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gb-patch · 3 years ago

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Ask Answers: July 10th

I really let asks get away from me lately. I was super focused on working on that Patreon Moment. With that done I can finally think about doing other things, so here’s a new collection of answers!

Thank you for sending in questions everyone ^^.

For the new Patreon moment, will you be able to reference it in step 4? Or just like a tiny nod to it if you pick certain choices?

There won’t be. I’m sorry if you were hoping for that! The Patreon moment is meant to be entirely optional, it’s not something that gets you extra content in the main game.

Is the new CG artist the main one now? :0 I’ve noticed theres been a difference in the art style recently. Is the old CG artist still going to make art for the game? :0

The original artist still makes CGs for the game sometimes, but he mainly focuses on character sprites.

Are you going to put the NSFW our life moment on a website other than patreon? I would love to get it but I can't use patreon atm.

I don’t know. I'm afraid we can't release the Patreon Moment on a normal game storefront because we can't mix 18+ content with our family friendly game. If there's some other place similar to Patreon where it's not the normal type of full-scale public content releases we'd consider using that, but I’m not sure if there is another site that’s better than Patreon in that regard. I'm sorry.

Out of curiosity, in all of your games so far, which characters in each were the most fun to write? They obviously don't have to be your favorite characters!

Buffalo Seer in AFA, really everyone in XOD/XOBD is pretty equally entertaining to write, The Guide in LoV, and Cove in OL!

idk if you accept "personal" questions, but is there anything you've been watching/ listening to lately

Mostly, I’ve been watching/listening to Authortube videos as of late! It’s people who talk generally about the process of how books become traditionally published and/or share their own experience as they attempt to be published. I don’t have an interest in writing normal text based books, but it’s really interesting to hear about that world. I’m listening to a video about royalties right now as I answer these asks.

Will one of the desserts we get to pick be fudge? That'd be such a cute reference!

Haha, yeah, it should. Unless I completely blank on it and forget when trying to include the various referential food options.

I don't know if this has been asked previously but what would be the approximate heights for the presets MC can choose from Step 2 ~ 4? Are there any measurement you had in mind? Sorry if I didn't make myself clear kk I've been struggling with my English lately 💀

I don’t know, ahah. I didn’t have any numbers in mind for that. So it’s whatever you imagine it is!

I noticed a bug with the Patreon moment when it comes to what your character wears. When Jamie and Cove are kissing while my character only had dresses selected, I had both the option to remove the dress or to remove the shirt... Picking one of the options to interact with Cove, after he removed his shirt, it had Jamie remove their shirt followed by ther pants despite only having dresses picked.

Thank you for reporting ^^

I keep refreshing steam to see when the new doc for xobd will be released. I noticed you haven't posted anything about it in quite some time. Would it be possible to ask about a timeline/potential date? (If it's even this year—) I know you and your team are probably working super hard, I'm just super curious! ~Thank you!~

There are more stories done, I just haven’t gotten around to publicly releasing them. Hopefully I will have a chance to spend the time on that sooner rather than later!

hello!! i’m not sure if it’s an update but i’ve just replayed our life and at the end i can’t propose to cove anymore? :(( i’ve actually tried playing twice but the options are not there anymore, did you guys remove the options? i’m sorry if you’ve answered this before!! thank you and have a good one :)

I’m afraid things haven’t been changed or removed, so I think you might’ve accidentally picked the wrong things somewhere along the way and locked yourself out of being able to propose by mistake. Sometimes you meant to say you want to get married but instead you mis-click and have it so the MC isn’t thinking about marriage or something. All I can suggest is starting from the beginning of Step 3 and making sure to follow the steps listed in the FAQ. I’m sorry for that.

Did yall remove some of the options for when youre making out with Cove in the charity moment? I could've sworn you could grab his bonkadonk and its not there anymore

This is the same situation as the above. We didn’t remove things and you’re not wrong that there are sometimes those options. But there are various choices you have to make to get those options and it sounds like you accidentally missed something. If your relationship isn’t long-term, you can’t do it for example.

HI IM SO EXCITED I CAN FINALLY GET THE STEP 3 DLC

Thank you for getting it!

Is Shiloh super totally straight bc I’m very gay and a huge Shiloh fan, would my man make an exception?😩

Sadly, he is one of our super straight characters. I’m sorry.

Hi, I have a very dumb question. In Step 2 does Cove not wanna share his drink with us at the mall (or rather why he stops drinking it) because it's an indirect kiss? Or is it like ...weird to him to share? Because if I remember right he eats off our spoon in the birthday scene right?

Yeah, he’s awkward about it because he likes the MC and it feels very personal to share a straw with his crush.

Hi! If you don't mind me asking, who is the artist for OL2? Their style is so pretty!

Thank you for saying so! This is her Twitter- https://twitter.com/redridingheart

Do Beginnings & Always and Now & Forever exist in the same universe?

Yep! XOXO Droplets also exists in the same universe. It’s one big GB Patch world, haha.

Do Pran's parents regret the way they raised him? Do they feel ashamed of it?

No. They’re the type of people best cut out because they’re not gonna change. Which is why Pran does go very limited contact when he’s an adult.

Hi! I just wrapped up my second playthrough of Our Life, and I absolutely adore it, but I had a question. I went to the gallery and found I was missing 2 CGS (specifically Step 1-3 and 2-3) and I had no clue where they would've shown up. Which moments are those found in?

You get it by telling Cove about his dad offering you money to be his friend in Step 1 and Step 2. You can’t get both in one playthrough, since you can only tell Cove the truth once. I’m really glad you liked it!

Hi hi! Please, how tall is Baxter and Derek? Love the game so much and I can't wait to see more!

I don’t know, aha. I think Baxter was around 5′10 and Derek was like 5′8/5′9, maybe. I really am not one who has specific heights for things in mind.

is adult cove a bottom, top, or switch?

A switch, though would choose the top if he had to pick.

I was wondering if there is a way to transfer save data? Even if through the game files. I wanted to be able to transfer my save data from my desktop over to my laptop so that I could continue playing right where I left off from but I'm not entirely sure how to go about that.

If you save the save folder/persistent data of the game from your desktop and put it into the game folder on your other device, that could work.

Hi! Is it possible for us to know the date when our life: now and forever comes out on steam? Sorry if you've mentioned it before but I haven't seen it and I'm looking foward to that happening and just wanted to know :)

It’s gonna be a long time, I’m afraid. There’s no estimate right now.

I started playing Our Life with my sister a while ago, and I think you guys should know that we discovered your secret. >:)

L from death note and Cove are clearly the same person, and this whole game is just an origin story!!

I’ve never seen that show so I’m sorry to say I don’t understand the connection/reference you’re trying to make. I’m pretty out of the loop when it comes to media. I don’t watch movies or TV.

Will OL2 have options for disabled MCs?

I understand if it's too complicated, just curious

Unfortunately, it’s not really something we have a plan for. We couldn’t finish the game if we tried to include every disability and have it be meaningful. It’d just be too much content to create. But if we decide to only include a few, how would we choose which disabilities get to be represented and which are left out? I don’t know. It’ll probably have to be something we don’t include as an option again, sadly. I’m sorry.

playing our life > anything else

Haha, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

Honestly, I would like to thank Our Life for helping me come to terms with my sexuality. Before, I never would've actually thought that it was possible to like boys romantically and still be asexual. Almost all of the BL visual novels I've read had unskippable sexual content in them and it honestly just didn't click with what I feel. I'm glad I found Our Life. I love the game, the developers, and this fandom so much. Now, I can safely come out as homoromantic AND asexual (at least anonymously here anyway; my parents are still huge homophobes 😂).

Aw, it’s great to hear you felt comfortable being yourself in the game! That’s wonderful. I’m really sorry about your parents, though.

Will the demo for OL2 be on android? Really not sure if I could wait any longer than I have to aha

Yeah, it’ll be available for Android once we eventually release a demo!

Do all these reveals perhaps mean development is progressing ahead of schedule? Please let that be the case I'm already obsessed with Qiu

No, sorry, aha. Art comes along much faster than script/programming-work for us. It’s gonna be a long time before the game is a finished thing you can actually play. But at least we can look at the beautiful images.

Hey! First of all I wanna say I reallllllyyyyy loooovvveeee Our Life and XOXO Droplets! I have over 300 hours of playtime on Our Life… Anyways, I was just wondering, are the Derek and Baxter DLCs going to come out at the same time? If not, which one do you plan to release first? :3

They will come out separately and Derek will be first! Glad you like the game.

I keep replaying Our Life to get every possible iteration and I am loving it <3 I was wondering if Cove gets locked out of his confession because MC was talking to Lee, would it be possible to confess to him in step 4?

Yeah, you can avoid the confession in Step 3 and then get it in Step 4.

Hi, my Cove wears bracelets through step 2 and 3 but I still don't get an option to give him a bracelet? I didn't even know that was possible until I seen someone else ask about it lol

Hm, did you use the Cove creator? Maybe there’s a bug where using the creator to add bracelets doesn’t fulfill the requirement to give Cove a bracelet in Step 3.

Wait, I'm dense, when does Baxter appear in step 2? Is it from big park firework? I feel so bad since i really love Baxter and waiting to buy his dlc.

It’s in the Soiree Moment. You have to be just friends with Cove, indifferent, or crushing but not ask Cove to the dance at all. Then while there you can find someone new to dance with. But if you bring Cove to the dance while crushing, the MC won’t wanna dance with anyone else so you can’t get the scene.

In step 2 when we go to the soiree I made my mc go alone and baxter chooses the mc to dance, i'm curious, why did he pick the mc? sorry if this has been asked before!

Because the MC looked to be around his age, seemed to also be searching for a partner, and had nice legs. A perfect option for him.

I read some of the FAQs, and I saw that we could tell Baxter about the condo that he rented there was previously the mean old grandparents. how do we get the mc to tell him that?

It happens in the DLC Moment “Late Shift”. If you don’t have a job you instead get a longer scene with Baxter.

I don’t know if you’ve addressed this or not, but are you planning on paying voice actors for our life: now and forever?

Yeah, we pay our VAs in all our projects.

hey can i ask how you did the moments thing in ol? im trying to get into making visual novels and while im VERY sure its out of my comfort zone and all that atm i kinda wanna know just for the future, bc im p sure it would work well for something i wanna do :O but its also fine if you cant say for other reasons :>

I’m afraid I’m not sure what you mean. Are you asking how we programmed the screen or something script related? Adding Moments like that is pretty straightforward, though. You just have buttons that open to different labels and then the scripts are essentially individual short stories/vignettes. Good luck with your VN!

Since Autumn becomes gender fluid later in the game, will there be a character who remains as he/him to romance in game?

OL1 has the he/him LIs, OL2 is all about other genders.

I don't want to impose on your creative plans, but a parrot could possibly make a good pet in an OL-type game? They're pretty long-lived and likely to still be thriving by the end even if the MC got them back in step 1.

I do appreciate the suggestion, but I’m afraid it’s not likely going to happen. I understand there are technically some animals that could theoretically live long enough to last the whole game that or we could have the MC only get a pet after some years have already passed. But the many things that would have to be considered/accommodated for makes it just something we probably can’t manage adding. I’m sorry.

As time passes will we be able to see Qiu and Tamarack's other stage arts as well?

They are both so cute i can't wait to be friends with them!

Yeah, we’ll show content from other Steps in the future. It’ll be a little while from now, though.

Can you date Cove and still have your family comfort you in the car?

