#speaking of which there should be transcripts available for all of these

[myautisticpov]

This is important, but it's also important if you're part of a volunteer group to make sure that information necessary for disabled people to get involved isn't hidden behind an extra step, like calling someone

If you're posting about a meet-up*, you should not be just posting the time and location, you should also be posting about car parking availability, about the nearest bus stop, about exactly how to find the exact location (e.g. which entrance into the building to use and the directions to the room you're in), about wheelchair accessibility, about where the nearest toilets are (and if there's a proper disabled stall), about how long you expect the meet-up to take and if it's acceptable to leave early, about whether food will be provided or if it's banned if they want to bring snacks (or if they have an allergy and might be worried about other people bringing snacks), and about what exactly will be expected of the people attending

If you're posting about needing volunteers, you should be posting exactly what work you need help with and exactly how much or how little people will be expected to participate

You should be using accessible language, you should be providing image descriptions of digital posters, you should be providing subtitles/transcripts of videos

Some of this stuff doesn't just help disabled people, it helps parents who need to find childcare (and speaking of, whether or not it's appropriate for children to attend is also important) or people with unreliable jobs or transport

You should also have a robust and accessible onboarding process to help new people figure out how best to help

Like, I know that it's work, but the easier you can make taking the first step for people, the more people you'll have to help with the work

Don't put this all on disabled people to bridge the accessibility gap

*And obviously, if you're not posting about meet-ups because the work is sensitive, then obviously this doesn't apply, I'm only talking about the groups where this does, because putting a fucking phone call in the way isn't going to stop people who are being paid to keep an eye on you, it will just stop everyone else

I rambled about this in tags on another post but I can’t emphasize enough how only focusing on large-scale issues WILL lead to hopelessness & burnout. Activism must include small-scale, achievable works. If you don’t have something you can get your hands around and look at directly, despair will eat you alive.

[sgiandubh]

No lies last forever, part 2: the (over)due confirmation

With the Happy Sad Confused Tenth Anniversary Live Special being made available online, I think all doubts have now been lifted about the entire Intergalactic Bullshit this fandom has been deliberately fed for years and years in a row, by a cheap, sad troll and his accomplice. Both imbeciles' determination being only matched by the cast's complete indifference to fandom drama and, as I already wrote (https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/764711074507390976/no-lies-last-forever?source=share), ***'s incompetent, tone-deaf PR.

You can watch the entire recording here, by the way:

The part where S specifically addresses his (non-existent) 'friendship' with William Shatner has been explicitly planted by the end of Jack Quaid's dedicated segment. That it has been discussed and planned prior to the show is obvious. And this time, Josh Horowitz wasn't even subtle - he announced the topic way before it 'spontaneously' popped into the conversation (39:42):

Transcription follows:

Josh Horowitz (JH): 'So, what's the dream for further voiceover roles, do you want a Pixar movie, do you want Outlander -the cartoon, what do you want?'

[laughter throughout the panelists]

S: 'Oh, I'm a Star Trek fan, actually' [women in the audience boo and shout - I wonder why, seriously], 'I am a Star Trek fan, I grew up watching Next Gen, so maybe Below Decks is... come on, guys.. '

[Note: yeah, he's such a fan, he has no idea the correct name of the cartoon spin-off, in which Jack Quaid has a voiceover role, is Star Trek: Lower Decks]

JH: 'We'll get him out in a second' [note: Jack Quaid], we'll talk some Star Trek, amazing...'

See? Not even subtle, if you ask me. I think this is something S wanted out for a good while now. It doesn't erase or even ease the pain and the trauma brought to so many people in this fandom by a pair of idiotic bullies, but I think it was very brave of him and, at any rate, it's better later than never.

And so, I waited. And waited. And waited. And then, here it went (01: 02: 54):

JH (consulting notes):' Um, we also should mention Star Trek: Lower Decks, we talked Star Trek a little bit earlier...'

Jack Quaid (JQ):'And, by, the way, this is the last season of Lower Decks, but we would have loved to have you! What the fuck, I didn't know you watched the show! [inaudible, if someone caught it properly, something like 'that was so close', I'd love to know more and especially who said it - thank you] Unbelievable!'

S: ' That is so cool, man!'

JQ: 'Oh, thank you, dude! Oh, yeah, hey, let's get rendered (?), let's do this, we keep going, let's get him on, let's do it!'

JH: 'Isn't...isn't William Shatner a big Outlander fan? I feel like he is...'

S (very uneasy): 'Ah... erm... yeah... (scratches back of his head)...I hung out with him once, we went to his stables and I watched him like riding a horse and stuff.... And, I don't know, it was really weird, cause sometimes I wonder if I am speaking to him via messages and stuff, or if it's actually his assistant [JQ: 'oooh!'], I don't know...'

JQ: 'Does his assistant look a lot like him?'

S (chuckles): 'Kind of...Yeah, you can't tell them apart. Yeah, no, but I believe he was a fan, until he saw me ride'.

Despite the jocular tone, I think everything is pretty much clear, here. Definitely a prepared conversation, despite Horowitz's efforts to make it sound playful and spontaneous. Something he even took prior notes about and made sure to include in the panel - nothing more serious than that, in fact. As for the sad cretin mentioned there, what would be left to say... S sent the guy to Coventry in barely two phrases and actually poked fun at his appearance and demeanor ('you can't tell them apart'). So long for the fictional 'friendship' and 'communication' between S and The Assistant, so long for the braggadocio that horrible little man exhibited all the way, pretending he actually had a personal relationship with S (well, as we all see, he actually doesn't: he doesn't even have a name, in S's book, as acquaintances, let alone friends, do). His only claim to fame was what, in reality? Answering some X DMs sent by S to his employer? Hello? How about his threats, then? How about his repeated calumny of people he didn't even know, calling them 'crazies', 'in need of medical attention', etc?

And please, don't come after me with that sorry excuse that 'it's S's humor'. There was nothing humorous about it and I have proven it already.

I will leave you draw your own conclusions about the non existent friendship with Shatner, something that has probably been 'encouraged' ex nihilo by *** and taken to dramatic cheapness and conflict with and within this fandom by The Assistant himself, mainly, and his friend, the OG Troll. I do not remember hearing/seeing Shatner himself saying all those horrible things (please correct me if I am wrong), so until I am proven the contrary, it's only logical to have many thoughts and questions about these people's strange, very strange obsession with OL and its two main co-stars.

Not to mention the most idiotic threat I have ever read in this fandom. Something I fell upon by absolute chance this morning. I mean, I couldn't even believe people actually bought such primitive, kindergarten bullshit:

[July 29th, 2017]

' Do you still want OL to continue or not, people?'

Empty, illogical threats: why would *** cancel its actual cash cow show, just because two co-stars had something SO obvious, that people realized there was more than the official narrative to it? And what about the crazy story about Albrecht & co. investigating and allegedly menacing fans with going to court? Has this cretin ever realized the potential media scandal would have far outweighed the inanity of such a claim? That it could very well have a serious impact on ***'s company profile and future projects, even?

I really, really think both of these Unsavory Clowns should find another playground and another obsession to cling on (wasn't the first, would not be the last). Elsewhere. In a galaxy far, far away.

PS: Thank you, regular attendee who bravely spilled the tea and thank you, old shipper who came forward and confirmed. And many heartfelt thanks to all of you shippers, old and new, who also bravely stepped forward with their personal take on everything these two have done to this place.

Dare we hope this is the beginning of the end? What is sure, is that no lies last forever. Or as we say in Romanian: minciuna are picioare scurte și adevărul o ajunge/'a lie's got short legs and truth will always catch up with it'.

[Later edit]: edited to add a new, improved clip that actually does include the entire conversation.

[alltimefail]

Entertainment Weekly just placed Dead Boy Detectives on their "Top 19 Best Supernatural Shows to Stream Right Now" list.

Mind you, Dead Boy Detectives is making these lists AFTER cancelation! IT RANKED AT NUMBER 5/19 (and beat out some pretty big names, I might add). The EW is a hugely popular publication! It's so bonkers to me that Netflix would cancel such a highly beloved, successful show that I had to write them about it, yet again!

If you need inspiration to keep talking about Dead Boy Detectives and hold out hope that we can save this show, THIS should help. Keep streaming, keep promoting it EVERYWHERE, keep creating for it, and for the love of all things wonderful keep bothering Netflix. This show shouldn't have been canceled, and we need to keep reminding them of what a poor decision they're making. ESPECIALLY with GeekedWeek coming up, we need to be SUPER noisy for and about Dead Boy Detectives.

A transcript of the email I sent out today can be found below the cut! A list of Netflix exec emails can be found HERE.

!!!! Note: you can use my email as a framework or as inspiration, but DO NOT copy and paste it word-for-word, or else it will be marked as spam !!!!

Dear [Insert Recipient's Name],

I hope this email finds you well! I previously reached out regarding Netflix's unfortunate decision to cancel Dead Boy Detectives, but since our previous correspondence, there have been several articles admonishing the surprising and untimely cancelation of Dead Boy Detectives. The publications include but are not limited to BamSmackPow, CBR, CHIP, Quotenmeter, Serienjunkies, Serienfuchs, Filmstarts, Movie Pilot, Kino, Vodafone Deutschland, Dread Central, Pop Culture, Sentidog, Geek Girl Authority. and Animation World Network.

Three notable articles have come out post-cancelation that I'd like to highlight due to their succinct, well-informed perspectives on why canceling Dead Boy Detectives was a poor decision are as follows:

The Death of 'Dead Boy Detectives' Was Untimely by Lacy Baugher at Tellyvisions.org

Dead Boy Detectives: The Latest Casualty in a Concerning Trend of LGBTQ+ Show Cancellations by Sam Huang at TellTaleTV.com

Netflix made a grave mistake canceling 'Dead Boy Detectives' by David Opie at YahooNews

It would be remiss of me not to emphasize how these publications are not just central to the US and UK; the cancelation of Dead Boy Detectives is being reported and scrutinized internationally, in several languages and countries.

What truly prompted me to contact you again is an article that was released by Entertainment Weekly today, September 11, 2024. In the article, "The Best 19 Supernatural Shows to Stream Right Now," EW placed Dead Boy Detectives in the #5 slot: it outranked other shows on your platform such as Stranger Things (#13) and Wednesday (#18). The Sandman, the show which Dead Boy Detectives is a spinoff of, is notably not present on the list at all. You can find the article here on ew.com.

Dead Boy Detectives was also ranked as the #1 Best DC Live Action Show available on Netflix by MovieWeb, outranking titles such as The Flash (which has a whopping 9 seasons), Lucifer (a show that was so loved by fans that Netflix picked it up after its own untimely cancelation, mind you) and, yet again, The Sandman.

All this to say, Dead Boy Detectives is still making "Best of" lists even after its cancellation, and it is ranking exceedingly well on said lists! This speaks volumes in and of itself; people are just as outraged today as they were the day it was canceled and it's abundantly clear that critics and audiences alike love this show and want to see more of it! You have a hit show on your hands that is growing in popularity daily, meaning Netflix truly has everything to gain by listening to customers and rethinking this objectively unpopular and unfounded decision.

Please do not waste the immense potential of this incredible show that means so much to so many people. I appreciate your consideration today and implore you to listen to the outcries of fans and critics alike, to do right by the cast and crew of Dead Boy Detectives, and ultimately repeal its cancelation.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[galedekarios]

gale's early access dialogue transcripts - part 2 a: the deer stew scene

in early access, gale had two additional major scenes: the deer stew scene and the loss scene, both of which would happen during a long rest at camp.

the scenes in early access usually happened in this order:

-1: first night long rest scene (still in the final game) -2: mirror image scene (still in the final game) -3: deer stew scene (cut content / partially reused in act i) -4: weave scene (still in the final game) -5: loss scene (cut content) -6: tiefling party scene (ea version cut / partially reused in act ii last night alive scene)

the deer stew scene was supposed to show that gale had come to trust the protag throughout their time together and the actions they've taken, like saving arabella and mirkon, or trying to solve the tension between zevlor and aradin.

he would tell them about his condition and reveal that he needs magical artefacts of great power (idol of silvanus, sword of justice, staff of crones, shadow of menzoberranzan, etc.) in order to consume the weave within them to sate said condition. parts of that conversation have been reused and repurposed for the full release version of the game, though now this scene happens while travelling if you progress gale's approval enough.

you can watch a video of the deer stew scene here. below you'll find the transcript of the scene and all its outcomes.

the deer stew scene

Gale: Ah, there you are. How did you enjoy my deer stew this evening? Old family recipe. Protag (Option 1): It was delicious. Gale: Good. I tend to season it with spices from Kara-Tur, but given what's available to us, good old rosemary had to see us through. Not that I mean to regale you with my culinary exploits. Gale: There's, er... Well, there's actually something quite different I'd like to discuss. Protag (Option 2): I didn't have any actually. Gale: Curious time to be dieting. Especially with a chef like myself around. -> Then same as Option 1 Protag (Option 3): Should have kept it in the family. Gale: Can't argue with taste. Or the lack thereof. -> Then same as Option 1

Protag (Option 1): By all means.  Gale: We've been... -> See Option 3 Protag (Option 2): Why so tense all of a sudden? Gale: Some things are easier to explain than others. But first let me say this: We've been... -> See Option 3 Protag (Option 3):  Whatever it is, make it brief. Gale: As you wish. Gale: We've been travelling together for a while now, and during those travels I've been observing you. I want you to know that I like what I see.  The way you handled Nettie when she poisoned you. The way you defused the tension between Zevlor and Aradin. The way you got Kagha to release the girl. The way you saved that boy out of a harpy's clutches. In short: I've grown to trust you.

Protag (Option 1): That's very gratifying to hear  Gale: Now I need you to place your trust in me. Protag (Option 2): Enough of flattery. Where is this going? Gale: An exchange. I expressed my trust in you, now I need you to place your trust in me.  Protag (Option 3): Can't say the feeling's mutual.  Gale: And yet I need you to place your trust in me in turn. Gale: Our journey together is bound to last a while still. As such I feel compelled to speak. I say this because there is something I desperately need, but while I'll tell you what that something is, I won't tell you why. I have to ask you to agree to this before carrying on with this conversation.

Protag (Option 1): Very well, I agree Gale: Thank you. I see I did well to trust you. Now to the matter at hand. You see, I have a... condition. A condition different from the tadpole, but just as deadly. The only way to appease Protag (Option 2): No. It's unfair to demand blind faith in you. Gale: I understand that I'm asking for a lot, but I can't tell you everything. Not yet anyway. Please, reconsider. Protag (Option 3): [Wisdom] You sense secrecy and danger. Use your tadpole to probe Gale's thoughts. [Failure] Gale: I'm afraid that's not going to work on me. Look, I appreciate your curiosity, but don't pursue this path.  Let's agree in actions first and explanations later, yes?

Protag (Option 1):  Fine, have it your  way. / Fine, I reconsider. Tell me what you need.  Gale: Thank you. I see I did well to trust you. Now to the matter at hand... Protag (Option 2): I'm still going to say no. / No, I won't. And that's final. Gale: That's... truly disappointing. I see now that I misjudged you, so we'll dwell on the matter no longer. And at least I know where I stand. This is a part of the journey I must walk alone. Good night. Protag (Option 3): [Wisdom] you sense secrecy and danger. Use your tadpole to probe Gale's thoughts. [Success] Narrator: You become one with Gale's mind and you can feel something sinister oppressing you. It's... inside of you, a mighty darkness radiating from your chest. You could try to push further, but your hold over Gale feels brittle. It won't be easy delving deeper without him noticing. Delve deeper: [Failure] Gale: What are you... You're using the tadpole against me? This is a breach of trust that... And to think I thought you trustworthy in the first place! I'm leaving. I cannot stand to be around such betrayal a moment longer. 

Tav: [Insight] You are in mortal danger twice over. To leave would be foolish, and you are no fool.  [Failure] Gale: I am a fool. A fool to have trusted you. [Gale leaves the party permanently] Delve deeper: [Success] Narrator: You see through Gale's eyes, staring down the corridor of a dread memory. A book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. It's teeth, it's claws, it's unstoppable as it digs through you and become part of you. And Gods, is it ever-hungry.

Gale: Keeping me in suspense, are you? Come on, tell me, do we have an agreement or not? It's s simple question, isn't  it? What gives you pause? Protag (Option 1): Yes, I agree. Gale: Thank you. I see I did well to trust you. Now to the matter at hand... Protag (Option 1 / Dependent on Tadpole Use): Risk telling Gale what the tadpole showed you. Gale: What? You used that thing against me? And you saw! After I told you.... This is a breach of trust that... And to think I thought you trustworthy in the first place! I'm leaving. I cannot stand to be around such betrayal a moment longer.  Protag (Option 1): [Persuasion] Be reasonable, Gale. I'm responsible for our party. I had to know.  Gale: [Success] The need remains debatable, but I recognise your responsibility. Perhaps I spoke in haste, it's just that... there are things... things I cannot speak of. Besides, what you saw... You read the opening line of a very big book, no more. The darkness you perceived, that is my primary condition. A condition different from the tadpole, but just as deadly.

Protag (Option 2): [Inisght] You are in mortal danger twice over. To leave would be foolish, and you aren't fool. Gale: [Success] I have to admit, you are right about that. Besides, what you saw... Gale: [Failure] I am a fool. A fool to have trusted you. This is where we part ways. Protag (Option 3): So be it. Gale: So be it. This is where we part ways.

