#because she always needs something playing in the background like tv or a podcast and then she’ll watch videos on her computer with full

[inejstanaccount]

.

[bededebop]

I've been listening to the lazytown podcast (created by Mark Valenti), and man when I tell you they have interesting behind the scene stories. I'm gonna list some of the things i remembered from each interview:

WARNING ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE!

Magnus Scheving:

-Magnus is aware that people prefer LazyTown season 1, but he himself prefer LazyTown season 3-4,. Because he said the background in season 1 is shit, and he always talks about it with his team on how can we fix this.

-Magnus is aware that he is a 'Pain in the ass' for the crew, but Mark Valenti objects tho.

-Magnus once ride the same car Madonna rides in back then, he was in Mexico I think. The driver had guns he said. Once he was passing a poor Neighborhood, he saw a bunch of people dressed up as the whole cast of LazyTown. He told the driver to stop there, and the driver said that the area is kinda sketchy and they never go there, but Magnus insisted. Turns out it was someone's birthday party, and they were gonna do a whole play. He said the costume was actually well made, so he goes there and told them he was sportacus. And he ends up doing the play as well.

-The Latin America dub of Sportacus has a very deep voice, he said they might have been confused on his voice because Magnus's voice is very high pitched and Squeaky? (I don't how to spell that sorry) . (Also he said 'Hi guys! ' in a high pitched voice you guys need to hear that lmaoo)

-His favorite episode is literally every episode, but if he has to pick it would be "Robby's dream Team" because Stefan was just amazing in it. (Wait I think this is true I forgot what episode it is exactly, but it has something to do with stefan being amazing in it)

Jonathan Judge Interview:

-They gave Jonathan Judge a few weeks to try produce/direct lazytown (I forgot which one). And jonathan said Magnus made him in charge when they were filming a scene where sportacus is Buggy Jumping. He said Magnus's face was very purple from hanging upside down. After that, they loved him and would not let him leave.

-Stefan and his wife was very sweet and would invite them to his house to hang out, watch TV, and fishing! Jonathan and Mark went fishing with stefan, right next to his salmon farm. They fished cods, and Jonathan asked what Stefan's father does for a living and he said "Oh he's a whale killer".

-And on the final shooting, Magnus picked Jonathan up with his car and drive him around town. Magnus pointed at a KFC and said "I built that" (Because he was a carpenter).

-Magnus said the people of icelandic belives in elf, Jonathan once asked a crew member if he believes in elf or not. The crew member said yes, he doesnt touch a certain part of his house because that's where the 'invisible people' lives (he meant elfs)

-Jonathan asked, "well are you an elf? ". Magnus was silent for a strange amount of time, Jonathan said it was like this one scene in twilight where this one guy reveal to bella he was a vampire (idk which scene that is lmao). And he was like 'is he gonna suddenly reveal that he's an elf?? '

Mark (Another Writer from LazyTown, also i forgot his last name im sorry)

-He said Magnus was very respectfull when it comes to writing. Unnamed crew once read his writing and told him it was crap, but Magnus never does that and only told him his vision of a certain things and that's it, he never really gave Mark a note.

-There was a director from Canada that Magnus have invited to dinner. She said the writing of LazyTown is very crappy and is ln the wrong track. And when she was rambling about how lazytown writing was crappy, Magnus just stayed quiet. But the he said something to catch her off guard, something about that at the end of the day LazyTown was his show that HE created and write, shoot on a studio that HE and his team build.

-Magnus likes to take his writing team on trips

-The crew member likes to have this activities together, they hike together and exercise together. But not all of them (including Mark Valenti) participates tho.

Ok so this part I wasnt from the lazytown podcast, it was from Chris Crow's interview from GetLazy.

So he interviewed David (The Voice Actor of Mayor Meanswell) and he was there when they shot the Lazy Dance episode. And there was this one scene where they're on the dance floor, and sportacus just lean on the wall like a sadsack (bc he doesnt know how to dance). And Stephanie was right beside him and she was very excited for the dance party, she was like 'oh! Oh! Sportacus hold my purse'. So sportacus did, and now he's sitting there with Stephanie's purse on his lap. David said it was funny because he looked like a husband waiting for his wife to finish her shopping. But David said Magnus didn't like that scene, and said this is not how he wants this character (Sportacus) to go. So Mark Valenti and the other writers set up some rule. Rule number one is to never show sportacus being weak.

Also one last thing, from the laytown podcast in stefan karl's interview

They won the BAFTA award because of the episode "Robbies Greatest Misses". And they we're quite suprised with the rising popularity of Robbie Rotten, and Stefan said they tried to 'die down' Robbie's popularity a little (Because you know, he's a villain you're support to make an example out of).

Also, Robbie Rottens make up quite literally ruins stefan's skin. And he have a specific step of skin care routine, so that his skin doesnt get ruined. But there were times where his body disagreed with him, the chin of Robbie won't stick to Stefan.

Man I am so going to draw a comic about that one scene in Lazy Dance episode

[dollys-perfect-world]

🔍👣One step behind👣🔎

Zach Chen has gone missing while pip is at collage, and no one knows how to find him as well as she would've. Upon that, pip isn't answering anyone when they try to contact her. So who's better to take on the case than her 11 year old little brother, Josh Amobi?

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

It started with Ravi. Even after the breakup, Ravi and Josh remained close. Josh would've been heartbroken if he lost Pip and Ravi both; his two role models.

Ravi had come over to play video games, but something was off. Well, something bad been off for almost a year; ever since Pip went off to college and they'd broken up. But something different was off. Maybe 30 minutes into them playing, Josh had won everytime, which only ever happened when Ravi was too distracted to try.

"You're acting weird," Josh said, turning his gaze from the TV screen to Ravi.

"I am? Didn't notice. Guess I'm just tired," Ravi replied keeping his eyes on the screen, pressing the 'New Game?' button.

Josh hated that response. He was doing exactly what Pip used to do! He was 'too young' to hear about their worries, and they didn't want to make him worry. So what if he was still a kid, he deserved to know stuff, right?

"Liar," Josh mumbled, looking back at the TV as the next round started. Ravi pretended not to hear him, but Josh knew he heard.

Dinner was quieter without Pip. Maybe it was because Pip always kept the conversations going, maybe things just weren't the same without her, so no one saw a need to talk. A need to pretend it was the same. At least they kept the TV on for background noise, without it Josh would go insane.

Zach Chen was fairly popular around fairveiw; all of Pips friends were, since they had been mentioned in her podcast; AGGGTM.

Josh wasn't supposed to listen to her podcast. Pip had told him not to, but without his sister there, who was gonna tell him no? So with a pair of Pips old earbuds and his worn out computer, Josh listened to every episode until he could recite the entire podcast by heart.

Everyone kept their eyes on their food while the news played from the TV in the living room. Josh wasn't paying much attention until he heard Pips name.

"The friend of our local celebrity, Pippa Fitz-Amobi, Zach Chen has gone missing. We would like anyone who knows about where he could be, or has any information about the situation, to step forward."

Josh had run into the living room the moment he heard Pips name. "Oh. Well that's what Ravi was worrying about, then," Josh thought. He heard some faint, 'oh, that's horrible.' comments from his parents, but it was hard to hear through the ringing in his ears.

It was a impulsive and stupid idea, but that's all that Pips ideas started out as, right?

'I can prove that he's innocent."

'It'll help Connor.'

'Just one more, then It'll all be fixed.'

Josh could make Pip proud. He could be just like his sister; his hero. He could find Zach.

And it started by trying to figure out how to fine the name of Pips printer, (and trying to figure out how to use it,) becuase hes only 11 and why would he know how to use a printer?

After about an eternity of googling things and waiting for his parents to fall asleep, Josh snuck into Pips room, which didn't even feel like a real place with her gone, and immediately walked over to her printer. He had his own laptop tucked under his arm. Josh opened his laptop and set it on the desk next to the printer. He opened photoshop and pulled out a folded up piece of paper; Jamie Reynolds' missing poster.

It took at least 2 hours, but he worked and almost exactly replicated Jamie's old poster. Josh made up a fake email, ChenProject226@gmail.com, and put it in the contact information. Printed out a couple, praying that the screaming poster wouldn't wake up his parents, and then snuck back to his room.

The next day, Josh convinced his parents to let him walk to school. He stuffed the papers and some tape in his bag right before he left. Every couple poles and light posts that he walked past, if no one was looking and no cameras were in view, he hung up a poster.

(HIHIHI COMMENT IF U WANT MORE TO THIS CAUSE I DONT WANNA WRITE TOO MUCH IN ONE POST!! IF UR READING THIS ILY!! ALSO I MADE THE EMAIL JOSH IS USING A REAL EMAIL IF U WANNA HAVE EMAILING IT AS IF ITS REALLY JOSH/PIP!!!)

[goboymusic]

Happy #TheLastofUs day. Watching the shit out of episode 3 on HBO Max tonight. Watching it so hard.

Ever hear of a #McGuffin in the film industry? A “McGuffin” is an object that the plot revolves around, like the ring in #LordoftheRings, or the infinity stones in the #Avengers movies. In songwriting, names are like McGuffins. It’s really convenient to pick a name and then write a song that revolves around it.

#Hannah is the first of many song titles on GoBoy 5, 6 and 7 that are named after girls. Some of them are real, some of them are arbitrarily selected. I never dated a Hannah, though I did have a serious crush on a Hannah when I was in elementary school, and she knew it.

Gotta admit, I think it’s pretty funny seeing three or more tracks on the same album with different girl names.

Came up with the chorus while eating #ChipsAhoy original cookies at work and dealing with a shipment that was damaged in transit. The event is burned into my memory. Paper pusher life for the win.

Speaking of The Last of Us, I was introduced to the source material while mixing vocals for “Hannah” back in August, 2020, by watching @thaRadBrad play through both games. Needless to say, my mind was blown. While mixing songs, something entertaining is always playing in the background for extra brain stimulation, whether that be a movie, tv series, a video game play through, podcast, etc. Anything but music, because I can’t mix music while listening to other music (explained in post 87).

After recording and mixing the vocals, they weren’t meshing with the instruments (that’s my issue with developing instruments prior to mixing vocals), so I muted the instruments and started from scratch. Minimalistic instruments are what this song needed in the end, mostly consisting of tom drums and distorted synth.

It was around this time (midway through GoBoy 5) that GoBoy’s production process changed so that instrument tracks would be created AFTER the vocals were mixed. That way, I could ensure that the beat and instruments meshed with the vocals. After all, in GoBoy songs, the melody is the most important part, and the instruments only exist to support it. This new production process would be used for every song on GoBoy 6 and beyond (excerpts from post 87).

“Hannah” was restructured six months after it’s original release. The final chorus was deleted, leaving only two choruses, and an instrumental section was added between the 1st verse and 2nd chorus. These adjustments gave the song more replay value. Far less annoying.

Beat + bass + melody. That’s the style of GoBoy 5. While I’ve appreciated this minimalistic style for years, “Tell My Mama (Song 42)” was the first time trying it. I went whole-hog with GoBoy 5, in which most songs primarily consist of a beat, bass and melody (excerpt from post 80).

For GoBoy 5, instead of creating for the sake of creating, like I did for GoBoy 4, I wanted to make poppier songs that would appeal to a larger audience. Was that goal accomplished? Well, maybe, I guess. It resulted in the song “In Love (Song 82),” which everyone and their mother seems to like (excerpt from post 79).

GoBoy 5 ragdolled me. I remember wondering if I’d live to see the completion of the album. While the style is minimalistic, the writing and production processes were chaotic, akin to throwing darts with a blindfold on. Most songs turned into a puzzle once they reached the mixing phase, with a portion of the pieces being destined not to fit. It required constant compromising - discarding segments, restructuring, rewriting, etc. The combination of the difficult production process and temporary chaos at work left a blood-soaked trail behind me (excerpt from post 80).

In April, 2021, almost all of GoBoy 3, 4 and 5‘s songs were restructured to be under 3 minutes (preferably under 2m 30s), including this song. I became okay with releasing songs around the 2 min mark after realizing The Beatles and The Beach Boys had some songs around that length. In an attempt to increase replay value in this streaming era, most of GoBoy’s songs are now purposely around 2m 20s (excerpts from post 37).

A bass boost was added to songs 37-99 in Nov, 2021, while I was stuck at home with covid. As a result, this song feels more powerful. The bass boost isn’t a simple plugin nonchalantly added to each song. It’s a process that took about 3.5 hours per song, or one whole month to complete all songs. Admittedly, I pushed the bass boost a little too far for some of them. The bass in some songs sounds like a freaking earthquake (unnecessarily pronounced low frequencies 20 - 50 Hz). Might dial that back someday. The bass boost was also applied to every song on GoBoy 6 and beyond (excerpt from post 37).

[entertainment]

Entertainment Spotlight: Bethany Antonia, Get Even

British actress Bethany Antonia plays Margot Rivers in Get Even, a new thriller series adapted from Gretchen McNeil’s Don’t Get Mad books. The show follows a group of girls who come together as DGM (Don’t Get Mad) to expose school bullies; when they realize they’re being framed for the murder of one of their targets, they set out to uncover the truth. Bethany spent her formative years in rural France, before returning to her hometown of Birmingham, UK, as a teen, and landing her first role in a short film of The Tempest for The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. She went on to land roles on TV in BBC’s Doctors and Channel 4’s Stath Lets Flats, and in the film Pin Cushion, which premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. Bethany is an advocate for social justice issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQIA+ rights, veganism, wildlife conservation, and sustainable living practices. 

What kind of research did you do for the role of Margot? Had you read the books before taking the role?

I read both of the books! I read them once after my first callback for the show, and then again while we were filming. I absolutely love the books. There’s something so special about doing a series that’s based on a book and flying through trying to find out what’s going to happen to your character. Margot is also the only American in a British school, so I spent a lot of time thinking about her background and trying to piece together what her story was before we meet her as part of DGM.

Margot is described as shy, but she’s also the brains behind a group that seeks to stop bullying. What drew you to the role?

I got attached to Margot right off the back of reading the audition sides. Her character is everything I wished I’d gotten to see more of when I was younger. A young black girl who is shy, into gaming, and isn’t sassy or argumentative in a lead role? Sign me UP. I just adored the concept for the entire show. I loved the idea of these four teenage girls setting up a secret society in their school because straight away, I saw the bigger picture of what they were doing. It’s telling young girls to stand up for what they believe in and not to be afraid to take matters into their own hands despite living in a world that repeatedly tells them to do otherwise. It felt so empowering, and I was just so determined to be a part of it.

When you hear Black Excellence, what or who comes to mind?