You can’t get Cove’s Step 3 confession scene if you have the family comfort you in the car. But that’s not the only way to date him. You can get together with him earlier in the game or later on in Step 4.

Is Mc always going to be the one walking down the aisle or could Cove do it? Also could you choose to have one of your moms walk you?

No. Cove wouldn’t want to walk down the aisle like that and the MC automatically respects that. And the MC also gets to have their preferences respected, so it’s up to you whether they want to do an aisle walk or not. You also can pick who, if anyone, walks with you.

Once step 4 is out, will you be able to go the whole game on crush/love without either of you confessing?

Yes, as long as you tell the game you don’t want to progress the relationship. Even in Step 4 it won’t force you to officially get together.

Howdy, so in Step 4, there will be any Romance with Derek that is not part of any dlc?

He’s only a friend unless you get his romance story.

Will the step 4 in OL2 be one big step or are you considering moments?

Step 4 is just an epilogue in both games.

hi kind of a weird question but!! we know tht cliff doesn't start dating again but. wht abt flings? like does he ever do 1 night stands or anything? thank u!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nope. Cliff has a very small interest in sex. If he’s not in a real relationship with a partner he’s crazy about it simply isn’t something he feels a need for, so one night stands wouldn’t even cross his mind.

sorry if you've already answered this, but i was wondering if there were plans for there to be bonus love interests in OL2 like how we have derek and baxter in OL1.

Maybe! There are side characters who could be given romance stories, but whether or not it will happen depends on funding and how long everything else takes to finish.

I don't know if i'm allowed to ask about ol2 here yet, if not u can ignore this or answer it later. My question is can you date one of them and be good friends with the other? I don't want to be strangers with the other bcs i love them both a lot :<

Yes you can!

what patreon level do i have to be to unlock the nsfw moment? im on the $5 one right now, will that give me access to the moment, or just access to the moment progress?

That’ll give you access! Tier 2 and anything higher allows the player to download it.

#our life #ask #gb patch #gb patch games #all projects #Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life: Now & Forever

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thebibliomancer · 4 years ago

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Essential Avengers: Avengers #229: FINAL CURTAIN!

March, 1983

"THIS IS IT! Henry Pym’s Last Stand Against... THE EVIL OF EGGHEAD!”

Why does this have Egg Fu energy? Obviously very much less racist but giant egg shaped head looming over things...

Please don’t grow a mustache, Egghead.

Wow, this arc has been going on for a while. With a lot of interruptions, mind.

But we had Hank rejoin the Avengers, do a bad job, build a robot to murder his friends to try to make them forget the first bad job he did, get kicked out of the Avengers, and got tricked by Egghead into committing treason and arrested. Egghead decided to take over the world via inventing eternal youth, put together a new Masters of Evil who immediately got their asses kicked, and then the Masters kidnapped Hank from his trial.

All to bring us to the Final Curtain, which is similar but legally distinct from the Final Countdown.

I’ve seen some sad Hanks but I think “framed into being a fugitive and forced to do science for his worst enemy” Hank is the saddest looking Hank.

He has a thousand yard stare WHILE carefully considering a chemical compound.

This is possibly because while he sciences, Egghead is hanging right over his shoulder being excessively chipper and calling Hank “partner.”

Hank: “I’d love to shove those words down his throat! It’s galling enough to be working for my oldest enemy, without having him call me ‘partner.’”

Guy also puts his hand on Hank’s shoulder chum-style and offers to get him some breakfast while Hank probably fantasizes about making scrambled eggs.

Later that morning, over in New Orleans, Monica Rambeau!

I’m still very hype about Monica Rambeau finally being in this book.

She’s sitting around in her nice home watching the news about the trial and the “dramatic escape” of Hank Pym and also Iron Man has disappeared. That’s on the news too.

Monica: “Uh-oh! I don’t like the sound of that! A disappearance, now of all times, by any of the regular Avengers could mean heavy trouble! Someone’s bound to accuse them of helping in Dr. Pym’s escape! It might not be a bad idea to look in on my new friends -- as Captain Marvel!”

She nyooms light speed from New Orleans to the Avengers Mansion.

Inside, Cap and Thor are discussing how neither Iron Man or Tony Stark have been seen in nearly a week. And Cap is worried because its not like Tony.

But he has to stop talking when Monica comes in because she’s not in on the secret.

Captain Marvel: “Hi, hope I’m not interrupting anything. I thought I’d drop by and... well... see how everyone was doing.”

Thor: “In truth, woman, the Avengers have known happier times.”

Captain America: “I’m afraid Thor’s right, Captain. A former Avenger’s disgrace is national news. Iron Man’s vanished. And the She-Hulk may be no more. Things... aren’t good.”

Monica is kind of taken aback by this because “These are two of the most capable men I’ve ever met! If they’re feeling down and out, what hope is there for the rest of us?”

Meanwhile, in specifically the second-floor study, Hawkeye is sitting with Jennifer Walters Not-Hulk and the Wasp.

And Hawkeye is surprised that She-Hulk’s other self is “so small and... fragile.”

Wasp is trying to reassure Jen that they want to help her but Jen is feeling helpless.

Jen: “I-I know that, Janet. .. B-b-but I still feel so helpless. Things seemed different when I was the She-Hulk! She could handle everything -- or so I thought! She didn’t do much against the Radioactive Man, did she? One blast of charged gamma rays from him, and my life as the She-Hulk was a thing of the past!”

I mean, I wouldn’t say not much. She-Hulk tossed Radioactive Man around pretty easily before the gamma blast.

Wasp tells her that the gamma-charge must have worn off by this point but Jen is too afraid to try again because she can’t face the thought of another failure and what that might mean.

She kiiiiinda blew up her life back in California to go be She-Hulk full-time. The comic doesn’t point this out but I am. She kinda blew off her supporting cast and law career to go on a cross-country trip and then moved to New York for brunch and Avengers.

Wasp is called away by Jarvis, who says there’s an urgent caller for her, leaving Jen alone with Hawkeye.

... Which, may have been a bad idea or at least a very hilarious one.

Hawkeye: “I can’t believe what’s happening to the Avengers! We’ve had bad breaks before, but this -- ! Even ol’ Cap’s been looking like one of the walkin’ wounded! I need to do something to get us back on our feet! Maybe I can start with the little lady.”

Y’know, Captain Marvel and Hawkeye both noting how dire things are feeling around the Mansion is doing a really good job at selling this as one of their darkest moments.

Nobody ever talks about this as one of those moments but the comic is making a good case for it.

At the front door the urgent matter is! SCOTT LANG!

Sight for sore eyes!

He’s here on an errand for Mr. Stark. But unfortunately he also has no idea where Tony has gotten.

Scott Lang: “All of Stark International’s in an uproar! First, Mr. Stark asks me to finish up one of his rush projects for the Avengers -- something he never does! Then he and that iron-clad bodyguard of his pull a disappearing act! And now, the tube is full of news about Hank Pym running off with something called the Masters of Evil! Wasp... what’s going on?”

Wasp: “I honestly don’t know, Scott! Sometimes I’d swear that the whole world is falling apart on us!”

Hey! More dialogue really selling how dire things are!

Scott gives her the project Tony had him complete and tells Wasp that Tony told him that Cap would know about it.

Which indicates that Scott finished this project and doesn’t know what it is or does. Wow.

He also offers to change into Ant-Man and lend a hand but Wasp hurries him out the door and slams it behind him.

Which is a rude way to treat a Scott Lang but in Wasp’s defense she couldn’t bear seeing someone dressed as Ant-Man when she has all these Hank feelings.

Captains America and Marvel and also Thor wander in. Cap(tain America) is telling Monica that there’s nothing they can do until they get a lead on Hank’s whereabouts.

Wasp, who was just handed a thing and told that Cap would know about it, hands it to Cap and asks him if it would be any help.

Cap(tain America) recognizes it as the miniaturized version of the cerebral scanner helmet that Tony was working on.

Captain America: “It was Iron Man’s theory that Hank’s recent problems were due to preset commands Moondragon had telepathically planted in his mind. This helmet was supposed to check that out. Now... I guess we’ll never get a chance to use it.”

This defeatism is finally a defeatism too far for Monica who blows up at the Avengers.

Captain Marvel: “Hey, just a darned minute! Is this the Avengers that I’m supposed to be joining, or an encounter group? I can’t believe what I’m seeing! Look, I know you’ve been through an emotional wringer for the past couple of months, but you can’t let it get to you like this! You folks don’t get much press west of the Hudson River, but what little word that does filter out is filled with awe! You’re the Avengers! You’re legends -- every one of you! You’ve probably saved this poor world more times than anyone can even guess! And you can pull through this crisis, too! But not if you keep acting the way you’ve been!”

Huh, more of a ‘dare to be badass’ than a real dressing down.

Also, its so weird that the Avengers are simultaneously a weird New York thing and also known for saving the world multiple times.

Thor, as Thor do when anyone dares to criticize him, gets indignant but Wasp interrupts that whole impending shouting match and asks what Captain Marvel has in mind.

(This is why Wasp is a good leader, by the by)

Captain Marvel says they should try to look at things from another angle. What if, and hear her out, what if Hank really was set up by Egghead like he claimed to be before the trial?

Egghead is dead? THE AVENGERS FIGHT PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN ASSUMED DEAD A LOT, YOU GUYS.

Geez, where has Monica been? She’s a breath of fresh thought on this team.

Monica also has another galaxy brain idea. Slash probably turn of phrase that inspires a galaxy brain idea. Like in a mystery where an innocuous statement cracks the whole thing WIDE OPEN.

Captain Marvel: “And this man you caught -- the Shocker -- the one who claims that Pym reorganized the Masters of Evil to free him -- maybe he’s the one who’s crazy, instead of Dr. Pym! Maybe it’s the Shocker who should have his head examined!”

And Cap(tain America) is like hey I just got this head examining helmet from Tony!

Meanwhile, in the second floor study, Hawkeye has decided to Help.

Be afraid.

Nah, just funning.

Look, this is all perfectly in character for Hawkeye and for Hulks in general. He’s just going to be extremely rude (he has trained his whole life for this) and make fun of Jen until something happens.

And he is pretty rude.

So rude that she smeks him across the face. But because she hasn’t had her Jen training arc yet, Hawkeye just laughs at her.

So she hits him again.

Hawkeye: “My, my! Both cheeks slapped and I’m still on my feet! Is that the best you can do, She-Wimp?”

Then he laughs and laughs and gets punched out of the room by a furious She-Hulk.

He quickly begs for peace, claiming he didn’t mean what he said.

So in the end, all she needed to break the mental block preventing her from turning into She-Hulk was Hawkeye being even more obnoxious than usual.

He does have his uses. Shoots arrow, pisses people off, apparently fun to be around??

Its hard to imagine future burned out trash-fire Clint Barton doing this. He’s much more mellow in how he’s obnoxious now. Although, he roasted Tony Stark good in the Freefall mini.

Y’know, She-Hulk and Hawkeye are friends later. And I don’t know if that’s because She-Hulk becomes everyone’s friend when she moves into more fun party She-Hulk territory. But I can also imagine that despite not liking each other much to begin with, She-Hulk and Hawkeye just grow on each other.

When Wasp praises Jen for being able to transform again, She-Hulk admits that Hawkeye helped.

Then Cap tells them to stop goofing, they’ve got business.

And the business is at the federal lock-up.

The Avengers want to use Tony Stark’s special cerebral scanner helmet on Shocker. His lawyer is like hell no. Shocker himself is like I’m down for whatevs.

