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cherryatiny · 3 years

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𝐃𝐚𝐝! 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐳: 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 '𝐝𝐚𝐝'

𝐺𝐼𝐹𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠

⩥ 𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠

„See princess? And this is how you trim audio when working on a song.“ responded Hongjoong excitedly, from how interested his daughter was in the matter of creating and producing music, just like her dad.

The little girl squealed on his lap happily, as she just edited her first song. „Wow, daddy's work is so cool! I'm gonna be like daddy when I grow up!“ He couldn't help but smile at how his cute daughter was an exact copy of him when it came to her looks, interests or even personality.

„Okay princess, can you be a good girl and be quiet for a while? Daddy just has to finish this one song, I promise it'll take just a few minutes.“ his daughter nodded, always obeying the words of her dad.

Sitting there quietly, she looked at the screen of his computer, the small pink headphones Hongjoong bought for her on times like these when they listened and worked on music together, on her head, as she listened to the song that featured her dad and his seven friends.

The girl suddenly jumped up on his lap, his hands swiftly catching her, not wanting to imagine the piercing cry of pain she'd let out if she fell. „What are you doing, princess? You have to be careful baby, or else you'll fall. Why did you even jump?“

„I heard dad singing in the chorus!“ exclaimed his daughter. „But daddy wasn't singing in the chorus, princess.“ frowned Hongjoong confusedly, not knowing what his daughter meant. „I know. I was talking about dad Seonghwa.“ his daughter not being able to distinguish between the voices would be completely okay, after all, she's just a toddler, but his daughter calling his friend Seonghwa dad intentionally, was not that okay for him.

„But Seonghwa isn't your dad. I'm your dad.“ Weird jealousy-like feeling flowed through his veins at that moment. „I know that you're my dad, but mommy said uncle Seonghwa is my dad too!“

„No my little dummy, you missed it, uncle Seonghwa is your godfather, not your dad, him being your godfather doesn't make him your dad, princess.“ explained Hongjoong as he smiled at his little girl, embracing her in a tight but careful hug full of love since she's tiny and fragile.

⩥ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚

Heating the zucchini sauce, that his friend Hongjoong taught him how to cook, before pouring it on the pasta, Seonghwa served his twin daughters the meal they love so much. „Okay.. enjoy your meal, my loves, what do you say?“ waiting for their answer, the girls thanked him loud, cheerfully. „Thank you, daddy!“

Seonghwa smiled proudly at how well you two raised them. „That's it, smart girls, after your parents! And don't forget to eat everything! You have to eat, so you can be strong and healthy girls!“

No answer was given to him, as the two girls munched on their lunch, stuffing their mouths with pasta. In the meanwhile, Seonghwa washed the dishes he made dirty by cooking, before taking one serving of the pasta to eat as well.

Sitting down on the chair opposite of his daughter, he dug his fork into the meal, watching his daughters. „How is it? Do you like it?“ The younger twin tried to answer, but her words were muffled as her mouth was full.

„Princess, what did I say about talking while you're eating? Finish chewing first so you don't gag on the food and say it to me after that.“

„It was yummy but dad makes it better!“After finishing the last bits of their meals they place the empty plates one on another, the older twin, picking it up and placing it into the sink, she was hardly able to reach. „What are you talking about princess, daddy cooked it.“

„I didn't mean you, daddy, I meant dad Joong.“ Seonghwa felt his eyebrows frowning on their own at his daughter calling his best friend her dad. Yes, it was stupid to be jealous of something like this, but he just couldn't help it. „Why are you calling uncle Hongjoong your dad?“

„He's as old as you daddy, so I thought he could be my dad as well!“

⩥ 𝐉𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐨

Sitting his three kids into their child seats and fastening their seatbelts, Yunho got into his driver seat, carefully leaving the parking lot. Looking in the rear mirror, his two boys were playing together deep down in a conversation, while their little sister slept.

Nevertheless, he still drove quite slowly, because he knew the kids might throw up from the number of roller coasters they rode with Mingi's daughter today.

Coming home, his daughter was still sleeping and he didn't have the heart to wake her up from her peaceful state. Picking her up on his arms, her head laying on his shoulder, the two boys jumped out of the car, already running to the house to rant about their day to you.

Hearing their shouting from outside, you were already waiting for them in the hallway, the two boys jumping onto you, embracing you in a hug with their tiny arms. Smiling at your husband Yunho that was standing in the hallway.

„I missed you my loves! The house was empty without you. Did you have fun today at the amusement park?“

„Yes! Dad bought us ice cream!“ Yeah. You could see that since a chocolate stain adorned his light green t-shirt, smiling at your sons whose day was lightened up by the chocolate ice cream they loved that much.

„Yuyu, what did I tell you about buying the kids ice cream. It's full of sugar and chemicals, I could've made them one myself when you came home, and it won't stuff chemicals into their bodies.“

„But I didn't buy them ice cream, Y/N, Mingi did... Wait! Did you two just call uncle Mingi your dad? I'm actually hurt.“

Yunho cried and fell to the ground dramatically to show how much his boys calling his best friend their father hurt him. Only resulting in the boys laughter.

„[Mingi's daughter's name] said she's our little sister as well as [Yunho's daughter's name] and that you're one of her dads, so we thought that Mingi's our dad too!“

⩥ 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠

„Mommy, mommy, can you please braid my hair?“ squeaked your daughter cutely as she ran towards you with a hairband in her small hands. Handing it over to you as you cooked a meal for lunch.

„Mommy is busy, come over here, daddy is so good at braiding hair.“ exalted your husband Yeosang himself as he motioned for his daughter to come to him.

Spreading his legs widely for his daughter to sit in between them in his lap as her back faced him.

Brushing her soft and silky hair into a ponytail, he took the hairband from her hand and started braiding her hair into a (really messy) braid.

The girl stood up, running over to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. Stepping out onto her stairs so she can see herself, she saw the terrible creature that was supposed to adorn her head.

Unbraiding the messy hairstyle, she ran back to the room where you and Yeosang were. Ignoring Yeosang who looked at her confusedly as to why she damaged the braid he made, the little girl tugged at your t-shirt to gain your attention.

„Mommy, mommy, why are dads so bad at braiding hair?“ scoffed the girl as she pouted with playful anger at Yeosang.

„Do you have experiences with other dads that you can generalize it?“ asked Yeosang as he watched the two of you with wide eyes, to catch every detail. „Dad Jongho couldn't braid my hair as well.“

His daughter calling his best friend dad seemed to spark jealousy and some kind of anger in him. „And who told you to call uncle Jongho 'dad'?“

„And who told you that you're good at braiding hair as you claimed?“ scoffed the little girl at her dad as she hugged you closer to her, not letting you go as she was acting petty with her dad. „Damn, who is this kid so mean and sarcastic after...“

⩥ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐒𝐚𝐧

Looking out of the window on the immense garden their house had, San's two sons were playing soccer there. One as a goalkeeper and the second one trying to score a goal against his older brother.

The last night there was a big storm which caused the mud to be all over their garden. However, the boys didn't seem to care that they were covered in dirt head to toes.

Even though it was in the boys' nature to not care if they're dirty, he knew you'd be angry when you came home and saw all the dirty clothing and scraped knees. So he rather called them to come inside, the boys ran inside the spacious house.

„Boys, you know how angry mommy will be, what did we say about playing in the mud?“ Scolding them playfully the boys didn't like the restrictions you two made.

„But daddy Wooyoung lets us play outside even after rain when there's mud." The younger one whined, trying to persuade his father San to let them continues playing, instead getting a reaction out of his older brother.

„He's not your dad, Wooyoung is our uncle you dumbass.“ Not believing his ears, San kneeled down to be on the boys' eye level as he scolds them.

„Hey you, don't call your younger brother dumbass, where did you even learn that word? And you, don't call uncle wooyoung your dad, or I'll have to have a serious conversation with that dumbass.“ scoffed San at the two boys as he stood up, about to look for some clean clothes to clean this mess before you came home and scolded all three of them.

„Daddy? And if you can say dumbass, why can't I?“

⩥ 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢

Coming home from work, all exhausted and your body sore, you placed your keys and bag on the table in the hallway, shouting some greetings to alert Mingi and your daughter that you're home.

Not getting any response, you stepped into the living room, being met with the image of your husband Mingi pouting and sitting on the ground with arms crossed over his chest as he frowned cutely at the little girl that sat opposite of him.

Your daughter doing exactly the same as if they were imitating each other. „What's wrong with you two, did something happen?“

Looking at them with confusion in your eyes, you sat on the ground with them, waiting for their clarification of whatever happened.

„[Mingi's daughter's name] called Yunho her dad. He's not her dad, I'm her dad! If I called any other kid my daughter she'd start crying too, so why can't I?“

Trying to hold back the laughter at Mingi's childish behaviour, you looked at your daughter, expecting her to say something. „Daddy don't be jealous, even though I have eight dads and you're one of them, you're the best one, and my most favourite one! I love you, daddy, so don't be mad at dad Yunho anymore.“

You could see Mingi's bottom lip quirking at her words and you knew that he wanted to cry from the heartwarming words your daughter said to him, nevertheless he couldn't lose his composure as he was playing offended with her for the past two hours.

„Okay princess, come here, to the best daddy you have, but don't you dare wish any of them on the father's day.“

⩥ 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠

Sitting on the soft couch in your and Wooyoung's house's living room, you listened to the conversation between him and San as you watched your son of 10 months laying on the mat with clattering toys dangling above him, that was placed on the living room's floor.

His tiny figure trying to reach out for them, but failing. Seeing how his eyebrows started to shrug, the displeased expression on his face, Wooyoung could sense what was about to happen and he was definitely not in the mood to hear his son's piercing hysterical almost scream-like cries.

„Okay, okay, young man, come to daddy before you make us deaf with your crying.“

Picking him up, Wooyoung placed your son on his lap, the tiny boy laying there as he looked up at San's dimples, the man in question couldn't help but smile and giggle at how cute his best friend's son was.

Leaning towards him, he tickled the baby with his fingers, not failing to make your son a giggling mess. The boy in your husband's lap reached out to touch his dad's friend, his tiny fingers gripping on San's t-shirt.

„Da-da. Dada!“ Both your and Wooyoung's eyes widened at hearing your son talk for the first time, „Say that again, bun.“

Encouraged him Wooyoung, trying to make his son say 'dad' again, however, he wasn't the one his son meant.

Reaching towards San, your son somehow turned himself over onto his stomach and tried to get over to San. „Dada!“ screamed your son once again as he was trying to move himself to San's lap somehow.

„W-what? Baby no, that's not your dad! I'm your dad, that's uncle San, he's not your dad.“ Wooyoung tried to turn your son over, so he could look at his real father, but the boy only protested, letting out those cute 'dad' blabbers over and over, resulting in you laughing at how grumpy Wooyoung got because of this situation.

Well, saying that Wooyoung didn't invite San over for about a month was understandable.

⩥ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨

Sitting on the ground of his room, while playing with cars that belonged to him, you listened to him rambling about everything - his day in the kindergarten, the toy cars, the cute puppy he saw, when suddenly he switched the topic of his chatter,

„Mommy, why doesn't daddy Yeosang have a boy, who'll play soccer with me?“ Not realising the way your son called your friend at first, you thought about a way to answer his question, when you actually discerned one of his words after a while,

„Look, baby, it's- wait, why did you call uncle Yeosang 'daddy'? He's not your daddy, as you've said he has his own child and you have your own daddy.“

„I know mommy, that he's not my real daddy, but he's [Yeosang's daughter's name]'s daddy, and when I'll be grown up, I'll marry her and he'll become my daddy too!“ explained your little son before returning to his previous task of playing with the cars that were all over his room's floor.

Not being aware of your husband Jongho that stood outside his room and eavesdropped your whole conversation, he exposed himself when he suddenly scoldingly whined from the hallway,

„Yah, aren't you way too young to have a wife, definitely not Yeosang's daughter, if that girl is at least as half the way as Yeosang is, she'll be able to kill you with her words alone. And her father is way too buff, it'd be stressful to have him as your father in law, what if he gets angry. Definitely not, he won't be your father in any way, young man.“

#ateez #dad!ateez #ateez fluff #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez headcanons #ateez x reader

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jenstar1992-2 · 3 years

Text

Heaven

Pairing: Echo X Reader

Warnings: Some language, insinuations of sexual activities (I don’t know if that’s the right wording necessarily, but there it is), mentions of nightmares, loss, and grieving.

Word Count: 3,836

A/N: So, I'm not sure what all devices in the Star Wars universe are called, and in order to not sound completely inept, I decided to just describe the devices' functions instead of naming them and seeing as I've never come across some of these types of devices in Star Wars, I figured this was the best way to go. I hope that makes sense. Also, I have added a lyric video below for reference. I was initially going to just link an already existing lyric video for the song, but then I just decided to make one instead, using some visuals that better fit the content. Which then meant I had to create a Youtube channel just to upload the thing and link it here, because it wouldn’t let me upload directly from my laptop. 🤷🏼‍♀️ So that's there if anyone wants it, and I now have a Youtube channel for my longer edits.

It was one of those nice, quiet evenings, the kind you didn't get very often ever since you started working with The Bad Batch. They weren't necessarily the rowdiest bunch of clones you'd met, but they did seem to always find a way to interrupt you and your boyfriend's alone time.

It seemed like every time you and Echo found a quiet moment where it was just the two of you, one, if not the whole lot, of them would come barging in out of nowhere, needing something or another. Although, you were pretty sure Wrecker just did it because he thought it was funny to annoy you, and knowing that fact only annoyed you more, but you'd let it slide, always reassuring yourself that there would be a next time, one that wouldn't be intruded upon. It seemed that tonight was one of those times, seeing as the four commandos were off gathering supplies at the nearby village of the planet you were temporarily taking residence on, and you were planning on making the most of it while you could.

It didn't take you long to locate your boyfriend, despite your first impressions the Havoc Marauder was not that big of a craft, so there were only so many places he could be. You found him in the communal sleeping quarters, sitting on the bunk you two shared, datapad in hand reading something or another, as usual. You had been given your own bunk, but after your first week with the group, you realized that you preferred to just sleep together. You both had a little trouble sleeping and found that sleeping in one another's embrace seemed to keep the nightmares at bay and gave you both a much more restful sleep.

You walked over and sat beside him, sliding your arms around his middle and holding him as you rested your head on his shoulder. He chuckled and wrapped the nearest arm around you, keeping you close as he continued to read.

You smiled and let out a contented sigh. Moments like this were rare alright, which is what made you appreciate them more when they did occur. It was just nice to be able to have a sweet moment with your love without a joke being made, or the always popular, "Get a room" comment.

"Would love to", you'd say, "Only problem is, it just so happens to be everyone's room."

"Damn, doesn't that bite the big one", would come Crosshair's snide remark, as he shook his head, mocking you like the snarky ass he was.

It was a good thing that deep down you really did like these guys, or you would've kicked some asses long ago.

You reveled in this quiet moment for a while longer before peeking at the datapad in his hand and asking, "So, what are you reading this time, anything interesting, or just more boring rule books?"

He laughed and shook his head. "You know, I don't just read reg manuals", he responded, turning his head to give you a smirk.

You shrugged. "I know, but you definitely read them a lot more than anyone else I know. I'm not even sure if some of the boys have ever read them actually."

He laughed again and you smiled at the sound. "Well, I'd like to think I've been branching out more lately with my literary escapades. I'm at least trying to be more fun, wouldn't want your book worm of a boyfriend boring you to death", he said, leaning into you with a light shove before straightening up again.

You chuckled and held him a bit tighter. "Yeah, you're a book worm alright, but you’re my book worm, and you’re not boring love, far from it", you said as you pulled your head from his shoulder to meet his gaze.

His eyes softened as he looked into yours, silently thanking you for the praise. He leaned his face to yours and kissed you lovingly, and with so much softness it almost hurt when he pulled away.

You just gazed into each other's eyes for a minute before you remembered why you'd come to find him in the first place.

You unwrapped your arms from around him. "Speaking of trying to be more fun, I have something fun we could do", you said with a bright smile.

He eyed you curiously. "Oh yeah, what did you have in mind?"

You rose from the bunk to stand in front of him, grabbing the datapad from his flesh hand and tossing it on the pillow beside him, taking the now empty hand and his cybernetic one in yours and pulling him to his feet.

"You are going to indulge your girlfriend, who's been waiting all day for this mind you, with a dance", you replied, smile still taking over your features.

He cocked an eyebrow, as if your response surprised him. "Huh, definitely not what I thought you were going to say", he said.

"And what did you think I was going to say", you asked with a smirk as you went to your original bunk above your shared one and pulled out a small electronic device, typing away on it, searching for something.

"Well, I, um... I thought, uh...", Echo stammered, as he rubbed the back of his neck, still searching for the right words. He cleared his throat before saying, "Uh, nothing, nothing, so a dance, huh?"

You shook your head and chuckled at his nervous behavior, you knew exactly what he thought you'd meant, but you weren't going to embarrass him any further.

"Yes, a dance", you replied, finding the audio file you'd been searching for and pulling it up. You then connected the device to the small amplifying device on the table across the room.

"That sounds nice cyare, but I don't know how to dance", he confessed shyly.

You smiled and looked to him. "Then I'll teach you", you told him, pressing on the file to play it and setting the device back on the bed.

As the soft music filled the room, you walked to your now flustered looking boyfriend, taking him by the hand and then slowly guiding him to take your hips. He didn't hesitate to do so, and as he rested his hands on you, and you placed yours around his neck, a light blush rose on his cheeks. He always got like this when you two did anything even remotely intimate. It baffled you that after this long of being together, and after doing much more than this, that he'd be this worked up over, what you saw as, a simple act. But maybe it wasn't so simple to him, maybe the years of touch deprivation had him craving it more than you realized, and add the emotion behind the action, the love you felt transferring between the two of you in something as small as a glance, and you could understand his reaction. This realization had you thanking whatever powers at be for bringing you two together, allowing you to be that person for him, because it was truly a gift, one you wouldn't take for granted.

You began to slowly sway your body from side to side, coaxing him to follow your movements. As you both found the right pace and swayed in time to the song's slow rhythm, you listened to the words being sung and let your mind wander, the words bringing memories to the surface of your consciousness.

Oh, thinkin' about our younger years,

There was only you and me,

We were young and wild and free.

You remembered when you'd first met Echo, back when he was a new addition to the 501st. A young trooper, who's dream was to one day receive ARC statues. You had become fast friends, and after only a few months it was clear that your friendship had grown into something more. It was obvious you two had feelings for each other, the only people who were blind to this were you and Echo. A problem that was soon remedied by his brother, Fives, who had all but forced Echo to admit how he felt to you, which he did, albeit, with quite a bit of struggle on his part, the poor guy could barely get his words out. Luckily, you had caught on to what he was trying to say, and took pity on him, deciding to take this opportunity to tell him that you felt the same.

You still remember the look of surprise on his face at your confession, he hadn't believed it at first, but when you plucked up the courage to grab him by the chest plate and pull him into a tender kiss, he knew you weren't lying, and this had his heart soaring.

Now nothing can take you away from me.

We've been down that road before,

But that's over now.

You keep me comin' back for more.

After the battle to defend Kamino, Echo had finally gotten what he'd been working so hard to achieve, he had been promoted to ARC Trooper, and you couldn't have been happier for him. You remember him coming into your station of the hangar to tell you the good news.

You'd been working on fixing up some loose wiring on a transport ship when you were suddenly lifted from the ground and the world spun around you. After a moment of disorientation, you found your bearings and stared up at the culprit, only to find your boyfriend beaming down at you.

"Woah, where's the fire", you asked in jest.

"No fire, just have some good news", he responded, still smiling wide.

"Oh, ok then, spill."

"We did it", he said simply.

"Umm, ok, who did what exactly", you asked, furrowing your brows in confusion.