Black Excellence for me is confidence. It’s power and resilience. It’s excelling in your particular area of the industry and leading by an example that others can follow. When I think of black excellence, I think of Michaela Coel, a woman who is completely changing the game in the industry right now. I have been a massive fan of hers since watching her first show, Chewing Gum, but I am so glad she is getting the global recognition she deserves off the back of I May Destroy You. It was one of the best pieces of television I have ever seen.

What role do you think film/tv/radio should have regarding social realities in Britain? What needs to change?

I think that every single form of media should be an accurate depiction of the world we live in. Any individual should be able to tune in at any given time and see themselves represented in some way, shape, or form. Anything less than that, and we have failed. We have been failing for a really long time in Britain. Tuning into the media has felt like an artist painting a blank canvas paint with little droplets of colour for effect for too long. We need to move away from the idea that the stories of white, straight, slim, able-bodied people are the only stories that need to be told, and start reflecting the realities of our country, which is so beautifully diverse.

How do you deal with a bad day, and how do you like to celebrate the good ones?

If I’m having a bad day, I like to do a complete reset: switch off from social media for a few hours, take a hot bath with a face mask or two, pamper myself, listen to a podcast or read a really good book, eat some of my favourite foods, and just take care of myself. Finding time to practice self-care for yourself is something I think is really important. So I do a complete brain reset and remind myself that tomorrow is a brand new day, and none of the day’s bad-day energy has to carry itself onto the next. I like to celebrate the good ones with my family and friends around me, making sure I’m really present and enjoying the moment, being grateful for whatever it is we’re celebrating.

Do you have any advice for young Black women looking to get into acting?

I’d love to get a whole room full of young Black women together and just tell them over and over again that they’re enough. This industry can feel impossible to break into for most up and coming actors, but for Black women, that’s especially true. It’s hard to envision yourself in a career that hasn’t been visible for you. Breaking down the door is only half of the battle. Once you’re in, there’s a million and one more challenges that come as a direct result of being a Black woman. I’d tell them to find confidence in themselves and their abilities, the kind of confidence that comes from within that nobody can take away from them, even if they have to fake it at first. I’d tell them to be proactive and take their careers into their own hands, to look into what they’re doing now and consider if it’s truly benefitting them for the kind of work they want to be doing. And finally, I would tell them to cling onto their love of acting with everything they have. Even if it feels like you’re not hitting the kind of goals you want to be hitting yet. Nobody can take your love of this craft away from you.

If you could choose any book that you’ve read to be adapted into film or tv, which book would you choose, and who would you play?

I read an amazing book recently called While I Was Sleeping by Dani Atkins, and I’ve not stopped thinking about it for weeks. It’s about this young girl named Maddie who wakes up from a coma thinking a few minutes have passed, but actually, six YEARS have passed. She was due to be married and have a baby, and she wakes up to find that her whole life has essentially happened without her while she’s been asleep. In my head, the whole book has already played out as a film over and over, with me as Maddie, ha! It could be so beautifully adapted.

Which song always manages to get you up in the morning?

“You Can Get It If You Really Want” by Desmond Decker. Every single time.

Thanks for taking the time, Bethany! Get Even is now streaming on Netflix.

Photo: Michael Shelford

[thebrightsessions]

Entertainment Spotlight: Ian McQuown

Ian is an LA based actor and producer known for the YouTube comedy group, Extremely Decent, as well as a voice actor in the popular audio dramas: The Bright Sessions, The AM Archives, StarTripper!! & Deck The Halls! His credits inclue American Housewife, Trial & Error, Better Things, and For All Mankind. Ian took the time to answer some questions for us. Check it out:

You’ve worked on multiple podcasts -- what drew you to the medium?

Well, to be honest, Lauren drew me to it because TBS was my first narrative podcast. We met at a Rocky Horror Picture Show show. Anna Lore is our mutual friend and I think Anna is just talented as all get out, so anything she’s involved I want to be in. And, I don’t know, it was just one of those lucky breaks you get where a door opens and takes you to all these cool places you never anticipated.

On podcasting though, I really appreciate how much more possible it is to tell engaging stories without the boundaries of having to afford a set and a camera and insurance and etc etc etc. Like, I grew up with Star Wars, The Matrix, Cowboy Bebop— so when I imagine the stories I like, I’m usually picturing other worlds, space ships, people with super powers and those types of stories used to have a lot higher barrier to entry to make than they do now, which is just awesome.

If you could give a character from The Bright Sessions a spinoff series, who would you choose and what would the series be called?

I mean, no surprises here, but I’d love to see Damien’s early years. And I’d be super clever and call it something like... Damien: The Early Years. I'm dying for that content a little bit actually: Damien, before he became such a bad guy. Maybe a love story that doesn’t work out and leaves him really scarred? Villains so bad they created a villain instead of a victim—  that moment where we see the two roads Damien has to choose between and it totally shreds us when he makes the choice we all know he’s going to make, I mean, come ON you can see that, right? It’d be like the Star Wars prequels but without all the youngling killing and “NOOOOOOOO”’s and I want it.

Can you share a fun story or anecdote from the making of The Bright Sessions?

Haha, ok well it’s not really anything of note BUT: I remember Lauren had this area rug in her room, which as you probably know is where we would record, and it was this really nice, I think, red sort of floral rug that took up pretty much all the floor space because it was covering up the older apartment rug-floor underneath it. And it was, as I said, really cool, except it wasn’t a rug on a wood floor, right? It was a rug on a rug so it was a bit taller than the people who designed the room had planned for— the result of which was that you’d walk in and the room had this really awesome little vibe with this cute rug, and it was all very cozy, unless you looked directly behind you at the corner where the door had just spent ages scraping the surface of it, catching the corner, tearing little pieces out. And I may be getting apocryphal at this point, but I feel like by the time I had started coming around Lauren had straight up duct taped it to the floor, which really didn’t help the problem. And, I don’t know—again it’s not really anything momentous—but I just remember giving Lauren a particular amount of shit about it one day and us all having a really good laugh. And I really love that— there are jobs where you show up, keep your head down, do your work and leave, but then there are jobs like The Bright Sessions where you all get to become friends, and even if you don’t see each other for a while you sort of just get to pick up where you left off. And then those jobs turn into other jobs and you get to keep hanging out with your friends and peers and just making stuff you like— I’m a big fan of that.

If your life was a choose your own adventure, what decisions would viewers have to make on an average day?

OKAY, you wake up...

Water your garden before it gets to be 110 today, you cannot skip this step. You may however:

A) Stay out in the garden for longer if you get inspired and check if the tomatoes and peppers are ripe for picking.

Great! Now let’s make breakfast:

A) Make eggs, toast, fried tomatoes, and hash browns? 

B) Make (A) But also with Bacon? 

C) Make a smoothie?

D) There’s no time today, run to Whole Foods and get their incredibly priced $6 Egg, Bacon Cheese Breakfast burrito.

Awesome! You’ve eaten and now you can think. What work do you have to do?

A) Prep your audition, dummy! It’s due this afternoon, go fix your hair. 

B) You have a zoom meeting with actor friends at 11 to play around with some new material, put on a hat.

C) There is nothing you have to work on so stare at your computer and wonder if there’s new project you could be working on. Try to find that project, leave your hair as it.

Wow! You really had a great (insert previous choice here), let’s get you a coffee and take a TV break. What should we watch?!

A) That new show you haven’t seen yet because you need to watch everything so you know how to work on it should you get an audition for it.

B) Harley Quinn (your favorite new cartoon).

C) Teenage Bounty Hunters.

D) Farscape.

E) Nope, you just got an audition for tomorrow, everything is off the table, start working on it (Level Complete).

Lunch Time!!!

A) Turkey sandwich with pickles from the garden?

B) Trader Joe’s Margherita Pizza with basil and peppers from the garden?

C) Are we going to start another loaf of sourdough you basic mf?

D) Yes we probably are, but also (A) and (B).

Cool! I’ve eaten lunch. Now what?

A) You haven’t finished that work from this morning. Riiiight.

B)…More Harley Quinn…?

C) Let’s make pasta from scratch!

D) Let’s make ribs! From…ribs!

F) You just got an audition for tomorrow, everything is off the table, start working on it. (Level Complete).

Bangarang! You probably chose to start cooking dinner immediately after eating lunch. You ate it (and it rocked), what now?

A) You just got an audition for tomorrow, everything is off the table, start working on it. (Level Complete)

B) DnD with squad.

C) Go on a run, dude— you’re getting a Jaba chin….

D) Bring on the chin! Let’s watch TV until 2am! Here are your options:

A) Harley Quinn (your new favorite cartoon)

B) Teenage Bounty Hunters

C) Farscape

D) Put The Office on in the background and clean your house.

Level Complete.

As you can see I’m a very food-focused person. Also, I’m going to be real, that is truly what most of my days look like and I’m low-key a little mortified that ’taking a shower’ wasn’t a game option... 

Can you share your favorite piece of Bright Sessions / AM Archives fan art?

I love all the fan art that people make for my characters but this one from Franartz has always been really special to me. It’s so GQ, I just love it — and some of my favorite early AG moments are with Damien, who looks a little like he stepped out of a Gorrilaz album here— big fan. I’m a little obsessed with fan art actually, I save everything I come across— there’s a freckled red-headed series of Owen by TheFigureInTheCorner that makes me really happy. Seeing that my work has inspired someone else to make something of their own is really what’s up, you know? It makes me think about all the art and entertainment that has touched me over the years and I get a lot of joy from being a part of that cycle.

Thanks for taking the time, Ian! Give I Can Die When I'm Done a relisten right here.

[croatian-nt]

Badelj podcast

For @lovren-la-vida-luka who wanted to see why everyone likes Badelj 

Host: *asks first question about the club and the second is immediately "how is Pjaca?"

Badelj: Pjaca is well. He is getting back into shape after that injury. I am sorry he isn't with the nt right now

Host: every kid that plays football dreams of playing in the nt. Tell me, at what point in your life did you realize "oh, I am someone who can play in Dinamo and in the nt" and was the support from people around you important in that?

Badelj: well, I don't think I ever thought that. Don't get me wrong-I didn't doubt myself. But when you watch TV and you see people playing for big clubs or for the nt...you don't know how that works. What's going on in their heads. I think people around me believed that I could do it more than i did, to be quite honest

Host: do know anyone who you expected to make a great career in football but didn't, for whatever reason?

Badelj: from my generation? I thought Tomecak would go out of the country and make a big career there. There was also Lovren. You see, the rest of us went step by step in our career but Loki skipped steps, climbing higher. I think he made international career first from all of us. But yes, I expected Tomecak to do so as well

Badelj: *explaining how while he was in Lokomotiva they were second in second league *

Badelj: I think the club that was first was called...Mladost Suhopolje? I think? Is that possible?

Domo: *yelling something from the background *

Host: Vida says that's not possible

Domo: it doesn't exist anymore!

Badelj: but it didn't exist. I am talking about something 12 years ago

Other host from the background: there was a club called Mladost from Suhopolje

Badelj: so I wasn't wrong

Saša(a doctor, second podcast guest): *quietly* damn

Badelj: you want me to be wrong don't you? You are just waiting for it

Sasa: maybe

Host: Could you name what other 4 players except for you transfered first from Dinamo to Lokomotva?

Badelj: Oh, I can, but you see, you are wrong, First transfer from Dinamo to Lokomotiva happened 4 years before ours, and it included 10 players. But, second transfer you think of was ours. *proceeds to number the other 4 guys*

Host: you came to Dinamo as a replacement for Luka Modric, but you played a bit with him before that, right?

Badelj: yes, in 2008, for about 5 months before he transferred

Host: could you have guessed back then that he would be such a well known player?

Badelj: I personally don't think you can tell those things. He always had that something. That quality, that kind of special talent you don't forget. But for a player to win all the awards that he did you need your cards to fit just right. And lots of media exposure. The fact that he won all that, that's incredible

Host: could you tell us some things you remember from your time in Dinamo?

Badelj: in Dinamo? Well the problem is that I remember everything from my time in Dinamo. But to sum it up, the first and the last game. The first, in which we played against Rijeka and I scored a goal. I'll never forget that. I remember thinking I was on top of the world back then. And the last, against Maribor, where in first half I gave autogol and the fans booed me as I exited the pitch, and second half, where I scored a winning goal for us. I think that last game sums up my time in Dinamo very well. Ups and downs

Host: okay, first card break. Please take your cards

Sasa: *reaches out and turns one card *

Badelj: you turned them! Why did you already turn them?

Sasa: I only turned one

Badelj: we are supposed to wait until he tells us to turn them and read

Sasa: well, I did have a habit of cheating on my exams

Badelj: Well, I for one am glad for cards break. I was starting to think my friend Vida will fall asleep

*Domo yelling something from the background *

Sasa: quiet. I don't want to choose hard questions

Host: okay, okay. Miki, read it for doctor

Badelj: oh I am reading it to him? *smiles * see? You fucked up

Badelj: extra time or penalties?

Sasa: *pause * penalities?

Badelj: in football, you know?

Sasa: of course I-

*everyone laughs, Vida's laugh is literally echoing *

Badelj: okay, okay. I am just saying, because questions are mean. It could have been a metaphor. So in football. Extra time or penalties

Sasa: penalties

Sasa: popcorn or chips?

Badelj: chip

Sasa: of course, that was easy. I would have answered the same

Badelj: I am sure you would. Besides, I saw the question beforehand when you turned it on the table

Sasa: okay, I definitely already know your answer to this but anyway-

Badelj: no, wait. Don't read the question, tell me what I'd answer and I'll guess what the question is

Sasa: Beer

Badelj: Wine or beer?

Sasa: ...yes

Badelj: I know your answer to this one too

Sasa: tell me the answer then, I'll guess the question

Badelj: cat

Sasa: cat or a dog?

Badelj: yes

Sasa: hmmm. A dog

Host: I think Milan won this round guys

Sasa: wait-

Domo: *laughs again *

Sasa: why did he win? When I am a dog?

Badelj: I didn't ask if you'd rather be a dog or a cat. I meant what would you rather have

Domo: *laughs harder *

Sasa: yes. A DOG

Badelj: oh. A dog? But if I ask what kind-

Sasa: a small one

Badelj: ah. So you want a cat. Next!

Badelj: prosciutto or kulen?

Sasa: joooj

Host: careful, careful what you say

Sasa: Vida is here but- prosciutto

Vida: Then I won't send anything to your house!