Gale: The only way to “appease” said condition is for me to take powerful magical artefact and absorb the Weave inside. It's been days since I last consumed an artefact, before we were abducted. It is time. By that I mean it's Imperative that I find and consume powerful strands of Weave at the earliest possible juncture. Protag (Option 1): Tell me more about that condition of yours [Saw with the Tadpole] Gale: You've already seen more than I was willing to share, remember? Best leave the darkness in darkness for now. [Did not use the Tadpole] Gale: That's part of the 'why' you agreed not to discuss. Wouldn't want to make an oath breaker out of you. Protag (Option 2): Where are we supposed to find the kind of artefacts you need? Gale: We already done the finding. The Idol of Silvanus is such an artefact. Protag (Option 1):  Are you crazy? There's no way I'm stealing the druids' idol. Gale: I'm not saying we should – I'm just pointing out it happens to be exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. Of course we're bound to come across more artefacts during our travels. -> Continue to As luck would have it... Protag (Option 2): That sounds like more trouble than it's worth. Gale: And it might well be. It's a holy relic after all, and taking it would enrage the druids to no end. Not that I'd say no, but we're bound to come across more artefacts during our travels.��-> Continue to As luck would have it... Protag (Option 3): Then let's go get it.  Gale: I'm not so sure that's advisable. It's a holy relic after all, and taking it would enrage the druids to no end. Not that I'd say no, but we're bound to come across more artefacts during our travels. -> Continue to As luck would have it... Protag (Option 4):  What happens if you don't consume any artefact? Gale: Catastrophe. Protag (Option 5): This is all madness. Gale: Define it as you will, the semantics aren't important, the condition's conditions are: I am in need of artefacts. That's all there's to it. -> Continue to As luck would have it... Gale: As luck would have it, Faerûn is full of them, though I do feel obliged to point out that items of power tend to be in the hands of the powerful. There will be danger involved – or great cost.

Protag (Option 6): So Astarion wants to suck blood and you want to suck magic. What's next? Gale: We all have our eccentricities. Ours are just more eccentric than most.  Astarion: As a matter of fact, you should feel lucky to be travelling with men of taste. -> Continue to As luck would have it...

Protag (Option 1): Danger? I wouldn't have it any other way.  Gale: Good. A bit of boldness will serve us well. -> Continue to I know the allure... Protag (Option 2): So you're saying I need to risk my life for you.  Gale: I know the allure these artefacts hold. I understand their value and their power. All this to say: I understand the sacrifice I ask of you. But if I may so bold: it's for a good cause indeed. I hope I can count on you.  Protag (Option 3): When I acquire powerful magic items, I'm not so sure I'll choose you over them.  Gale: That's your decision to make. I expect you to make the right one. Much is at stake. More than my own meagre life alone. Protag (Option 4): I can tell you right now I don't care at all for this wild Gale chase.  Gale: That's your decision to make. I expect you to make the right one. Much is at stake. More than my own meagre life alone. Gale: I know the allure these artefacts hold. I understand their value and their power. All this to say: I understand the sacrifice I ask of you. But if I may so bold: it's for a good cause indeed. I hope I can count on you.  Gale: [if the tadpole was used and told] Oh, and as far as that tadpole trickery goes, I really do trust you'll not be so untoward again.

coming up next:

-part 1: the three tadpole dreams -> completed

-part 2: major cut scenes: the deer stew scene -> completed with this post & the loss scene -> will be posted next

-part 3: minor cut scenes: abandoned temple of jergal, failed to save arabella, talking to the paladins of tyr and agreeing to go after karlach, edowin and the tadpole reveal, mayrina giving ethel's wand to her or breaking it, handing astarion over to the gur or defending him, reaching the druid grove, killing lae'zel, reaching the goblin camp & looking for halsin, killing the druids, priestess gut & the brand & the cult of the absolute, dror ragzlin and talking to the dead mind flayer, ogre couple, necromancy of thay, ethel, zhentarim chest, myconid colony

-part 4: gale's condition & the way it was treated in early access

taglist: @chainsawmascara, @randomfanner, @tacogoats, @khajiit-necromancer, @gwinharper, @galesenchantedpanties, @swampfaerie, @ardently-queer, @nirraein, @gale-enjoyer, @xiv-wolfram, @kairoswouldnever, @a-psychopathic-dream

i thought i'd tag the people i'd seen taking an interest in my original post! if you want to be taken off the taglist, please let me know!

[nattikay]

Avatar but with Na'vi captions/subtitles Na'vi → English and English → Na'vi

Detailed notes under cut!

[edit] Correcting a few slips and typos:

Rolo'a nìtxan tsaw tsaw should be tsakem because the thing he's referring to is an action

fko a ralpeng tìkanti Eywayä fko should be 'awpo

Fmoli kivar ayoe sawtuteti alahe Sawtuteti should be sawtuteru; the sky people were the students, not the lesson 😅 this one was a particularly dumb slip on my part and I'm not sure how I missed it, hìtxoa ma eylan, krro krro lu oe skxawng 🙃

For peng san Toruk Makto syaw foru Foru should be ayngaru; I got caught up in the original English "calls to them" and forgot that I set it up in Na'vi as a direct quote so it should be "calls to you" 🙃 gosh i miss kelutral emojis these regular ones just aren't the same i need Derp ;w;

Corrections complete, now back to the original notes:

I have been wanting to do something like this for a while. I initially planned to do more scenes, but was having trouble finding the clips (unfortunately I don't have a full editable copy of A1 like I do with A2...that said, if anyone knows where i might source such a thing...let me know >_>)

At first I planned to add only captions (plus accurate subtitles, because as you can see the official ones can be a bit ehhhh lol) for the actual spoken Na'vi, but then halfway through editing I was like "lol y'know what'd be funny, if I also translated all the English dialogue into Na'vi". so i did ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That said, on to the more specific notes:

Na'vi → English

First a disclaimer that any "corrections" are made for nerdy/educational purposes, not to say "haha look at these dumb actors who can't speak right". Memorizing lines in a foreign language is hard, and I'm sure delivering those lines while acting is even harder! It makes sense that there'll be mispronunciations, accidentally dropped words, smoothing over tìftang, etc. Plus, practically speaking, the number of people in the general audience who know or care whether the Na'vi is mispronounced is....................extremely small, so ^^; yeah.

Unfortunately for me I am part of that extremely small number, so as someone who studies and teaches this language as a hobby, I still felt obligated to make a note of some of the more glaring errors, hence the "actor transcription" slot that sometimes appears, which is there to contrast the intended line with what the actor actually said if and when they're different.

Learners, please note that just because I didn't include an actor transcription doesn't necessarily mean the line was pronounced perfectly—there are a lot of small vowel slips etc. that I didn't bother to "correct" because I felt it was still understandable even if it's technically inaccurate (mixing up a/ä is a common one for instance, as is mixing up i/ì/e), and catching all of them would've taken far more time ^^; That said, admittedly which ones counted as "I should note this" and which ones were "I'll let that slide" was a bit played by ear but w/e, hopefully it is still useful or at least interesting ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

i apologize to Mo'at for adding extra ???? to one of her transcribed lines, I was tired when I made that panel lol

English → Na'vi

Making the Na'vi → English section is fairly straightforward, as I didn't really have to do any of the translating—all the canon lines are freely available online and have been for years. I just had to edit them into the video. For the English → Na'vi section, however, I had to do the translating myself—and therefore feel the need to go through it a little more line-by-line, to justify some of my decisions hrh.

It's nice to meet you, sir → Lu sìltsan fwa ultxarun ngengati Two things about this line: one, I was a little stuck on whether I should use ultxa si (to meet intentionally) or ultxarun (to meet by chance/to encounter). I ended up going with ultxarun because ultxa si made it sound to me more like this meeting had been arranged, which of course it hadn't. Jake may not have "encountered" Eytukan in the sense of stumbling across him in the woods, but he certainly didn't set out with the intention to meet him; the chance circumstances just kinda brought him here.

Two, Na'vi (as far as we currently know) doesn't really have separate honorifics like "sir" or "ma'am". What it does have, though, is formal first- and second-person pronouns, so I used the formal ngenga instead of the casual nga to indicate the (attempted) respectful attitude of "sir".

three, i so wanted to bop Jake on the head while editing this lol, buddy your skxawng is showing

one who interprets the will of Eywa → fko a ralpeng tìkanit Eywayä Initially I was going to translate "will" as tìnew (want/desire), but then changed it to tìkan (aim/purpose/goal/intention). Tìnew sounded more to me like Eywa is discreetly requesting specific actions which the tsahìk must interpret and answer to, while tìkan sounded more like Eywa is just doing her Eywa thing and the tsahìk is simply interpreting what that means, which felt more accurate to me.

What are you called? → Pefya fko syaw ngaru? No need to justify this one, it's pretty straightforward lol—I just think it's fun that she worded it that way in English, because "how does one call to you?" is the standard way of asking someone's identity in Na'vi!

It is hard to fill a cup which is already full → Lu ngäzìk fwa teya si tsngalur a lu teya mi again no justifying really needed, I was just kinda proud of this line because I made it rhyme lol

Jarhead clan → olo' alu Sähena-re'o Na'vi doesn't typically describe nouns with other nouns like that (sähena-re'o), but I felt like it worked for Jake's spitballing. plus Eytukan's about to drop the term "uniltìranyu-tsamsiyu" in the next few lines anyways so i think i can get a pass lol

For my people → Suteri oeyä Ok, for such a short little line this one definitely had me conflicted. If I were to translate the full line "I was afraid for my people", I would say suteri oeyä oe txopu soli (lit. "concerning my people, I was afraid"). In the forest dialect the topical is always supposed to come at the beginning of the sentence. However, that's not how Neytiri delivers the line, and I wanted to keep it consistent with her delivery. In the end I decided that fudging the "topical must come first" rule here was ok here because she is essentially saying "I was afraid", realizing that Jake might not understand what she meant, then doubling back to clarify "for my people".

I considered using fpi ("for the sake of/for the benefit of") instead of the topical, but that felt off, as if Neytiri being afraid somehow benefitted the clan.

I also considered using Na'vi instead of sute—I'd have to drop the oeyä for this because "my the People" sounds silly, but "I was afraid for the People" as in the Na'vi as a whole would make sense here. However, a standalone "Na'viri" just didn't look right to me, and while fpi Na'vi/Na'vifpi" looked a little better, I'd already decided that fpi wasn't quite what I wanted.

So, in the end I stuck with suteri oeyä concerning my people.

Jake's and Tsu'tey's speech

This one gets its own little section because it was an interesting case; I'm basically redoing Tsu'tey's job. Now, if you take the entirety of Jake's speech and line it up with the entirety of Tsu'tey's translation, it's pretty good; they do basically say the same thing (I suspect this is actually what happened lol, that KP was given the full speech and asked to translate it and said "yeah ok" and wrote Tsu'tey's version).

As you can see, though, when you go through it line-by-line the way it's delivered in the movie, it's....not always quite accurate lol. So I made a version that was a more literal to Jake's speech line-by-line.

On that note, I've noticed that KP tends to really prefer the shortened versions of case endings ("for" vs "foru" etc.) I like them sometimes ("oey" and "ngey" have really been growing on me lately lol), but as a personal style preference I wouldn't have used them in all the same places he does (this is 100% a personal preference thing that will vary between speakers, neither is more or less "correct"). That said, if and when one of the lines I translated wound up being very similar to what Tsu'tey already said, out of respect for the original I went ahead and kept the same shortened endings, as well as matching the word order.

You ride out as fast as the wind can carry you → Kämakto nìwin nìfya'o a win nìftxan na hufwe atusul Literally, "ride out in a manner as fast as the running wind".

Ngl I actually VASTLY prefer Tsu'tey's version of this one lol. "May the wind propel you" is a lovely "meaning-not-words" interpretation and I like it a lot. However, for comparisons' sake I wanted to do one that was closer to Jake's original line. That said, I'm not surprised they went with a less literal translation for this line because "as fast as the wind can carry you" is actually really hard to pull off grammatically in Na'vi. It'd have to be like "as fast as the wind's ability which is to carry you" or smth, which just sounded clunky imo. So I decided that "as fast as the running wind" was a good middle ground. Not as clean or poetic as Tsu'tey's interpretation, but techincally closer to Jake's original line without being too clunky.

peng san I'm not sure if the quotation opener is strictly necessary here but it felt more cohesive to have it in my personal opinion, so I added it to mine but didn't mark it as a mistake in Tsu'tey's.

//

and uhhhhh that's it I think. Perhaps one day I will make a part 2 if I get access to more scenes. I also already have an English → Na'vi translation of an A2 scene that I'm gonna make into a subtitled video one of these days. I'd love to do a Na'vi → English for A2 as well, but unfortunately we don't currently have a complete list of the Na'vi lines for A2 like we do for A1, and as you have seen here actor delivery can make it very hard to translate by ear, even for experienced learners. Maybe someday...

[phoenixyfriend]

Suggested Listening: Columbia Protests (as of 4/25/24)

Alright, folks, I've seen a couple different approaches to this situation, and I think there's something to be learned from each of the below. I know some of them have a contested reputation, but all media sources have a bias and I will be including some context on those biases.

The podcasts I'm sharing are:

The Daily (New York Times)

The Take (Al Jazeera)

Democracy Now! (independent radio broadcast)

Global News Podcast (BBC Radio)

It's come up a few times on NPR as well, but not in enough detail for me to include. I will be linking Spotify, but these are all available elsewhere, though official transcripts can take several days.

The Daily - April 25th, 2024: This podcast is a production of The New York Times. The paper is left-leaning, but has a noted bias towards Israel, and has run into trouble on trans issues in the recent past. The podcast is further left, though still more cautiously moderate than something like Democracy Now; the podcast has previously been responsible for fact checks against the more biased NYT opinion pieces.*

Why you should listen to it: This episode provides the most comprehensive timeline to what has happened, in what order, and why certain actions have been taken. It is notably more sympathetic to Columbia University President Shafik than other coverage, though that may just be the natural result of explaining the current political pressures. It is still more sympathetic to the protesters than to her, but I do think this is helpful for establishing a timeline of events. It is not the only one, and I will share another below.

* That infamous article about the alleged systemic sexual violence that Hamas committed on Oct. 7th was put through a fact checker by the podcast team when it came time to do an episode about it, and the inability to substantiate it led to not only the episode being cancelled, but the article itself being (quietly) edited to note that it was not substantiated. The NYT did not handle it well, but I want to make it clear that the podcast team is independent in many respects, and while I've taken issue with some of their episodes, they often have more comprehensive coverage of certain matters.

The Take - April 25th, 2024: This is a podcast from the English-speaking branch of Al Jazeera, a Qatari news organization that, while independent, does receive a certain amount of funding from the Qatari government. By that measure, I do hesitate to place it on a left-right scale due to existing outside the Western political spectrum. As a Middle Eastern, Arab news org, Al Jazeera provides a perspective much closer to the action than others, and one that is generally much more sympathetic to Muslim and Arab voices. It is also, like the others on this list, an award-winning journal. At this time, Al Jazeera is considered one of the most reliable news sources for information on what is happening in Gaza, through their Palestinian correspondents; they have also been banned in Israel as antisemitic propaganda.

I need to make it very clear that I am not in any way denigrating it for having Qatari government funding; the BBC shares many of those factors, just British.

Why you should listen to it: Al Jazeera got a reporter into the student protest encampment in Columbia, and got more direct interviews with some of the students on the ground. This is part two of their coverage of the protests; Part One (April 24th, 2024)provides another perspective of the timeline, which focuses on different factors, generally closer to the events in Columbia than the national factors.

Democracy Now! - April 23rd, 2024: This is a far left/progressive radio broadcast (repackaged for podcast streaming) that has been running since 1996. They often have interviews with people that I haven't necessarily seen other podcasts bring in, and while I would not consider them extreme, I do sometimes find that certain details get left out in pursuit of a more black-and-white narrative.

Why you should listen to it: Cohost Juan González has been in the field of progressive journalism for a very long time, but it's more relevant than ever for this episode: González was one of the original organizers for the 1968 Columbia protests that resulted in one of the largest mass arrests in NYPD history. The 1968 protests were massive, and deeply impactful on a national scale. González's perspective on how this current protest compares to the one he helped organize nearly sixty years ago is a fascinating way to think about the current events.

Global News Podcast - April 25th, 2024: BBC is a very centrist source for journalism, funded primarily by the UK government and advertising. As such, their coverage tends to lean in favor of the current party, though they do not 'toe the party line' as such. They do regularly platform right-wing activists, but they also have correspondents in the Middle East with a more progressive perspective. I would compare them to CNN in the US; ineffective in terms of opinion, and comparatively milquetoast on that front, but capable of getting access to high-level events that smaller networks aren't.

Why you should listen to it: ...honestly, this is just a 'round it out' kind of suggestion, to get an idea of what the international community is thinking of the events at Columbia. I don't think they necessarily contribute much in terms of factual discovery, but it helps with getting the lay of the land.

[an-spideog]

haigh a chara tá siúl agam go bhfuil tú ceart go leor! i was wondering do you know any resources for learning Gaelainn? despite being from munster, in school we just learnt standard irish, but id really love to learn more munster irish. is breá liom do bhlag btw tá sé an-cabhrach <3

Míle baochas :) I do indeed know several resources, I made use of a lot of them lol, there's kind of two categories - Stuff about the dialect and stuff in the dialect. I'll start with 'about'.

Info about West Munster Irish

There's only 1 modern textbook I know of which teaches munster Irish, and it's kind of a rough read lol. This is Teach Yourself Irish (1961) (audio). The book is really really dense, one paragraph will contain a lot of information, and that can make it pretty easy to miss things, but it's still a very useful book - and much easier to use if you already have some Irish. It teaches Cork Irish but Cork and Kerry are quite similar (Kerry has a stronger Gaeltacht though so you're more likely to hear Kerry Irish). This book also has a weird transcription system for how to pronounce words, ignore it, learn the sounds of the language separately, and listen to the recordings that come with the book. Their system is buckwild and nobody else uses it.

You should also skip the sections labeled "rules for aspiration" and "rules for eclipsis", rather than reading them right at the start and use them as a reference if you ever need to.

An Teanga Bheo - Corca Dhuibhne is a great book to get some knowledge on Kerry Irish as long as you can read Irish pretty well, since it describes lots of the important features. But it's a reference text and an overview, not a textbook. If you don't feel that comfortable reading in Irish or want to be able to search, you can use this online translation

Shameless plug, I talk about Munster Irish on my youtube channel, and I try and share info which people wouldn't find easily otherwise, new video maybe out this weekend maybe. An Loingseach on youtube - He sometimes gets bogged down in the linguistic weeds and doesn't edit his videos at all lol, but he knows his stuff.

There's a blog called corkirish.com and it has some useful info on it but the guy who used to run it is an awful shitter, I'm hoping that with more other people sharing resources we can make that blog irrelevant.

If you're at all interested in linguistics, there's more technical books describing the dialect which can be useful as references.

The Irish of West Muskerry - This is a book talking about the pronunciation of Cork Irish, in English, but using a lot of phonetic terms and symbols. Quite useful if you know how to read them.