Shocker: “Hey, if they want to plunk that pressure cooker on my noggin, it’s okay by me! I’m facing a pretty stiff federal rap, after all. I’m willing to cooperate. It doesn’t bother me. If I passed the polygraph test, I can pass this!”

The lawyer still protests so She-Hulk whips out some of her ol’ legal expertise. Which she is not licensed to practice in a professional capacity in the state of New York.

She-Hulk: “Your boy was caught participating -- in either a kidnapping or an escape -- in full view of witnesses. He’s in big trouble. The scanner helmet will tell us if he’s been manipulated by outside forces. And cancel any mental blocks or false memories. Now, wouldn’t you like to go into court with something that could prove your client was used against his will?”

... I’m baffled that this new technology whose inventor has gone missing could just easily be used as evidence in court.

Like, on who’s word are they saying that this device works? Has it been vouched by anyone? How do they even know that it works at all? It was finished by Scott Lang who is a good electrical engineer but didn’t know what he was working on!

But if I can believe a man can fly, I’ll buy this.

And its funny, Shocker goes from ‘yeah I doubt this will mean anything’ to immediately remembering and spilling the beans that he was set up by Egghead.

Which means that he’s alive and Hank’s defense has merit. God damn!

I like that the cerebral helmet does factor into the plot, even if in an unexpected way. Poor, disappeared Tony Stark’s feverish throwing himself into this project out of a guilty drive to help Hank will help Hank, in some way!

Meanwhile, in the secret and sinister suburban lair of Egghead’s Masters of Evil, Hank Pym brushes off his hands and goes ‘yup I’ve finished inventing your eternal life machine, can I go now?’

Egghead and the Masters call BS because its been three days. No way did Hank already finish the machine. Egghead was thinking it would be months of research before Hank could even begin working on a design.

Hank: “Admittedly, I was lucky in stumbling upon a breakthrough in micro-cellular reconstruction. But then, you did bring me here to produce results. That’s what I’ve done.”

Moonstone asks how close an eye Egghead kept on Hank, since Egghead is the only one truly familiar with the project.

The answer is: not very!

So now they’re worried that if they plug someone into the device, it’ll just kill them.

Tiger Shark goes ‘hey lets just test it on Hank’ and Hank goes ‘yeah whatever.’

Hank: “I stand behind my work 100%. I’ll be your guinea pig, if you’re all so afraid of gaining a long and vital life!”

Egghead: “Don’t use that tone with me, Henry Pym! I think I might enjoy using you as a guinea pig! Strap him in, boys -- good and tight!”

Tiger Shark, whose idea this was in the first place, suddenly considers ‘what if this is a long and weird way for Hank to commit suicide?’ but Hank says he would have ended it three days ago if he was that tired of living.

Egghead: (He’s right. As dispirited as Pym has been, he never became suicidal. Despite all the travails I put him through, I was never able to break him that completely. Pity. Perhaps I’ll try again... after the test.)

GOOD GRIEF EGGHEAD

I know that you’re evil and petty but geez that’s a new low.

Then again, this is the guy who blew up his niece’s arm out of spite.

So, yeah, driving to suicide the guy that made your eternal youth technology possible is about what I’d expect of you, Egghead.

The worst.

When they have Hank strapped into the longevity machine and switch it on, Hank starts to glow.

Which is probably not what is supposed to happen.

Also what is not supposed to happen, the machine creates a force field around Hank.

And also overrides the guidance systems in Beetle’s armor, making him fly all over the place bonking into stuff.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this isn’t actually a longevity machine!

No, in fact, Hank Pym played them all by going ‘yeah sure throw me into the briar patch, I don’t give a shit.’

Tiger Shark tries to rip Hank out of the machine but gets thrown away with a ZZAKK.

Moonstone tries her luck too.

Moonstone: “Your electrified field is very effective against brute force, doctor -- but can it resist a high-intensity laser blast?”

-it does-

Hank: “You tell me!”

The sass!

The lasers deflect off the field joining the bouncing Beetle in destroying the lab.

Egghead has duck and covered beneath a table and demands one of the Masters stop Hank.

A call to action that Radioactive Man takes up, charging the machine.

Radioactive Man: “You are even more capable than I thought, Dr. Pym. But your miraculous fields will not long withstand the power of my nuclear heat!”

Hank: “Probably not! But it doesn’t have to! I’ve had days to prepare defenses against all of you!”

Cadmium-plated tentacles come out of the machine and grab Radioactive Man.

Geez, really nobody was making sure Hank wasn’t up to anything so he got away with everything!

The cadmium dampens Radioactive Man’s radioactive so Hank uses him to knock out Tiger Shark.

Ah, yes. I do love a good grievous harm with a body instance.

Moonstone: “Incredible! Together, we possess nearly as much raw power as the Avengers themselves -- and yet one man has nearly overcome us in a matter of minutes!”

And since she’s Moonstone and practically the only supervillain who knows when to fold ‘em, she tries to skedaddle.

But Hank also built disruption stunners into the not-longevity machine’s manacles, like the ones he used as Yellowjacket, and he blasts Moonstone as she tries to flee.

Leaving Egghead to gape that Hank has singlehandedly defeated his Masters of Evil!

MEANWHILE, up in suburbia, the Avengers!

Remember them? They’re the title of the book.

Shocker spilled the beans to the Avengers because, honestly, fuck Egghead for using him as a patsy. So the Avengers and some copspolice have assembled outside Egghead’s secret house.

The cops are to evacuate the neighborhood in case the Avengers need to do a big punch-up.

Caring about bystanders, a thing that the Avengers do some of the times.

The Avengers also got the house plans from the county records office because they’re doing this raid right.

Problem is, they’re unlikely to be accurate because they don’t have an evil lair listed on them.

So Cap and Wasp are strategizing, planning to surround the house and work their way in slowly and quietly so the Masters don’t use Hank as a hostage.

Then everything explodes. And by everything, I mean the yard of the house.

Beetle burst out from underground, completely ruining the lawn and flies around out of control.

He warns the Avengers that he can’t control his flight and tells them to look out.

The Avengers mostly jump out of the way.

Mostly.

Thor just stands still with his hammer held out for Beetle to run into so hard that Mjolnir seems to disappear.

Beetle falls to the ground, all momentum instantly converted into horrific agony.

Like seriously. He’s going to be feeling that forever. No wonder he later jumps at the chance to flip good, rather than ever experience that again.

Wasp and Cap(tain America), strategy geniuses, decide that at this point, stealth is pointless but Hawkeye is way ahead of them.

I don’t see him in the panel where the Avengers scatter or in the panel where Beetle is falling off Thor’s fist so I think that the instant the ground exploded Hawkeye was like ‘this hole was made for me’ and immediately jumped down it to leeroy jenkins the rescue Hank plan.

Its a very him thing to do.

Plus, as he muses to himself, he has his own score to settle with Egghead.

I.e., that time that Egghead killed his brother Barney Barton. The crime brother? From the time we learned that Hawkeye actually had a name?

That time.

At the bottom of the exit wound Beetle left in the house, Hawkeye peeps in and is astounded to find the Masters of Evil lying defeated in various heaps with Hank Pym standing victorious over them, casually unhooking himself from the not-longevity machine.

As Hawkeye watches, Hank tells Egghead that he can come out of hiding because its all over.

And then delivers a massive ‘the reason you suck’ speech to Egghead, which coming from Hank Pym is doubly biting because Hank Pym knows what a trashfire he’s made of his own life and still says Egghead is worse.

Hank Pym: “I did a pretty good job of screwing up my life recently. You just about finished the job for me! You used me, Egghead... and you tried to make me criminal! But you couldn’t. You see, I’ve come to terms with myself in the past month. I know who I am, and who I’m not! I’m not Ant-Man anymore. I’m not Giant-Man... or Goliath... or Yellowjacket! I’m Henry Pym!

“And it was Henry Pym who beat the Masters of Evil! You, Egghead... you turned to crime because you thought your scientific knowledge made you better than everyone else... put you above the law! But you were wrong. You weren’t above the law, and you weren’t better! I’m the better scientist... I just proved that!”

“I assembled the pieces of your downfall -- right under your nose!”

Egghead takes exception to being told how much he sucks, and leaps at Hank to, I guess, try to beat him up, saying he hasn’t beaten Egghead yet.

So Hank beats Egghead yet.

Hank: “Oh... I was hoping you’d try that!”

After all that Hank’s been through in this vague arc and at the hands of Egghead, it is very satisfying to effortlessly turn the tables on the villains, deck Egghead, and prove that while he has spotty success as a superhero, he’s no villain.

This vague arc has broken Hank down to nothing. He ruined his marriage, his superhero career, abandoned his science career as fruitless. He was broke, so desperate as to take a loan from his arch-nemesis. Framed for treason and left to pay for Egghead’s adamantium scheme. Sent to jail and derided as worse than the supervillains there. Worse for having fallen from grace. Gave up winning back his wife after seeing her date one of his friends. Abandoned hope for anything but to win back his dignity and good name in a court of law. Had that taken from him as well.

And stripped of absolutely everything, Hank Pym proved that he is one of the finest scientists in Marvel, a crafty SOB, and owner of a dynamite right hook.

Then with Egghead sprawled on the floor, Hank turns to leave.

But Egghead is a petty, petty, evil, evil man. That hasn’t stopped being a thing so he pulls out a science gun to shoot Hank in the back.

Hawkeye jumps out of the beetle hole and shoots an arrow in the barrel of the science gun, making the science gun backfire kirby krackle.

Hawkeye: “Brother, that was close -- but everything’s gonna be okay now, Hank! We have all the evidence we need to clear you and put that creep behind bars!”

Hank: “Egghead won’t be serving any time, Hawkeye. He’s dead.”

DUN DUN DUN

Hawkeye, you’ve become a killer! And it didn’t even take a Bendis to drive you to it!

Well, maybe a man-slaughterer...

Follow @essential-avengers because I bring you the good Hank Pym content. The Hank Pym punching Egghead content. The best content. Also like and reblog, possibly. For the Hawkeye man-slaughtering Egghead content.

#Avengers #Egghead #Masters of Evil #Hank Pym #essential avengers #essential marvel liveblogging #Captain America #Captain Marvel #monica rambeau #Thor #she hulk #the Wasp #Hawkeye #somehow a very effective and helpful person in this issue #Thor is the world's most effective speedbump #Iron Man helps from off panel #don't mess with Hank Pym

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salmankhanholics · 4 years ago

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★ Randeep Hooda Interview!

May 12, 2021

Amid this crisis, your film Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai is releasing. It has waited a year to see this day. Did you feel restless and impatient at any point, during this waiting period?

