#i watched all their scenes from like 1 minute clips and edits online i know what i'm talking about 😂

[torgawl]

tell me why i'm so invested in these two girls' romance in a korean dating show i don't even watch but we all really thought white rose was straight and not understanding jasmine's feelings for her but new footage was released where white rose chose jasmine and they were walking towards each other smiling in such a beautiful and honest way and now i'm crying and it's 9 am

[bringbacktim]

Reaction video (deleted scenes)-jschlatt

This was meant as a celebration for me getting 500 likes ( which is crazy thank you guys sm) but it took me so long to write it that I've now reached 1000 and have to think of something really good ( and smutty ) for that

This is all the embarrassing moments that didn't make the cut for the first imagine , basically reaction video (from the vault)

Warnings:mention of sex tape, swearing, making out , innuendos, god knows what else

Not edited or proofread

Wc:3k words

After seeing the positive reaction their fans had towards the YouTube video y/n and her boyfriend Jschlatt posted, which was just them embarrassing themselves the entire video , they decided to make a part two after finding out the same channel had made another embarrassing moments compilation

"We're back again and ready to embarrass ourselves" y/n said introducing the video

"And out our sex lives" schlatt added knowing they need to stop acting so unprofessional in front of cameras

Embarrassing moment #1

The first one was captured via Charlie's Instagram story at some fancy restaurant ted had invited : schlatt , y/n , and charlie to while they were in LA filming

"Before we even got there we were scolded by Ted to not do anything inappropriate because it was a fancy restaurant , he even made us sit opposite each other" she laughed remembering how Ted was like a concerned parent

"I just want to say before this clip plays , I had no part in this" schlatt said trying to clear his name

This moment was less of a continuous clip and more of a few intagram stories that consisted of just silly photographs of the tiny portions of food or Ted and Charlie doing some stupid joke

There was nothing really out of the ordinary or inappropriate and Ted was thanking the God's above . It was probably due to the fact that Y/n was typing away on her phone and schlatt was deep in conversation, but he was thankful nonetheless

"You've retyped that message a hundred times , what can you not figure out what to say" he asked trying not to be nosy but just wanted to help her

"Anything I say just sounds too needy" she said hoping he didn't get the sexual aspect she was hinting at

"Are you seriously sexting right now"he said with a shake of his head and a sigh

"Would you rather me do it in person" she said as he made a face that said 'good call'

"You and schlatt are the nastiest people I know , how do you sound "too needy"" he said using quotation marks to prove his point

"I'm not even going to bother showing you because it'll end up somewhere online" she half joked as she finally figured out what she wanted to text schlatt as ted turned to talk to him

The text was simple but also got the point across, but it also got in the frame for Charlie's video for barely two seconds as he did a quick sweep of the table , however the fans were quick to spot the 'quickie in the bathroom?' text appear on his screen , but Schlatt was too deep in conversation to hear his phone ping

"Right now? You pigs" Charlie said after putting his phone down , this catching Jschlatt's attention

"What are you talking about man" he said used to having that insult towards him and his sexual antics , but he hadn't done anything

"You might want to check your phone" Charlie said as schlatt checked his phone stood up and said "uh I'll be back in like 10 minutes" checking his watch as he waited for his girlfriend to also stand up

"Can't take them anywhere" Ted laughed recording them giggling and walking away as a punishment

"That wasn't as bad as I remembered , I mean that is a pretty tame text" he said looking at his girlfriend for her agreement

"I can tell Its going to go downhill from here" she said playing the next clip

Embarrassing moment #2

"If you don't want to be that crazy then you'll do ATM-ing , where you take the dick and slide it between the buttcheeks until you come and that's not sex, but it's like an ATM card" Qtcinderella explained to the group

"Okay so you can slide the card but you can't insert the chip" schlatt replied half serious half laughing

"The smirk on your face is so evident , you smug bastard" y/n said turning to her boyfriend as he put his hands up in surrender " ATM-ing  is not as fun as it sounds , I don't recommend"

"Care to elaborate on that" ted laughs turning his head to his left at lightning speed

"I felt like I was acting out sausage party" she replied cringing at the memory

"The thought is better than reality sad to say " Schlatt said getting closer to the microphone and basically whispering