Badelj: at least you know who not to send it to. Send it to me

Sasa: except if it's from black pig

Vida: yeah, yeah, now. It's over now. No more deliveries to your address

Host: so, I want to hear a bit about towns you lived in. Firenze specifically, as one of centers of culture

Badelj: well it isn't only cultural but also gastronomic center and general hedonistic city and region. You can really enjoy yourself there. People are also interesting...I am afraid Domo is falling asleep

Host: I am sure he finds that interesting as well

Badelj: well, I don't know. I tried to get him to visit me while I was there but he never did. As a manager I failed

Host: speaking of travelling, Iva told me she almost didn't manage to contact you for WC in Brazil

Badelj: well that isn't my fault. Whenever she can locate me or not is her issue. I was...located. The fact is I was in an plane while we played our first game in Brazil. I am sorry Iva, I know this isn't a very good advertisement for you-seriously she is amazing and she usually plans everything ahead and I think without her at least one person would get lost on a airport before every game. But the fact is, that time I didn't play the first game because I was in an airplane

Host: so tell me, did you ever get an offer from Milan? And if you did how close you were to signing. And the most importantly if you have signed, would you have "Milan" or "Badelj" on your jersey?

Badelj: definitely Badelj

Host: is there more pressure to do an operation on a professional football player than let's say, your neighbor?

Sasa: of course. I mean, their whole career depends on that. If I operate my neighbor and it isn't as good as it can be he can just stop playing football in his free time. If I tell Badelj he can't play football anymore-

Badelj: don't drag me into this mess. I don't want to imagine that

Host: it seems only charmers come from Gajnice. I mean, football wise(charmer isn't exactly the right word but...I can't think of a better one to fit)

Badelj: yes. We bully the strong ones out of football. They can do athletics

Host: the most memorable part about you for me actually isn't your career, but the speech you held at your teammate, Astori's funeral. How did you manage to do that? To hold yourself together and make such a speech?

Badelj: well I. You have to understand, outside of Croatia, he was my best friend. We were captain and vice captain so it began as a duty to keep the team together at first. And during that time...when he died, there was lots of new, young player in Florentina and they looked up to us for guidence. So...so it made sense for me to hold that speech. One thing that made it easier that I had period of 3 days before the speech after he died. Three days of crying and suffering but at least you get some of that grief out. I wasn't empty of it when I held the speech but I wasn't overflowing either

Host: alright, next card break

Sasa: who has the best free kick?

Badelj: oh man, there are quite a few. Brozo, Orša and Bruno is good as well. If Srna was here I'd say him. Or if Raketa was here. Perisic is also good. He can shoot with both legs too. Not in the same time though

Badelj: who eats the most?

Sasa: well-

Badelj: and not on your table. Our table. But how would he know, he doesn't eat with us

Domo: why not from his table? It says who in the team as a whole!

Badelj: but that isn't fun! How about who in the history of the team?

Sasa: hmmmm. Let me think. Who would it-

*voices overlapping, Domo laughing *

Badelj: you are really mean. Really mean

Domo: I didn't say anything

Badelj: but you thought of it. Few times

Sasa: who takes the most to get ready? I even know that one

Badelj: Peri always comes in last. But I don't think he takes that long to get ready. But he does come in last

Badelj: best sense of humor?

Sasa: oh there are a lot of players with a good sense of humor. Hmm

Badelj: it doesn't have to be a player

Sasa: it doesn't?

Host: well it's more fun if it is, but it's okay if it isn't

Sasa: hm Someone off the camera: Miki!

Badelj: I am not funny. He likes to talk to me but I am not funny

Sasa: well you can be funny. Sometimes. But Vida I guess. He really cheered me up this morning

Badelj: what did he tell you?

Sasa: oh he was pestering me

Badelj: and you love when people pester you?

*everyone burst out laughing *

Sasa: no! That's not-it was just funny!

Host: so, there has been a question in our podcasts, who would you choose as a partner in Potjera and 90% of our guests said Miki Badelj. What kind of cheating did you use to get that kind of reputation?

Badelj: I have no idea. You'll have to ask them that

Host: if you weren't in football, what fields would you be interested in?

Badelj: I'd still be in sport. Even if I didn't end up as a football player I'd do something with sport. That always interested me, even as a subject itself

Host: would you be a sport doctor like Sasa?

Badelj: god no

Sasa: no huh?

Badelj: I really don't think I am the type for that

Sasa: favorite subject?

Badelj: Geography

Sasa: same! I guess we really are friends for a reason. Favorite movie?

Badelj: it was brave heart for a long while but not anymore-

Sasa: it was my favorite too!

Badelj: you know you don't have to answer this question right? I also liked Interstellar for awhile but I watched it too many times

Sasa: Interstellar is too long for me

Badelj: and Brave Heart wasn't??

Sasa: favorite female or male singer?(we have different words for each)

Badelj: female singer

*all laugh *

Badelj: Alright, alright. Nina Badric

Sasa: as a singer or...?

 Host: so tell me, who doesn't complain a lot about...well, everything?

Sasa: well, Luka, Vida, Miki...older players generally complain less than younger ones. *Looks up, sees Livi *And Livi of course! But none of goalies complain, really

Host: a lot of players from bronze generation became coaches. 14 of them, actually. If we say hypothetically 14 of silver generation will do the same, who do you think would become a coach? You can switch on saying names

Sasa: Miki

Badelj: hah. Sasa

Sasa: you can't choose me!

Badelj: fine, fine. Carli then. He already is but it still counts, right?

Sasa: I think Lovren would want to be a coach

Badelj: hmmmm *looking at Vida * would you want to be a coach? Vida!

Sasa: Luka would probably want to be one

Host: that's five

Badelj: hmmm. Piva

Host: okay, we won't go to 14 since it would probably be hard to get to that number. Next card break

Sasa: who would you choose as a co-driver in rallying?

Badelj: Vida. Yes, yes, Vida

Domo: you sure about that?

Badelj: it's because Vida has that sort of personality that in last seconds, when that kind of character is important, he makes a step forward. Because you can't stay in place. Either you make a step forward or a step back. And he'd take a step forward

Badelj: who would you choose to score a penalty if your life depended on him scoring?

Sasa: uff

Badelj: remember, your life depends on it!

Sasa: Kramaric

*uhhhing and ahhhing from the background *

Vida, barely audible: not bad

Sasa: as a partner for tennis?

Badelj: oh god. I have no idea how anyone plays

Sasa: *streching *

Badelj: is that you volonteering or...?

Sasa: no!

*Domo laughs *

Sasa: besides, you have to choose a player, not me

Badelj: hmmm. Brozo. He can run a lot. A lot more than me. *laughs * so it wouldn't be so bad

Badelj: to choose a movie for you?

Sasa: hmmm, not you, you'd choose something too serious. I'd choose Vida, he'd pick something funny

Domo: *says something

Sasa: you don't watch them either? Miki do you watch them?

Badelj: I do, but I wouldn't know what to recommend

Domo: Livi!

Sasa: Livi is young still. He didn't watch a lot of movies

Livi says something it sort of sounds like: Oh com'on!

Sasa: I don't know who I'd pick, really

Badelj: can he say I don't know?

Host: yeah, I guess so

 Sasa: but I said you first!

Badelj: no, you said I'd pick something too serious. You said Domo would pick something funny first

Domo: But I don't watch movies!

Sasa: fine, then Livi, if I must

Badelj: if I must do you hear that Livi? How do you feel about that?

Host: he looks truly honored

 Badelj: who would you choose to help you cheat on a test?

Sasa: you

Badelj: and I'd be already cheating by reading someone else'd answer so that's a good idea *laughs *

Sasa: who would you choose as a partner in a fight?

Badelj: Vida

Host: As a doctor would you explain to us how during WC in 2018 there wasn't a single game where one of the players couldn't play because of an injury? What is the secret?

Sasa: well, motivation mostly. Everyone wanted to play. Even if someone had some issue-and we had them, they would push through it and play anyway. I'll be honest. There were some players I thought wouldn't be able to get through the game but not only did they manage it but they manage to play until the end of the WC

Badelj: yeah, Šime

Sasa: yes, it was Šime. I didn't want to use the names but it was him. I didn't expect him to play after the game against Russia but he did and he played the England and the France one. I-I really don't know how to explain what he did

Host: so when we made pairs that will come to the studio I'll admit I was really looking forward to interviewing the two of you-

Badelj: now you are just talking shit. You say that to everyone

Sasa: Vida did he say the same thing to everyone?

Badelj: you should have written it on the cards "I looked forward to talking the two of you the most"

Host: -and you fulfilled my expectations despite the fact that Miki obviousy isn't funny-

Badelj: I am not! But I recommend bad, too serious movies. Serious and boring ones

Sasa: I only said serious ones!

Host, turning to the camera: Thank you for watching our newest podcast! Watch us tomorrow as well!

[lvrdream]

belonging | dobrik

anonymous said: Hey so I had something pop up in my head out of nowhere and it's gonna sound crazy but I'll give it a shot! Can you do one where the reader started distancing herself from everyone and everyone is noticing so they come up with a plan but it doesn't end well, in the end, she tells them that she doesn't belong there and that she doesn't fit in. It ends with fluff or whatever🤪

plot: y/n feels like david would be better off without her

a/n: i got carried away and this strayed a little bit from the request but i hope you like it! send me some david or shawn requests!!

-

david, of course, was the first one to notice when y/n started to come around less and less. he started to notice that she would blow him off, especially when he made plans with the other members of the vlog squad. he thought maybe one of their friends had made her uncomfortable, but couldn’t come up with a single person that was a common thread, so then he thought that maybe it was just him that was the problem. maybe y/n wanted to break up, david thought, but was quickly proved wrong when carly had asked him why y/n was acting so distant recently.

mariah suggested the thought that maybe she wasn’t feeling the group settings, so she invited her to go get coffee, and y/n accepted after being reassured multiple times that it would only be them.

when mariah and y/n met for said coffee, mariah tried to dance around the subject for a while, but eventually, she found the words tumbling out of her mouth.

“so, david mentioned that he thought you might be wanting to break up with him…” mariah says, but it comes out as more of a question, and truthfully, she was kind of scared of how y/n would react and even more scared that y/n would confirm david’s doubts.

“what?” y/n almost chokes on her coffee. “why would he think that?”

“i don’t know…” mariah says, but quickly continues, “we’ve all noticed that you have been hanging out with all of us less.” y/n nods her head slowly, and moves her gaze from mariah’s face to the window, not wanting her friend to see the water that seemed to quickly form in her eyes. the two girls stayed quiet for a couple minutes, that seemed to drag on for hours, mariah started to wonder if y/n was going to ever answer her.

“i…” y/n starts to explain, but quickly closes her mouth. “if i tell you this, you can’t tell anyone okay? not david, not heath, absolutely no one.” mariah nods her head. “david and i have been together for almost a year and a half now, and we have obviously known each other longer than that, but a couple weeks ago, he mentioned that he wanted me to move in.” y/n takes a sharp breath, the tears in her eyes only collecting more as she talks.

“you don’t want to?” mariah asks softly, grabbing y/n’s hand that rested on the table.

“no, no. i mean, yes, i do. so bad. but i feel like… i feel like david deserves to be with someone so much better than me. he deserves someone who can be one of the stars of his vlog. someone who makes him laugh the way the rest of you can make him laugh. i’m just normal, boring old me. i’m not a youtuber or have a crazy talent, i have a desk job, and…” y/n can’t bear to continue, she lets out a sob, but quickly covers her face, trying not to get the attention of the other coffee drinkers in the cafe.

“oh, honey, you know david doesn’t care about all of that stuff. he loves you, y/n. so much.” mariah squeezes the hand that isn’t covering y/n’s face.

“i know, i know. and i love him more than i have ever loved anyone. i just feel like i don’t belong, riah.”

-

when they left the coffee shop, mariah quickly broke her promise to y/n and called david. it broke david’s heart to hear that the girl he loved with his entire heart was struggling to feel like she fit in with the people he considered family.

david quickly made his way over to her apartment and let himself in. he found her asleep in her bedroom with the tv playing reruns of grey’s anatomy on a low volume in the background. he couldn’t help but smile at her. he slipped off his shoes and crawled in behind her, making sure to hold her as tightly as he could without waking her.

when she woke up, she wasn’t expecting to find herself in the arms of the love of her life, but nonetheless, she snuggled closer to him. she didn’t quite realize how much she missed him until she was in his arms after avoiding him for what felt like weeks.

“baby?” david murmurs, when he feels her move.

“hi.” she whispers, back, suddenly feeling guilty for the ways she’s been acting and feeling.

“i miss you.” he says, softly kissing the crown of her head.

“I’m sorry.” she says, trying not to cry for the second time.

“hey, it’s okay.”

“mariah told you?” y/n asks and david nods.

“don’t be mad at her, she told me you told her not to tell me.”

“i’m not.” y/n says, pulling back to finally look at him.

“if you’re not ready to move in with me, you could have told me, you know? i would never be mad at you for not being ready. we’ll get there eventually, baby.”

“that’s not it, dave. trust me. i would follow you to the end of the world if you asked me to.” she sighs, “i just wonder if you would be better off without me.”

“why would you think that, y/n? i think i might die if you leave me.”

“i’m so normal.” y/n says, and pulls away from david, causing both of them to feel cold. “you deserve to be with someone extraordinary.”

“you are. and just because i don’t put you in the vlog much doesn’t mean that you mean any less to me than the people i do, or that you don’t belong in it. i have so many clips that would have made it into the vlog if it wasn’t you. and as awful as that sounds, i just don’t want to share you. and besides that, the fans love you. they’re always commenting on how pretty you are or funny and how they want you in it more. i’m sorry, i just didn’t want to share you, i never meant to hurt your feelings.”

“david,” y/n turns back to her side to look at him, “you never made me feel like this. it was nothing you did, okay? i’m sorry. and you don’t have to share me, i’m all yours.”

-

a month later, so much had changed. y/n now didn’t distance herself, it didn’t happen overnight, but with david’s constant reasurance and mariah being there for her to talk to, she started to feel like the way she did when she first met david. they were planning on moving y/n in as soon as her lease at her apartment ended. she spent more time at david’s than her own anyway.

one morning, y/n woke up to a post notification from david’s account with the title being “SHE KEEPS TRYING TO MAKEOUT WITH ME” she furrowed her eyebrows as she clicked on the notification.

when she presses the play button, david’s face appears, and he says “hey, guys, it’s david.” with a giggle before it cuts to the intro screen.

“soooo, many of you know that i have been in a relationship with a very pretty girl for about a year in a half. if you didn’t know, this is her.” he says as he points over to a part of the screen and a picture of y/n pops up. “very pretty i know.” he laughs, “anyway, some of you have been demanding that you get to see some more of her.” a bunch of screen grabs come up of fans asking for david to post more of the two of them or just y/n in general. “so, i thought i’d give you an entire vlogs worth of her.”

the screen goes black, and then y/n appears, asleep in david’s bed. david screams and y/n jumps up. when she sees that david is fine, she flops backwards and rubs her eyes. “you’re a fucking asshole david dobrik.” and david laughs.

then it cuts to y/n’s twenty-first, way before they started dating, when they had just met. y/n was gone. she smiles at the camera, posing for the picture, but laughs loudly when david says “it’s a video, do something!” and you can see the panic that goes across the plastered y/n’s face. “david! i don’t know what to do!” she whispers, with a hand halfway over her mouth like the camera could no longer see and hear her.

it then goes to a couple months into their relationship, when david set up a camera in his living room to film a sit down portion of his video, when y/n comes in, and lays across his lap, not even noticing the camera. “i hate you.” she says.

“why?” he asks, with a loud laugh.

“i don’t, i love you.” her first i love you. david glances down at her in shock.

“for real?”

“don’t make me take it back.”

it cuts again, this time to a more recent day. this time, y/n is pretty certain that the clip was filmed by jason, “why won’t you just kiss me!” y/n yells, as she sits on david’s lap, with her hands on either side of his head.

“we need to do the podcast, babe” not budging.

“give me love, and i’ll leave you alone.”

“how about i give you a kiss, and you never leave me alone?” david smiles.

“even better!” she yells, leaning down, before it cuts off, and david appears again.

“so, yeah!” david claps. “that is only some of my favorite clips of her. i have so many more, that you probably will never see. but i promise that i won’t keep her to myself anymore. i hope you love her just a fraction of what i love her. but yeah! i’ll see you guys the next vlog! byeeee” the vlog cuts, and y/n grins, wondering how she could ever feel the way she had, when she had everything she had ever wanted.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

In Tatters: One

Bucky wasn't gonna lie. He was jealous of how easy this century was for Steve. For someone that was a fish out of water in the land of relics like big band music and being able to call every girl you met "sweetheart," he was surprisingly adept in the land of smartphones and self-checkouts.

Steve waded into this new century with gusto and Bucky? His favorite thing was that self-checkouts meant he didn't have to talk to as many people at the grocery store. That was nice. That was really nice. And there were more food options, and that was neat. The microwaves were cool. There were some good things. But as he leaned against the wall of the club, nursing a drink that wouldn't get him drunk and watching Steve try and carry on a conversation with Thor over all the women that wouldn't leave them alone; he couldn't help but be a little jealous. 

It was a pain in the ass, trying to remember how to flirt with a girl. Girls in this time were different, well. Kinda. Girls had always been feral. Fierce. But now they got to burn brighter. Smart girls weren't doomed to spinsterhood and cats. Still. The music was loud. Too loud for talking and the skin and the sweat on the dancefloor were prohibitive. It felt like too much. Like he couldn't touch because the skin that was showing was something he shouldn't be seeing until at least a third date. It just isn't his scene. And he knows it isn't really Steve's either, but he's having a pretty good time right now with a pretty blonde who's got pretty red lips. So, deciding to quit while he's behind, Bucky slips into the night. 

The cold February air reminds him of Russia, but it feels good against the heat in his face. It was hot in the Club. All those bodies smashed together. The smell of sweat and sexual frustration. It was Alien terrain. But even in this time, the Alleys in New York hadn't changed that much. The smell was the same. Trash, Asphalt, Iron. That never changed. Neither did his urge to go home. 

To go be where he's comfortable. Where he can wear a t-shirt and sweats. Where he can have a snack and listen to a record. Or maybe watch Television for a minute. TV was another thing he enjoyed. It made good background noise while he did other things. So when he let himself into the apartment he shared with Steve, he switched it on. 

It didn't matter what played as Bucky stripped himself out of his clothes and picked up something more comfortable. All that mattered was that he felt better. A lot better, away from the crush of bodies and stares. He feels better still when he grabs a snack. Oreos and a glass of milk. Something sweet is usually his go-to when he's feeling particularly out of place. And he waits. Steve always comes home eventually. Neither one of them is really looking for a girl right now. Fitting one into their lives has been frustrating. And it's been even more frustrating trying to find one that can love them both. Or at least doesn't mind them loving each other while one of them loves you. 

When Steve walks into the house, Bucky looks towards the door, "It's not even midnight yet," he said yawning. 

"Eh, I was afraid all the cabs were gonna turn into pumpkins if I stayed out too late," he said, throwing his jacket on the chair and sprawling on the couch, his head on Bucky's abs with a sigh.

"Have fun?" Bucky asked, rubbing the nape of his neck gently.

"Not really," he admitted, "but there was a girl that was interested in a date."

"If it was the little blonde, no thanks," Bucky said fondly.

"I turned her down," Steve said, yawning, "She mentioned having a true-crime podcast."

"What the fuck is a podcast?" Bucky asked.

"It's like a youtube video but... not. It's like a radio program."

Bucky nodded and sighed, "Still. I don't wanna be a project."

Steve nuzzled against Buckys stomach and smiled, "Don't worry, Buck. I won't let that happen. Not again. We're gonna find a girl eventually, and she's gonna be everything we want."

"That's the dream, Stevie," he answers, rubbing Steve's neck.

"Let's go to bed, huh?" Steve asked, "Things'll look brighter in the morning."

"You always say that," Bucky grouses.

"And I'm always right," Steve says, grinning, "Come on, Barnes. The sooner you let me put you to bed, the sooner I'll be able to buy your pancakes in the morning."

"That helps," Bucky said, letting Steve pull him into a sitting position.

"It always has," Steve said, stealing a kiss gently, looping an arm around Bucky's waist. 

The brunette leans into the touch, and Steve frowns to himself. He knows Bucky is down. That he feels left out and gets lonely. He's been there. This time can be overwhelming. It's a constant influx of information and ads and new cultural mores. It never stops. And it takes some getting used to. Still. As he strips down to his boxers and a t-shirt, Bucky’s head on his chest, he wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

He knows how badly Bucky misses having a softer touch in their lives. A feminine sweetness. Counterbalance to their existence of endless fighting and training. The blood and the gore. Someone who can weave their lives together so seamlessly that all the throw pillows and hair care products seem like they’ve been there forever. Steve tries to bring home flowers some times and do the rainy, sleepy Sundays. But the problem is that neither one of them does well with downtime. Not really. Not if they don’t need to slow down for someone else. It’s always been that way. Even when they had their first girl together. 

Dates with just the two of them are adventures. Riding the new terrifying ride at Coney Island. Adrenaline inducing things. Things that left them both breathless and dizzy like the first frantic time together. 

They wanted someone that brought more balance. Someone that reminded them of what they were fighting for. It was easy for them to get wrapped up in each other and lose sight of anything else. And he wants that for Bucky. Something to help him find a footing in his new routine. But, even Steve knows it’s going to be a tall order. 

It was a tall order even before he went into the ice. But now, with their combined history, it was going to be worse. But there had to be someone. Someone they could fold into their lives and keep for their own. 

“Go to sleep,” Bucky groused, nipping his shoulder.

“You first, Bucky,” Steve snorted, turning his head to brush a kiss against his hair.

“Can’t,” he answered, “I can feel you thinking.”

“Well quit it.”

“You first,” Bucky challenged, “What’cha thinking about.”

“A girl,” Steve answered stretching, “how much I miss having someone ticklish to cuddle.”

“That’s always nice,” Bucky said yawning, “You’re no fun now that I can’t just pick you up a throw you over my shoulder.”

“You still can,” Steve pointed out.

“Yeah,” Bucky pouted, “But you’re taller than me now and it’s not as fun.”

“Such a baby,” Steve teased.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bucky said nuzzling Steve’s neck, “But you’re stuck with me now.”

“Til the end of the line,” Steve said, “As long as you go the fuck to sleep.”

“You first pal,” Bucky said grumpily, “Your heartbeat gets louder when you’re thinking.”

“So lay on the other side, ya goon,” Steve chuckled.

“Or you could stop thinking about tits. Oh sorry. Ass. You like ass.”

“You know it,” Steve said closing his eyes.

“You’re gross and I’m telling Nat,” Bucky said.

“I hate to break it to you pal, but she likes ass too.”

“Ugh. Fucking degenerates the both of you.”

[pronouncingitwang]

s1 archives crew | 1.7K words | basically tim and martin think sasha and jon are dating and have a Time about it to my specific amusement

[INT. BUBBLE TEA SHOP]

[BACKGROUND: PEOPLE CHATTING, BAD DANCE MUSIC PLAYING OVER THE SPEAKERS]

TIM

(bitter, reminiscent of a cup of black tea that’s been steeping, forgotten, for an hour) I hope they’re having a good time

[PLASTIC HITTING PLASTIC, LIKE SOMEONE IS JABBING AT HIS BUBBLE TEA WITH HIS STRAW AND FAILING TO CATCH ANY PEARLS ON THE POINTY END]

MARTIN

(bitter, reminiscent of a cup of black tea that’s been steeping, forgotten, for two hours) I don’t.

TIM

(heh) Wellll… It’s more that I hope they’re having a good time, until something about the way Sasha talks reminds Jon of his grandmother, and the thought is so awful that he starts wishing it weren’t a date.

[ON THE WORD “DATE,” MARTIN LETS OUT A SOFT GROAN]

MARTIN

(glum) Cheers to that.

[THE TAP OF TWO PLASTIC CUPS AGAINST EACH OTHER]

MARTIN

(wistful) What do you think they’re talking about right now?

TIM

(glum) How smart and perfect they are, probably.

That, or work.

MARTIN

I don’t even know if Jon’s capable of not talking about work.

TIM

He was, back in research. (contemplative) He and Sash always got along swimmingly, but I never thought…

MARTIN

(oddly agitated) I didn’t even know he swung that way. Do you think— (lowering voice to a whisper) is it possible Sasha’s his beard?

TIM

(laughing) What, he needs her help staying closeted from us? You know, come to think of it, we are both such raging homophobes, so—

MARTIN

(laughing, but still tense) Yeah, alright, alright, lay off it.

[SILENCE]

TIM

Are you alright? You look… really wound up. Like, shaking.

MARTIN

(agitated) I’m fine, I just— (words bursting out) Look, I’m sorry, but—what does Jon see in her? Like, Sasha’s my friend, and she’s great, but—

TIM

(trying for lighthearted but landed on “stern”) Going to have to stop you there, Marto.

MARTIN

What? Oh, right, right, I’m sorry—

TIM

How about some ground rules. I don’t talk shit about Jon, and you don’t talk shit about Sasha.

MARTIN

Y-yeah. That sounds good.

[AWKWARD SILENCE]

MARTIN

I hope… that Elias calls Jon down to the Institute for an emergency live statement before they’ve even ordered food?

[CLINK OF ICE, A CUP BEING RAISED]

TIM

That’s the spirit!

-

[INT. ARCHIVES, THE ARCHIVIST’S OFFICE]

ARCHIVIST

I know you said, but your wording was ambiguous earlier, and I’ve gotten this wrong before in the past—this is strictly platonic, yes?

SASHA

(amused) Yes, Jon, I promise I’m not trying to steal your virtue—

[SPLUTTERING NOISES FROM THE ARCHIVIST]

SASHA (CONT’D)

—or your heart.

ARCHIVIST

That’s, ah. That’s good to hear.

SASHA

God, Jon, if I knew you were going to be this flustered over “My corkscrew wound hurts, so you’re taking me out to dinner because I said so,” I wouldn’t have asked.

ARCHIVIST

No, it’s perfectly alright, I’m happy to—

SASHA

If it helps, I’m also aromantic as hell.

ARCHIVIST

Oh! That’s, well. (inhale) (enunciating each word clearly and sincerely) Thank you for telling me, Sasha.

SASHA

(laughing) You can stop making that face, I haven’t been hiding it, or worried about your reaction or anything. I only really figured it out recently. I haven’t even told Tim yet.

ARCHIVIST

(awkward) Ah. Well, either way, I’m glad that you found a label that works for you.

SASHA

So am I.

ARCHIVIST

(abrupt) I’m… I’m asexual. Not that it—but I thought you might like to know.

SASHA

Nice!

[SOUND OF A HI-FIVE BEING EXCHANGED]

SASHA (CONT’D)

And you’re right, I do like to know.

So, you ready for Aspec Solidarity Dinner?

ARCHIVIST

I thought this was Sorry You Got Stabbed Dinner.

SASHA

(with exaggerated gravity) Sometimes, things… can be two things.

ARCHIVIST

(heh) Fair enough.

-

[INT. BUBBLE TEA SHOP, SEVERAL HOURS LATER]

[LESS BACKGROUND CHATTER THAN BEFORE]

MARTIN

(dreamily) I hope they both get food poisoning. Not— (correcting course) not anything too bad, just… unpleasant enough that their neural pathways start connecting the idea of a romance between them with feeling sick.

TIM

(mock-offended) What, you think getting food poisoning with someone means you can’t stomach the sight of them again? And here I was thinking we were friends!

MARTIN

Well, we weren’t on a date, then. The logic works out differently. You don’t make me ill, but the idea of stakeouts does.

TIM

I mean, we could.

MARTIN

Could…?

TIM

Go on a date. A proper one.

MARTIN

What, like, to make Jon and Sasha jealous?

[BEAT]

MARTIN

Shit, Tim. I’m—

TIM

(quiet) I was just thinking a date in general, but—

MARTIN (CONT’D)

—so sorry, that was so inconsiderate—

TIM

(overlapping) No, no, it’s alright. It was… stupid to ask. I know how much you like Jon.

MARTIN

And I thought you were—I thought—Well, you just spent an hour talking about how you were interested in Sasha?

TIM

Doesn’t mean I can’t have other interests.

MARTIN

Right. I mean—

TIM

Let’s just agree to forget about it.

MARTIN

I mean, it’s not that I don’t—

TIM

We’re having fun, right? Let’s keep having fun.

[SILENCE]

MARTIN

(quiet) So you really want to forget about it?

TIM

Martin, what does that even me-

MARTIN

I don’t know! I just—Can we talk about it tomorrow?

TIM

... Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good.

[MORE SILENCE]

TIM

(with forced enthusiasm) Hey. I just had an idea. Do you want to get really, really drunk?

-

SASHA

(laughing) And then— (laughing harder) they just hung up on me! Just like that!

ARCHIVIST

(engrossed) What did you do then?

SASHA

Called them back, of course.

ARCHIVIST

No.

SASHA

It was my favorite sweater, Jon, I wasn’t going to let it rot just because Tim left it behind while trespassing for you!

ARCHIVIST

So now it’s my fault, too?

SASHA

Absolutely. I think you owe me, oh, at least two more dinners for that.

ARCHIVIST

(audible smile) That can be arranged. Though, (hesitating) I don’t know if that’s… wise.

SASHA

(mildly exasperated) Listen, Jon, just because you can technically fire me now doesn’t mean we can’t still spend time together.

ARCHIVIST

Well, yes, but—

SASHA

You’re my friend, Jon. I missed talking to you.

ARCHIVIST

(somewhat touched) I… also consider you a friend, Sasha.

SASHA (CONT’D)

(smug) Besides, I know you’d never fire me, anyway.

ARCHIVIST

From a professional standpoint, I can neither confirm nor deny that.

SASHA

Ha! Knew it.

Movie at mine after we—sorry, after you—pay?

-

[INT. TIM’S FLAT, SEVERAL HOURS LATER]

[SOUNDS FROM THE TV]

MARTIN

(earnest, clearly inebriated) I can’t believe David broke up with you! That was so mean! How could anyone be so mean to you?

TIM

I can’t believe Jon’s so hard on you. I know you didn’t get a degree, but you work so hard, Marty. It’s not fair.

MARTIN

(sighing) ’Least he’s pretty.

TIM

So pretty.

MARTIN

Just wanna hold his hand.

TIM

(daydreaming) Sash has nice hands.

[SILENCE AS THEY FANTASIZE]

MARTIN

(coming back to himself) This isn’t fair. You’re hot! People should be getting weepy over you!

TIM

And you’re hot and you write poetry! We should be the fucking office heartthrobs!

MARTIN

Fucking David.

TIM

Fuck that guy. Or don’t, actually.

[TIM GIGGLES]

MARTIN

What?

TIM

Your face is so red, Marty. (contemplative) Sash’s favorite color is red.

[DRUNKEN SILENCE]

MARTIN

(whispering) Hey. Hey, Tim.

TIM

Yeah?

MARTIN

Y’know what you should do?

TIM

What?

MARTIN

You should text her.

TIM

Nuh. No way.

MARTIN

You should!

TIM

Only if you text Jon.

MARTIN

No, no, Tim.

TIM

Yes! Where’s your phone? Gimme.

MARTIN

(whining) Tim, no, he’s my boss, Tim!

TIM

It doesn’t have to be weird! Either you write something and send it, or I do.

[MARTIN RECOILS IN HORROR]

MARTIN

Fine.

-

[INT. SASHA’S FLAT]

ARCHIVIST

(puzzled) I just got a text… from Martin.

SASHA

(with a mixture of surprise, anticipation, and amusement that can only come from suspecting something that Jon doesn’t) Oh? What does it say?

ARCHIVIST

It says, um, (spelling out the typos) “hpe ur date went well an no food poisonig”?

SASHA

(laughing) Sorry, what?

ARCHIVIST

I really don’t see—W-wait. (fast) When Prentiss had Martin’s phone, she kept talking about a stomach bug—do you think this is her again? Is he in danger?

SASHA

(suppressing laughter) I really don’t think it’s Prentiss.

ARCHIVIST

How can you be sure? We should probably go to the Institute, or at least call Elias, or—

SASHA

Martin’s fine, Jon. I just got a text from Tim about him.

ARCHIVIST

Oh! Well, that’s a relief.

SASHA

(giggling) Listen to this: (enunciating each word) “me n marty r soooo drunk i miss u an i thin ur lauh is pretty also lrgally u have 2 tell me if bossyboss is a good ksser ok byeeeee.” And then, five—no, six exclamation points.

ARCHIVIST

Good… kisser? (horrified) Wait, do Tim and Martin think we’re…

SASHA

(giggling) Apparently so.

ARCHIVIST

Should we—should we correct them?

SASHA

Well, yeah.

[BEAT]

SASHA (CONT’D)

(sly) On Monday, that is.

-

[INT. TIM’S FLAT]

MARTIN

He said, (reading off his phone) “This is highly unprofessional, but yes, Sasha and I are passing a—” Passing? Tim, they’re still…

TIM

(with a deep and heavy sadness completely at odds with the actual words) Damn. Get it, Sasha.

MARTIN

(continuing) “—a perfectly pleasant evening. It was kind of you to ask.” (despondent) Tim. I hate this.

[BEAT]

MARTIN

Tim?

TIM

(flat) I just got a text from Sasha.

MARTIN

(dreading the response) What’s it say?

TIM

See for yourself.

[THEY LOOK AT TIM’S PHONE IN SILENCE]

MARTIN

(quiet) I’ve… I’ve never seen Jon with his hair down before.

[MORE STARING]

TIM

They look fucking adorable.

[MORE STARING]

MARTIN

Jon looks so happy.

TIM

So does Sash.

[A LONG MOMENT OF CONTEMPLATION]

MARTIN

(inhale) (determined) You know what? (exhale) (forcing the words out) I’m… I’m glad they’re having a good time.

[A LONG SILENCE]

[TIM GROANS]

TIM

(glum) Yeah. Me too.

-

bonus:

[INT. SASHA’S FLAT]

SASHA

Aw, look at this.

[FABRIC RUSTLING AS JON SHUFFLES CLOSER]

ARCHIVIST

Is that…? Oh. Well, they certainly look alright. No worms, or… Michael.

SASHA

I’m just glad Martin has a place to crash tonight other than Document Storage.

ARCHIVIST

I mean, I can’t imagine that Tim’s couch will be that much better than the archives cot.

SASHA

(heh) Tim’s couch, right.

[BEAT]

ARCHIVIST

(surprised) You think…?

SASHA

That they’re sleeping together? I mean, I don’t know for certain, but Tim’s talked to me about Martin before, and…. well, let’s just say I “strongly suspect.”

[DEAD SILENCE. THE ARCHIVIST FEELS HE IS CLOSE TO AN EPIPHANY, BUT BATS IT AWAY. ALTHOUGH HE NEVER REACHES IT, THE GRIEF THAT WOULD ACCOMPANY SAID EPIPHANY IS STILL FELT ACUTELY]

ARCHIVIST

(flat) Oh.

[randomcanbian]

(re: Fandom Meme) B, D, N, P, R, Y ??? (also if you feel like answering T again about anything else pls do (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) (also let the record know that your first answer was *chef kiss* wonderful and should've been canon imo (╯▽╰ ))

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

Felix x fem!Byleth from FE3H... I thought it’d be the same as f!Dimileth (the fandom version of it at least) where the man is like ~~ohhhh I’m a monster I’m so broken ahhh I push people away and go on berserker rages because of my tragic backstory~~ and the woman has to be gentle and kind, the epitome of femininity (despite being a mercenary who had been trained to kill since she was 11...), basically put himself above her on so many levels and the onus is on her to ~~fix him~~~...but apparently not??? The fancontent is so gorgeous and has them as equals, both lonely people who’ve had their childhood taken away from them, both who’ve closed themselves off from the world (or in Byleth’s case, has never known how to open herself up to it), both of them seeing themselves in each other, both taking it upon themselves to meet each other half-way and from thereon help each other process their past and walk forward into the future...damn man, the kinship and the partnership in this ship... (also it really helps that 1. Felix is awed at Byleth’s swordsmanship and tactical mind and pushes himself to surpass it, forming a foundation for a healthy rivalry 2. the fandom does not forget that Byleth is her own person and not just Felix’s partner *cough* Dimileth *cough* Edeleth *cough*)

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t

Hmmmm well sometimes I wished (in general) that I could actively ship mlm couples, just because there’s so much content for them :)) (don’t get me started on how fandom gravitates towards male characters and mlm ships...lmao someone way back then gave me the excuse that it’s because the actual creators put more effort into their male characters and that they end up becoming more complex and interesting and like *looks at my fandoms where there are just as many girls as guys, just as interesting (if not more so) backstories and dynamics and interactions for the female characters, looks at the sheer number of mlm shippers in those fandoms who squeeze the most out of every insignificant moment for their male characters while ignoring the depth and complexity of the female characters* sure)

N - Name three things you wish you saw more of in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

Glee

1. Fanfic with more “out-there” ideas :)) (Don’t get me wrong, there are fanfics that fall far from Glee’s high school/young adult/modern-coming-of-age setting, and even for fics that do fall under those spheres there are some that deal with complex, intricate themes in such an incredible manner or even if not that are just plain enjoyable but like,,, there aren’t enough for my ever-expanding hunger HAHA)(my last couple of fandoms were dark fantasy/sci-fi/whatever The Good Place is so I guess I just got spoiled lmao)

2. More analytical thinking LMAO I guess it just frustrates me that there are so many people in the fandom who take things at face value??? Given how biased the writers are and how shit they are at continuity it really doesn’t make sense to me that so many people take things so literally haha

3. More fanart unu I totally understand though that the fandom isn’t as big as it once was but a girl can dream, you know?

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

Something that I had wanted to write for Brittana (since 2012!) but never had the brain cells to: a sailor!AU where the characters live on a flat world and they’re trying to sail towards its edge (encountering so many mythical beasts and legends on the way) (may or may not be inspired by C.S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader haha)

Special mention to this AU since I've used for at least three fandoms by now haha: Pygmalion&Galatea!AU wherein one character creates a statue and her love for it brings it to life :)))

R - A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships

LMAO I went through Bae Doona’s body of work (what was available of it at least) in 2015 and ended up shipping her character Park Hyun-nam with her best friend (Yoon Jang-mi) in 플란다스의 개 (Barking Dogs Never Bite)...I wrote a very small ficlet of them (I literally had to create the section for them in ao3...and lmao I just checked and I am still the only fic in there HAHA)(please don’t look for my account btw all my fics are so self-indulgent and atrocious huhu) and I also made this gifset of them :))) As far as I know I am literally the only one in the entire world who ships them HAHA

Similar story for her character Ri Bun-hui in 코리아 (As One)...although honestly if it turns out that a decent number of people have seen this movie I’d be surprised that no one else shipped Bun-hui with Hyun Jung-hwa??? Because they??? Tennis table rivals from North Korea and South Korea who have to team up to win at the Olympics??? Jung-hwa trying to get Bun-hui and her team to loosen up??? Them becoming closer??? When the Olympics are over and the North Korea team have to go home, and Jung-hwa chases after the bus and tries to reach for Bun-hui’s hand, realizing that they might never see each other again??? I??? (Just...I had to make this gifset of their hands: when they first meet each other, when one takes the other’s for comfort, the last time their fingers will ever touch...)(Also let’s ignore that it’s a re-telling of real life event akjsndaskj haha)

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all

(Thank you roseate ;u; I’m glad that you agree and are interested with my headcanons ;o;)

Santana’s a trivia nerd and is the type to deep-dive down Wikipedia pages which is why she makes all those obscure references :))) (Also a more specific version of this headcanon, not something that I’d die defending but like,,, something that I won’t let anyone take away from me lmao is that she’s a TV/movie buff, dabbles in comics (specifically, DC and follows character like Wonder Woman, the Birds of Prey, Poison Ivy/Harleyquinn, Batwoman, and Renee Montoya), and started getting a little into theater/musicals after spending time with Kurt and Rachel :))) She also has a record player back in Lima and has a bunch of vinyl records back home (back in high school she’d play a couple of slow songs and just slow dance with Britt in the privacy of their bedrooms uwu)(imagine this scene and this song playing in the background ;u;)

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)

BTS, because so many of my friends are KPOP fans

Genshin, also because so many of my friends are into it

魔道祖师 (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) because my close friend fangirls over them so much and we just exchange anecdotes with me and Glee/Fire Emblem and her and TGDC

Critical Role and My Brother, My Brother and Me podcast because my gf is a huge fan of them :))

Not quite there yet, but I am looking forward to having Dostoevsky’s extended universe as a secondhand fandom HAHA

[heidianderson]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐃𝐈 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍.

[DANIELLE ROSE RUSSELL, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER] who’s that? oh it’s {HEIDI ANDERSON}. i hear they’re {SIXTEEN} and a {JUNIOR} at {CRAWFORD COUNTY DAY}, have a voice like {SELENA GOMEZ} and are part of {CANARIES & FILM SOCIETY}. they’re known to be {COOPERATIVE & PRIDEFUL} and {TIMID & UNTALENTED}. some people say they remind them of {THE SCENT OF DISAPPOINTMENT, PITCHY TONED VOCALS, LATE NIGHT PODCASTS, AND PERFECTLY COILED LOCKS}. only one way to find out!

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Heidi June Anderson

NICKNAME(S): N/A

AGE: Sixteen

DATE OF BIRTH: August 31st

HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, California

CURRENT LOCATION: Lima, Ohio

ORIENTATION: Pansexual

RELIGION: Her dad wants her to practice Scientology, but she refuses, so no religious affiliation

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Democrat

OCCUPATION: Student/Vocal Adrenaline Slave

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Lives w/ dad

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: English, some Mandarin Chinese

FAMILY

FATHER: Cooper Anderson

MOTHER: June Robinson-Anderson

SIBLING(S): N/A

EXTRA

SUN: Virgo

MOON: Gemini

RISING: Virgo

LIKES: True crime, being noticed, the color blue, making her dad proud, gold jewelry, headbands, freshly ironed cotton shirts with matching cardigans

DISLIKES: Disappointing her dad, feeling like she’s not living up to her mom’s potential, New Directions, anyone who doesn’t go to Carmel, bright colors, manipulation

HEADCANONS

When Cooper Anderson travelled back to Lima in the spring of 2012 to visit his younger brother what he was not expecting was to meet a girl eight years his junior studying literature at Lima’s Ohio State campus. June Robinson was exactly the kind of girl Cooper liked to get his hands on. Pretty, recognized his celebrity status, and was smart enough to keep up a conversation with and while normally their story would have ended after their one night stand, they decided to exchange numbers and keep in touch. This led to nightly texting which turned into good morning texts which turned into FaceTime calls which turned into June hopping on a plane to California (the same week as Cooper’s own brother’s wedding). By the time June had landed, Cooper had been given the news that his younger brother had gotten married to his high school sweetheart, the older Anderson just had to retaliate. There was no way he was about to not be told about his own brother’s wedding let alone not be in attendance to cause a disturbance, so he did what any sane person would do. He proposed to June, without a ring, but he covered that one up by telling June that there were going to go to a jeweler and pick out a ring that she wanted. The two didn’t plan to get married that week or even that month, but somehow after June had her pretty engagement ring on, they were running down to a local courthouse.

After the marriage was finalized, June had the most amazing trip in Los Angeles before going back to Lima and finishing up her semester before fully transferring to a campus in LA where her and Cooper could live together and start their life. For two people who jumped the gun on getting married, they surprisingly handled domestic life fairly well. They were happy. Cooper was acting. June was writing. Their income was fairly stable, even if sometimes Cooper had to pick up a random commercial gig or June had to do freelance article work just to make sure they could pay rent for the month. They made things work and despite Cooper’s poor acting chops, he managed to make it big doing random B-list movies and playing roles in random crime shows. Everything was just so good and one thing they agreed on. No kids. Why would they mess up something that was already so perfect?

Well, that was all said and done until they were coming up on their 8th anniversary. Maybe they did want children or maybe they were having a bad case of relationship boredom. They had already travelled, excelled in their careers, what more was their to do besides have a couple of kids? Which is exactly what they did. Heidi June Anderson was born on August 31st, 2024 happy, healthy, and giggling. And again, things were completely fine until they weren’t. It wasn’t long after Heidi’s birth that things started to go south. It had nothing to do with Heidi specifically, but more of the events that transpired after her birth. June got lonely, she wasn’t writing as often, and she was in a rut. It didn’t help that Cooper had some hot blonde as a co-star either on his new movie while June was still recovering postpartum. So, she found solace in a close friend of hers and it wasn’t long before Cooper pieced things together and found June with another man in their own bed. Incoming divorce and custody papers. Everything happened when Heidi was way too young to even piece together a memory of her mother and wanting to move on from the life she built in Los Angeles, she moved away to some European country but that wasn’t the last time Heidi saw her mom. They worked out an agreement where Cooper got full custody, but June had all the visitation rights she wanted as long as she was in town. That wasn’t very often though and by the time Heidi was ten, the visitations stopped altogether. 

Growing up with Cooper as a dad wasn’t the worst possible situation. They had pizza for breakfast and cereal for dinner and Cooper always made Heidi watch any movies or tv shows he had been in and made her review and critique them all (Heidi was always one to point out Cooper’s lack of pointing in certain scenes). This meant she had to sit through many, many hours or Cooper “starring” on multiple crime dramas and she gripped onto that. Her entire life she had been shown the showbiz side of life, getting chucked into singing, dancing, and acting lessons and even though she was still watching her dad’s content, she fell in love with crime shows, begging Cooper to put on episodes that wasn’t even his. She wasn’t about to up and become some kind of criminal, but the cases were just so entrancing. 

At some point during Heidi’s childhood, Cooper began to realize that he couldn’t raise Heidi by himself. He needed some sort of help from his family so Cooper packed himself and Heidi up to Lima, Ohio. Partly for help via his own family, but he also was more hopeful that June would visit Lima to see her parents more than come to Los Angeles to see her ex-husband and daughter. While in Lima, Heidi spent most of her time with her paternal grandparents while Cooper would be off travelling back and forth to Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and anywhere else he could find work.

Now in her formidable teenage years, Heidi had almost chosen to go to William McKinley High School. They had an okay academic and arts program and she lived in the district, but her dad would stand for no such thing. Him and his brother both attended Dalton Academy for most of their teen years and Heidi’s own mother had attended Crawford County Day and was a crucial member to the Canaries during her own high school years, Heidi’s options were limited and she knew the path her dad wanted for her. She was an Anderson! She was born to sing and act! So, she ended up at Crawford and opting to go for uniforms and rich girl tactics and quickly joined the ranks of the Canaries. 

The only problem with Heidi being in the Canaries is cut down to one simple fact - she’s simply untalented. She can’t sing, dance, or act very well. This is something her own dad would never say to her, but she’s simply an okay performer. The only real reason she’s still able to compete and be on the team is because with her extensive background of dance classes and vocal lessons, she can hold a pitch and she can learn choreography and her slight athleticism has allowed her to keep up with whatever's thrown at her on the Canaries. She may not be a lead, but she certainly adds character and a booster by the name of Cooper Anderson.

EXTRA LINKS

Pinterest Board | Playlist

[thechoir-roomhq]

WELCOME TO THE CHOIR ROOM, HEIDI ANDERSON (danielle rose russell fc),

here is your SCHEDULE! you have twenty-four hours to turn in your account and post an intro. good luck and have fun with the semester!

[DANIELLE ROSE RUSSELL, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER] who’s that? oh it’s {HEIDI ANDERSON}. i hear they’re {SIXTEEN} and a {JUNIOR} at {CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL}, have a voice like {SELENA GOMEZ} and are part of {VOCAL ADRENALINE & FILM SOCIETY}. they’re known to be {COOPERATIVE & PRIDEFUL} and {TIMID & UNTALENTED}. some people say they remind them of {THE SCENT OF DISAPPOINTMENT, PITCHY TONED VOCALS, LATE NIGHT PODCASTS, AND PERFECTLY COILED LOCKS}. only one way to find out! [lexi, 20, she/her, est]

PLEASE LIST AT LEAST THREE DETAILED HEADCANONS BELOW

When Cooper Anderson travelled back to Lima in the spring of 2012 to visit his younger brother what he was not expecting was to meet a girl eight years his junior studying literature at Lima’s Ohio State campus. June Robinson was exactly the kind of girl Cooper liked to get his hands on. Pretty, recognized his celebrity status, and was smart enough to keep up a conversation with and while normally their story would have ended after their one night stand, they decided to exchange numbers and keep in touch. This led to nightly texting which turned into good morning texts which turned into FaceTime calls which turned into June hopping on a plane to California (the same week as Cooper’s own brother’s wedding). By the time June had landed, Cooper had been given the news that his younger brother had gotten married to his high school sweetheart, the older Anderson just had to retaliate. There was no way he was about to not be told about his own brother’s wedding let alone not be in attendance to cause a disturbance, so he did what any sane person would do. He proposed to June, without a ring, but he covered that one up by telling June that there were going to go to a jeweler and pick out a ring that she wanted. The two didn’t plan to get married that week or even that month, but somehow after June had her pretty engagement ring on, they were running down to a local courthouse.

After the marriage was finalized, June had the most amazing trip in Los Angeles before going back to Lima and finishing up her semester before fully transferring to a campus in LA where her and Cooper could live together and start their life. For two people who jumped the gun on getting married, they surprisingly handled domestic life fairly well. They were happy. Cooper was acting. June was writing. Their income was fairly stable, even if sometimes Cooper had to pick up a random commercial gig or June had to do freelance article work just to make sure they could pay rent for the month. They made things work and despite Cooper’s poor acting chops, he managed to make it big doing random B-list movies and playing roles in random crime shows. Everything was just so good and one thing they agreed on. No kids. Why would they mess up something that was already so perfect?

Well, that was all said and done until they were coming up on their 8th anniversary. Maybe they did want children or maybe they were having a bad case of relationship boredom. They had already travelled, excelled in their careers, what more was their to do besides have a couple of kids? Which is exactly what they did. Heidi June Anderson was born on August 31st, 2024 happy, healthy, and giggling. And again, things were completely fine until they weren’t. It wasn’t long after Heidi’s birth that things started to go south. It had nothing to do with Heidi specifically, but more of the events that transpired after her birth. June got lonely, she wasn’t writing as often, and she was in a rut. It didn’t help that Cooper had some hot blonde as a co-star either on his new movie while June was still recovering postpartum. So, she found solace in a close friend of hers and it wasn’t long before Cooper pieced things together and found June with another man in their own bed. Incoming divorce and custody papers. Everything happened when Heidi was way too young to even piece together a memory of her mother and wanting to move on from the life she built in Los Angeles, she moved away to some European country but that wasn’t the last time Heidi saw her mom. They worked out an agreement where Cooper got full custody, but June had all the visitation rights she wanted as long as she was in town. That wasn’t very often though and by the time Heidi was ten, the visitations stopped altogether. 

Growing up with Cooper as a dad wasn’t the worst possible situation. They had pizza for breakfast and cereal for dinner and Cooper always made Heidi watch any movies or tv shows he had been in and made her review and critique them all (Heidi was always one to point out Cooper’s lack of pointing in certain scenes). This meant she had to sit through many, many hours or Cooper “starring” on multiple crime dramas and she gripped onto that. Her entire life she had been shown the showbiz side of life, getting chucked into singing, dancing, and acting lessons and even though she was still watching her dad’s content, she fell in love with crime shows, begging Cooper to put on episodes that wasn’t even his. She wasn’t about to up and become some kind of criminal, but the cases were just so entrancing. 

At some point during Heidi’s childhood, Cooper began to realize that he couldn’t raise Heidi by himself. He needed some sort of help from his family so Cooper packed himself and Heidi up to Lima, Ohio. Partly for help via his own family, but he also was more hopeful that June would visit Lima to see her parents more than come to Los Angeles to see her ex-husband and daughter. While in Lima, Heidi spent most of her time with her paternal grandparents while Cooper would be off travelling back and forth to Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and anywhere else he could find work.

Now in her formidable teenage years, Heidi had almost chosen to go to William McKinley High School. They had an okay academic and arts program and she lived in the district, but her dad would stand for no such thing. Him and his brother both attended Dalton Academy for most of their teen years and Heidi’s own mother had attended Carmel High School and was a crucial member to Vocal Adrenaline during her own high school years, Heidi’s options were limited and she knew the path her dad wanted for her. She was an Anderson! She was born to sing and act! So, she ended up at Carmel and quickly joined the ranks of Vocal Adrenaline. 

The only problem with Heidi being in Vocal Adrenaline is cut down to one simple fact - she’s simply untalented. She can’t sing, dance, or act very well. This is something her own dad would never say to her, but she’s simply an okay performer. The only real reason she’s still able to compete and be on the team is because with her extensive background of dance classes and vocal lessons, she can hold a pitch and she can learn choreography and her slight athleticism has allowed her to keep up with whatever’s thrown at her on Vocal Adrenaline. She may not be a lead, but she certainly adds character and new sparkly costumes to the team each competition.

[songwritingtipsandtricks]

To be, or not to be a songwriter transcript

Hello and welcome everyone again, to a new episode of Songwriting Tips and Tricks. My name is Kieper, and I am really excited to talk to you again today. Thank you so much for the reviews and messages you send to me in the last weeks. If you like the show so far, please consider sharing it with friends that could benefit from it and leave a review on whatever platform you are using.

In the last episode, we've been talking about songwriting while at home during the corona pandemic and a possible lockdown. This time, however, I want to focus more on what a songwriter, in fact, is. Are we modern-day poets? Are we, full-fledged musicians or are we authors? Playwrights to some degree perhaps? What do the lines that we write really mean in context?

Maybe some of you ask themselves what art they are producing. And to be honest, I ask this question most of the time. I mean from a literature point of view, we are developing plots, we are searching for rhymes and words and maybe even look for the meter. On the other hand, as musicians, we try to make the lyrics fit the melody and meter of the music that was composed by us or others, or we are trying to find a suitable melody to words we have written. So what really is a songwriter?

One could argue that songwriters are modern-day poets. But this definition is somewhat limited. Because as songwriters, we do what feels right to us, and fits the music. We do not count the meter rigidly or know about iambs, dactyls or anything else. Another thing is that most of us write about day-to-day life. This sure is something to write about, yet it means that a lot of other issues are not being touched by songs. Many songwriters, think about marketing too early and write what might attract an audience. But that is not art, is it? I mean, you could be paid to write a song about something, but the most powerful songs are those that are inspired by things that happen to you or you observe. These songs also cover things that were not in the spotlight or only had little media coverage.

So if you are an aspiring songwriter, what would you chose to do? Would you like to write songs that are empowering people and have topics and viewpoints that no one else uses, or would you like to be someone creating standard pop songs that will be lost over the centuries, decades, or years? Because it is not those that do things like the rest that stand out, but those that dare to do something different. Perhaps when you are writing your next song, try to write about something else except love. Maybe you are familiar with Emily Dickinson, who was a famous American poet from the 19th century. Her poems got published only after her death, so she never got any credit for it in her life. She wrote about her experiences, and often time her thoughts on death and the life that follows. As a woman, she was not allowed to neither vote nor did she had access to a proper education. She was not religious or spiritual in any way. And despite all this, she kept writing and kept around 2000 poems hidden in a chest in her room. She wrote about everything that inspired her, not thinking about how to market it or how to put it on Spotify. Now you might argue, alright, there was no Spotify or anything like it at that time. You're right, and to make it worse, as a woman, it was appreciated to publish anything or have a perspective on things. But poetry was her life, so she kept writing but to save the reputation of the family, she never published anything herself.

I would call this dedication to art. If you want to have an insight into some poetry of this great poet, head over to Tumblr and search the blog to this podcast, as this month is the month of Dickinson on Songwriting Tips & Tricks.  

So songwriters are poets in a way, as we write poems in a way. But as I mentioned before, we need to find original topics to write about or incorporate to stand out and not just be one more songwriter. The most natural approach is to read poetry. Really do it every day. Ranging from ancient greek or roman poetry to modern-days there is tons of poetry or writings from philosophers that might ignite a spark of some sort and get you off that beaten track. Be the one songwriter in a room at open mic nights, that has read the most poetry and consequently has songs that carry something more. You will know how poetry works and how to build tension. Don't let the music do that, it hardly ever will do the trick on its own.

Are we authors? Well, in a way yes, as songwriters try to write a coherent story with different protagonists, and various narrative approaches. If you need more insight on this, listen to the episode "Wait, who's talking' to hear more about narrative situations. But most beginner songwriters do not think about structuring their songs beforehand. They just start writing.  Which is good of course, as we need to start somewhere. But have a look at famous songs, there is a clear structure in the plot. I am not talking about the verse, chorus or bridge, but about the introduction, central part, and the closure. It bears a close resemblance to novels sometimes. But we do not have 500 pages to get to the end, instead just 3 1/2 minutes until the end, or a minute to get to the chorus. So it is essential to know what to say when. People will need to understand immediately what the story is about and what to expect, even if the theme is new to them. Still, it is essential to surprise them at any part of the song. Structure your plot before and while you are writing. Try using a mindmap or a storyboard to help you structure. Try to know that character in detail, how she moves, how she looks, what sound her snore has and so forth. Try to find inspiration in people around you. Maybe let her say a phrase that your co-worker in your sideline in a fast-food restaurant says or have hair like a person on the train. Basing story upon facts from reality is a potent mechanism to make a story relatable. You could as well chose traits of characters from your favourite film or tv-series to adapt in your songs.

Are we playwrights? Well, that is a tough question, in combination with the previous question, I would say to some degree we are, but only while writing the song. We direct when a character is to appear and what it does. Adding the music, this is a lot more relevant. We need to know, at what point what part of the story is suited best, if the music does fit at all. You might as well want to put your favourite book or film into a song. Then it is crucial to strip it down to the key-concepts to make it fit the time frame. And when I say time-frame, this is a part that authors are less concerned with. We know that we have limited time to tell our story and we know when a change in the music happens and how it sounds. So perhaps think of yourself not as a playwright but as a songwright, as you are focussed on auditive input rather than visual input. The song is our stage, and we need to know what has to happen when, why and how.

So turning over to music. Are we musicians? Well, yes, of course. This is what got us started on songwriting in the first place, wasn't it? But think about your music education, have you been taught traditionally, or did you learn most of the stuff yourself? If you know how to play your instrument, do you play other instruments as well? Do you know music theory by heart or do you need to google all the times? Did you play in a band or know about arrangement through YouTube or other sources? How solid is your music background really? This is a question that bugs me most of the time. I taught myself how to play the guitar, and I have been singing my whole life, but I always doubt my musicianship. I'm binge-watching music theory fundamentals and teach myself other instruments to close these blank spaces that a traditional education would not have left perhaps. I even bought a midi drum set to work on micro timing with apps like melodics and co. Yes, we are musicians, but at what stage of our musical journey we are is in our own hands. It is essential to learn new things every day. If you don't, you will get frustrated. So consider taking half an hour each day to learn music theory, listen to intervals, learn fancy chords and songs that use it. Listen to new music even. Dare to make your own set of rules and break it again. This is how you grow, both in music and in writing.

So next time, when you are writing a song, use a random song and try to use the chord progression or time signature, combine songs and styles, take as much input from other as you can. Because this way, your music will always be different, but still yours. Your music will be instantly more exciting and attract audiences as it incorporates a lot of genres and styles.

So now let us talk about something, I am raving about. Painting pictures with words really is in the domain of poets, but try to imagine for a second that you were an artist and you have a blank canvas in front of you. Where would you start? What colour would you use? And in the end, what picture do you see in front of your inner eye? What should this picture invoke in the mind of an audience? Pictures might tell more than a thousand words, but the right or wrong words in context could meet or destroy expectations. Try to describe as vividly as possible, shed light on detail that was previously hidden. Dare to be the Picasso that paints melting clock. Try to be irrational in the creation and later judge what you've done. Dare to take bold turns. The song is yours, and if you do not want to share it with anybody, put it in a box like Dickinson did.

So much on what we as songwriters are. Do you have another comparison or idea, that could touch the work of songwriters? Don't bother sending any feedback or opinion you have via Facebook, Instagram, Wordpress or Tumblr. I'll gladly reply and perhaps talk about this in the next episode.

If you like the program, I'd really appreciate, if you rate and review the show or episode on the platform you are listening to right now.

Thank you again for tuning in once more and staying tuned on Songwriting Tips & Tricks.

[kevkesblog]

Translation: Julian Brandt Interview for BVB Podcast (March 31, 2020)

ATTENTION LONG POST: probably the longest post on my blog so far. The interview went for about 32 minutes! He talks about how he spends his time at home now during the Corona-Virus, how people in his environment cope with the virus, how training goes in these special times. He also talks about the salary-cut BVB players agreed to and donations from football players and that story where he got badly sunburned in Spain once.

You can listen to the Podcast (Episode 4) with Julian here.

Well Julian, we are many meters apart. It’s a difficult time right now. How bored do you feel right now as a professional football player?

Ju:   Thankfully I have this talent – where I can always find something to do within my own four corners. I did buy myself – long before everything started – a new grill. So I trained myself to become my own grill master. And just recently I started to mix songs on my computer…. Which is something I completely suck at! 

Ok, ok… first of all: how do you train yourself to become a grill master? And you really weren’t talented in the beginning at all?

Ju:   Well sure I‘ve grilled before, but I’ve never had my own grill – neither when I lived in Cologne nor here in Dortmund. Well the weather has been good here in the past one or two weeks. And so I had this great idea – to get myself a grill, as long as I was still able to…

So you got yourself a grill for 2000 euros with five burners….

Ju    ….no, no, no. It has at least three burners (smiles). 

Three burners? 

Ju:   Yes, three burners. Well no, I mean we aren’t at a TV cooking show here but… yeah it has a nice look. 

Well you picked the topic. You have to get through it now. What stuff do you grill?

Ju:   Everything possible. I got… burgers! Really good! 

That sounds good…

Ju:   I mean if I would do this as a franchise, I would say „Five Guys“ could wrap everything up and leave (laughs).

(laughs) Ok. Well you just made some great burgers. So if you guys out there want some great burgers go to Julian Brandt. 

Ju:   Now let’s talk about music, because it’s something I can also do…

Awesome! Music is something I’m interested as well. I’m not fully into that topic, but what are you mixing? Tell us!

Ju:   Yeah, I mean I’m in contact with some guys who are at home. And we send each other many funny videos which has gone viral. And there was one video we saw with an awesome mix. It was from a young lady. Perhaps she was a DJane herself – I don’t know her though. So we thought it was really cool. And then I made myself a task and tried to replicate that mix at home. Because I had nothing to do. Yet, I reached my capacities pretty quickly… but I felt how I had developed… so yeah it was really cool and that’s where I started. Then I called one of my friends via Facetime… because I made it. And so I continued doing it.

Well we are still desperately looking for great content for YouTube, so if we can get some images of you grilling burgers, half-naked with your mixtape playing in the background…

Ju:   …with an apron, where you can see my bare ass, right?

Not that I would personally approve…

Ju:   (laughs)

(laughs)… but who knows. It will bring at least some clicks I guess.

Ju:   Well I don’t know. I have to let that go through my head.

Go head. Now seriously though: today was training. But only in pairs, with some distance to each other, so that we are following all the current rules right now. Maybe you can take us with you and explain how that works and if this is a small step forward?

Ju:   It definitely a step forward for me. It works like this: you will get assigned into a group of two. And they will appear at different times – and in different places. We have very big… how big is it? 15…

15 hectares, I think…

Ju:   …15 hectares terrain. And we have some extra space now, because the youth teams and the academy are completely shut down at the moment. So we are split up: in the youth building, in our building and we have an extra athletic tent. And we also have the footballnaut. They are all split up from each other. So that’s how the groups are split up then. In that way, we are able to get all pairs through the day. I was there at… I think 2:30pm with Tobi Raschl. We spent two hours there, and it’s definitely something different instead of doing exercises at home. But it’s absolutely better for you – for sure…

Because you need a certain pressure, when somebody is watching you? I mean it’s something different for me when I run as a hobby on my own or in a group.

Ju:   It’s a bit of everything. I mean honestly, sure: if you say I do some sport at home you do your schedule. You run. Perhaps you do some exercise… but in the end you finish after an hour or an hour and a half. Today we did a – actually more than two hour session and you have much more things you can do. I mean you have a huge pitch just for you. Sure you can do stuff with the ball. I mean I can’t do that at home here, I would shatter all glasses… and that’s also not fun at all (smiles)… So for us I would say it’s better than just being at home all the time trying to keep yourself fit.

Let’s play „make a wish“. In a situation like now where the entire country seems to be in a shutdown, with many people having fears about their livelihoods. Fears which you don’t have as football players, let’s be pretty blunt about that – but if you could play “make a wish” about your job situation, what would you wish?

Ju:   With my job situation!?

Yes. What’s your wish for next weeks ahead? How should everything continue?

Ju:   Well I can make a general assessment and I wish that everything stops very quickly. That everything goes back to normal. The baker can bake his breads; people don’t have the fear of losing their livelihoods. It’s something I would wish everybody. It’s not about my job – it about everyone‘s job. But sure, for us as football players – and I know I’m complaining on a very high level, I’m fully aware of that – but: we live for football. We’re not doing anything else. And sure we want to play again. I wish I would play in front of a full stadium again, sure! I think we have all accepted that this won’t happen anytime soon. I hope it will go forward – parallel to football. That generally people in our society can leave their flats and houses again – and return to their normal life which is something everybody is looking for right now.

How do you view your environment, your friends in this situation? How stressful is it for them right now?

Ju:   It’s actually okay. Many of my friends are students. So they’re doing a lot of video conferences right now. I saw that with my brother. It’s possible. Sure it’s different than sitting at Uni and learning there and you can’t go away – usually you get more distracted at home. Yet, I would say: the situation is easier for them at the moment. They can learn at home as well as at university. My brother can combine both – he studies in Cologne, yet he can also visit my family in Bremen. Or he has time to see my parents – or our parents. I mean they are also his parents (laughs)… I really don’t feel the current situation it with them. But sure, I know a lot of people who are car dealers for example. Or restaurant owners. That’s really something different with them, yes.

Now: it’s not like you decided to play golf or tennis – an individual sport, but a team sport instead. You are being forced now to work out individually though. What’s the sort of thing within the team you miss the most at the moment? I know, you can’t even get dressed together at the moment. Even after every session you have to take a shower at home – so everything that makes up team sports, even training together, is now gone. What do you miss the most?

Ju:   (thinks)…hmmm…. Yeah, what you miss the most is sure the chatter with the other guys, being among people, communicating. Everybody tries to stay at home. I live alone. I like to be alone – (smiles) – that is even an advantage for me! But sure – I don’t know, just a few weeks ago you could sit in a café – today you can be happy just to see six, seven or eight guys at training and chat with them. Those are things you miss after a while. And I’m quite sure, that’s how many other people are feeling at the moment, because they have to stay home. Yeah, but I’m just missing being among people, chatting, having an exchange… that’s something that revives a person. Especially for the elderly, for seniors. I mean it’s something fundamentally important, to talk with their grandkids – or children. I really have to say that’s something missing right now. But we are all in this together and you have to follow the rules.

Sure, I mean if I look at my three sons, they can play among each other and they have a garden they can play in, but there are also many people living in a three-person 60 square meter flat and can’t get out at all. And they are basically sitting on each other for such a long time now….

Ju:   …yeah definitely! Definitely!

A salary cut – a topic that came up a couple of days ago. I want to talk about this head on. How did you follow that topic and how did it all played out?

Ju:   We met on Monday last week, in two separate groups. So not as a whole team, but rather one group of German-speaking players and another group whose language is primarily English. 

At the media center of the stadium, right?

Ju:   Exactly. Not at the training center or the dressing room, but at the room where the press conferences usually are, because the room is much bigger. As well with a minimum-distance by the way… (smiles)

Oh really!?

Ju:   …we were all sitting apart from each other. So not next to each other. And so we were discussing different stuff. It was not about the salary-cut first. It was more about: how the current situation is, what is planned. We can’t really plan anything. We are still looking from Monday to Thursday… from Thursday to Monday. We don’t really have a real plan as well. We try to plan the week ahead as good as we can. Now we train in pairs until Thursday. We then have to look again after that… 

And if I can just jump in: I think the foreign-players also got a briefing about the medical situation in Germany. How many intensive care beds we have in comparison to other countries. Do you feel well accommodated? How does it look in your home countries? Has this also been a topic at your meeting?

Ju:   Well, I wasn’t there of course. But there has been medical information shared. This wasn’t so much of a topic with us, because we were already pretty much informed about. But sure, it’s important that our guys from Belgium, France or England are being told about the current situation. And… I mean you really honestly have to say: the medical standards here in Germany are very, very, very good compared to other countries in Europe. I think it’s important for our foreign players to know, because they got families and you can comfort them in a certain way. In the end, we – of course – talked about that topic „salary-cut” as well. Aki Watzke made the suggestion – and it was very clear for us that we would do this. That we will do this. In the end it’s easy: basically we players are there to help the club on the pitch. To score, to prevent goals, winning titles… but we are also there to help the club in general. And it’s the same now to help them financially in the same manner as it will be on the pitch in a couple of weeks or months, hopefully.  So in the end, we want to help in the best interests for the club. 

I can imagine the current situation is not very easy for a professional football player, from a communication standpoint. There are basically two paths: one is I donate. I give something to society and make that public. And then I look through the Instagram comments and most followers write stuff like „ohh well, that’s the amount of money he makes within 18 days or 20 days. Now he has to elevate himself into the public – does he really have to do that?“ The other path is: I donate. I support people who are in need right now, and keep it for myself. That’s something totally fine as well. But the danger is: because nobody talks about it, people say „Those millionaires! There aren’t doing anything!“ How do you classify that for yourself?

Ju:   (thinks)… hmmm….well we have in some way talked about it already. With me it’s more like – I prefer the second path. Let me be honest: I heard about the #wekickcorona which Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich launched. He texted me and asked „hey are you interested in this? We will fully disclose about where the money goes to. Do you think it’s a great thing? So I wrote him after ten, fifteen seconds: „I’m in!”. That’s kind of a no-brainer for me in a certain way – like many people are demanding. However, I don’t have the feeling to be in every newspaper and make myself to some kind of hero because of it. That’s not who I am. I rather keep stuff like that to myself. Sure the fact I joined was made public by the „wekickcorona“-page – the amount of money was not mentioned. 

Yet you haven’t done anything over your channels…

Ju:   I put it into my stories for 24 hours. Because sure, it’s about generating more interest onto the page. You help the guys doing that. Yet I haven’t made great postings or announced „I’m in it with so and so much money“. It’s a thing with me, where I say: I have a good feeling for myself. Of course you will always have people, saying „I never read anything from you. You never post anything, therefore you don’t do anything and that’s why you are a guy who doesn’t show any solidarity with others and who doesn’t want to help others!” You will always have those people. And it’s okay for me. I’m totally at peace with myself. We just donated 2,5 million euros with the national team. And that’s not from the DFB bank account. It came from us players as well. Again, I don’t want to make this a bigger issue…

Well I have actively asked about it, you haven’t told me I should ask you about it, so…

Ju:   In the end, the fact that I do something is important for me. It’s generally important to do something! We just had that topic. If it’s about helping people who are helping other people. Or people…. The bakery, the best example… helping them. Or the barber, in order for them to continue their businesses. It’s important. But this sort of self-staging is nothing for me.

Let’s get back to football. You talked about the national team. There is an important tournament missing now. It’s hard isn’t it?

Ju:   Yeah… but it’s later now.

Doesn’t it make any difference?

Ju:   Whether we play this year or next year… I think it’s good; we have some sort of buffer for the league right now. And honestly that’s my personal opinion - everybody can have a different viewpoint: I think it’s important for us to finish the Bundesliga season! If possible! If the circumstances are right. If everything develops into a positive direction. Perhaps, if the local health agencies also approve everything – I would deem it as important to finish the Bundesliga season. Not because I want to play football again. But rather because it’s about keeping the league together! So that clubs can stay around. I think it’s important for people in general in Germany….

Perhaps a bit normality…?