Gaeilge Chorca Dhuibhne - This is a book talking about the pronunciation and structure of Kerry Irish, in Irish, again using a lot of linguistic terminology. This one will be getting an updated English version at some point soon, hopefully.

The Linguistic Atlas and Survey of Irish Dialects (LASID) is a series of books showing the results of surveys where they went around to different Irish speaking regions and asked them what words they'd use for specific things, it gives you really cool maps like this: (Showing you how "Gaeilic" is used in donegal, "Gaeilge" is used in Galway, and "Gaelainn" is used in Kerry)

This map is actually from a web version of the first book which is quite handy. The second book isn't available as a site but there are pdfs and it only focuses on munster so you can see some differences with in munster.

Stuff in the Dialect

Things to Read

We're probably the luckiest in terms of things to read when studying the Munster Dialect because there have been so many authors, and so many authors who write very dialectally. So a lot of munster features you see very prominently in writing.

Books by Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé (a lot of fiction as well as one autobiography)

Books by Peig Sayers (There's school editions of at least her main book (Peig), try to avoid those and find the dialectal version in a library (Peig - a scéal féin), and she has written other books)

Books by Pádraig Ó Cíobháin (I haven't read any of these yet personally and I've heard they can be quite hard by nature of being very poetic and sometimes abstract)

Fiche Blian ag Fás by Muiris Ó Súilleabháin (similar to Peig, this is autobiographical)

Books by Tomás Ó Criomhthain (similar to Peig and MÓS these are autobiographical)

Books by Peadar Ua Laoghaire (Fiction, these are quite old - 100 years - and that can make them more difficult, but they can be pretty good)

Béaloideas and Dúchas.ie - these ones are harder to read than the others for various reasons but can often be a lot more interesting. Béaloideas is a journal of Irish folklore which you can find on JSTOR for free, and dúchas.ie has typed and handwritten stories collected in ireland, overlapping with Béaloideas to some extent. They can be harder to understand since sometimes the writing is intentionally over-dialectal to preserve the traits, but it's often more interesting since you can find fun little stories about different things. Stories from these collections are also sometimes put into smaller books or collections. (Béaloideas ó Chléire, an Seanchaidhe Muimhneach) you can usually find those books on Archive.org

Things to Listen To

Beo ar Éigean - Chatty podcast, one of the hosts has kerry Irish

Saol Ó Dheas - Munster Gaeltacht news show, not the most interesting if you don't live in the munster gaeltacht but there's a lot of it and the host has really good Irish, so you can focus on that even if the stories aren't gripping lol

Cartlann Bhóthar na Léinsí - Munster Archive show, they pull out older recordings of even more traditional speakers, and the host has very good Irish too, the older recordings are quite challenging to understand, but can be good.

Things to Watch

Seal le Dáithí - Talk show on TG4, host has Kerry Irish

Ros na Rún - Some of the characters have Munster Irish, it's a minority though

What did I do?

This isn't necessarily a guide, it's just what I did specifically.

After learning standardy Irish at school, I started talking to people on discord (Craic le Gaeilge and Celtic Languages), this was really helpful because I got to talk to a lot of knowledgeable people and get conversation practice even without being near to Irish speaking areas or events.

I also started listening to Beo Ar Éigean to practice my listening. I stuck to standard for a little while here and got to grips with basic grammar stuff because I was focusing on exams and stuff, but eventually I was taken with Munster Irish because some of the people I talked to a lot used it and because I liked synthetic forms. So I started working through Teach Yourself Irish with the help of people on discord, and that gave me a good basis in munster specific grammar and forms. From there I asked lots of questions (v important) and read the Irish of West Muskerry because I'm a nerd, wouldn't really recommend this if you're not that interested but it is kind of fun if you are. That helped me get a better understanding of Irish pronunciation (and spelling as a result of that). (I also read Peig at some point here) After that I started listening to a lot of Irish, trying to do at least 2 hours a day over one summer. An Saol Ó Dheas every day on my commute to work, and other stuff too, just trying to get as much exposure as I could. I use the host, Helen Ní Shé as my "language parent" - that is, I try to model my speech after hers. And currently I'm still focusing on just getting more and more exposure, and I've been reading more books in Irish.

[vulturejuice]

[Image ID: A 13-panel comic which depicts two furry characters, a cougar and a stoat, in an argument about political lesbianism. It is coloured in the palette of the lesbian flag, with the cougar in pink colours and the stoat in orange colours. End ID]

This is a comic I made last December as a final project for a Communication and Sexuality class! It was super fun to get to use my OCs for a school project and the research for it was super interesting and meaningful to me as a lesbian myself.

A full transcript of the comic, as well as a list of citations, is available below the cut!

Transcript and image descriptions:

Panel 1: The cougar sits in a chair reading a book.

Panel 2: The cougar turns a page and the stoat enters the frame without the cougar noticing.

Panel 3: The stoat speaks very close to the cougar’s face, startling her. Stoat: “Whatcha readin’?” Cougar: GAH!

Panel 4: The cougar holds the book up to the camera, revealing the phrase “POLITICAL LESBIANISM” on its cover. The stoat looks at it with her hand on her chin. Cougar: Oh... I was just reading this book about POLITICAL LESBIANISM Stoat: Oh hm

Panel 5: The cougar reads from a stack of papers. The stoat puts her hand to her cheek and closes her eyes. A thought bubble comes from the stoat which depicts women standing in a circle holding hands while two men look on angrily. Stoat: That’s that thing from like the 80s, right? Where feminists thought all women should be lesbians? Cougar: Yeah, the Leeds Revolutionary Feminists put out a paper detailing as much in 1979. 

Panel 6: The cougar shrugs, holding the papers out towards the stoat. The stoat grabs for them excitedly. Cougar: Basically, anyone who associated with men was the enemy! Stoat: Hey, sounds good to me! Who needs ‘em, right?

Panel 7: The cougar puts her hands on her hips and glares at the stoat. The stoat holds the papers and frowns. Cougar: Oh, come on! Gender essentialist much? Not to mention their focus on the penis as a tool of oppression... Where does that leave pre- and non-op trans women?

Panel 8: The stoat’s eyes widen and she points at the paper. The cougar throws up one hand in exasperation. Stoat: Wait! It says here that a political lesbian is a “woman-identified woman.” Shouldn’t that include trans women? Cougar: Not what that means!

Panel 9: The cougar turns to the camera and raises her finger in the air. She pulls a new stack of papers up from outside the panel. The stoat looks between the papers she is holding and the new papers in confusion. Cougar: In their 1970 manifesto, the Radicalesbians ask that women craft our own identities by relating to each other, not men’s ideas of what we should be. They’re not really talking about gender identity the way we do today.

Panel 10: The stoat puts her hands on her hips and throws her head back, holding her papers to her side. The cougar puts out her hands in protest, and the papers she’s holding fall. Stoat: Right. I guess you think everyone was transphobic back then. Cougar: Hey, I never said that!

Panel 11: The cougar lifts up a small record and smiles down at it. The stoat glares at it as she tucks her papers under her arm. Cougar: Take the radical feminist lesbian separatist music collective, Olivia Records! They supported and even bodily defended their trans sound engineer, Sandy Stone, when her role at the collective was questioned and she was threatened with transphobic violence.

Panel 12: The stoat crosses her arms and tries to interject. The cougar keeps talking as she throws the record away behind herself. Stoat: Sure, but- Cougar: No, it’s so-called gender critical feminists who spit in the face of trans women’s contributions to our rich lesbian history. Our love of women and rejection of prescribed sex roles is what brings us together - not out hatred of men!

Panel 13: The stoat turns away from the cougar in anger. The cougar smiles and puts a hand on the stoat’s corner. Stoat: Oh, whatever! I don’t want to talk about it anymore if you’re just going to tell me I’m wrong all the time. Cougar: Look at it this way... we’re just taking part in the storied lesbian tradition of pointless arguing!

Citations

Ahmed, S. (2016). An affinity of hammers. TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, 3(1-2), 22-34. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-3334151   

Enszer, J. R. (2016). “How to stop choking to death”: Rethinking lesbian separatism as a vibrant political theory and feminist practice. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 20(2), 180-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/10894160.2015.1083815   

Love your enemy? The debate between heterosexual feminism and political lesbianism. (1981). Onlywomen Press.

O’Donnell, K. (2019). The theological basis for trans-exclusionary radical feminist positions. In N. Banerjea, K. Browne, E. Ferreira, M. Olasik, & J. Podmore (Eds.), Lesbian feminism: Essays opposing global heteropatriarchies. Bloomsbury Academic & Professional.

Thurlow, C. (2022). From TERF to gender critical: A telling genealogy? Sexualities. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634607221107827   

Weiss, P. A. (Ed.). (2018). Feminist manifestos: A global documentary reader. New York University Press.

Williams, C. (2016). Radical inclusion: Recounting the trans inclusive history of radical feminism. TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, 3(1-2), 254-258. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-3334463

[verycharismaticdragon]

Okay, thanks to like 5 people enabling me, the interactive Let's Play of On Air Island is a go!

Before we begin, I feel I should include the list of trigger warnings the game provides on the starting screen:

In this game, there are scenes that some users may find psychologically uncomfortable. Triggering elements include cyberbullying, murder, suicide, emotional abuse, violence and blood, drugs, visual and auditory horror scenes, etc. Please keep this in mind while playing.

Of course, I will do my best to additionally warn for the scenes which contain these elements, and don't hesitate to tell me if you think I missed a warning. For our very very first episode, though, I don't think any of these apply.

[story so far] - [next]

Then, let's tune in!

(the transcript is available below the poll, under keep reading)

[ Legend ]

In-game text

Character speaking: dialogue line

in-game chat messages

available donation messages

———— ———— ————

Ready or not, here I come Ready or not, here I come

The eerie cry is getting closer and closer. Hiding or running far away is of no use.

Stomp stomp stomp stomp Growl growl growl growl

They will never let go of their prey I can't help but ▧▧

Is that really the best thing to do?

… … … …

???: What shall I do? I am sure that was not my imagination.

???: We'll be dragged away. It will wake up from its sleep and find me.

???: This can't be true. It can't happen like this. Could it be... I've really... come back?

… …

… … … …

Honari's Voice: Wow! We're finally here!

soofarrr: Hi, hi! MoeGuy: Why did they start already?

Honari: The weather is so nice! But, what are we doing today?

PD: We're going to take a break first, then we'll gather up.

SignIn: NICE! Kard: ONE look at your phone! Carat: LMAO

PD: We'll start the broadcast at the same time, so do not start it first!

Staff with a camera: Do not worry about the videos I am shooting, they will be used for the edited version that will be uploaded later!

LoveHim: *cries* *cries* HeIsKing: Oh no, Silly Hanse

Mr.Fact: Oh, I could have started earlier, but how much content have I missed?

Ezra: Mmm~ The air is nice. It's because it's an island in the middle of a vast ocean.

2-1is0: Aaah!

Jin: It looks gloomy to me.

Naoto: That's what I'm saying. There's something suspicious about it.

MyKitten: Are they going to film it here? SirNine: Maybe? But they really did great looking for this place

Alice: Eek...... I just saw a really big bug!

[people laughing and talking] [some noise]

DUCKACOON: Hanse, what are you doing there quack?

bechill: Oh...

Hanse: Ah…………… Nothing, the camera just turned on by itself! 

Rolling: What a shame lol FactOppa: Hi Hanse!

Hanse: I'll be right there!

�������: &#104;&#105;

<Please check your connection.>

Screen Writer: <Never stop Watching!> Day 1 Settlement Announcement. The last place to carry out the penalty goes to......

RaMe: Show us more! besafe: Keep it coming!

Screen Writer: Han · se————!

TrashMan: I knew it. Glimmer: Hahaha, I'm going for a real, realityshow. Bye! yesHan: But honestly, we should have started with a topic where Hanse won't be able to perform well. 2-1is0: They always say there's something else that Hanse is good at. MyBaby: Not fun at all, Boring. oc'mon: Is Cleanbot not working?

Hanse: Ugh......! Can't believe that I got last place......

What the hell is going on?

I just came but what's with this mess;;

Come on, Hanse, I'm rooting for you!

[augustheart]

DC Pride 2023 Tribute to Rachel Pollack

This is a transcription of the text that appears at the end of DC Pride, written by a variety of authors in memory of trailblazing writer Rachel Pollack. I've done my best to copy everything exactly as it was written, and I apologize for any errors. It's over 3,000 words, so I'm going to put it under a cut outside of the foreword. The rest of the tributes are in plain text and not italicized except in places where they were by the original authors.

(If you would like a PDF of the following transcription, one is available here.)

“On April 7, 2023, the legendary writer and Tarot expert Rachel Pollack passed at age 77. Her work for DC's Vertigo imprint—including the celebrated Vertigo Tarot deck and a long run on Doom Patrol that was a deep influence on the property's recent HBO Max series—was profoundly meaningful for generations of comics fans. She was a trailblazing trans woman in comics and sci-fi communities that were frequently male-dominated, and her lifelong love of both superheroes in particular and the comics medium in general allowed her to confidently turn their storytelling tropes inside out, truly queering her comics in every sense of the word.

In the months before her passing, the editors of DC Pride were speaking to Rachel about writing a new story for this very issue, and her enthusiasm for the project was boundless, as she planned to return to her themes of the superhero and the secret identity, of the "kink" of costumes, and of the revelatory freedom that she found in these characters. Unfortunately, just as work was set to begin on the script, completing it became impossible for her. In the absence of that last great work, but with gratitude for the incredible stories she did give us, we've opted to turn the pages we reserved for Rachel's story over to her friends, and to the fans whose lives she changed, to share their memories of her.”

—Unspecified Author or Editor

“I met Rachel Pollack in 1985, at a convention, where I was interviewing her about Salvador Dali’s Tarot, and then I met her again a couple of days later at the Milford Science Fiction Writers’ Conference, and we became friends fast. She was smart and funny, she was a brilliant writer, and she was the first person I’d met who knew more than I did about obscure Jewish mythology.

She told me off for writing a line of dialogue. ‘But that’s the only thing in the whole story that’s actually true,’ I told her, and she explained that art truth and reality truth were two very different things. And I knew she was right.

I don’t know how much I learned about writing, but listening to Rachel and Gwyneth Jones and John Clute and Lisa Tuttle and the rest of them, I learned so much about reading, and what I learned would change me as a writer.

Rachel was my friend. I had never met a person who had transitioned before and I had so many questions and, patiently, she answered all of them. She decided I needed to know Roz Kaveney, and Roz and I have been friends for decades now.

In 1988 I was writing Books of Magic and knew I needed a Tarot reading in the comic. Rachel was in London, and I asked her what the reading should be. She took me out to buy a Tarot deck that spoke to me, and I saw what happened when Rachel Pollack walked into a Tarot shop. It was a little like what happened when The Beatles went on Ed Sullivan. And then she gave me a beautiful reading of four cards, which encapsulated the whole of the story I was trying to tell.

She won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1989 for Unquenchable Fire, and I read it and suspected Rachel was creating her own school of fiction, her own brand of magical realism.

We argued, gently, about Wanda’s fate in A Game of You, and Rachel did what I wish everyone who had an argument about art would do, which is she took what she wanted to say and put it into a comic. Tom Peyer had asked her to write Doom Patrol after Grant Morrison left, and she did a remarkable job. I loved the delirious joy of her comics, the magic and the sense of fun, in Doom Patrol and in the comics that followed Doom Patrol.

I was thrilled to see Rachel when I moved to Upstate New York, and then I didn’t see her for years. I did that thing where you think you’re in touch with your friend, but really you’re just on social media at the same times. I was stuck out of the country during COVID, and Rachel had cancer. I was thrilled when I returned to hear that she had beaten the cancer, and then I was going to see her and she hadn’t beaten the cancer. A whole new cancer had turned up on the day she had beaten the first one.

I got to see Rachel more in the past few months than I had in the previous few years. She was as funny as ever, as sharp and as wise. I got to know her wife, Zoe, and to appreciate their love. I got to tell her bad Jewish jokes that, I suspect, I’d probably first heard from her. ‘Everywhere I went, people said ‘Look at the schmuck on the camel!’’ Some people die well—not necessarily bravely, necessarily, but gently and wisely and kind. Rachel was going to be one of those. She asked me to come to her funeral, and I said that I would.

Her funeral, several months later, was in the sunshine. It was filled with friends of hers from comics, from fiction, from Tarot, from writing, from teaching, from family, from the world, and Rachel lay above the grave on a wooden plank, wrapped in white winding sheet. We said true things about her, and we were funny and honest and there was so much love, and then we shoveled the earth on her, and cried, and said our goodbyes.

I’ve never met anyone like her. I’m glad she was my friend.”

—Neil Gaiman

“Rachel Pollack and I had the same favorite comic book—why, Doom Patrol, of course—and for a while she was its writer and I was its editor. She followed Grant Morrison, whose name was big and growing even then, and for years it seemed like Grant’s era might totally eclipse hers in memory. But DC released her Doom Patrol omnibus in 2022, and in the process unwrapped the radiation-proof bandages from her work, exposing the piercing and radiant appreciation that so many fans felt for it. On top of that, this year Dennis Culver and Chris Burnham, the creators of the excellent Unstoppable Doom Patrol, paid a moving in-story tribute to Rachel’s cast of broken-but-healing heroes.

I’m glad she got to see the omnibus, and I’m grateful for the chance it gave us to relive her perceptive, ironic, unsettling, and revelatory run. It was known for being strange and surreal, but there was so much more going on. Doom Patrol had been weird before, and funny, but never quite as wise or kindly meant.

A story that I always think of when I think of Rachel featured yours truly. At the end of my time as an editor—I had decided I wanted to write full-time—I called the creators I worked with to let them know I was leaving. Most of them, quite understandably, reacted with some implied variation of ‘What’s going to happen to me?’ It made me start to think I was being horrible and selfish. But when I called Rachel and nervously told her what I had decided, there was a silence, and then she said, ‘Quitting is good for the soul.’”

—Tom Peyer

“I met Rachel Pollack in the late ‘90s at WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention where we were both guests. It was the first day of the con, and they were introducing all the guests. I had read Rachel’s Doom Patrol comics and at least one of her books, Unquenchable Fire, and was excited about meeting her. She must have felt the same about me, because when the introductions were over, we headed straight toward each other as though we’d been magnetized, and we became friends immediately.