Embarrasing moment #3

This one came from a stream he was doing and he found some beef jerky in the kitchen when he took a snack break, but it turned out to be disgusting

"I can't even apologise for this one , I stand by it"

"My guest appearance was everyone's favourite part let's be honest" his girlfriend said knowing his fans love her

"Chat don't ever try organic grass fed beef jerky , tastes like actual ass" he had to hold back a gag at how gross it was

"The broad must of bought it , I would never had gone for organic" chat went wild over the mention of you

"I hope they see this clip of me and shut the fucking company down" schlatt said walking to the other side of the room to get the trash can to show him throwing it away

As he holds it up to the camera for the dramatic effect it is evidently clear that there is a used condom very clearly sat in the bottom of the trash can next to a wrapper of some kind , after throwing away the beef jerky he saw chat going crazy about whatever was in the garbage

"Guys what are you going crazy over in chat" he said scrolling through the comments like an idiot instead of just looking in the object in his hand

Y/n was confused why her phone was blowing up with notifications from her fans saying to go see what schlatt was doing or to join his live, so she obviously did worried about whether he had just revealed something private or hurt himself

Joining his live to see him staring off into space clearly remembering him fucking her over the desk the night before in that short skirt he loved

"The way you stop in your fucking tracks trash can still in view just reliving it with no shame"

"It was a good night, can you blame me" he shrugged his shoulders

Calling his phone didn't snap him out of it , so she stormed into his office mortified that however many people could see what was in the garbage

Waving a hand in front of his face and taking it out of his hands seemed to do the trick as he blushed and started laughing

"You can't blame me , you wore that skirt last night knowing how it would end" he said forgetting they weren't the only two people on earth but also not caring

"Why do you think I keep wearing it" she laughed "didn't think it would distract you so much though"

"Can't wait for the photos and clips to circle the internet later" he said sitting back down in his chair as she said goodbye and left

" I don't know how you didn't get banned for that" his girlfriend questioned as he shrugged and chuckled

"They sent me a very stern email"

Embarrassing moment #4

This moment was captured via CCTV outside Ted's house , but he posted it to his Instagram story cause he thought it was funny (he was a little drunk)

Ted had invited Y/n and Schlatt over for dinner kind of like a double date , but also just to catch up

"You better not embarrass us tonight"  his girlfriend scolded him as they walked up to the door of Ted's house and she knocked on the door

"When have I ever not been on my best behaviour" he feigned innocence

"You do it every time we do anything, no one would even be phased if our tape got leaked" she joked

"You have to stop joking about that for my sanity"

"If you cared that much about it getting leaked you wouldn't keep it under no protection" Y/n said knocking again " what is taking Ted so long , I'm getting bored"

"I know a way we can pass the time" schlatt said trying to hold in his laugh at how cliche it was

"If I kiss you , promise me you'll never speak like that again" she said leaning in and closing the gap between them

Obviously, things got heated pretty quickly (it is them afterall) . So when the Nivison boy did eventually make it to the door , he was greeted with the sight of his good friend Jschlatt making out with his girlfriend with a very prominent hand on her behind

He awkwardly cleared his throat as they stepped apart

"Nice of you to finally let us in" schlatt joked walking past him and into the house

"Almost got dicked down in your driveway to pass the time" Y/n followed up

"You guys would've done it either way , just don't keep me up tonight" he warned before closing the door

"He actually kept us awake that night , but fortunately for him I didn't video it and post it on the internet" Y/n remarked

"Why did we pick careers with cameras everywhere" schlatt questioned with a confused face

Embarrassing moment #5

This one happened once again on stream , he was sat at his desk reacting to some compilation of something someone made him . Truth be told the only thing he could focus on was the feeling of his girlfriends mouth around his cock under the desk

Sure it was an adventurous thing to do and would most likely get them caught, but schlatt couldn't care less these reaction videos were getting boring and he needed something to stay focused

"This one is the most embarrassing, people still make fun of us for this" Y/n said hiding her head in her hands

"It was fun at the time, but oh my God do people not shut up about it" her boyfriend agreed lightly chuckling