Ju:   Definiately. But also that we won’t run into a situation with only eight Bundesliga teams – and other traditional clubs missing out because they haven’t survived. Of course, you have to assess everything carefully, of course, health is more important than football. But that’s why I say: if the local health authorities say „okay you can play football with empty stadiums“ I would think it’s important for us to have enough time in order to finish the season in May or June. That’s why I think postponing the EURO was the right decision.

Now as you probably have seen, there aren’t many employees here at the BVB offices. Everybody works from home now. So we asked some of them if they have any question for you. Of course, I would like to do that. Even if it’s just three or four questions. You can be seen on Instagram with a dog sometimes. Is it yours?

Ju:   It’s our… the dog… I mean it’s not MY dog (smiles)…she is with my family, yes. But it’s our family dog. Can you say that? A Family dog?

Family dog, yes. What race is the dog?

Ju:   A mix. A labrador-hovawart… very, very sweet! „Nala“ it’s a girl. Very, very sweet.

Good. What’s your favorite spot in Dortmund – apart from the stadium? Perhaps a spot you visit with your dog…

Ju:   I like the spot around Phoenix-See. 

I guess there are more people around that area doing sport than on our own training ground. 

Ju:   I haven’t been there too often yet. I was only there three or four times since I moved to Dortmund, seven, eight months ago. But if you know the history around the area and how they transformed a former steel mill into this nice area – it’s impressive. Having a café there is something I will look forward to.

Okay. Who among the guys do you miss the most right now? Now I’m curious to know whether you are still within in the Dortmund team or if you leap over to Leverkusen…

Ju:   (laughs)… ehmm… Can I do both. I mean I do sit next to Marco in the locker room. I mean, he was annoying – quite often (laughs).. it’s really something I missing sometimes I have to say.

Marco is annoying? How?

Ju:   Yeah, he is really a crackhead. We do and try to cheer each other up once in a while. There was this one situation which I really celebrated myself – even though I was the victim. I left my cellphone at the pitch one time, while I took a shower. And this idiot taped my cell phone onto my locker, switched the video on and left. So I my phone was filming all the time I was gone – for like 15 minutes… and it’s like total nonsense stuff all the time with him. It has no purpose. (smiles) Yet that moment was funny. And yeah… it’s something that is missing.

We had ritual at ice hockey in the past: whenever there is a new player on the team, the other teammates well how can I describe it – they basically peed into one of his shoes. 

Ju:   Well, okay those were the really hard times… (smiles)

You haven’t felt anything, and so you dove into your shoe and… it was just disgusting. Those were the times. Something like this doesn’t exist anymore, right? Like team rituals?

Ju:   If those existed, I wouldn’t tell you…. (laughs)

Aha, well you’re not as open as I thought (smiles)…

Ju:   Yeah, but sure there are a lot of guys I’m missing. Guys I want to see again. Sure there are some guys I haven’t seen for a while now in Leverkusen, a few friends in Bremen. One friend of mine is stuck in Munich right now. A guy from Bremen is stuck with his girlfriend in Munich (laughs)… he can’t leave. It’s sad.

So because you weren’t as open as I thought, you will get two heavy questions. 

Ju:   Okay.

Okay. Let‘s start: „We read that you are a great fan of musicals. The Lion King is one you like. Is that true? Why? And can you sing something for us?“

Ju:    First of all: that’s correct. And – it’s the most awesome musical out there! It’s the only one I have ever seen, but I’m pretty sure it’s the best musical of all. 

Favorite song?

Ju:   (thinks)… ehmm… 

I think, I only know „Hakuna Matata“…

Ju:   That’s awesome, right… „Er lebt in dir“ I would say. But I won’t sing it. (smiles)

Aha okay…

Ju:   Because then I have to do like cool voices, since that’s what they also do in the musical and then I would look like an idiot.

Okay. Too bad. It wouldn’t have been bad.

Ju:   But… you have never been to a musical right?

Me? Well, I mean I have been to musicals, but not „Lion King“. 

Ju:   Well, then you have missed something huge in your life (smiles). Something REALLY BIG!

But I always have to watch the movies with my kids.

Ju:   Yes, but your kids… I’m telling you… they will jump in a triangle when they see this! 

Really? Okay…

Ju:   Yeah, there is even a new musical out now. Harry Potter. In Hamburg. It was supposed to open, but it’s canceled because of the virus. Unfortunately.

Oh well, you gave me some recommondations to go to, whenever everything is over. The second question: „You are one of very few football players, without any tattoos. Is that still the case?

Ju:   That’s still correct, yes. 

Why? And why still?

Ju:   Still? Well because I have no idea what the future will hold. Sometimes I have wild thoughts, but I haven’t planned anything yet. So I think it will stay like this. Why? It became sort of a „running-gag“ now here in Dortmund. Especially on Instagram with many people wanting to see me and Marco Reus next to each other in the summer. Because we aren’t really football players who look terribly tanned, in comparison to others.

Are you sort of the guy who goes on a vacation and after three days you are totally sunburned? 

Ju:   Yeah, I have a sun burn the first two days; then it peels of and then I really look like chocolate! (laughs)… or half-chocolate (laughs)… my skin always likes to peel off (smiles)… like really bad. I remember having a really bad day once. It happened during my time in Leverkusen. We had just qualified for the Champions League two games before the season ended. So we – let me guess – had four or five days off. So I looked to [Bernd] Leno and said: „What would you say, if we just go to Mallorca for two days!“ Just to lay in the sun, of course. We stayed close to the airport. So we caught a really early flight. We went to the hotel. Just like a small hotel, where you can sleep. We went to the beach – and I fell asleep – ON MY BACK!

(laughs) awesome… the „crab“ on your back!

Ju:   I tell you: you can’t imagine what was going on on with my feet! They were totally burned! I couldn’t get into shoes for three straight days. I was walking around Mallorca with bare feet. The problem was: at some point training started again! It hurt like hell when I was shooting! (smiles)

And the coach was…

Ju:   Roger Schmidt. Funny story: he was also on the same plane with us (laughs). So I had to go through the whole „peel-process“ again and everything was fine. 

How did we end up talking about this?

Ju:   I don’t know…. How did we end up talking about this?

I don’t know! David is sitting next to us. 

Ju:   Read the question again! 

[talks to David]

Ju:   Oh yeah… tattoos! Because I’m a bit like a „light-skin“. Well, my mom sits in my neck once in a while. It’s what I said it once or twice in newspapers already. 

Oh, and she says „No“!?

Ju:   She doesn’t say „No“, she says „You can do whatever you want“. But she thinks it’s shit. She says „Believe me, everybody gets a tattoo right now! In the future you will be the only one without a tattoo and you are something special then.

It’s absolutely innovative! I mean imagine: in 50 years from now you will end up in a seniors home and you are the only one without a tattoo! 

Ju:   Up until now there is nothing planned – independently from the question whether it would fit to me or not.

So that’s it I guess. Is there anything you’d like to tell us?

Ju:   No, but I really like chatting with you. But otherwise I would drive home, sit on a chair and stare against a wall. Is there something you like to add?

No. But I can give you grill tips.

Ju:   Yeah!?

Direct grilling, indirect grilling… pizza on grill…

Ju:   Awesome!

- END - 

[ofclaires]

⌠ MAYA HAWKE, 21, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, CLAIRE WALSH! according to their records, they’re a FOURTH year, specializing in THREAT ELIMINATION; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (chipped black nail polish, a leather jacket with boxing gloves slung over the shoulder, bandaged knuckles, and a wicked smirk). when it’s the (aries)’s birthday on 3/31/99, they always request MAC & CHEESE from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ kati 22, she/her, est ⍀

STATS / PINTEREST / CONNECTIONS / CLASSES

INSPIRATION.

Rosa Diaz - Brooklyn 99

Kat Stratford - 10 Things I Hate About You

Faith Lehane - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Mandy Milkovich - Shameless

Akane Owari – Danganronpa

Arya Stark – Game of Thrones

Kim Kelly – Freaks and Geeks

Kyo Sohma – Fruits Basket

BACKGROUND + CLICK FOR BIO.

pre-gallagher.

her parents were young as hell when they had her so she was raised by her grandma in her earlier years ! claire gets a lot of her values from her grandma, mainly her biting sarcasm and devil-may-care sort of attitude. she tells claire stories of her grandfather, who was a champion boxer and it ignites claire’s interest in the sport from a young age. she grows up without a tv and plays outside a lot.  

her grandma dies when claire’s about eight years old and she goes to live with her mom, who spends the money from the will about as fast as it lands in her pocket. her mom dates a lot of unsavory dudes. 

she and her mom actually grow quite close over the years, but a lot of times it’s claire taking care of her mom and not the other way around. the entrance to their trailer is like a revolving door for shady dudes and her mother drinks too much and sort of acts like an overgrown teenager, never ready to let go of her youth. claire learns a lot of responsibility and independence as a result of this. 

her mom finally lands a dude that seems like a genuinely nice guy that makes her want to settle down and become a housewife. claire likes seeing her mom starting to act like an adult, and their lives start to turn around. he’s rich and they wind up moving in with him after the wedding, but things change shortly after, and he reveals a darker, more manipulative and abusive side of himself. 

he takes claire out of her passion, boxing, because it’s not ladylike enough, and he starts talking to claire’s mom about boarding school. it’s then that he starts fighting your mom more physically as they disagree.

the climax of the drama is when he hits claire ( she’s sneaking around and still boxing ) , but claire knows how to hit back hard. claire’s mom gets caught in the fray, it’s a huge fight, and claire nearly kills the guy ( tbi for sure. ) 

as a result of the incident, claire is recruited to a spy prep school in new york at age 16, her sophomore of high school. claire’s angry and closed off, and has a difficult time making friends in high school. but she does go through a lot of anger management and such. 

gallagher academy.

YEAR ONE: claire gets adjusted to school at gallagher academy, determined to prove herself among some of the world’s best. she quickly gains a reputation for her prowess in combat and spends long hours in the gym training. she slowly starts to open herself up to the idea of making friends. 

YEAR TWO: even though claire’s made friends, she still keeps secrets about her past, keeping her guard up. she receives letters from her mom about a new guy she’s seeing, and an invitation to her mother’s wedding. she ignores it. she and her mom still haven’t spoken since she was sixteen. near the end of the year, she gets a postcard that her mom is moving to iceland, but she does nothing about it. 

YEAR THREE: ( where our story started ) 

boys come to campus and claire feels like she has to fight harder for her reputation as THE BEST, isn’t pleased with their presence due to a longstanding distrust when it comes to men. 

claire’s ego is boosted after she’s been chosen for a MISSION, to explore the abandoned boys’ school, blackthorne academy. there, she and mary sakamoto discover that it was a school for assassins. explains why claire keeps getting her ass kicked – these boys have been trained to kill. 

witness protection kids come to campus, resulting in the death of one of them and gallagher student, amelia taylor. claire feels helpless as a result, always thinking of herself as a protector and gallagher has always been her stronghold, her safe place, and it all feels threatened. 

claire has a falling out with a friend and feels super alone with all this shit going on and winds out reaching out to her mom. i wrote a self-para here, but her mom invites her to come stay for the summer. 

when a brotherhood member is discovered on campus, she teams up with a group of...unlikely allies, and sneaks into the sublevels to kick his ass. his current status is unknown, and he’s quite possibly dead. either way, as far as she knows, they were never caught. 

claire visits her mom in iceland for the summer (details here) and they sort of mend things. she meets her moms new husband and actually likes him. 

PERSONALITY.

DETERMINED – when claire sets her mind to something, she will stop at nothing to accomplish it. she’d probably even risk death to accomplish her goals, she simply can’t accept failure.

HARD-WORKING – claire can pretty much always be found in the gym, trying to make herself better. it’s honestly a running joke how often claire is working out, but there’s a basis in it. honestly, claire thinks her only value is her muscle, so if that’s what she’s good at, she’s going to be the best. she’s that kid in your gym class that’s going way too hard for no fucking reason like calm down. 

BRAVE – there’s little that claire fears, and even her fears don’t generally stop her from accomplishing her goals. you could chalk up some of her bravery to determination, but she’s been through enough that she doesn’t really stop to consider what she’s going to lose. so maybe it’s also stupidity!

LOYAL – it’s really challenging for claire to form connections, but when she does, she latches on. when she cares for someone, she really cares for them, and she’s pretty ride or die. this sort of loyalty can be a burden for some of her friends, because she can be somewhat overbearing. 

ANGRY – claire’s probably best known for her anger, it’s like she walks around with a fuse waiting to be lit at the slightest inconvenience. funnily enough, her training has made her better at controlling it, but she’s still known to snap. 

RECKLESS – claire often acts impulsively, says the first thought in her mind, does the first thing she can think to do in order to solve a problem. act first, ask questions later is usually her mantra, and sometimes it saves her ass – and sometimes it comes back to bite her in it. 

DISTANT – claire finds it hard to open up or form connections with people, not often readily sharing her feels with people. she’s really averse to personal questions but she’s gotten better about sharing things about herself since making more friends at gallagher. still, she’s somewhat hard to get to know. i will refer you to this musing. 

BRASH – she’s pretty cocky to a point that often comes off as rude, but the positive spin on it is that you’ll always know where you stand with claire. whether it’s good or bad, she’s up front, but most people she trains with are probably sick of her arrogance. 

HEADCANONS/RANDOM FACTS.

can usually be found exercising. she’s really into sports and fitness and prior to the berlin internship, she used to spend her summers working at summer camps for athletes-in-training. she’s a pretty good coach, and tutors some of the other students that need help with their athletic prowess, although she’s described as a bit intense.

identified as bisexual until fairly recently, realizing that she doesn’t care or have much interest in romantic relationships with men ! so, now she identifies as a lesbian. 

cannot sit through a movie to save her life, claire’s easily distracted and bored, always needing something to do. she didn’t grow up with a television set in her home either, so she hasn’t seen many movies and is a little out of touch with all things pop culture. 

takes pictures like a mom, if you ask her to take a photo of you it’ll probably a) be a little blurry, b) have her thumb in it, or c) both.

really likes podcasts! she listens to them a lot during her workouts, while she runs the track, or anything else. claire’s not exactly known for her intelligence ( among the astronomical iqs of other gallagher students at least ) but she can spout some knowledge on things you wouldn’t expect. 

generally a hard-ass but she’s a softie around animals, particularly dogs or cats, but catch her cooing and talking in a baby voice around puppies, she’s like a completely different person, pretty much. 

drink of choice is whiskey, neat. 

despite her preference for hand to hand combat, threat elimination has given her a multitude of skills. she keeps two knives on her at all times and sometimes wears a bulletproof vest for kicks. she’s prepared for anything.