck in a kid’s head.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Catching the tail end of Nigel's popularity with their younger audience made Juniper's stomach flutter. She knew it was a collaborative effort that created the puppet, but she had posed the idea early on in her drafts of the show. Alongside a dragon companion that had yet to make an appearance. And to hear it come from the biggest star in the magical world currently? She was going to be riding this high for a while. Her students sort of knew what she did for her day job, but they mostly only cared about good grades, Quidditch, and whatever their favorite Hufflepuff thought about them. That meant her coworkers at Witch TV were going to be getting the full brunt of her excitement until it died off.

Having all of the attention suddenly put on her was great and all, and if it wasn't for a stage light that was being moved suddenly spinning around and blinding her momentarily, she would have actually looked like a deer in the headlights. "Its an honor to have you on," Juniper somehow managed to say without stumbling over her words, still blinking away light spots in her eyes. At the mention of a musical portion, she turned to look at Temp, somewhat confused but realizing this was a grab for another Camila spot down the road. "Yeah that would be grand if we could pull it off," she nodded her head as she looked between the two of them. "I have zero musical talent, but if our producers reach out to your producers, we could work on making something." She had an entire power point presentation of songs in Sesame Street at the ready for an exact situation like this. The timing could not have been better. Working short little songs in about magic and having the puppets sing along would be another surefire way to hook their younger audiences.

camila calderón & temperance elizabeth fleming ● 317 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[camila calderón]

April 11, 2028

Though Temperance told her that she thought the network was working on creating toys of Nigel the Niffler, that part of their conversation didn't last for very long. She ushered over and introduced Juniper McGonagall, the writer of Vertic Alley. Like Temperance, Juniper was relatively young—probably closer to thirty, but still definitely young. It was nice to know that there were so many young women calling the shots; maybe it didn't matter quite so much when it came to children's television and how the audience viewed the episodes, but Camila appreciated it as a guest on the show.

She nodded politely to Juniper, who described it as an "honor" to have her on Vertic Alley. It was still strange for Camila to hear people describe her and her work in such glowing terms. If she were someone else, maybe she would have let it get to her head, but she never wanted that to happen.

At about that same time, Temperance mentioned that she and Juniper had been talking about "how more of [her] musical talent could be written into an episode".

Juniper, meanwhile, described herself as having "zero musical talent", but she said that their producers could reach out to hers to work on something.

"That would be fun! Thank you," Camila enthused. She really was happy to hear that they wanted to work with her again. Even if it was for a children's television series on Witch TV, that showed her professionalism and versatility. There was a lot of potential for creativity with a children's song, too. She could teach the show's audience more about her background; maybe she could use a song to teach a little bit of Spanish.

As much as Camila was inclined to agree and begin the songwriting process right then and there, the idea would have to be part of a larger conversation between her team and the team at Witch TV. It was still business, and there would probably be some negotiating back and forth before they could settle on something that was mutually agreeable.

Starting that conversation was the first step, though, and she volunteered, "I will tell my team so it's not a surprise." There was always a chance that it wouldn't work out for whatever reason, but Camila didn't see why it wasn't worth pursuing.

temperance elizabeth fleming
juniper minerva mcgonagall

[temperance elizabeth fleming]

tv taught me how to feel

now real life has no appeal

April 11, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall
camila calderón

Sometimes, Temp wondered why she pursued a career that felt like an extension of her personal life. Chasing people around, checking schedules, making sure people were available, and then ensuring they showed up. But Witch TV felt preferable if only because she couldn’t hire interns to deal with her family matters. Temp didn't want her colleagues to know about her life and everything it entailed, however. The thought of anyone walking in and witnessing the sorry state of her father before his death was mortifying. The memory always lingered like a looming presence—a haunting, if you will.

Luckily, Juniper didn’t hesitate to join the conversation as they suggested adding music to the popular children’s show. And Camila responded very positively. Internally, Temp breathed a sigh of relief. Her bosses had been pushing this, though, for the purpose of ratings and money. The business before the art, of course. It was a line she always had to carefully walk as she brought it all together. ”Great!” So far so good. There was still much to do. Coordinate schedules so production wasn’t halted by Camila on tour or away for whatever reason. Then, I figured out what the contract looked like for the music. Merlin knew Temp had witnessed her fair share of drama at Witch TV in LA and Hollywood over creative rights.

”Maybe Juniper can explain what the music format would be like?” Temp shot a look at her colleague. Discussing ideas themselves without other things in place wasn't practical, but maybe more guidelines on the music itself.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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She knew this was one of her shows that she worked on, but having all eyes on her was so much pressure. Even more so with Temp being here. Despite being younger, her colleague had a writer for the station first. Juniper always felt like there were expectations, especially with the employees that had been here longer. With four years under her belt, she still felt like she was a new hire at times. It was weird feeling that way, as it was more relaxed than she’d ever been in her first job or school. Almost scary, in a way. And then to have Camila Calderon also staring at her throughout the conversation…Merlin, that was enough pressure on its own.

”Umm, yeah, so typically with these kinds of shows, like muggle ones? They have little songs that rhyme or have some kind of lesson attached to them. You know, stuff kids can learn from or are fun to hum along to.” How in Merlin’s good name she was going to come up with lyrics to a song that Camila Calderon could potentially sing live for television was beyond her at this point in time, but she would figure out a way if it ended up becoming a reality. From all of the muggle shows that she had watched, these songs didn’t need to be overly complicated. Because at the end of the day, their target audience was children.

Swallowing as she looked between Temp and Camila, she continued, ”But I don’t really have anything at this point. Introducing a musical component feels like it needs to have a purpose, and I don’t want to throw it into any old episode, if that makes sense.” It certainly did to her. She knew the pressure would be on if Camila’s team came back saying she could do it, because her own producers would be shooting fire hexes at her to get her to write it in time.

camila calderón & temperance elizabeth fleming ● 325 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[camila calderón]

April 11, 2028

With her agreement that writing her musical abilities into an episode of Vertic Alley sometime would be a good opportunity, Temperance especially sounded enthusiastic about it. She seemed to have put Juniper on the spot to explain the music format, though, because Juniper's response was more hesitant.

She did give a good explanation of what they would be looking for, based on Muggle shows of a similar nature, and Camila nodded. It was about the same as what she had pictured in her head. She had a non-magical father and had grown up with various songs that she could still sing from memory thanks to children's television, and she could draw upon those for inspiration.

"But I don't really have anything at this point," Juniper added. "Introducing a musical component feels like it needs to have a purpose, and I don't want to throw it into any old episode, if that makes sense."

"Of course! It's no problem." Camila smiled, hoping to make Juniper understand that there was no pressure on her from her side of things. What she said made perfect sense. "After this episode is transmitted, we can discuss more," she told Juniper and Temperance. She was sure that they would want to gauge how her guest appearance with Nigel was received by the audience first before solidifying anything. An episode of Vertic Alley centered around Camila Calderón didn't seem objectionable from Camila's point of view, and she didn't think that the parents of the children who watched the show would have a problem with it. Her regular music wasn't anything too vulgar for young children anyway.

temperance elizabeth fleming
juniper minerva mcgonagall