Anytime he let a groan or any noise slip out he would try to cover it up by acting like he was reacting to the video and adding some comment onto it . All was well until she tried a new technique that almost made him blow a load in zero point two seconds , as she attempted to do it again by getting closer to him so she could get more of him in her mouth , but overestimated how much room there was between her head and the desk resulting in her losing her grip on the carpet and lunging forward resulting in a rather loud gag due to the acoustics of the wooden desk she was under

"Ow" she said pushing his chair back and her head peaking out just enough for the camera to see which obviously everyone saw and went mad for

He just pushed her head back under until he put his 'be back soon' screen up and checked if she was okay

"I didn't even want to go on Twitter for days after this , the one time this guy isn't screaming at the top of his lungs" y/n said pointing at him

"The acoustics of the desk didn't help with how loud the gag was either"  he added

Embarrassing moment #6

This one happened at Sneegsnag's wedding and was captured by Ted and uploaded to Instagram (he was past tipsy at this point)

"I can tell by that suit we're at Sneegsnag's wedding, but which moment is going to play is the question" y/n said hoping it was the tamer one

"I'm gonna guess the Ted one" jschlatt said making it into a game

As it was the Ted clip, he showed up on screen slurring some words into the camera before turning the camera around to pan across the entire room

He heard the slow songs starting to play and questioned why Y/n and Schlatt the most in love couple he knew weren't on the dance floor right now , so like any drunk wedding guest he stomped over to them phone still in hand and asked"why are you guys not dancing?"

"Big guy won't dance with me" his friend replied sulking

"C'mon man , don't be that guy" ted said pulling a face at his friend

"I'll dance if you and shae do" schlatt bargained

As ted looked at his friend y/n who was already looking at him with what can only be described as a pleasing look "fine" he said for the sake of his friend

"He could've stopped recording here and just made it look like a nice moment" Y/n pointed out knowing what was coming

"There's not a single nice moment of the three of us , or just the two of us" her boyfriend joked

Before they got to the dance floor where the photographer was most likely taking pictures , so she did what any good person would do and fixed his collar and smoothed out his shirt for him

"If I knew you'd be acting like my good housewife , I would've said yes to dancing the first time you asked" he laughed grabbing a handful of ass as she hid her face in his chest embarrassed about such a stupid joke being caught on camera . A joke that nonetheless was going to be labelled as offensive by people online

"People took that housewife joke and ran with it honestly" y/n said rolling her eyes

"Alot of people didn't realise that it was a harmless joke, this broad would make the worst housewife ever" he said trying to keep a serious face as he pressed play on the video

Embarrassing moment #7

This one was on an episode of chuckle sandwich , they were talking about how people who believe everything they see on the internet is true are idiots

"This one keeps me up at night , I apologise to whoever had to blur this part" she cringed hiding her head in her boyfriends shoulder as he attempted to soothe her by patting/rubbing the back of her head

"As soon as this happened, I begged everyone to let me edit that part of the video , I didn't want anyone else seeing it uncensored" Jschlatt said before pressing play , letting his possessive side shine through

"You're so possessive"

"How would you like it if I whipped out my cock for everyone to see " he turned towards her and asked as she agreed

"I keep getting DM's from fans asking if facts they see on social media are real or not , anyone else?" Ted asked the group

"No what the fuck type of fans do you have" schlatt laughed

"What facts do they want to know?"

Y/n asked

"I've never seen a single video on social media that had any true facts" charlie said

Schlatt muttered a 'true' in response to his friend, but was caught off guard by his girlfriend staring at him with an all knowing look from her square on screen "why are you staring at me like that" he said probably cutting off a conversation

"What about that tiktok you sent me the other day that said staring at boobs can make a man live longer, and you said it was "very true" his girlfriend called him out

"You guys can back me up here" he said leaning back in his seat and smirking

" I have to agree with schlatt on this one" Ted said standing up for his friend

"That's the first true fact I've heard that comes from social media" Charlie said contradicting his statement from earlier as they laughed

Schlatt heard a knock on his office door so went to open it thinking it was one of the cats , not expecting it to be his girlfriend

"What's wrong?" He said cat parent mode activating

"Is your camera off ?" She whispered

"What are you two doing in that doorway?" Ted said thinking it was probably sexual

