#crespo talks

[cartoonsforlife]

Too bad this cover is by the a.i. because I truly fell in love with it! ☺💖

I can't help but imagine Black Hat singing and coming to pick me up so I can dance with him!~🥴💓

[cathartic-crypt]

((loud + kinda nsfw joke))

[the-acid-pear]

I want to get into making tapestries and necklaces and rings and bracelets soooooo bad but idk where to get the string or the beads and I REALLY DONT WANNA GO TO FLORES

[superintendent-b]

Dare being a Sagittarius. Romeo and Dutch Geminis. Rookie an Aquarius, Mickey a libra., Buck a Leo... they knew what they were doing

[andromerot]

my pedro almodóvar marathon. thoughts, feelings, tier list

or, i spent like 50 hours on this so i better get to post about it

well, i'd be lying if i said i set out to do this with any clear goals in mind. i sort of just wanted to watch movies. this year i set out to watch through a couple of directors entire works, but ran into complications or got bored. so anyway when i finished my term i decided id try a third time with my best friend pedro. i had watched five of his films already but was mostly unaware of other things he had made. on the 22nd of november i started with matador, then went on and in exactly a month i had watched all of his feature films yayyy

so this is how i ranked them on letterboxd and this is a tier list. this doesnt really sum up my thoughts though so im leaving a little review for each below the cut, in the order i watched them in this month hope someone cares :) thank you

matador (1986): ohhhhhh my god. absolutely unexpected how insane this movie made me. many people say its not very good, i dont think that's true. transgressive, erotic, camp, necrosexual, implicit faggot tension, beautiful costuming, insanely talented cast of so many characters sick in the head. watching this one first really hyped me up to keep at it and to close out the month i rewatched it the other day and though it was less surprising than the first time i watched it its maybe my favorite now :) it has structural flaws i suppose. but i love it

¿que he hecho yo para merecer esto? (1984): pretty funny! not bad at all, i remember enjoying it as i watched it, it just wasnt very memorable. i enjoy every performance by carmen maura, chus was stellar as always and forqué was really sweet in this one too, i liked it. i literally forgot half of the plot though. did anyone remember the telepathic child or the faked hitler diaries? i didnt until i looked it up.

la ley del deseo (1987) (rewatched): showed this one to my friend, god its iconic. some of my favorite chiques almodovar. so fun to watch and so silly even though its not quite a comedy. the fact that antonio is just called antonio in this one makes me unwarrantedly happy. MAURA THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE!! very hot all around. i think i liked it better this time than the other two i had watched it.

pepi, luci, bom y otras chicas del montón (1980): everyone talks about how sexually transgressive 80s almodovar is and i was like yeah whatever until i watched this one. straight up trilogy of trash shit. so beautiful. i wish every movie was like this. no one likes it but i adored it. erecciones generales will stay in my mind forever and i loved the musical numbers. and the piss, of course.

entre tinieblas (1983): also somewhat forgettable, though i watched it while pretty worried about something else so maybe i didnt give it the attention it deserved. its not a bad time but i wouldn't rewatch it. based on the premise you think it'd be better.

la flor de mi secreto (1995) (rewatched): OH GOD. until last month my favorite almodóvar, its been outdone but it still destroys me. its terribly underrated. i dont even know what i can say about it... marisa paredes is stunning at doing desperation. the boots, the scene at the protest, the initial meeting with ángel, the poem in the car, that moment in the hall. it's beautiful and breathtaking. lesbian film history, i promise.

todo sobre mi madre (1999): like, its good, but i dont get what people see in it that makes it so acclaimed. again paredes is great in this, but penélope is somewhat tame compared to what she does later, and this is the point in the list where i have to admit cecilia roth is not very good to me and all my compatriots start throwing rocks at me. listen i just wish she'd stop doing that stupid accent its so fucking bad cecilia sincerate seguro sos de villa crespo. anyway its fine if a bit weird about trans women, but hes always a hit or miss w that

átame (1989): took a big break between the last one and this one for some reason. anyway, pretty funny, except it really drags in the middle. shouldnt have been that long, but victoria abril always slays and the last scene is wonderful.

tacones lejanos (1991): WOAHHHHH! really cool i liked it. i love a mother daughter thing especially this mother and this daughter. really fun doppelganger story and i love how it was told, i found it both melodramatic and subtle? miguel bosé makes a really pretty girl, this will inform my every subsequent rewatch of suspiria. big fan of his gender. dance number fucked obvs

kika (1993) (rewatch): ok, i know why people don't like this one, but its so silly... cmon. it sillay. once again incredible abril performance, the costuming my god.... her character makes the whole movie i wish i was her. lesbian rossy de palma was wonderful and every forqué performance is a delight. pedro getting hitchcockian with it to slightly trick the audience is a staple of his 90s filmography, fucks.

carne trémula (1997): the title made me think it would be better! there was barely any carne. i didn't really see the point of most of it tbh, though based on how the movie starts and ends there might be some spanish historical context that im missing that makes it more interesting. strangely reminiscing of the buenos aires affair to me, but puig is better. yeah it was just pretty boring.

laberinto de pasiones (1982): YAYYYYYY i had some trouble torrenting so i watched it really out of order this but its SO FUN. obviously in the same vein as pepi luci bom but i liked it slightly more just for how unnecessarily elaborate it was. the one major role i dont mind roth being in and im a big fan of antonios gay terrorist with an ultradeveloped sense of smell character and arias is really into his very silly character too – he works well in secreto as well, i wish hed been on more almodovares, i should finally watch camila. liné was hilarious too. the problematic incest storyline was really funny to me sorryyyyy and i got a lot of gender out of the musical performances. hey can you believe that beautiful fag covered in blood is a franquista now. i can

hable con ella (2002): ehhhhhhh. some people really hate this one for the couple scenes i found most interesting, others love it for reasons i cant parse. its got parts that caught my attention a lot, but mostly it was eerie in an unenjoyable and uninteresting way and the backstories dragged on too long, especially grandinetti's. like i just don't care sorry. THE scene is quite disturbing though. i appreciated he decided to show rape in a more subtle light for once, it made it a lot more cruel and a lot more interesting.

la mala educación (2004) (rewatch): sighhhh. i really wish i liked this one. its got so many elements i am into – the colours are obviously spectacular, the unreliable multiple narrations and the disassembled timelines are always enjoyable to me, the attempt at social commentary is appreciated, some scenes are stunning (fictional ignacios head split in half is unforgettable) but quite honestly the characterization is so bad it bores me. i liked it more the first time i watched it just because of how confused i was, once i wasnt it lost its magic. maybe the worst in what is considered the "somewhat autobiographical movies about directors" trilogy (i think there's four of them but we'll discuss that later) probably because the character of enrique is so bland. i know its more but it feels that you only spend like five minutes with him. ángel/juan's motivations for anything are so puzzling, ignacio is just a caricature at this point and probably the character with the most depth is berenguer, which is ironic, i guess

volver (2006): WAHHH. its hard to talk about it honestly. it was so unexpectedly beautiful. the acting is so on point – penélope cruz and that beautiful carmen maura comeback are self evident, but blanca portillo is also stellar. it was fascinating from minute one and i couldnt keep my eyes off it. its written with such care and love. i suppose the plot itself is nothing out of this world, but the way it is handled is explosive. i really adored it.

los abrazos rotos (2009): the fourth bastard on the self insert series! cmon, its way more about himself than la mala educación. anyway, its good at some points, not very in others. the strong point is obviously the relationship between mateo, judit and diego, their refusal to be tied as a family and their desire to be tied by love is reaaaally interesting. the scene at the sea... but penélope and her millionaire and her millionaires son do nothing interesting at any point, im afraid to say. sad! surprisingly not very memorable, even though i didnt dislike it as i watched it. like i remember i liked some things but if a couple weeks later i dont remember what they were its probably the movies fault

la piel que habito (2011): AUGHHH OK. fuck. THIS ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD. it wasnt it was really mid. when it started i was like oh is pedro trying out his hand at cronenberg and i was really excited because im SURE he can do cronenberg better than cronenberg but he didnt. it was worse. how are you giving your women less agency than that guy??? honestly probably the first ever film of his where this is a noticeable problem, though penélope in the last one should give us a hint. ughh it should have been good. im mad about that. no desire to question gender or power and the unchronological storytelling does nothing for me. BAD! if anything i recognized its sexual power for if banderas character was a woman i would be throwing up and convulsing on the floor. i hope vicente and his lesbian coworker had a beautiful romance i guess. i cant believe some people call this one one of the most controversial of his work....

los amantes pasajeros (2013): hm well everyone was like THIS is the bad one and i was like i bet you guys are just being mean but no yeah this is the bad one. its not funny and it drags on so long...i can usually defend the rape scenes in his movies, even in kika or hable con ella, but this one just sucks so bad. i was prepared to defend this movie but i cant. as soon as the movie started i was trying to guess where all the threads would connect, how all the characters would be linked and they mostly... weren't? also the reference to the gazpacho scene in mujeres made me groan out loud.

julieta (2016): well i dont really know what this was supposed to be....it feels on the surface it could have been really good but something about it felt so emotionless. it was an odd experience, watching it, because i expected to be moved by so many scenes and i never was. i dont know what the point of it was.

dolor y gloria (2019): ok yeah this one was sweet! didn't blow my mind or anything but it was very cleverly made...a really more beautiful way to do the childhood-as-movie thing than in mala educación, i really enjoyed it. nostalgia bores me sometimes but i feel hes not being annoying about it. long live old man yaoi (and finally an argentinian actor i DONT hate...) and that beautiful beautiful cave and that mind gripping apartment bringing in the characteristic insane set design but in a new way...i had a good time

madres paralelas (2021): oh this could have been so good! it wasnt but honestly i dont remember exactly why i disliked it. i suppose i didnt connect to the characters and that it is a story that requires that to engage you – their motivations were really out of place and unlike other movies that bothered me. really interesting premise, didnt work out. im sad about it. could have been cool.

yeah so that's it i only realized while writing this that i forgot to rewatch mujeres but obvs that ones very good, proper classic, quote it every time i eat gazpacho and such. also extraña forma de vida is a snore i refuse to watch it again. i hope this works as a rec list for someone. and i am ready to be stoned by my wrong opinions by the rest of you

[yanderes-galore]

Can you make a Yandere Mickey concept from Halo?

Sure! I watched two lore videos and the ODST cutscenes to remind me of his character. Sorry for the long wait! This draft was problematic when saving so I just hope things save RIGHT.

Edit: Damn I popped OFF on this one-

Yandere Mickey/Michael Crespo Concept

(Contains some info from Halo 3: ODST, Halo: New Blood, Halo: Bad Blood. I think those last two are the right books?)

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Jealousy, Paranoia, Angst, Death, Mental break, Kidnapping, Delusional behavior, Consensual to forced relationship.

Mickey has an interesting career profile when you really begin to dig into the books.

He was an ODST, then a Spartan, then a traitor, then with his old team yet again.

It would be interesting to see how he responds to a darling through all that.

So let's start with Halo 3 ODST, where we first meet Alpha Nine.

You had spoken with Mickey enough to be on friendly terms.

You had both undergone ODST training and got along with each other.

If you want to make it more tragic, maybe you replace The Rookie.

You had even chatted amicably before being dropped down to New Mombasa.

It all starts with friendship and being teammates.

You were a bit more experienced than him but not by much.

Mickey is described to be a creative daredevil and risk-taker.

He's skilled in explosives and piloting ships.

When it came to you he got along with you along with the rest of Alpha-Nine.

Mickey didn't realize how much he cared about you until after New Mombasa.

You all got separated the moment the Covenant Carrier entered slip space.

This leaves you all to try and find each other and survive on the ground.

Now, as I said before, you can either replace The Rookie or work alongside him.

Mickey is caught up in the battling, not thinking too much about you until he finds Dutch.

When Dutch brings you up along with the rest of the team, Mickey feels a sudden rush of unease.

You two were close... not the closest but enough to the point of Mickey worrying.

Despite such worries, he works alongside Dutch to find the rest of the team.

Meanwhile you either wake up late or end up finding the rest of the team.

Eventually you'll end up reuniting with Mickey and the rest one way or another.

The upsetting part is not much is given on Mickey's personality, but I assume he's easily influenced due to what we see later on.

When he sees you again, he's surprised by how excited he gets.

To the point he ends up freezing, leading to either Buck or Dutch to tease him.

Mickey and you just seem to be happy that the whole team managed to get out of the battle okay.

Romeo was the most injured, but can recover.

Mickey was in charge of piloting the stolen Phantom that picked you all up, yet would not stop talking to you.

You picked up on his worry and even felt flattered.

You admit you were worried about him too, which makes Mickey pause again with a quickly reddening face.

Thankfully his visor was on....

You two continue to work beside one another after this.

Even when tragedy strikes.

Mickey's obsession develops more and more after New Mombasa.

He gets to know you more, maybe even asks you on a date to test things out... He makes his feelings known.

By this point Mickey has known you for two years.

He's trained with you, fought beside you, and even fell for you since New Mombasa.

When the Rebellion on Draco III begins, one of two people can die.

The Rookie, which would be the option closer to Canon.

Or you, the option that would break Mickey but cut his obsession short... sorta.

The second option would be the default if you chose to replace The Rookie.

Seeing his obsession die would break Mickey.

He's in denial, panicking, and can't believe it.

Like in canon he blames himself for not saving you and becomes disillusioned with the UNSC.

He never wanted to fight humans.

Yet here he is... killing rebels and mourning you at your new grave on Draco III.

No matter how much the others try to comfort him, he ignores it.

Which would lead him to become a more deranged traitor later down the line.

But that's where that story ends, the longer option is The Rookie dying like usual.

This gives him all the same feelings as before, except now he still has you.

Although he begins to fear how easy it would be to lose you.

One wrong tactical mistake... and you could die.

He still hates the UNSC but also blames himself for The Rookie's death.

After this comes the events of the SPARTAN-IV program.

You, Buck, Romeo, and Mickey were sent off to get the necessary augmentations to become better soldiers.

Mickey debated on retiring with you to settle down.

By this point you've had quite a few dates and Mickey was thinking of having a family with you and leaving the UNSC.

However, you encouraged him to take the opportunity with you...

Mickey couldn't just leave you alone.

You both become Spartans but Mickey only becomes more disillusioned.

Maybe around this time you end up calling off the relationship.

You're too busy with Spartan training to really commit to Mickey, so with a reluctant look... you tell him you're over.

You may have even left because you felt uneasy about his recent politics.

You try to tell him you still love him, but currently things just won't work out.

Which may only hurt his mental state more.

After this I plan to defect more from canon to make this yandere.

Perhaps there were multiple times Mickey tried to convince you he wanted the best for you.

The break up is messy, Mickey clinging to you in private as he rambles to you.

He tells you the UNSC doesn't care what happens to you, he tells you he just wanted a family with you, he tells you he doesn't want to let you go.

Despite all this, you still push yourself off of him.

While you continue to dedicate yourself to the UNSC, Mickey secretly joins the URF.

Causing a larger rift between you.

I like to imagine on a later mission against the URF, maybe Mickey betrays you away from the rest.

His feelings for you never changed, in fact, they only got stronger.

He can't accept the fact you're more obedient to the UNSC than to him.

So, on a mission Mickey kidnaps you with help from some URF soldiers.

If you have a few soldiers under you, they're either imprisoned or killed.

After all... Mickey just wants to capture you, not anyone else right now.

You curse at him, call him a filthy traitor.

Mickey only gives a saddened smile, holding you down enough to put restraints on you.

This is all just a lover's quarrel.

He tells you he still loves you, always will, and this way... you can stay together.

You're confused with what he means until you're transported to a cell.

You're in URF territory and only glare when Mickey checks in on you.

Mickey soon slips into the cell once you're restrained and embraces you.

He whispers how if you join the URF, you two can be happy.

They already plan to set him up with a private home and can even take you in as his spouse.

Mickey isn't blind to your clear distaste towards him.

He hopes soon you'll forgive him and love him again.

You may view him as a monster and traitor now...

But that won't change the pure adoration he's always felt for you.

"We'll be together just like before... please, baby, you know I need you! I can't live without you... I just want you to never leave me again!"

[miracles-and-butterflies]

In actor au, how's relationships between the cold sisters/their actors?

(Did I just ask something about the au that was forgotten the day it was created? Go call an ambulance)

AN ASK FOR THE ACTOR AU? WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?!?!?!?

This has been a long while. Let me spend the next few hours scrolling all the way back to early 2023 to find my notes on this AU.

Before I get into the answer, just a reminder that the actors have different names:

Mariana Borrero - Mirabel

Alejandra Carmen Monagas - Alma

Bruno Juan Lozano - Bruno

Lucía Diallo - Luisa

Ines Gamarra - Isabela

Javiera A. Crespo - Julieta

Alvaro Valdés - Agustín

Paulina Cavero-Gallegos - Pepa

Felípe Cavero-Gallegos - Félix

Dafne Yanez - Dolores

Chepe Frontera - Camilo

Arlo Cantù - Antonio

Some of these names have changed since the first post of this AU. Also some of those names I have now used for other characters and such.

(The first name’s initial is the same as the first name of the character. While the initial of the surname matches the voice actor - with the exception of Dolores, because sources don’t have an agreed surname for Adassa; Pepa and Félix are married so they have both).

To answer the question, the cold sisters’ actresses are all on very positive terms.

None of them had met prior the table read. Well… Ines and Lucía met literally ten minutes before, having both gone into the local coffee shop and chatted whilst in the queue. They had an awkward moment when they both walked into the same building, like “oh, you’re in this too?” The two got on right away, bonding over coffee. Now whenever they do anything for Encanto, they meet up at a coffee shop beforehand.

Mariana had never been in film or TV before and was understandably a nervous wreck, not knowing what to do, outside of when she was acting or singing. Lucía reflects in many interviews how she instantly decided that she was going to take Mariana “under her wing” after seeing the girl for the first time. Ines has fully admitted to thinking Mariana wasn’t going to be great and then being blown away at the first vocal warmup because “holy shit, kid has pipes”. Listening to anyone nail Red Leather, Yellow Leather or hold a note for a stupid amount of time is a stunning moment.

Mariana herself had been overwhelmed with everyone else and didn’t feel worthy enough to talk to them, so… she didn’t for the first few table reads, unless they spoke to her first. But she recalls both Lucía and Ines being very chatty, welcoming and helpful. (Not that the rest of the cast weren’t, she just spent a lot of time with these two).

Ines and Lucía were among some of the ones who usually goofed off on set. Lucía frequently interacted with fans and social media, so subsequently you’d see a lot of Ines and Mariana if you followed her. They later started weekly live karaoke sessions where (taking advantage of the piano on set) Mariana would play a song and the cast would sing.

The three are usually seen together for interviews. I imagine they’ve done a lot of those “best friend test” and “Disney trivia competition” type press too.

[burntheedges-updates]

Over Again - Mix CD & Playlist

I'll start posting the fic soon! Maybe this weekend? In the meantime, this playlist goes with the fic. The first 19 songs are the ones Joel and Sarah burned on a mix CD for you/reader late in 2001. After that it's just more vibes (and relevant songs…).

I was a teenager in 2000 and I grew up in the south (not in Texas, though I lived there later), so I was aiming for songs I would have heard on the radio and songs the reader and Joel definitely would have heard on the radio and when they went out dancing (we're talking two-step and merengue, and more). You'll see more of this later, but Joel teaches you to dance in this fic. Thank you to @thatoneobsessedlinguist-writes for your help and song suggestions!

Read on for my annotated list with headcanons for the first 19 songs.

Mild spoiler warning for the fic - there are some notes and context for various bits of the story, so I'd hold off on reading until later if you're not into that.

Joel & Sarah's ~Awesome~ Mix

Link to playlist here

Some general categories -

Songs 1-6: those inescapable songs you would have heard every time Joel took you dancing. Some of them were the songs playing when he taught you the steps.

Songs 9-15: the same, but for country night/dance clubs, for two-stepping and line dancing.

Just take a moment and let the truth settle in your heart - the Miller brothers know how to two-step and how to line dance. And they'll break those out or a bit of merengue or bachata and more on a night out or at family gatherings.

La Bomba - azul azul (2000) This song played in every club in 2001, and you can't convince me otherwise. Also, there's a moment with this song in the fic that cracks me up (no spoilers).

Suavemente - Elvis Crespo (1998) Just imagine Joel leading you through a bit of merengue to this song in a club. I'll wait.

Lambada - Kaoma (1989) I'll be honest, I can't imagine this playlist without this song. Everyone would have known it, they'd have heard it out and at every family gathering, forever.

Fruta Fresca - Carlos Vives (1999) Once you start to catch on, Joel throws these faster songs at you, whirling you around and keeping his eyes locked on you the whole time. Ese beso con que sueño, cuando, las penas me acechan...

Rie y Llora - Celia Cruz (2000) Sarah's Abuela/Joel & Tommy's mom loves Celia Cruz. Her songs play at every family gathering, and the whole family knows the entire Celia Cruz catalog. They have to. (This is the song Joel and Sarah are dancing to in the backyard in the excerpt I posted the other day.)

Arrasando - Thalia (2000) Another one of those songs that Joel throws at you once you've got the steps down. Ellie thinks the fast songs are the best ones, later.

Que Me Quedes Tú - Shakira (2001) We have to have a couple of slow songs, at least, and this album was huge in 2001. I think Sarah, a bilingual kid in Texas, would have loved it.

¡Que Bonito! - Rosario (1996) This is the song that plays when you and Joel are slow dancing in the backyard, after he teaches you to dance, when he kisses you for the first time. Qué bonito poder sentirte así...

Austin - Blake Shelton (2001) Look, they lived in Austin. This song came out mid-summer, 2001. There is no chance it didn't play in every single country night club in Austin for years.

The Way You Love Me - Faith Hill (1999) This song was inescapable. I've line danced to it myself.

What About Now - Lonestar (1999) Joel Miller would have loved this song. Imagine him taking you for a spin around the dance floor to this one. Baby, for once let's don't think twice...

Cowboy Take Me Away - The Chicks (1999) I feel that this one speaks for itself. I also think Sarah would have laughed at both of you every time you got emotional about it. Ellie would do the same 20 years later.

Man! I Feel LIke A Woman! - Shania Twain (1997) Sarah helps Joel make this mix CD as a gift for you. You know she'd add this song – you and Sarah would have sung this song at the top of your lungs while dancing around Joel and Tommy in the kitchen, as they watched and laughed. Joel also loves watching you line dance to it when it comes on at a club and the men clear the floor (this is exactly what happened in the early 2000s every time this song played, in my experience).

Boot Scootin' Boogie - Brooks & Dunn (1991) I think it might be illegal not to play this song at a country night club. I'm serious. Especially in 2001.

All My Ex's Live in Texas - George Strait (1987) They live in Texas. I'm pretty sure they're still playing this song in Texas, even though I haven't lived there in 8 years.

No One Needs To Know - Shania Twain (1995) In my mind, this song captures the moment you set eyes on Joel the first time, in the first chapter of the fic. And maybe you would have told him that, later, when it came on the radio one day in his truck. I met a tall, dark and handsome man, and I've been busy makin' big plans...

Forever and Ever, Amen - Randy Travis (1987) Joel Miller is a cheesy romantic. And he would sing this song to you in the kitchen like the big sap he is.

Amazed - Lonestar (1999) This is Joel’s song for you, like No One Needs To Know was your song for him. That man feels every single lyric as he slow dances with you to this song in his backyard. He also thinks this is the last song on the CD, which is romantic, but Sarah sneaks one more past him. I wanna spend the rest of my life, with you by my side...

Pickup Man - Joe Diffie (1994) At some point, you and Sarah establish an inside joke about this song and Joel, and it makes you laugh your asses off every time it plays. (You tell Ellie the story later, in the fic.) Joel pretends to be grumpy about it, but secretly he loves seeing the two of you get along like that. Sarah sneaks it onto the CD without Joel noticing until he hears it later and sighs, long-suffering, hiding his smile from the two of you as you shout-sing the lyrics at him in his pickup truck. I met all my wives in traffic jams, there's just something women like about a Pickup Man...

I can hear you, fellow olds - 19 songs? On a burned CD? Look, it’s not impossible. I definitely had a few with 18 or 19 songs on them. Let’s just assume it worked.

[panda-of-the-trash]

do...you have any music reccomendations? /genq /nf

I have a few!

- Brother Louie (modern talking)

- Super Trouper (abba)

- Bailar (Deorro, Elvis Crespo)

[bloodgulchblog]

Theoretically, if a Spartan went rogue and the UNSC wanted them back, what would they do? I mean, what could they do? Trying to corral an unwilling Spartan seems like a tough job

I'm assuming we're talking about adult, fully-realized Spartans and not shenanigans with teenagers. (There were some shenanigans with teenagers, especially around the time when augmentation washouts were being dealt with. Some of that is talked about in a Halo: Legends episode, but I don't... like Legends lol.)

First, the UNSC has to know they were given the slip, so if a Spartan can fake their own death (or just appears to have died) and doesn't draw attention, the UNSC has bigger problems to worry about and won't notice.

Secondly, a Spartan that wants out probably cannot take their armor with them. The armor is very much linked up with the UNSC's systems and, without some serious tinkering on the Spartan's end, they can track it. They'd also need to account for the very basic problem of how you get in and out of a MJOLNIR suit without access to a Spartan armor assembly rig. (Probably doable, but oh boy.)

A Spartan-IV that wants to defect has extra bonus problems that the IIs and IIIs do not: A locator implant under their jaw that lets the UNSC know right where they are. (If they ever decide to tell us they added them to the IIs and IIIs later, it's a retcon.) This will have to somehow be disabled or surgically removed.

That's not all! Spartan-IV augmentations are reputed to be more finicky (they have so much more metal going on inside them) and require periodic maintenance!

So it's definitely possible, but it's going to be pretty difficult for the Spartan and they will need some kind of help getting out and operating off UNSC lines. A S-IV will most likely need someone with good medical knowledge who won't turn them in.

When a Spartan is found to be AWOL, it is taken seriously. The codename for the protocol is STOLEN GAUNTLET. (This is also the name of an achievement in Halo 5.)

The Spartan branch cleans up their own messes in their own house, and will send a Spartan team to hunt down the offender. (This is literally what Halo 5 is about.) Corralling an unwilling Spartan is hard, but going one against a whole fireteam of other Spartans is harder.

Once a rogue Spartan has been captured (if they are captured and not killed) they are locked up in a top security area specifically designed for containing Spartans on the space station the Spartans also use for training new S-IVs.

There are a couple Spartan-IVs that have tried it over the years, but the one we know the most about is probably Mickey Crespo. He defects from the UNSC in New Blood, then Buck and co break him out of Spartan jail for a mission in Bad Blood.

[alt-air]

February 2024 Reading Roundup

Hello February. I am late with writing this because so many things have happened near the end of the month but now im here! And what a month it was everyone I started T, went to Puerto Rico, did some secret March activities that I will talk about next reading roundup. I also realized I am running out of time to try restaurants where I live so I have been spending like a madman so RIP to my bank account. This month I feel like has been an up and down for reading. I definitely slowed down a bit at the beginning of the month then panicked and realized I only have a couple weeks before Ramadan starts so I have to finish all my checked out books. I also realized I read too much fantasy so im gunna try to start diversifying my genres a bit but damn do i love my made up worlds. anyway best of luck to me i have like 3 days to finish 4 books.

Favorites of the month: Tadek and the Princess, And Then He Sang A Lullaby

Standalones

Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hierarchy of the Unseen by B. Pigeon and Fell A. Marsh ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Membranes by Chi Ta-Wei ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Green Fuses Burning by Tiffany Morris ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Country Will Bring Us No Peace by Matthieu Simard ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Witch King by Martha Wells ⭐⭐⭐.5

Tadek and the Princess by Alexandra Rowland ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

A Vision of Moonlight and Other Stories by Tamara Jeree ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

And Then He Sang A Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Cinder the Fireplace Boy and Other Gayly Grimm Tales by Ana Mardoll ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Series

All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Savage Bounty by Matt Wallace ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Savage Crowns by Matt Wallce ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Malice by Heather Walters ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Misrule by Heather Walters ⭐⭐⭐.5

Nonfiction

Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[arvensimp]

Hear me out dude hear me out.

I headcanon that Arven and Momo (Giacomo) end up being good friends in the post game (BECAUSE MABOSSTIFFS BABYYYYYY) and since they’re in Spain and all that WHAT IF GIACOMO GETS ARVEN INTO REGGAETON?! Im talking Bad Bunny and Annuel and shit ✋ I’m aware that they’re Puerto Rican singers but like we speak Spanish in PR and people speak Spanish in Spain so ✋😩👌

I feel like Arven wouldn’t be into the heavy reggaeton stuff that is too explicit, maybe he prefers the more tame ones like the ones that Farruko and Yandel used to sing back then. DUDE IMAGINE ARVEN SINGING DÉJATE AMAR OR 6 AM 😭👌 (Also im never forgiving you for reminding me of my Elvis Crespo phase from high school /lh ☺️ srsly though “tu sonrisa” by Elvis is a fucking BANGER)

Also headcanon Arven doesn’t say the bad words to reggaeton songs (he probably censors them or just hums that part because he’s an angelic little baby)

(Don’t mind me coping with the fact a Puerto Rico inspired region doesn’t exist yet 🙌)

Arven accidentally says the N word in a song ONCE and he never recovers.

Also I'm sorry my knowledge of Spanish language music is SO limited. I grew up in south Florida but I was super duper sheltered so I wasn't exposed to very much at all. Like I'm still listening to La Luz on repeat and bouncing like a bird of paradise to it and swooning at the line besame la boca like a teenager

As for Elvis I shit u not, I have no prior experience with him other than that fucking ganondorf video, so when tu sonrisa came on Spotify randomly I was like "damn this sounds like the suavemente guy" and LO AND BEHOLD

[mysticalspiders]

Voyage of the Nautilus: An Invitation in Writing

I was concerned about Captain Nemo’s absence during our session the previous afternoon, and I hoped to see him again today.

I am just having a lot of fun pulling out any vaguely gay lines so I am very enamored by Aronnax’s missing Nemo and wanting to see him again! It shows so much their instant connection and friendship. Just generally though it is wild how quickly Aronnax just goes from being technically captured to Nemo to worrying about him and wanting to be his friend. 

Among these valuable water plants, I noted various seaweed: some Cladostephus verticillatus, peacock’s tails, fig-leafed caulerpa, grain-bearing beauty bushes, delicate rosetangle tinted scarlet, sea colander arranged into fan shapes, mermaid’s cups that looked like the caps of squat mushrooms and for years had been classified among the zoophytes; in short, a complete series of algae.

Aronnax is on a mission to record the nautilus’ entire collection.

The radiant orb cleared the eastern horizon. Under its gaze, the sea caught on fire like a trail of gunpowder. Scattered on high, the clouds were colored in bright, wonderfully shaded hues, and numerous “ladyfingers” warned of daylong winds.

I really love the description of the clouds as “ladyfingers.” It’s just the sort of description Aronnax would use and I also can so clearly see exactly what clouds he’s talking about. 

Professor Aronnax Aboard the Nautilus November 16, 1867

I love Nemo specifying “aboard the Nautilus” for this correspondence despite (I assume) delivering it himself. 

Captain Nemo invites Professor Aronnax on a hunting trip that will take place tomorrow morning in his Crespo Island forests. He hopes nothing will prevent the professor from attending, and he looks forward with pleasure to the professor’s companions joining him.

I just can’t help reading this as Nemo asking Aronnax on a hunting date? It’s not not what is happening?

“I beg you to share my breakfast without formality. We can chat while we eat.

A second breakfast date?! Is Nemo’s preferred way to romance communicate with people over brunch?

I did justice to this meal. It was made up of various fish and some slices of sea cucumber, that praiseworthy zoophyte, all garnished with such highly appetizing seaweed as the Porphyra laciniata and the Laurencia primafetida. Our beverage consisted of clear water to which, following the captain’s example, I added some drops of a fermented liquor extracted by the Kamchatka process from the seaweed known by name as Rhodymenia palmata.

I am curious how good these meals would actually be? I would think they would be fairly good maybe similar to sashimi in some way or just cooked fish but I feel like it would be missing rice or something? I feel like it would just get overwhelmingly salty and faty that you would want something to balance it which the sea cannot provide. I guess you just wash it all down with this liquor.  

[the-acid-pear]

Woke up from a very very strange dream so I really want to share it.

It started odd. Well not entirely odd. But it started on his different map of SDV I often see, and I was a woman, and went to these new secret mines where I had just lost and been kicked out. I went back in bc i did catch a glimpse of a merchant, so I went to check him out. He looked like a glowing eye darkness robbed little guy. And he sold, phone cases? And some pillars or something?? And I didn't know what they did so I looked up on YouTube and all I'd find was Minecraft videos (one I'd seen in a different dream, no less) so after a lot of trying went back to the game and bought them and it instantly turned psychosexual. I cannot remember details for better or for worse.

But after that somehow I ended up in my mother's house. It was just her and me, and soon my older brother. Neither my little brother or my step father were there. But there was a fishtank. Just like my step father previously had. Except it was lodged to the wall of the kitchen on the last house I lived in with them. It was also like, insanely dirty? It was implied nobody had been around for a while.

At first the fish I noticed were normal. Long little grey one stood up bc it was the last fish I got to see there, though that guy was smaller than a finger now he was worth give or take two! And there were other fishes too. But most important I saw a golden fish, just like my stepfather had owned for so long (I saw that fish eat everyone else and Die.). Except it was smaller, younger! His gold fish was he size of a hand by the end and fat, now it was as big as the previously mentioned. But just as violent. He kept trying to bite the fishes, which lead to his end.

Eventually I realized a fucking OCTOPUS was in the tank too, and he grabbed the golden fish (wasn't his name Golden? Or was it just Dorado? I don't remember) and like a gator did a death roll. It kept passing it under itself and stuff, too. I freaked out a little bc man he's gonna kill him!! But I was like nooobody touch him or you'll DIE.

It was then that I realized my mom had a prosthetic arm. From below the elbow on her left hand. It wasn't a normal one, it had skin grafts, tightly pulled across it, failing to conceal the plastic blue metal or the metal fingers like hooks. I asked her what happened and she told me nonchalantly she just tripped in a hole/puddle (I imagined this was in a supermarket, Carrefour or Coto) and passed out and when she woke up her hand was already amputated. Told her it was a relief it wasn't her dominant hand but she just said it isn't for NOW.

I pictured to myself a bit of her reaction. Waking up w a hand missing. Screaming and depression. She was ok by now. She did tell me it was bc she'd been carrying heavy books all day so the bone was cartilage by then and they removed it all (sure...)

I did realize a while after I woke up, my mother had a scarred hand she called "the bionic hand". I didn't remember this detail previous to this dream...

Anyway I think my brother was thru this all with us. I think we spoke. We caught up a little? I don't know why I cannot remember him now. What I do remember is talking w someone mentioning my grandma passing and them saying my brother should know too bc he probably cared and I was like damn maybe you're right. But I got distracted.

I was back in my villa crespo room, I have been remembering that room and that wardrobe a lot, and now I was looking inside. And it was huge, and I saw a dog plushie. It was implied to have been made by my grandma. I picked it up and hugged it and I took it as a sign to go in here and see what else was there for me. The dog was white, long ears, big ash brown spots and small black ones (most notably its eyes).

The wardrobe was full of toys and houses. And I was stuffing little things into bigger things. I wish I'd give you a better description. Little Barbies. I had a lot of knock off Barbies. I stacked them and stuck them elsewhere in piles. Unsure of the purpose.

But I couldn't really relax bc meanwhile my mom and my dad started talking and she was accusing him of having touched me inappropriately and his defense was like yeah I did but it was for a reason I was trying to protect her and I was just doing my darnest to pretend they didn't exist until I got awoken by a stupid can breaking in.

So yeah a lot went there.

[alter-dreams]

Dream Log: 03/22/2024

It took place in my room upstairs. Instead of living where I currently do, it was a strange multiplex structure resembling the family restaurant, Spain/Korea, and a bougie Fountain Valley house. For whatever reason, there were two different doors on my floor. An entry/exit from outside to the other connected multiplexes and down the hall pass was the door for the stairs.

I shared the place with Crespo, so family & friends were always visiting downstairs.

I was hanging out with (E), dickin’ around and watching something on an older blocky TV. That’s when Tim walked in… at this point, I’ve had my peace and no qualms with this garbage tier human, proceeding to question why he’s here. Apparently he was Crespo’s Smash buddy, and this completely made sense to me.

He asked if I wanted to play. For old time’s sake I entertained him with a game, and per usual he had his shitty gamer attitude. Taunting and copying the same characters. I could feel his ego inflating and his superiority complex getting fed… My tunnel-vision kicked in as my muscle memory for the game wasn’t coming back. Unknowingly Tim gave Ketamine in pill form to both (E) and me while we were both distracted. We both took it thinking it was a mint. Our minds were beginning to wander, going in and out of consciousness. I immediately knew Tim was up to no good, making conversation with (E). People were using my room’s entryway to go in and out the house for whatever reason. But I couldn’t snap myself out of the tunnel-vision and wandering mind to stop all of it.

We finally snapped out of it for a quick moment as (E) decided to go home, and I got up to walk her. I feel this guy’s insecurity emitting from him, walking outside.

As we headed to the car, my mind wanders in and out again. I’m back to reality but she disappeared. I panic and see her across the street over a fence, booking it and pulling the most ungraceful parkour maneuver to catch up.

Finally reaching (E)’s car in a one of those shaggy liquor store parking lots with rocks everywhere, we get into her gold/beige Camry V6 but the driver’s seat is on the right side…

She begins to take me home, but now a road into a forest where it begins to get darker. Both our consciences are fading. SHE begins to fade. I asked “what did y’all take about..?”.

“We talked about how it is, moving to Irvine”

We approach a cliff AND everything clicks as I begin to wake up.

Crespo is in TN and has no ties to Tim. WHY THE FUCK were people doing through my room with their SHOES on. I don’t even live with people. Why did i let this dude back into my life. Where is (E), why is she disappearing, that’s not her car, why are we on the wrong side of the road. We were drugggggggeed. What would’ve happened if I moved to Irvine?

Interpretation…

- recent events with encountering but not engaging with Tim and MLE saying she TOO saw him in Irvine.

- seeing (E) more lately the last few weeks and our conversations: blocky tv, Camry, her going MIA

- thoughts of visiting Korea and Spain

- conversation about ketamine

- Crespo might be a mix of Smash and MLE’s ex’s name

[thosdickson]

KVETCH, kvetch, kvetch!

Paddling Lake Woebegone... again.

Viernes 15 de Marzo, 2024

So where to even BEGIN to catch up with myself?

Back to SF Fev 6 - 20; cut short to make sure I was back to MVD in time for my shit to hit the street here — BUT IT DIDN'T, OF COURSE — SO I spent $200 to cut the last week off my trip*, cut the SFUSD by days**, and SIT AROUND for another ten days. So what to do? I know : a BIKEWRECK 🤬 23 Fev: the new bikelane down 18 de Julio, impulse to stare to the right at Crespo looking for the "perfect storage space" that wasn't...

WHAM-BAMM!! Ass over teakettle "en media calle" ; hit that big hard black rubber traffic cone with my left shoulder. Knew I'd jacked it good, and left wrist almost sprained, just above the left knee, left ring fingertip crushed.

People ran up to help the old fool... left arm hanging loose "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck..." vision pixellated, like my eyeball was hanging out or somethin. Struggled to see and walk, locked the bike to the closest parking sign, walked home bleeding from three spots on my right hand, and from inside my left ear.

Amazed the bike was unhurt, nor were my sunglasses of Bill's, the OPs I spent hundreds on lenses for, just this left shoulder I'd so carefully trained and strengthened since the 2018 surgery to correct the massive rotocuff tear and 40 year old dislocation from the 1977 wreck of Kent C's Alfa. No problem: just let go... again... of the wish, the strength, the confidence, the feeling of some small success. Nothing matters in this BEST of "GOD's will" world. HOW do I know God's watching, maybe laughing? Because the NEXT DAY + 7, Saturday 2 Mar, my stuff arrives at the SimpleBox in Ciudad Viejo 10months and $10K down this road (to ruin). Of COURSE the gold FINALLY shot up past $2100 right after I cashed most of it in to pay off the Aduanas (or Uruvan?) suckers.

Obviously, God wanted to keep me off a bike. Last Friday, 8 Mar, BOTH the blue Retrospec I bought here a year ago, and the newish Trek I just brought from SF were both swiped from just the other side of my door while I was eating my pressure-pot dinner about 9pm.

Not a SOUND. I came out for some reason about 10pm, first noticed the stair's door open, then the clean open space along the tiled wall where the bikes had been. I ran downstairs and outside, talked to a young man working for CUTSCA the bus company standing at the bustop in front of 2033. Yes, he'd seen a man and a woman run out the heavy iron front door into 18 de Julio with my bikes "about an hour" before. The guy almost ran into an oncoming bus in his panic to get away. NO the lobby camera didn't record past 30 minutes before. Pablo, the guy living directly below, turned out to be the building manager.

"We called them to fix the camera system, but they never came." This is the picture he knocked at the door to offer later, and how I tried to make it usable with Photoshop >>>

Juan Pedro, my host's son, was kind enough to offer to let me put off the rent until month's end, but, honestly...

Aikido says: "take the hit — then redirect"... that Saturday I spent an hour with a young policewoman taking my theft report with thinly disguised contempt for another clueless old fuck, this one with such lousy Spanish her patience wore out long before her few questions got answered.

"You know something's happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?"