Well, as an artiste, you don’t have much control over the timing of a film’s release. There are bigger problems at hand and people are suffering a lot more than a film not making it to theatres on a preset date. So, one does not feel much about it being delayed. In the past, I have been guilty of preparing for a film for two-three years, and after that, things didn’t move. So, waiting is okay for me. During the last wave of the pandemic, my international project Extraction released and I was happy that we were able to entertain people and take their minds off a gloomy situation temporarily. Around the same time this year, we have Radhe... it doesn’t matter if it’s a year late. You have worked with Salman Khan before and there seems to be a certain ease when you appear on the screen together. Whether you play the villain, his coach, or someone chasing him — there is an unmissable camaraderie there. Salman and I have hung out together and we have a friendship that goes back years. We get along well and I really like the guy. There is a camaraderie there which exists off-screen, too. I am very happy with my collaborations with Salman. I was chasing him in Kick, I trained him in Sultan and I am now testing him in Radhe... I think this progression was all planned by him (laughs!). The camaraderie on screen works out well when both the actors concentrate on their parts. Radhe... is an action entertainer and a story of cleaning the city of a drug ring, something that was being talked about last year. I worked with a cool action team from Korea and a team from the South, which, I would agree, is quite a blend. Prabhudeva keeps it simple and it’s not taxing to work with him. It’s a quintessential story about the good and bad guy and how the bad guy is taken down. At this stage in your career, with 20 years and numerous roles in movies across genres, what do you seek in a prospective film? There are many reasons I would say yes to a film — it has to primarily offer something new and exciting for me to do. I don’t like repeating myself. Of course, working with friends is an incentive. A scale like that of Extraction is something that also ticks a box. Primarily, I seek a story that should be something worthy of my time. I have worked with over 20 new directors in my career, so that has never been a constraint. At this stage in my career, with a few experiences in the past, the rest of the people attached to a film also matter a lot now. I have had many movies which didn’t get the perception and the release that they deserved. Digital platforms have opened doors for actors to break new grounds, while the content is assessed purely on its merit. With Extraction, and now, Radhe..., which releases simultaneously on OTT, does the medium hold more appeal for you?

The longer format is interesting indeed, and I am doing a show, too. But the long format shooting is a new thing for me, and I don’t know yet if I am excited. Shooting for one show is like filming three-four films. This is a new territory and no doubt that new things are being explored. But I am not switching to the digital platform entirely. I still have that excitement about watching a film and being collectively infected with people’s energies in a cinema hall. That medium is still something! Over my career of two decades, I have delved into all sorts of roles across genres — villain, hero, satellite character — the work involved is the same in all these. I have to be truthful to the script, and the rest will happen. A lot of content comes my way, and some of it really excites me. I have enough on my plate to keep me busy; in fact, dates sometimes are an issue now. But I have a good blend on my table. Lastly, in the pandemic, many actors have made their relationships formal and tied the knot. Have you been thinking on those lines? Well, I am in the process, I guess. That’s all. That’s my answer — we are all progressing in life and let’s see where it takes us.

Excerpt from interview

#salman khan #radhe #interview #radhe interview #Randeep Hooda #Randeep interview

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antonradke-music · 4 years ago

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DJ’s: YOU AREN’T PRODUCERS. TAKE THAT WORD OUT OF YOUR SOCIAL BIOS.

Possibly controversial opinion:

TLDR: DJ's: If you're not posting original music, edits, remixes, or anything of the sort. Please don't put "producer" in your SoundCloud bio. It's alot like that guy in High School who would say "Yea man I play guitar, I shred like, all the time" then you hand him a guitar and he just starts goin ham with a poorly executed and under-practiced "Smoke on the Water" or "Enter Sandman" opening riff. On repeat. The entire time he plays. Except with DJ/Producers you can't just hand someone a laptop to "hear them shred on a DAW" so its alot easier to get away with in our EDM world.

FULL RANT: There is a huge difference between "DJ" and "Producer" and there isn't a single thing wrong with just being a "DJ" and not both. People still need and want DJ mixes. There's zero shame in admitting that you don't, or don't know how to, produce music.

It only bugs me (and to be clear, it doesn't even bug me all that much) coz producers like myself and my friends spend countless hours learning and mastering our craft, so that title of "producer" is somewhat earned in my opinion. You can't just download a DAW and say "I'm a producer" if you've never once truly used it.

Producers create. DJ's mix. If your SC page is only mixes, you're a DJ. If your SC page contains original content/music you created yourself, then there's nothing wrong with adding that "producer" bit in your bio. Even if what you're posting is ID's, WIPs, ideas, bootlegs, etc. It doesn't need to be fully finished and mastered music. If you created it, you produced it, you are a producer on some level (beginner/intermediate/TUNE GOD, etc)

If you're a DJ now, and are just now learning to produce, just wait until you start posting/uploading your tunes. THEN add that fabled "producer" title to your socials.

I'm also not alone. Myself and several of my producer friends have expressed at least some frustration towards the DJ's that both call themselves a producer in their socials and even (sometimes) out in public. It can definitely be a "wtf" moment (and this has literally happened to me before) when you are talking to someone, be it an Entertainment/Booking manager or a bigger DJ, telling them about your music and your work. Then another DJ shows up and starts doing the same. But you know that person, and you're aware of the fact that they've never made a tune or have even tried to start learning.

Now there's the possibility that someone who's never worked on tunes in their life could get the credit or booking that you were working so hard for, and they didn't spend a minute doing the same. They just happen to be VERY good at talking to promoters, knowing what they want to hear, and manipulating the truth to fit a narrative that will get them hired or booked. And this has happened to me. They ended up getting a better time slot than me as they grossly exaggerated their SoundCloud stats, and played a song to the promoter by an underground artist claiming that it was their own. I kept my mouth shut. I should have spoken up, but I didn't think his ploy would work and I was new to that particular local scene, I wanted to avoid burning bridges or looking salty/bad. His set ended up being really rough, he'd lied about knowing CDJ gear (he didn't), spent an hour trainwrecking almost every transition, the dance floor was empty by the end of his set, he left the venue in a hurry afterwards and I've never seen him since.

Unfortunately it's not like many local event managers actually care. They just want a good DJ, and they'll often believe you if you tell them you're more than just a DJ. They likely don't have a reason to doubt you, and often don't care enough to check the validity of those claims. Or maybe they don't even know the difference between "DJ" and "Producer"

So in in summary: DJ's. You're not producers. Not unless you make your own music/Unless you are a creator. And just for the record, opening a DAW, playing with Serum for a few minutes, and tossing a few loops into a bus/channel doesn't count. Take the time to learn properly how to write progressions/melodies, program sequences, mix-down your track elements, structure your tune and bonus points for doing it all without presets (learn sound design) and without loops (learn drum & pattern sequencing) If you have that DAW installed, you're already sooo much farther ahead than tons of others in your position. Hit up YouTube for some tutorials and you're on your way!

In Conclusion: Please. Please. PLEASE don't take credit for the kind of work producers spend up to 10-15 hours a track doing (my average time to finish a song entirely). You could cost a talented soul a gig or time slot they've been busting their asses for for years. There really isn't anything wrong with being JUST a DJ. Its a good thing, and still a valid and useful skillset with tons of work/gig opportunities. I played plenty of gigs before I really started calling myself a "producer". You may not get the best timeslots as compared to producers. But be honest with yourself, you could be a fantastic DJ, but who most deserves good timeslots at events? The guys with something to promote. A product to offer. And that product is their creative content/music/whatever. And that guy could be you, you just need to take the time to learn and work hard at honing your craft and skillsets.

Soooo take "producer" out of your bio if all you're posting is mixes and mashups. And if your bio says it, or you identify as a Producer, you better expect me to fuckin test you on it cause I will. Immediately. And if you don’t pull a home made, non-plagiarizing, ORIGINAL piece of creative expression/content out of your ass in that very moment then I swear to Cthulhu I will perform a social/career crucifixion (alot like “social/career suicide” except I do it to you) on you. Your ‘music career’ ends right there on the spot, ESPECIALLY if you play some underground artist and act like its your music and take credit for it. That’s just so far from ok. And I WILL notice. I was an underground non commercial radio DJ for over 2 years. and a lifelong enthusiast all around. Trust me. I will know. So just be honest with yourself, and others. Please, and thank you.

- Signed, bedroom producers the world over.

PS - I’m SERIOUS guys. I won't stay silent next time. If I see a DJ try to take credit for another artists work (especially while talking to promoters, and especially taking credit for underground artists work) I will shut that shit down instantly. I will ensure they're instacancelled on the spot and won't play a gig in that area ever again. Plagiarism is NOT COOL. Don't plagiarize. Seriously. You will never have a career in music if you make Plagiarism a part of your “strategy for success” in the music industry. And I will personally work towards ensuring that. (example: I still to this day convert people to the cancellation of DJ Bl3nd. That POS blatantly ripped off so many artists, and is a perfect PERFECT example of a DJ claiming to be a producer. But isn’t. AND he used plagiarism + ghost producers COMBINED to make it seem like he was a producer) I don’t care if you do end up learning to produce after the fact and start making decent tunes.. If you plagiarize and try to use it to advance your career, I will do everything I can to stop you. For ever.

P.P.S. - For those of you DJ's who are learning to produce, don't take any offense to this rant its not directed at you guys, and please PLEASE don't get discouraged. You're likely not even applicable to this rant as you're actually working towards the title. So let me help you in that, below this text I'll be linking a few awesome YouTube producer channels who upload educational music/producer content. As well as some links to great sample/drum kits and more useful tools to help in your learning curve. I am also always available for producing tips and advice, just send me a direct message or comment on this post and I'll give you the best answer from my own experience/abilities/knowledge. Thanks for taking the time to read this ridiculous and stupidly long rant. I hope you can see where I’m coming from. And I’m sure many actual producers can agree with a lot of my points and reasoning. Have a good one. Peep my tunes if you have some time. Peace and deuces to all! -Anton Radke

www.soundcloud.com/antonradke www.facebook.com/antonradkemusic booking/collabs/commissions/general inquiries/demos: [email protected]

Resources and tools for learning producers: Some production education channels on YouTube that I highly recommend:

Dylan Tallchief has some fantastic tutorials for many different EDM genres which cover more than just production. He talks in depth about music theory, sound design. All of it. He shows how to use both Ableton and FL Studio. HIGHLY RECOMMMEND this channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIu2Fj4x_VMn2dgSB1bFyQA

For rap/hip-hop producers, I recommend watching videos made by these two gentlemen:

Praxi Plays covers tons of genres/sub genres, and different styles of commercial, and less than commercial rap/hip hop music. He teaches using FL Studio:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAE7Doxo5WQRjLPz7JYa7Fw If you prefer darker, more underground rap music, or just less than commercial stuff in general, Based Gutta covers tons of styles of rap beats from the underground rap culture. He’s great, and also pretty hilarious. Also uses FL Studio. Oh and he does Lo-Fi stuff a whole lot as well:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTrrlfsv-5IBQ1SgPBawT3w

COMPOSERILY is also a good one. But a lot less serious. His videos are definitely more parody and satire than anything, but there’s still lots you can learn from watching him. Tons of useful stuff in his videos. He also does both Ableton and FL Studio depending on the song/artist he’s trying to sound like.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Ujq8PBm0MWraaXd8MsIAQ

For drums and other samples, I highly recommend getting a Splice Account. Its incredible So many options! And you can download individual sounds. You don’t have to download an entire sample pack if you just want one kick drum that it happens to have which is great. A good brokeboi alternative would be Looperman. Its basically a discount/Wal-Mart level “Splice” style service but free.

www.Splice.com

www.looperman.com

Some useful sample kits I recommend getting for the sake of drum sequencing/programming:

XFER Pack by Steve Duda and deadmau5 (great for house and 4/4 edm genres)

BIGHEAD Sample Pack by BigHead (available on Splice) [great for trap/rap/hiphop]

literally ANY vengeance or cymatics sample pack will also be a great choice for practically any type of bass music. Face it. Bass music drums are boring and are all almost IDENTICAL from song to song (with the exception of the kick drum) so any Vengeance or Cymatics dubstep sample kit will do you justice here.