"Hang on, I'll be back guys" schlatt said going to press the button that turned his camera off , but accidentally clicked the one that muted him

"Why are we always the ones being embarrassed, when is it anyone else's turn" Y/n said remembering how embarrassing this clip was

"Audio listeners love you to death , Y/n knocked on Schlatt's door and then he attempted to turn his camera off and failed, but he's across the room so won't hear us if we tell him"

What the trio (+tucker) didn't expect to happen next was for Y/n to pull the bottom of the shirt she was wearing upwards and flash everyone in that call . Charlie and Ted have never turned their head away from something so quickly and pretend to be doing something else

"This is just like when a sex scene comes on when you're watching a movie as a family and you gave to pretend to be interested in the carpet" charlie said trying to fill in the awkward pause

By the time Ted had told the audio listeners what just went down schlatt and Y/n were back in their respective squares on screen fully clothed

"You can wipe that smile off your face,we all just witnessed that" Ted said not bothering to beat around the bush

"Let me know when this gets edited" schlatt ended the conversation by saying

"When you said you censored my boobs out of the video I half expected a twin tower on each one" (don't tell me he wouldn't do that) she laughed as he hung his head in disappointment

"Why didn't I think of that , the powered by bitchdust bumper sticker seems stupid now"

After some more jokes and mean comments about their friends , they bid farewell to whoever would watch the video and made a pact to dial down the amount of embarrassing moments they produced

[yn-x-animeboy]

Jungkook x y/n (as a famous artist) Pt.2

pArt 1: here 

pairing: reader x Jungkook

genre: fluff, romance, for entertainment purposes

BTS x Fem Reader

sinopsis: You are a popular artist in America, pretty famous, loved and well-known by the general public (actually you were one of the top 10 artists in the world but you are pretty humble and naïve to realize your popularity), one day during one of your fan meets you talk about how much you love BTS, and not only how you wish to meet them and work with them but how Jungkook is one of your celebrity crushes. During the meet you fangirled with other ARMYs in the crowd; video clips of you fangirling and talking about BTS at your meet where posted and reposted all over social media. This obviously broke the internet because you were not only a famous singer but you also were always accepted and loved by ARMY and this made a lot of people happy. Suddenly it felt like everyone wanted you to meet the seven handsome and talented idols and collaborate, but you could only wish, you believed they didn't even know who you were...or so you thought

Part 2- BTS x Y/N You went to bed, turned your phone on silent mode and looked at your ceiling,  replaying that fake scenario you talked about a few hours ago, oh how you wished it could become real. Finally dozing off and resting for the work-packed day you had tomorrow; unaware that your social media was currently going crazy and how they yearned for your new weekly EPISODE to come out.

While you were peacefully sleeping social media platforms like twitter and instagram where going crazy all over the world, headlines with titles like: “Y/N FINALLY CONFESSES”, “Y/N AND JUNGKOOK RELATIONSHIP WILL SAVE 2021”, “ARMYs BIGGEST FEAR… Y/N+J&K''. People demanded the episode of the leaked videos to be uploaded as soon as possible, even though it was the middle of the night were you where; your international fans where active and ready for some content after watching the “leaked” videos; they exploded your teams’ contacts; your team left with no other choice but to actually speed up the process and upload said EPISODE; your manager contacted the main editor and offered him two days off if he could finish the video that same night. 

The episode was uploaded at around 2 am; meaning in Korea, the video went up at around 4pm.

4:00 o’clock in the afternoon, a beautiful day outside Seoul. The guys were currently about to shoot a new episode of RUN BTS; on set,�� the guys were standing in the middle of a room as some hair and makeup staff fixed their appearance. Cameras were being set up around them by the camera crew. Staff spread around the room doing their respective tasks. The guys did have their cell phones with them but they were all turned to airplane mode so they wouldn't disturb the shoot. Just like you, they were unaware of what was happening on their social media platforms.

“ACTION!” the director started. RM lead the opening line “1,2,3…”, “Dallyeora Bangtan!” (RUN BTS!) they all said in unison, and the episode began. behind the cameras, staff were learning about the ``BTS x Y/N'' ordeal as the seven boys were filming. The “Hybe Corporation '' (RIP big hit) would normally would see this type of situation as a negative thing for their Idol Star Group’s image, immediately clearing  up any misunderstanding and false info that was being spread online; but the head of the company, Bang Si-hyuk, decided to first watch the video himself and look into it this time. 