"Fives and I, we're being made ARC Troopers", he said, his chest puffing out a bit with pride.

"What, that's great", you practically shouted, and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I knew you could do it; you've worked so hard, you deserve this. I'm so happy for you, you're finally getting your dream."

He squeezed you tighter. "Thank you, and thank you for always believing in me, even when I didn't", he said quietly.

You pulled back to look at him before speaking. "I'll always believe in you Echo. Always and forever."

That was your thing, the mantra of your relationship, if you will, "I'll love you always and forever". This was because you both believed it to be true. Neither one of you could see yourselves falling for anyone else or loving another the way you did each other.

“Always and forever cyare”, he said, smiling softly at you, “And now I can focus on my other dream.”

You gave him confused look. “Other dream, what’s your other dream”, you asked.

His smile grew as he leaned in to speak low in your ear. “You”, he said, making your stomach do a somersault.

You knew it would be difficult, but you two wanted to plan a future together, and spend whatever time you had left together making a family and living a quiet, happy life. Once this miserable war was over, that's exactly what you were going to do.

Unfortunately, things don't always work out the way we want them to, and your dreams of a peaceful life with your beloved were shattered when the day came that the 501st returned from their mission on Lola Sayu, minus an ARC Trooper.

Oh, once in your life you'll find someone,

Who will turn your world around,

Pick you up when you're feelin' down.

Now nothing can change what you mean to me.

There's a lot that I could say,

But just hold me now.

Fives had been the one to give you the dreadful news and had stayed to help you through the initial shock and pain of it all. He had been ready for the inevitable tears he knew would come and did they ever. You couldn't remember a time before that, where you had cried with as much vigor or to the extent that you had, when shedding tears for your lost love.

I've been waiting for so long,

For somethin' to arrive,

For love to come along.

Time seemed to pass by agonizingly slow, as you tried to regain some semblance of normalcy in your life. Having both lost the person you held dear, you and Fives had found a new understanding for one another, and subsequently formed a close bond. He was the friend you desperately needed, just as you were for him. So, when you eventually lost him as well, you were beside yourself with grief.

Instead of wallowing in your sorrow, like you wanted to, you decided to throw yourself into your work, trying desperately to keep yourself busy, so as to not give yourself time to think of what you had lost. This worked most of the time, but there were always those times when something would remind you of them, a laugh that was just too close to the one you remembered, or a smile from a kind trooper that hit too close to home. Then there were those nights where you would wake from a nightmare and reach out beside you for a comforting hand, only to find empty space, those times were the hardest. It took everything you had inside you to just keep on going, because you knew that they wouldn't have wanted you to give up, so you carried on, even when it hurt.

Now our dreams are comin' true,

Through the good times and the bad,

I'll be standin' there by you.

It had been a year since the mission on Lola Sayu, a year of you trying to get on with your life, and forget the past, because remembering only caused you more pain. But life has a funny, if not sadistic, way of turning on its head and changing your course when you least expect it, because soon after that year mark, you received the news you never thought you'd get.

"He's alive", Rex said, eyes boring into yours, trying to get you to believe what he was telling you, but you weren't about to give in that easily.

"What you're saying is impossible, both you and Fives told me you saw him die at the citadel, and now you're telling me he miraculously survived. I'm not buying it, and I don't appreciate you trying to get my hopes up, just so they can be ripped back down once you're proven wrong", you said, with more venom in your voice than you had intended.

"I know I'm right on this one, (Y/N). I heard him, it was Echo's voice on that transmission, I'm sure of it", he reiterated, desperate for you to listen, or to at least consider it to be true.

"I'm sorry Rex, but I just can't believe what you're saying. I can't take another blow, I just can't, because if I do, I fear I won't make it out the other side this time" you said as tears began to fill your eyes.

Rex placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. "I understand, but I promise you, I'm telling the truth, Echo is alive, and I'm going to bring him home, I'm going to bring him back to you", he said, with so much conviction that you almost believed him, almost.

"Don't make promises you can't keep", you told him despondently.

He looked you in the eye, a determined expression on his face. "I intend to keep this one", he said, and he did.

No more than two days later, the team sent on the rescue mission to Skako Minor returned, with Echo.

You couldn't believe your eyes when Rex took you to see him in the med bay. He was different, that was for sure, but he was still Echo, he was still the man you loved, and you were just glad he was home.

And Baby you're all that I want,

When you're lying here in my arms,

I'm finding it hard to believe,

We're in heaven.

During his first mission, after being back, he had proven to still be the loyal soldier he had always been and had unofficially been dubbed the "Hero of Anaxes" for his brave actions.

After this mission he had also been extended the invitation to join The Bad Batch by their sergeant, which he wanted to accept, but not if it meant leaving you behind. So, Echo convinced the commandos that having a mechanic around wouldn't be such a bad idea, and they agreed.

That's how you ended up here, the mechanic onboard the Havoc Marauder, who was currently being held in the arms of the person she loved most in this galaxy, swaying to the soft music filling the air around them, in total bliss.

Love is all that I need,

And I found it there in your heart.

It isn't too hard to see,

We're in heaven.

Your head had been resting against Echo's chest, as you listened to the steady heartbeat beneath it. You never wanted this moment to end, and by the way he was holding you, without any indication of ever letting go, you were pretty sure he felt the same.

You lifted your head to look up at him, while keeping yourself flush against him, needing the contact to silently remind yourself that he was still here, he was with you. Something you still had a hard time believing from time to time, but it was real, he was here, and you were never letting go.

It had been some time since Anaxes, not a tremendous amount, but enough time where you could see a noticeable change in your boyfriend's appearance. He had filled out more and looked a lot less gaunt than he had initially upon his return. His color had improved as well, not fully, but with enough time, you were sure, he'd regain his copper glow. His hair was the other noticeable change, it had started to grow out again, and while it hadn't gotten to the length it was, there was enough where you could easily run your fingers through it, as you often did, absentmindedly.

This thought caused your hand to move of its own accord and slot itself amongst the short curls adorning his head. He gave a contented sigh as you started mindlessly running your fingers over his scalp, scratching lightly, and he leaned into your touch as his eyes closed, this always relaxed him.

After a moment, he opened his eyes to look at you, a soft smile taking shape over his features, before lowering his head to rest it against yours, both of you shutting your eyes to revel in the moment.

We're in heaven.

The music faded and soon the room fell silent. You both ceased your swaying but continued to stay in the embrace.

After what felt like an eternity, but had only been a few seconds, you broke the silence and said, "I love you Echo."

He smiled and replied, "I love you (Y/N). Always and forever."

You gave a smile of your own, the words bringing you back to those early days of your relationship, when anything was possible, and your future was bright. It could be that way again, now that you were together again, nothing was impossible.

"Always and forever", you echoed back.

With that, he closed the small gap between you and brought you into a passionate kiss.

Everything that had gone unspoken was expressed in this kiss; all the love and adoration that had built between you two over the years, all the pain that you both endured during your separation, all the missed time, and the promise that you would never be parted again, and that you would continue to strive for the future you two had planned so long ago. You were happier than you'd ever been and nothing could ruin this moment.

Suddenly, as if the universe itself wanted to prove you wrong, the door slid open and in walked all four commandos, with Wrecker in the lead.

"See, I told ya we'd find them doin' some sappy stuff", Wrecker said in his booming voice, effectively breaking your quiet moment, and your kiss, which in turn, pissed you off.

You both gave an annoyed sigh before turning to face the men. You crossed your arms over your chest and gave your best scowl in their direction, which only caused Wrecker to laugh. He'd so be getting an ass kicking later.

"Let's just be glad we didn't walk in on something... more intimate", Crosshair said, eyeing the both of you while giving a sly grin.

You let out an annoyed huff. "Yeah, you wish", you retorted, which only earned you a chuckle from the sniper. Okay, add another one to the "people who need an ass kicking" list. "I think you're both just jealous", you said, trying to make it sound snarky.

"Of this guy", Wrecker asked as he walked over, clapping his hand down on Echo's shoulder. "Damn straight, I mean, he’s got a bombshell for a girlfriend, how could we not be, he's one lucky bastard", he said, although you couldn't quite tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Either way it ticked you off, but before you could throw the punch you had geared up for, Echo pulled you to him, holding you securely against him and effectively blocking your way to the giant commando.

"Easy cyare, no need for bloodshed, and besides, he has a point", he said, leaning in and lowering his voice, "I am a very lucky man."

You shook your head at him but couldn't help the grin that formed at his words.

"Okay, that's enough boys, let's give the happy couple some privacy shall we. Besides, Wrecker, it's your turn to make dinner", Hunter interrupted, giving his brother a stern look.

"Oh man, again, I thought I just did that", Wrecker grumbled.

"You did, when it was your turn last week", Tech told him matter-of-factly.

Wrecker made a noise of aggravation before leaving the room, mumbling incoherently in displeasure. The other two followed him out, as you gave Hunter a thankful smile before he nodded and made his exit, letting the door slide shut behind him.

You turned back to Echo, who still had you in his embrace.

"So, where were we", you inquired, a soft smile back on your face.

He feigned ponderment. "Hmm, I believe we were right about...", he began, and suddenly pulled you close enough that your noses were touching, "Here", he finished, his smile widening before bringing you in for another heated kiss. You melted into it and fell into another state of bliss.

You stayed like that for another long moment, as the world faded around you. Wrapped in a loving embrace, engaged in an impassioned kiss, and lost in your own personal heaven.

undefined

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#echo x reader #echo x fem reader #echo x y/n #song fic #arc trooper echo #corporal echo #heaven #dj sammy #clone troopers #star wars x reader #clone wars x reader #star wars #star wars the clone wars #fanfiction #fluff

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themurphyzone · 3 years

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PatB: Snowball Ep Talk

You know, I really do love the episode Snowball (my personal favorite AKOM episode) but I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it here much, and if I did it’s probably really only because of the flashback sequence.

Okay so all looks good so far. Chain letter scheme and superstition, a standard introduction to Brain’s latest plot of world domination. All looks good. Plus I just like this shot of Pinky. Don’t mind me, just starting off light here with a smushed Pinky.

I just like Pinky’s pose here. He’s so cute.

You will bow before Troz.

“I met a Snowball today! Right here in the lab!” -Pinky

You know, I just find the implications of this line hysterical. This means that Snowball was in the lab that day, waiting for the moment to strike, and he definitely pushed his stolen chain letter through the mail slot.

And then he lets Pinky see him, and no it’s not just a passing glance either cause Pinky specifically describes a tattoo with an A and a circle and points to his leg. Which means Snowball deliberately lifted the fur on his leg and showed his tattoo to Pinky.

Like, wow.

“It means, Pinky, that evil lurks among us. By the name of Snowball! SNOWBALLLLLLLL!” -Brain

Talk about a bad breakup. *Alexa play Bad Blood*

Personally I think one of the interesting visual cues is that Snowball purposely plants himself into the mice’s space. There’s a lot of that in this episode. He knows how to rile up Brain and hit him where it hurts, namely through Pinky.

Brain values his personal space, and he values a sense of control. When Snowball invades that space, Brain loses control, and his anger can lead him to make some very ill-informed decisions. Which is exactly what Snowball aims for.

“You think Pinky is an asset?”

“Anything I can take from you is an asset.”

Ah yes, Snowball’s mission statement. Crush everything Brain has into dust.

The flashback sequence. Dear God this flashback sequence. They were both so cute!

You know, it’s really sad that a younger Brain acted more like Pinky. Making silly faces and trying to get someone to laugh are such Pinky things to do. I know canon is loose but if you consider this flashback taking place shortly after Brain was captured from the wild, then young Brain didn’t gain a grasp on what happened to him until after the gene splicer.

Ok but Brain was literally right there when the gene splicer exploded. Imagine having your cranium size dramatically increase, you’re injured, you’ve suddenly gained sentience, and as if all that wasn’t enough, you see the gene splicer explode with your only friend inside.

Oh, and said friend’s mind was probably damaged in the explosion and now he hates your guts. And though you’re angry with him for his betrayal, some part of you will never stop caring about him.

Once again, Snowball needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.

This conversation here establishes Snowball as the perfect third character. He appears only in a handful of eps, but he’s fun to watch and love to hate. Snowball challenges the mice’s relationship. Snowball sees the weak points; the insults, the reliance on each other, and twists them to his advantage. And Pinky even admits he’s hurt by Brain’s insults occasionally, though he still loves being around him.

“Pinky, the Brain doesn’t care about you. He’s just using you.”

“No, he’s not.”

It’s really interesting to me how Pinky denies Snowball’s statement, yet his ears go down to show that he’s affected by the idea of being used. Pinky and the Brain may be night and day, but one thing they do have in common is their tendency to deny certain things. Brain with emotions and affection and Pinky with concepts he’d rather not admit the possibility of.

Coming back to this later.

Non plot related but Brain is teeny tiny and I love how he just trusts Pinky to catch him

Side note: I apologize if any of these screenshots look weird. It’s an AKOM ep.

WHY ARE YOU TWO SO BAD AT SNEAKING AROUND.

I just find it hilarious how they clearly run around where Snowball can see and hear them. Like they just shout Snowball’s name in the middle of the room. You’re terrible at being sneaky little mice. Please.

Those dang boomers and their old timey 90s computers. Technology is ruining boomers. Can’t even hold a conversation anymore cause they keep looking at their screens.

No touchy!

Well, it’s awful nice of Snowball to engage in nepotism and offer Brain a position in his administration...and then tempt Pinky with an amusement park when he refuses.

You really gotta appreciate the complexity of Snowball’s plans. Stealing the chain letter fails->plant seeds of doubt in Pinky’s mind, even if this doesn’t work right off the bat, the idea will still be there-> take over a corporation->impersonate Bill Gates->When the mice show up, offer to co-rule the world on expectations that Brain will refuse->make co-ruler offer to Pinky->wait for Brain to open his big mouth and drive Pinky away.

All to take everything Brain has. His dignity, Pinky, his meager resources. Like holy Snowball, Batman.

And then Snowball reveals the amusement park he had specifically built for Pinky.

And here we have the most heartbreaking line of the ep. If I had the ability video edit I would’ve put the entire line on audio because Brain’s tone is very important here. It’s about 12:38 to 12:57 in the ep if you want to see for yourself.

“Oh, go ahead, Pinky. I don’t need you. What did you think, I just have you around so I can steal your brilliant ideas and claim them as my own? That I’m just using you, Pinky? Oh yes, I’m using you for your brilliance!”

First of all, very poor word choice, especially to someone who has trouble understanding sarcasm. I just want to dissect this statement here.

The Literal Meaning: You’re an idiot to think you were ever more than an assistant.

This is what Pinky hears.

But if you listen to Brain’s tone rather than just reading the line, he sounds genuinely hurt that Pinky would ever be tempted by something as frivolous as an amusement park. It’s Pinky, so he just sees ‘ooh fun rides, cotton candy, and carnival games’!

But Brain is perfectly aware that this is Snowball’s well-crafted method of taking away the only thing he truly has, and he knows it’s working. And he’s hurt.

The Actual Meaning: Snowball’s trying to separate us and you’re falling for it, Pinky. You may be an idiot, but many of my plans never would’ve come to fruition without you. You’re much more than an assistant. You’re my friend and my world.

Unfortunately, all Pinky hears is that Brain was only using him. That Brain values him for manual labor and an extra hand only, rather than a treasured companion. The fact that Brain often falls short of making Pinky feel appreciated just adds to this.

And now that he no longer has Pinky, Brain’s spirit is crushed. Brain is persistent, but without Pinky, he has no reason to be.

As far as he knows, his only two friends have turned their backs on him and couldn’t care less if he has nowhere else to go.

Poor thing. He needs hugs.

“I didn’t think it was possible. Humanity has actually gotten dumber.” -Brain

OK I think this one shot establishes what the world would be like under Snowball. His name is everywhere, and he tells the population to do stupid things just to bask in his own superiority.

However, I can’t see Brain putting his name on every building so frivolously like this if he ruled the world. Sure, he’d name a bunch of things after himself and Pinky, but it would be more meaningful to them.

Brain wants humanity to advance, not regress.

Poor Pinky. Despite all this new extravagance and luxury, he’s also lonely. The room and bed are large, but it lacks personality. He’s sleeping with an ACME Labs snow globe, and other than a reference to Citizen Kane, it also shows that he’s not happy with this.

The worst thing in the world for these mice is separation from each other.

Suicide by cat.

Poor little guy can’t make it on his own. Luckily, he snaps out of it.

“My world. I must save MY world!”

Said while looking at a picture of Pinky. Real subtle there Brain.

“Look, you fool. You have no brilliant ideas. I’m only using you to get at him! So just stay quiet!” -Snowball

“You’re...using me?” -Pinky

He was just a bargaining chip. Never a friend.

“What do you want?”

“My friend. And MY world!”

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

He makes martial arts noises like a dork. I love him.

I love how their characters are reflected in the mecha designs (also I had no idea Snowball was Iron Man!)

Snowball’s is overall the more efficient design. It’s also much more combat ready and violent. In comparison, Brain’s suit is simply operated with a bunch of levers. It’s alright for peaceful situations like getting around faster or simply blending with a human population, but in a straight up fight the levers take too much time to operate.

Snowball is more efficient than Brain, and while he’s got the ego, he lacks the insecurities that hold Brain back. His confidence makes him such an effective foe. And more importantly, Snowball doesn’t value Pinky’s companionship. He’s a tool and nothing more. Compare that to Brain. While Brain struggles at showing it, he ultimately wants Pinky’s input and values his jumbo-sized heart.

Somewhat off topic, but I feel like the reboot missed this aspect of Brain and made him too overly edgy and violent (reboot!Brain would probably prefer Snowball’s mecha design over his counterpart’s). The only time Brain should become violent, if not for comedy, is when he’s protecting Pinky. His plans should have a level of restraint to them, and Pinky is the moral compass.

I just like this shit-eating grin right here (I mean, he did eat shit in Welcome to the Jungle so...lol)

This is such an insanely clever move for Pinky. I feel like Brain would be like ‘oh my god Pinky!’ and then ‘wow, that’s actually brilliant what the heck is this tingling feeling’.

ACME LABS IS IN NEW YORK CITY??????

I know this is a case of Where the Hell is Springfield but gdi aren’t they supposed to be in southern California.

Ok fine I realize the ending to this ep is a reference to North by Northwest cause they somehow got to Mt. Rushmore but still

Weird tangent but North by Northwest’s ending bothers me (not gonna fault this ep as it’s just a parody)? I’m sorry the girl is barely hanging onto Mt. Rushmore, the dude pulls her up, and then they have sex in a car. The sudden transition always seemed weird to me.

I am ending this analysis post with a weird shot of Snowball cause i can and it’s his episode.

#pinky and the brain #patb analysis #patb snowball #long post

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adultswim2021 · 3 years

Text

Ephemera Week (2002)

Mission Hill (originally aired on WB, 1999-2000)

Mission Hill was a perfectly good animated series from former Simpsons show-runners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. It was a sitcom about cool young people in a cool young people city. Andy French is an aspiring cartoonist, intended to be a Matt Groening type who would (over the course of many many seasons) eventually find success and get his own super-successful animated series called THE SIMPSONS: SEASONS 1-8.

The premise of the show was that Andy’s parents retire and sell the childhood home, displacing his nerdy high-school aged younger brother Kevin. Kevin moves in with Andy and learns how to be a cool city style guy, you know, the kind that’s always “walkin here!” and sucking off Bob Balaban in the men’s room and whatnot.

The show is at least better than the bad seasons of the Simpsons, and has a cool alt-comics style that suits the show really well. Not to damn it with faint praise, it’s a good show. There are a handful of GREAT episodes and plenty of strong jokes. There's news of a revival in the works focusing on Gus and Wally, the older gay couple in the show. It's supposed to take place in the same era the show originally aired in, which is just great.