We lived on opposite sides of the continent, so we didn’t get to see each other that often, but thank the Goddess for email. I visited Rachel’s house once and she visited mine once. Her house was nicer. She took me to visit Hyde Park, Franklin Roosevelt’s old home, now a historic site—we were both FDR fans—and I taught her a Yiddish World War II song. We were both into our Jewishness, but from different angles. Rachel was interested in the mystic side, and I was into Yiddishkeit. Rachel had a bat mitzvah, and I studied Yiddish.

Rachel and I discovered we had the same birthday—August 17, which we shared with Mae West and Davy Crockett. So we sent each other birthday cards that also included happy birthday wishes to Mae and Davy.

I knew Rachel had written many books on the Tarot, so when one day I found a complete set of Tarot cards lying in the street, I decided the Goddess wanted her to have them, and I sent them to her on our birthday. After that, the Goddess would put out Tarot cards for me to find almost every year, often just in time for Rachel’s birthday presents. In return, she sent two Tarot cards that she had drawn for me when I was being treated for cancer. (I’m cancer free now!) I saved them and put them away safely—somewhere.

Last year a neighbor who was a collector of stuff died and left his collections to us, his neighbors, to take for free. Among all the stuff in his stuff-filled rooms was an unopened set of Tarot cards. Shortly after I found the cards, my Romani neighbors who lived around the corner put a book on Tarot out on the street, so I took that for Rachel. I mailed the book and cards to Rachel for our birthday.

For the first time, I got no answering card. I didn’t know that Rachel’s lymphoma had come back.

And somehow, it all got away from me.

Periodically, I would think, ‘Phone her—must phone Rachel,’ but something would come up and I’d forget to phone, or it would be too late to phone because of the time difference between New York and California. Damn it!

I miss you, Rachel. In our next lives, I’ll try to be a better friend.”

—Trina Robbins

“I first met Rachel Pollack when I was the assistant editor on The Sandman and she was the new Doom Patrol monthly writer. I shared an office with Tom Peyer, who was Rachel’s editor, and when Rachel swept in like a redheaded bohemian priestess, I always wound up putting aside my own work so I could chat a bit with Rachel as well. She had the rare gift of wielding her considerable expertise about comics and mythology in a way that made the person talking to her feel smarter.

After I left DC Comics to write full-time, I moved to Rhinebeck and discovered that Rachel lived there, too. We formed a small writing group that met once a week, usually in my kitchen. Always as kind as she was insightful, Rachel spent more time celebrating what worked than critiquing what didn’t. She did a lot of celebrating, of others’ writing and of her own, delighting in the words and worlds that moved through her.

She was, pre-pandemic, a frequent guest at my Passover Seder, the only person besides myself and my mother who knew all the Hebrew and all the traditional melodies. Her vast knowledge of midrash and Kabbalah made her comments more delicious than the charoset she made, and let me tell you, that was pretty damn good. 

In October, when she started to get really sick and I started to visit more frequently, often with Neil Gaiman, Rachel defied any expectation of how a dying person ought to act. She cracked Borscht Belt jokes and talked about writing and writers, and then I went with her wife, Zoe, to pick out a grave. We discussed the Tarot, which I had belatedly begun to study along with her seminal book on the subject, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. I asked, ‘What does it mean when you get an auspicious card in a place that means it’s negative?’ ‘It means that’s what you’re struggling with,’ she replied.

I am struggling with this turn of the cards. I cannot fully fathom that she will not be sitting at our favorite local café, writing, but ready to put down her antique fountain when she sees me. Yet when I turn back to her writing, I feel her still with me: Doom Patrol Rachel, Writing Partner Rachel, Rachel of the Passover Seder, Rachel Poet, Rachel Priestess, Rachel Friend.”

—Alisa Kwitney

“Rachel Pollack loved comics.

When we first talked about comics, it was about her own. Eight years ago I asked Martha Thomases if the Doom Patrol run after Grant’s was worth checking out, as I hadn’t heard much talk of it. She said ‘Yes. Read it.’ I adored the run and reached out to Rachel via email to let her know. To my surprise, I heard back from her within 20 minutes.

Over time we talked about the comics and creators that she loved. Carl Barks and the Duck comics, particularly the characters of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, meant a great deal to her. Little Lulu was high on her list. And The Fox and the Crow inspired a whole arc of her Doom Patrol run. The works of Jack Kirby (particularly on Fantastic Four and the Fourth World saga), Steve Ditko, and Gene Colan were brought up often, as were series including Xambi and Promethea, which she revisited often. She had even reached out to Marvel back in the early ‘70s inquiring about writing opportunities, two decades before writing at DC. 

Rachel saw the inherent queerness in superhero comics back in the Silver Age. One example she would reference was “The Town That Hated Superboy!” from 1967’s Superboy #139. In it, the citizens of Smallville turn against Superboy for nearly two pages. What stood out to Rachel was how Ma and Pa Kent pretended to hate Superboy out of fear that if they didn’t, those around them might suspect that Superboy was really their adoptive son, Clark. Though taking this sequence and relating it to an idea as heavy as the violent consequences of inadvertently outing someone by simply treating them with kindness was unlikely Otto Binder’s intention, the subtext was picked up on by many queer comics readers at the time in addition to Rachel.

Through the years I got to have a greater understanding of Rachel’s unbelievable kindness as well. She saw the world as a positive place and held out hope for just about everyone. Rachel discussed how attitudes with London’s Gay Liberation Front turned against the trans community in the ‘70s, but she would also talk about how some of the same people came back around and were vocal advocates for trans rights by the ‘90s. Whereas most, understandably, would allow themselves to be bitter and resentful, Rachel’s capacity for love and compassion was too strong for that.

I was devastated knowing just how many projects Rachel had in the works and how many stories she still had to tell. But after taking time to think on it, I know that no matter how long she stayed here with us, her work would never be done. Her stories will continue through those who love her and those who haven’t found her yet but will love her just the same. 

I love talking about Rachel’s work and her kindness. I plan on doing so for the rest of my life.”

—Joe Corallo

“‘It’s so cool that you created the first trans superhero,’ a very nice person told me recently. Writing feels like stuffing a message in a bottle and lobbing it out into the open sea, so to meet someone who had caught one of my bottles and read what was inside was extremely exciting. Unfortunately, I am a nerd first and a lover of accolades second, so I had to correct them. 

Galaxy, the character I created, is not the first out trans superhero in the DC Universe. Kate Godwin, created by Rachel Pollack 30 years ago, is. Kate is important, but more than that, she’s important to me. 

I was a teenager 30 years ago. That’s also important.

There’s a lot of talk of firsts in superhero comics, most of it meaningless. Dick Grayson absolutely deserves the ‘Sensational Character Find of 1940’ label trumpeted on the cover of his first appearance, Detective Comics #38, but you don’t need to read it, even as a die-hard Robin fan.

You can’t say that about Doom Patrol #70, the first appearance of Kate Godwin. That issue changes everything. That issue changes lives. Because Kate, a kind and funny woman, with an amusing power set and questionable taste in superhero outfits, who is beautifully, unapologetically trans—Kate is the viewpoint character.

Imagine the power of that. Holding up a trans woman—a lesbian trans woman, at that!—and saying ‘This, this is who you, the reader, should identify with.’ To have a trans woman be smart and pretty and likable, and not an object of scorn or pity, or a side character. She was the hero! I can tell you from experience, that is a tough sell now.

Reading that comic in the 1990s felt like a lightning bolt from heaven.

It was too powerful for my teenage self to handle. It was radioactive, and yet I would read my copy ragged to bask in its glow. I can call up its panels from memory. When I finally began my transition, many years later, I wore a lot of black tank tops and jeans, unconsciously aping Kate’s unofficial uniform. I didn’t put it together until recently, rereading those 30-year-old stories that I had imprinted upon like a baby bird. Early on, I wasn’t sure of the kind of woman I was, but clearly I knew the kind of woman I wanted people to see. Someone like Kate Godwin.

I never got the chance to meet Rachel Pollack and tell her how I had received her message in a bottle. How I had held it close to my heart until I finally found the strength to absorb its message. How she showed me I wasn’t alone, and I could be a hero, even if that just meant saving myself.

But I hear people say those words to me, having read about Galaxy. Which will have to do.

Thank you for being first, Rachel.”

—Jadzia Axelrod

[thinplacesradio]

a warm tinted room in a house at night, stairs on the left and a comfortable chair on the right. there are portraits on the walls whose faces you cannot see. light spills across the floor from an open door in the center. the image is distorted by VCR static. white text reads:

[020] THE SHADOW. A CALLER TALKS TO DEATH. THE HOST COUCH SURFS.

listen here, or anywhere you find your podcasts. transcript under the cut:

[static, radio tuning]

[Traveling Sales Rep: Don’t touch that dial! We’ll be right back, after these short messages.] [static, radio tuning]

[click]

Hello and welcome to Thin Places Radio. I’m your host,

and it is the middle of the night. But don’t worry. You’re not alone.

[Thin Places theme] 

I’m coming to you dusty from my studio, which is what I like to call the darkest corner of your living room. [clock ticking] [chimes] Yeah, that one. There’s a penny down here, and two bobby pins, and a chocolate chip that I did not eat. I was lying down on your couch earlier. It’s actually pretty comfortable, even though the one cushion is lumpier than the other.

You like the way that the light falls through the window when the sun starts setting, whenever you happen to take that small moment to notice it. Right now, though, it’s dark outside. [crickets join the clock] I don’t know where you are. I don’t think you can see me, and I can’t see you, either. We’ve only just missed each other. But thanks for letting me crash here, anyway.  

So… what is Thin Places Radio? Well, you can call in about anything strange that you’ve got going on in your life - feelings, omens, premonitions, hauntings.

Are you feeling particularly wistful? 

Are you thinking about making friends with the most famous supernatural entity around? 

Are you two places at once, or one place, twice? 

When the veil between worlds is thin, we get closer than ever to the strange and the unexplained - but also to each other. Call in, get it off your chest. Lines are open.

[click] [voicemail:]

Hi there, Thin Places. My name’s Katrina. I’m… being followed by. Death. Um… it’s been following me for a while. I noticed it whenever I was a child, actually. A shadow that was always behind me. It seemed scary, but I could tell that it was… not actually there to harm me. As I got older, the shadow seems to have, um - gotten closer. I see it around the people that I love, my friends and my family. I know when it’s coming. I know where it’s going. And… I know when it’ll be here for me. I don’t know what to do. I mean, we’ve talked, a little bit. Death is at least polite enough to say hello, from time to time. It doesn’t just, y’know, follow me silently. But… what do I do about that? Should we… I don’t know, maybe grab a drink? How do I handle this? I’d love to know. Thanks, Thin Places. 

[click] 

Hi, caller, thanks for taking the time. You’ve been given a gift. Well, you’ve been given something. Not all gifts are welcome. Sometimes you get a candle in a scent that turns your stomach. Sometimes Death makes itself available to you. You can see the thing that so many of the rest of us can’t. [searching music] But it’s always there. It is always following. What is there to do, when faced with the inevitable, but buy it a coffee, or maybe something stronger? 

I don’t know how you feel about the knowledge that you have. Do you find it a burden, or a relief, or some sweet and bitter mixture of both? To not have to be looking over your shoulder? To always have to be? 

Death was polite enough to introduce itself, and that means that it isn’t a stranger. Not that it sounds like it was to you, anyway. You have lost people. You’ve felt it pass close to you. But now it’s saying hello, and I know there’s a reason for this.

I don’t know how Death feels about what Death does, every day, every minute. Grief after grief after grief. It’s never satisfied. But maybe it’s also lonely. Maybe it needs to speak to you as much as you need to speak to it. So… speak to it. Ask it as many questions as you can, even if it can’t answer. Sometimes it’s more about the asking than it is about the answer. And sometimes… there isn’t an answer. 

[click]

Something strange, listeners: numerology! Arithmancy. Mathi-magic. We’ve always been so desperate to know what’s coming for us, to wrestle it into a shape we understand.

Well, I don’t know s**t about numerology, but let’s give it a try.

7 plus 1 plus 7 makes fifteen. Plus 3 and 8 and 2, 8 and 0 and 9 and 3. It all adds up to 48. That’s a number that can be halved four times. The number of hours in two days. The number of contiguous states here in America, that I think I’ve driven through completely now.

There are six odd numbers in my phone number, and three even ones, and one that – well, I thought was neither, but something in the back of my head is telling me that zero is an even number, right between positive and negative. How unbearably lovely that there can be two of nothing – that it’s never alone, even in its solitude. Somebody taught me that. I… just don’t remember who.

[click] 

[clock ticking] Okay. I checked to make sure your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors were working. [crickets] I don’t know if your home feels like a home to you - if you’ve unpacked enough, or if you feel at ease when you come through the door, or if there’s trust here, or love. But it’s safe, at least in this way. I hope it’s safe in the other ones, too.

I can’t remember being in anyone’s home in the ordinary way, but I think I miss it. I think that whatever I’ve become – whatever I am now – might understand whatever Death is. We brush alongside a lot of people while we’re doing our different jobs, but we always leave, and we always leave alone. But what else is there to do? What else can you do when you’ve got a calling?

I can see my car out the window. There’s a figure in the passenger seat that I know won’t be there by the time I get outside. It never is. 

Tune your radio for me, will you? I’ll catch you over the airwaves. 

[click]

Thank you for listening, callers, and thank you for calling, listeners. I hope you feel a little bit lighter. I know I do. As always, our number is 717.382.8093. That’s 717.382.8093. Until next time. I’ll be here.

[static] [Traveling Sales Rep: visit us at the - diner just off -] [Various Garbled Voices: the - road - provides - the - road - provides -]

Thin Places Radio is a podcast written by Kristen O’Neal and produced by Kaitlin Bruder. The voice of Your Host is Kristen O’Neal.

Tonight’s voicemail was left for us by Katrina. Editing and sound design are by Kaitlin Bruder, and the music tracks you heard in tonight’s episode are: the Thin Places theme, by Miles Morkri, and Umeed by RANA. If you have a question to ask, a story to tell, or a suggestion for the host, give us a call at ‪(717) 382-8093. The lines are always open.

[Thin Places Theme outro]

[rggcharacterarchive]

Majima Everywhere Pole Dancing/Asia Encounter (link to screenshot version)

[Outside Asia]

SOLICITOR: Oh, sir. I've heard a lot about you from the Majima Family.

[KIRYU enters Asia, then one of its showrooms.]

KIRYU, looking very displeased: ......

[MAJIMA is onstage, performing a simple sensual poledancing routine. The room's light is hot pink, and a disco ball sends little scales of blue-purple light spinning around the room. MAJIMA is wearing his usual snakeskin and leather getup, and he giggles and says things to KIRYU that aren't translated officially (T/N: I believe it's something like "So, Kiryu-chan...?" or "What do you think, Kiryu-chan?", but I'm not sure.) Pink, cartoony hearts emanate from him. As the routine ends, the screen fades to black, then returns on MAJIMA, standing offstage and speaking to KIRYU.]

MAJIMA: Welcome, Kiryu-chan! So, did I get ya pumped up!?

KIRYU: Yeah right. If I'd known you were just going to fool around like you always do, I wouldn't have come.

MAJIMA: Oh? So ya thought you'd get to see some hot ladies? Oh Kiryu-chan, is that really what's on your mind?

KIRYU: Th-That's not it. But can you honestly call a dance like that appropriate for someone's welcome back party?

MAJIMA: What? Are ya dissatisfied with the entertainment? I tell ya what. Tonight, you can touch the dancers all ya want!

KIRYU: I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole! I'm outta here.

MAJIMA: Wait. Are ya sayin'... Ya can't accept my welcome back party and the entertainment I've provided?

KIRYU: Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

MAJIMA: Even if it means I'll lose face over it?

KIRYU: Don't be ridiculous. I never should have had a welcome back party in the first place. I decline the sentiment, with all due respect.

MAJIMA: Heh, then you're prepared to face the consequences? So be it! I'll make sure ya pay me back ten fold for all the expense I've gone to for ya!

MAJIMA, assuming his breaker style stance: Let's do this! It's showtime!

[In-game fight occurs. If you win, the following exchange occurs:]

MAJIMA: So, how was it? Super steamy, right?

KIRYU: Yeah. That was the kind of dance I'd never get to enjoy while I was behind bars.

MAJIMA: Heh, glad to hear it. Dancers need an audience to really get 'em goin', or there's just nothin' spicy about it.

KIRYU: Majima-san.

MAJIMA: Eh?

KIRYU: I know this is a little late, but I'm grateful that you thought to welcome me back. ...Despite your methods.

MAJIMA: Screw that. I didn't wait for ya to get out or pull off a stunt like this for your damn gratitude. I just wanted a serious fight. Besides, ten years on a murder charge ain't shit. It's a walk in the park. Especially compared to him.

KIRYU: Who?

MAJIMA: Forget it. Show's over anyway. See ya 'round, Kiryu-chan!

[MAJIMA exits.]

KIRYU, internal monologue: (As usual, he shows you a glimpse of someone serious and then goes right back to his usual self.)

[After this, text appears saying "Learned Essence of Mad Dog: Whirl." In the Abilities menu, within the Dragon style category, is further information about the move; it is only available during Dragon style and Climax Heat Mode. Description reads: "Launch a bombastic flying kick to deliver additional punishment to an enemy you've bounced off the ground." Move instructions read "[finishing blow] while bounced enemy is in the air", and the illustration shows Kiryu mid-backflip, arms outstretched, one leg raised. He's preparing to slam it into an enemy, who has bounced off of the ground.]

[End transcription.]

T/N: I played this on Legend difficulty, which does not let you continue if you lose a fight. Due to this, I don't know if the dialogue is any different if you lose, though in this case I don't believe it is.

