|| video | @ciscodelamancha | feb 10 ||

[franciscoramon]

[ The video starts off shaky, clearly taken using the front-facing camera on a phone being wielded by a deeply intoxicated Cisco Ramon. He is pink-cheeked and bright-eyed and giggling so much he has difficulty speaking. ]

Heyooo Quarantine! Sup! Guess what?! It's my birthday today! That means I'm twenty fuckin' five, which means I'm totally old, and wise, and stuff. So I thought it'd be fun if y'all sent me, like, questions! For advice! You know, like Dear Abby, only instead it's Dear Cisco. I've been around a whole quarter of a century now so you best believe I've got plenty of knowledge I can drop on ya like that!

[ He lifts the hand not holding the phone, clearly meaning to snap, but realizes belatedly he's still holding a glass. He turns away from the screen, muttering a quick Babe, babe hold this for me- before handing off the drink to someone outside the shot. Then he looks at the camera once more and snaps, not loudly enough to be heard and late enough that it is unintentionally very comical. ]

It's cool if you send them anonymous or not, anything goes. Lemme help you make some good-ass choices in your life! Or if you're not feeling the advice game you could just like do some shout outs and holler at your loved ones.

Comments

video, @chronicler

[scholiast]

Hey, happy birthday Cisco!

(She got a heads up from Taako, so this message isn't just from her! Junior is in the shot too, doing loop-de-loops in celebration.)

I haven't got a particular question in mind but if you've got any... uh, "life hacks", I'll take 'em.

[franciscoramon]

Hey, Lucreita! Hey, Junior!

[ Then Lucretia says a Nice Thing and Cisco's brain is pretty well pickled by now so he reaches for a response and pulls up the wrong one: ] You too! [ At least he realizes it almost immediately, furrow forming between his brows as he corrects: ] Wait, no, that's not how it works. Dammit. Um. Thanks. I meant thanks.

[ Any embarrassment over that is forgotten, however, as he watches Junior swimming in lazy circles and corkscrews through the air. He hasn't actually gotten that many people asking for advice and so he wants to make the most of this opportunity. He strokes his chin in slightly overdone thoughtfulness, considering: ]

Hmmm, hmmmmmmm, life hacks. Sure, I can lay a couple of those bad boys on ya. Life hack #1: don't be afraid to try new stuff. Life hack #2: always back up your files, like, TRIPLE back them up, 'cause you never know. Life hack #3: everybody's different so if you don't get why somebody's acting the way they're acting, try to find out what's going on, and see if you can see stuff from their point of view. Life hack #4: remember nobody's really got their shit together, everybody's just faking it. Life hack #5: you're never too old to eat candy for breakfast.

[ Very sage wisdom. Well, some of it. And delivered almost entirely without slurring any words. ]

[scholiast]

(Holy smokes, he's actually delivering. Lucretia's finding it really hard to keep a straight face in the wake of his enthusiasm; her hand pops up to hide her grin during life hack number two, and stays there for the rest of his sermon. Junior bobs curiously in the air, intrigued by all the talking and Lucretia's response to the video.)

Hang on, hang on–

(She casts around for pens and paper, and starts writing everything down furiously with a pen in each hand. Hey, this is fun actually. She)

Okay... I think I got it. (She pretends to review her notes once he's finished, tapping the page with a pen.) Try new things, walk in other people's shoes, back your shit up, fake it 'till you make it and candy for breakfast. These are all extremely good, Cisco, thank you so much.

(She's gonna try keep these all in mind, too. Except the backing up the files one because a) she doesn't know how to do that on a phone and b) thinking of backing up all her journals is just...)

I'm gonna try live by these, thank you. You having a good time, wherever you are?

that icon 😂

[franciscoramon]

Yep. That's the Cisco Ramon patented strategy for a guaranteed awesome life. You're super welcome.

[ He's a little surprised by how into the advice she seems. Not that there's anything wrong with his advice. Right now - bolstered by the kind of confidence he only completely feels when he is this wasted - Cisco is sure that it's pretty much the best collection of life hacks ever. But Lucretia had always struck him as someone who was pretty set in her ways. Not narrow-minded, never that, but stubborn.

Still, maybe that was an oversimplification. Maybe he'd misjudged. That's the thing about people - they surprise you. ]

I'm having an awesome time, we just got to the karaoke place. You should come do karaoke with us. Doing karaoke whenever you have the chance is life hack # 6, by the way. Gather ye karaokes while ye may.

[ And then he laughs, apparently believing that last bit was extremely funny. ]

gotta archive these sweet hax

[scholiast]

(Oh for sure she's stubborn, but she loves indulging people too. It's fun to talk to people about things they're passionate about, to ask them for opinions and advice. It's a good way of getting to know somebody and that's always been Lucretia's jam: finding out what makes somebody tick.

She chuckles as she quickly adds life hack number six to her new list.)

Is that so? Well, I'd better come along then, hadn't I? I haven't done karaoke in years...

(She wonders if Taako is there. Probably. That makes her want to go all the more; she misses him. That, and she's long since past the point where she would purposefully hang back at parties. Lucretia's become used to being forcefully included to the point where she genuinely wants to attend. It's either that, or suffering wicked FOMO.)

Where are you at?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco tells Lucretia the name of the bar, and some (albeit a bit confusing and garbled) directions how to get there. He has no idea that he is, possibly, being indulged, or any sense to wonder if him inviting Lucretia along might cause tension, or be an issue whatsoever. All he knows at the moment is that he's drunk, and it's his birthday, and he's going to sing some good 80s pop music, and the more people in the crowd to cheer and sing along with him, the better. ]