VSTs to consider: EDM: Sylenth1 (must have), Razor (underrated), Massive, Serum (must have), U-He Diva, Nexus (overrated but useful), Dblue Glitch, DBlue Tapestop, Engineers Filter (free, amazing Equalizer. deadmau5 approved), CamelCrusher, OTT (overrated but useful), Cthulhu (MIDI sequencer programmed by deadmau5, hella cool but confusing)

Rap Music VSTs to consider: Omnisphere. that’s it. I’m not kidding. A talented producer armed with Omnisphere, and a decent drum sample kit, who is very good at sampling and writing melody/progression can create THOUSANDS of Grammy worthy rap/trap beats without even once reusing an Omnisphere preset. Its like Nexus. Except it truly doesn’t suck, and is worth the absurd price tag.

-Anton Radke www.soundcloud.com/antonradke www.facebook.com/antonradkemusic booking/collabs/commissions/general inquiries/demos: [email protected]

#edm #DJ #producer #house music #bass music #dubstep bass #bass #festivals #concerts #clubs #shows #music #music industry #plagiarism

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inspired-by-the-music · 5 years ago

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Your Fool (Jonghyun)

requested by my shinee anon! requests are encouraged, please read my guidelines before submitting your request

Genre: fluff, kinda humorous

Word Count: 1406

Note: this is a part of my ongoing shinee drabbles storyline! to get the full impact of the story, I suggest that you read the other installments.

You knew Jonghyun was excited to talk to the other SHINee members on the radio; that was all he talked about for weeks.

“Just promise you’ll listen, okay, Y/N?” Jonghyun begged, looking up at you from the foot of the bed. “Even if you’re busy, please listen.”

“Alright, Jjong.” You smiled as you rubbed his shoulders tenderly. “I promise— even if I’m really busy, I’ll listen to you and the guys.”

You were on the bus home after work when your phone alarmed you— with both a preset reminder and an enthusiastic text from Jonghyun— that the radio program was about to start.

By the time you fished tangled headphones out of your purse and plugged them into your phone, you were instantly greeted by Jonghyun’s laughter. That sound alone convinced you to abandon your planned relaxing evening at home. You couldn’t stop imagining how Jonghyun would smile if you visited him at the radio station, so even though the trip would lengthen your bus ride, you decided to chase the daydream.

However, shortly into the broadcast, you noticed something was off about the guys. Jinki could barely finish a sentence before being interrupted harshly by Minho, and Taemin had talked three times at the most. And you could tell from how quickly and delicately Jonghyun frequently changed the topics, the conversation was much more tense in person.

Despite Jonghyun’s attempts to keep the peace at least until the end of the program, Key finally demanded, “Yah! What’s the matter with you three?” after Minho’s most recent outburst.

When granted the opportunity to openly air his grievances, Minho remained silent, and Jinki made no efforts to defend himself. Taemin, on the other hand, immediately answered, “Minho keeps kicking me under the table because, obviously, he wasn’t satisfied with kicking me in the face the other day.”

Ignoring Key’s stifled laughter, Minho retorted, “I told you that was an accident. I’m only kicking you now because I know who you’re texting, and you should be paying attention to our conversation!” “This isn’t the time for all this arguing,” Jonghyun spoke into his microphone over the chaos. You could imagine him running a frustrated hand through his hair.

Key seconded, “I agree, you guys should cut it out, but I have two questions. First, why was Taemin kicked in the face? And second, how does that explain the tension between Minho and Onew?”

“Taemin was kicked in the face because he was being a sneak,” Minho explained shortly.

Jonghyun reminded, “I thought you said it was an accident.” “It was.” And without further comment on the Taemin incident, Minho said, “Onew ruined my anniversary. Would you believe that he walked into a restaurant— for a date I arranged with my girlfriend’s friend— and gave my name to the hostess when he realized he needed a reservation?”

You couldn’t fathom the glare Key must have received for laughing. As if to apologize, Key said, “I mean— I can believe it, but I don’t think it was right or anything.”

“It gets worse,” Minho assured. “By now anyone who follows any kind of celebrity news knows hat Onew acted like— actually, I don’t even know the word to explain how clumsy he was. But he did all of that in my name, so I can never make a reservation at that five star restaurant again!”

“That’s not so bad.” Jonghyun spoke softly. “You don’t have to go to a nice restaurant to have a romantic date.”

“That’s not the point! What he did was selfish, and he hasn’t even apologized!”

Jinki finally spoke, “Hey! I did say I was sorry!”

“Yeah! And then you concluded with some bullshit about how you would do it all again to see that girl smile at you!”

You recognized Jonghyun’s furious breath. “Yah! Watch your language!” He scolded, and you wondered if he swatted at Minho. “And since this has turned into some weird conversation about this scandal— I don’t think what Onew did was that bad. Sometimes when you really like someone, your mind goes a little blank, and you do dumb things to make them happy.”

“Yeah!” Taemin agreed eagerly, as if speaking from experience. Then, like a child seeking guidance, he asked, “Jonghyun, have you done anything like that with Y/N?”

You blushed at the mention of your name.

“Of course,” Jonghyun answered immediately. Then, through laughter, he clarified, “I mean, I never stole anyone’s dinner reservations, and I’ve never wrecked a five star restaurant.”

Jinki interrupted with a sarcastic “Thanks Jonghyun, I’m grateful for your support,” which earned laughter from everyone, even Minho.

“So what embarrassing thing did you do with Y/N” Key asked.

“Ah. . . Y/N, I know you’re listening, so promise you’ll still love me after this.” Following encouragement from his members, Jonghyun began, “So, you all know Y/N wrote a book—”

Minho jumped at the opportunity to tease, “How could we ever forget? You were obsessed with it.”

“Wasn’t that before you started dating?” Taemin questioned.

Jinki corrected in a wise tone, “That was before they even met.”

“Right,” Jonghyun verified. “So I was recommending it to everyone. And I ended up going to one of her book signings. I was wearing a mask to avoid causing a scene. I had this whole little speech prepared about how much I loved her art and how it moved me. But when I finally got up there, she recognized me by my eyes.”

Key hummed, “That’s romantic,” and you smiled at Jonghyun’s retelling of the beginning of your love story.

“She asked if I was Jonghyun, and I nodded, so she started gushing about how I’m her favorite artist. She was saying all these beautiful things about how sometimes I’m all she can stand to listen to when she’s lonely— and I was so close to crying, I completely forgot my speech. So I ended up reciting something Key said about the book-”

“Yah!” Key suddenly yelped, causing you to falter as you stepped off the bus. “So you mean Y/N is supposed to love me?”

“No!” Jonghyun disagreed instantly. “We were already in love! We were just soulmates who hadn’t met yet!”

Minho grumbled, “Well, that’s still not the same as Onew stealing my reservations.”

“My point is— wait, I just thought of a better example. For Y/N’s birthday, her mom sent these beautiful flowers to our apartment. And I woke up early to make breakfast and to check the mail and all that, so I was the one who brought the flowers in. Y/N walked into the room and assumed I bought the flowers. She looked so pretty, I couldn’t think clearly enough to explain that her Mom sent them.”

“You’re being too mushy,” Jinki groaned.

“Yah! This is what happens when you love someone!” Jonghyun defended himself but laughed nonetheless. “Anyway, then her mom called to ask if the flowers arrived safely, but Y/N was like—” Jonghyun cleared his throat and mimicked your voice, “‘I only got flowers from my sweet, precious Jonghyun.’” And once the other guys’ laughter died down, Jonghyun continued, “But her mom didn’t press it. But then later, she texted to ask if I’d taken credit for the beautiful birthday bouquet.”

Taemin squeaked, “Ah— just hearing this is embarrassing me.”

“Did you tell Y/N the truth? Or apologize to her mother?” Minho asked.

“Of course I didn’t tell Y/N!” Jonghyun elaborated, “I was humiliated enough already! And I offered to pay her mom for the flowers, but she said I could repay her by loving Y/N. And, you know, that’s not really all that difficult.”

“So,” Minho hummed, trying to derive a moral from Jonghyun’s ramblings. “What you’re saying is, I should forgive Onew as long as he loves his girl?”

“That’s what I would do,” Jonghyun advised. Then, to Jinki, he said, “But you should probably apologize to the restaurant, Onew, and maybe not make a habit of stealing people’s reservations.”

“But Jonghyun—” Taemin interrupted softly. “This flower thing happened a long time ago, right? You don’t still do stuff like that with Y/N, right?”

“Taem, Y/N’s birthday was last month,” Jonghyun admitted matter-of-factly. “I’m always a fool for her, that’s just a part of love.”

And that last sentence is why you smiled as you waited for your precious fool in the lobby of the radio station.

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bensoulo · 6 years ago

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Tangled Up

I’m not gonna lie it’s 100% inspired by Tangled Up by Parade of Lights.

Adam Sackler has recently called off his engagement to his girlfriend of one year. Plenty of people have contacted him since the news got out, but he never expected to hear your voice again....

Adam Sackler x Reader

It’s a bit angsty and a bit fluffy I suppose? ALSO this is the VERY FIRST TIME I’m ever sharing something I’ve written and I really hope you guys like it??!!

ANYWAY HERE GOES NOTHING...

Adam is woken from his peaceful nights sleep by the sound of his phone going off. Some preset ringtone that makes him want to pull his hair out everytime he hears it. He doesn't understand why people even use the damned things. They're nothing but a nuisance. A mind numbing device that people dedicate almost all their time to.

He has half a mind to just let it ring, but at the same time something is telling him to answer it. He lets out a defeated groan and reaches his arm over, feeling around for the damn thing. He lets out an exasperated shout as it falls down onto the ground. Whoever is calling him better be on the verge of death, because if they're not he has half a mind to kill them himself.

He doesn't even look at the caller ID as he answers.. There's only a handful of people who even have his number and he figures if it's one of them then it must be important.

He never even gets a chance to say hello, because the person on the other end speaks as soon as he presses the phone to his ear, and once he hears that voice, it's like an electric jolt shoots through him and he's suddenly wide awake.

"Was it because of me?" He hasn't heard her speak in almost a year, and hearing her now is like a breath of fresh air, but also like a punch in the gut. He runs a hand through his messy, untamed mop and lets out a sigh. It is because of her. He knows that she knows it. He also knows that his relationshit with Vanessa was a joke. Knows that calling off the engagement was inevitable. After all, you can't get married to someone you're not in love with...

He's received numerous phone calls from concerned friends and family over the last few days since they broke the news to everyone, his constant reassurance that he was fine enough to satisfy most of them. Even his mother, who'd said that she; "Never liked that bitch anyway." Never for a second though, had he expected to get one from her.

"No, no, it, it wasn't." He lies. He doesn't want her to blame herself. He knows the truth though. He wonders if perhaps Tiffany had mentioned it to her. Mentioned seeing him. Mentioned him telling her that he still loves Y/N. That he'll always love her. That Vanessa and him, they weren't going to work, not when he couldn't stop thinking about her. He knows though, knows that although she's Y/N's best friend, Tiffany wouldn't betray his trust like that. It wasn't her style.

"Oh. That's too bad then." He can't help the confusion that spreads through him at those words, and it is then that he notices her slurred speech. He pulls the phone away to check the time. It's 3:45 am. He can't help the worry that spreads through him like wild fire.

"Y/N, where are you?" He jumps up out of his bed, rushing over to his closet and grabbing the first shirt he comes into contact with. He puts his phone on speaker and sets it down on his dresser, putting it on once his hands are free. She doesn't answer, but he hears a hiccup, and it lets him know she's still there.