[j2spntranscripts]

★ 2007 Chicon (J2)

Official name: Creation Entertainment's SALUTE TO SUPERNATURAL, SMALLVILLE AND BUFFY/ANGEL Location: Hyatt Regency Woodfield, Chicago, Illinois Time: Sunday November 11, 2007, ?10:40? am (GMT-6) Panelists: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles Last episode: 3x06 "Red Sky at Morning" Nov 8, 2007 Next episode: 3x07 "Fresh Blood" - Nov 15, 2007

Question Index: 1A- Fav role 1B- Ten Inch Hero Distribution; Mohawk 1C- Fav episode so far 1D- Texan Accent request 2A- Blue Steel request 2B- Sam's s3 motivation 3A- Jared's car 3B- Greatest Fear 4- Pranks (Frederic Lehne, Jim Beaver) 5A- Influence for Sam and Dean's dynamic 5B- Fanfiction Int- Fraud Kevin Lawdermilk 6A- Jensen on "EL Paso" by Marty Robbins 6B- BUABS 2x14; Sam vs Meg's Latin accent 6C- Spanish Speaking (Jared) 7A- Fan gift; crochet wear 7B- Fan Request; JDM's number 7C- Sam vs Jack Bauer; Dean vs Jack Bauer

(video playlist/links and transcript below the cut)

(*if you notice any mistakes in the video transcripts or found more video coverage of the con please point them out thanks*👍) (*tumblr doesn't like dailymotion vids so I can only hyperlink them*)

*Purple text: corrections/suggestions from @detailtilted

[click here]- jared_cc3 by _sin_attract [click here] - jaredjensen_cc1 by _sin_attract [click here] - jaredjensen_cc2 by _sin_attract [click here] - jaredjensen_cc3 by _sin_attract

◘Jared_cc3 by _sin_attract (17:17)◘ ◘Jensen and Jared at Creation Con 13 by sarahmonious (0:10)◘ ◘ Jensen in Jared shirt by jensenluvx3 (0:12)◘

Jared: I don’t know what it is. Something about the whooole.. half- (circle gestures at Jensen)

Jensen: (sits down and scoots back in his seat) Ah.

Jared: I answered (?two? or ?a few?) questions better than you would have. (brushes back bangs and looks around) (audience laughs)

J2 Panel starts.

•Intro- (17:25-SA, 0:16 S, 0:20 J)

Jensen puffs out his chest and looks at his Sam shirt. Jared looks over and notices their height difference is smaller.

◘Chicago November 2007 - Main J2 Panel - Enhanced Edition Con Video - V2.0 by DetailTilted◘

Jared: Did they give me a short chair? (audience laughs) Did you ask them to give me a short chair? (audience laughs) How come- (slumps in the chair holding up his mic then sits up kicking up his feet)

◘Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki at Chicago Con… by DegaDreamer◘

Jensen: (smiles then looks at the audience making a circular gesture) It’s all coming together.

Jared: (laughs then turns to Jensen) Hey, do you remember when we did, uh-

Jensen: (looks down at his shirt) This is fantastic.

Jared: “Bedtime Stories” we were walking up the, uh, up the street?

Jensen: (to Jared) I’m not taking this off.

Jared: I'm not letting you.

Jensen: I’m going to fly on the plane with you, today. (Jared throws back his head, laughs, and then claps. The audience laughs.) And, I’m going to wear this.

Jared: You know you’re opening a.. bad can of worms, Jensen. Don’t go there. Don’t make me ta- Don’t make me show them what’s tattoo on my chest. (audience laughs and screams. Jensen laughs) I wished I had something tattooed on my chest. (chuckles) It sounded good.

◘Chicago Con 2007 - J&J's panel (part 1) by Carol Padalecki◘

Jensen: He does. It’s Ricky Martin.

Jared: It sounded- (facepalms briefly then nods to Jensen) It is.

Audience member: Did you see the red (?bouncy house?)

Jared: La vida Loca. It- Should we? (?Do it? or ?The which?)

Audience member: Jared in his underwear.

Audience member: Your answer to the drunk question even.

Jared: That’s right. They e- exactly! That's what- that's what my favorite drunk moment of Jensen was, was him tattooing.. Ricky.. Martin.. (audience laughs) on his bon-bon. (audience laughs)

Jensen: It was a low moment. (nods)

Jared: (laughs) (to Jensen) Do you remember when we were walking up the street in “Bedtime Stories?” (Jensen: No.) We were doing the scene- (laughs) (audience laughs) Did you- Did you finish my line, or did I forget my lines, or we just rushing? Remember there was a toad sitting there and we had to-

Jensen: Yes. (audience laughs) And what happened?

Jared: (laughs) I don't know, that’s why I was asking you.

Jensen: I don’t remember what we did two days ago. (audience laughs)

Jared: (laughs) fair enough. (Jensen: Um-) (to fan) Well, there’s your answer. That wasn’t better! (audience laughs and then cheers) (raises arms in victory) (Jensen says something to Jared off mic) (shrugs) She goes, “I think Jensen would answer the question better.” (Jensen laughs then nods) Don’t laugh at that!

◘Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles at Chicago Con by BeckyVids◘

Jensen: (shrugs) It’s hilarious (audience laughs) (Jared: Golly) Um, I don’t- I’m trying to r- When we walked up the path and see the frog?

Jared: We walk- we're walking up a street and we- we, uh- It was Mike Rohl- It was “Bedtime Stories” (Jensen: Yeah, yeah, yeah.) We're in New West, we’re walking up the hill. (Jensen: Right.) And then we had to finish that shot. And it’s like, “Uhh, well it could be a- I think maybe-

Jensen: Oh when you say, (Jared: “I got nothing.”) “I got nothing.”

Jared: You go, “Yeah. Me neither.” (Jensen: Right) Did you finish my line or were those the actual lines and we were just-?

Jensen: Those were the actual lines.

Jared: (to audience) We were acting. (audience laughs)

Jensen: That you- that you butchered. (turns to audience) We were schmacting as we like to say.

Jared: We were schmacting. (nods) Yeah. That was some schmacting. (throws hand up and turns to his left) Okay. That was that. (turns to his right) Where do we go too?

Audience member: This side.

Jared: (turns to his left) Alright. (turns back) Thank you for your honesty. (giggles)

•(2:15 DT, 1:43 CP, 0:44 B)- Chicon07J2;Q1A- Fav role

Fan: What timing, I get up to the mic and then they’re both on stage. (audience laughs and then cheers) What timing is that? Come on.

Jensen: I can leave. (audience laughs and no’s)

Jared: Woo-hoo! (puts down mic) I (?didn’t do?) that. (audience laughs) (?Where did that come from?)? (giggles)

Fan: 'Cause actually I have a question for both of you. (Jared: Okay.) First one you can both answer. Um, of all the roles you guys have done what was your favorite and why?

Jared: Ooo. I mean the obvious is. Sam.-

Jensen: I can answer for him. Sam (readjusts his seat) because he gets to work with Jensen Ackles. (audience laughs and cheers)

Jared: (shrugs) We have this connection (gestures to both of their heads) after two and half years now. He just gets my thoughts and takes ‘em (nods)

Jensen: (shakes head) Don’t even need to look at him. (audience laughs)

Jared: That was that. That was that. I have to say- I mean, the- the amount of things.. Maybe because we done now 55 episodes- Just the amount of- I’ve never worked so hard on anything on my life. And just the amount of things that we’ve been able to do from comedy to drama to.. horror to sci-fi to.. goofing around and.. to sleeping on camera. You know? Like, (audience giggles) I’ve done a few sleeping scenes. That’s interesting. I like that. More of that.

Fan: And the story about pranks too.

Jared: Yeah, the pranks we get to play on each other. So, I would have to go with the obvious and say a big ole Supernatural. (turns to Jensen)…. (turns to the audience) And his is Supernatural because he gets to work with Jared Padalecki. (audience laughs)

Jensen: Obviously. (audience woo’s) Yeah, I-I-I think he said it well. I mean, this, you know, there’s been other- other roles that I’ve wished I had the opportunity to.. dive into as much as I’ve got to-to dive into this one. Uhh, umm, character on Dark Angel I really enjoyed. (audience cheers)

Jared: (rushes out) My character from Gilmore Girls I also really enjoyed. (audience laughs) (looks at Jensen and then giggles)

Jensen: I thought (Jared throws his head back laughing) he was going to say New York Minute. (audience screams and laughs) (Jared kicks his feet laughing and hides behind his hand) (makes a chef kiss gesture) I love that one.

Jared: (scratches his nose with the mic) I’ve got nothing.

Jensen: The sensitivity.

Jared: I’ve got nothing. I’ve got nothing. I accept defeat. (Jensen laughs)

Jensen: (to fan) Ah, yeah. I-I gotta say Supernatural. It’s just simple because the-the amount of time we got- gotten to spend with these roles.. Yep.

•(DT 4:14, 3:45 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q1B- Ten Inch Hero; Mohawk

Fan: Um, Jensen I just wanted to tell you I haven’t gotten to see “Ten Inch Hero” yet. (Jensen: Yep) So, when you find a way to distribute it, make sure it’s all around the internet so we can all know.

Jared: I’ll make sure of that. (audience cheers) (nods to Jensen) I will.

Jensen: Just go to his blog space or whatever.

Fan: But, um, I saw the photos online and had a cow because they just look so different from what you look like and everything else.

Jensen: Yeah that was fun. That was- that was-

Fan: I had no idea that's what it was going to be like when I clicked on the photo and… “Wow” (giggles) (Jensen looks down pressing his lips together and smacks his leg) (audience laughs) Enjoyed it.

Jensen: Good times. They actually- they-they.. They know- They wanted a mohawk and, uh, they actually tested the extensions in my hair. They were going to make it like a-a, you know, a foot tall mohawk.

◘jensen by jjc7384◘

Jared: Did you have to take out your actual extensions?

Jensen: Yes. (audience laughs) Yes. Um, and I was just like, (Jared snorts to himself) my hair grew.. (throws up hand) just grew, uh, fast enough to- by the time production was ready it was- it was long enough to do that. (Jared nods and face shrugs) So, I was so glad I didn’t have to- to wear those things. But, uh, yeah that was- that was always the look of the character. So they just-

Jared: Yeah it sucks to have really long hair, huh? (Jensen: yeah) All the time. (audience laughs) Like when you can’t see past your eyeballs? (moves his bangs infront of his face)

Jensen: I don’t envy you.

Jared: Yeah, sure. (to fan) Alright, sorry. (audience chuckles)

•(5:27 DT, 4:56 CP, 0:27 jj)- Chicon07J2;Q1C- fav episode

Fan: I just have one other question and then a request. The other question is, what’s your favorite episode so far?

Jared: …hmm. (looks away in thought)

The boys turn to look at each other for a moment. The audience laughs. Jensen looks down.

Jared: (looks back to the audience) crickets. (audience laughs and Jensen smiles) (to fan) Not- not, “Bugs.”

◘jaredjensen_cc1 by _sin_attract◘

Um, (audience aw’s and laughs) You know what, I actually, um, I don’t know if this is my favorite episode so far, but I really, really, really enjoyed episode 2 of this year, “The Kids Are Alright,” with the (gestures to his face) suck holes (jensen nods audience cheers and claps) and the whole (?suckie extentions?). And I watched it and I also, um, because there’s certain episodes that are Sam heavy and certain episodes that are Dean heavy. And, since that one was Dean heavy, I got to watch it almost as a complete audience member. Like, I didn’t remem- I wasn’t there for a lot of the shooting. I didn’t see a lot of it. I didn’t really know the.. story as well as I.. maybe should have. (laughs) (audience laughs) And so, I got to watch it as an audience member. And I- I was- (shrugs) I was scared, I was laughing, I was really happy with, uh, his performance. For the first time in 50 episodes really. (audience laughs) That’s a whole other situation.

But I-I really, really- (Jensen gives a short nod) And I told Phil, who's directing the episode right now and who directed that episode, (Jensen smirks and then drinks his water) that I really enjoyed that episode. I’ve liked all of his, you know. He did “Nightshifter,” and he did “Hollywood Babylon,” and.. “Provenance.” (nods) He’s done some good ones. So, that’s my most recent (?favorite? or ?pick?). (turns to Jensen)

Jensen: Umm, ch-ch-ch-ch-ch, (clicks tongue) I don’t know, I kind of like, the, uh, I know it’s a two parter, but, uh, in the last season, uh-um, (Jared: (?Two and one? or ?twenty-one?)?) “All Hell Breaks Loose, part 1 and part 2” (Jared: [nods] Oh yeah.) (Audience yeah’s) Just the, uh, (shakes head) I just like the, you know, the- (points at a fan in the audience) He’s going nuts- She is going nuts with this (?camcorder? or ?thing?) (audience laughs. Jared smiles) It's-

Jared: Is it still working?

Jensen: It’s just (mimics winding) winding (Jared: It's a flip box.) and winding and winding (Jared: It's a flip box.) (audience laughs) and winding.

Jared: It’s going to be the best flip book of all time.

Jensen: Ever. (audience laughs)

Jared: (to fan) Make sure you stay this way (gestures to face) you don’t want to get- (gestures to Jensen) (audience laughs) (smiles) That’s good.

Jensen: (sits up and gestures back and forth to his shirt and Jared) Well, this way you get two of him (audience laughs)

Audience memberA: Three!

Audience memberB: Three!

Jared: (?That's right it does.?) (helps Jensen straighten out the picture on his shirt) Three more. (?That tells you something?)

Jensen: (looks at his shirt) Come on, this is fantastic. (points at one of the Jareds on his shirt) You guys ready to see this one? Here we go. (mimics Jared’s brooding concerned face)

Jared throws his head and kicks back to laugh. The audience screams and laughs. Then Jared makes a squinty blue steel face.

Jensen: (holds up a finger) I might be able to do this one. (points at the other Jared on his shirt) Let me.

Jensen takes a minute and then looks up. The audience laughs. Jared laughs and looks up at the banners (I guess for a Jensen face to mimic) and then lays back down laughing to himself. Jensen is already making another face.

Jared: He's good. He's good. (Jensen looks towards Jared laughing. Jared laughs back) I need a Jensen shirt. Anybody got one I can borrow? I’ll get me one.

Jensen: There’s one back stage. I autographed it for you. (smoothly drinks his water) (Audience laughs. Jared smirks and then pumps his fist. Audience woo’s.)

Jared: Ebay! (to Jensen) straight to Ebay. (laughs to himself) I could let Harley wear it. (Jensen: Um,) or Sadie.

Jensen: (to fan) I think we answered your question.

Jared: (turns immediately back to the fan) I thinks so, right?

Jensen: (shakes his head and laughs looking down) I’m just kidding. (audience laughs)

Fan: I’m sorry. Um-

Jensen: No, no, no. You had a request.

•(8:11 DT, 7:40 CP, 2:30 SA)- Chicon07J2;Q1D- Texan Accent

Fan: Yes, Samantha Herr, uh, Ferris during her Q&A said that at the end of the week when you guys are really tired your accent slips. (audience yells things) (?near anything?) you can just hear it.

◘Jared and Jensen Interview by DegaDreamer◘

Jensen: (to audience) It did during what?

Jared: (to audience) Did it? (audience yells out words with a drawl)

Jensen: Yeah, well, you know, (slow draw) the characters are from Kansas.

◘Jensen & Jared, TX accen, more, Chicago Con Nov 07 by Clarity159◘

Jared: (to Jensen) Yeah (nods) (to audience) (slow draw) It can hop out, They’re from Kansas.

◘Jared & Jensen in Chicago: The Texan Accent, Y’all by BabyBlueSteel◘

Jensen: It’s allowed.

Jared: (to fan) You know what it is? It-it- yeah, it-it’ll pop out when we go to visit family (Jensen: Yep) (slow draw) or when it’s tired ‘cause then you're just too tired to say anything. (audience cheers and laughs) It’s just lazy. It’s just lazy, lazy talk. And usually (slums down and sprawls in chair) our body language is like this (slow draw) “Are you sure you want me to go and do.. something? I got film, man.” (audience laughs) (chuckles)

Jensen: (slow draw) (slumps in his chair and rubs his eyes with the back on his hand) “Hey man, they got- they're- they're flippin’ the lens on this scene. ’m gonna go back to my trailer.” (audience laughs)

Jared: (clears throat) (slow draw) “How long'll it take, you reckon?”

Jensen: “Shoot, I don’t know.” (audience laughs)

Jared: “What? Five, Ten?”

Jensen: “Somethin’”

Jared: Will it be done... “Maybe it’ll be done in a (losing accent) New York Minnute?” (Grimaces then hides behind his mic) (Jensen shakes his head. Audience laughs)

Jensen: (to fan) Thank you.

Fan: Thank you, so much, guys. Thank you, guys. Have a wonderful weekend. (Jensen turns to his left)

Jared: (to fan) Thank you too. Thank you so much. (claps leg) (audience claps and cheers) (does a back and forth for a little bit then settles on look to his left)

Jensen: (to fan) Hi.

◘Chicago Con 2007- J&J’s panel (part 2) by Carol Padalecki◘

•(9:34 DT, 3:54 SA, 1:05 C, 0:02 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q2A- Blue Steel Request

Fan: Hi. Um, I don’t actually want it to sound like a shtick, but my name is Sarah and it’s actually my birthday today. So, thank you guys (Jared: Is it?) so much. This has been (Audience member: Sing!) tremendous to see you guys.

Audience member: Let’s sing Happy Birthday!

Jared: Happy birthday.

Audience member: Let’s sing it!

Jared: And it’s not my birthday today. But I’m Sam- Jared! (grimaces) (audience screams and laughs) Now I’m Sam. (leans forward with a squinty face) (audience laughs) (looks down laughing to himself)

Jensen: (shakes head) I mean- I don’t even need to go there. (audience laughs) (starts twisting his empty water bottle)

Fan: I actually, um, kind of got up when it was Jared, so no offense Jensen. I have a request and a question-

Jensen twists the bottle and then squeezes the top half. The bottle’s lid pops off high in the air. Everybody watches it go up and then down. The audience squeals and laughs.

Jared: There are probably 4,000 poor bottles in Vancouver that.. have that done to them. (audience laughs) (nods) On behalf of the two biggest Texans in Vancouver right now.

Jensen: I’m-I’m sorry.

Fan: No, that’s okay. Um, I did kind of have a request. Um, I-I kind of wanted to see “Blue Steel.”

The audience squeals. Jensen turns to look at Jared. Jared slowly turns away and then uses the chair arms as support to whip his head back towards the fan making a puckered “Blue Steel” face. Jensen covers his face with his hand. Jared turns his “Blue Steel” towards the audience, shaking his head to get his bangs out of his face. The audience screams. Jensen then does little peeks to see if it’s okay to look at Jared again.