Again, the head team would’ve even ignored this situation, but this time it was different. Bang Si-hyuk actually knew who you were, and was surprised when he saw your name pop up. After a quick meeting the next step was decided for BTS in regards to this situation. “Just to make sure, the boys are still shooting right? Bang Si-hyuk asked his assistant, “Y-yes sir, they are in the middle of a game, no news have been broke to them”; Bang Si-hyuk nodded and looked around the room of people that attended the emergency meeting, “Okay so, like we agreed, we will surprise they boys with this, they are big fans of y/n, and I really do like her too, she is a good girl who goes well with BTS. SO... after their scheduled shoot, send them to the other room and let them react to y/n’s episode highlights, and tell them what is happening, I think this could be the beginning of something good” Bang Si-hyuk concluded the meeting at that. Staff quickly went and prepared everything.

After shoot the guys were expecting to get into their assigned cars and go home like they normally do when they are done on set, but they were stopped by staff; “Guys okay so you are done with this episode, please now direct yourselfs towards the meeting room, the company has treated you to some refreshers, snacks and drinks; you will be told what to do'' The small woman stepped aside to let the boys go to where they were asked to go. The guys didn't think too much of this, brushing it off as a probable “catch-up” meeting.

Once they got to the meeting room they sat on one side of  a wooden table, a laptop sitting in the middle, and a single camera behind the table. Jungkook took a seat in front of the laptop, Jimin to his right and Suga to his left; J-Hope, V, Jin and RM sitting in higher chairs behind them in that order, with a clear view on the computer.  They all looked at the staff for answers, this was not one of their weekly meetings… The staff allowed them to have the promised snacks, instant noodles and beverages for this. One staff member told them what they were going to do “Okay so before you all go home we need you to react to this video, it is only a couple of minutes long, we have edited it and cut some parts out; you are allowed to eat and loosen up; you can react as you wish and add any comment as well, any questions?” They shook their head as they had done this before so many times. 

The video started and a preview came on screen, it was your intro music, on screen a quick preview of your complete episode was shown. The boys immediately recognized the images, they had seen your show many times before. “Oi, it’s y/n'' Jin immediately said as soon as your face appeared on screen, “Is this a new episode?” JImin asked out loud, “Wait what day is it? they normally go up on Friday, did we miss it?” Taehyung spoke, mouth full of spicy noodles, J-Hope and RM reached out and cleaned Taehyung’s face with napkins  as if he was a child, before he made a bigger mess. 

“Hello everyone welcome to another episode of…. f** I don't even know what we call these videos, jajajaja” “Wait what?... jajajajaja omg guys thank you, I'm so sorry, yeah you heard them, welcome back to y/n’s camera roll, I can’t believe I forgot that, anyway today’s episode is a little different……” Your introduction from the episode played on screen, making the boys chuckle at your genuine personality “hahaha gwiyeoun” (haha cute) Suga added, J-Hope agreeing with him as he gave Suga a piece of the food he was having. Kookie was currently watching the screen not even blinking, he hadn’t taken a bite out of his noodles or a sip out of his banana milk, Jimin noticed and pointed at him looking back at the guys with a silent laugh, they all knew Jungkook was your biggest simp.

The video continued, they kept adding comments and watching with interest. The staff had actually reedited your original video to make it shorter and show the parts where you mention BTS.

“Hi, y/n, can I ask you another question?” you nodded and signaled him to proceed; 

“I saw that you liked an instagram post about BTS a while back uploaded by a fan account and I also saw that you actually follow their personal twitter account. ALSO in your behind the scenes video for your music video shoot you can be seen in the background dancing the Boy with luv choreo. So I wanted to ask if you were an ARMY and if you know them personally? and like should we be expecting a collaboration soon?”

You chucked at his talking speed, curious questions and great detective skills.