"Remember how you told me that you'd love me forever? And then you got with her. So soon after Adam. It was so soon." Another hiccup. He's already putting his shoes on by the time she finishes talking. He has his car keys in hand, ready to scour the whole fucking city to find her. He doesn't care how long it might take him.

"Y/N, Y/N listen to me. I just need you to tell me where you are." He's practically begging her at this point. He needs to know. She's drunk, and alone, and beautiful. He can't let anything happen to her. He'll never forgive himself.

"Sometimes I wonder if you ever even loved me at all. If it was real. Was it real?" Of course it was real. It was the most real thing he's ever had, that's why it scared him so much. Why he'd ruined it all. Some sick form of fucking self sabotage. Like his whole relationship with Jessa had been. How could he have something he felt undeserving of? He doesn't want to tell her this now though. He wants to have this conversation when she's sober. He hates that she's doing this to herself, hates even more that it's clearly because of him.

"Y/N, I am begging you, to please tell me where the fuck you are." He know that he's being harsh, but he doesn't care. He needs to get to her. He needs her to be with him so that he knows she's alright. He has half a mind to call Tiff, maybe she'll be able to give him more answers, but at the same time, he doesn't want to worry anyone else.

"You know where I am." It's the last thing she says before she hangs up the phone, and he can't help but curse when she does. He does know where she is, the place where they first met 4 years. That little coffee shop near her old college campus. Zumos, if he remembers correctly. The fact that he can't hear her voice any longer is driving him mad however and his heart rate seems to be increasing by the second.

He doesn't waste time in getting there, going way over the speed limit, and just praying to god that he doesn't get pulled over. By some fucking miracle he doesn't. Once he arrives he literally hits his breaks so hard he can hear his tires skid, but he doesn't care. He can't think about anything else other than seeing Y/N. He runs to the place where he believes she is, where he hopes to god she is, and when he gets to it, it's like a weight lifts from his shoulders.

She's there. Her back up against the wall, knees pulled to her chest, head resting on the top of them. He can tell that she's still crying and it breaks his heart. She's wearing a black hoodie, his black hoodie, black leggings, and her burgundy boots. Her Y/H/C is in its natural state, and her black eyeliner is running down her face from all the crying she's done.

He walks over to her until he's standing right beside her, and she looks up at him then. Her Y/E/C are teary, puffy, and bloodshot. Her cheeks are stained with marks from the ones that she's already cried. It's the most heartbreaking thing he's ever seen.

He bends down so that he's level with her, her piercing Y/E/C orbs look directly into his golden brown ones, and he feels the goosebumps form on his arms, because she really does have the most beautiful eyes he's ever seen. He reaches out his hand, bringing it to her cheek, and surprisingly she does not pull away from him. He uses his thumb to wipe away the stray tears, causing some of his own to form. He's always hated seeing her cry.

"You came." She sounds surprised, like she can't believe that he actually went out looking for her, and he doesn't say a word, but moments later he's scooping her up into his arms, bridal style, and walking her to his car. He sees the vodka bottle then, it's almost all gone, and it worries him that she drank so much of it. It still makes his skin crawl to think about what could have happened to her if he hadn't gone looking for her. If she hadn't called.

Her nails are digging into the fabric of his shirt and he can feel her tears seeping through as well. She's trembling so badly and he's not sure if it's from the cold, the alcohol, or the fact that the two of them haven't been this close to one another in what feels like ages.

I t's enough to almost bring him to his knees. The feel of her against him. He's missed it. He's missed her. His girl. How had he ever left his girl?

"Adam." His heart nearly stops at the sound of her saying his name. It's always sounded like a symphony coming from her lips. Like some kind of sacred, holy word. He knows that that sounds crazy, but he could listen to her say it all day.

"I still love you. I think I always will." She whispers it so softly he almost wonders if he was supposed to hear it at all, but the words still make his heart soar. Even after the stupid shit he'd done, she still loved him. What had he done to deserve her?

Her soft breathing fills his ears after a few moments and he realizes that she's fallen asleep. He manages to somehow get her into the passenger seat of his car, buckling her up and reclining the seat back a bit to make her more comfortable. He can't help but take her in for a few moments. He knows that this is it for him. She's it for him. No more running. No more denying himself the right to be happy. She's all he wants. All he'll ever want. A year apart hadn't changed that. Another woman hadn't changed that. How silly he'd been to think it would.

"I love you too, kid." He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead before closing the door and getting into the car himself. He knows that they'll have to talk about things in the morning. Knows that it's not going to be easy at first. But he's not walking away again. Never again. Because Y/N was worth it. She always would be.

#adam sackler imagine #adam driver #adam sackler x reader #adam sackler #kylo ren

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crackabookwithtina · 5 years ago

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Must Read Paranormal Romance From Self Publishing Authors

I always try to look for self-publishing authors. It gives me joy to hunt for a good book in the self-publishing world. I know I have to kiss a lot of frogs before I find my prince, but when I do I find a good one. Here is a list of 4 of my favorite paranormal romance series.

Elizabeth Hunter

A Hidden Fire is the first book in the Elemental Mystery Series. In the beginning, it has a slow-burning plot but hang in there! All of the character and world burning set you up for an action pack series. To be honest the tension between the 2 main characters Giovanni and Beatrice is a refreshing change from other quick to romance books. What makes this book for me is the slow-burning tension between the 2 characters, amazing dialogue, and the unpredictability of this story. The flavor of paranormal is vampires. Amazon Blurb "A young student librarian is thrown into the immortal world when she takes a job from a mysterious Italian scholar, Giovanni Vecchio. Beatrice is drawn to the mystery--and her new employer--but can she survive a vampire world ruled by power, politics, and blood-lust? How far will they go to find a library missing for five hundred years?" Full Series in order A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries Book 1)This Same Earth (Elemental Mysteries Book 2)The Force of Wind (Elemental Mysteries Book 3) A Fall of Water (Elemental Mysteries Book 4)

Elisabeth Naughton

If you like straight paranormal steam Marked is 100% for you. it has all the broken brooding hot guy that you have come to know and love. This is an action-packed read. Series moves on from character to character telling their stories and how their romance blossoms through blood and war. Amazon Blurb "THERON – Dark-haired, duty-bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Eternal Guardians, an elite group of warriors that defend the mortal realm. From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her. She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even the leader of the Eternal Guardians wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body. As war with the immortal realm nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice." Full Series in order TEMPTED - Book 3 BOUND - Book 6 AWAKENED - Book 8 WICKED - Book 9

Amy Bartol

My guilty pleasure is YA angsty paranormal romance, and Inescapable fit the bill. To be honest sometimes the series kind of drags on but I because so invested in needing to know the ending the I read on. This is a good series to get into if you're looking for great fight scenes, funny supporting characters, and a little predictability. The flavor of paranormal is angels. Amazon Blurb "My name is Evie Claremont and this was to be the making of me–my freshman year of college. I’d been hoping that once I’d arrived on Crestwood’s campus, the nightmare that I’ve been having would go away. It hasn’t. I may be an inexperienced seventeen-year-old, but I’m grounded…sane. I look for rational explanations to even the strangest circumstances. Since meeting sophomore Reed Wellington, however, nothing makes any sense. Whenever he’s near, I feel an attraction to him–a magnetic kind of force pulling me towards him. I know what you’re thinking…that sounds fairly awesome. Yeah, it would be…if he liked me, but Reed acts as if I’m the worst thing that has ever happened to Crestwood…or him. But get this, for some reason every time I turn around he’s there, barging into my life. What is the secret that he’s keeping from me? I’m hoping that it’s anything but what I suspect: that he’s not exactly normal…and neither am I. So, maybe Crestwood won’t be the making of me, but it could be the breaking of me. I’ve been left to wonder if the dark future my dream is foretelling is…inescapable." Full Series in order Inescapable (The Premonition Series Book 1)Intuition (The Premonition Series Book 2)Indebted (The Premonition Series Book 3)Incendiary (The Premonition Series Book 4)Iniquity (The Premonition Series Book 5)

Colee Firman

Another YA paranormal series, I am a sucker for them. This series is a little bit confusing at first, but it's filled with an interesting love triangle tons of angst and action. Because is it a completely new brand of paranormal there are no preset rules the author has to abide by. I love the unpredictability of this series. “Addison Sanders thinks her life is already as complicated as it can possibly get. Akori – Ancient people with time-shifting abilities secretly living among the humans. Sanders Family – Humans sworn to protect and serve the Akori. What could be worse than getting stuck with a destiny like that? Tanner Sutherland is about to show her. When a death in the Sanders Family leaves their power and secrets up for grabs, centuries-old rumors begin surfacing. Far more sinister reasons for her family’s involvement with the Akori than Addy ever could’ve imagined come to light. She learns the hard way that placing her trust in anyone could lead to disaster. Betrayed by old friends and leery of new ones–she’s left to cut through the lies and deception to get to the truth. Find out why sometimes its better not knowing, and how much misery really does love company in Dissever – Book One of the Unbinding Fate Series.” Full Series in orderDissever (Unbinding Fate Book 1)Sanctify (Unbinding Fate Book 2)Chasing Darkness (Unbinding Fate Book 3)Twisted Memories (Unbinding Fate Book 4) Hellfire (Unbinding Fate Book 5) Read the full article

#paranormalromance #bookblog #bookblogger

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gamingworld87 · 6 years ago

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Outlast 2

Outlast 2's maniacal commitment to its core conceit is simultaneously its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Like the original--which helped popularize first-person survival horror when it launched in 2013--Outlast 2 casts you as a hapless everyman with zero fighting skills and no tools beyond a camcorder. Your only option when confronted with grotesque, bloodthirsty murderers is to run and hide.

As a result, every snapping twig, every distant scream, every gruesome corpse grips you with fear even more tightly than it might if you actually had a way to defend yourself. But this also means the core gameplay cannot evolve as you progress--the chase sequences you survive at the start of the game are essentially identical to the situations you encounter near the end. There aren't many new mechanics or scenarios to keep the intervening hours feeling varied and engaging.

To make matters worse, the game's most harrowing moments--those sequences where you're spotted by an enemy and must flee to safety--frequently devolve into trial-and-error tedium. Almost invariably, these chases are scripted, meaning you must get from point A to a specific point B as quickly as possible. Problem is, point B is rarely obvious. It might be a tiny opening you have to crawl through or a bookcase you have to move, but you'll only have a few seconds to figure it out before your pursuers catch up and kill you, forcing you to replay most of the chase in order to return to the apparent dead end where you got stuck. At that point, the game stops being scary and simply becomes frustrating.

This was occasionally an issue in the first game as well, but you often had more freedom and could play more strategically--if you're trying to avoid one bad guy in a large area while sneaking from room to room to collect valve handles, you can decide, "Okay, he'll see me when I dart across here, but I think I can make it back to this locker and hide before he catches me." In Outlast 2, you generally just need to run from whatever's directly behind you and hope you figure out the one correct path as you go. At least when you do stay on track, it's unbelievably intense and exhilarating. The fact that the game excels at delivering sudden bursts of panic keeps your nerves on edge at all times. You never quite know when hell will break loose again, but you always know it's coming.

Tension, really, is what Outlast 2 does best. Its gameplay may stumble in certain ways, but you're always deeply, inescapably immersed in its atmosphere. In place of the first game's mental asylum, new protagonist Blake Langermann finds himself lost in the Arizona desert surrounded by religious zealots and fetid corpses. Though you'll endure a wide variety of environments, desecration follows you everywhere. And while the visuals pack plenty of unsettling details, the sound design is some of the best in horror game history. From the jagged, unnerving score to the harsh whispers that seem to come from all directions, Outlast 2's audio is the single biggest contributor to its remarkable sense of foreboding. The subtle squish and crunch that accompanies every footstep as you cross a pit full of dead infants will likely haunt you forever.

All of these scare tactics get in your head and, in a way, deepen those skin-crawling lulls between the adrenaline-pumping chases. In most games, walking into a room and grabbing an item is about as simple as it gets, but when you're utterly convinced some new horror's just waiting to rip your throat out, exploring for camera batteries suddenly feels like a harrowing trial. And you'll need those batteries. Just as before, your camera's night vision allows you see in the dark, and the new directional mic also lets you (loosely) track enemies through walls.

However, both of these comforts drain your batteries at an alarming rate, especially on higher difficulty settings. You can keep night vision on even when you run out of juice, but your screen starts to flicker and the camera can't focus. It's almost scarier than being totally blind, so it's important to expend your battery power strategically. I never had a problem finding batteries on Normal, but higher difficulty settings turn this aspect of the experience into a legitimate challenge.

In truth, Outlast's "no weapons" formula worked better as a shorter experience. Stretched over twice the length of the original game, Outlast 2's gameplay starts to wear thin, especially since too many of its scripted chases funnel you down preset paths. At the same time, however, I admire its purity, and to an extent, I'm willing to accept its shortcomings for the sake of true survival horror. The campaign is scary from start to finish and delivers on its promise of unrelenting terror in part because it never allows you to fight back. The atmosphere and sound design are expertly crafted, and Blake's hallucinations elevate the game's story above that of the first. It doesn't do much to build on the original formula, but it unquestionably provides a more polished version of the same idea.

Think of it as a ride through a really amazing haunted house: you don't have a ton of control and sometimes the ride breaks down for a moment or two, but it's basically guaranteed to leave you scared out of your mind.

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theyoungestzerogmechanic-ar-blog · 8 years ago

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all bright things must burn

100 ways to say i love you challenge: no.49 -’call me when you get home’

1,601 words

emily prentiss/jennifer jareau

emily helps jj deal with the aftermath of the hankel case

a/n: first work of 2017 as well as my first work since august. for number 49 'call me when you get home' of the 100 ways to say i love you challenge. i've had this idea for ages and i figured i would incorporate it into the challenge/with the prompt, not sure how well it worked but hey. title from 'TO BURN IS TO BE REBORN' by s.m.b

ao3 // challenge

Emily walks into the meeting room at two am to find JJ sitting at the round table, a cup of something warm cradled between her palms and her eyes threatening to flutter shut every few seconds.

Her head jerks up at Emily’s entrance and the other agent offers her a smile, setting her bag and her pile of files down on the table and pulling out the chair beside JJ.

“Are you alright?” Emily asks, keeping her voice soft in an effort not to disturb the quiet that rests over the mostly empty building.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” JJ says, and Emily wants to tell her that there’s not much point lying to a profiler. The tense set of her shoulders and the dark circles under her eyes give her away. “I’m just tired.”

“It is two am,” Emily says, notes the way JJ’s forehead crinkles with that information, “Why don’t you head home, try to get some rest before we get called back in?”

JJ opens her mouth to respond before shutting it again and letting out what Emily would describe as a defeated sigh.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping,” JJ says, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes, “Ever since I shot those dogs on Hankel’s farm I’ve been having these nightmares.”

“That was weeks ago. JJ, you know you could have talked to any of us about this, we would have been more than happy to help.”

“I know,” JJ snaps, “Of course I know that, but none of you ever need help with.”

Emily thinks back to what JJ said to her on the farm ‘how come none of this gets to you? You came off a desk job. Now suddenly you’re in the field surrounded by mutilated bodies and you don’t even flinch’

“And then there’s Spencer,” JJ adds, letting out another sigh, “I thought I could handle it.”

“Just because other people are going through things as well doesn’t make what happened to you any less important or traumatizing,” Emily says, reaching out to grab JJ’s hand, setting her mug carefully to come side.

“Thanks Em,” JJ says, squeezing her hand.

“You know that you can always come and talk to me, right?”

“Yeah, sometimes it’s just hard, talking to other people about stuff like this.”

Emily knows the feeling, she’s spent years bottling up everything she’s felt or experienced. Partly because it was a job requirement and partly because there wasn’t anyone she trusted enough to share the truth with.

“Alright, come on,” Emily says eventually, gathering her things together and standing, “We should get out of here while we still can.”

JJ snorts but stands as well. They stop by her office so she can grab her bag and then they walk over to the elevator banks, standing in comfortable silence while they wait for the elevator to reach their floor.

“I’ll see you either Tuesday or when we get called in for an emergency case,” JJ says, unlocking her SUV.

“Probably the latter,” Emily mutters with a scowl, “Try to get some sleep, and call me when you get home?”

“Sure, Emily.” JJ says, the corners of her mouth ticking up at Emily’s concern.

Emily heads over to her own SUV, waiting until JJ’s pulled out of the parking garage to start the car. She flicks through her preset radio channels until she finds one playing jazz before pulling out of her parking space and heading home.

JJ calls her just after eleven pm on Sunday night. The first time she calls Emily’s phone rings three times before it stops, the second time she answers the call to JJ’s shaky breathing.

“Is everything alright?” Emily asks, tucking her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she pulls open the drawer in her side table where she keeps her keys. All she gets is more shaky breathing and the muffled sound of something being knocked over. “Jennifer?”

“I need,” JJ starts before stopping, “I had a bad dream, and I was just wondering if- Emily, can you come over?”

“Of course JJ,” Emily says, balance precariously on one leg as she pulls on the pair of boots she’d abandoned next to the front door when she’d returned from the grocery shop, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Okay,” JJ says shakily, “And Emily? Thank you.”

JJ opens the door in a pair of sweatpants and a singlet. She steps aside to let Emily inside, locking and chaining the door while Emily takes off her boots and jacket.

“Thanks for coming over on such short notice,” JJ says, crossing her arms and rocking back onto the heels of her feet.

“Its fine,” Emily says, “I told you anytime and I meant it.”

JJ’s still fidgeting; seeming unsure of what to do with herself, and Emily takes her elbow and leads her into the lounge. She’s not used to seeing JJ, usually so composed and sure of herself, so undone.

“Talk to me, tell me what happened,” Emily says once they’ve settled on the couch, JJ sitting at one end and Emily at the other.

“It’s normally the same dream,” JJ says, hands twisting back and forth in her lap, “We split up around the back, Spencer goes towards the corn fields and I go into the barn. But when I get inside the doors shut behind me, and I try to get them open but they won’t budge. That’s when the growling starts, but I can never see the dogs. Then I find the body on the mattress. But it’s never Helen Douglas; it’s one of you guys, someone from the team. That’s normally when I wake up.”

“Oh JJ,” Emily says, reaching out to grab her hands like she had the other night in the conference room. “I’m sorry that you’ve been going through this alone.”

It had been weeks since the Hankel case and Emily wasn’t sure how none of them had noticed what JJ was going through. She’d noticed that JJ had been different since they’d gotten off the case, a little jumpier and more irritable, but she hadn’t thought anything more of it. Chalked it up to shock. Then JJ had started getting back to her normal self and Emily had all but forgotten about it. Which was stupid on her part, especially considering her own experiences.

JJ looks up from her hands and Emily sees her wet eyes and has a moment of panic before she pulls herself together. She’d never really been good at personal relationships, but she could do this for JJ.

“Hey,” Emily says softly, adjusting herself on the couch and pulling JJ into her, wrapping her arms tightly around the other woman and tucking her into her side.

JJ relaxes into her, her breathing uneven against Emily’s neck as she tries to compose herself. Emily just let’s herself sit there, running her fingers up and down JJ’s arm with her cheek pressed against her hair.

Eventually JJ lets out a shaky breath and tilts her head back so she can see Emily.

“Thank you for this, for everything.”

“I already told you, whatever you need, I’m here for. Stop saying thank you.”

“You got it,” JJ says, and then more softly, “Will you stay here tonight, with me?”

“Of course,” Emily says, and when JJ makes no move to get up Emily nudges gently, “Are we sleeping on the couch?”

“No,” JJ groans, but she takes another minute before she maneuvers herself off of Emily and stands, offering her a hand. “I have a perfectly good bed.”

Emily follows JJ down the hall and into a small but cozy bedroom, hovering by the door for a moment until JJ shoots her a look and she moves further into the room.

“Which side of the bed do you sleep on?” Emily asks, shedding her slacks and sweater in favour of the baggy shirt that JJ throws at her.

“The left, you?”

“The right,” Emily says with a soft laugh, climbing onto the bed and settling in beside JJ.

JJ flicks the lights off and lies down, settling into a position only to readjust a few moments later. Emily lets her fidget for a few moments before intervening.

“Just come here,” Emily says, and her eyes have adjusted to the dark enough that she can see when JJ decides to give in and listen to her.

She rolls into Emily, tucking herself under the other woman’s chin and slotting their legs together. It only takes a couple of minutes before her breathing slows and Emily wonders how long it’s been since she’s gotten a good amount of sleep.

She feels like the answer is probably too long.

They get woken up at seven thirty the next morning by JJ’s phone. They both groan and JJ fumbles over the nightstand until she can find it, managing to answer the call right before it goes to voicemail.

“Hello?” JJ answers, yawning into the receiver, “Of course, I’ll be right in.”

“We’ve got a case?” Emily asks, right as her phone starts to ring. “Stupid question, of course we do.”

Emily gets dressed quickly, needed to stop by her apartment and change before heading into the office, but she stops at the door, taking a moment to appreciate JJ in pajamas with wild hair looking better rested than she had in a while.

“I’ll see you at the office,” Emily says, hand on the door jam, “We’ll talk later.”

“Definitely,” JJ replies with a firm nod, “I’m not done with you yet Emily Prentiss.”

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dailymihyun-blog · 6 years ago

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Top Ways to Make Your Photos Look Professional

There is no silver bullet to making a professional picture. It often takes years of practice; however, as a newer photographer you'll find that there are some things that will dramatically improve your photography without much effort.

But after you apply the tips on this page and get to the point of being a competent photographer, you'll find that your progress will be slower and you'll have to work harder to make your photo just 1 or 2% better.

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Tip #1: Capture Interesting Lighting

Lighting is number one on this list for a reason. It's easily the most overlooked aspect of photography for beginning photographers, but professional photographers obsess about it. Lighting is the most important thing to making a photo look professional.

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There are many ways to make a portrait photo have more interesting lighting. You could simply place the person in the shade in order to put even lighting on their face, or you could turn their back to the sun so that hard shadows don't rake across the face.

With landscape photography, time of day is absolutely imperative. 95% of the landscape photos in my portfolio of the best shots I've ever taken were photographed in the very early morning at sunrise or late in the evening at sunset. Beginning photographers often overlook this important tip and try to make a photo in the middle of the day. That's rarely a recipe for success.

Chose a Clear Subject By Zooming In Tight

If you're having a difficult time getting a composition to make sense, the problem is most likely that you've chosen too many subjects at once. Decide on what one subject will be the center of attention, and you'll have a much more interesting picture.

It's incredibly rare that I see a photo that is photographed TOO tight. Zooming in on one part of the scene is almost always the right answer for new photographers. It takes most of my students a year of learning photography before they finally dare to zoom in tight. How long will it take you?