◘Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki at Chicago Con… by DegaDreamer◘ ◘Jared & Jensen in Chicago: Blue Steel & Baby Blue Steel by BabyBlueSteel◘

Jared: (stops) Wait, did you want to see that or did you want me to impersonate-

Jensen: I had to avert my eyes. (Jared and audience laugh)

Jared: You can go blind. (nods) You can go blind. So. Once you do it once it’s gone.

Jensen: I can’t- (shakes head) I can't- I almost fell off my chair-

Jared: You- (Texan draw) Go on get some (stares at Jensen) (Jensen turns to look at Jared) That wasn’t a singular request. (to audience nodding) Right? We got to see Jensen’s. (audience claps and cheers) (?We're calling him? or ?We'll call him?) “Baby Blue Steel.” (J2 and audience laugh)

Jensen: I didn’t even get a good look at yours. Could you- you just one more time? Just a little- a little taste?

Jared: Oh, it’s done. It’s done. I already did it. (audience yelling at them to do it together)

Jensen: (shrugs to fan and shakes his head) That’s enough. I- I mean, really? (Jared laughs) You can’t follow that.

Jared: (to fan) You can’t- (nods) To his credit, you can’t follow that.

Jensen: (to fan) No. (audience laughs and some yell at them to do it at the same time) I can’t do it. I can’t. (notices the cameras) Look at all the cameras (?rising up?).

◘Jared and Jensen q&a’s by augustfading◘

Jared: I know! (audience laughs)

Jensen: (mimics audience) “Do it at the same time!” (sits up and mimics raising up a camera) “I dare you!” (audience and Jared laughs) (sits back) I ain’t fallin’ for that one.

Jared: (to Jensen) We’re going to have four thousand angles of Blue Steel (laughs)

Jensen: Yes (audience laughs) It’s like a CGI, just like the full rotation.

Jared: Just like the Matrix.

•(11:42 DT, 6:02 SA, 3:13 C, 2:10 CP, 1:11 DD, 0:21 A)- Chicon07J2;Q2B- BUABS; Sam’s s3 motivation

Fan: I did have a question besides the “Blue Steel” request.

Jensen: Okay, yes. Wha-what was your question?

Fan: Um, just cause you hear it a lot from actors and we heard it yesterday from Fred Lehne about how awesome it is to-to play the bad ass, and really Jared, um, you know, Born Under A Bad Sign-

Jared: Well, I’m not playing sweetie.

The audience laughs then cheers. Jensen turns to give him an assessing look. Jared makes a blue steel face to the audience with puckered lips and squinty eyes. Finally Jared turns to Jensen and notices his look. Jared laughs. Jensen shakes his head, pumps his eyebrows, and then turns to the fan and laughs.

Jared: Haa, I’m here all week. Try the veal. (laughs)

Fan: And then this season too you said you’re trying to bring out the Dean in Sam. (Jared: Right) Is it also to- trying to get that question in of whether or not he came back right?

Jared: Kind of. And I- a- (raises hand) And the god-honest truth is I don’t know. Eric keeps it very, very close to the belt. (Jensen nods) And I think it’s- I’ve said it before. I think it’s by design. I think he- I think he wants Jared and Jensen to be going through the same things that Sam and Dean are going through. Like we- (gestures to Jensen) Sam and Dean don’t know what’s going on after this episode. They don’t know where they’re going next. (Jensen nods) Jared and Jensen don’t know. (slow draw) We think there’s a strike or something, but (audience laughs. Jensen nods and smiles) I don’t know. (Jensen briefly looks up)

But, um, it was an effort and also there have been some, uh- Sam has actually said a few times this season that he kind of needs to become more like Dean. (Jensen nods) That he’s got to become more like Dean. So, I-I’m sort of trying to make a choice, um, and we’ll see.. what becomes of it to.. sort of.. bring out the.. hard ass a bit more. (nods) You know?

And we see him- we see him in, uh- We see him in “Sin City” sort of shoot first ask questions later. Which you’ve never really seen before out of Sam. Um, so, it’s sort of fun. It’s fun to start playing that.

Fan: And it’s very good. (?You’re doing well playing that.?)

Jared: Thank you. Thank you so much.

Fan: Thank you very much.

Jared: Of course. (audience claps) (turns to his right)

•(13:23 DT, 7:43 SA, 4:53 C, 3:50 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q3A- Jared's car

Jared: Hi!

Fan: Um, Jensen I have to say that, uh, “A Few Good Men,” this summer (Jared nods and then claps) was absolutely amazing. (Jensen: Thank you.) (audience clap) I loved every bit of it. (Jared: Yeah, absolutely.) (Jensen: Thank you.) (audience clap) Jared, uh- Well, my friend has a question, which you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.

Jared: (laughs) okay! (audience laughs) I’m nervous already. (audience laughs)

Fan: She wants to know what kind of car you drive?

Jared: Oh, I have a- I have a SUV ‘cause I’ve got my two big dogs. So, I’ve a- I have a black SUV that.. carries safely me and my two dogs and.. a friend or girlfriend to Vancouver and back. (audience chuckles) If, uh, (nods) if need be. (nods)

•(13:53 DT, 8:13 SA, 5:24 C, 4:21 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q3B- Greatest Fear

Fan: And, question from me. Uh, since this show is about- obviously about scaring, uh, what is your greatest fear, to both of you?

Jared: What is my scariest experience?

Fan: Your greatest fear.

Jared: Oh, my greatest fear. Um, one question ago was what that question was going to be. (Jensen face shrugs. Audience laughs. Jensen nods) Probably.. probably waking up and seeing that poster (points to creation’s vinyl wall scroll of Jensen) of Jensen. (audience laughs) (laughs) Would be- would be a bit too much to bear.

Jensen: (to Jared) I could arrange that. (audience and Jared laugh)

Jared: Yeah, you would.

Jensen: (pumps his eyebrows) I already have. (audience laughs. Jared chuckles)

Jared: Um-

Jensen: (to Jared) What is your greatest fear, Jared?

Jared: Uh- uh, that’s a very good question. Um, I-I’d have to say, uh..

Audience member: Being without Jensen.

Jared: Being without... Well-

The audience laughs and then aw’s. Jared nods his head and slumps down in his chair in mock sadness. Jared creeps over to hug Jensen. The audience laughs and aw’s. Jared snaps back to his side before making contact. J2 smile.

Jared: I’d have to say, uh, the obvious you know. Uh, like, losing a loved one or- or, you know, you-you- One of the things that being in Vancouver does- And he and I are both from Texas, and our family is in Texas. And you just, you know, every time you have three missed phone calls from a brother or sister you’re worried it’s about, you know, someone.. that you didn’t get a chance t-to see again. But, (slaps leg and then nods) (audience aw’s) And Jensen’s is being without me. (audience laughs)

Jensen: (nods) Greatest fear. (nods)

Fan: Well, thank you guys.

Jared & Jensen: Thank you. (Jared turns to his left. Jensen follows)

•(15:32 DT, 9:51 SA, 6:00 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q4- Pranks (Frederic Lehne, Jim Beaver)

Fan: Hi, um-

Jensen: Hi.

Fan: I was wondering, yesterday Frederic Lehne said that you two have never pranked him that he can recall. Why is that?

Jared: Oh, that's right.

Jensen: Have never what?

Fan: Pranked him.

◘Jared & Jensen in Chicago: Why they didn’t prank Frederic by BabyBlueSteel◘

Jared: ‘Cause he-

Jensen: ‘Cause he’s the bad guy. (audience laughs)

Jared: Yeah. Fred’s kind of like very-

Jensen: Fred’s got like those yellow (points at eyes) contacts in all the time. And it’s just like (crouches down and doesn’t make eye contact) “Hey, Fred. How you doing?” (mimics shaking his hand) (audience laughs) Um-

Jared: You know what? He, uh- He knows Bob Singer real well, the producer. (Jensen laughs) And, um, Bob Singer is also one of the writers. I guess he can’t write anything. I guess (?now it’s done? or ?now's the time?). (audience laughs) Now that he can’t write.

Jensen: Well Fred’s a-

Jared: Sam wakes up in a puddle of mud.. in December, “Ah!” (audience laughs)

Jensen: Fred’s- Fred’s also, uh- I mean, he’s a- he’s a-a very seasoned polished.. professional (Jared: Right.) actor. (Jared: He’s right.) Um, unlike us.

Jared: So he knows many more pranks than we do. (laughs) (audience laughs)

Jensen: So, he comes onto set, and he's, you know, he’s there- he’s there to get a job done. Or he’s- he kind of brings a-a-an energy (?in him. And he's-? or ?. and I mean?) he's great to work with. I don't wanna, uh, you know. But he’s.. he’s definitely- there's a professionalism that follows him into the room. Uhm-

Jared: And you can see it in his performance that he’s- (?he’s brilliant? or ?he brings?), you know.

Jensen: Yeah, I mean, he’s great, um, where as you know, Jared and I tend to-

Jared: two chicken’s with their head cut off. (audience laughs)

Jensen: (nods) Pretty much. (nods to fan) Pretty much. Um, we have started to, uh, we have started messing with, uh, Jim.

Jared: Yeah. (audience aw’s and oo’s) Yeah. (to audience) We love Jim. (audience yeah’s and claps) We love Jim. (?A lot? or ?Yeah?). He rocks.

Jensen: The Beav.

Jared: The Beav. (Jensen: The Beav.) You gotta love The Beav.

Jensen: Um-

Jared: But, with Jim and with Fred both, I think… though I hate to admit it, it’s, like he said, they’re polished seasoned actors. And they’ve been around pranks a lot longer. I’ve only been professionally working for eight years now, they’ve each been doing it for thirty so years. So, (laughs)

Jensen: Well all I knew- I knew-

Jared: I don’t know what they know that I don’t know. (audience laughs)

Jensen: Jim, uh, we- we had this scene we filmed just recently we, uh- uh, Jim is, uh, I won’t give anything away, was laying in a hospital bed. Um, (Jared remembers and bursts out laughing. Audience laughs) And he dies. (audience laughs and no’s) Um- No. No. No. (waves hand) I’m kidding. I’m kidding. He doesn’t. He doesn’t. He doesn’t.

Um, but, (Jared laughs) but in the scene he’s talking to us and, uh, (Jared throws his head back laughing. Audience laughs) on his coverage Jared is just grabbing his toes. (Jared kicks his feet laughing. Audience laughs) And staring at him and playing.. the- (looks to Jared) w-what is it? (to audience) "This Little Piggy Goes to the Market" with his toes.

And I’m standing right there, looking at him going, “Are you serious?” (audience laughs) “He’s trying to give a heart felt, like, performance right now.” (Jared throws his head back and laughs) The camera’s are like here (gestures to his right). And Jared’s like going (leaning left with a dorky smile, mimicking playing with Jim’s toes) (audience laughs)

Jared: He has toes of steel that man. He did not budge.

Jensen: And you know what? He didn’t break.

Jared: He didn’t budge.

Jensen: He didn’t break. His face was stone, and he delivered that performance and then as soon as they yelled cut he goes, “What’s wrong with you?” (Jared and the audience laugh) (nods smiling)

Jared: I couldn’t answer, I don’t know.

Jensen: (to Jared) You fell out of the room laughing.

Jared: Yeah, I was laughing too hard.

Jensen: “What’s wrong with you?” (slaps leg) Gotta love The Beav.

Jared: I was quite impressed. That means I have to up my game, right? (Jensen nods. audience laughs) Yeah. (nods)

Fan: Okay, well thank you for coming.

◘Chicago Con 2007 - J&J's panel (part 3) by Carol Padalecki◘

Jared: Thank you.

Jensen: Thank you. (J2 turn to their left)

•(18:34 DT, 12:53 SA, 0:02 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q5A- Influence for Sam and Dean's dynamic

Fan: Hi. I'm (?Amelia?).

Jared: Hi.

Jensen: Hey.

Fan: Um, and obviously family is a big part of the show. And it’s, uh, important theme of the show and that’s, uh, part of what drew me 'cause the relationship between the brothers reminds me of my relationship with my brother a lot of the time.

Jared: Oh, cool.

Fan: So, did you two- did you- I know you have a real brother and sister in real life, so do you draw on that when you, like, especially in the beginning before you (?guys? or ?got to?) know each other as well, did you draw on that to make your relationship as brothers seem more real?

Jared: I mean, we must. (looks at Jensen) Not consciously I don’t think.

Jensen: Well, ush, I was saying earlier, um, I-I-I think in the beginning.. we probably did. But, uh, (Jared nods) now the fact that we, you know, have.. like (to Jared) y-you said it like we-we see more of each other than we do anybody else in the world over the past three years, because (Jared: [nods] Yeah.) of all the time we’ve spent on set.

Um, and then when we’re not on set we’re doing, you know, stuff like this. (gestures to audience) So, (Jared nods) uh, uh-

Jared: Or he is out my- outside my window, knocking.

Jensen: Or I’m knocking on his window. (audience laughs) And, um- So I think just the- just the- the.. kind of the established relationship that- that’s.. you know, happened here has, has given us kind of what we need to.. (waves hand) go into a scene or delve into an emotional scene.

Jared: Right.

•(19:41 DT, 1:09 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q5B- Fanfiction

Fan: And also there’s kind of a ton of fanfiction online. (audience groans) Do you guys ever read it (?)

Jensen: the operative word is “fiction” (audience and Jared laughs, then audience cheers and claps)

◘jaredjensen_cc2 by _sin_attract ◘

Jared: I haven’t seen a lot of it. Uh, I haven’t- I haven’t- I actually can’t recall.. not for any particular reason, but um, I can’t recall seeing anything of that sort. Like, I don’t even know the actual next episode. So, (laughs) I don’t think I have- you know, if I start thinking about fanfiction I’m going to be like, getting prepared to play this scene and go, “Wait a second, I’m not actually doing that (?at all?).” (audience laughs) “Someone else wrote that, not Kripke.”

And, um- but I’ve never had a chance to see it all. I hope it’s good. (audience laugh and one cheers) (thumbs up)

Fan: You guys are great. Thanks for coming.

Jared: Thank you.

Jensen: Thank you. (turns to his left and Jared follows)

•(20:26 DT, 1:54 CP, 0:37 SA)- Chicon07J2;Intermission- Fraud Kevin Lawdermilk

“Kevin Wise aka Keavin Lawdermilk is the fake Special Forces Soldier Master Sergeant, who gave Jensen and Jared Honorary Special Forces coins and a letter of appreciation at the Salute to Supernatural Chicago 2007. […] In April 2008, the Supernatural Charity group Fandom Rocks, obtained permission to get two real Special Forces coins to Jared and Jensen. They were presented to them by Jim Beaver, who was himself a Marine.”

[source]

Creation Staff: Uh, guys we have a (Jared: [looks up] God?) special surprise for yah right now. We’re gonna bring out a Master Sargent Kevin Wise of the, uh, first special forces out of Baghdad. (Jensen starts miming to someone off stage about a small square that you can hold, possibly located in another room) Who has a very wonderful presentation from the US military. (audience claps and cheers)

J2 stand up and move their chairs out of the way. Lawdermilk steps up on stage wearing a fake military uniform with a green beret, holding a mic and a folded piece of paper. He greets J2 shaking their hands. Kevin says something off mic to Jensen and Jensen laughs and then pats his back.

Lawdermilk: (to the audience) Twenty-four hours ago, I was in Baghdad. Now I’m in the- the greatest county on Earth. (audience cheers, J2 claps, the audience starts giving a standing ovation) (nods)

Jensen: I feel like a total idiot standing here with a Sam Winchester t-shirt on. (thumbs to Lawdermilk) (audience laughs)

Lawdermilk: First- first, let me say, um, happy Veterans Day. (audience claps and woo’s) (nods yep) We are the military we are today because of all the former veterans, past and present. (Jensen nods. Audience claps. Jared claps his mic.)

Many have seen yah- I’ve been walking around and you’re probably wondering why I’m walking around- (looks down at his clothes) strange walking around in uniform. And we just got back. We left Baghdad Friday about nine o’ clock. And we’ve been flying. Uh, we got to go back next week. Uhm, So I wanted to come in and say hello to the guys and, ah- While I was over there Supernatural season 1 and 2 is the most popular DVD request for our soldiers in (?Afghanistan?) (audience screams and claps) (J2 nod and shake their heads in surprise)

And thanks to Warner Brothers and your- (gestures to J2) y’all’s production company they’re going to send 3,000 of season 1 and 2 over to (?) (audience cheers and claps).

Well, I’ve been walking around (?over here?)- Over there, there are some troops that haven’t been home and maybe they’ve seen a little season one, maybe a little season- I’ve seen a little season two. So, I’ve been TVOing season 3. (J2 and audience laugh) So, I’ll- I’ve been hearing (points to the audience) the- the stories. I’ve been trying to close my ears (audience and J2 laugh) because I don’t want to know what's going on.

And, uh- But, these two gentlemen here is what makes that show, their cast and their crew that works hard, is what makes that show such a success. (audience cheers and claps)

I’d also like to thank Adam Malin and Gary with, uh, Creation Entertainment. (J2 nod) And, y’all- mostly y’all of- (gestures) I’ve seen y’all taking the pictures and met Chris the photographer. (audience woo) I, uh, I met them about two years ago. I was home. I-I had been shot, and, um, from Iraq. And, I was still walking with a cane. And, they- I was at one of their conventions and they helped me out. And, I’m proud to say that they’ve been friends ever since. So, (nods) thank you (?). (audience and J2 clap)

(to J2) Gentlemen, I have a letter from my boss, um, General Patraeus. (audience mummers) His- his boss is the president, so. (audience laughs) They’re both- they’re both the same, so I’m just going to read you just the one. But, they’re both the same with your names on them and, um.

“To Mister Jared.. Padalecki? (Jared nods and says "That's Impressive," Jensen nods and smiles, audience laughs) and Mister Jensen Ackles, Everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan, our military service members are constantly in harms way. At any moment they can be severely injured or even killed. They are under- constantly under pressure- pressure and stress. For that short time when they can sit and relax and watch your television show, “Supernatural” gives each of them the opportunity to forget about the constant stress and pressure they deal with on a daily basis. Our favorite television shows remind us of family, friends, and home. I would like to thank the entire cast and crew that makes “Supernatural” one of the most popular shows with our military service members. On behalf of every military service member who’s deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and worldwide, I would like to express my gratitude for your continued support of all of our military service members. Best of luck to your future endeavors, David H Petraeus, General United States Command”

The audience claps and cheers. Lawdermilk shakes J2’s hands and hands them each their letter that’s held in a hole punched clear plastic sleeve and says something to Jensen off mic. Jensen nods his head. Lawdermilk makes another comment off mic and then backs away while pointing at J2. Jared tries to say something in the mic but it’s drowned out. Lawdermilk holds up two black boxes in his hands in response. The audience cheers and some of them give a standing ovation.

Lawdermilk: In- I’ve been a soldier for 27 years. I’ve been a Special Forces for 17. Back in 1960, we started a little tradition. It’s called a Special Forces Coins that only goes out- there’s only two ways to obtain one of our coins. You become a Green Beret or a Green Beret gives you one.

We very seldom give out coins. They- It has- (Jensen shakes his head and audience aw’s) (laughs) It has to be highly- highly deserved, and very seldom to civilians. So, (nods) I wanted to present mis- uh- I’ll just call him Jared if you don’t, (?Jeremy?) (laughs) (audience laughs, Jared bends over laughing, and Jensen smiles)

Jared: Call me whatever you like.

Lawdermilk: And Jensen with, uh.. with our, um.. Each coin is unique. Each coin we have five active special forces groups. Each coin is unique to each group that it- how’s it identifies us. So, we carry ‘em all- all the time with us. We never- We’re never without ‘em.

So, on behalf of the first Special Forces group (Jensen puts his mic and letter in his seat. Jared follows suit.), my team, which is ODA-045. It’s alpha team. Um, i-I’m from Texas, from Odessa. (audience cheers and claps)

◘Jared & Jensen in Chicago: Honored by a Special Forces Unit by BabyBlueSteel ◘

Jared: (off mic) (nods) alright. (Jensen nods)

Lawdermilk: The team is called- the team is called “Team Texas.”

Jensen tilts his head and then looks at Jared. Jared fist pumps. The audience laughs then cheers. Jensen nods to himself.

Lawdermilk: They are the- They are the hardest- They- they’re the hardest eleven- of course, I make twelve. (audience laughs) They’re the hardest eleven working men out there in uniform today. So, on behalf of my team, in the first Special Forces group in the United States Army, (Jensen shakes his head (opens one box) I’d like to present to you a Special Forces Coin. (reaches over with the open box)

And, this one, you’re name is on it. Here (?) (hands the box to Jared) (the audience wow’s, aw’s, and then claps as Jared receives the box) And yours (leans over to Jensen with the other box) is a different color (?) That’s our special design, and yeah, everything’s on it. (?)

Jared: (off mic) Wow.

J2 shake Lawdermilk’s hand and thank him for the coins. The audience claps and cheers. Lawdermilk goes to say something more but Jared beats him to it.

◘Chicago Con 2007 - J&J's panel (part 4) by Carol Padalecki◘

Jared: (to the audience) Let’s thank him and his men and everybody like him in uniform that’s been sharing the freedom that we’ve had in the states. (puts down his mic and claps) (Jensen and the audience claps and cheers)

Lawdermilk: I know most of you came to.. see these two young men speak instead of some old soldier, but- (audiences nah’s) Uh, I’d like to remind th- we come home and, you know, we have y’alls support, which we all really appreciate.

Audience member: We love you!

Lawdermilk: Thank you. And we come home and, you know, I’ve heard the word hero and heard this, what I like to remind you is, is almost close, we lost six soldiers just the other day in Afghanistan. Um, just over almost four thousand that have been killed in Afghanistan, Iraq, those are the heroes. (audience agrees and claps) (nods) (J2 clap)

If you just give me just a second, I’d like to invite Mister Adam Malin and Chris photographer here up on stage.

The audience claps. Lawdermilk says something to Jensen off mic and they hold a brief conversation.

Lawdermilk: Like I said, I’m very proud for the last couple of years for these two gentlemen to be called friends. So, we also have a Special Forces coins for both Chris (audience aw's) and Adam Malin the- (shakes his head) (J2 and the audience clap) (thankful nod)

Creation Entertainment is definitely the best at what they do, you know. And of all you that have taken pictures with Chris, y’all know how good he is. (nods) (audience woo’s and claps) (to J2) I can’t hide my Texas accent, can I?

Jensen: (off mic) Yeah.

Lawdermilk: So, (?let's like..?) (opens a box and holds it out) Actually, you can tell you’re getting old when you have to hold it up.

The audience laughs. Jensen takes the box to look at the coin. Jared goes around Jensen to take a closer look himself.

Jared: (off mic) (?Can I look at that? Is that- anyway?) (reaches for the box in Jensen's hands)

Jensen: (off mic) Yeah, here you go.

Jensen hands the box over to Jared. Audience laughs. Jared in turn hands over the box he had before. Jensen holds the coin closer to read it.

Jensen: (off mic) (?This one's.. Malins?).

Lawdermilk: Okay, that’s wrong- Adam on behalf of the Special Forces Group and Team Texas, I’d like to present you with this Special Forces Coin.

Adam: (off screen) Thank you so much. (audience claps. And Lawdermilk salutes Adam)

Lawdermilk: (off screen) And Chris, on behalf of the First Special Forces Group and ODA-045 and Team Texas, I present you with yours.

The audience and J2 clap. J2 hold a brief off mic conversation to each other.

Lawdermilk: (to the audience) Thank you very much for your s- for your time and like I said we appreciate your support. Thank you. (audience claps and cheers)

Jensen: (stops Lawdermilk from leaving) Now we give us, uh, (holds a finger to the audience) Give us one minute, we, uh, Jared and I put together a little something here for you, uh, and your men. (Jensen walks across the stage to grab from a handler a box set of Dvd’s. Jared keeps looking at his coin.) Um, it’s the, uh- Well, first we got the season 2 DVD box set for you. So, you could share that with, uh, you and your men.

◘jaredjensen_cc3 by _sin_attract◘

Lawdermilk: (off mic) (?I gots my own. I got someone a gift?)

Jensen: Well then, there you go. (audience chuckles) (grabs the script from behind him) And, uh- and- and this is- this is kind of cool. I’ve actually never seen, uh, one of these given out. This is, uh, Kim Manners’ directors’ script. (audience gasps and oo’s, then claps) It has all of his director’s notes and shot angles and camera things written down inside here. Uh, he keeps that in his binder and that is his bible for the entire, uh, you know, two weeks that he’s-he’s shooting this episode. Um, we’ve all signed it. You’ve got Serge, the DP, you got myself, Jared, uh, Fred, Jim Beaver is on there. You got the two girls this season are on there. Kim obviously signed it, but, uh… you know, I-it’s- it’s not nearly what you gave us, but, uh, I hope you enjoy it. (hands Lawdermilk the script)

Off mic, Lawdermilk thanks them for the script. The audience aw’s and claps and then cheers. Lawdermilk shakes J2’s hands again, then throws a hand up to the audience, says one more goodbye to the boys, and leaves the stage. J2 clap as he leaves.

Adam: Master Sergeant, Kevin Wise. (audience cheers and claps) Thank you, Sir.

Jensen: (looks briefly at Jared and then to the audience) I kind of really don’t know where to go after that. (audience laughs) (to Jared) How do you follow that?

Jared doesn’t answer right away because he’s looking at his gifts again, then looks up shaking his head at Jensen, and then says something off mic. A phone is ringing in the audience.

Audience member: Answer the phone. (audience laughs)

Jensen: (laughs) (reaches for the item in Jared's hands) Let's see those guys.

Jared: (off mic) Yeah.

Jensen: (takes the card from Jared) Wow. Well that’s kind of neat. That’s not something you get to do every day. (whistles)

Jared: Understatement of the century. Um.

Jensen: (turns to his chair and then the audience) Where were we? (audience laughs) (Jared exhales and J2 sit down) Alright. (to Jared) That was really special.

Jared: That was very special.

Jensen: Yeah, that was pretty cool. Um, (turns to the creation staff) how much time do we uh..

Adam: (off screen) A couple more questions.

Jensen: (nods) Couple more questions. Okay. (Adam: Yeah.) Do a few more questions. (points to his right)

◘Chicago Con 2007 - J&J's panel (part 5) by Carol Padalecki◘

Audience member: That side.

Jensen: (quickly turns to his left) This side. Here we go. Alright. (audience chuckles) (to Jared)

•(32:53 DT, 1:51 SA, 0:05 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q6A- Jensen on "EL Paso" by Marty Robbins

Fan: Everybody loves to stand at the "midget mic" and go after that apparently. (audience laughs) So, um, here’s my fangirl question after that. (claps) Congratulations on your coins though.

Jensen: Yes.

Jared: Thank you.

Jensen: Thank you.

Fan: Um, and Jensen you kind of stomped on my- my question earlier, because you answered it without me asking it. (audience chuckles) (?Suffering?)

Jensen: I’m good like that.

Fan: (?So where do you go with that?) But, uh- So, uh, recently there was a “Variety,” uh, interview with you and, um, you mentioned three songs that were very important to you? (Jensen: Mhm) And you mentioned, “El Paso” by Marty Robbins. (Jensen: Mhm) And being an El Pasoian born and raised and playing in Marty Robbins Park my whole life.

Jensen: Really?

Fan: Yes. Uh, I’m wondering if you would be willing to us why?

Jensen: Um, that is, uh, one of my father’s favorite songs. And he used to play it a lot, uh, when I was growing up. And, it kind of just- it kind of- there was just something about the song that my Dad and I kind of shared a-a liking for it. And till this day it’s- whenever it comes on I’m like, I-I-I can j-just.. picture myself right there with my dad singing it. So. (nods) (audience aw’s)

Fan: Well feel free to come visit because we’ve got a new golf course (?paved for you?). (audience and Jensen laughs) (?You guys- you gotta tell me?)

Jensen: I might take you up on that.

•(33:58 DT, 2:59 SA, 1:10 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q6B-BUABS 2x14; Sam vs Meg's Latin accent

Fan: (?) Well, it’s real nice. Um, and for Jared. In “Born Under a Bad Sign” when you have to.. Latinate. (Jared and audience laugh) (Jared: mhm) Your-your, uh, your Latin accent is a little different than when you Latinate as Sam. It’s a little more fluid.

Jared: Ooh. Oh, you know what?

Fan: Apparently, you had no clue. (audience laugh)

Jared: Uh, I t- uh, w-Which one is more fluid?

Fan: In “Born Under a Bad Sign” when you’re.. when you’re Meg!Sam.

Jared: Good, (fan laughs) that’s what I was hoping for. (audience laughs) It was also partially because that was- it was actually memorized. So, as Sam-

Fan: You don’t memorize for other scenes, you just.. what?

Jensen: Read.

Jared: Well, I- as Sam I didn’t, um, I didn’t have it memorized because he had it in the book, and so he was reading it. But, as the demon, it would have been something the demon needed to memorize knowing that, um, there’s a possibility that he’d be put into a devil’s sign.

•(35:06 DT, 3:50 SA, 2:03 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q6C- Spanish Speaking (Jared)

Fan: Well that kills the- that kills my question. (Jared grimaces. The audience chuckle) Um, I was gonna ask do you speak Spanish at all?

Jared: Um, no. (audience laughs) I mean, I can- I can-

Fan: Can order food?

Jared: I can- Yes. I can find the bathroom. (audience laughs) I can sort of-

Fan: Can you order a beer? That’s what’s important.

Jared: A Cerveza you mean? (turns to the audience) Sí.

Fan: Very good.

Jared: (to fan and nods) Sí.

Fan: Very good. Thank y’all for coming.

Jensen: Thanks. (turns to his right)

Jared: Thank you. Gracias. (audience and Jensen laugh) I mean, (?Latin?) (turns to his right)

•(35:36 DT, 4:19 SA, 2:31 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q7A- Fan gift; crochet wear

Fan: Hi.

Jensen: Hi.

Fan: I’m Christina.

Jared: Hi Christina.

Jensen: Hi Christina.

Fan: I also want to say this is the best birthday present ever.

Jared: Happy Birthday.

Jensen: A lot of birthdays. (nods)

Fan: My birthday is on Thanksgiving though, so I’m a little early.

Jensen: Oh, okay.

Jared: Well, happy Thanksgiving Birthday. (audience chuckles)

Fan: Um, I actually- I have a couple questions, um, I actually sent you guys some hats and scarves that I crocheted and I was just wondering did you got them?

Jared: Those usually take a while to- to get to us.

Fan: I sent them in April. (audience laugh)

Jared: We usually do get- we usually do get things. You send them which?

Fan: in April. (audience laughs)

Jared: Uh, they might-

Fan: Right after Fangoria.

Jared: It goes through- Because, if you remember a few years back there was a big Anthrax scare (Fan: Yeah) at, like, Warner Brothers Lots and stuff. (Jensen nods: Yeah) And so, since then (Fan: It’s exactly.) a lot of- there’s, like, a screening process. And we will get things. (Fan: Okay.) But, a lot of times it’s just it’s just very long.

Fan: If they don’t fit I’m sorry

Jared: No. (audience chuckles) Oh, we’re sorry. And, I’m sure they will, but also they come to us, because they- they’ll go to us, and then they’ll go back to LA for the.. screen, and then they’ll come back to us and get distributed-

Jensen: Well, it’s also- It’s- We also have to deal with Customs. Like, (Fan: Yeah) even if you’re shipping anything (Jared: right) it’s-it’s.. (shrugs) Canada. So, they, you know, they’ve got tons of, um, of, you know, border patrol, uh, screening mail and.. (Fan: Yeah) (nods) Yeah.

•(36:34 DT, 5:17 SA, 3:28 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q7B- Fan Request; JDM’s number

Fan: Okay, uh, (Jared: So, thank you.) my other question, (Jensen: Well, thank you) could I possibly get JDM’s number from you? (audience laughs) (Jensen reaches into his pocket)

Jared: Yeah. Yeah. I, um- (looks around and then turns towards the screen behind them) Can we just write it in marker up here?

Jensen: I’ll get it out. Yeah. (Jared laughs) Just post it on the wall. (audience laughs)

•(36:35 DT, 5:28 SA, 3:40 CP)- Chicon07J2;Q7C- Sam vs. Jack Bauer; Dean vs Jack Bauer

Fan: And my next question is, I’ve asked everybody that I’ve gotten a panel with, um, Jared- Sam- Who would win in a fight? Sam or Jack Bauer? (audience laughs)

Jared: Oh. (scrunches up his face) Sam.

Fan: And the same for Dean and Jack Bauer.

Jared: I’d say Sam.

Jensen: Isn’t Kiefer like.. tiny? (audience laughs. Jared nods yeah.)

Fan: Did you see last (Jared: He’s old.) (audience gives mixed reaction) season when he killed somebody by biting him in the neck?

Jared: Oh, that’s pretty scary. (audience laughs) But, Sam can move things with his mind. (holds up his mic) (audience laughs, cheers, and claps. Jensen shrugs)

◘Jensen & Jared in Chicago: Sam/Dean vs against Jack Bauer by BabyBlueSteel◘

Fan: What about Dean?

Jensen: Um- Ss-

Jared: Sam would save Dean like always. (audience laughs) (grimaces then smirks)

Jensen: Yeah. I wouldn’t have to do anything. (audience chuckles) Um.. (scratches neck) I don’t know. Yeah, I could kick his ass. (Jared laughs. Audience cheers and claps) (shrugs and then smiles)

Fan: Alright, thank you.

Jensen: Thanks.

•Closing - (37:35 DT, 6:17 SA, 4:28 CP, 0:22 BBS)

Jared: (talking to someone off stage to his right) III believe so. I’m-I’m not sure. (looks at Jensen)

Jensen: (looks at Jared then quickly off stage to his left) Yeah? (to audience) Okay, guys. (Jared: Oh.) They’re, uh, they’re pulling the plug on us. So, it looks like it’s autograph time. (Jared: Yeah) Uuuum. (audience claps and cheers) Thank you.

Jared: (waves mic in the air) (off mic) Thank you guys. (J2 stand up)

Jensen: I hope, uhhh- I hope we shed a little more light on our (looks at Jared then back to the audience) miserable lives. (Kansas-Wayward Sons starts playing) (Jared and audience laugh) And, uh, (smiles) we will, uh- We’ll see you at the tables in a little bit. So.. okay.

Jared pumps his fist in the air as both J2 turn to exit stage to their right, ending the panel. The audience clap and cheer their exit.

[is-solarpunk]

Solarpunk Writing Prompts #2

Here you can listen to original podcast

Here is the source of the podcast's transcript you can read below

Solarpunk Prompts - The Refugee Camp

Hello world. I'm Tomasino.

This is Solarpunk Prompts, a series for writers where we discuss Solarpunk as a literary, artistic, and activist movement.

Or, as RoAnna Sylva describes it: Solarpunk is a genre of ecologically-oriented speculative fiction characterized both by its aesthetic and its underlying socio-political vision.

In each episode we look at one story prompt using that genre lens, offering commentary on the prompt, some inspirations from the world today, and some considerations for writers.

Most importantly, we consider how that story might help us to better envision a sustainable civilization.

If this is your first time here, I'd recommend checking out our introduction episode first, where we talk about what Solarpunk is, why you should care, and why this series came into being.

This episode's prompt is titled: "The Refugee Camp".

There is a full-fledged town built from a refugee camp which was set up there two decades ago. The inhabitants speak their own creole, a mix of more than five languages, and have very shaky relationships with their neighboring communities or states, each of which considers it a lawless territory and might be plotting to take over.

I think the refugee camp is a fitting place to start our prompts. They are the standard setting in our world for communities just coming through tragedy. When there is war, famine, flooding, or any number of challenges to a people they often find shelters in foreign lands, sometimes thrown together with other groups fleeing their own hardships.

Refugee stories are also plentiful in science-fiction: Superman is a refugee from Krypton, The Doctor is a refugee from Gallifrey, or Arthur Dent, a refugee from Cottington in the West Country. These are all individual stories, though, and not the camp and community we are striving for. Instead we might look to Battlestar Gallactica, or Babylon 5, or the Nantucket trilogy for examples of entire communities of refugees. And, indeed, those are vibrant and capture a bit of the colorful characters and internal conflicts that arise in such places. But Solarpunk can depart from this view of refugee camps as places of despair.

In our prompt the camp has grown into a full-fledged town. That suggests a thriving regrowth emerging from this mixed culture and reflected in their creole dialect.

Is that a realistic vision to take, though? Is this just Solarpunk being naïve and blindly optimistic?

Let's take a look to real refugee camps in South Sudan and Uganda, where the r0g_agency, a Berlin-based nonprofit, has been working with communities to help them develop innovation hubs. Five of these communities have linked together to form #ASKnet, a program that offers training in open-source hardware and software, entrepreneurship, media production, gender equality, and financial literacy. They also run repair cafes, giving hands-on experience and learning, and reducing waste and preserving natural resources.

This is just one program that is built and run by small community organizations.

How about Communitere? It was founded by individuals who saw the amazing rebuilding efforts after natural disasters like the 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean which caused the deadliest tsunami in history. The world responded with one of the greatest relief efforts in record time, all at once. But then medicines spoiled before they could reach the sick. Food rotted before it could find the hungry. This failure of local logistics is what inspired the organization.

What do they do? Well, they don' “intervene”. Instead, they provide spaces where communities can implement their own plans and choose from a variety of tools and models that Communitere makes available. They provide training, processes, toolkits, and space. They empower the communities to build their own futures. And now they're up and running in Haiti, Nepal, Greece, and the Philippines.

These are both stories of information sharing and empowering local communities. They succeed by building together both local talent and infrastructure and focus on sustainability.

And they mean sustainability in many forms:

environmental sustainability - processes that work with the unique local environment

economic sustainability - processes that can continue without ongoing external funding

and cultural sustainability - respecting and empowering local cultures

When you start thinking of these refugee camps as places where people are building new things, new homes, new lives, new opportunities, then the writing opportunities open up for you as well. Gone are the two dimensional sketches of a dirty camp full of broken people. These people are alive and empowered!

In a different genre setting we might lean into the shantytown aesthetic, or the lawlessness of the area might become an easy setting for crime stories. I challenge you, with this prompt, to steer clear of those well trodden paths, and focus on the community as a vibrant, living thing.

Speaking of shantytowns, I'm reminded of Cory Doctorow's setting in the book, Makers, with it's unique community of hackers, and the unique way they used language… Which brings us to the next aspect of this writing prompt: Creole.

According to Collins English Dictionary: A Creole is a language that has developed from a mixture of different languages and has become the main language in a particular place.

These are fascinating growths of blending cultures and can powerfully illustrate the fundamental aspects of a community:

who they are

what they believe in

and how they respond to a changing world

Think of the unique flavor of the Belter language in the Expanse. Every odd word choice, or word borrowed from Chinese or Indic or Slavic, is a reminder of what these people are. In some cases this unique language use even extends to meaningful gestures.

The way these languages develop is so interesting in its own right that there is an indy card game where you collaboratively create one with friends. It's called Dialect, and it won IGDN's Game of the Year in 2019 along with a host of other awards. In that game you 2-4 of your friends will create what's called an Isolation, basically a community set apart from others for some interesting reason, and then play out their history across three different ages. The game then ends with the Isolation no longer being isolated, whether for good or for bad.

As the game descriptions says: "Dialect is a game about an isolated community, their language, and what it means for that language to be lost."

It's a fascinating way to spend 3-4 hours with friends, and incredibly insightful into this exact process.

Now, before we go let's take a look at that prompt one more time:

"The Refugee Camp"

There is a full-fledged town built from a refugee camp which was set up there two decades ago. The inhabitants speak their own creole, a mix of more than five languages, and have very shaky relationships with their neighboring communities or states, each of which considers it a lawless territory and might be plotting to take over.

Okay.

It's time to wrap up, but before we go, lets review our guidelines for Solarpunk writing one more time:

Community as Protagonist (No "Chosen One")

Infrastructure is Sexy (No simple solution)

Human/Environmental Context (Not Man vs Nature)

Thanks for staying with me today. I hope you'll join me for the next Solarpunk Prompt.

Links mentioned:

r0g_agency

Communitere

Dialect

Music from:

ExMemory - Solar Grid

[reddeadreference]

Saint Denis Times No. 48

-Click here to return to the index for Newspapers-

This issue is available after completion of the mission: Urban Pleasures

(All article transcripts below the cut)

Articles marked with * are exclusive to this region’s issue.

Articles marked with ** are only there upon completion of the related mission.

Shootout at Trolley Station

DOZENS DEAD THIEVES ESCAPE ON TROLLEY. FLEE ON POLICE WAGON. CRIME WAVE CONTINUES.

Thieves, in the midst of robbing the Saint Denis Trolley Station, were surprised by police and a vicious gun battle ensued across large tracts of the city. Shots rang out for a considerable period and residents fled the area. Their options limited by the bravery of our police officers, the robbers managed to hijack a trolley and head out onto the streets of Saint Denis, striking fear into street goers and shattering windows and personal property as they exchanged gunfire with the law.

The trolley eventually crashed in a grand spectacle, but the culprits shot their way through a garrison of law enforcement and fled on a police wagon. The horror that was unleashed stretched throughout the city, with citizens aghast at the trail of destruction and worrying for the health and safety of their families. A special meeting of the town council has been called and officials will seek a remedy to what is being called a wave of crime in what is normally a relatively peaceful city.

The New Fashionable Gaiety

GARDEN PARTIES AND READINGS OF EVELYN MILLER.

American High Society thrives on a spectacle and there is no bigger trend in the dinner dances, musicals and garden parties attended by the elites of the era than that of the writings of Evelyn Miller. His musings on nature, simplicity and the rights of savages are all the topics of conversation over a luncheon or mild tea. His ideas seem to penetrate the aristocratic cranium in such a way that readers can speak of little else.

In some circles, they seem to prefer that the thoughts of Mr. Miller become social law. Indeed Mr. Miller spends plenty of time in the social strata where he is a topic of conversation - he is often seen at a garden party and was present at the famed Mayor’s Ball in Saint Denis this year, while visiting the region on a sabbatical from his teaching job in New Haven, Connecticut.

While it is surely a delightful social life discussing philosophy while watching regattas or in mansions with fashionable people, it is this newspaper’s opinion that at the heart of Mr. Miller’s writings is a basic disdain for “others” who due to social position have not achieved his level of enlightenment. He, like others of his kind, is a dandy and fraud masquerading as a man of nature and the arts. We as a people can do better than to worship this false idol.

The Indian Trouble

WAPITI QUARREL WITH U.S. AGENTS.

Indian discontent has taken many forms and many say it is poised to boil over once more. The ungrateful Indian can wax poetic about a time when all land was his, and grumble about his limited quarters confined to reservations all he wants, but the facts are the facts. The United States of America has been particularly generous to the red man, and yet, they repeatedly claim mistreatment.

However, there is nothing preventing any citizen of the United States from leaving, and so too should the red man consider leaving for Europe, or Canada, or more likely, Mexico, which does not impose tax or laws on times of season which one can hunt game. Currently, most full-blooded Indians are quite content to accept the very generous allowance given by the U.S. Government. Yet there are still some tribes who prefer conflict as their warring nature cannot leave their system.

Take for instance, in our region, the Wapiti Reservation in the Grizzlies where tensions with the army regiment stationed at nearby Fort Wallace are growing, and some fear an all-out return to the bloody days of the Indian Wars. Colonel Henry Favours, officer in command of the local regiment, has sent a dispatch to Washington warning of a possible return to armed hostilities as the Indians have failed to abide by treaties that we signed in good faith.

Indians claim that the army is withholding supplies and medicine and that sickness is rife, all of which are falsehoods meant to further hostilities. We will stay with this story as events unfold.

Guarma Island Sugar Boom

FUSSAR CALLED FRIEND THE OF THE US. CUBAN IMPORTS ON THE RISE.

Rail Baron and industrial Titan Leviticus Cornwall stood next to a ship unloading Cuban sugar from the island of Guarma and hailed a new era of cooperation between the two countries. After making two trips to the region to tour sugar plantations, and signing an exclusive purchase order with the Governor of Guarma, imports are on the rise. Cornwall had called local governor Alberto Fussar “a great friend of America.”

However, the boom is undercutting the US sugar industry and resulting in the loss of American jobs. Detractors call Fussar a controversial figure who is flamboyant at times and cruel at others and has Guarma under a quasi-military rule. His security force is reportedly feared across the island, which plantation workers often working 14 hour shifts to keep up.

Gang Hideout Discovered

AT CLEMENS POINT. BELIEVED TO BE VAN DER LINDE GANG. WAS DESERTED ONLY DAYS BEFORE.

Law agents and others on the trail of the Van der Linde gang say they have discovered the remains of a camp that no doubt served as the base of operations as the gang robbed, terrorized and killed citizens across the Scarlett Meadows area recently. The rather large area was well organized and, based on the footprint of the operation, it appears that more people are involved in the thieving organization than officials pursuing the gang originally thought.

The Van der Linde gang is wanted for a string of robberies and murders, most notably the Blackwater boat heist where close to $150,000 was stolen. Ranchers in the area report missing livestock, and one man, Thaddeus Rivington, reported to police that his teenage daughter has disappeared and joined the gang, which he says serves as the only explanation as to why she wouldn’t want to finish the process of discernment and joining a local convent.

Mayor’s Gala Was Grand

WEALTHY ATTEND ANNUAL SOIREE.

The annual high society gala thrown by Saint Denis Mayor Henri Lemieux at his mansion this year went late into the night with champagne flowing, a string quarter serenading guests, and fireworks filling the night skies.

The eclectic roster of high-profile guests included the industrialist Archibald Jameson, war hero Major Hobart Crawley, the banker Gilbert Knightly, and proprietor of the Saint Denis Times Tribune Hector Fellowes. Also, somewhat controversially, in attendance was Angelo Bronte, a generous benefactor to the city of Saint Denis, but also believed to have ties to unsavory business interests.

Bombardment of the Stars

MAGNIFICENT SHOWER OF METEORS.

There was great disappointment felt last year when the predicted meteoric shower did not appear. Astronomers the world over wondered if the shower had been given up as lost or merely delayed a year. However, amateur astronomers have been sending in dispatches regarding sightings of meteor showers near Roanoke Ridge in New Hanover after a large meteor hit there.

These space particles intersect with the earth, combusting into brilliant showers of light, and are thought to be residual debris from the system that produced the massive meteor that recently fell and created a sizeable crate in the area. Some have flocked to the crater claiming that the space debris has healing powers, while others claim this to be unsubstantiated and ludicrous conjecture.

Chicago Negroes Hold Anti-Lynching Service

PROTEST AGAINST LYNCHING OF POPULAR REVEREND IN GEORGIA.

The body of Reverend Benson Floyd, the man who was implicated in the Chandler murder, was found hanging from a branch of a persimmon tree in a small hamlet in Georgia. Despite many protests of his innocence by his employer and white members of the the community, a mob convicted him by a roadside here and strung him up to hang after mutilating the body.

Floyd had been implicated by another Negro, Otto Luther, who was hanged in the Chandler murder and in a final confession said it was the preacher who had paid him to murder Chandler. Many believe this story to be a falsehood as Luther resent Rev. Floyd’s chastising him for his sinful ways. In response to the lynchings, many of the 30,000 colored residents of Chicago are arranging a series of protests to be held in churches. Community leaders have called for calm and civilized discussions.

A World of Amazement.

SAINT DENIS ENTERTAINMENT SHINES,.

Stroll by the Théâtre Râleur   and it is hard to miss the gay spectacle that transpires inside. Indeed you can hear it spilling out onto the street. Master of Ceremonies Aldridge T. Abbington has brought a devine spectable to Saint Denis, and the nightly shows feature an epic brute of a woman named Hortensia, the magic and daring escapes of Benjamin Lazarus, a fire breather, a snake charmer, French dancers, musical acts and more.

Watch as unsuspecting members of the audience become part of the show! The line up changes nightly and ticket prices are reasonable,. as Abbington is wont to remind you repeatedly. This is sophisticated entertainment at its finest, like they enjoy London and Paris.

Massive Explosions

ROBBERY AT CORNWALL FACILITY

MANY DEAD OR DYING

A peaceful night was split in two as explosions rocked Cornwall Kerosene & Tar in the heartlands of New Hanover. In the ensuing chaos, a gang of criminals breached the perimeter and headed towards the office safe. According to the foreman, the robbers were not interested in stealing cash. Instead they sough important business documents from the safe.

They were discovered mid-heist and a spectacular gun battle ensued. Numerous guards were killed and other gravely wounded as the unscrupulous bandits fled. Local law enforcement do not have any leads or motives but report to be forming organized posses and militias to comb the surrounding area.

The Art of Angling by Jeremy Gill

LARGEMOUTH BASS.

My well-appointed study contains a plethora of mounted trophies, most notable among them countless magnificent examples of Largemouth Bass. These feisty creatures are like trained acrobats and make any keen angler's best friend and worst foe. They flash and fin and jump and leap towards the heavens, all the while the excited angler shouts with joy.

Once a very rich woman, upon visiting my trophy room, became overwhelmed with the vapors, and matters got really rather indiscreet, but that is not a subject a gentleman ever discusses in the pages of a newspaper. Indigenous to open, flowing water, bass are finicky, preferring rain to sunshine and crawfish to lures. Once they strike, fight with all you can and do not let go. Happy fighting. It'll be well worth it, when you win a battle.

[liminalweirdo]

I agree with you (mostly), especially about the importance of treating subtitles and descriptive audio as part of production.

As a captioner, we, like editors, are often limited by the in-house guides gives to us by our clients and/or our employers, and so I would say that most of the time the reason that captions aren't verbatim is because, in my experience with various guidelines given to me (which, if I don't follow, I'll lose my job), you're not allowed to have three lines of text on the screen which limits perfect verbatim captions.

This is because subtitles generally can't cross a scene change, or because a subtitle can only be displayed for seven seconds (or so), and it can only have a certain amount of characters in it, including grammatical characters. Obviously they also have to remain onscreen long enough to be read which is generally one second, or half a second in special circumstances and if the sentence is short enough.

Depending on the speed of the character or person speaking, it's not always possible to include everything they say, especially when it's impacted by other factors like shot changes etc.

There are also other visual cues given to the viewer besides text. There's burn-ins, body language, locations, all kinds of little and big visual moments that aren't dialogue that are important for the viewer to be able to see (or hear in video description) to understand the plot. If you're spending all your time reading what they're saying, verbatim, you're missing a big part of the film. Our main goal as captioners is to give all viewers -- Deaf, HoH, people with auditory processing disorder, autism (like me), and anyone else who needs or uses subs) an experience as close to the intended experience as possible. You're not here to read a book, you're here to watch a film, so we want the film to be watchable, we want you to have time to catch what's happening onscreen, while also being able to read subtitles.

As for condensing, I hate it, but sometimes it's necessary. Sometimes subtitles are condensed based on the character limit that the client or your company gives you. This exists because your auditory system can generally process information at a faster rate than your eyes can process it. So captioners have to condense the text because what the person onscreen is saying is able to be understood by a hearing person faster than someone who is relying solely on subtitles could process it.

I've always said that there should be subtitles/captions, and then there should be a verbatim transcript also available as an extra. A document with timestamps that can be read on its own, without the film playing in the background. In my experience, I almost always reads screenplays when they are available, but even screenplays are rarely (if ever) verbatim for the film, and they do not include any improv, or any additions made by the actors or directors, but I'm also a person who has to re-watch films frame by frame so I can process everyone's facial expressions and what's happening visually, because of my autism. Until I can do this, I feel like I don't get the full experience of a film, but it's something I have to do after on my own time. I'm not saying this is right, or even fair. Personally, I enjoy my frame-by-frame film time. I'm just offering this as a solution or a suggestion. How can people who rely on subtitles get the full experience? What if they could have captions and a verbatim transcript? Why isn't the transcript of every freely-available video also freely available?

Captioners who have to condense usually don't like doing it, but they work hard to make sure that the meaning is as close to the hearing person's experience as possible. When condensing happens, it's often because it cannot be avoided.

Also, sometimes the client will not provide us a script for whatever reason. Maybe they forget, maybe they don't give a shit about disabled folks (without realizing disabled folks are making their captions lol), or maybe they forgot, maybe they also didn't have access to it. Either way, even if a script exists, the captioner may not necessarily have access to it.

Things like this, captions etc. are even more affected if they are translations.

I hear you, though. Like, I hear you. I hate nothing more than watching something to see that the captions are wrong (or worse, there's no captions at all). I was watching something just last night where the captioner wrote "(incoherent screaming)" when the words the character was screaming were clearly audible and easily transcribable. That was sloppy, it's unfair to the viewer, it makes me fucking outraged. Sometimes it happens, but most of us captioning our ass to make sure it doesn't.

But please also remember that while some captioners are paid well for their time, others (like me) are not. I do it because it's important to me that people who need subtitles have access to subtitles. It's fucking important to me.

Accessibility is important to me even though I don't rely on subtitles. Everyone should be able to watch videos or films and have the full experience.

I get paid less than minimum wage to do the work that I do, but even the people who are getting paid fairly are also facing massive layoffs at their companies as a result of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. I fully support these strikes, but I'm aware that both myself and my partner may lose our jobs because of them. That's just the way it is, because of a handful of greedy people who don't want to pay their workers. What I'm trying to say here is that currently captioners are under a lot of stress, our homes and jobs are at stake, too. Many are not getting paid fairly. Many captioners are also freelancers who are not paid for their very extensive training before they're thrown into the thick of it, and expected to keep their heads above water. But that's not an excuse for shoddy work.

That said, outside of these strikes, captioners often work on difficult or near-impossible deadlines.

But basically, yes, I agree with you, there's no excuse for bad subtitles, but a lot of the time subtitles are made by people like me who are underpaid, work long hours, and get absolutely no acknowledgement for their work in any credits, but do it because it's important to them. Sometimes we make mistakes, sometimes we mishear, sometimes we're bound by rules we don't like so that we can keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, but I know in my case, and in the case of the people I know who do this work, we really are trying our best, and it really fucking matters to us.

I, a hearing person who likes subtitles just as a preference, shouldn't have to read a subtitle that's obvious nonsense, go back a couple seconds, and listen again in order to figure out what's going on. An accessibility feature should not be the most half-assed part of a professionally made production. Scripted media has absolutely no excuse for not having subtitles or having subtitles that aren't perfectly verbatim. Professional captioning services should be ashamed of the shoddy work that they put out. Captions should be treated as a part of the production, just like filming, editing, audio balancing, etc - and anything that releases with missing or bad captions should be seen as unfinished