Like Baby Blues and Home Movies before it, I did catch this show randomly on it's network of origin. I saw one or two of the final episodes to air on WB. I liked it! I was glad to see it get revived for a run on Adult Swim. I've wanted more episodes ever since.

I don't think the show is available for streaming anywhere, which is too bad. It came out on DVD with special features. That DVD set was reissued on DVD-R without special features, so... buyer? be wary. There's also a number of music replacements that ruin some of the scenes. At one point I had a bootleg set where somebody took the DVD video and replaced the audio with the as-broadcast version of of the show. Good luck finding it.

Here's an episode guide showing their debuts on Adult Swim. Bold episodes were originally unaired, making their debut on the channel. Also note: episodes had an innocuous title and a spicier in-house title in parentheses. It’s real Police Squad! shit.

12AM Monday Morning:

May 20: Pilot (or The Douchebag Aspect) May 27: Andy Joins the PTA (or Great Sexpectations) June 3: Kevin's Problem (or Porno for Pyro) June 10: Andy vs. The Real World (or The Big-Ass Viacom Lawsuit) June 17: Andy and Kevin Make a Friend (or One Bang for Two Brothers) June 24: Andy Gets a Promotion (or How to Get Head in Business Without Really Trying) July 1: Kevin vs. the SAT (or Nocturnal Admissions) July 8: Unemployment Part 1 (or Brother's Big Boner) July 15: Unemployment Part 2 (or Theory of the Leisure Ass) July 22: Kevin Finds Love (or Hot for Weirdie) July 29: Stories of Hope and Forgiveness (or Day of the Jackass)

11PM Sunday Night:

August 4: Happy Birthday, Kevin (or Happy Birthday, Douchebag) August 11: Plan 9 from Mission Hill (or I Married a Gay Man from Outer Space)

ALSO NOTE: There are about five episodes that were in early-stages of production and if you poke around you can find scripts for these episodes ( here as of this writing). A full animatic and table read for “Crap Gets In Your Eyes” exists if you search for it.

MAIL BAG

London Arbuckle ASKS! or, states! sorry I’m writing this lead-in without having read the whole message yet.

Another confusing Baffler Meal thing: the deleted cold open that's on the DVD. It gets called back to in the actual episode ("Between two steamed buns", "Nine dollars!? For what?") and provides crucial context, BUT it also gets contradicted in the actual episode (SG sells out for "one serious speaker" instead of owing a restaurant money). Also I remember all the ads for this episode used a clip from the cold open! It always kinda bothered me that they cut it but boys (matt & dave) will be boys!

I do think the cold open is nice and I always make a point to watch it with the episode. In my mind they are as essential as watching that boring Terry Gilliam short before Meaning of Life. The next step is pointlessly editing them together using Nero. Yeah, that’s the ticket

Here’s ANONYMOUS, baby!

It's summertime and we are talking about Adult Swim and I gotta ask when's the last time you've been to a pool. Have you ever in your adult life enjoyed the benefits of an adult swim. Tell us just how much you like splash around. Yes, that would be quite illuminating I'm sure (rolleyes).

Man, when was the last time I went into a pool? It’s been literally years. I think the last time I swam I did a bad job. I am definitely am getting “bad job” vibes off my hazy memories. Man, my memories used to be precious. Damn!

do you think theyll ever work with george lowe again in any major capacity or do you think he's just bad news.

I was about to say “isn’t he on American Dad” based on him name-checking American Dad as one of his many credits but I just looked it up and he was only in one episode. Damn. Somebody give George work he seems nice.

beakman's world, anyone? The wild and wacky world of Paul Zaloom? Hmm? Anyone?

lol you wish...

Baby Blues really was my everything back in the early 2000s, it may not have head the punk rock cred you clearly seem to crave it was a soothing balm for myself as a new father in a scary world (9/11 and all that, terrible stuff).

you raise a good point, that you’re a huge dork “with child” and I’m cool and laughed at 9/11 because it was funny to me, actually

Just read your Baby Blues "take down" and I gotta say: In the immortal words of Mike Francesca, "You're a fool. ho-kay? A total fool."

Uh huh. Yeah okay. Mike Francesca hordes pot bellied pigs in his apartment and lives in filth. He stinks, and so do youd

Baby Blue is like every animation nerd's wet dream. What if they made the rugrats with only the parents part. And here it is. Be careful what you wish for, chunky.

Yeah and it’s too bad because judging from the previous mail bags my audience is primarily made up of BABIES.

#adult swim #mission hill #adultswim2021 #ephemera

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dialovers-translations · 3 years

Text

Diabolik Lovers GRAND EDITION for Switch ;; More, Blood ー Yuma [Manservant Ending]

ー The scene starts with a flashback of a younger Yuma in the city

Lucks: Oi, Bear. If I were to die, you’ll succeed my dream, right?

Bear: Do you...plan on dying or something?

Lucks: Idiot! Who plans their own death? I’m only talking figuratively.

Bear: Your will, in other words? I don’t mind but I’m pretty sure I’ll be long dead before you though?

I’d rather not have you sacrifice yourself for me to survive. That’d be hella lame.

Lucks: Hah! Big words for a coward! Although I won’t stop you if that’s your wish. But you know, Bear.

They say that a real loyal follower considers their Boss’ wishes and tries to fulfill them, you know?

If I die, I want to think deeply of what I would want you to do.

ー The flashback ends as the scene shifts to Yuma’s room

Yuma: ...

( ...I knew, Boss. You actually never wanted me to inherit your dream, did you? )

( You only said that because you wanted to prevent me following you into the afterlife, didn’t you? )

( If I just lived true to who I am, I’m sure you would have been happy, even if the world didn’t change...However. )

That just isn’t enough for me anymore. ...Boss.

I feel like I’ll lose both you and her if I don’t become Adam. ...And that’s no joke.

That’s why I won’t give up just yet. Even if I’m not qualified...I’ll do anything within my power to become Adam.

By doing so, everything will be mine...

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the hallway at school

Yui: Yuma-kun, can I go home now?

Yuma: Aahn? Yeah...

...Oh right, I just remembered somethin’. I gotta go to the teacher’s office today.

Yui: Eh? What did you do!?

Yuma: No mischief. ...Probably. I’ll get it over with in no time, so ya wait here, ‘kay?

Yui: Try and stay calm if possible, okay?

Yuma: I know. See ya.

ー Yuma walks away

Yui: ( Will he be okay...? )

( Yuma-kun has been acting a little off lately, so I’m worried. I hope he doesn’t become irritable like before again... )

Reiji: Excuse me.

Yui: Kyaah...!

Reiji: ...How dare you make such a sound? Utterly shameless.

Yui: R-Reiji-san! Anyone would scream if somebody silently creeps up on them from behind...!

Uhm, are you by yourself?

Reiji: I would like to ask you the same. Is he not with you today?

Yui: Eh?

Reiji: I am referring to your guard dog. Mukami...Yuma, was it?

Yui: Yuma-kun got called by one of the teachers...Did you want to talk to him perhaps?

Reiji: Well, yes...Aah, seems like he has returned.

Yuma: Oi, Sakamaki’s second eldest...The fuck ya doin’ to her?

Reiji: No need to shout at me like that. I have absolutely no interest in this undisciplined mutt. You are the one I want to talk to today.

Yuma: Me? The fuck, you’re bein’ disgustin’. If you’ve got something to tell me, then spit it out already.

Reiji: I would rather not talk to you for too long either, you see...

Yui: ( ...Would it be better if I stepped away? But leaving these two by themselves is a little... )

Yuma: ...Ya can go home first, Yui.

Yui: Will you be okay...?

Yuma: I’m not gonna do anythin’. I don’t sense ill will from this guy either.

Yui: Really...? Well, I’ll go ahead then.

ー Yui walks away

Yuma: ...So, what is so important I had to send her away? If it’s some stupid crap, I’m not even gonna bother listenin’.

Reiji: Rest assured then. I am sure you will be very much interested in what I have to say.

You came to ask us before, did you not? ...Regarding Shuu.

Yuma: Yeah...Is that dude even comin’ to school? I haven’t been able to get a hold of him.

Reiji: I can only assume he’s been wandering around in search of a quiet spot. Looking for that guy is a waste of your time.

Therefore, in place of my lazy older brother, I was thinking of giving you an answer to all of your questions instead.

Yuma: ...Unfortunately for ya, it’s somethin’ ya wouldn’t know.

Reiji: No, I am very much aware. About what you want to ask Shuu. ...As well as who you really are.

Yuma: ...!

Reiji: I shall tell you everything you want to know. Well then...Where should I start...?

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the living room of the Mukami manor

Yui: ( ...Yuma-kun’s late. )

( I wonder what Reiji-san wanted to talk about? )

( Seeing as Reiji-san actually went out of his way to come see him, it definitely isn’t just a trivial matter. )

*Thud*

Yui: ( Ah, seems like he’s back...! )

ー The scene shifts to the entrance hall

Yui: Welcome back, Yuma-kun. That sure took a while.

Yuma: ...

Yui: Yuma-kun?

Yuma: ...!

...Why the fuck are ya here...?

Yui: What’s wrong? ...Did something happen?

Yuma: ...No, nothin’ really.

Yui: But you’re drenched in sweat. Your complexion looks pale too...

Yuma: Shut up! I said it’s nothin’!!

Yui: Sorry...

Yuma: ...Che, Imma hit the hay.

ー Yuma walks away

Yui: ( Yuma-kun...? )

ー The scene shifts to Yuma’s room

*THUD*

Yuma: ...Fuck...

Did that guy really...? (1)

...I’ll never forgive him.

ー A flashback ensues

Ruki: ...Judging by your reaction, seems like you have realized as well. Yuma. ...That we are unable of becoming Adam.

Yuma: ...

Ruki: I am fairly certain that...only those who inherited that man’s blood, the Sakamaki brothers, are valid candidates to become Adam.

Yuma: ...So ya want me to give up? On my dream? On becoming Adam? ...And her as well?

Ruki: ...In the end, we are nothing but frauds. With our second-rate bodies (2), we aren’t qualified. ...That’s just our fate.

Yuma: Hah. So what? We’ve basically been used as convenient test samples? (3)

Ruki: We simply were not strong enough to defy destiny. Don’t put it like that. You owe him your life as well, don’t you?

...Eve will one day choose her Adam. No matter who Yui chooses, it will be her blood making the final decision.

When that happens ーー Yuma, you should do the noble thing and back off. As a way of returning the favor to him.

ー The flashback ends

Yuma: ...I won’t give up.

I have to become Adam and fulfill Boss’ dream.

I’ll crush the filthy rich, and change this rotten world.

...I won’t let her choose Shuu.

I definitely won’t let that guy who stole everythin’ I held dear away from me, become Adam...!

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the library at school

Yui: Haah...

( I’m a little shaky on my legs...I guess that’s to be expected. Every time he sees me, Yuma-kun sucks my blood. )

( I’ve been instinctively trying to avoid him, knowing that my body won’t last at this rate. )

( ...Ever since he talked to Reiji-san that day, his behavior has taken a turn for the worse. )

( He sucks my blood at any given opportunity...And he’s back to being violent like before as well. Even though he had grown gentle as of late. )

( I guess Reiji-san must have told him something back then after all? However, he won’t tell me even if I ask... )

ー She grows dizzy

Yui: ( ...I’m feeling faint again... )

*Thud*

Shuu: What are you doing?

Yui: Shuu-san...

Shuu: If you’ve got the time to be surprised, could you please stand up...? You’re heavy.

Yui: Ah, my ba...

H-Huh? I can’t get up...

Shuu: ...Can I drop you?

Yui: P-Please wait! At least do it slowly...!

ー The scene shifts to the hallway

Yuma: Che...That damn Sow. Where is she hidin’ behind my back...?

I gotta suck her blood before it restocks...

...If her blood is what chooses Adam, I just gotta make sure she’s runnin’ dry at all times.

Right, Ruki? ...Hehe, aren’t I a genius...?

Hehe...Hehehe...

ー The scene shifts back to the library

Shuu: Haah...I shouldn’t have come here. I just know I won’t be able to sleep in peace since you’re here, what a pain.

Yui: Sorry...

Shuu: ...The other one isn’t around today, huh? Did you finally get tired of him?

Yui: That’s not it...

Shuu: Well, I don’t really care...So, when can I let go of your hand?

Yui: Ah...Sorry. I think it should be okay noーー

*Thud*

Yui: ...!

Yuma-kun!

Shuu: ...See? It got noisy.

Yuma: ...Doin’...?

Yui: Eh?

ー Yuma suddenly punches Shuu

*THUD*

Yui: Shuu-san!!

Shuu: ...Ow...

Yui: What are you doing, Yuma-kun!? Suddenly punching him like thatーー!

Yuma: Shut up!!

*Rustle*

Yuma: Stand, ya bastard!!

*THUD THUD*

Shuu: Ugh...

Yuma: You’re gonna take away what’s mine again, huh!? Aah!?

*THUD THUD*

Yui: ...Cut it out, Yuma-kun!!

*Rustle*

Yui: I’m begging you...!

Yuma: Don’t touch me!!

*THUD*

Yui: Uu, ah...!

*THUD*

Yuma: Did ya think I wouldn’t hit a chick? Hah. You’re too naive.

Yui: Yu...ma-kun...

Yuma: Just wait there, Sow.

You’ll have my full attention once I’m done disposin’ of this piece of shit...Hehe...

Yui: ( ...Yuma-kun... )

*THUD THUD THUD*

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to Yuma’s room

*Creaak*

Yuma: Aah, I’m beat...

...My hands sting...

...

...I’m done.

I’m tired of...punchin’...

...Sleepy...

ー He dozes off

Yuma: Aahn...? Why the fuck is it so hot...?

ー He wakes up to find his room burning

Yuma: Aah...?

...Hah...This dream again, huh? It’s been a while...!

But ya know...Too bad! I already remembered everythin’!

I’m no longer scared of this! Show it to me all ya want!

...After all, I no longer have anyone important left in my life.

ー The scene shifts to the Mukami manor burning from the outside

???: ...Amidst the orange-colored flames, the young boy cries all by himself.

He lost the two things dear to him, so he weeps in solitude.

...This sure brings back memories.

...Fufu...Hahahaha!

ーー This time we shall bid farewell once and for all. ...Edgar. (4)

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) The sentence cuts off here, but I assume the full sentence would be ‘Did that guy really kill my family’?, implying that Reiji lied to Yuma, telling him that Shuu is the one who set the village on fire.

(2) Ruki refers to the four of them as ‘picked up’ or ‘plucked off the streets’.

(3) 当て馬 or ‘ate-uma’ refers to a stallion which is used to test a mare’s readiness to mate.

(4) The audio is very faint here, but if you listen closely, you can hear Reiji say ‘Edgar’. In the written dialogue, it is replaced by ‘...’.

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #yuma mukami #more blood #diabolik lovers translation #mbyumaending2

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guqin-and-flute · 3 years

Text

20 Questions: Writer’s Edition

Tagged by the fantastical @little-smartass

Under the cut!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

55 (holy crap, when did that happen??)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

319,602 ??? WHAT. THAT’S. THAT’S A LOT.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Dragon Age, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Detroit: Become Human, and now MDZS/The Untamed!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

RK1K DBH longfic The More You Know with 1107 kudos

MDZS Peony to Lotus/Yaoli Flower of Another Kind with 794 kudos (when did that happen???)

MDZS Peony to Lotus All These Things You Have to Lose with 754 kudos

MDZS Peony to Lotus Stop Forcing It with 717 kudos

MDZS Peony to Lotus Are You Here to Stop Me? with 696 kudos

WOW I GUESS YOU GUYS LIKE PTL 😂

(Honorable Mention: And A-Fu Makes 4 in a close 6th with 665)

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Bold of you to assume that I finish things. Uhhh, probably He Was Never Meant to See cause JGY gets his canon ending?

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Most fluff I’ve written! The stuff that actually HAS an ending tends to be short one shots within specific universes, so it’s hard to say the ending was happy when it really was just...all of it?

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I’m not opposed to it, though I don’t think I actually have?

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have written a couple things I haven’t really shared, not sure I ever will? Dunno! Mostly it’s romantic? I’m not sure what ‘what kind’ means in this context exactly??

9. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

YES, IN THEORY ;-; I’m about 400 (woOF) comments behind on replying on Ao3. I think I’m just very happy that anyone likes reading any of my things at all and I want to show them how much I genuinely appreciate them taking the time to do so and then tell me about it ♥

10. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yeah, but it wasn’t really about me, they were doing it do every Xiyao author, so I really don’t count that? It wasn’t about me, it was about their own issues

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know 👁👁

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Into an audio medium as a podfic? But not another language, no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not officially! I used to write OC stuff with a couple friends when I was younger, but I would love to try again in a more official capacity with fic!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship to write for?

It really depends on my mood and what I’m into, currently! Sorry for the cop out answer 😂

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Well, my intent is to finish all my longfics at some point before I die, so...I’m gonna say none! Cause I’m optimistic and believe in myself

16. What are your writing strengths?

When I get in the flow, I just go. I also enjoy writing dialogue and think I dedicate a lot of energy to capturing the voice/feel of a character. I also try to let the character act naturally, so if there is a pull in another direction/a scene isn’t working, I try to go with what’s happening.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Having any sort of schedule or deadline and actually just fucking, uuuuh, physically writing.

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Personally? As I don’t know any other languages past a semester’s worth of study in high school, Imma stick with honorifics and vocab where I can. I’m sure I still fuck up a whole bunch 😬 In theory? As long as they do research and are being respectful, I don’t think I see a problem?

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, back in, like, elementary school. Never shared it.

20. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

That’s like asking me to pick a favorite kid! I like them all and write them all for different reasons.

I tag @lilac-buttons, @madtomedgar, @greenwitching, @theleakypen and anyone else that wants to do it and thinks they should!

#Bruh that word count is more than Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell and that book is THICK #WHAT THE FUCK #My stuff #THANKS JESS THIS WAS FUN #ask game #tag game

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imme-youareyou · 3 years

Text

Behind the scene of the twitch quartet quiz

Lando loves streaming and he also loves all those challenges and quizzes the interviewers make them do. So it’s no surprise that this “Quartet quiz” Interview with Sky Sport is no different. Because of the unusual situation they are in right now, the drivers can’t stop after practice and chat with each other or just hang out in one of their rooms, and Lando really misses all of them, the hours spent talking or playing FIFA, gossiping like teen girls about the older drivers.

Between laughing about Charles not being able to hit the right side of the buzzer and trying to understand the difference between salami and pepperoni pizza, Lando feels his phone buzzing next to him. He carefully slides it under the table to see who it is and finds a text from Carlos and his attention is immediately shifted from the quiz to his phone.

C: How much time more is the interview?

L: Dunno miss me already?

C: Don’t be smart cabron.. but yes miss you 😔

L: But I’m having fun with my fun friends 😈

C: And here I was, waiting for you with hot tea and cuddles 😥

L: I’ll be back soon, I promise ❤️

Looking up he can see Carlos on the couch in front of him pouting with his arms wide open… Lando is kind of tempted to leave his friends and go get himself some cuddles and kisses.

“.. Lando can we see? Can you hold up the phone?” hearing his name makes him look up from the screen and back to his computer, just in time to ear his friends telling Natalie that they think he used the eggplant emoji last… That’s absurd. He doesn’t even use it that often and if he does, then only as a joke in their group chat.

“So Lando, tell us, can you show us your screen? Is it the eggplant emoji?” asks Natalie, giggling behind her hand. Lando picks up his phone but freezes when he realizes that the last emoji is the heart he just sent to Carlos “umh… it’s.. it’s a red heart emoji” he stammers out, feeling his cheeks getting redder by the seconds and his hand starting to shake.