Jimin reached over and paused the video before they could hear what you answered next. “No way….Omg what she says she hates us” Jimin said. “Imagine if she said she hates us, is this why you guys are making us watch this?” Suga looked  at the staff. “Can we keep watching hyungs…” Jungkook said looking around at the others, a bit desperate to find out what you said next. “Oi, wouldn't you want to know guki…” Jin teased him, wiggling his eyebrows and slapping the back of his head playfully. Before Jungkook could fight back RM reached over them and pressed play, preventing a ‘playful’ fight among the youngest and oldest member to take place.

“OMG hahaha I love you so much, what an amazing question, Okay so first off no I don’t know them personally and sadly no plans of collaboration are on sight. Oh wow I have never been asked if I liked BTS before, I’m excited hahaha. Yeah I am an ARMY, I love them so much I am one of their biggest fans, and they are also one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to work ethic and professionalism, listening to them or watching them gives me motivation to keep doing what I love, which is this. 

anyway I am rambling I should stop; you guys can say y/n stop whenever I start rambling okay? hahaha''

As this part of the video played, the guys seemed to lean closer to the screen as you spoke. Once you finished your answer they paused the video again. RM stood up with hands on his head; Jin and J-Hope held on to each other with their mouths wide open looking at the screen; V was still sitting in the same spot, frozen, as if he was paused in time along with the now paused screen; Suga stood up with his hands on his mouth bouncing his knees lightly; Jimin reached to RM behind him and stretched his arms out with a ‘Did you hear that?’ expression; Jungkook leaned over the table and pulled the screen closer, he was smiling from ear to ear letting out a small “wow” under his breath, then he replayed your answer to listen to it one more time, rereading the subtitles under the video making sure he did not miss any words.

 “OMG NO WAY, NO WAY DUDE” Tae came out of his frozen state and held on to Jungkook's shoulders shaking slightly; They all looked at eachother surprised, they couldn't believe that ‘the one and only Y/N’ was an ARMY. They composed themselves and played the video to proceed once the staff told them there was more. 

The video resumed: 

“Guys should we actually talk about BTS for a bit? hahaha” you asked your fans

A girl spoke after: “Can I ask you a BTS question then? Okay so, who is your favorite member?

“Well first off, I don't have a favorite member. I really mean it when I say this. I love them all equally and I love them all as a group. I don’t prefer one over the other or like one better.  I really do support them equally. I mean there is nothing wrong with having a bias, as long as you also respect the other members, hope that all made sense lol” Everyone seemed moved by your support towards them and nodded.

Again the boys reacted, they were so surprised they paused again and walked back and forth making sounds of excitement; They loved the way you answered the question and were so moved by your love and appreciation towards them and the way you saw them as a group. They felt like jumping and celebrating. They sat back down again to keep watching their favorite american artist talk about them some more.

Your episode was again cut and it skipped to another question: 

“Y/n so you don’t have a favorite, but do you have a crush on any of them?, like if you could date one of them right now, which one do you pick?” A fan asked.

The guys chuckled at the question, they thought there was no way you would answer such a question.

“okay...well...Like I said just to be clear I don't have favorites amongst the group members, but I do have a type…. I consider one of them to be my celebrity crush”......

“So in that case, if I had to pick someone that I would date in real life...i would say…. Jungkook” 

The. Guys. Went. Nuts. Jungkook immediately stood up and lifted his hands up in the air as if he had won an award, he paused the video and started smiling like crazy; his cheeks tinted in a redish pinkish tone, he covered his face as he was at a loss for words, he knew he was seen as attractive by female and male artists, he even knew of a couple of well known idols who had admitted to having a crush on him; but this was different, he had considered you to be his celebrity crush for years now, ever since your debut in america when you were just 15 and he was 16; he was a big fan of yours; he knew everything about you, he loved your music, he thought you were one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen, he even had a picture of you performing as his wallpaper currently; he constantly watched your videos and wished he could someday date a girl like you. 

A staff member spoke, taking Jungkook out of his trance state: “How do you feel Jungkook?” He lifted his face from his hands and ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes were glossy and his smile wide. “I-I don't know what to say, I can’t believe it,” he said as he sat down looking  at the pause screen, looking at your still image. His hyungs patted him on the back; Jimin turned his head to the staff as he was rubbing JK’s back with one hand, “You know Jungook has had the biggest crush on y/n for so long now” Jimin told the staff. The other members agreed and nodded. Jungkook looked up and spoke to the staff: “Yeah I remember listening to her debut song for the longest time without really thinking about who the artist was. When her first studio album broke records I decided to look her up, I watched a video of her talking about the album and her experience as a new artist and I think ever since then I have had a crush on her; she is my ideal type”

“Why is she your ideal type?” a staff member in the back asked JK. “Ha. um. well  I think my ideal type of girl is someone who is funny and has a bright and cool personality; someone who as soon as they step into a room they immediately light it up; someone who is goofy and isn't afraid to become a joke or mess up; A confident person; someone who isn't too girly or too boyish; someone who likes to learn new  things and from who I can learn new things too; someone who is younger than me; Someone who loves dancing and singing a lot, etc. And y/n is kinda all that and more tbh; He rambled, the guys were all used to his ‘secret fangirling over y/n’ habit, but the staff was taken aback; they only thought the guys thought highly of you as an artist, but this… they felt moved. “Ay ay, stop drooling, lets keep watching hahaha” Suga poked at JK’s side and pressed play.

The video time skipped again: “...I love that question, and your scenario is so cute, you should write a tumblr post about it, well yeah I obviously have created fake scenarios in my head about BTS, past crushes, fake arguments even hahaha, there are so many BTS fake scenarios in my head…. hmm oh I know which one, okay so this fantasy of mine is about how I would meet them irl and work with them, I will make it quick”

“Okay so, my literal fantasy is to one day meet them at a talk show, you know how hosts like to surprise their guests with something/someone they like?, I believe Ellen has done it multiple times where she surprised a guest with their idol or celebrity crush, you know?” The group nodded, invested in your fake scenario “Well i would be invited to like the Jimmy Fallon Show, where he would just randomly surprise me with BTS. Then I would be given the opportunity to introduce myself and tell them how much I love and support them. I would also be able to show them my korean speaking skills, I learned Korean and Spanish back in school and I have never been able to actually use either them, lol, anyway...well after that we would all become really good friends, and we would collaborate and put out one or multiple songs for you guys. I mean that's basically it, I wish I could meet them, and become their friend and write songs with them, even produce songs with Suga or RM if I could'' 

“What???? does she speak korean?” 

“OMG Jungkook is she speaks korean marry her” 

“OMG I wanna meet her now”  

“That's so cute” 

“She is so cool” 

The guys added and all looked adoringly at the screen; RM and Suga also commented about how they would love to work with someone like you and produce a ton of music together and that they wish you all could collaborate in the future too.

_____

And That is how the boys learned about the video and your view on them….not only that they also  learned about your embarrassing fantasy and celebrity crush…. After finishing their day at work, they went home and watched your episode complete this time. They felt like they accomplished something so important by just leaning your perception on them. Jungkook also felt that but he was even more excited than the rest, his celebrity crush had admitted to crushing on him back, he knows that the chances of meeting you or even having a friendship with you were probably non existent. And even if they did meet you, the idea of dating you in real life seemed impossible to him due to you both being artists, under strict and powerful companies, living opposite sides of the world, in different time zones even; but he was still happy, and the guys too; they all went to bed wishing they could someday meet you.

----

Part 3- Jimmy Fallon Show ------> here

ily:) Xx, plis give me a lil’ <3

[serenadeonacanoe]

Waiting for something. (Namjoon x OFC)

Pairing: Namjoon x Original Female Character 

Genre/Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Angst, too tired to beta

Summary: 

Me: [12:24 AM] Soo... is this actually Namjoon then? Namjoon: [12:39 AM] It is. Me: [12:41 AM] I think I need proof. [...] Me: [12:51 AM] Okay, I am convinced. Namjoon: [12:52 AM] And how do I know this is Olivia? [...] Namjoon: [1:02 AM] Alright, yeah. I think that is the girl RM apparently not so low-key flirted with a few weeks back. Ollie hadn't planned to have her music show blow up when Namjoon jokingly flirts with her at a red carpet event, how could she? But now the footage is out there and yesyesyes all very funny... but wait... why are they still texting?

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<3

CHAPTER 1

The truth was that there was something a bit gross about red carpet coverage. