#ramon morales imagine
Text
in light of recent ominous events with the eggs (namely, theories that they’re hatching, and their even more recent disappearance this morning), i think it’s worth looking at what an insane social experiment of a situation that all the members and admins find themselves in, with us as the overly invested lab coat scientists, so hi welcome to Quackity (Accidentally) Makes Social Experiments 100000% Funnier
when talking about the egg event the focus tends to be on the cc’s and how attached they are, because they’re the ones we can fully see and gauge their emotional responses. it’s already been well established how genuinely invested they all are. but the eggs’ admins have just as much skin in the game as their in-game parents do
The tragedy of the eggs being taken away isn’t necessarily the eggs (characters) dying/leaving. it’s more than that. it’s that, in a way, the admin dies with the character. And the further that the egg event has continued past the point it was meant to end, and past the point of no return, the more true this has become.
richas plays more than the “actual” members. phil admits to seeing chayanne and tallulah as part of the server and genuinely likes who they are as people. dapper, ramon, leo, pomme—they’re all so ingrained in the island that it is impossible to imagine it without them, and to do so would be like removing half of the cc’s themselves. only Worse!
Because it’s so final when the eggs die. so definite. because even if a steamer left, you’ll see them continue in their own capacity as a streamer, but the eggs are just gone. they’re mostly anonymous (richas is again a good example). they’d vanish like they were never there, with no real way to reconnect with them
and it’s all even More high-stakes from the admin’s perspective. from watching early gegg streams, you can see how, even with charlie’s mic off, it doesn’t really feel any different from watching a normal stream?? he’s still there, interacting with his friends, joking around, playing minecraft with them, and that’s what the egg’s admins do almost Every. Single. Day. what!! an indirect comparison would be an internet friend you’ve only messaged and never vc’d with. a more direct comparison (for those who were in the trenches) would be that friend you made when you were 12 and roleplaying on a minecraft creative plots server.
juanaflippa’s admin and tilin’s admin have, on twitter, mentioned how much they miss hanging out with their ‘parents’. bobby’s admin having to say goodbye to jaiden and roier and actually crying. tallulah and chayanne giving music recommendations to phil. leo interacting with foolish in a pretty Normal Friends way (yknow, if you disregard the bedtime stories) with leo teaching him spanish and him teaching her english. they’re ALL more than just characters. they’re people!! what the hell!!!
this is not to say that the admins for the eggs are traumatized, not even a little, or that the egg experiment is in any way morally wrong (on the contrary, I love it! fun roleplay dynamics! acting! emotions repercussions that make me want to study their brains!) though i do hope for the admins sake and all of ours that they can stay as long as possible or else their therapy bills will be crazy
because when it comes down to it, friendship is friendship, whether you met roleplaying their child on a minecraft server or not
enjoy the island :)
#pleaseeeehandleitwellpleasehandleitwe#enough Quackity Pay The Server we need more Quackity Pay For Therapy#qsmp#cellbit#quackity#tallulah#chayanne#richas#bobby#tilin#slimecicle#tubbo#juanaflippa#gegg#eggs#philza#Ramon#wilbur soot#leonarda#richarlyson#dapper#fitmc#roier#foolishgamers#jaidenanimations#baghera#pomme#etoiles#man there’s a lot of people on this server#notice how the eggs r included in that
1K notes
·
View notes
Text
Alright yall I’ve touched grass. Therory time.
I’m going to start with what we learned today from Fit, before talking about everything strange that happened.
1. Fit remembers his past from before the island in clarity. He remembers the life he had and the reason that he came to the island. The vacation was a ruse.
2. Fit is working for someone. He is being paid for his work and has signed a contract of some sort.
3. Ramon is Fit’s priority right now, no matter what.
4. the conflict on the island is increasing the value of something
5. The federation and the anti-cheat that they have on the island is blocking Fit’s acsess to whatever he came to the island for, as well as any abilities he has.
Now, I’ve seen a lot of people speculating that whatever or whomever Fit is working for is behind the code entities. Here’s why I don’t think that’s the case.
First and foremost, it appears that they want something that the island has. The code’s expressed and clear purpose is to get everyone away from the island and back to whatever life they came from. The code is doing this by sending out messages in whatever way it can and killing the eggs. On top of this, the code seems at least somewhat aware of the federation because they’ve hacked their broadcasts.
Fit’s orignization, on the other hand, was not aware of the federation. He’s informing them of the federation’s existence and what they’ve been doing. He talks about the anti-cheat, how they’re keeping everyone trapped, ect. If the group that is paying Fit knew about this beforehand or currently, why would he need to inform them?
The priority of Fit’s orginzation seems to be a physical thing that has value. For some reason, Fit needs acsess to cheats in order for him to acsess whatever this thing is. They’re also paying him enough to clearly do something that is going against his morals, I mean, the whole stream he was procrastinating reaching out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fit was worried this connection and his mission put Ramon in danger.
Now, onto therorizing. I fully believe that the Federation and the code are, at least currently, tied only to the island. However, there is something on the island that would hold a lot of value to someone in a place like 2B2T. I would not be surprised if one of both entities know of this value, but both have diffrent goals with using whatever it is.
The federation may be using it to experiement on people. We’ve seen the federation do insane things - bring the dead back to visit loved ones, erase memories, change the weather and time of day. The code has also shown these abilities.
Imagine how useful something with that sort of power would be to those on an anarchy sever?
On top of that, there’s been a lot of therories about this being some sort of show. It’s being broadcasted live and being seen by hundreds of thousand. The conflict with the codes and the federation and the eggs, the members, all of that could easily raise the value on whatever this thing is. We’ve seen it used here - come look at this in our server too!
Fit is still a human though. He’s being paid, and he’ll do a good job, but we can feel his humanity seep through in his message. Ramon is his first priority, he’s saddened by the others loosing their eggs, he’s grown attached to his friends. Fit has a job to do, but he is clearly stubborn with putting his own priorities first. He is helping the others, even if it is partially motivated by his contract. He’s asking them to think of the cost to other people.
I have no doubt Fit will continue his mission, but I think he will let his humanity affect it.
I don’t know quite what’s up with the book or the strange messages but I think Fit is a bit too casual about those ‘intrusive thoughts’ for me to accept that they’re not tied to whomever he’s working with.
Closing thoughts: I believe we are aware of four diffrent orginizations now.
The Federation: They are behind brining all the current players to the island as well as the eggs. They are experimenting on the island members in some shape or form and want to keep people happy so they don’t try and leave. They attempt to limit outside influence on the islanders.
The codes: Assumedly on the island before the federation, they don’t want people on the island aside from themselves and will do anything to reach that goal. They don’t desire casualities but they see no other choice at this point.
???: A group against the Federation that heard Max’s signal and gave him the skematic for SOFIA. Possibly working with the codes.
Fit’s orginization: An outside group interested in something that the island has. Hired Fit to retrieve that something unaware of the Federation or the Code. Having trouble/unable to get messages through thanks to the federation firewall.
Now the real question is... how did Bad bypass the fedderation firewall to call Skeppy?? lmao
#qsmp#q!fit#qsmp federarion#qsmp code entity#qsmp therory#God this is all so interesting to me#Fit MC from 2b2t whatcha up to...#Also. Another him is now offically a q!Fit song#I do not make the rules#I listened to it on loop writing this
187 notes
·
View notes
Text
Prelim Round 2
They are in order left to right, top to bottom; Top 2 move on
Propaganda submitted:
Jumbaa and Pleakley Lilo and Stitch
These two REALLY shine in the series from the 2000s but they're an underrated couple anywhere. They've got odd couple vibes and then basically get adopted into the ohana as Lilo's weird aunt and uncle. Pleakley is Jumbaa's moral compass but he's also a little anxiety ball and Jumbaa grounds him (also he's probably an egg). They hug SO MUCH. They adore each other. My OTP for life honestly.
PJ and Beret Girl An Extremely Goofy Movie
We love a powerful girlboss opening the poetic heart of a shy boy. They are beautiful and goals
Dodger and Rita Oliver and Company
Though not explicitly together as far as I can remember, I always liked to imagine there was some sort of romance going on. Even as a little kid I thought they would be very cute together! It's literal puppy love!
Felix and Calhoun Wreck-It Ralph
We all just need more small and squishy guy and hardened woman who has killed and would do it again romance
Nani and David Lilo and Stitch
Has any boyfriend ever been as supportive as David is for Nani?!
Mike and Celia Monsters Inc.
Call each other sweet yet kinda gross from the outside nicknames in public (Smoochie Poo and Googly Bear/Woogly), stare lovingly into each other's eye (see attached photo), the restaurant date with him was Celia's "best birthday ever." They did have a pretty big fight/misunderstanding, but were quick to reconcile and neither holds a grudge about it. Celia is supportive/proud of Mike's success in revolutionizing the energy industry with laugh power, and Mike clearly thinks very highly of her too. Also their relationship is never demeaned or played for laughs even though she fits the standard tall, pretty woman role and he the standard short, less charismatic "sidekick" type, and maybe because it's monsters and not people, but lots of movies would try to pair her with Sully, make their relationship a reward for Mike, or make a lot of jokes about it. But no, they're just really into each other and sweet about it (and yes there was a big fight but 1. plot relevant and necessary, and 2. they get through it). Couple goals.
Flo and Ramone Cars
Even after at least 30 years, they still look at each other so lovingly, still dance with each other, even surprise each other (like Ramone showing up with a new coat of paint and Flo still calls him handsome)
#disney#yen sids poll#valentinestournament#lilo and stitch#monsters inc#cars#wreck it ralph#an extremely goofy movie#oliver and company#pixar#disney animated movie#mini poll
20 notes
·
View notes
Text
Bunch of Sin Sick Lying Leftist Liberal Democrat Demonic Donkeys and Unicorns 😥 #BoycottBudweiser #BoycottDisney #BoycottABCnews #BoycottStarbucks #BoycottNike #BoycottTarget #BoycottMiller #BoycottMaybelline #BoycottGlamour #BoycottCrackerBarrel #BoycottHuffPost and any other supporters of these #LHBTTTABCDFIGMNOPPQZ Sin Sickos 🤮 especially these #Transwhatevers 😤 Not Hate, Not Violence, Not Criminalizing but Speaking Truth Clearly, Lovingly, Loudly and Frequently to lead Dem AWAY from Sin and Eternal Death in Hell, to Salvation and Eternal Life in Heaven 🥰 The Biggest LIE ever told is we can be GOD or GOD Doesn’t Exist and by extension neither does Heaven or Satan and Hell; the second Lie is that GOD (Father, Jesus & Spirit) Didn’t Create EVERYTHING that exists EVERYWHERE there’s Something, including us humans as either Male or Female but the a big explosion (His Dumamis Spoken Word) 💥 occurred and things just kinda started becoming what they are and through billions of years we evolved from tadpoles and apes but some remained apes and tadpoles 😜; the third is liken to the second whereby we can be (man or woman and be attracted to opposite or same sex or animals or objects or any combination and or switch roles as we see fit for our flesh) whatever we want to be regardless of GOD’s, Nature’s, Natural’s, Science’s, Medical’s or Man’s Law…😱 GOD and His Truth and Laws Reign Supreme Above ALL Laws, beliefs, thought and imaginations and they are Not flexible, bendable, negotiable nor can they be compromise in ANY way without Inevitably, Irrevocable, Unforgivable, Undesirable and Unbearable Consequences to Reprobate Minds and Souls seeking to continue in Sin that His grace may abound. 😱
0 notes
Text
Don't give up / Ramon Morales x reader
Request : where he confronted in school by aggressive bully and of course, it ends up with that he is blamed, so when he comes back home and cries, reader comforts him and stands up for him in school?
Hope this is good! And sorry for the wait again! Been busy with life.
I was walking to my next class which me Ramon have, he's still not used to school but I try and help as much as I can,
"Everytime you hold my hand they look at us." He said upset because it's not about how cute we looked, it was about his and my skin that makes them look.
"Don't pay it any mind to it, let them look," I squeezed his hand, "Ugh, I forgot something in my locker, I'll catch up with you in a minute." He gave me a quick kiss and ran to my locker.
I came running back when I heard yelling, I saw that it was David, he hated Ramon with a passion and I knew I had to do something,
"David! What the hell are you doing!?"
"Teaching him that doesn't belong in this school! Let alone this state!" He punched Ramon so hard he hit his head on the floor,
"RAMON!" I checked to see if he was okay, "Y/N, I'm alright just stand back." He pushed me out of the way and punched David into is own locker and fall to the floor. David wasn't done and grabbed ramons legs, pinning him to the floor and punching and punching Ramon. I screamed in fear.
Ramon manged to get one more swing at David, making fall out, Ramon got but I helped him up and hugged him, "I'm okay baby." He kissed my head but I knew something else was gonna happen,
"Oh my God his bleeding! Call the teacher!" I girl said as the jocks helped him up,
"This isn't over." David said devilishly.
The teacher came and the look on his face was horrible, "Ramon! how dare you fight another student for no reason!" He basically yelled,
"Sir, I didn't beat him up because I wanted too! He hit me first! I was defending myself!" Ramon replied
"You know your nothing but trouble! Your actions aren't aloud in this school. You are sespend!" The teacher said. David laughed and I want to kill him so bad.
"Teacher! You can't do this, I saw the whole thing. David started it-"
"It's already done, now get back to class miss Y/N!" I look at him worried and went to class,
"As for you leave right now!" I could hear Ramon's footsteps running out of the school as I cried for the rest of the day.
Few hours later
I walked to Ramon's home and he didn't answer so i knew something was up,
"Ramon, let me in." I said hoping he would open the door, when he did his eyes were puffy and red, his eye was swollen.
"Baby I am so sorry!" He said crying into my arm,
"I don't deserve you Y/N,"
"Ramon, you are strong and it wasn't your fault, David knew what he was doing! This is all a misunderstanding,"
"But why? Why me Y/N? I just want a normal Life!" I rubbed his back. He kissed me but I could tell he was still hurt.
"You will, and I'll make sure of it.,
I had the most greatest revage idea ever, "I'm gonna stay the night so I know you'll be okay and when we get to school they won't know what it them,"
"Y/N, What do you mean?"
"You'll see." I kissed him and laid on his chest as he kissed my head.
The next day
Ramon was really worried about what I was gonna do but I knew it was gonna work.
David came in, making people feel so sorry for him, I wanted to punch him. I walked up to him and Ramon came with me,
"So you want more?" David said laughing.
I told Ramon to stay right where he was,
"You are so proud of this aren't you? Because from what I remember, you punched him!" He came close to my face. "Yeah I did and so what? You don't have your mommy and daddy to help him!" He said fist bumping his friend,
"That is true....but I have our teacher." I said smirking, Ramon stepped away and our teacher was right there,
"I thought you were my best student David, but now I am TRULY disappointed in you!" Our teacher says, Ramon pulled me close,
"You will be sespend! And Ramon you can come back starting today."
"But He hit me and almost broke my arm!"
"Yeah he did but you definitely were trying to get him kicked out of the school!" I added.
"How about I mess up that pretty little face?"
"Say something like that to another student and I will kick you out of the school, now GO!" The teacher said, David walked off and Ramon kissed me,
"So sorry for the misunderstanding Ramon, do try to forgive me,"
"It's okay teacher, thanks for letting me come back," he smiled and out teacher went to another class room.
"How did you even know that was gonna work?"
"Trust me, I'm not as innocent as I seem." I winked,
"Well, now I know why I date you." He kissed me passionately.
#ramon morales#ramon morales x reader#ramon morales imagine#scary stories to tell in the dark x reader#scary stories to tell in the dark imagine#x reader#imagine
38 notes
·
View notes
Text
hey all, this is a new scary stories to tell in the dark (2019) imagines blog! the ask box is open & ready for requests [just take a peak at the rules before you do!]
#scary stories to tell in the dark#ssttitd#chuck steinberg#auggie hilderbrandt#ramon morales#stella nichols#ruth steinberg#imagine blog#i love these dumbasses
31 notes
·
View notes
Text
Character Development Challenge 1: Battery of Tests
Enneagram: Type 7 - The Enthusiast (7w8 Wing - sexual variant)
People of this personality type are essentially concerned that their lives be an exciting adventure. Sevens are future oriented, restless people who are generally convinced that something better is just around the corner. They are quick thinkers who have a great deal of energy and who make lots of plans. They tend to be extroverted, multi-talented, creative and open minded. They are enthusiasts who enjoy the pleasures of the senses and who don't believe in any form of self-denial.
Personality DNA: Benevolent Inventor (full report here)
You are a great person to interact with - understanding, giving, and trusting - in a word, BENEVOLENT. Your imagination, self-reliance, openness to new things, and appreciation for utility combine to make you an INVENTOR.
D&D Alignment: Chaotic Good
A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.
Kiersey: Idealist
Idealists, as a temperament, are passionately concerned with personal growth and development. Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination. And they want to help others make the journey. Idealists are naturally drawn to working with people, and whether in education or counseling, in social services or personnel work, in journalism or the ministry, they are gifted at helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potentials.
16 Personalities: ENFP-A “The Campaigner”
Campaigners (ENFPs) are true free spirits – outgoing, openhearted, and open-minded. With their lively, upbeat approach to life, they stand out in any crowd. But even though they can be the life of the party, Campaigners don’t just care about having a good time. These personality types run deep – as does their longing for meaningful, emotional connections with other people.
Sorting Hat Chats: Not a big fan of this specific test personally, but probably Ravenclaw
Four Temperaments: Sanguine (full report here)
The sanguine temperament is fundamentally spontaneous and pleasure-seeking; sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. Sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. They have no lack of confidence.
Big Five:
Factor I was labelled as Extroversion by the developers of the IPIP-BFFM. Factor I is sometimes given other names, such as Surgency or Positive Emotionality. Factor V is labeled as Intellect/Imagination. This factor is also often called Openness to Experience.
Statistical Which Character (full report here) (Including top character and a mix of characters I recognize below):
1. Ed (Cowboy Bebop) - 92%
5. Mozzie (White Collar) - 90%
10. George Weasley (Harry Potter) - 88%
11. Nymphadora Tonks (Harry Potter) - 88%
20. Cisco Ramon (The Flash) - 87%
21. Stitch (Lilo and Stitch) - 87%
DISC Assessment - I (Influencer)
The I Styles are naturally creative problem solvers who can think outside of the box. They are great at encouraging and motivating others to take action. They keep environments positive with their enthusiasm, optimism, and cheerful sense of humor. They will go out of their way to keep things light, avoid and negotiate conflict and keep the peace.The I Type Personality is likely not good with detail. They are more concerned with people and popularity than with tangible results and organization.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
| monica raymund, 25, paramedic in charge | is that gabriela dawson ? she works down at firehouse 51 ! i’ve heard they’re pretty self-confident & honest but relax a little because they can get pretty abrasive if you push them too hard. before you go visit her at work, maybe bring a quick hot hazelnut with milk with you? we all know they need it! |
trigger warnings: n/a
full character page here
G E N E R A L
full name: gabriela raisa dawson
nickname(s): gabby, gab, dawson
trope: chronic hero syndrome
B A S I C S
age: 25
birthday: march 30, 1996
nationality: american
ethnicity: dominican, mixed
gender: cis-female
pronouns: she/her/hers
romantic orientation: biromantic
sexual orientation: bisexual
political affiliation: liberal
religion: catholic, non-practicing
occupation: paramedic in charge, ambulance 61
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
parents: ramon dawson (father), camila dawson (mother)
siblings: antonio dawson (older brother)
significant other(s): none, currently single
children: none.
closest friends: leslie shay, matt casey
rivals: tbd.
enemies: tbd.
P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S
faceclaim: monica raymund
eye color: dark brown
hair color: dark brown
height: 5′5
body build: fit
notable physical traits: n/a
aesthetic/style: casual, but stylish when she needs to be
P E R S O N A L I T Y
positive traits: confident, honest, passionate, dauntless
negative traits: abrasive, defensive, stubborn, impatient
typical mood/expression: resting bitch face :/
zodiac sign: aries
moral alignment: chaotic good
enneagram: type five
mbti: estj
hogwarts house: gryffindor
M I S C E L L A N E O U S
skills: emergency response, making a good drink, strategic planning
hobbies: standing up for what's right, being a badass
fears/phobias: losing those she loves
favorites: tapas, coffee, tequila, family
B I O G R A P H Y
Gabriela grew up just outside of Chicago as a part of a big family. Her immediate family consisted of her father Ramon, her mother Camila, and her older brother Antonio. However, there always seemed to be relatives around throughout their childhoods. Gabby loved the feeling of being apart of a large family, and she has inadvertently looked for that throughout her life.
Gabby was always a caring person, but it was her passion that really made her shine. Whatever she did, she threw herself into it, often head first. Gabby was far from perfect. But when someone told her she couldn't do something? Well, that just made her want to prove them wrong. Anyone telling her she couldn’t made her want to do it even more.
But above all, Gabby lived to help people. Before she even realized what she wanted to do, there were hints that she wanted to save people. Even as a kid, Gabby would use her toys to act out scenes and scenarios where she could come in to save the day. There was a certain rush, being the hero, but there was even more of an overwhelming feeling having saved someone. Even if it only was her Mr. Potato Head.
Gabby was smart, but she didn’t feel like school was the best fit for her. She would rather get to work instead of sitting in a classroom. After considering a coupe potential options for her future, Gabby decided on becoming a paramedic. It combined everything she was looking for--the fast-paced environment, the ability to help people, and her very own community of people to lean on and learn from.
C U R R E N T L Y
Gabby has been at Firehouse 51 for a couple of years now, and she can't imagine being anywhere else. The folks at the firehouse have become her family, for better or worse. As much as they get on her nerves from time to time, Gabby can't imagine leaving her people at 51.
As Paramedic in Charge of Ambulance 61, Gabby often butts heads with higher ups over what's right and wrong. She's not exactly a traditionalist when it comes to following policy and procedure. Sure she tries, but if it comes down to it, Gabby will always defend what's right for her patient over a need to adhere to pointless bureaucracy.
P L O T S
we all know and love the one and only gabby dawson
firehouse family - would love to build up some relationships with the crew at 51!!
you know she’s super powerful and stand’s her ground, so could butt heads with someone when she tries to go around the rules?
also love her she deserves it
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
Free Music in a Capitalist Society - Iggy Pop's Keynote Speech Transcript
Hi, I'm Iggy Pop. I've held a steady job at BBC 6 Music now for almost a year, which is a long time in my game. I always hated radio and the jerks who pushed that shit music into my tender mind, with rare exceptions. When I was a boy, I used to sit for hours suffering through the entire US radio top 40 waiting for that one song by The Beatles and the other one by The Kinks. Had there been anything like John Peel available in my Midwestern town I would have been thrilled. So it's an honor to be here. I understand that. I appreciate it.
Some months ago when the idea of this talk came up I thought it might be okay to talk about free music in a Capitalist society. So that's what I'm gonna try to talk about. A society in which the Capitalist system dominates all the others, and seeks their destruction when they get in its way. Since then, the shit has really hit the fan on the subject, thanks to U2 and Apple. I worked half of my life for free. I didn't really think about that one way or the other, until the masters of the record industry kept complaining that I wasn't making them any money. To tell you the truth, when it comes to art, money is an unimportant detail. It just happens to be a huge one unimportant detail. But, a good LP is a being, it's not a product. It has a life-force, a personality, and a history, just like you and me. It can be your friend. Try explaining that to a weasel.
As I learned when I hit 30 +, and realized I was penniless, and almost unable to get my music released, music had become an industrial art and it was the people who excelled at the industry who got to make the art. I had to sell most of my future rights to keep making records to keep going. And now, thanks to digital advances, we have a very large industry, which is laughably maybe almost entirely pirate so nobody can collect shit. Well, it was to be expected. Everybody made a lot of money reselling all of recorded musical history in CD form back in the 90s, but now the cat is out of the bag and the new electronic devices which estrange people from their morals also make it easier to steal music than to pay for it. So there's gonna be a correction.
When I started The Stooges we were organized as a group of Utopian communists. All the money was held communally and we lived together while we shared the pursuit of a radical ideal. We shared all song writing, publishing and royalty credits equally – didn’t matter who wrote it - because we'd seen it on the back of a Doors album and thought it was cool, at least I did. Yeah. I thought songwriting was about the glory, I didn't know you'd get paid for it. We practiced a total immersion to try to forge a new approach which would be something of our own. Something of lasting value. Something that was going to be revealed and created and was not yet known.
We are now in the age of the schemer and the plan is always big, big, big, but it's the nature of the technology created in the service of the various schemes that the pond, while wide, is very shallow. Nobody cares about anything too deeply expect money. Running out of it, getting it. I never sincerely wanted to be rich. There is a, in the US, we have this guy “Do you sincerely wanna be rich? You can do it!” I didn’t sincerely want to be rich. I never sincerely felt like making anyone else that way. That made me a kind of a wild card in the 60's and 70's. I got into the game because it felt good to play and it felt like being free. I'm still hearing today about how my early works with The Stooges were flops. But they're still in print and they sell 45 years later, they sell. Okay, it took 20 or 25 years for the first royalties to roll in. So sue me.
Some of us who couldn't get anywhere for years kept beating our heads against the same wall to no avail. No one did that better than my friends The Ramones. They kept putting out album after album, frustrated that they weren't getting the hit. They even tried Phil Spector and his handgun. After the first couple of records, which made a big impact, they couldn't sustain the quality, but I noticed that every album had at least one great song and I thought, wow if these guys would just stop and give it a rest, society would for sure catch up to them. And that's what's happening now, but they're not around to enjoy it. I used to run into Johnny at a little rehearsal joint in New York and he'd be in a big room all alone with a Marshall stack just going "dum, dum, dum, dum, dum" all my himself. I asked him why and he said if he didn't practice doing that exactly the way he did it live he'd lose it. He was devoted and obsessive, so were Joey and Deedee. I like that. Johnny asked me one day - Iggy don't you hate Offspring and the way they're so popular with that crap they play. That should be us, they stole it from us. I told him look, some guys are born and raised to be the captain of the football team and some guys are just gonna be James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and that's the way it is. Not everybody is meant to be big. Not everybody big is any good.
I only ever wanted the money because it was symbolic of love and the best thing I ever did was to make a lifetime commitment to continue playing music no matter what, which is what I resolved to do at the age of 18. If who you are is who you are that is really hard to steal, and it can lead you in all sorts of useful directions when the road ahead of you is blocked and it will get blocked. Now I'm older and I need all the dough I can get. So I too am concerned about losing those lovely royalties, now that they've finally arrived, in the maze of the Internet. But I'm also diversifying my income, because a stream will dry up. I'm not here to complain about that, I'm here to survive it.
When I was starting out as a full time musician I was walking down the street one bright afternoon in the seedier part of my Midwestern college town. I passed a dive bar and from it emerged a portly balding pallid middle aged musician in a white tux with a drink in one hand and a guitar in the other. He was blinking in the daylight. I had a strong intuition that this was a fate to be avoided. He seemed cut off from society and resigned to an oblivious obscurity. A bar fly. An accessory to booze. So how do you engage society as an artist and get them to pay you? Well, that's a matter of art. And endurance.
To start with, I cannot stress enough the importance of study. I was lucky to work in a discount record store in Ann Arbor Michigan as a stock boy where I was exposed to a little bit of every form of music imaginable on record at the time. I listened to it all whether I liked it or not. Be curious. And I played in my high school orchestra and I learned the joy of the warm organic instruments working together in the service of a classical piece. That sticks with you forever. If anyone out there can get a chance to put an instrument and some knowledge in some kids hand, you've done a great, great thing.
Comparative information is a key to freedom. I found other people who were smarter than me. To teach me. My first pro band was a blues band called The Prime Movers and the leader Michael Erlewine was a very bright hippy beatnik with a beautifully organized record collection in library form of The Blues. I'd never really heard the Blues. That part of our American heritage was kept off the major media. It was system up, people down. No Big Bill Broonzy on BBC for us. Boy I wish! No money in it. But everything I learned from Michael's beautiful library became the building blocks for anything good I've done since. Guys like this are priceless. If you find one, follow him, or her. Get the knowledge.
Once in secondary school in the 60's some class clowns dressed up the tallest guy in school in a trench coat, shades and a fedora and rushed him in to a school dance with great hubbub proclaiming "Del Shannon is here, Del Shannon is here." And until they got to the stage we all believed them, because nobody knew what Del Shannon looked like. He was just a voice on some great records. He had no social ID. By the early 60's that had really changed with the invasion of The Beatles and The Stones. This time TV was added to the mix and print media too. So you knew who they were, or so you thought anyway. I'm mentioning this because the best way to survive the death or change of an industry is to transcend its form. You're better off with an identity of your own or maybe a few of them. Something special.
It is my own personal view having lived through it that in America The Beatles replaced our assassinated president Kennedy, who represented our hopes for a certain kind of society. Didn’t get there. And The Stones replaced our assassinated folk music which our own leaders suppressed for cultural, racial, and financial reasons. It wasn't okay with everybody to be Kennedy or Muddy Waters, but those messages could be accepted if they came through white entertainers from the parent culture. That's why they’re still around.
Years later I had the impression that Apple, the corporation, had successfully co-opted the good feelings that the average American felt about the culture of the Beatles, by kind of stealing the name of their company so I bought a little stock. Good move. 1992. Woo! But look, everybody is subject to the rip off and has to change affiliations from time to time. Even Superman and Barbie were German before America tempted them to come over. Tough luck, Nietzche.
So who owns what anyway. Or as Bob Dylan said "The relationships of ownership." That’s gates of Eden. Nobody knows for long, especially these days. Apparently when BBC radio was founded, the record companies in England wouldn't allow the BBC to play their master recordings because they thought no one would buy them for their personal use if they could hear them free on the radio. So they were really confused about what they had. They didn’t get it. And how people feel about music. ‘Cause it’s a feel thing, and it resists logic. It’s not binary code. Later when CD's came in, the retail merchants in American all panicked because they were just too damn tiny and they thought that Americans want something that looks big, like a vinyl record. Well they had a point but their solution was a kind of Frankenstein called "The Long Box." It didn't fool anybody because half of it was empty. It had a little CD in the bottom. You’d open it up and it was empty. Now we have people in the Sahara using GPS to bury huge wads of Euros under sand dunes for safe keeping. But GPS was created for military spying from the high ground, not radical banking so any sophisticated system, along with the bounty it brings, is subject to primitive hijacking.
I wanna talk about a type of entrepreneur who functions as a kind of popular music patron of the arts. It’s good to know a patron. I call him El Padron because his relationship to the artist is essentially feudal, though benign. He or she (La Padrona) if you will, is someone, usually the product of successful, enlightened parents, who owns a record company, but has had benefit of a very good education, and can see a bigger picture than a petty business person. If they like an artists’ style and it suits them, they'll support you even if you’re not a big money spinner. I can tell you, some of these powerful guys get so bored that if you are fun in the office, you’ll go places. Their ancestors, the old time record crooks just made it their business to make great, great records, but also to rip off the artist 100%, copyright, publishing, royalty splits, agency fees, you name it. If anyone complained the line was "Pay you? We worship you!" God bless Bo Diddley.
By the time I came along, there was a new brand of Padron. People like this are still around and some can help you. One was named Jack Holzman. Jack had a beautiful label called Elektra Records, they put out Judy Collins, Tim Buckley, the Doors and Love. He'd started working in his family record store, like Brian Epstein. He dressed mod and he treated us very gently. He was a civilized man. He obviously loved the arts, but what he really wanted to do was build his business - and he did. He had his own concerns, and style, and you had to serve them, and of course when he sold out, as all indies do, you were stranded culturally in the hands of a cold clumsy conglomerate. But he put us in the right studios with the right producers and he tried to get us seen in the right venues and it really helped. This is a good example of the industry.
Another good guy I met is Sir Richard Branson. I ended up serving my full term at Virgin Records having been removed from every other label. And he created a superior culture there. People were happier and nicer than the weasels at some other places. The first time he tried to sign me it didn't work out, because I had my sights set on A&M, a company I thought would help make me respectable. After all they had Sting! Richard was secretly starting his own company at the time in the US and he phoned me in my tiny flat with no furniture. He said he'd give me a longer term deal with more dough than the other guys and he was very, very polite and soft spoken. But I had just smoked a joint that day and I couldn't make a decision. So I went with the other guys who soon got sick of me. Virgin picked me up again later on the rebound. And on the cheap. Damn. My own fault.
Another kind of indie legend who is slightly more contemporary is Long Gone John of the label Sympathy for the Record Industry. Good name. John is famous with some artists for his disinterest in paying royalties. He has a very interesting music themed folk art collection – its visible online - which includes my leather jacket. I wish he'd give it back. There are lots of indie people with a gift for organization who just kind of collect freaks and throw them up at the wall to see who sticks. You gotta watch 'em.
When you go a step down creatively from the Padrons who are actually entrepreneurs you get to the executives. You don't wanna know these guys. They usually came over from legal or accounting. They have protégés usually called A&R men to do their dirty work. You can become a favorite with them if your fame or image might reflect limelight on their career. They tend to have no personalities to speak of, which is their strength. Strangely they're never really thinking about the good of their parent company as much as old number one. Avoid them. If you’re an artist, they’ll make you sick or suicidal. The only good thing the conglomerate can do for you – and they’ve done it recently for me - is make you really, really ubiquitous. They do that well. But, when the company is your banker, then you are basically gonna be the Beverly Hill Billies. So it's best not to take their money. Especially when you’re young. These are very tough people, and they can hurt you.
So who are the good guys?! They asked me when they read this thing at BBC 6 Music. Well there are lots of them. If fact, today there are more than ever and they are just about all indies, but first I want to mention Peter Gabriel and WOMAD for everything they've done for what seems like forever to help the greatest musicians in the world, the so called world musicians to gain a foothold and make a living in the modern screwed up cash and carry world. Traditional music was never a for profit enterprise, all the best forms were developed as a kind of you’re job in the community. It was pretty good, it was “Yeah, I’m a musician, I’m gonna skip like doing the dishes or taking the trash out.” It's not surprising that all the greatest singers and players come from parts of the world where everybody is broke and the old ways are getting paved over. So it's crucial for everyone that these treasures not be lost. There are other people of means and intelligence who help others in this way like Philip Glass through Tibet House, David Burn with Luaka Bop, Damon Albarn through Honest John Records. Shout out to Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Almost all the best music is coming out on indies today like XL Matador, Burger, Anti, Epitaph, Mute, Rough Trade, 4 A D, Sub Pop, etc. etc.
But now YouTube is trying to put the squeeze on these people because it's just easier for a power nerd to negotiate with a couple big labels who own the kind of music that people listen to when they're really not that into music, which of course is most people. So they've got the numbers. But the indies kind of have the guns. I've noticed that indies are showing strength at some of the established streaming services like Spotify and Rhapsody – people are choosing that music. And it's also great that some people are starting their own outlets, like Pledge Music, Band Camp or Drip. As the commercial trade swings more into general show biz the indies will be the only place to go for new talent, outside the Mickey Mouse Club, so I think they were right to band together and sign the Fair Digital Deals Declaration.
There are just so many ways to screw an artist that it's unbelievable. In the old vinyl days they would deduct 10% "breakage fees" for records supposedly broken in shipping, whether that happened or not, and now they have unattributed digital revenue, whatever the **** that means. It means money for some guy’s triple bypass. I actually think that what Thom Yorke has done with Bit Torrent is very good. I was gonna say here: “Sure the guy is a pirate at Bit Torrent” but I was warned legally, so I’ll say: “Sure the guy a Bit Torrent is a pirate’s friend” But all pirates want to go legit, just like I wanted to be respectable. It’s normal. After a while people feel like you’re a crook, it’s too hard to do business. So it’s good in this case that Thom Yorke is encouraging a positive change. The music is good. It’s being offered at a low price direct to people who care.
I want to try to define what I am talking about when I say free. For me in the arts or in the media, there are two kinds of free. One kind of free is when the process is something that people just feel for you. You feel a sense of possibility. You feel a lack of constraint. This leads to powerful, energetic, sometimes kind of loony situations.
Vice Media is an interesting case of this because they started as a free handout, using public funds, and they had open, free-wheeling minds. Originally a free handout was called Voice and these kids were like “Just get rid of the old! I don’t wanna be Vice, yeah!” Okay. By taking an immersive approach with no particular preconceptions to their reporting, they've become a huge success, also through corporate advertising, at attracting big, big money investment hundreds of millions of dollars now pumped into Fox Media and a couple of others bigger than that in the US. And they get it because they attract lots of little boy eyeballs. So they brought us Dennis Rodman in North Korea. And it’s kind of a travesty, but it’s kind of spunky. It's interesting that capital investment, for all its posturing, never really leads, it always follows. They follow the action. So if it's money you're after, be the yourself in a consistent way and you might get it. You’ll at least end up getting what you are worth and feel better. Just follow your nose.
The second kind of freedom to me that is important in the media is the idea of giving freely. When you feel or sense that someone that someone is giving you something not out of profit, but out of self-respect, Christian charity, whatever it is. That has a very powerful energy. The Guardian, in my understanding, was founded by an endowment by a successful man with a social conscience who wanted to help create a voice for what I would call the little guy. So they have a kind of moral mission or imperative. This has given them the latitude to try to be interesting, thoughtful, helpful. And they bring Edward Snowden to the world stage. Something that is not pleasant for a lot of people to hear about, but we need to know.
These two approaches couldn't be more different. To justify their new mega bucks Vice will have to expand and expand in capital terms. Presumably they'll have to titillate a dumb, but energetic audience. Of course all capitalist expansions are subject to the big bang – balloon, bust, poof, and you’re gone. As for the Guardian I would imagine that the task involves gaining the trust and support of a more discerning, less definable reader, without spending the principal. There is usually an antipathy between cultural poles, but these two actually have a lot in common in terms of the energy and nuisance to power that they are willing to generate. I wish red and blue could come together somehow.
Sometimes I'd rather read than listen to music. One of my favourite odd books is Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry by Clinton Heylin. I bought the book in the 90's because a couple of my bootlegs were mentioned. I loved my bootlegs. They did a lot for me. I never really thought about the dough much. I liked the titles, like Suck on This, Stow Away DOA or Metalic KO. The packaging was always way more creative and edgy than most of my official stuff. So I just liked being seen and heard, like anybody else. These bootleggers were creative. Here are two quotes from the dust jacket by veteran industry stalwarts on the subject of bootlegs in 1994.
"Bootleg is the thoroughly researched and highly entertaining tale of those colorful brigands, hapless amateurs, and true believers who have done wonders for my record collection. Rock and roll doesn't get more underground than this." – that was David Fricke, the music editor of Rolling Stone "I think that bootlegs keep the flame of the music alive by keeping it out of not only the industry's conception of the artist, but also the artist's conception of the artist." – that was Lenny Kaye from the Patti Smith group, musician, critic and my friend.
Wow!! Sounds heroic and vital!
I wonder what these guys feel about all of this now, because things have changed, haven't they? We are now talking about Megaupload, Kim Dot Com, big money, political power, and varying definitions of theft that are legally way over my head. But I know a con man when I see one. I want to include a rant from an early bootlegger in this discussion because it's so passionate and I just think it's funny.
This is Lou Cohan "If anybody thinks that if I have purchased every single Rolling Stones album in existence, and I have bought all the Rolling Stones albums that have been released in England, France, Japan, Italy, and Brazil that if I have an extra $100 in my pocket instead of buying a Rolling Stones bootleg I am going to buy a John Denver album or a Sinead O'Conner album, they are retarded."
So the guy is trying to say don't try to force me. And don't steal my choice. And the people who don't want the free U2 download are trying to say, don't try to force me. And they've got a point. Part of the process when you buy something from an artist. It’s a kind of anointing, you are giving people love. It’s your choice to give or withhold. You are giving a lot of yourself, besides the money. But in this particular case, without the convention, maybe some people felt like they were robbed of that chance and they have a point. It’s not the only point. These are not bad guys. But now, everybody's a bootlegger, but not as cute, and there are people out there just stealing the stuff and saying don't try to force me to pay. And that act of thieving will become a habit and that’s bad for everything. So we are exchanging the corporate rip off for the public one. Aided by power nerds. Kind of computer Putins. They just wanna get rich and powerful. And now the biggest bands are charging insane ticket prices or giving away music before it can flop, in an effort to stay huge. And there's something in this huge thing that kind of sucks.
Which brings us to Punk. The most punk thing I ever saw in my life was Malcolm McLaren's cardboard box full of dirty old winkle pinkers. It was the first thing I saw walking in the door of Let It Rock in 1972 which was his shop at Worlds End on the Kings Road. It was a huge ugly cardboard bin full of mismatched unpolished dried out winkle pickers without laces at some crazy price like maybe five pounds each. Another 200 yards up the street was Granny Takes a Trip, where they sold proper Rockstar clothes like scarves, velvet jackets, and snake skin platform boy boots. Malcolm's obviously worthless box of shit was like a fire bomb against the status quo because it was saying that these violent shoes have the right idea and they are worth more than your fashion, which serves a false value. This is right out of the French enlightenment.
So is the thieving that big a deal? Ethically, yes, and it destroys people because it's a bad road you take. But I don't think that's the biggest problem for the music biz. I think people are just a little bit bored, and more than a little bit broke. No money. Especially simple working people who have been totally left out, screwed and abandoned. If I had to depend on what I actually get from sales I’d be tending bars between sets. I mean honestly it’s become a patronage system. There’s a lot of corps involved and I don’t fault any of them but it’s not as much fun as playing at the Music Machine in Camden Town in 1977. There is a general atmosphere of resentment, pressure, kind of strange perpetual war, dripping on all the time. And I think that prosecuting some college kid because she shared a file is a lot like sending somebody to Australia 200 years ago for poaching his lordship's rabbit. That's how it must seem to poor people who just want to watch a crappy movie for free after they’ve been working themselves to death all day at Tesco or whatever, you know.
If I wanna make music, at this point in my life I'd rather do what I want, and do it for free, which I do, or cheap, if I can afford to. I can. And fund through alternative means, like a film budget, or a fashion website, both of which I've done. Those seem to be turning out better for me than the official rock n roll company albums I struggle through. Sorry. If I wanna make money, well how about selling car insurance? At least I'm honest. It's an ad and that's all it is. Every free media platform I've ever known has been a front for advertising or propaganda or both. And it always colors the content. In other words, you hear crap on the commercial radio. The licensing of music by films, corps, and TV has become a flood, because these people know they're not a hell of a lot of fun so they throw in some music that is. I'm all for that, because that's the way the door opened for me. I got heard on tv before radio would take a chance. But then I was ok. Good. And others too. I notice there are a lot of people, younger and younger, getting their exposure that way. But it's a personal choice. I think it’s an aesthetic one, not an ethical one.
Now with the Internet people can choose to hear stuff and investigate it in their own way. If they want to see me jump around the Manchester Apollo with a horse tail instead of trying to be a proper Rockstar, they can look. Good. Personally I don't worry too much about how much I get paid for any given thing, because I never expected much in the first place and the whole industry has become bloated in its expectations. Look, Howling Wolf would work for a sandwich. This whole thing started in Honky Tonk bars. It's more important to do something important or just make people feel something and then just trust in God. If you're an entertainer your God is the public. They'll take care of you somehow. I want them to hear my music any old which way. Period. There is an unseen hand that turns the pages of existence in ways no one can predict. But while you’re waiting for God to show up and try to find a good entertainment lawyer.
It's good to remember that this is a dream job, whether you're performing or working in broadcasting, or writing or the biz. So dream. Dream. Be generous, don’t be stingy. Please. I can't help but note that it always seems to be the pursuit of the money that coincides with the great art, but not its arrival. It's just kind of a death agent. It kills everything that fails to reflect its own image, so your home turns into money, your friends turn into money, and your music turns into money. No fun, binary code – zero one, zero one - no risk, no nothing. What you gotta do you gotta do, life's a hurly-burly, so I would say try hard to diversify your skills and interests. Stay away from drugs and talent judges. Get organized. Big or little, that helps a lot.
I'd like you to do better than I did. Keep your dreams out of the stinky business, or you'll go crazy, and the money won't help you. Be careful to maintain a spiritual EXIT. Don't live by this game because it's not worth dying for. Hang onto your hopes. You know what they are. They’re private. Because that's who you really are and if you can hang around long enough you should get paid. I hope it makes you happy. It's the ending that counts, and the best things in life really are free.
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
‘El amante bilingüe’: La Barcelona mestiza
El amante bilingüe de Juan Marsé (1933–2020) se inscribe en la mejor tradición de las historias sobre locos enamorados. Situada en la Barcelona de los años 80, la novela traza un retrato de la dualidad lingüística y cultural de la sociedad catalana a través del delirio de Juan Marés por recuperar a su esposa Norma. Diez años después de la ruptura, Marés vaga todavía por Barcelona siguiendo su rastro, casi convertido en un vagabundo. Se gana la vida tocando el acordeón en la calle, donde alterna con otros artistas callejeros, tullidos y borrachos. ‘Fill natural de Pau Casal busca una oportunidad’, reza uno de los carteles con los que persigue atraer la atención de su público.
Hija de una insigne familia de la burguesía catalana, Norma Valentí es sociolingüista y trabaja en la Dirección General de Política Lingüística de la Generalitat. La torre modernista de los Valentí en la avenida Mare de Déu de Montserrat de Barcelona, en el barrio del Guinardó, se erige en los recuerdos infantiles del Marés niño como símbolo de lo inalcanzable. Lo mismo es Norma para él: el sueño de la reconquista de un imposible que se convierte en obsesión, y en la que la aspiración y el autorrechazo se mezclan en una historia que, sin llegar a ser sórdida, ahonda en bajos fondos –morales y urbanos– con gran audacia narrativa.
El edificio Walden 7, diseñado por Ricard Bofill, en Sant Just Desvern.
Con el objetivo de reconquistar a Norma, Marés se embarca en una esquizofrénica búsqueda de una nueva identidad. En las soledades del piso conyugal en Walden 7, al que Norma nunca más ha vuelto, empieza a fraguarse el perfil del murciano burlesco en el que Marés va a convertirse: se trata de Faneca, personaje rescatado de sus recuerdos de infancia en el barrio de Horta, y que con labia y salero poco a poco va parasitando la psique de Marés. La elección de la nueva personalidad no es casual. Marés sabe de la predilección de Norma por los llamados charnegos, pese a la abierta repulsión que expresa ante ellos su círculo más cercano. Lo sabe, porque lo que precipitó su ruptura fue una aventura con un murciano limpiabotas. Eso, si cabe, apuntala todavía más los complejos de Marés, aprendiz de todo y maestro de nada, que tan bien cuajan en la fachada estereotipada de charnego detrás de la que se resguarda. Esa identidad, sin embargo, tampoco es la suya. ¿Cuál es la identidad de Juan Marés? Hijo del ilusionista Fu-Ching y de una cantante de ópera alcohólica, de él se conoce que fue actor y es ahora músico, sin que en su vida pueda separarse el hombre del disfraz. Reza la cita de Antonio Machado que encabeza El amante bilingüe:
“Lo esencial caravalesco no es ponerse la careta, sino quitarse la cara”
Según detalla Josep María Cuenca en la biografía de Juan Marsé Mientras llega la felicidad, el autor se inspiró en la historia del poeta barcelonés Lluís Claramunt para crear el personaje de Juan Marés. Hijo de una familia acomodada del Eixample, Claramunt huyó de casa y empezó a acercarse a la cultura gitana. Cambió su aspecto y su habla, según narran varios testigos que lo conocieron durante su época de estudiante en el Liceo Francés de Barcelona y después, cuando compaginaba sus escarceos artísticos con un negocio de venta ambulante y peleas de gallos en La Mina, entre otros periplos. Marsé conoció su historia a través de un amiga común, la psiquiatra Rosa Sender (sobrina, además, de Ramon J.Sender). Marsé creyó que Sender narraba la historia de uno de sus pacientes.
Amor o supervivencia
El retrato de Marés del elitismo de cierta clase social y cultural catalana es desde luego mordaz, y difícilmente imaginable fuera del contexto socio-cultural entre los años 80 y 90. La repulsión a lo castellano, por pobre, forma parte del imaginario cultural del purismo catalán que Marsé censura con sorna e ironía. La carambola erótica de esa repulsión en Norma confirma cuán fácilmente saboteables son los prejuicios de los aguerridos defensores de ese purismo. Norma es, de hecho, perversa en un sentido lacaniano. Goza transgrediendo el pudor, sintomatizador del asco y la vergüenza según Lacan.
Por oposición, El amante bilingüe canta al mestizaje (más que a la dualidad, como a menudo se ha escrito), al cruce desacomplejado de lo catalán y lo castellano por amor o por supervivencia –ambas comparten más cosas de lo que podría conceder una mirada escéptica–. La gran lección de la novela es que la identidad es un constructo, que además es fácilmente construible. La historia de Marés, que es a priori la de un esquizofrénico, reta al lector a descubrir los caminos de una mente desdoblada y preguntarse, a fin de cuentas, cuánto importa la realidad halla y cuanto la realidad construida. El ‘amante bilingüe’ tiende puentes entre ambas que Marsé defiende –a través de Marés y Faneca– en una desacomplejada ofensiva contra la dictadura de lo snob.
Además, la novela ofrece una lectura abundante en complicidades para los lectores que conozcan y se reconozcan en los barrios de Barcelona. El relato asume en sus vívidas escenas en la ciudad el imaginario de sus barrios, desde las realidades marginales del Raval hasta la profunda huella cultural y social de la inmigración de los años 50 en Horta y Nou Barris. Quedan también retratadas las aspiraciones de una elite cultural que es reaccionaria creyéndose progresista. Su buque insignia es el Walden 7 en Sant Just Desvern, edificio venido a menos que vino a representar las aspiraciones de un futuro que se cae a pedazos que dejan huecos donde anida lo vulgar, para decepción de quienes proyectaron para él tal vez algo más excepcional.
Frente a ello, El amante bilingüe erige una mente mestiza como única forma de sobrevivir en una ciudad que también es mestiza.
Otras reseñas en Crónicas del Holoceno Blanco.
#narrativa#juan marsé#el amante bilingüe#mestizaje#barcelona#literatura#cultura#novela#español#reseña#crítica literaria#reseña literaria
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
hi! here is the spotify link for my Trollhunters playlist in which i chose one song to represent each episode, listed in order:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mdB5Vss7D0jAAS2S1sbPP?si=RGdbyHgvQY6PUCM_djbRYQ
full list of why i chose each song + some disclaimers under the cut (very long)
first off: it’s named pretty inconspicuously because this is my personal spotify and i didn’t want my friends figuring out what it was
okay so i’m a musician and i love the use of music in media, so i will often draw connections between how i feel listening to a song and how i feel watching a film or tv show
as a result, i’ve compiled a playlist and an explanation for 52 songs (one to represent each episode of Trollhunters). it’s in order but you could also just shuffle it for a generalized Trollhunters vibes playlist
one final thing: this is by no means a definitive list, and it is heavily biassed because of my taste in music which means it is mostly alternative or indie pop and rock music (there are also a few explicit songs, just a warning) so just to put that out there
alright, here is the complete list of why i chose each song:
Becoming: Part 1
Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
Nothing too specific, it just gives off the vibes of morning, a small town, and the start of something big. I think the lyrics work a bit too but the sound and energy are perfect in terms of cinematic elements so full send on this one.
Becoming: Part 2
Could Have Been Me - The Struts
Chances are, you know this song if you’re a tik tok cosplayer or have seen any video of that sort. This choice felt right in terms of both lyrics and the music itself. It’s very hopeful and it talks about wanting to make something of oneself. I tend to associate this song with Percy Jackson and there are some parallels there. Kind of a modern-day heroism feel, which is definitely fitting for this show and the episode specifically.
Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter?
I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers
This episode seems to me like more basic exposition and is just setting up the first arc of the story, so I chose this song not completely for the lyrics (although I do think they fit for Jlaire in terms of Claire and Jim’s interaction but I’m trying my best not to focus too much on them). I think the sound and energy is pretty good for this song, and if you strip the song to its most simple interpretation, it’s clearly about wanting to improve.
Gnome Your Enemy
I’m Just a Kid - Simple Plan
Ha-okay this choice is a bit of a joke because of the angst but honestly I do think it fits for the gang’s first mission and Jim’s attitude and reluctance towards trollhunting in general.
Waka Chaka!
Killer Queen - Queen
Yeah this is mainly for Nomura and her introduction. Not much thought went into this choice but as I make this list I’m finding that episodes that I choose a song for often end up with a song for a character that’s featured (dw there’s not too many of these).
Win Lose or Draal
Centuries - Fall Out Boy
Jim’s first real fight; showing off everything he’s learned so far. Being a moral person and not ‘finishing the fight.’ A hero in the making.
To Catch a Changeling
Brother - Kodaline
So I think this song could definitely be used to represent Jim and Toby, but I wanted to take the chance to choose a song for the protective trust that Draal starts to build with Jim. Obviously this episode is much more than that, but I see that scene where Jim is reflecting Draal’s fighting moves as the unofficial start of their brother-like relationship. So yes, I did pick a song because of one small scene.
Adventures in Trollsitting
Hey There Delilah - Plain White T’s
This one is a bit of a joke but Jim is definitely simping for Claire in this episode by volunteering to babysit so I have chosen a song to fit with that. (Also, wOw this explanation makes it VERY clear I’m gen z).
Bittersweet Sixteen
100 Bad Days - AJR
Lyrics specifically fit here. Yes, a lot goes wrong in this episode, but the relationships are strengthened (Blinky and Jim) and it’s sweet in the end.
Young Atlas
Number One Fan - MUNA
Not gonna lie, I wanted to sucker punch Jim in this episode. This song choice is kind of satirical but really just for being confident and self-assured. Lyrics fit for the chorus and parts of the verses.
Recipe for Disaster
Carmen, Suite No. 2: VIII. Habanera - Saint Petersburg Orchestra of the State Hermitage Museum Camerata
Wow that’s a long title. Okay this is the only choice that has no lyrics/is classical on this list, but that is mainly because I chose it specifically for Strickler because he seems like a classical music kind of guy (maybe it’s a changeling thing @ Nomura). Also this is a pretty recognizable piece (in my opinion) and I also think it would sound pretty epic and would make for some great cinematic effects if played during the fight in this episode.
Claire and Present Danger
Seashore - The Regrettes
Originally, I was going to go with a song that fit the heroism arc in this episode but! I focus on Jim a lot in this playlist. Instead, this song is a choice for Claire and where she is in the story (finally being brought into the action). I’ve always loved her for being feminine and badass at the same time, so this song is somewhat a choice as an anthem for her (especially her being so headstrong and determined).
The Battle of Two Bridges
Young Volcanoes - Fall Out Boy
Teenage recklessness and power. Reminds me of adventures and young adulthood, plus the whole modern heroism again. I think this song also correlated with a high-stakes battle which is exactly what happened in this episode. Plus? How sick would it be if there was a fight and the strikes and dodges were coordinated with the beats in this song??
Return of the Trollhunter
Kids in America - Kim Wilde
More for the vibes in the beginning when it feels like it really should have been a new season. I think the lyrics fit pretty well here too. Fits with Claire joining the team and the heroes starting to come into their own.
Mudslinging
What’s Up Danger (With Black Caviar) - Blackway
This one was fully for Angor Rot and his first real introduction. He’s presented as an obvious and looming threat. While this song’s lyrics fit more with the more badass side of modern heroism (connects to Jim showing off his skills), I think the sounds fit with Angor and how he has begun to raise the stakes. This also may be a result of me associating this song with teenage heroes since it’s from the Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse soundtrack.
Roaming Fees May Apply
Welcome to the Jungle - Guns ‘n’ Roses
What can I say? The gang finds themselves in an unpredictable situation. It’s an adventurous episode to say the least. I feel like this song is used for action movies somewhat often so I’m throwing it in for this episode.
Blinky’s Day Out
Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
This is almost completely a comedic choice. Barely any thought went into this one, and the lyrics have nothing to do with it. It is purely for the good vibes that always accompany this song because I feel like Blinky’s time on the surface was (at least initially) a “good vibes” situation. The apparent simplicity of being human can feel that way.
The Shattered King
Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
I’m using this episode to focus on Toby. Although there’s not much character development in this episode specifically, I think Toby deserves a better arc and I do want to give him at least one song. While I think there’s a lot more to Toby than he lets on or that which is shown in the show, he’s often used for humor and is basically the stereotypical funloving best friend. He seems like he’d enjoy a feel-good, upbeat, “classic” song, and there’s silly dancing in this episode so danceable song! (Also if the show were more accurate to today’s teens, I wholeheartedly believe Toby would be a meme-lover).
Airheads
Little League - Conan Gray
I absolutely love the simplicity of this episode, even if it’s just filler, but I have indeed found a way to make it angsty. This song choice is fully for the lyrics (though the sound isn’t completely wrong for the feel of the episode). I think this show gets progressively more emotional throughout the seasons, and, at this point, the kids are competing for Spring Fling nominations while Toby and Claire deal with a ridiculous problem. Something about this episode just seems to represent naiveté and this song talks about longing to return to childhood and innocence.
Where Is My Mind?
Hotel California - Eagles
Seeing as the obvious choice might have been Where Is My Mind? by Pixies, I tried to branch out here. This episode is honestly eerie because the characters face their worst fears but never discuss them or understand why/how it happened. For me, the vibe was a sort of mellow rock song and a dreamlike state. Thus: Hotel California. If I think about it enough, the lyrics work because of the sort of ominous false sense of security that I imagine using this song for in a story. Ultimately though, it’s the sound and energy.
Party Monster
Candy - Robbie Williams
This is solely for the vibes just because it feels like a party song to me for some reason. Sorry I didn’t put much thought into this one. Also though? This song and its lyrics low-key remind me of Mary and this is one of the few episodes in which she was featured somewhat prominently.
It’s About Time
Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
Definitely not for the lyrics, I think it’s just the sound and the energy almost completely for this song. For me, it just seems very high-energy and almost tense because of a fast heartbeat? I can just imagine this song playing as Jim is racing through town as quickly as possible. It’s a bit stress-inducing, honestly.
Wingmen
Victorious - Panic! At the Disco
High energy, but this is more of a simplistic choice to go with the fight scene and the progress we see from Jim as far as his training goes.
Angor Management
Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
I chose this song as a representation of the dynamic that we see starting to form between Strickler and Jim. They’ve become unlikely teammates and Strickler is obviously a guiding figure for Jim, but I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a father figure yet? Lyrics play into this choice a lot.
A Night to Remember
Just Like A Movie - Wallows
Specific to the dance scene. Nighttime lit up by emotion; bright kind of vibe. I thought about some other songs like Don’t Take the Money and Reckless Love (both by Bleachers), also Electric Love by BØRNS (didn’t choose that because I don’t really want to support BØRNS but I won’t get too into that). Ultimately, I think this one works best both with lyrics and overall sound. I’m a sucker for Jlaire so I had to focus on this part of the episode and how cute it was (sorry (not really tho)).
Something Rotten This Way Comes
Lessons - mxmtoon
Thinking about what you’ve learned and how to move forward in the present. Correlates more with where the story is at in this season finale, not as much with what exactly happens in the episode. Definitely a choice made for the lyrics (although Jim probably should have listened to the part about patience).
Escape from the Darklands
Hero - Weezer
Any upbeat, modern rock music for me always seems to fit the vibe for teenage heroes. I think the lyrics hit the nail on the head for characterizing Jim in this episode. He feels a huge responsibility and fear, and isn’t sure he can live up to it. Also I love him but going into the darklands alone? Not the smartest.
Skullcrusher
Off She Goes - Bad Suns
For Claire and her development in this episode. The emotion she has to use and how she pushes herself. The vibes are there but the lyrics in the chorus are what mainly influenced this choice.
Grand Theft Otto
Weightless - All Time Low
Not too sure about the sound with this one but I like the lyrics here for the dual plot of the episode. I think the whole thing with having a hard time and struggling but also not giving up hope resonates pretty generally with the trollhunters, but also specifically with Jim in the darklands and Claire and Toby (& Blinky) getting stuff done because they’re determined to save both Jim and AAARRRGGHH!!!
KanjigAAARRRGGHH!!!
Highway to Hell - AC/DC
This one is kind of a joke but kind of not. Seeing as this is the episode that the rest of the group goes to the *Darklands* to save Jim, I think the lyrics unironically fit in a humorous way. Can’t go wrong with classic rock either. (Can you tell I was struggling with this one?)
Homecoming
Life on Mars? - David Bowie
Okay, this is kind of just an excuse for me to throw this song in here, but it reminds me of a ragtag team of heroes who don’t necessarily win but live to see another day (probably because of this song’s feature in American Horror Story: Freak Show). Lyrics not so much throughout the song as a whole, but the vibes are definitely there in the chorus. A joke song that came to mind for this (for obvious reasons) was My Boyfriend’s Back by The Angels.
Hiss Hiss, Bang Bang
Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year - Fall Out Boy
Mostly for the vibes, correlates with the energy that Jim has after finally coming home. Also, lyrics fit pretty well here.
Hero with a Thousand Faces
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants
I was searching for so long to find a song to match the chaos and hilarity of this episode (idc if it’s filler I love it so much), and realized only something just as obscure would work. The song and the episode have virtually nothing in common other than they are both ridiculous and I love them for it (sorry if that’s disappointing but hey). Also ever since I saw The Umbrella Academy use this for a fight scene I’ve loved the idea of this song in shows/movies with heroes so maybe this could fit with when Jim fought Hunter!Jim.
Just Add Water
The Kids Aren’t Alright - Fall Out Boy
I love this episode for the irony of the flour baby assignment. The main group is just dealing with so much more than health class homework at this point and yet they still take it so seriously. I chose this song partially because I really wanted to fit it in this list somewhere but I also think it correlates with the characters being so heavily involved in this dangerous, heroic life and still flying mostly under the radar in their small town. They’re going through a lot yet no one seems to notice.
Creepslayerz
I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
This one is for the eagerness that Eli and Steve have to fight the ‘bad guys.’ They’re excited to form a team and I think their dynamic works with this. Also I love their dynamic so much we need more of them.
The Reckless Club
I Was a Teenage Teenager - Green Day.
Really just a fun loving song about kids being kids. Considered Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds as a Breakfast Club reference but figured I’d try not to make it too easy.
Unbecoming
Generation Why - Conan Gray
Correlates with ordinary life, lack of adventure and wanting something more (both sound and lyrics).
Mistrial and Error
Run Boy Run - Woodkid
Purely for the scene in The Deep where Jim fights his greatest fear. The lyrics are perfect and I could absolutely see this song playing as Jim faces The Deep.
In the Hall of the Gumm-Gumm King
Revolution Radio - Green Day
I think high energy fights + the neon color palette and destruction in Trollmarket fit perfectly with the energy and sound of this song. Obviously also the epic portal escape at the end. I didn’t want to use Children of the Sun by Thomas Bergensen (although that’s a super good song and the instrumental version, None Shall Live, is used in the episode) and thought this one’s lyrics fit well with the team’s resistance/rebellion and renegade status.
A Night Patroll
Next Up Forever - AJR
This is not particularly chosen for the lyrics, but I do think they fit more or less. Correlates with this being the start of season 3, the tension is getting thicker and the stakes are rising. The vibe here is not necessarily being ready to take on responsibilities you know you have to, and being nervous to do so. (I am definitely focusing on Jim a bit much here, but the show is too).
Arcadia’s Most Wanted
Young and Menace - Fall Out Boy
Although the team has been acting as heroes for a while, this is their first time defeating regular crime - the first few phrases of lyrics fit with that the most. Figured it goes with underestimating teenagers. Also I’m noticing while editing that there is a ton of Fall Out Boy in this playlist.
Bad Coffee
The Reckless and the Brave - All Time Low
I chose this one for one of my favorite team-up dynamics: Jim, Toby, Steve, and Eli. The energy and the lyrics in this song I just think are perfect for this group and I think could also correlate with the whole grave sand training thing Jim did in the beginning (‘reckless’ & ‘brave’).
So I’m Dating a Sorceress
Love is Dead and We Killed Her - Doll Skin
Purely for Morgana’s raw badass energy. That’s it, that’s the explanation.
The Exorcism of Claire Nuñez
Rubi - Doll Skin
Specific to Claire, could also be seen as her possession but leans more into her own personal power. Lyrics are definitely important but I think the sound also fits Claire's character.
Parental Guidance
The Times They Are A-Changin’ - Bob Dylan
Not for the energy at all because I can’t really pinpoint that but! lyrics are important here and (even though I think it’s self-explanatory) represent the parents’ reactions.
The Oath
The Ghost of You - My Chemical Romance
The lyrics for this one definitely work - about pain and grief but also moving through it. Definitely chose this one for Draal but his death was the main event of the episode so that feels justified. I think the sound is a bit intense for the energy of this episode but I’m really pushing the angst and sorrow with this one. At least I didn’t use Another One Bites The Dust by Queen >:).
For the Glory of Merlin
Yesterday - The Beatles
This one is a bit of a stretch and it was difficult to choose for a while but I personally see Merlin as a morally gray character (although i wasn’t a fan of how he talked to Claire and manipulated Jim but anyway) and I think he’s got a very complicated past. He mentioned that he used to have a pure heart and I found that very interesting so this song is an ode to who he possibly used to be with its lyrics. Also they literally step back into a frozen moment in this episode in time so this felt fitting.
In Good Hands
California Friends - The Regrettes
More for the sweet relationship building that this episode does, and the potential of a closer friendship (the kind we see in D’aja Vu in 3Below). This song is arguably more about romantic love but I think it could work with platonic. (Also Arcadia is literally in California and we need a sunshiny song amidst all the angst in this season).
A House Divided
Ribs - Lorde
Ha-yeah, sorry guys but I had to do it. Quite obviously specific to the bathroom scene and especially the montage right when Jim steps into the tub, about loss of childhood and memories, growing up. I think a lot of people know and have cried to this song, much like a lot of us cried watching this episode.
Jimhunters
Untitled - mxmtoon
Slowly growing up, having to deal with changing relationships. Dealing with hardships while lonely is clearly a big part of most of this episode, but the song correlation breaks off a bit towards the end; the lyrics focus more on pushing through on your own while the episode talks about counting on one another in difficult times. I think it also plays into being a bit fearful of the future and having to adjust to new situations while remembering the past.
The Eternal Knight: Part 1
Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen
The vibes that go with the battle of the bands and also the onset of the fight when everything is getting more dangerous. Also the part of the battle before Jim takes on Angor Rot and Gunmar, where all the trollhunters, creepslayerz, and citizens are fighting together.
The Eternal Knight: Part 2
Time of Our Lives - Tyrone Wells
I know we’ve all heard this in fan-made edits after a series or show ends, but there’s a reason everyone uses this song. Feels like a very nice culmination, specific to parting ways with those you love after shared experiences. Really just for the last scene. This whole playlist idea came from me listening to this song in an edit and getting emotional so there’s that.
#netflix#tales of arcadia#trollhunters#wizards#toawizards#3below#jim lake jr#fandom#jim lake#claire nuñez#toby domzalski#aja tarron#krel tarron#eli pepperjack#steve palchuk#blinky#aaarrrgghh#troll!jim#troll jim#creepslayerz#blinkous galadrigal#douxie#toadouxie#hisirdoux#varvatos vex
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
Paper Pinwheels
Ramón Morales x Reader
Requested by @liberal-astronaut :I would like to ask for a ramon x reader story! I loved the interactions of reader and him in "something's got you", maybe something like that but with another story?
-Wanna send in a request? Check out the rules-
Word Count: 1,926
Note: Many apologies for literally taking two months to come out with this one! I struggled with this and made so many drafts out of it- it was ridiculous. I originally wanted to write this as a regional gothic post, but that flopped so now it’s just a fic with the eerie elements of your typical gothic post, ack.
You have been driving through the large patch of woods for hours now and nearly miss the exit for the only town that was around for miles. The town’s sign is partially covered by thick vines, making Ramón stop so that you can properly read the old sign: Owen’s Coast.
Something about it feels like a warning and you want to continue driving. Glancing at Ramón’s head on the wheel, you check the map again and spot the unmarked tiny black dot on the paper.
“This place doesn’t even have a name on the map.” you nudge his shoulder and show him.
“It’s probably just a small town, we need to stop for gas anyway.”
You give him a concerned look, ready to argue, but his tired eyes quickly change your mind. You sigh and begin to fold the map, “Alright then.”
Taking the exit, you notice the fog grow thick the more you drive into the slim road, prompting Ramón to slow down. Soon, the trees to your right disappear and a field of dry grass pops up, allowing you to barely see the beach below. In the distance, the tall cross above a small church pops up from underneath the fog, leaving the rest of Owen’s Coast a mystery to you.
Passing the church, you notice a pack of kids running around in a playground. Through the cracked window, you hear three boys yell, “She’s got it! She’s got it!” as they all run from a giggling red faced girl. Somehow, as the whole swarm dodges and bumps into one another, everyone manages to avoid knocking over the standstill orange paper pinwheels sticking up from the wood chips. Not a single pinwheel is disturbed.
Three little girls run to the sidewalk when they notice you two and wave hello, your first greeting into the sleepy town.
“Think if we invited those kids to the water, they’d go?” Ramón asks, awkwardly waving back.
“It’s chilly, we would probably get them all in trouble.”
Ramón pulls into the gas station and the two of you hop out. As you stretch your legs, the three girls from the playground approach the car, already asking a million questions.
“Where ya from?”
“Is he your boyfriend? He’s pretty, what’s his name?”
“Can you play with us?”
“How old are you?”
“Can you guess what kind of rabbit we found?”
As you tried answering their questions, the smallest girl of the three tugs on Ramón’s sleeve and hands him one of the playground pinwheels, “Here, you can keep this. It’s for good luck, so you won’t get lost.”
He takes it and thanks her, “So this is so I won’t get lost?”
The two other girls nod, “It’s easy to get lost in the fog.”
“At least that’s what they say-”
“Yeah, that or it’ll show you things.”
“You can find anything.”
“Right! Like that rabbit this morning!”
You ask for the girl’s names and they introduce themselves from youngest to oldest: Annie, Olivia and Sammy. Before the girls ask more questions, the squeaky door to the station opens and the girls run off at the sight of the owner, a stone-faced old man with a wooden cane.
Surprisingly, the old man lets out a laugh from under his bushy mustache and shakes his head, “Curious girls, eh?”
“Are all of them from here?” Ramón nods at the playground.
The owner glances at the playground and squints, “Ah, most of em’ are from the orphanage down the street. Think there’s about twenty of ‘em, but I stopped trying to keep track a long time ago.” he chuckles.
You look, there’s definitely more than 20 kids running around. About ten boys have broken off from the group’s game to play with a soccer ball behind an old swing set. Six girls have also quit the game and begin to walk down the middle of the street, loudly chattering about catching a new show on the tv tonight. Trailing behind them is Annie, who seems to be more preoccupied on the structure of two paper pinwheels than the group’s conversation.
Annie stops as she struggles with the loose center of one of the orange pieces and huffs loudly. Looking up in desperation, the small girl sees you leaning against the car and waves you over in excitement.
Turning to Ramón, you see him already deep in conversation with the old man about fishing boats and whatnot. You walk over to Annie, “Wanna go to the boardwalk with me?” she asks, her small hands still fidgeting with the pinwheels.
“Well, the beach looks pretty foggy today. I don’t wanna get lost or get you in trouble.”
Annie hands you one of the pinwheels, “It’s okay, I know the beach and if we keep these with us, we’ll be okay.” she smiles.
You smile and accept the pinwheel, “Alright, ten minutes, yeah?”
Annie nods and begins to walk towards the beach. Passing Ramón and the old man still in conversation, you quickly wave at him and point to the beach. He nods and watches you catch up to Annie standing beside the church.
“Ready?” she asks, already walking down the grassy hill without hesitating. You follow her careful steps, nearly slipping on mud several times and look back as the church and gas station disappear into the fog behind you.
As you get closer, you take notice of the foamy water and the lumps of dark kelp that wash onto the gritty shore below. Stepping foot into the rough grain, Annie holds her arms out as she walks delicately over the sand, imitating a circus tightrope walker. Annie’s graceful walk is interrupted when her foot meets with a plastic shovel and she picks it up. Studying the red toy closely, she turns around to present her new treasure to you, “Look at what the fog shows us now.”
“Interesting, what other things does the fog show you?”
“A whole lot, the nuns say not everything will be a gift, or something like that. I’m not sure.” Annie answers and shrugs. She tucks the toy under her arm and begins to walk towards an old boardwalk.
As you follow Annie towards the end of the deck, you notice what seems to be clumps of paper and kelp slosh against the posts below you. Kneeling down to look at the water closely, it seems as if someone had dumped a load of papers onto the beach.
You turn around to ask Annie about the odd paper, only to be faced with the white mist and the quiet creak of the boardwalk.
“Annie?!” you call out, looking behind you and around. No signs of her. You listen closely for a mischievous snicker and her black mary janes running on the wood. Still nothing.
“Annie, this isn’t funny.” you begin to panic and look around, your imagination running wild with possibilities.
Still, Annie is still nowhere to be seen. As you walk down the boardwalk, you notice her paper pinwheel and red shovel wedged between two brown slats of wood. Picking up the pinwheel and shovel, you see her pale face flash from between the gaps.
“Annie!” you call out and kneel down by the edge, pushing away the wads of wet paper. Grabbing the corner of one paper, you rip off the top half and skim the fading letters in black ink, MISSING CHILD: Richard, age twelve, last seen February 16, 1908. The ink on half of the smiling boy’s picture slowly curls into a glare, his small gaze still somewhat trained on you as you let the wet slip fall.
Feeling your heart race, you paw at the murky water again and move your hand underneath the boardwalk, hoping to reach Annie. Instead, you pull more and more papers to the surface, all stained with algae and tangled with the slippery kelp. Most missing reports are already torn or nearly reduced to nothing, their black ink swirling across the faces of long-lost kids. You feel nauseous as more faces, names, ages and contact numbers appear before you, but you continue to furiously rake through the debris.
One paper sticks to your wrist and as you pull your hand up, you’re met with Annie’s smiling face printed in the middle. Letting the paper fall on the wood, you scurry away, unable to look away from the bold MISSING CHILD above her face. Your eyes dart to the date when she was last seen, June 3, 1884.
Your heart drops, your throat tightens up and your palms grow sweaty. As you center yourself, you hear water splashing by the shoreline. “Annie?” you call out weakly, hoping she’d somehow still appear before you.
Looking at the report in front of you again, her pale face remains there, staring back at you. You stand up and walk down the boardwalk, feeling eyes- her eyes on you. You glance back at those small eyes in the paper, eyes as shiny as they were only a few minutes ago.
Clutching the orange pinwheels, you slowly walk down the boardwalk. Knee deep in the water appears Ramón, surrounded by paper, kelp, and several floating plastic toy soldiers. “Ramón,” you start, but he won’t look away from the missing reports in the water, “we need to get out of here.” you whisper.
He doesn’t seem to listen; instead, his focus remains on one particular paper. “Hey,” your voice cracks, “it’s not real, look at me.”
Ramón’s gaze continues to look over the water with tears in his eyes, still unable to listen or look at you. “Ramón, look at me.” you try again. You step down from the boardwalk and slowly walk to him.
“Why is he on there?” Ramón finally speaks up, voice hoarse and hardly audible. He nearly drops his orange pinwheel before securing his hold on it again, remembering the girls’ words.
“I don’t know why he’s there. I don’t know what any of this is, but we both know he’s not missing.” you answer him and swat at the toy soldiers that make circles around his legs. When you touch his shoulder, his dark eyes finally tear away from the water and turn to you. Immediately, you recognize the pain in his eyes.
It’s a different type of agony from the one that has settled in Ramón’s eyes over the past few weeks. What lays in his eyes now reminds you of the funeral. It was a windy day with a dull sky over an American flag, a closed casket and a mourning family reciting onto their rosaries. Mrs. Morales shaky Ave Maria’s still echo in your head, just as the pain in her prayers have been rattling inside Ramón’s chest since he left.
You stand in front of him, blocking his view of his brother’s image in the water. “It’s not him, we need to get out of here.” you whisper, holding his hand. Ramón doesn’t budge, but he doesn’t pull away either. “Ramón, you know where your brother rests now.”
This small confirmation seems to be enough for him. He wraps his arms around you and pushes his face into your shoulder. “Guess they were right about finding stuff and the lost.” he mumbles and holds you closer when he realizes the double meaning in his words.
You pull away, but you don’t dare let go of him. “We can’t let this fog lose the two of us now.” he nods at your surroundings. Agreeing with him, you gather your pinwheels and hold them between your clasped hands.
*Feedback is always appreciated!!*
#scary stories to tell in the dark#ramon morales#ramon morales x reader#ssttitd#mine#me: a flop#@ my 4 readers that actually bother with these fics... pls don't be afraid to gimme feedback#first- i know this one's bad but i still need thoughts and opinions
28 notes
·
View notes
Text
Year Zero #2
Year Zero #2
AWA Upshot Studios 2020
Written by Benjamin Percy
Illustrated by Ramon Rosanas
Coloured by Lee Loughridge
Lettered by Sal Cipriano
Ben Percy (Wolverine) and Ramon Rosanas (Star Wars: Age of Resistance) team up to present an epic tale that offers a global look at the Zombie Apocalypse. A Japanese hit-man, a Mexican street urchin, an Afghan military aide, a Polar research scientist, a mid-western American survivalist – five survivors of a horrific global epidemic who must draw upon their unique skills and deepest instincts to navigate a world of shambling dead. Year Zero wrestles with the weighty moral and theological questions posed by the pandemic and investigates its cause and possible cure.
There is a reason that I think this may be one of the new publishing houses around and it is books such as this that are the reason behind my thinking. This is crazy and I love it! It is being told in a way that makes me feel a Sense 8 kind of vibe and I am totally into that. Only these folks aren’t connected in any way shape or form other than that they are all surviving the opening days. I am super impressed with the way that Benjamin is writing this because in all honesty I wasn’t sure if this being told in vignettes was to work but I see that it can and all through should that be necessary.
That being said I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is exquisitely presented. I even like that added bonus section and while one would imagine that this is how it all starts who knows anymore what’s sleight of hand distraction and what’s the obvious truth. The character development is done in snapshots as well and it’s effective because we see bits and pieces of what makes these people survivors and it’s trait whether they realise it or not is what makes them special. The pacing is phenomenal and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we see how everything works together. This is when you notice how well the book is structured and how amazing the ebb & flow runs through this book.
The interiors here are really rather extraordinary to see. Last issue I wondered if the traditional comic style was the right way to go, but thankfully I am not in charge heh. This is proving to be some beautiful, beautiful work. The linework here is great and as we see the varying weights being utilised, though I’d like to see more variation in techniques, but how we still see the attention to detail is utterly marvellous. The way that we see the backgrounds being utilised to not only enhance the moments but to show depth perception, a sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book is sensationally rendered. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkable eye for storytelling. The colour work is really strong as well and I like the non-traditional moments as much as seeing the various hues and tones within the colour utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work.
This is fun, exciting and has this great perspective that we really haven’t seen before within the genre and without. This kind of storytelling is quickly the norm throughout the indie and small press publishing houses and I want to encourage that, take it further and expand the boundaries even more. This is what I think of when I think of AWA Studios, breaking boundaries and pushing the limits of what storytelling can be.
#Comic Books#Comics Reviews#AWA Upshot Studios#Benjamin Percy#Ramon Rosanas#Lee Loughriidge#Sal Cipriano
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
All I need this christmas/ Chuck steinberg x reader
(Cute) Chuck x Reader request, where reader is spending Christmas time with her boyfriend Chuck, his sister Ruth and his friends Stella, Ramon and Auggie, because Y/n's parents are neglecting her and she is sad, so Chuck wants to make her happy, so he dresses up like Santa Claus (and he convinces Auggie and Ramon to dress up like him), and when Y/n is baking cookies with Ruth and Stella, boys are visiting them as three Santas, and it ends with watching Christmas movies, kissing and cuddling?
@venomsymbioteandparasite this is good! And so so sooooo sorry this took forever!
Chuck told me that he had really big early Christmas gift for me and that I should come over. I'll be happy spending it with my boyfriend other than my family who doesn't even care if I leave this house and don't come back, sure it hurt but now I'm just used to it. I walked to my parents bedroom,
"Mom, dad, I'm gonna be a Chuck's house." I said threw the door. They didn't even answer, I grabbed my bag and put stuff in it and started to walk to chuck's house crying.
Chuck's POV
"Chuck, do we both need to be santa? I look ridiculous!" Auggie said falling over his pants, "I'm with auggie on this one, this beard is itchy." Ramon added,
"Yes we have too! Y/N is gonna love so go back home and I'll tell you guys when, so Y/N will have the best Christmas ever!" I said putting my outfit in my bag and told auggie and ramon bye.
Y/N's POV
I made it to chuck's house, I wiped my tears away before knocking on the door,
"She's here!!" Chuck said very excited, he opened the door and immediately saw how red my eyes are, "Baby come here." He pulled me into his arms. "You know you can always stay with me, my family loves you and wouldn't mind letting you stay for christmas." He kissed my cheek, "I would love that." I said trying smiling a little bit. Chuck pulled me inside and I took off my jacket,
"So remember how I said I had a big early Christmas gift for you?"
"Yeah?"
"Well I'm gonna go get it now so will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?"
"Yes chuck I'll-"
"Great! I'll be back, love ya!" He kissed me and ran out the door before I could finish what I was saying but that's chuck for you.
I was watching TV when I heard something for the kitchen, "Surprise!!!" It was Stella and ruth, "You guys!" I hugged them. "Let's bake some cookies!" Stella said passing a cookie sheet and ruth started shaping the gingerbread men, "You guys are making my christmas a lot better."
"Of course! Everyone deserves to be happy on christmas, especially you Y/N." Ruth said putting flower on my nose, it made stella laughed.
After cooking the cookies we were covered in flower. We changed clothes but when we came downstairs I thought about chuck, "When do you guys think he'll be back?" I asked, "I'm sure chuck will be back any minute now!" Stella said, but after she said that I started hearing sleigh bells outside.
"Uh? Is that outside?" They looked me more confused then I was, I opened the door to the most cutest and beautiful thing,
"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas Y/N!" Chuck said trying so hard sound like santa it was adorable! Ramon and auggie came out holding up signs saying "I love you Y/N!"
"Thank you!" I jumped in chuck's arms, he gave me a box and I opened it. It was the picture chuck took of us on our first date in a beautiful frame. "This is everything I could have wish for." I kissed him and hugged auggie and ramon.
We watched how the grinch stole christmas and ate the cookies me and stella and ruth made, "Thank you again chuck, this really is the best christmas present ever." I said just before he kissed me passionately, I felt like I was on clouds, "Alright love birds." Ruth said making chuck blush and make me laugh. This is everything I need for christmas.
#scary stories to tell in the dark x reader#scary stories to tell in the dark imagine#stella nicholls#ramon morales#auggie hilderbrandt#chuck steinberg#chuck steinberg x reader#chuck steinberg imagine#christmas#scary stories to tell in the dark
49 notes
·
View notes
Text
Source: Altpress
My Chemical Romance killed off the Killjoys in spectacular fashion on their Danger Days album. But death didn’t stop co-writers Gerard Way and Shaun Simon from returning to Battery City in 2013. The comic book sequel miniseries, The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, picked up where the MCR record left off. Now, Way and Simon promise to challenge everything you think you know about their beloved band of renegades in an all-new story.
The Killjoys will, once again, make some noise in a six-part comic book series, The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem. The first issue will be released on Oct. 14 through Dark Horse Comics. Based on the original idea that inspired the Danger Days album, it will focus on former Killjoy leader, Mike Milligram.
“In 2010, MCR released a concept record, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys,” Way and Simon revealed, exclusively to Alternative Press. “The record was inspired by a story that only existed in our minds. In 2013, we wrote a comic book series based on that concept record while the original story lay dormant. Now, in 2020, the story that inspired it all will be told: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem.
“There is no dystopian future—no wasteland to hide out in. Set in the 1990s and 2000s, National Anthem is a completely different story with a whole different set of rules. Mike Milligram and his gang of teenage exterminators operate in the Unseen where they bend reality to keep the real world’s status quo safe. But everything is about to change when the doors of the Unseen are closed and Mike and his Killjoys are thrust into the real world and forced to grow up and get real jobs. Screens, phones and a stagnant malaise become the new normal. When Mike’s TV breaks and his Ramones records seem to have been erased, he starts to wake up. Mike Milligram sets off on a journey to pull the curtains down on a cover-up that could change the course of history, past, present and future.”
Way and Simon wrote National Anthem alongside illustrator Leonardo Romero, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Nate Piekos (The Umbrella Academy).
The first issue will feature a cover by Romero, as seen above, along with two variant covers. One variant will feature an illustration from former Killjoys artist, and longtime Way collaborator, Becky Cloonan. The other alternate cover is by Paul Rentler, whose lo-fi photocopy design work has been previously featured through Way’s DC Comics imprint, DC’s Young Animal. You can see both variants below with Cloonan’s on the left and Rentler’s on the right.
Let’s face it, 2020 has been bleak. But if there’s one thing that can cure our quarantine blues, it’s most certainly a return of the Killjoys. Earlier this year, Dark Horse announced the reissue of the original series in a hardcover edition freshly titled Killjoys: California.
Adorned with a stark, blood-dripping Draculoid cover, this forthcoming reissue was everything we thought our little bulletproof hearts needed. But Way and Simon’s return to the original concept that inspired MCR’s 2010 record promises a fresh take on the material that we have yet to see or can begin to imagine.
The idea of Killjoys sans dystopia, working day jobs and watching their morale decay in the realm of the working stiff as they attempt to unveil a hidden truth feels like The Matrix by way of Descendents lyrics. This is definitely new territory for the Killjoys–and you better believe that we’re down for the ride.
#my chemical romance#mcr#mcr reunion#gerard way#comics#the umbrella academy#killjoys#the true lives of the fabulous killjoys#guys i'm so hyped omg#can't wait for more!#shaun simon#danger days#dark horse comics#the true lives of the fabulous killjoys: national anthem
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
To-Do List
This list will be updated about every other day, possibly more often if I have time. Requests received are placed on the list. Completed requests in the queue will be put in the “queued” category, and requests will be removed from the list once they’re posted. I’ll write requests in the order I get them!
Gif Imagines: open
Received:
Christine Chapel (Star Trek TOS)
Julian Bashir (Star Trek DS9)
Jonathan Archer (Star Trek Enterprise)
Steve Harrington (Stranger Things)
Trip Tucker and Jonathan Archer (Star Trek Enterprise)
Jason Todd (Titans)
Jonathan Archer (Star Trek Enterprise)
X-Men
Yennefer and Geralt (the Witcher)
Arthur Curry (DCEU)
Rey (Star Wars)
Jason Todd (Titans)
Jaskier (the Witcher)
Janice Rand and Nyota Uhura (Star Trek TOS)
Steve Rogers (MCU)
Wesley Crusher (Star Trek TNG)
Jonathan Archer (Star Trek Enterprise)
Donna Troy and Jason Todd (Titans)
Jonathan Archer (Star Trek Enterprise)
Queued:
Lucifer Morningstar and Mazikeen (Lucifer)
Preference Imagines: open
Received:
Geordi La Forge, Data Soong, Reginald Barclay, and Q (Star Trek TNG)
Leonard McCoy, Beverly Crusher, Julian Bashir, and The EMH (Star Trek TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY)
Jonathan Archer, James Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko and Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek Enterprise, TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager)
Barry Allen, Cisco Ramon, Ralph Dibny, and Caitlin Snow (The Flash)
Queued:
Headcanons: open
Received:
Nora Allen (Legends of Tomorrow)
Rachel Roth (Titans)
Harley Quinn (DCEU)
Jaskier, Geralt, and Ciri (the Witcher)
James Kirk and Leonard McCoy (Star Trek AOS)
Reginald Barclay (Star Trek TNG)
Winn Schott and Alex Danvers (Supergirl)
Spock and Nyota Uhura (Star Trek AOS)
Garfield Logan (Titans)
Steve Harrington (Stranger Things)
Jason Todd (Titans)
Lucifer Morningstar and Mazikeen (Lucifer)
Wanda Maximoff and Natasha Romanoff (MCU)
Yukio (Deadpool)
Wade Wilson, Ellie Phimister, and Yukio (Deadpool)
Will Riker, Deanna Troi, Kestra (Star Trek Picard)
Dick Grayson (Titans)
Karolina Dean (Runaways)
Wei Wuxian (The Untamed)
Jason Todd (Titans)
Logan Howlett (X-Men)
Q (Star Trek TNG)
Jericho Wilson (Titans)
Queued:
Wei Wuxian (the Untamed)
Drabbles: closed
Received:
Q (Star Trek TNG) - Girls Like Girls 🎵
Wesley Crusher (Star Trek TNG) - Girls 🎵
Jaskier (the Witcher)
Jason Todd (Titans)
Dick Grayson (Titans)
The 13th Doctor (Doctor Who)
Jericho Wilson (Titans)
Garfield Logan (Titans)
Dick Grayson (Titans)
Queued:
Ships: closed
Received:
Queued:
Blurbs: closed
Received:
Din Djarin (the Mandalorian) + D
Donna Troy (Titans) + S
Miles Morales (ITSV) + X
Diana Prince (DCEU) + Y
Jason Todd (Titans) + C
Dinah Lance (DCEU) + Q
Reginald Barclay (Star Trek TNG) + H
Reginald Barclay (Star Trek TNG) + S
Gwen Stacy (ITSV) + U
Ciri (the Witcher) + T
Nico Minoru (Runaways) + K
Dick Grayson (Titans) + T
Koriand’r (Titans) + C
Jericho Wilson (Titans) + K
Bruce Wayne (Titans) + J
Reginald Barclay (Star Trek TNG) + S
James Kirk (Star Trek AOS) + S
Wesley Crusher (Star Trek TNG) + S
Q (Star Trek TNG) + S
Jaskier (the Witcher) + M
The 13th Doctor (Doctor Who) + S
Emergency Medical Hologram (Star Trek Voyager) + O
Michael Burnham (Star Trek Discovery) + S
Miles O’Brien (Star Trek DS9/TNG) + Y
Gul Dukat (Star Trek DS9) + S
Tasha Yar (Star Trek TNG) + S
Lore Soong (Star Trek TNG) + S
Lwaxana Troi (Star Trek TNG) + S
Queued:
Jerome Valeska (Gotham) + P
Cassandra Cain (DCEU) + C
8 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
dlittlesworld
Demarko.INC
thelottoannihilator-blog
Untitled
topco
TopToon
gardenvarietyhuman
hey, let’s go on a star trek
widfle
Bodylover