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Digital Styling

Often, I see photos submitted to me in a portfolio review (starting at only $39) that is beautiful, but just hasn't been styled yet. Digital styling is applied in Photoshop and Lightroom and allows the photographer to creatively change the colors, contrast, and exposure.

While I personally am not much of a fan of the filters on Instagram, we have all seen a photo that looks much more trendy and creative when a filter is applied to it.

If you feel like you're ready to learn this part of photography, I highly recommend getting Lightroom and taking my Lightroom 101 class to help you get started with the software.

If you just learning photo retouching basics, you can address professional photo retouching services online like WeEdit.photos or FixThePhoto that can do any photo enhancement for several dollars.

WHILE DOING A SENIOR PICTURE SHOOT LAST MONTH (WHICH WAS FILMED FOR MY “PHOTOGRAPHY START” CLASS), THE MODEL MENTIONED SHE HAD HORSES. OBVIOUSLY THE SHOOT SUDDENLY INCLUDED THE HORSES BECAUSE THEY ARE AN INTERESTING SUBJECT. I WANTED TO TAKE A PHOTO SHOWING HOW MUCH THE GIRL LOVES HER HORSE, SO I FOCUSED IN ON THE FINE DETAIL OF JUST PART OF THE HORSE TO CAPTURE THIS SHOT.

Interesting Subject

Capturing an interesting subject is usually the simplest part of photography. Even non-photographers know that some things are more interesting in a photo than others.

My advice here is actually the opposite of what you may think I'm going to say. It's not that you should find something interesting to shoot (though you certainly should).

My advice is that you should be careful not to be TOO taken by the subject. If you are too excited about the subject, it can be easy to forget about all the of the other things on this page. Capture an interesting subject, but once you've found it, remove yourself a bit from the excitement and pay attention to everything else you need to do.

Crisp Sharpness

There are so many factors that impact the sharpness of a photo that it can be difficult to know what is causing a reduction in sharpness in your photos. But I have found after coaching thousands and thousands of photographers that the problem is usually that the photographer did not get the focus quite right.

When taking a picture of a person, it's essential to put the focus point exactly on the eye of the person you are photographing.

If you want to learn to focus properly, I highly recommend reading my article with 10 tips on getting sharper photos.

CAPTURING THE SKYLINE FROM AN UNUSUALLY HIGH ANGLE PROVIDES A MORE INTERESTING LOOK THAN FROM DOWN IN THE STREETS.

Unique Perspective

Sometimes I find an interesting subject, but just not an interesting place to photograph it from. If you look at professional photos, they are very often taken from non-obvious spots. For example, a photo of a CEO will be photographed from down low, looking up at the person to make him or her look more powerful. Or, in the case of photographing a city, we often want to get to a very high perspective to shoot down and see the whole city.

Such was the case a few months ago while I was speaking at a conference in Chicago and photographed the skyline from the top of one of the tallest buildings so that I could see the whole city at once.

Creative Composition

Composition is probably the most difficult thing on this list to teach in a short amount of time, but it makes a tremendous difference.

If you have an important upcoming shoot, I highly recommend that you start learning composition by at least learning the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is the most basic rule of composition that basically tells the photographer to imagine a tic-tac-toe board on the frame of the picture, and to put the most interesting part of the photo on the intersection of those lines.

SHOULDN'T BE TOO HARD TO PICK UP ON THE “TOUGH GUY” MOOD I SET FOR THIS PHOTO OF AN ATHLETE THAT I TOOK WHILE TEACHING A FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP EARLIER THIS YEAR. BUT NOT EVERY MOOD NEEDS TO BE SO OMINOUS. THE MOOD COULD BE BRIGHT AND CLEAN JUST AS EASILY.

Mood

Mood is an oft-overlooked aspect of photography, but I find that it's an excellent way to learn to make a photo more impactful. As you take pictures, ask yourself “What mood will this photo convey?”

By asking yourself that question, you will avoid taking a photo of a person with a blank expression. You'll recognize that the person's expression isn't conveying a mood and you'll change it. This can also happen in a landscape. Look at the photo below of the bird in front of the sunset and you'll see that the exposure which was too bright did not convey a serene mood.

Proper Depth-of-Field

Depth-of-field is a hallmark of professional photography–especially professional pictures of people. Shallow depth-of-field means that the subject of the photo is sharp, and the background is blurry. Learning this technique can instantly transform your photography to something much more professional looking.

To take a picture with shallow depth of field, follow ALL of the steps in this recipe:

Put on your longest lens

Set the camera to aperture priority

Set the aperture as low as it will go

Step as close to the subject as you can while still allowing the lens to focus

Place the subject far away from anything in the background.

Put the focus point on the subject

Take the picture

WITH AUTO SETTINGS, THE CAMERA TOOK THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT. IT'S OKAY, BUT IT ISN'T INTERESTING. THE PHOTO ON THE RIGHT HAS A CREATIVELY DARK EXPOSURE THAT MAKES THE COLOR IN THE SCENE POP. THE PHOTO ON THE RIGHT CONVEYS A MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE MOOD.

Proper Exposure

Exposure means the brightness or darkness of a photo. It's probably the thing that beginning photographers put the most work into learning.

There are three ways to control the exposure of a photo: aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. If you're not sure how they work together and how to set them, take some time to read my free photography basics series.

Digital cameras are very good at coming to a neutral exposure, but the truth is that the neutral exposure is not always the best exposure. For example, suppose you are taking a picture of a person on a bright sunny day. The camera will likely make the face of the person dark and the background too bright. The “neutral” exposure is mid-way between exposing for the face and the background.

But as the photographer, you know that the face is far more important than the background, so you will brighten the exposure for the face and let the background go bright. Go for the proper exposure, not the neutral one.

BY SHOOTING A PANORAMA IN THIS LOCATION, I WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE THE GENTLE CURVE OF THE RIVER, WHICH MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE PHOTO. MY GUIDE, ANDY BEALES, POINTED OUT THIS LOCATION TO ME AND IT WAS A WINNER!

Viewing the Photo Large

After you apply all of the other tips on this page, the way you present the photo will also make a major difference in how it is viewed by those who see it. Don't you dare put a tremendous amount of work into a photo and then print it out at 8×10. Show your photo large to have a bigger impact!

Have you ever walked through a photography gallery? Notice how HUGE the photos are? It's because almost any photo looks better and more captivating when it is viewed full screen or on a very large print.

Learn Photography!

If you're ready to sink your teeth into photography and learn to master it, I highly recommend you read my free photography basics article series. I poured hours into that tutorial to make it the very best way to learn photography, and tens of thousands of people read it every month. I'm sure you'll love it.

Conclusion

If you can only do a few of these things in your photo, make it these: capture interesting lighting, use a creative composition, and remember to digitally style the photo afterward.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Harmer

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Jim Harmer is the founder of Improve Photography, and host of the popular Improve Photography Podcast. More than a million photographers follow him on social media, and he has been listed at #35 in rankings of the most popular photographers in the world. He blogs about how to start an internet business on IncomeSchool.com..

Comments

REPLY Vic Anthony Vallejera

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REPLY Summer

Very helpful tips and I want to learn light room editing

I love photography!!!! I am just a beginner!!!your advices mean a lot!!! Tanx in advance!!!

Good basic advice. I have found that myself and others tend to pick up a new camera and want to get out there immediately snapping pictures, it’s human nature. However, learn what your camera has to offer to improve your photography with little effort on your part. Most of us are impatient, and when we get things working finally, we tend to forget that there are tonnes of features in our cameras that we haven’t even touched on. I slow down, take the manual, set up on a tripod with an appropriate subject for trying everything with the camera, like a brick wall, or the fireplace facing, or even a stuffed animal or doll, and go through the manual in detail, you’ll know your camera much better. Happy snapping.

REPLY Rick

Sometimes camera features can actually get in the way of taking good photos, especially for a beginner. For people who are just starting out, I always recommend learning the exposure triangle (ISO, exposure time and aperture) and learn how those three components work together. Experiment with different settings and see what happens. Reformat your card and start over again. Waste some pixels in order to learn those basics. Once you get a feel for the exposure triangle, it’s much easier to get out of auto mode and start using some manual settings to get what you want. I bought my 5DmkII almost five years ago now, and I have no idea where the manual is. I don’t think I’ve seen it since I opened the box.

REPLY Shirly Lutchavez Lim

Hi! im looking for someone who can practice with me taking picture of my self. i really want to be a Model. but i cant send PORTFOLIO to Agency becuase i cant afford someone taking pictures of me. Agency need a good picture from me. im Asian from Philippines age 28 years old. no kids. my vital status. 75-F – 33 – 37. im here in Sweden. if you know someone please refer me. thank you so much

kindly Regards Shirly Lim,

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Nice article thank you for sharing

This is so helpful even for beginners like me. Following all the way from Kenya.

thank you for sharing these valuable tips!

Loved this article. Full of interesting and helpful tips. Good work again from the IP team

This makes a good checklist of considerations before taking photos. Thanks for sharing!

LOVED IT! It was very helpful

The way you teach us feel listening to a class without any boring. Makes more interesting to learn Photography skills.

Great collection of tips! Nicely written. Thx

HI just bought a cannon 70 d upgrade from my 450 D, interesting reading some comments about getting good lens than a new camera , just what the guy in the shop said looking at the quality of pictures . Being mainly an amateur and having not really spend time with the manual and settings on the previous camera ,really appreciate a comment above Dennis P . I think learning the difference between the snaps under different settings is important,.Like wise learning to take the same snaps in different lighting especially outdoor settings .

Just a question? What editing program do you use to edit photos like these? or what do you suggest?

AuthorREPLY Jim Harmer

@Kara Riley – Almost every pro photographer I know uses Lightroom for most of their editing.

Just a question? What editing program do you use to edit photos like these? or what do you suggest?

Definitely, this post is very effective for the photographers. You are targeting on some vital things about photo. This helps us to make a photo more attractive and real. Thank you,.

When I take photos I often focus too much on making them interesting, weird, or funny. I love taking photos of my daughters dress up parties. However, not being a professional I don’t often think much about lighting or background clutter, there is a lot of the latter in my home. How much of this kind of stuff can be fixed with photoshop?

I just wanna say this has been so helpful, to me and my kids. Because I’m a normal mom, and you wanna know how to take good pictures. Not for you but for your kids, also, the future. When you kids look at old pictures it’s VERY, important to see. How they used to look when were younger, how they changed, do they still look the same? That’s how I feel.

Sir, when we click a portrait behind a landscape, do we position the person in the center of the image or any side?

Sir, when we click a portrait with landscape as background, do we position the person in the center of the image or any side?

Hello,

I am new to photography and I am attempting to open an Etsy shop so I can make a living selling online. I am however, having trouble with the photography portion of this experience. I purchased a very expensive macro lens from Canon ($600), thinking this would solve my problems but I feel it has just made me become even more confused about how to take good photos that sell the product well. Not all of my photos are bad, but I am using a professional lighting (soft box-just one) to light up my jewelry in a lifestyle shot. It is doing the opposite and making the jewelry appear dark and everything else appears sort of colorless and washed out. I dont know how to correct this, and I feel like I have tried everything. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

REPLY Unity Paledi

If you use too much lighting ,you gonna need to increase your ISO, to maybe 800,1200,3200, or lower your exposure to -2,-3,

you have to keep on changing to settings depending on your environment,

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