Why didn’t he just lie about the eggplant emoji, he could have just gone with what Alex and George had suggested instead of making a fool of himself. Now he has to try to cover up his slip up, trying not to out himself and Carlos.

Luckily, with his friends starting to tease each other and the interviewer encouraging them to move on with the questions, he can relax a bit and try to bring his heartbeat back to a reasonable speed.

Question after question they get to Charles and he doesn’t even need to hear the whole question to answer, but obviously everyone knows who had to subscribe to Charles channel to get him to open the door, so the audio becomes a mess of buzzers’ sounds.

The interviewer lets George answer first and really, why can’t he go first? George already has more points than him! Lando just needs to unwind and pout a bit so he takes off his headphones and walks out of frame. He can hear the others teasing him but he doesn’t even care.

Carlos, who’s following the interview, stands up and gathers him in his arms. “Don’t listen to them you’re smart and I don’t care about the points. I want this to finish fast and I want us to be able to get back to what we were doing” the older one says softly, leaving a kiss on top of Lando’s head. Lando gets a bit out of the embrace just to kiss Carlos on the lips. He nearly loses track of time when Carlos’ hands travel to his ass and squeeze it, bringing their crotches together, but a particular high pitched laugh brings him back to reality. He leaves a peck on Carlos lips before going back to his seat in front of the camera, licking his lips while putting his headphones back on.

They are on to Alex now, but Lando is getting a bit bored. Or not so bored really, more distracted in the interview and focused on what his boyfriend is texting him. Lando can’t stop himself, his eyes going from the phone screen to seeing Carlos lying on the sofa, legs spread and one hand casually resting on his crotch.

C: Landooooo

C: Cmon close that thing

L: Just wait!

C: But I can’t 😔

C: Since you don’t came here I’ll just start by myself 😈

L: Carlos!!!

Lando can’t help but almost drop his phone at the sight in front of him and Carlos decides that’s the moment this interview has to finish. The younger one can see him put his mask on before approaching the desk. Lando can’t help but smile, his eyes crinkling. His knight in shining armor is coming to save him from embarrassing himself by doing something like undressing and bending over on the table begging for something, anything.

“You were disturbing my siesta!” says Carlo, casting a meaningful glance to Lando who can’t do more than put his hand in front of his face to cover up the blush spreading to his cheeks and blame it on “oh no, I don’t have a mask, but he needs to be next to me to talk and listen to you all”.

And if the others are confused because they could very well disconnect their headphones and make it easier for the both of them…

And if, after they bid their goodbyes and the computer is turned off, George sends Lando a text asking if he has already told the older one about his embarrassing crush…

And if Charles, the cheeky sod, text him asking if for next year he needs to buy soundproof headphones…

Lando really doesn’t care. The only thing he’s concerned about at the moment is Carlos, bending him over on the same desk he was fantasizing about, the plush lips of the spaniard kissing their way to his left buttocks and his tongue working with his fingers to get Lando to beg for more.

And if, when Jon goes to look for Lando for a training session, he finds them asleep and half naked on the sofa, it's nobody's fault but Carlos’ and his teasing messages.

But they are so cute and relaxed that he just exits the room, closing the door gently.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you so much to @ims0-tired and @loveyouhomex for all the tips and edits

#lando norris #carlos sainz jr #carlando #baby yoda #twitch quartet quiz #fanfiction #one shot #first time writing about them be kind

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kumoriyami-xiuzhen · 4 years

Text

Hakuoki SSL ~sweet school life~ Release Countdown

not something i scheduled... but since the ssl spreadsheet is almost done (well last i checked?), i figured i’d go finish this since I finally found a translation for Kaoru’s snippet for this.... all images in this post were taken from otomate’s ssl blog.

aside from this, i don’t plan on doing anything else ssl related til next year lol.

As always, translation was done from CH -> ENG and final edits will be done later... will definitely be using photoshop later since the the resolution of the original images is on the small-ish side.... ugh. while i hate photoshop (and will always complain about using it hahaha... T_T), i dislike compromising on the quality of things i use in my videos....

Hakuoki SSL ~sweet school life~ Countdown

Translation by KumoriYami

Saito:I am the disciplinary committee's Saito Hajime. The day for the opening ceremony is almost here. Are you nervous, perhaps you haven't prepared enough? Although starting high school may be somewhat nerve-racking, but do not worry [reword or remove 'but']. As your seniors, we will do everything to support you, so you will be able to enjoy your time here/life as a high school student. All you need to do is to bring your expectations and hopes onto campus. Hakuo Gakuen sincerely welcomes your arrival/Welcome to Hakuo Gakuen.

Nagumo: Are you ready for school? I’m contacting my thoughtless/inconsiderate younger sister [will probably change to include “thought it best to contact...” for language flow... unless i can think of a different way to reword that]. Now, since we'll be going to the same school...... You should know, that it was originally an all boys' school. As far as I've been able to tell, the students at this school are all scumbags [lol. well i'll probably change that to 'fools' or just 'scum'?] so I don't know you'll be able to deal with them. Make sure you're always on guard when you do something so you don't cause trouble for me.

Nagakura: Yo~ freshman! I'm Hakuo Gakuen's math teacher, Nagakura Shinpachi! I look forward to when students enroll l every year, but I'm doing that twice as much this year compared to normal! You're asking me why? Right! It's you! Because there's a girl enrolling for the first time/entering the school! Aiyah, a vibrant flower will finally be blossoming in this dreary school full of old men! It's really fired me up! Truly, I'm looking forward to it!

Yamazaki: I'm a second year student at Hakuo Gakuen, Yamazaki Susumu. I will be acting as a guide during the opening ceremony, an will be in charge of addressing any questions and concerns of the new students. If you have any problems at school, do not hesitate to come find me. I was very worried when I first entered the school....... but thanks to help from the/my teachers and (my) classmates, as well as the older students, I've ben able to come this far. If there's anything, please look to your senpais for help. I am also looking forward to the arrival of the underclassmen.

Serizawa: I am the chairman of Hakuo Gakuen, Serizawa Kamo. I didn't expect that a girl would actually enroll at a formerly all-boys' school....... hm, she really has unusual preferences. But whether you are or are not a female student doesn't matter. If you are an excellent student, I will be paying close attention to you. Of course if you're a hindrance, I will treat you as a nuisance. Of course if you're a hindrance, I will treat you as a nuisance. Although I'm not expecting anything... I look forward to your efforts/hard work.

Toudou: I'm Heisuke! Have you been well/How are you doing? There are still 1, 2……8 days until you arrive/come to Hakuo Gakuen! Heheh~ I really can't for that day to come/can't wait for that day! .......Eh? You're asking why I'm so happy, since we already see each other every day as neighbours? That's obvious! While it's true that we see each other every day, it's not the same as going to school together! That's why...... later we'll be to go to school together every day!

Sanan: I am Hakuo Gakuen's school doctor, Sanan Keisuke. There's still a week before you start school/school starts, when you begin a new experience. It'd be unfortunate if you got sick before the school's opening ceremony, so please make sure you take care of yourself. However, if you aren't feeling well on that day, please be sure to come to the school clinic/infirmary. As my first guest/visitor, I will treat you well/carefully [kindly?]. Hehe.

Kondou: I'm Hakuo Gakuen's principal, Kondou Isami! There's less than a week left before the start of the opening ceremony for the school year/week before the opening ceremony for the start of the school year. The school's sakura are also blooming to celebrate your enrollment. On the day of the opening ceremony, they will surely be in full bloom to greet you. Although our school doesn't have a long history, it offers/covers a wide range of subjects. Please do your best while at school/I hope you’ll do your best at this school. The faculty and I are eagerly waiting for your arrival!

Harada:There's not much time left before the start of school. Are you feeling nervous? ......To tell you truth, I'm also quite nervous. LIke the student's the teachers are also nervous about the new students entering/coming in. I don't know what class I'll be responsible/in charge of until the end of the day since the school won't be issuing/giving a notice until then [reword later]. But I'm hoping that I'll be your homeroom teacher.

Kazama: My wife, the moment has finally come. ……Don't ask me such an obvious question right now. You should very well know the answer. Yes, Hakuo Gakuen's opening ceremony is about to start. ——The day where you and I finally/actually go to school together has arrived. My wife, you shall taste the happiness of experiencing this time with me [i think???]

Ibuki:the opening ceremony is in a few days ……It seems that you're a first-year student/freshman, right? Then, there's something I have to/must tell you. The chairman of this school is a very dangerous person. If you want to survive, don't stand in his way. Ah~ah, how can I go to a school that has Serizawa-san as its chairman......

Okita: The opening ceremony will be starting soon. Are you mentally prepared? Are you wearing your school uniform? Are you ready to start calling me "Okita-senpai"? As your senpai, I'll teach you all sorts of fun things after you start school. For example, how to annoy Hijikata-sensei, how to skip the classical literature class, and how to do things behind the vice-principal's back [the last one?????]. There are still two days left. I bet you're feeling impatient, but be a good kid and wait.

Hijikata: I'm Hakuo Gakuen vice-principal, Hijikata Toshizou. Allow me to address all the new students who will be entering Hakuo Gakuen next week. Although these words are a bit formal, please listen carefully. First of all, thank you for choosing Hakuo Gakuen. As we all know, the teachers here all quite young and our school isn't very old/doesn't have a lot of history. But that's why we need you all to work together to create the history of Hakuo Gakuen [reword later]. Our graduates will surely be able to say that they were proud to have studied at Hakuo Gakuen. To the new students about to make history/establish themselves for/at Hakuo Gakuen, I am very much looking forward to meeting you all at the opening ceremony.

---

well, the ssl countdown is the last countdown ive been able to find complete tl and audio for. all links that i found that might have been for reimeiroku or the shinkai games were dead and what tl i managed to find for what might have been for those countdowns were all incomplete. ah well. less work for me lol.

#hakuoki #hakuouki #hakuoki ssl #Hakuoki Other Translation

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stevenuniversetanzanite · 4 years

Text

Ally x Cordelia X Reader (Part 2)

Sorry if the writing isn’t up to par. I liked the plot enough to post this. I might go back and edit this when the English language makes sense once more. Sorry if it’s basic.

This story was voted for a new part over my other stories. That one should have a new part in the week.

Summary: The three of you have had your fair share of troubles but what will happen when all your pasts’ come to for the foreground.

Warning: N/A

Parts: One, Two, Three, Four (will be added when posted)

I know you murdered your wife.

Ally sat at her desk staring at the anonymous letter in front of her. Only one person knew, and he was dead. There was no more to the letter, no details about what they would do with the knowledge? Were they threatening her? There was very little they could do to shake her. The sender had no evidence. She was far from the woman she was in her failed marriage. She had everything she wanted, her son, a great job and two women who loved her more than Ivy ever could.

She grabbed the letter and ran it through the shredder.

Her private phone began to ring. Cordelia's number popped up. She answered, "Hello love, I wasn't expecting a call from you-"

"It's happening again-"

Ally arched her brow. She missed the context but from the panic in Cordelia’s voice, she knew it was bad. "What’s happened again?"

"Y/N- she's sleepwalking again."

Ally had asked Cordelia to keep a close eye on the younger woman. The incident where she found the woman zoned out in the medic bay was engraved in her mind. Ally had her fair share of medical issues, mainly her anxiety caused by her cumulative number of phobias. Though those days were long behind her, she still felt for her girlfriend. With no pre-existing cases of you experiencing this, the two believed that your sleepwalking was due to something psychological resulting in physical side effects. The two older women had done their fair share of independent research (without you knowing) to come to a solid conclusion.

"I'm on my way, fill me in when I get back," the brunette said. “-and keep an eye on her.”

“I will.”

The brunette found the blonde rested on the edge of Oz’s bed. Cordelia anxiously watched her other girlfriend muttering to yourself. She rested her face on her hand but if Ally didn’t know any better, she would say the woman was biting her nails. Ally approached the blonde, the movement snapping Cordelia out of her deep stare. The hand fell down to her side. A phone sat on the side closest to the door and appeared to be recording audio.

“I tried to snap her out of it- I didn’t know what to do-”

“So, you decided to record on your phone?”

“So, we had a record of what’s going on. It might help us to figure it out.” Cordelia sighed, “I-I, I don’t know-” Ally decided to cut Cordelia off before she panicked herself to death.

“Neither of us do Delia, but maybe we should try to wake her up once more.” Cordelia weakly nodded. Feeling disappointed in herself for not knowing how to help you.

Hours later, two out of three of you were in bed. You were curled up into Ally’s side as she laid on her back. Cordelia was downstairs trying to keep the appearances as well as to assure the students that all was well. Most fell for the act or at least knew not to delve any further. A select few, her friends knew something was up when neither you nor Ally came down for supper.

“Are you alright, Cordelia? You’ve been zoning out.”

Cordelia sat at the head of the table, listening to the chatter between some of the girls about something trivial. A few spots were vacant from missing members. Students going out after classes wasn’t uncommon and with her girlfriends upstairs and Oz out, it left a number of spare seats near here. Cordelia’s friends and students, Coco and Mallory moved up taking what would have been yours and Ally’s seat. They asked politely before doing so to make sure you two weren’t going to weren’t still getting food.

“Yes, I’m alright, Coco. Thank you for asking.” Cordelia sat there, not bothering to touch her meal, her fork still laid out from where she placed it when she sat down. Cordelia sighed, looking up from her meal to make sure none of the students were eavesdropping before speaking, “I’m worried about Y/N,” she picked up her fork stabbing it into some salad.

“Does it have anything to do with how she was today?”

Cordelia didn’t respond but they all knew the answer.

“If you need us for anything, we are more than willing to help out.”

"Thank you for the kind offer but I can't think of anything."

Cordelia finally picked up her fork, stabbing it into some food violently.

The two students flinched not used to this version of Cordelia. Mallory and Coco made eye contact before deciding that the three women could work out their own issues. Their offer still stands, anyone in the school would help if any of the women needed it but Cordelia liked to appear like she had her world together, a side effect of not having it that way for the first forty years of her life.

It was late at night by the time Cordelia stumbled back into the bedroom appearing defeated. She headed into the bathroom without saying a word, assuming the brunette was asleep at this hour.

“As soon as you can, hmmm?” Of course, Ally wasn't asleep, Cordelia thought. “I may have lied,” Cordelia responded, slipping out of her day clothes and into her nightgown. The woman’s gaze shifts over to you. “How is she?”

“Passed out soon after you left.” Ally brushed some of your hair off your face. You turned your head away, pressing it further into her side. She chuckled slightly but it died down when she turned her attention back on the Supreme. “Did you end up listening to your recording?” The witch nodded. Ally waited for her to respond with her findings, but the witch remained silent. “And?”

“It doesn’t make sense-”

“It’s one side to a conversation.”

Cordelia rested on her side of the bed, “It sounded like she was talking to a child.” Ally listened carefully as Cordelia settled under the sheets. “From the phrasing, a young one, maybe four. Whoever she spoke to, she believed was too young for Oz’s comic books.”

“I don’t understand how that boy reads them.” Cordelia chuckled. The woman moved closer to the awake woman's free side. Ally rarely slept in the middle in case Oz needed her, but he was out tonight. There was no set order on the bed, whoever gets there first gets that side, but Cordelia tended to be in the middle as she was the one who wouldn't be called upon during the night and allowed the other two easy access to leave the bed. However, by the time you woke up Ally was usually cuddled up into and Cordelia long gone from the bed. “I’m glad this happened when Oz was out, I’d hate for him to have to see this.” Cordelia agreed. “I swear he loves Y/N more than me sometimes-”

“Don’t say that-”

“It’s true. They spend more time with each other than I have with him in years, she has more in common with him, I-I '' Ally needed a second to continue. “I can’t compete.”

“Ally, this isn't a competition. You are and will always be his mother. You’re the one who birthed him, genetically he’s more like you than anyone. Your job takes up a lot of time. If how much time you spend with Oz bothers you as much as it seems, maybe it’s best to set aside some time for just the two of you.”

“I don’t know-” Ally cut herself off. “I’m sorry you have to deal with my problems-”

“We all have our problems we are trying to deal with.” The two women stared at the roof, lost in their own problems. “At least you have a child you can worry about.”

“Shit, Delia, I didn’t mean to-” The two of them knew about her problems in the past with trying to conceive a child. Going against all the rules set by the coven, asking the former Voodoo queen for help and still being unsuccessful. You had suggested maybe it was a problem with Hank (her ex-husband) which she quickly dismissed, having evidence it was here from medical professionals. You’re the second idea, the fact that it had something to do with her powers, with the title of the supreme witch, comes with perfect health if there was a problem assuming it wasn’t cause of the power itself wouldn't it be fixed. She appreciated your enthusiasm, but she’d bashed the idea that she was barren in her mind that any hope seemed wasteful. Occasionally, a sliver of hope arises, and she considers trying again, but then she would be forcing her desires onto her girlfriend- and don’t get her started on Oz. She is too busy with being the Supreme. It was never meant to be.

“I know. It’s my mind, it won’t allow me to forget.”

“I know we’ve already talked about it but maybe you should try again.”

“It’s not the right time- with what’s going on with Y/N and work piling up- and Oz-”

“Don’t worry about Oz, worry about yourself. As for Y/N, she wouldn’t want you to jeopardise your happiness for her.”

“You’re right.” Ally always knew how to make her feel better. “We can talk about it when Y/N’s awake.”

Unlike promised, no issues were risen. It was a Friday afternoon and Cordelia were working in her office when Oz ran into Cordelia’s office, a giant smile on his face. Cordelia pushed her chair away from her desk. Oz tackle hugged Cordelia’s waist. Cordelia laughed as she hugged back, one of her hands going to his head to run it through the boy’s blonde locks.

The blonde woman looked up at the woman who entered the room not far behind the child. Y/N played with her set of keys in her hand as she waited for the older witch’s attention.

“What are you two up to?”

“I’m going to see a movie with mum.” Cordelia looked at the other woman confused.

“I’m dropping him off.” She nodded understanding. “Thought I’d tell you I’d be out for a bit.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

“Okay, come along Kiddo, I better get you to your mother before she accuses me of being late again.”

You dropped Oz at Ally’s place of work, seeing them off on their way before you headed back towards the school. Ally had told you she was trying to spend more time with her son and you fully supported the idea, even suggesting ways that would not affect her work too much, and even make Oz happy. One such idea was the two going to a movie that you knew Oz wanted to see (and one that you knew Ally could handle).

You knew how much the mother loved her son and it was upsetting that her work got in the way of her spending time with her son. You’d always made it a process of making sure she was up to date with all of Oz’s interests or stories he’d told you (only telling the ones he’d allow you to tell- you respected trust above all.) You didn’t see the problems this might cause, the feelings of inadequacy that it could bring your girlfriend.

Once the duo was off, you stopped by the grocery store to gather a few necessities you needed before heading back to the academy. Cordelia was slumped with work, so you decided you’d spend your night trying to help her with the easier work and generally being in her presence.

It was about nine when the two came home. School had been out for hours now; you’d help with organising the students schedules as well as organizing some of the content the teachers will teach the students. The teachers were usually left to their own accord, only getting approval from Cordelia that the spells were in fact a) appropriate for the students to learn and b) that they were capable to learning such a spell. It was also good for the more dangerous ones that you’d get a heads up and organise a time that you’d cause an increased number of patients requiring your aid.

Cordelia was dealing with all the boring legal work required for running a school, you were surprised she hasn't shipped off the work to someone else. She never trusted outside sources for important tasks like this as it could make or break the coven. There was a lot this hypothetical person could do to tear down the coven if someone had ill intent. Not that they would need to mess with the law in order to tear the place down, you could get the same effect messing with its members.

Ally joined the two of you in Cordelia’s office once Oz was soundly asleep, worn out by his long day.

“How are the two most beautiful women in the world?” Ally asked, sneaking her hands around the unsuspecting Cordelia.

“Tired,” you yawned.

Cordelia chuckled, “You were doing the fun work-”

“Fun? You have a strange definition of fun.”

“In Comparison to the work I was doing.”

“For the love of god-” you rolled your eyes and turned away from your girlfriends.

“How was the movie darling?”

“Good. Oz loved it, he raved on about it until we got home. Expect a rundown tomorrow.” That comment was directed to you.

“Thanks for the warning.” You said. You got up, heading over to a pile of letters you had sorted into piles, students letters, the Supreme’s and the occasional other one. You grabbed the one you saw that was labelled for Ally, “There was a letter for you in the mail today. I should give it to you before I forget.”

Ally took the letter form you noticing it had no address. “Did someone drop it off?”

“...The mailman. Same as all the other letters.”

“Is there someone wrong, dear?” Cordelia asked.

Ally shook her head, acting off the fear she had about opening the letter. “No, I wasn’t expecting a letter.” She thanked you, saying she would read it later. You smiled sweetly at her, Cordelia whoever, saw the worry behind the exterior.

This had to be a threat. The first letter was useless by itself. Maybe the person is sending their message in parts, building the anxiety so it’s easier for the person to strike. If that's the case, it’s working.

In the early hours of the morning, Ally hid away in her girlfriends’ office. Ally sliced open the envelope, taking care not to tear the letter. She pulled out the folded A4 piece of paper, laying the envelope on the overlay organised desk.

What would your ‘perfect’ little family think? Your son?

So, the message was in parts, Ally thought. The person knew of her family and had the audacity to mention her son. How much of her life were they aware of? It was public knowledge that Ally was in a relationship with the Supreme Witch, but did they know of Y/N too?

It turned into a waiting game.

She couldn’t bring it to authorities, it would bring up information that didn’t need to resurface. There were records of her killing people, one of her employees for example. It was an accident; it was during a blackout and she panicked. That hadn’t come up to bite her. A man was shot during the debate for her trying to land the job. She isn’t hiding that; it would take only one google search to see all this. So, why this information and why now? Who had she ticked off to have anonymous messages being sent her way?

Next Part :)

#ally mayfair richards x reader #cordelia goode x reader #cordelia x reader #cordelia foxx x reader

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travllingbunny · 4 years

Text

Clarke Griffin’s memories and images in her mindspace

In this post I will list all the drawings from Clarke's mindspace seen in season 6 of The 100 (in episodes 6x06, 6x07 and 6x10) that we have been able to spot - most of which (over 90 of them! Yes, this is gonna be a long post) we've been able to identify, with image comparisons to scenes from the show.

First, credit where credit is due: this idea first came from @ofnailbatsandaxefives who identified many of the drawings and made a bunch of side to side comparisons last year after 6x07 aired in this post.

I later tried to identify the rest of the drawings, with the help of a few people here and on Twitter (rewatching the show also helped), but this resulted in an endless number of reblogs. Episode 6x10 Matryoshka also had more drawings that weren't in 6x07 Nevermind, some images were misindentified, and I decided to redo all the images with better resolution screencaps.

Big thanks to everyone who helped in identifying some of the trickier images (many of them are on Twitter and I don’t know if they have Tumblr profiles), especially (Twitter handles) SheiGarche (who identified several of these and corrected some of my mistakes), Lovestory813, BellarkeMood, taunadora, becki_travels, fabiana_vec, indreamswake, KindZouzou and my Tumblr mutual @jeanie205 (I’m sorry if I forgot anyone).

See also my earlier post about Sets, props and costumes in 6x07 Nevermind.

As a BONUS in addition to the images on Clarke’s memory wall, I’ll also go over audio flashbacks heard at the end of 6x06, in 6x07 and 6x10 - as a mix of voices representing Clarke’s jumbled memories. Many of them can be heard and identified in the episodes, but special thanks to (Twitter user) klarksbell for removing the background sounds from the scenes so some of the background voices could be heard clearer.

(In a follow-up post. I’ll go over Clarke's drawings from her Shallow Valley home in season 5, which we also saw in the mindspace version of her Shallow Valley home in her happy place; and those we saw in season 5, many of which overlap as the set was re-used for 6x07. I’ve also noticed that the art department used many of these drawings for the drawings representing Clarke’s memories on her mindspace wall.)

Before I start listing the moments from Clarke’s memory wall - her mindspace version of the actual cell in Skybox she used to be locked in on the Ark - let’s compare the two different versions of this wall. The first one was seen in the very last scene of 6x06 Memento Mori - where we first learned Clarke was still alive (yeah, yeah, of course no one really bought it that she was dead ;) but it was still such a Hell yeah moment) and in 6x07 Nevermind.

But when we saw Clarke in her mindspace again in 6x10 Matryoshka, the walls were different: there were at least 3 new images that weren’t seen in 6x07, and many other images were moved around and placed in different ways. Which does make sense, as Clarke’s mindspace was reacting to her states of mind, so we should probably assume it was always changing, with different memories being more or less prominent at any given time.

And finally here are the identified images with side-by-side comparisons. Some were obvious and taken straight from the scenes (I've been told there's a software for that), others are a bit less straightforward (and several of them were also seen as Clarke's drawings in season 5).

I'm going to do them chronologically, not by episode but by when those things happened in Clarke's life.

Starting with the image of Clarke and Wells as children on the Ark (confirmed by Jason Rothenberg on Twitter). The closest thing in the show is the video of them Jaha watched in 1x12.

The next one was tricky as it's not a scene from the show either. It was first misidentified as Clarke watching what ALIE showed her in 3x16, nuclear plants melting on Earth, but that scene is shown in another drawing. It shows a young girl watching the Earth from the Ark. We've decided that this is young Clarke on the Ark. I used the Octavia flashback scene from 1x06 for comparison to show this is a window on the Ark and a view from there (not because it's the same scene - which it can't be,as this wouldn’t be Clarke’s memory). But the girl looks younger and is touching the window as if yearning for Earth.

Flashbacks in 1x03, a year before the Pilot: Abby and Jake during the happy times; Jake when Clarke overheard him tell Abby that Ark was dying and he'd go public with it; Wells when Clarke told him about it.

1x01 - there are more images from the Pilot than from any other episode.

The first scene of the show - the image on the floor in the mindspace version of Clarke's cell in Skybox is the same image she drew on the floor of her actual cell.

This portrait of Abby seems to represent the next scene where Abby told Clarke she was being sent to Earth. When the camera zoomed on it in 6x06, we heard the dialogue from that scene over it ("Clarke, I love you so much!" - "Mom?")

When the camera zoomed on this pic of Wells on the dropship in 6x07, we heard Wells' voice saying "Welcome back" as he did in that scene.

I've been told that the inscription from the Ark we see below is a Chinese proverb that means, more or less, "A friend in need is a friend indeed".

"We're back bitches!" twice - the second is from Clarke's POV. The first one was one of the drawings Josephine touched and we (and Josephine) heard an audio flashback of it and this, uh, memorable line.

Mount Weather - the first time Clarke saw it, after landing.

I spot the same image among Clarke's drawings we saw in her Shallow Valley home in season 5, though it was really tiny in the background.

More scenes from the Pilot:

1x03

It's a pity that the plan to have Eli Goree guest star in 6x07 didn't work out, but at least we had many Wells images and even in the voice memories - I clearly heard Clarke telling him "How can you forgive me?"/"I blamed you because my father's dead and it's my mother's fault."

1x04 Finn with one of the pencils from the shelter he found, trying to impress Clarke.

1x05 Brief time of Clarke being happy and infatuated, right before Raven arrived and her heart got broken for the first time.

There was a bit of disagreement about this Bellamy image (or images). It shows up as a part of the drawing of him torturing Lincoln in the scene from 1x07 on one of the walls, but it also appears on its own on the ceiling:

@SheiGarche believes that, since this appears as a part of the Lincoln torture scene, the Bellamy image must be from that episode. However, while the rest of the scene 100% matches the 1x07 scene, Bellamy's image doesn't match - in posture or expression - anything from that episode. On the other hand, especially when you look at the Bellamy image on its own, as it is on the ceiling, it looks most like a drawing based on the scene from 1x02 - "I heard you have a gun''...

I think that the ceiling drawing represents season 1 Bellamy in general, and was drawn based on the 1x02 scene. OTOH, the art department made the 1x07 image from the 1x07 scene but couldn't get a good Bellamy angle so they edited in that same Bellamy image in. You decide.

https://youtu.be/Cj37TWjBwvE?t=59

A Raven portrait, which is probably not about any particular scene (some images just represent certain characters), but it most closely matches this love-triangle moment from 1x08.

The same portrait was seen as one of Clarke's drawings in season 5.

1x09 - negotiations with Anya and the Grounders on the bridge. Also the first time Clarke has ever seen horses in real life.

1x13

Probably some of the Grounder warriors who got burned in the Ring of Fire, but this scene clearly indicated that Clarke was thinking about closing the door on Finn and Bellamy and that they may have been burned.

2x01

This image gave us so much trouble, until it turned out it was just a random woman from Mount Weather who yelled "CONTAINMENT BREACH!" when Clarke entered the mess hall dragging Maya and saw all the people sitting there.

Another one of character portraits that are probably not important for any particular scene or moment. But going by Miller's hair and facial hair, it can only be season 2 Miller at the time he and Clarke were both in MW (this is from 2x02).

Ending of 2x02:

2x03 - Escape from Mount Weather

2x04 Anya after Clarke beat the crap out of her and managed to win their fight. "You fought well".

Now a few more character portraits. This image of Raven with a brace doesn't 100% fit a scene from the show, but it looks a lot like this promo pic of her - except for her red jacket, which she wore in 2x05 when Clarke first saw her with a leg brace.

Since Jaha has a beard and hair, it can only be from season 2 or 3, which limits it to 2x07 or 3x16, the only times he and Clarke were in the same place. I used 2x07 image of non-chipped Jaha, when he came to Camp him and argued for Arkers leaving, pitting him against Clarke,as this would’ve meant abandoning her friends to their fate in MW.

Portrait of Indra - also probably not about any particular scene, but it looks like their first meeting in 2x07. It was also among Clarke's drawings in season 5.

2x08 This image is one of the few that were not seen on the memory wall in 6x07, but appeared in 6x10. Maybe it's because the ALIE projection said in 6x07 her most painful memories were not on the wall - and the scene of Clarke killing Finn was only seen represented in her dark place by the pole and knife. Maybe she was able to process some of those memories better by 6x10?

2x09 Raven holding Finn’s dead body

This profile of Lexa is probably not from any particular scene, but a general image of the warrior leader/ally Lexa from S2. I used the scene of her making a speech in 2x15, but there were scenes in 2x09 (like when she told Clarke that Love is weakness) that looked similar.

2x10 Well, an attack by giant mutant gorilla would be pretty memorable to anyone.

2x11 I previously thought this image of people in radiation suits (also seen among Clarke's drawings in S5) was from 4x12/13, but looking more closely, now I think these are Mount Weather Ground unit guards - specifically, are Emerson and the other Mountain Man who tried to assassinate Clarke in 2x11. The outfits, helmets, guns are the closest match.

2x12 Clarke's guilt over letting the MW missile drop on the people in Tondc was referenced not just in 6x07 when her projection of Octavia called her out on writing her off there, but also in 6x10:

Josephine: I wasn't always like this.

Clarke: I know the feeling. I mean, look around you.

*Josephine looks at this big image on the wall*

2x15 - breaching the Mount Weather door

I'm about 95% sure that this picture of Lexa is her betrayal in 2x15.

2x16:

"Together" - "Together"

3x01 The most important character in the show! LOL

...seriously though, this little bunny (? who looks more like a squirrel in the drawing?) that Clarke used as a bait to catch a panther, stands for the 3 months Clarke spent in wilderness.

The only image of Niylah on the wall. It's the scene when she lied to protect Clarke when Roan and a bounty hunter came looking for her.

Another character portrait not related to a specific scene, and another one that was seen as one of Clarke's drawings hanging in her Shallow Valley home in S5. Going by the hair and beard, it's seasons 3-4 Kane, so I used the scene of his and Abby's meeting with Clarke in 3x03.

3x04

3x07 - there are 3 images of Lexa from this episode

Lexa smiling during the talk in which she asked Clarke to stay - this is the most prominent of the images of Lexa (one of the images that appear multiple times on the wall + had a flashback). Seems these softer moments are larger in Clarke's mind than warrior/leader Lexa.

The second most prominent image of Lexa (one of the pictures the camera zoomed in on in 6x06, when we also heard the dialogue among the audio memories - "Can we talk about something else?" - "We don't have to talk at all").

and Lexa right after she was shot by Titus.

3x11 What turned out to be the most important of all Clarke's memories, as it contained info on the neural mesh and how Raven was freed from ALIE and that Clarke has to remove from the wall and hide from Josephine.

3x13 Luna, refusing the Flame

3x15 When Clarke didn't break and give ALIE the password and it almost cost her her mother's life. This drawing was previously misidentified as Murphy being hanged in S1 - some thought there were two hanging scenes, but there's just one and it's clearly indoors.

3x16 - there are several scenes from the City of Light. Including the image of the COL itself. You can see even see the tiny figures of Lexa and the people she's fighting.

What ALIE showed Clarke: the Earth, full of nuclear plants melting, telling her about the upcoming Praimfaya.

Clarke pulling the kill switch and destroying COL

One of the first things Clarke saw after returning from the City of Light was Murphy is one of his most heroic moments - pumping Ontari's heart so Clarke could take the Flame.

4x01

This one seems a bit random: it's a moment when Indra came and hugged Kane while Octavia, Clarke, Bellamy and Abby were already there in the Grounder shrine - but I think it's important as the scene when they all discussed what to do in the situation and Clarke told them all about Praimfaya.

Roan, after agreeing to an alliance because of Praimfaya, giving a public speech in Polis to say that 'an attack against the 13th clan is an attack on all of us'.

The drawing of Arkadia is another one that was hanging in Clarke's Shallow Valley home in season 5 - and was also seen in the mindspace version of that home in 6x07. I used a scene from 4x03.

4x04 There are 3 scenes from this episode, and all of them have to do with Jasper. The first two are two of Jasper's pranks: "floating" Jaha, and the prank Jasper pulled on Clarke. But the mood of the latter got ruined because he had already found the List before Clarke came in. (Josephine touched this drawing briefly in 6x07 and we heard the audio flashback: (Monty: "Clarke, wait..." - Clarke: "Really?" )

And what happened right after, in the same scene, when Jasper started telling everyone present about the List. (Jasper's angry comments can also be heard clearly among the mix of voices at the beginning of 6x07 - more about that later)

The portrait of Emori is probably from 4x07, when they had their first major interaction. It was also one of Clarke's drawings that could be glimpsed in the background in S5.

Skip the next one if you don't want to see an image of a person dying a gruesome and painful death in a radiation chamber.

4x08 The unfortunate Grounder thief from the Rock Line clan whose name we never learned, at the moment of his death.

4x10 Octavia in the Conclave - more of a symbolic representation (with the sigils around her). This was a very prominent drawing in Clarke's sketchbook that we saw a couple of times in season 5.

4x11 Another one of the 3 images that weren't seen in 6x07 but were in the second version of the memory wall, in 6x10 - Clarke pointing a gun at Bellamy to stop him from opening the bunker door, before she broke down and cried. The drawing even shows Clarke’s hand with a gun.

4x12 the rocket in Becca's lab

4x13 Clarke being left behind in Praimfaya and watching her friends leave while she was aligning the satellite dish so they could get to the Ring and survive.

This was also another prominent drawing from Clarke's sketchbook we saw in season 5.

There's another scene from 4x13, but that one happens 6 years later, so I'll come back to it later...

5x01 Post-Praimfaya

Polis was Clarke's destination after she left Becca's lab - trying and failing to open the door of the bunker after the temple had collapsed on it. Then realizing she'll be alone for at least 5 years.

Then she went to Arkadia, where she only found "ghosts" - the chest with Maya's music player, Jasper's goggles and his letter to Monty (as we saw in the flashback in Clarke's "dark place", where the chest played an important role).

The bird that kind of tried to eat Clarke (?), showed Clarke where Eden was, and then got thanked, shot and eaten by Clarke.

Shallow Valley

This image is both a memory of 6 year old Madi (not the moment they met, but when Clarke was drawing her while she was fishing), of Clarke drawing her and of the drawing she made and gave Madi to make friends with her.

Madi and Clarke, but some 6 years later. This image was prominent of at the beginning of 6x07 when we saw a flashback of it when Clarke touched it ("I'm sorry they left without you" - "If I was with them, I never would've met you").

4x13 - 2199 days after Praimfaya: Gagarin transport ship, the moment when Clarke saw it clearly and realized it wasn't the ship she was hoping for ("Never mind, I see you"), but one to be afraid of.

5x03 - Makes snse that images of Diyoza, Shaw and McCreary are all from the episode where they captured and tortured Clarke.

5x04

Bellamy reuniting with Clarke.

Coming out of the bunker.

5x06 - Madi watching Octavia practice.

5x09 - There were quite a few changes between the memory wall in 6x07 and 6x10, and the most obvious one was seen right after Clarke woke up in her mindspace - the big image of Bellamy when Octavia arrested him and right before Clarke left him at her mercy in Polis.

5x12 - This is one of the rare drawings that doesn’t fully represent a memory correctly as Clarke saw it. But it makes sense to me that Clarke remembers it this way - seeing Madi in pain when she zapped the shock collar to stop her from leaving and going to war. But in fact, the screenshot shows Madi shocked that Clarke put a shock collar on her. Clarke closed her eyes and had her back turned to Madi, because she couldn’t watch it when she actually zapped the shock collar, and only heard her scream.

This was another drawing Josephine touched and had a flashback of (we heard Madi screaming and Clarke saying “I won’t let you die in this war”), commenting "Child abuse dressed up as protection!"

5x13 - Clarke pulling the lever to close the door of the Gagarin ship, after waiting until the last moment for Bellamy to come in, closing the door after Bellamy, Monty, Emori and Murphy were inside and the missiles were already hitting the Earth.

One last image. It's clearly Madi, and with the horizontal placement of the drawing, I thought it was Clarke putting Madi in cryo. But it turns out the same image - only vertical - was one of her drawings she had in Shallow Valley in season 5... so, I don't know.

There are other images that we couldn't link to anything specific or weren't sure. Mostly locations, objects and nature images. 1) A forest? 2) Waterfall/rocky shore? 3) Rubble?)

If anyone identifies any of them or notice other images or anything else, I’ll be editing and reblogging this post.

BONUS - audio memories

ending scene of 6x06

vimeo

Lines I can hear:

over the image of Abby: Abby and Clarke in 1x01: "Clarke, I love you so much!" - "Mom?"

"I'm scared"? - this line can be heard clearly but I don’t know who it is. It sounds like a child, but I don’t thin Madi or Charlotte ever said it.

Finn in 1x01 when they see the deer: "No animals, eh?"

Madi in 5x11: "I love you, Clarke" (the entire line was “...but we’re on the wrong side of this war”

Clarke to Wells in 1x03, after learning the truth: "How can you forgive me?"

Madi to Clarke in 5x01, during the scene by the fire: "I'm sorry they left without you."

Bellamy trying to convince Clarke not to leave in 2x16 “You don’t have to do this alone”.

Clarke to Madi in 5x12, as she puts a shock collar on her: "I will not let you die in this war!"

over the image of Lexa in bed with Clarke - Lexa and Clarke in 3x07: "Can we talk about something else?” - We don't have to talk at all."

over the image of Bellamy: Bellamy to Lincoln in 1x07: "You're gonna give us the antidote or you're gonna wish you had". Other lines whispered in the background:

Bellamy in 2x16: "(If you want forgiveness) I'll give that to you"

Bellamy during his reunion with Clarke in 5x04: "Clarke, you saved us all."

"This is how we get to peace" (sounds like Bellamy but Clarke was the one who actually said it in 5x08)

Bellamy in 1x07: "Who we are and who we have to be to survive are two different things."

opening scene of 6x07

vimeo

Clarke to Wells in 1x03: “I blamed you because my father’s dead and it’s my mother’s fault” (heard while Clarke is looking at the wall with the image of her parents, among others)

(over the image of Wells) Bellamy: “Who else knows about this?” (in 1x04, when Clarke realized one of the Delinquents had killed Wells)

(also over the image of Wells) Wells: “Welcome back!” (1x01)

(over the image of Roan & Lexa fighting in 3x04: “It’s always something with you!” – Roan to Clarke in 4x01

we also hear Lexa’s and Roan’s grunts during their fight

(over the two images of Madi) Madi (5x11): “I love you, Clarke”

Madi screaming when Clarke zaps the shock collar in 5x12

Two angry lines by Jasper are overlapping as the camera slides from Lexa to Bellamy:

as we see Lexa in focus: “Truth hurts” - Jasper in 3x11, after ALIE!Raven blamed her for the deaths of Jake, Wells, Finn & Lexa

as we see Bellamy in focus: “I found your list. I guess we know who really matters to you” (Jasper in 4x04)

Madi in 5x12: “I’m not a child anymore, Clarke. I’m the Commander, and my people are dying”

(ETA) Jasper yelling “We are Apogee!” and Clarke, Octavia, Monty and Finn yelling happily with him, just before he gets speared in the Pilot

Clarke in 3x11: “I let her get to me.”

the flashback to Madi and Clarke by the fire in 5x01 “I’m sorry they left without you” - “If I was with them, I never would have met you”

more of Jasper’s ranting in 3x11: “I was going to save everyone!” (talking about his plans in 2x16 to kill Cage)

flashback to the Pilot, as we see the drawing on the floor: “Prisoner 319, face the wall!” Some of the lower volume lines in the background, which can only be identified after the background noise was removed:

Bellamy to Clarke in 3x11, after ALIE!Raven had made her lost it: “I’ll let her beat me up for a while.”

ALIE-controlled Raven yelling “Let me go!” in 3x11, when she’s trying to find out the location and help ALIE, and everyone grabs her and subdues her

Octavia in 2x16: “I know where my loyalties lie!”

Bellamy in 5x09, when he brought Madi to see Clarke in her cell: “Clarke, this isn’t goodbye”.

I also hear someone yelling "Octavia!", and mentions of Jasper’s and Jaha’s names.

Josephine and Clarke in 6x07

vimeo

Josephine touching images and we hear flashbacks of scenes from 1x01 (”We’re back, bitches!), 5x12 (Madi screaming when Clarke puts a shock collar and Clarke saying “I won’t let you die in this war”) and 4x04 (”Clarke, wait...” - “Really?” when Clarke got covered in foam as Jasper pranked her). There are many other whispered lines I don't recognize.

In 6x10, however, everything was mixed up - Clarke's and Josephine's memories were all mashed up, because the boundaries between their minds were disappearing - so it’s pretty much impossible to make out anything. But Clarke’s memories are probably the same mix as in 6x07, because I can still hear Wells saying "Welcome back".

vimeo

If anyone notices something I did not, please tell - I will edit this post with any new info!

#the 100 #clarke's mind space #clarke's memories #clarke griffin #the 100 6x07 #nevermind #the 100 season 6 #the 100 6x10 #matryoshka

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love-takes-work · 5 years

Photo

Hi everyone! I come with an encouraging message!

If you're bummed at the implications that a "loose ends wrap-up" / "epilogue" / "limited series" means the beginning of the end, you're not alone. Something you love is changing in a way you don't understand, and you've loved it so hard (and sometimes for so long) that you're not sure how to feel. You knew nothing lasts forever, and you also didn't want to think about it. On top of that, you still know so little about what's going to happen and you just want to spend more time in this world with these characters.

First: Please don't accept the snide comments you're going to get because you care about this. It's very insensitive and even cruel for people to bleat IT'S JUST A TV SHOW or accuse you of being inappropriately invested. This matters to you and it should, so don't allow the shame people will dish out to make a home in your heart and make you feel silly for your love. You love this because it's a good story. People love good stories. We live for stories and we make our own stories as we live. Our past is defined by them and our future is inspired by them.

What about the present?

Take that love (and sorrow) that you might feel, and translate it into something that also matters. Think about what this show has done for you and made you feel (and will still make you feel as an indeterminate amount of unconsumed content still exists to be shared with us!). Think about what makes you love a story, what makes you care about characters, and what you still need that you haven't received--that you want the next generation to grow up hearing.

And make some art.

If you're an artist, a writer, a musician--focus on what you can make. Even if you're not any of those things (or don't ever plan to be one in a professional capacity), use this love you feel to MAKE STUFF. If you have a project you haven't worked on for a long time, revisit it! Even if you just do ukulele covers on YouTube on your non-monetized channel, or draw sketchy fan comics, or write AU fanfic, or use the lessons in this show to write anything from thinkpieces on your blog to encouraging social media comments for your online friends. This matters, and you have something to say too. Even if it's not to a large audience. Even if it matters only to a few. What matters is mattering.

If you aspire to "one day" work on a show like SU, or have no interest in such things but want to write stories, make music, create visual art . . . think about the last thing you really thought might go somewhere, and use this as fuel to MAKE STUFF. Make stuff!

Put more joy in the world. Provide those connections that we all live for. Start a webcomic (I do a couple). Make some cute stickers or buttons to give out at your next event. Collaborate on a story with your friend or spouse or child. Answer an ad for voice talent for someone's unpaid web show. Audition for a play. Make a costume. Take an awesome photo and see where you can sell such things. Write a short story or a book. Make the next thing that will matter.

(And if you're dealing with complicated feelings at the moment and it's just not a good time, I don't mean force it out. I just want to inspire you to action when you can handle it.)

I don't talk about my life outside of fandom on this blog because playing around with cartoon stuff here was meant to be a break from all of that, so I won't go into detail, but I can tell you a little bit from experience about being a creator whose work has mattered. I sold my first book a handful of years ago and have received hundreds of personal letters from strangers about the ways in which my work has mattered. It was a little overwhelming for a while because I kept saying yes to things--you have to say yes when they ask or they might not ask again is what I figured, so for a nice chunk of time there I was saying yes to just about every interview, accepting speaking requests, attending award things, signing off on excerpt reprints, watching good news about the paperback deal and the audio deal and even (recently) my first translated edition. I was tired. I'm still tired. I've learned some things about self care, but part of that has been about enjoying my favorite show and becoming immersed as a consumer instead of a creator. Because I can't stop being me, I still ended up doing a lot of creation--amateur art, analysis, making recipes, covering songs, making fan comics--but it was still as a fan, not as the person at the helm of the whole thing.

And one of the things I have to admit is that my involvement with SU has "taken" some of my time that I could have been using to create. Nobody can be on all the time, and that's one of the reasons I was happy to justify the time and energy I've been spending on it as a form of self-care--you have to enjoy others' art if you expect to make your own. But also, as I've enjoyed it so, so much and become so enamored with everything about it, it's reminded me all along how much I love being a creator and what I love about it. How satisfying it is to matter, to speak through art, to reach people who felt like nobody ever thought about them or heard them or knew them, and what a huge impact a creator can make just by making the work that also satisfies their soul.

I've got a couple projects in development, and anytime I might feel sad about lack of new content for my favorite thing, I'll think about and work on the next book. I'll remember how rewarding it has been to create content for a largely unseen queer audience and how much someone else might need my next message. I could end up being the voice someone desperately needed--like the voice that Steven Universe was for so many people, marginalized or not. What YOU have to say is so important. Through stories and communication of so many sorts, you can be who you needed when you were younger, make connections, support others and find meaning for yourself, even just provide entertainment (which is valuable far beyond just fun!).

Let this show leave a legacy through inspiring and encouraging you. Have fun, make connections, get serious--whatever it makes you want to do. Imagine what could happen if you use how you feel to reach the next person who needs you and loves you.

Feel free to talk to me if you think I can help you. :)

#steven universe #steven universe future #long post #personal post #myblog

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thewestmeetingroom · 3 years

Text

Ep 41 Wasn’t It Lovely?

Broadcast Oct. 17, 2021 • 56:02

https://soundcloud.com/harthousestories/the-west-meeting-room-ep-41-wasnt-it-lovely

SPEAKERS:

Braeden, Sabahat, Saba, Nermeen

[The show opens with a 6 minute audio installation created by Phoebe Wang that was played on a loop inside a secret alcove she constructed as part of the Contellation’s Resonant Bodies exhibit at the Toronto Media Arts Building in in the summer of 2019. This secret hideout allowed the listener a private moment to sit on a carpeted floor and soak in this multi-track audio collage that weave in and out of music, crowded rooms, soundscapes, and intimate conversations that all tap into existential conflicts around belonging and the pursuit of living. This work prompted the following hour of radio and the audio portion of this piece can be found here:

https://www.constellationsaudio.com/sounds/resonantbodies/wang]

Braeden

The audio that we're listening to at the top of the show today is a piece titled "Isn't it lovely?" by multimedia artist Phoebe Wang. The first time I heard this piece, it was playing on a loop in a small triangular room that felt like the perfect teenage hideout. It was a secret room built into the corner of a gallery in the Toronto Media Arts Building. And it was one of many sound installations I experienced that day in the Resonant Bodies exhibit hosted by Constellations, which is a collective of artists that playfully experiment with sound and narrative. This exhibit completely transformed the way that I think about sound and space and story. And it was made all the more special by the people I was sharing those moments with. It's been over a year now since that exhibit, and I'm called back to the memories of that day, as I try to remember what it felt like to share an experience with friends all together in one space. That whole summer I worked alongside Sabahat, Nermeen and Saba. We would meet every week in this tiny room on the third floor of Hart House called the West Meeting Room. We laughed and cried, sometimes at the same time, as we held space for each other's stories. It's been such a lonely year. And the longing for connection and community just swallows me sometimes. There's a picture on my phone that bubbles up from the ether, and brings me back into this memory. The pictures is of my baby toddling her way into this secret doorway at the gallery. It's from this day, at the end of the summer, when the four of us, well, five of us, I guess if you include my baby, we all met up to go to a sound exhibit. Something we'd never done. And it was this perfect afternoon of togetherness and exploration and laughter. It's a memory that I treasure. It prompted me to reach out a few weeks ago. I called up Sabahat and Nermeen and Saba to reconnect and to laugh and to cry. And to try to insert this embodied feeling of togetherness into the remembering of that day. It's a feeling that's been missing for a long time now. You are listening to The West Meeting Room on CiUT 89.5 FM broadcasting from Hart House where we are taking up space on Dish with One Spoon Territory. I'm Braeden Doane. I'm hosting the show today and inviting all of you into my conversations with the people who helped daydream this weekly radio show onto the airwaves connecting across multiple time zones. You'll hear from Sabahat, Nermeen and Saba as we reminisce about our explorations of sound and story with one another. So stay tuned, get comfortable. And when we return, I'll give Saba a call and ask her about her memories of working together that magical summer.

Saba

[phone rings] Hello?

Braeden

Hi!

Saba

Hi!

Braeden

How are you?

Saba

I'm great. Thank you. How are you?

Braeden

I'm doing Okay. Um, yes, it's a bit, bit of a. You know, it's a juggling act.

Saba

Yeah, I completely understand.

Braeden

Yeah. Um, well, maybe. Are you okay, are you comfortable if I just if I just dive right in?

Saba

Yeah, definitely.

Braeden

Would you mind introducing yourself for our listeners?

Saba

Hi. I'm Saba, I am a storyteller. I love introducing myself that way because it's, it's very ambiguous and mysterious. And it kind of invites kind of questions because people ask, oh, like, what kind of stories do you tell? And yeah, I just, I am very honored to be on this call with you. Thanks so much for connecting with me, Braeden.

Braeden

Oh, of course. Well, could I ask, what kind of stories do you tell?

Saba

Yeah. I, honestly, I don't think there's one story that I tell. It's kind of unraveling, and it's constantly evolving. I tell stories of of love and connection. And it's kind of a process of, I got into storytelling to learn more about myself and my place in the world. And just, I kind of tell the stories that I would have loved to hear when I was younger, growing up and kind of lost and figuring things out. And I mean, I tell stories that always, they mean something to me, but also, they're like a point of connection with others. Like when they hear the stories, they can find themselves interwoven in the narrative. So that's a really ambiguous answer. But um, and it's constantly evolving, you know.

Braeden

Oh, that's beautiful. I love, Yeah, you tell stories of love and connection. That definitely, that really does speak to the stories that you tell. So I had a chance to talk, I called, a few weeks ago I called Sabahat. And we had this amazing conversation. And then the following week, we were able to bring Nermeen into that conversation. And so I was just piecing this together and, you know, you were like the other, you're like the missing link to the group. So I just, I'm just so grateful you're willing to add your voice to this. And, and just Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about our time together last summer, which feels like so, it just feels like years ago at this point. And something that we talked a lot about was thinking about the West Meeting Room as a space and sort of like the origins of that space that we sort of all created together last summer. And then sort of molding that into a vision of a radio show. And then, you know, here we are, like 40 some odd episodes later. So yeah, I just wanted to know, like, do you remember the first time you went to the West Meeting Room?

Saba

Yeah. Um, the first time I walked into the West Meeting Room, I was so excited and nervous and just, I had just recently been hired as a podcast producer for Hart House Stories, and I just, you know, I had kind of, I had briefly met all of you. You Braeden and and Tony and Sabrina at the Pride Pub. And then I was just honestly, I was so blown away by the energy and just the, I think the main thing I remember from just walking into that space was like all of the possibilities that this, that this job, this new job could hold for me because I, you know, I love stories. I've always loved stories, but the possibilities of telling stories through sound was still very novel to me, and I think I was just so I was just basking in all of the newness and just the novelty of it all and when I walked into that space for our first meeting, I think I was just, I just knew that this was the start of something so special for me. A really exciting chapter. And it's, it was also my first foray really into Hart House. It's such a big like building, it's so grand. I hadn't really explored all the nooks and crannies. And when I was trying to find the West Meeting Room actually I got lost, because it's just so hidden. It's like so, it feels almost separated from the rest of the building. It's like this, this very special kind of hidden gem in Hart House. And what I remember really vividly about the West Meeting Room and just being in that space with all of you and connecting with Sabahat and Nermeen, and everybody, it's just the laughter. I can never forget just how much fun we had in that space. And I'm sure we'll continue to have in that space. It's, it's, um, hopefully when we're all able to, to connect in that way again. But it's, um, yeah, I think, I like, I know, this is kind of unconventional, but I like the sound of people talking over each other. Like just that, like the chaos and the excitement and just it all, it makes me feel so warm. And that's what I remember from being in that space. It's the warmth, it's the connection, it's the, it's the love, it's the tenderness of just being in a space and surrounded by a group of people who are just so kind and compassionate. And we're kind of learning and growing together and how everything evolves so quickly. Like, it just, it reminded me of what the beauty of collaboration and just making things, creating things together. It made me feel so much less alone, because I think before then, the university in general, and because Hart House is like an extension of that university, even though it kind of has a life of its own. It's very much a part of that space and that institution. So before that I was so lonely. Navigating that space, I felt like I didn't belong. But walking into the West Meeting Room was my first point of real belonging in that space. And it's just so special. Sorry, I can go on forever. I just love. Yeah I just love it. I think it's really interesting because I never, this is the first time I think I'm actually fully reflecting on how everything has kind of shifted and evolved over the past, I guess it's well over a year now, that I first walked into that space. So thank you. And I want to thank you for forging this kind of like this reflection and connection about, Yeah.

Braeden

Thank you. Yeah, it's nice to connect in this way. And I think sort of in piecing together this show, I've just been thinking a lot about space and community and friendship and collaborative, artistic exploration. And, yeah, it's prompted, it's just been so nice to, like you mentioned, the laughter like in editing this together, you know, I connected with Sabahat, and then the following week Sabahat and Nermeen and I were able to connect across three time zones. And just the laughter that emerged, the peaks of laughter in the recording has just been really comforting. And yeah, it's kind of tempered the loneliness of, that we've all sort of working our way through this year. So we all went on the field trip to the Constellations Resonant Bodies sound exhibit. I just wondered if you had any reflections about going to that exhibit? Memories of that day? Maybe, how it, did it shift anything in the way that you think about sound? Yeah would you mind sharing a bit about that?

Saba

It was incredible. I think just, first of all, going to that space was a whole kind of adventure of its own. I walked through like Trinity Bellwoods Park for the first time to get there. Like I had cross the, like walk across it and kind of go through all of these like twists and turns and all these very, like, obscure streets for me like because I hadn't really forayed into really that part of downtown before. And then being able to connect with you Braeden and Sabahat and Nermeen. That was amazing because I felt like really that was such a special moment. For me to be able to experience that exhibit with all of you. First of all it was, I felt like it was kind of this combination of things. It was like an independent kind of individual journey that we're all embarking on. But also we were all so connected in the same way. And afterwards, when we were talking about it, it was so refreshing to be able to like just, all of us were just in awe, and just sharing our individual experiences. So that was really fun. This exhibit itself was incredible, like, just the way it was. All the displays were kind of, it felt like you were moving through this kind of disconnected yet very connected and cohesive kind of exhibit. Like, each display was so unique in its own right, but all of them were the media, the medium, the main medium was sound. So that was really cool. And I think that was my first, no, I know that was my first time going to sound exhibit. So it was just a day of firsts. And I was actually, though all of them were so incredible. I just spent so much time at each individual station and kind of making sure I fully kind of immersed myself in the space. I was particularly drawn to Phoebe's piece "Isn't it lovely?" I think, first of all, walking into that kind of cordoned off like room, it felt like you were entering into this whole other world. Like it was this whole other realm. There was something very comforting about it. It was I think it might have been the carpet because I'm so used to carpet flooring. And I just sat down cross legged. I think at one point, I actually lay down on my back, like fully on my back, and I just closed my eyes. And I was listening to the piece. And the piece is very much, like it's the sounds that kind of are entering your body. But it's also the space. Like the space is so intentionally designed to kind of, it almost envelops you in this comfort and this warmth. But then you're also listening to this piece that's very, like, there's a lot happening. There are a lot of sounds of conversation. You can kind of zoom in on certain parts of the conversation. You feel like you're going on this, like this roller coaster of emotion. It's very, yeah, it's so intimate in a way. It feels like you're intruding on someone's life, like you've been kind of, but you've also in a way been invited into it. Because when I actually first walked into the space, the door was slightly ajar. So it was almost like an invitation to walk in. And you kind of like hesitantly open the door. You kind of like move your way, push your way through the door and sit down. And I think I've told this story before, but that day that we visited, there was a newspaper on the ground. And I don't know, I felt kind of compelled to look at it. And I think there was something about a horoscope and I looked at my horoscope and it was just so, it resonated so much with me that it was all these like little things that kind of aligned for me to be in that room in that space. And to connect with the sounds that were kind of outside of me, but also like entering my body in a weird way. I don't know if that sounds kind of off. It really did feel like all consuming, that display. Phoebe's display felts so all consuming. And that was actually, I can, if I could vividly pinpoint a time, a moment where I fell in love with sound it was in that space. And particularly listening to Phoebe's piece and being a part of it. Because you felt like an actor, in a way you felt like a participant in that story. And the stories that were kind of being told in that space. You didn't feel removed from it, you felt very much a part of it. And I didn't even know that you could do this with sound. Like storytelling can be, stories can be told this way that they can be so intimate and so, so engaging and so immersive and so powerful. Like I couldn't stop thinking about that exhibit. And then I went back again with my partner and it was just this whole other experience just being in that space with him beside me. And yeah, it was just so lovely. And then honestly, when Constellations, they uploaded all of the pieces to their online exhibition, like for their online exhibit for Resonant Bodies. To this day, I've listened to the piece several times, and every time I just close my eyes and just take it all in and I can transport myself back to that, like I'm transported back to that space. And that day. And I think I really felt like you all were my family, like we were all there together. And I, it was such a special moment of connection. And really Braeden, it was all because of you, because I would have never heard of this exhibit. I would have never had this, like transformative experience without you. So thank you so much Braeden. I am so grateful to you for putting all this together. Like you really are the tether that connected all of us together and cultivated all these experiences that are so memorable. So thank you.

Braeden

Thank you so much. Just in these last few minutes, I wondered if, you know, we weren't able to connect for our call with Sabahat and Nermeen, but is there something, is there a message you would like to pass on to them so they can hear it when this airs?

Saba

Yes. I want to say I love you both. I feel, I will always hold on to memories that we created together so dearly. And I think what's so beautiful is that we all connected through our love of sound and storytelling. And that will always be there. Like it will always keep us tethered together. And we created this bond that is so special and so meaningful to me. And I'm so excited for also, for all the possibilities that our friendship can hold. And I'm so excited for the possibility of reconnecting in person again, because I really miss all of you. And that was one of the best summers of my life. So thank you. Yeah, thank you. I think the main thing I want to say is I'm so grateful to you all for, for just for helping me grow and being there for me, and just accepting me as I am. Yeah, I think that's so special. I think that's just what really, like I'm learning more and more, especially in a time like this, that connection is everything. Community really is everything. It's really what keeps us going and keeps us creating and keeps us moving, and kind of keeps us hopeful. So yeah.

Braeden

Thank you so much. And I'm just yeah, I'm so touched and overwhelmed with just expanding love. Yeah, this has just been so special to reconnect in this way. And, you know, I know we're, sort of maybe thinking longingly on those memories together in The West Meeting Room. But I guess my hope is that the show can carry on that space and can be a pathway for continuing these connections and collaborations. And yeah, just thank you so much. Thank you for sharing.

Saba

Oh, thank you. Have a, have an amazing day and and say hi to everybody for me to Noah and Mattis. And we'll be in touch soon. Okay, sounds

Braeden

Okay, sounds good.

Saba

Yeah! Thank you!

Braeden

Thank you! Take care

Saba

Bye!

Braeden

Thank you so much Saba for sharing your stories with us. We're going to take a quick break. And when we return, I'll bring you into my conversation with Nermeen and Sabahat as they share their memories of expanding our explorations of sound and creative collaboration. You are listening to CiUT 89.5 FM stay with us.

Nermeen

So I think it was really interesting because I was thinking about that day and like I streetcar-ed down like to that area and I hadn't really visited that like, the place where the little museum was or the Art Center. I hadn't really visited it before so even just like walking and around that area, I can remember the street really clearly. There was a bakery opposite. And just kind of like that whole experience of coming there and it started raining slightly. I think like also just being anywhere that's kind of new. Like there is a certain nervousness, like as I was walking over as well, I do remember that sort of feeling like, what if I'm the first one there and like, I don't know where to go? And how to like, how to like, do the exhibit right? And all of that. And like, I also, I haven't been to very many like conceptual art pieces in general. So I think there is also like, a certain nervousness of like, Am I gonna understand it? Am I gonna, like "get" what's happening here?

Sabahat

You know, I was talking to Braeden about this exactly, right. Where art kind of becomes this exclusive place where there's almost a fear of going inside. Because like galleries and everything are set up in such a way that you're just like, you know, I might not be qualified to like decipher this, you know. There's no understanding of you know, that this could be subjective. That's a real kind of fear that surrounds galleries, which I wish would go away. And I wish galleries would be more accessible. But I think yeah, that anxiety is so real. Because like, the gallery is such an acoustic kind of like, you also like, it almost feels like a sin to talk in the gallery.

Nermeen

I think also with conceptual art pieces, there's always a moment where you walk in and you're kind of like, what is happening here. And like there was the the first piece in the entrance had I think balloons were being like, inflated and deflated. And like trying to figure out like, how did these pieces actually work? And what are we supposed to be like looking at or listening for And then there was one off to the side, kind of where I think you have to put headphones on and then sort of like, again, like you start in the middle of the piece. And I think something about that was also very interesting, where it was on, it was on a loop. And I remember putting it on. And it's just like going already and you're doing this like mental math of trying to figure out like, I have no idea what this piece is about. Even if I started from the beginning, I probably wouldn't fully understand that. And then once you kind of get a little bit of a grasp on what's happening, you can sort of absorb it a lot better. And I think, and just kind of, I think walking in with everybody and everyone kind of split into their own directions and went to different ones was cool to just sort of see, just to see the way that people were experiencing the exhibit. Feels like such a long like, I feel like the whole world changed since then basically, which it did in a way. It's just so strange. Like, I just feel like time as this whole concept is so so strange. But that actually makes me, that reminds me kind of like, of the actual exhibit because I feel like with things that are totally sound based and like they there's no visuals to them. And actually at the Phoebe Wang one, I think specifically, there's almost like a, like a sense of like, no time basically. And like the idea that like time doesn't exist in those spaces in the same way because you're almost in this like sound bubble. And especially with like any, the two pieces that stick out the most to me were her one with the, with all of the voices. And then also that other one in the sound box. For hers, though, I was trying to find like my notebook because I had kept a notebook with me from the day and I have no idea where it is now. But like, it might even be in Canada to be honest. But I wrote down like little bits of phrases from her, like just dialogue bits, because I thought like, these would be really interesting starting points for like a short story or something. And then the idea of like, visualizing her in conversation with these people, and it made me want to record like people around me as well. And just like, then kind of like chop up the conversation so you have to fill in all of those gaps. Because I think just like that, in itself, just this idea of capturing that human element of conversation was so interesting. And like, you almost hear yourself reflected in it. And I wish I could find my notebook and like find some stuff I had written down because I have no recollection of it now. But yeah, I think that like that, that's what really stood out to me about her piece.

Sabahat

It's always helpful if you go with people, because if you're going alone, you know, those anxieties kind of increase because you're like, Oh my god, I'm so nervous, you know, What if someone sees me? But if you're with a bunch of people who you already know and are comfortable with. Like, we were, we were together and so that kind of comfort kind of made it a little easier, where it was just like you know, Okay, this is a room. I'm just gonna lie down out here. Because I lay down in the Phoebe Wang exhibition. I was like I'm just gonna lie down. Um, you know, whichi would've definitely 100% would not have done if I was on my own.

Nermeen

I definitely agree that I think going with people makes a huge difference. But for me, what I also really appreciated about the exhibit was like the idea of like private viewing spaces. Which you don't often get in a gallery, so like the idea that you can like go behind the door or like go inside a sound box or sort of, sort of like sit on a bench off to the side and like experience that part of the exhibit like completely on your own. I remember like walking into the Phoebe Wang one actually, like I think the first time I went in I was on my own for that one and I didn't really know what was happening in it or like if I was even supposed to go in. Because it's kind of like behind the door and you're not sure if that's part of the exhibit. But just like being able to sort of like sit and not feel, or at least that maybe this is just me, but like feel conscious of like being looked at as you look at the Art. Even though like nobody is doing that because like I wasn't looking at anybody else looking at the art and so I was assuming that nobody else was either, but you always think like Am I looking at this right? Am I like, what if I'm looking at like something that's not part of the exhibit and like somebody notices. Like how embarrassing. But yeah, being able to I guess experience it just like very privately in a way, I think that kind of did make it a little bit more accessible, at least for me.

Braeden

So like we went to this exhibit because we were working in audio together throughout the course of the summer. And this was our like, end of the summer field trip. So yeah, I just wondered did it sort of change the way you think about audio or sound art?

Nermeen

I definitely came out of it with a lot of ideas about like, what I could do with sound, I think, like, with what we were doing, designing audio, and I think like anyone who kind of works on like a podcast or a more like narrative format, you're sort of thinking very much in terms of like, how do these parts connect to like a larger story. Whereas I feel like with the sound exhibit, it was very much about like, the parts themselves, and how they can be chopped up in different ways to like create, like, very auditory experiences more than narrative experiences. I think they weren't trying to tell any kind of story or like put together a consistent theme. And I think just like the idea of like, playing with sound in that way was something I actually hadn't really thought about. With the audio, I was always thinking about playing with story. And so that was like a very new concept. And just like, okay, like, a sentence could be like an audio piece. Or like, just one word, like on repeat could be an audio piece. Like I had never thought of that before. So I definitely remember like, right at the very end of the exhibit, like we all kind of came out and there was these two tables, and we were standing and like kind of debriefing about everything over there. And that was really fun. And it was kind of like, Oh, how did you feel? What did you think and like? Just, we were laughing. And it was a really nice experience. But there's also a point where, in the actually in the Phoebe Wang one, where I think like, I definitely remember Sabahat was in there, like lying down. And there was like, I think we were all in there together at some point. And like, even just like, I think experiencing that, because I had sort of briefly gone in and then came out and then experiencing it again, like together was really fun. Because like, I think that experience of like, my eyes were closed at one point. And like everybody was sort of experiencing it individually. But also just like being able to watch the reactions of different people, kind of smiling to themselves, or paying attention to different things or like scribbling notes down. That was really cool. And I think like that was the only one that I do remember us all being in that exhibit at some point together. Because like you said, I definitely did experience a lot of the exhibits on my own. And so I think that like one collective just moment of like sort of relaxing in there. And like again, it was similar to like The West Meeting Room. It was this like very other space, which is like removed from everything else. And like just pausing inside there was Yeah, I - that sticks out to me. So yeah, that was cool.

Braeden

I'd forgotten that we'd all sort of like had piled into Phoebe's space that she built. And feeling like, I don't know, I feel like kind of that whole day I felt like really connected to my child's mind. I felt like curious and kind of maybe a little silly, and maybe a little bit like, rebellious. Because it's like, you're exploring, and you can do what you want. And then just like, all piling into that space, and I don't know feeling like giggling or just feeling like that moment when you're like, when you're so, when you have like a sleep over when you're 10 and you're just like so jacked decause you're so connected. You're just like all like laughing and giggling together. And it's the best. Like I felt very connected with that feeling.

Nermeen

Yeah, I also think like something that it reminded me of what you were just saying was like, it almost felt like the idea that we were like overhearing like a conversation. And we were kind of like secretly all in on it. Because that's sort of the nature of her piece was that you're overhearing like her conversations with her friends. It almost feels like you're kind of listening through a door into like somebody else's life, into someone else's secrets. And like that kind of experience. In general, doing it with people is always so much fun. Because you can like feel, like you said, like giggle at different points and sort of think like, it feels like you're doing something a little naughty. And I think that's just like, that was such a fun part of it. And like we, I'm really glad that we got to share that.

Braeden

I guess like all of us met in Toronto and worked in sound together. But then both you and Sabahat have returned home afterwards. And so I'm wondering like, were there aspects of like the soundscapes of home that you were experiencing differently after sort of tuning your ear to like, the audio world for a bit?

Nermeen

Oh, that's such a good question. I think yes. And like, I think for me, so I mean, I came back to Dubai after being away for quite a while. Like I grew up here in bits and pieces, and then was in Canada for a long time. And I used to kind of come back for vacations, but at the same time, like I hadn't lived here I think in like five years almost. And so coming back is like, and experiencing just a very big, very fast paced city has been a really interesting experience. And I think, like I'm very sort of attuned to like certain, like one thing that really stood out to me was like the sound of prayer. So like from when I first came here back in December like that was something that I was like intensely aware of, was the fact that you could hear the mosques like five times a day. And like, usually from almost anywhere that you live, that's just part of your daily routine. And it's something so strange in the beginning because that's a sound that you would almost never hear in Toronto city just like naturally and yet it comes, it kind of like it's, you know, like if your window's open like you can hear it in the morning first thing when you wake up and like last thing before you go to sleep. And I think like those kinds of sounds are really interesting. And then also, I think language as well, like, hearing a lot more Arabic over here has been something else that I kind of, I think I'm kind of attuned to it in a different way. And then nature sounds, I think, not as much. Just because there aren't quite as many, or maybe I don't spend as much time outdoors. But yeah, there was like a point where I was going for a lot of walks, especially during a lockdown. And I think like there's kind of a lake near where I live. And so there's fountains in the lake and there's like a bunch of like really big trees where the wind sort of like rustles through and I think that sound, like those soundscapes actually reminded me a lot of Toronto, which is like a nice thing. Because there's so many sounds that are different. The sounds of nature are kind of always the same. So yeah.

Sabahat

I always think about the time when Braeden asked us to, like she gave us like homework, and she was like, you know, record like small soundscapes. And I remember we were all sharing ours and Braeden shared hers, where she was getting off the bus and you could see that TTC kind of voice go on, like this station, and then like the doors open. I think that, like because every time I think about that, I'm like, it's such so Toronto, it's like I missed that. But similar to what Nermeen was saying or, you know, like hearing the Ezan, like the call to prayer five times a day, you get so attuned to it. And like I'm born and raised here. So like, that was absolutely like part of my life since childhood. I actually, when I came to Toronto, it was very weird for a while to not hear that. Because it's just like a part of your day. It's just there. And then when I came back, I noticed the first time I heard that I almost had like, tears in my eyes, because I was like, Oh my god, like, you know. Because like, you'd miss it. But like, you know, other than that, I mean, Toronto's just like great. You know I used to like, and I think I've spoken about this so much, how, um, the biggest thing for me in Toronto, or one of the biggest things was the ability to just walk, you know. Just take a walk, or whatever, you can do that here. So just the ability to actually go out and take your phone out without the fear of like, getting mugged, and recording a sound, you know. Because like the possibilities just like shrink so much. So yeah, I think those kind of technical aspects I miss more. Was just like, you know, the ability to do that, to have the time and the luxury to do that and feel safe to do that is something that is missing now in my life.

Braeden

Are there, has there been a moment that you can think of, like, either recently, or in the past few years where like, you've heard a particular sound and you're like, completely transported somewhere else?

Sabahat

Example that came to me is kind of weird, but I'll say it. So there was this one very trashy Bollywood song that I heard the first time when I was in Toronto, because like my SoundCloud playlist would go on, and it would just like put in random songs. And I heard that for the first time and I was this is a very trash song. And so I think in my head, it became associated with a certain kind of place, and that place for me became - so I used to live at Grad House and there was a Second Cup right next to it, like it was a grad room and I used to sit there and work. Um, and I remember the first time accidentally actually, um, when I like, when I came back and that song came on, it was just so like, my entire body just was just like I'm - What's happening? you know. And I think in Toronto, actually, the first time I went to a Iqbal supermarket, which was like this Pakistani grocery shop like you get all like the masalas and like all our local biscuits and everything. The first time I went there, firstly, like the visual was like, Oh my god. And there's this really popular supermarket Karachi called garage called Imtiaz Supermarket. And I was like, you know, my first thought was, Oh my God, like I'm there. And then with sound, it was so weird, because after months and months of listening to like, mostly English. Um, you know, literally everyone there was talking Urdu or Hindi. And it was just like this weird thing where it's just like, I like it. It almost felt like, Wait, are you talking to me? Because like, I feel like I'm the only one but like, everyone was talking in Urdu with each other and it was so, that also kind of transported me back.

Nermeen

Yeah, that's so interesting. I was thinking like, I definitely think like for me as well, I think moving and the like, not so much necessarily like with languages or the just in general sound, but I think like very specific, like talking to people on the phone or even like - because a lot of my friends and a lot of my family's back in Canada. And so like whenever I get like voice notes from them, and I'll sometimes be listening to voice notes like on my way to work or like in the middle of the afternoon and there's something very like jarring about being somewhere so far away and like having this voice that pulls you back to this other place and like this other time. So I think just like familiar voices does that. But recently, my brother is a huge fan of like old songs. And he's really good at finding like these weird specific songs from like TV shows that we used to watch when we were little kids, I don't know, like, where, how he finds it. But when we were both super young, we used to love this Scooby Doo movie called The Monster of Mexico. And there was like this one particular scene that like really sticks out in my memory. This was like, literally from when I was, I think like six years old, where they're like on this crazy chase in Mexico, and there's like a, there's a song playing. And so he found that song, we were like driving to go get coffee or something. And he just like put it on. And it was so insane. Like, I literally felt like I was six years old. Like I could picture the exact scene and I was sitting back in like the old apartment, like on the purple mattress. And I was just like, it's so crazy that like you can do this with songs. Like I would never, I think have identified it on my own. Like, I wouldn't have been able to look for it. But as soon as he played it, it was like I was right back there. So yeah, that was like an interesting like a weird, like out of body experience.

Braeden

Another theme I want to focus on this show is not only sound but also space. And Sabahat and I talked a bit about this last week, but I wonder Nermeen if you would share just maybe, what was it like sort of the, your first time going into that room and meeting in that space? And then how did that sort of change over time?

Nermeen

Yeah, for sure. So it's so interesting, because I think my first memory of the West Meeting Room is that I couldn't find it. And I was looking just like, Hart House is like notoriously hard to navigate. Like, I'm a person with a horrible sense of direction. And somebody told me like I remember the meeting was up in there. And I think like, I was kind of like working with Day and then she was like just jump into the podcast conversation. Like it's totally casual. Because I was interest in podcasting. And then I was like, firstly, I can't find this room. I'm going to be late to this meeting. Like I was very, very nervous coming into that situation. And then like kind of walking up and going through Hart House and like not just navigating that like upper space, it almost feels like you're going into an attic, which in and of itself is like a very cool experience. Like it feels like you're going somewhere a little like, like you said, it's like this forbidden, like almost musky space. And then the West Meeting Room but like in contrast to that is actually like very bright and airy. And so like, as soon as I walked in, I kind of felt like a sense of ease. But the first time that I ever went in there, I think there was like 10 of us crammed into that space, which is like not a space for 10 people. And there was like a lack of chairs and like people's bags. And it was cool. But I think like it was nice, because like I definitely was again, like kind of intimidated going into that space and feeling like, I mean, I definitely feel this way a lot where I was sort of like, Oh, I'm kind of intruding on like another space and like, you know, I'm like an extra person in here. And it's already so tight. And like I'm just taking up space basically. But I think like right away, like just the general friendliness of everybody, like put me so much at ease. And then like, over time, the West meeting room became like a place where there genuinely was such an emphasis on like exploration and experimentation. And like just play that I think I like really began to look forward to it. And I also loved kind of like escaping out of my daily routine of summer courses. And I was moving apartments at that time. And just like going up into this space where you can just kind of like leave all of that stuff and just be in this like nice bright like room with like people who you enjoy talking to and like just kind of playing around with audio, which is kind of scary anyway. Of like recording yourself and then listening back to it, which is horrifying. So yeah, that space became like really a kind of sacred space in a way. And I think like at a time where, like, I was definitely looking for that space because I was leaving the city and like I had already moved and I was sort of like sleeping on couches and stuff and like half my stuff was there, half of it wasn't, that sort of became a space where I was like, Oh, I feel like there is a place for me here. Um, so yeah, that was kind of my experience with it.

Braeden

We bore witness to all of our growth and learning and then one of the most special, or just a memory that I treasure, is when Meena came to join us and meet you all, from caretaking, and how Yeah, it was just so special because, you know, she's very, she came to drop off something for my daughter and she, you know could be quite shy and for you and Saba and Nermeen to just like welcome her and have this moment where you each shared parts of your story with each other. And like I couldn't really understand but like we're all like crying together and hugging it, yeah, it just felt like it bridged community. Because like the the caretakers are often this like invisible labor force that people don't really see or appreciate and for her to be brought into a community with students so that you know, I think she saw you in the coming weeks after that and you were able to like greet each other and say hello. And it just felt like yeah, it just felt like more familial and friendly like just in this like tiny forgotten room in this like reclaimed space in the West Wing of the castle. It just felt like so warm and felt like home and kind of made the whole rest of the building feel a little friendlier.

Sabahat

You spoke about Meena and like, I cherish that so much because it was actually during the days when I was really, really missing my mother a lot, back in Pakistan. And Meena and I, she was from originally from India, and Hindi and Urdu, like our two languages are pretty similar, like we can understand each other completely. And so that, you know, first instant of recognizing that, you know, we speak the same language comfortably and started speaking in Urdu. And she said something like, after just like maybe like a few sentences of like, you know, me asking her How are you? And you know, which part of India are you from? And all of that, you know, she called me something, she said "meree betee", which means like my daughter. And she hugged me. And I think that was just like, I, it was just like so needed in that moment. For you know, there was this recognition that, you know, we, because when you meet someone from like a same or similar culture, there's like this instinctual understanding, you know. You understand their bodies, you know, you, there's this understanding that you know where I'm coming from. You know, and so when she hugged me and said, you know "meree betee, which means, you know, Oh my daughter, it was just like this, really nice, you know. So I'm really glad you brought that up. Because Yeah, that was, that's one of the most beautiful moments for me as well. Where I was, you know, cuz like, living in Toronto, you don't, I didn't get to speak my own language a lot anyway. And for that, like, beautiful thing to happen in that same room where it did feel very, very safe was just another, you know, beautiful thing. Yeah.

Braeden

Yeah. Oh, thank you for sharing. I'm crying thinking about it.

Sabahat

I'm like struggling to not cry right now. [laughter]

Braeden

Yeah. Laughing and crying all at the same time.

Sabahat

Yeah, That basically defines the West Meeting Room. Yeah.

Nermeen

Yeah.

Sabahat

Like she said though, there's always space for you in The West Meeting Room, you can leave everything behind. And, you know, and like, she said, you know, it was not a room for 10 people, but like, I just - I was just thinking, like, considering how small that room was, we partied. We had multiple food parties. We were always like getting samosas and like having parties in that room [laughter]. So yeah just feel like, you know, in that small space, like we all felt heard. And, you know, I remember this very uncomfortable moment, even after we've gotten acquainted and everything, when we were playing our moment of transformations for each other, that listening party. And I knew that, you know, and I wasn't having a very good day, and I recorded it like way in advance, and I was just like, okay, you know, hearing it back is probably going to trigger me. So, you know, I just whispered in Tony's ear, and I just, like, left the room. I was like, you know just call me when you're done. Um, but like, as soon as I left, I think after like a few minutes, I was like, I want to see how people are reacting, you know what I mean? Like, it's like, because in my head, I was like, Oh, everyone's probably cringing. And they're, like, you know - So I did come back in. And the response was just like, you know, it was like dead silence. And like, I saw a bunch of tears, and it was just like, you know when you're like, you're sharing something so, so, so personal. And for that to be received so like open heartedly, that was just, I think that could only have been done in the West Meeting Room. I think anywhere else would have been a very different experience. So I think that's what the room signifies. For me. It's just like, you know, you're heard. You have space there for everyone. Even though it's tiny. We're always gonna have samosas [laughter]

Braeden

Sabahat, Nermeen, Saba, thank you so much for joining me in conversation today and for all that you shared. A big thank you to Phoebe Wang, who generously sent over her piece titled, "Isn't it lovely?" for us to play on our show today. And thank you to Constellations, which is the sound art and experimental narrative collective that put together the Resonant Bodies exhibit last year. You can listen to all of the pieces featured at that exhibit and more, if you visit their website at constellationsaudio.com And most of all, thanks to you, our listeners. Thank you for joining us each week in The West Meeting Room to laugh and cry and learn from one another. We would love to hear from you. You can reach us @harthousestories on Instagram. Send us a message and let us know the ways you're connecting with community in these lonely times. Take care and we'll be with you next week.

#space #sound #hear #exhibit #people #connection #storytelling #memory #walking #listening #soundscape #urdu #language #community #safespace

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nathancone · 3 years

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Interview: Ricardo Chavira on “Selena: The Series”

Below, an edited transcript of my Texas Public Radio interview with Ricardo Chavira about his role as Abraham Quintanilla on “Selena: The Series,” which is premiering this month on Netflix. To hear an audio version of this interview, listen to the program “Fronteras.”

Nathan Cone: When did you first learn of "Selena: The Series” from Netflix? Or how did you find out that it was even happening?

Ricardo Chavira: You know, I had heard a couple little rumors about it, Nathan, and ... where was I? Pilot season had just happened, and I got close on a couple of things. But, you know, nothing really turned up. And then I was working on, like an independent film out in the Lake Tahoe area. And my agent send me send me an appointment. They give me a call and I look at the you know, I look at the appointment, it's in an email and it says, you know, to read for Selena, the series. And I was like, okay, but who am I reading for? Like, just a. Which character? Because I'm too old to be the the the brother. They don't have me reading for the dad, do they? [laughs] And lo and behold, they did! And so I was like, "I can't do this." This role is not for me.

Why was that?

Well because, I mean, you know, I'm six foot one and a half, you know, and and Abraham Quintanilla is is a much smaller-statured man. We're just, we look completely different. At least I thought, you know? And so I said, "Guys, I you know, I just I just don't see it. I have to pass." I don't want to waste anybody's time. They call me back about 10 minutes later and they're like, "Casting wants to talk to you." The casting director for this project is Carla Hool, and I've been into her office for numerous other projects. And I was like, "Fine, have her give me a call." And so she calls me. She's like, "Ricardo, I think this is your role." And I was like, "OK, why? Because I don't see it." And she goes, "Okay, look, let me allow allow me to explain." And it's, you know, playing Abraham over the course of from the time she was young to the time that when she passed, when he first got the idea to get her singing, you know, and the family, when they were in the Lake Jackson area, to, you know, when she passed away, tragically. And so she's like, "Let me send you some pictures." And she sends me sends me some younger pictures of Abraham and, you know, Abraham through the years. And then I was like, "OK, I get it. I get it now." So and we're going through the aging process and all that stuff. And then she gave me information on the director and then she sent me some-- she couldn't send me a lot of script information-- She was like, "You know, I just can't." I'm like, "Well, you need to send me something and I need to be able to see that this is worthwhile." And I got some sides that they sent me a little bit more in-depth than what they were sending some other people. And I could tell immediately that they had some people that were writing on that staff that were from South Texas. The cadences, the just the back and forth in English to Spanish and everything. It sounded so familiar to me. And then I went, because I've never seen the movie.

Now, even?

Now, even! I probably saw some clips of the movie 20 something years ago when it first came out and it was like....

Wow, how did you escape that? Just as an aside.

As an aside, I wasn't exactly the biggest fan of the of Tejano music! I mean, my dad would blare it in his truck every time he'd pick me up. And I, you know, I wanted to listen to Metallica and Nirvana and all that stuff. I had no interest in this, you know, and then when the movie came about, you know, I I didn't really have an interest in J-Lo. I thought they did us a disservice by casting a Puerto Rican when they should have found somebody who was Mexican-American from South Texas. I mean, that was my own take. Anyway, so I never really watched the movie. Like I said, I might have seen some clips of it on Entertainment Tonight back in 90-something. And I still haven't watched it today! But I went online and I looked at some interviews that Abraham Quintanilla had done talking to different talk shows and outlets and whatnot, and I listened to him and watched him and I was like, “My God, this is like watching any one of my tios or my dad or any….” But I'm like, I know this guy! I grew up with like ten of him, subjecting me to all kinds of male macho torture, you know? And I said, I can do this. I'm pretty sure I can do this. And so I said, OK, I get it. I'll put it on tape. And I did. And that was it. You know, like they loved what I did.

I remember you showed me some photos of yourself [as Abraham], did you kind of make yourself up a little bit as part of those?

So initially what I did was I just put myself on tape, just that's it. And then they said they wanted to see it. So, you know, can you put yourself on tape again? I was like, guys, I already did it, you know, come on. Like, I've got a pretty decent resume, you know? And they're like they just they want to see it. I'm like, OK, that's fine. So I got some pictures of Abraham and I just, you know, used a cheap pair of sunglasses from my son's drawer that probably cost like five bucks. And one of my neighbors had a Tommy Bahama shirt that kind of matched the color of the shirt that Abraham was wearing in the picture. And and I slicked my hair back and I just ate and drank whatever I want to, to have a little bit of weight about me within the picture. And it worked.

So I guess what connects with you with the role immediately of Abraham Quintanilla, what you're saying is that it wasn't so much the music or the legacy of the life of Selena right away that said, you know, maybe you want to do this, but that this is a South Texas story that I and a family story that I can relate to.

Very much so. So, you know, look, it's not that I'm not a fan of Selena's music, it's just at that time when she was popular, that's not what I listen to. But I was surrounded by it all day long. I mean, my dad was listening to KTXN and (???) and all that and "Radio Festival," you know, is blaring out of his truck whenever he'd pick me up from school or drop me off somewhere or whatever, you know. And so it was it was always there in the background, you know. And now it's funny because I actually do listen to a lot of conjunto and Tejano music. (Yeah.) You know, I appreciate it a lot. Even before I, I got cast as Abraham in this movie or in the series, I mean, and so ...

Well, that's how we develop musically anyway. I mean, our lives are such that we're like, oh, we get opened up to so many things.

Well, it becomes you know, for me it's like comfort food, nostalgia, taking me back to when I was, you know, 19, 20, 21, jumping into my dad's truck. Yeah. And it reminds me of those times. So but more importantly, to go back to what you were saying. Yeah. For me, the attraction was this is a South Texas story. Even like even though. I wasn't necessarily a quote unquote, fan of her music, I appreciated it, but more importantly, I appreciated what she meant and what her family meant to us. And so what I mean by us is South Texas, the South Texas community. But also what I mean by us is Mexican Americans that live in South Texas. This story is the ... it's literally the universal story of the American dream, but it's framed in a Mexican-American family. And that is so vital and so important to this community, San Antonio, in every community south of San Antonio, all the way to the border, you know. And we don't…. I mean, who do we have?

That movie came out twenty-something years ago. With Edward James Olmos and Jennifer Lopez, and here we have a series coming out about it again, twenty-something years later. In between those, what other massive story has been out there that has told a story of Mexican Americans from South Texas? None.

So you're telling me this is the only story that exists that we can put, that we can encapsulate on film or in sit in a cinematic setting or in a series setting that tells a story about the people of South Texas? This is the only story we have? So for me, it was important to tell the story again. But it's also important because there are so few opportunities to be able to be somebody who is from South Texas and who's an actor to be able to play somebody where I grew up.

There's a line in the movie that gets repeated often. And I'm wondering if this is touched on in the series at all. Where in the in the picture in the movie version, Edward James Olmos says something and I'm going to paraphrase it because I can't read the exact quote. But he says, you know, we're we're not American enough and we're not Mexican enough.

Oh, we hit on that a lot in the series. And not just once. It comes up often, you know, and the idea that it's like, yes, she's Mexican, but she's an American girl.

Mm hmm.

I mean, you know, Abraham was wanted to be a musician and he was playing doo wop music. You know, he would he loved American music, but he saw the ... what he saw was he saw an opportunity and he saw a young girl. And then when they started, they were they were singing American songs. But and what we do is we show this in the series where it's like all of a sudden he goes to a fair and he sees a Tejano band up there playing music and bam, it clicks. And he realizes if this is going to happen for them and they're going to be successful at this and we can actually make money at this and survive and live as a family off of this music, we've got to be specific about what we're doing. And so he decided to hone in on the specificity that is Tejano music. Yeah, you know, and he made it work. You know, it's the thing is, is that the series is it is about it's Selena, but it's also the story that is the Quintanilla family. And specifically, it's a story that is Abraham Quintanilla making all of this a reality.

Tell me again who else was in the cast and what's it like?

And we've got, let's say, Seidy Lopez, who is actually she played, I think, one of the cousins in the original Selena movie. She's playing Marcella, Abraham's wife, amazing actor, like just ... she's got a great stillness to her man, just it's it's wonderful to work with her because I really feel like I work with her a lot as being, you know, being husband and wife. And it's been an absolute joy. Christian Serratos plays Selena at the older age high school and then in her 20s. Gabe Chavarria plays A.B. Noemi Gonzalez plays Suzette. Let's see Julio Macias, who's on a show on Netflix, called On Our Block, he plays Pete Asudio. And then the young ones, the kids, Maddy and Juan and Daniella. Which it's crazy. Working with the kids was the best thing. Like, I like I just I know them from their names. I know them as their characters. They did such a good job. But that stuff when when I was, you know, playing Abraham at as a younger Abraham when the kids were younger, those are some of my absolute favorite scenes.

And you filmed it where, where was it all filmed?

And we were filming in in Mexico, just south of Tijuana, in Baja California. Sorry, guys. Yeah. So and I it's funny because when I first got cast, I was like, oh, this is great. Like we're going to be shooting here in Texas…. And [then] I was like, [sad trombone noise, laughs]. I was like, oh, OK. But it makes sense because you're talking shooting from Lake Jackson, what, 1979, 1980, and then, you know, at the height of her career, which was when I was, let's see, shortly after graduating high school, so from like, say, ‘89 until like ‘91, ‘92, you know, and a lot of that stuff, I mean, that's 30 years ago.

Yeah, I've been to Lake Jackson in the past year or so, and it's much different than it was.

Even downtown San Antonio is much different, you know. You know the convention center, you can't use that facade. So we had to go find a facade that we thought looked the part. And you can find older structures in in most every part of Mexico. You know, a lot of those buildings are of an older era. You know, a lot of that construction that existed back then and the, you know, mid 80s into the mid 90s. A lot of it's not there anymore. You know, or it's or it's been converted or renovated or whatever. So that that probably is the reason why they chose to shoot down in Mexico.

You talked about, how you could relate to, and you knew guys like Abraham when you were growing up. And so you're like, “oh, I know that guy. I can play that that part.” You're a father yourself, of course, too… So what's your relationship with your kids like compared to, say, this part… your playing and Abraham…. and do you do you ever bring anything from your own experience with children to this part? Or does anything else rub off from Abraham to your kids, especially as they're getting older?

I think I think that's a really good question for my children! What do they think about that? I think when they see it, they're going to be like, "Mm-hmm, yeah, we know, we know that guy!" You know, this is it's very interesting. Like when we when there were a couple of scenes that we were working on, you've got these actors that are in their like, you know, late 20s in the mid-30s that are trying to play down a little bit. You know, there's like, say, 17, 18, 19, like when they're in high school. But they're millennials, you know, and they live in this era and they don't understand what the what parenting and, you know, parent child relationships were like back then. And it's that thing of like, you know, when your dad says, get off the phone, you get off the phone and then go even further where it's like it's one phone and it's attached to a wall and it's cord, you know, and then and then go even further where this is a Mexican-American family with a traditional Mexican American father who's very machismo. Like, you hang up the phone, you know? there's not even a look back, much less talk back, you know, or complaining. So there’s a lot of that in Abraham. I mean, it's like I said, it's very much my dad. It's my my uncles, you know, the way they parented, which I remember very well. You know, it's my way or the highway kid, that's it. This is my house. I pay the bills. You will do X, Y and Z. And there's a bit of that that I do use in my own parenting with my children, you know? Boys are hard. You know, boys are difficult. But also I do try and talk to my [kids]…I'm much more about me, Ricardo, as a parent. I'm much more about trying to sit down with my kids and explain things to them and talk to them and be open with them, not just about things that are happening in the world, but also things that are happening with me where I'm doubtful about the situation, or the situation scares me. And, you know, you have to try to just be as honest and truthful with my children as possible, which parents back then didn't always do, you know? So it's very interesting to be on the set because those sets kind of transport you back, and the clothes transport you back, and all of a sudden you get that, you know, and then I just think about what my dad would be doing and bam, there's Abraham.

You feel like you feel it because the clothes, you know, you put them on and you're like…

I mean, it's. Oh, yeah. Some of this this time period, you know, you're talking especially when we get into when the kids are older teenagers and into their 20s. I mean, you're talking 1989, 91, 92. Fashion was atrocious.

Does the actress who's playing your wife wear those big glasses?

Oh, yeah! Oh, and I know and I've got this, you know, and that's that was part of Abraham's demeanor, like those sunglasses he always had them on. You know, I personally think that he kind of used them as a shield. You know, whenever he was doing business, you know, it was like his coat of arms. And when he had those on, you could not penetrate. You know, and he was and that's the other thing that you learn in the series is how how this family was so just the family always hanging around and so rarely did they let in strangers. And so if you were let in, you know, it was a big deal. You know, the band members that were a part of this, you know, they were a part of that family. And if Abraham didn't like somebody, bam, they were gone.

Well, how closely is the Quintanilla family working with the producers of this this show? But I know that they're very careful about the legacy and the image and everything of their family and their family story. And the reason why I'm asking this, is I'm just curious if they...

I'm sure they're you know, I'm sure they get to read all the scripts and they check it out and they have to. I know that they have to give clearance on ... They had to give clearance on all the casting. So, you know, it's their hands. You know, Suzette, I think is the one that's taking the rein, so to speak, of being in charge of this kind of thing and I think I'm sure she's doing a very good job. I'm almost certain they've got their hands and their voice and everything with regards to this project.

Well, I've been looking forward to this for a long time.

You know a lot of people have, man! It's a huge story. And not just here in South Texas. I mean, but, you know, having spent time in Mexico, you know, our Mexican population, the northern states, you know, huge fans. They just ... it's a beautiful story. It's a tragic story. I mean, it literally is a telenovela. And my connection, you know, that I'm from South Texas. I'm from San Antonio. Corpus Christi is not that far away. Selena and I were only a couple months apart in age. You know, she was born in oh, God, what was it, April to April? She was born in the month of April and I was born in the month of September of 1971. You know, we were both graduating high school the same year. I remember I was at Incarnate Word College, I was doing theater at Incarnate Word College, and I was walking up, was it Broadway to catch my bus back home at like, I don't know, three o'clock in the afternoon or something like that and Selena had that boutique there. Yeah. And I remember walking by the day that she was shot and people were there were flowers out there. There were camera crews out there. People were crying and everything. And I was and, you know, there's no there's no smartphones in your hand. So it's like, let me get home so I can make the news so I can see what happened. And sure enough, I get off my bus. I, you know, kind of quickly make myself get myself back to my house, open the door and my dad's there. And he was like, Selena was shot. And I was like, oh. And he's like, come sit down, let's watch the news, and I was like, OK. We sat down and we watched it, but yeah, it's ... you know ... [trails off]

Um, one last question--you mentioned, of course, and the dearth of stories from this area about South Texas, about people from South Texas, and is that something that you maybe have ever wanted to find a producing partner on and maybe put something like that together?

So that's a beautiful question, Nathan, thank you for asking. As a result of this with Selena, they've actually they made me a co-producer on it.

Congratulations!

Thank you. And I've been able to create a very great relationship with Jaime Davila, who is the head of Campanario Entertainment that is producing Selena and he's our producer, just he's so smart. He's so smart. He's he wants to just focus on telling Latino, Latinx stories. And so he's got several things that he's working on, specific stories to San Antonio, specific stories to South Texas. I'm pretty sure he wants to utilize me and maybe one or two of those, which is great. We'll have to see. I also have a couple of things that I'm working on with a good friend of mine, Tony Plana. Tony Plana and are looking at a couple of things that we're trying to get to secure the rights to. So if that happens, these would be a couple of other stories that are specific to South Texas about some, you know, some really famous Mexican Americans from the area. I think that this retelling of Selena in a series format is going to be really big for not just for her family and for her story and for her legacy, but also for the legacy that is South Texas and San Antonio and Corpus and, you know, all the way down to McAllen and and those areas. And I think you're going to start seeing more stories coming out about our area. I think it's I think it's long overdue.

Well, Ricardo, thank you so much.

Thanks! Thanks for taking the time.

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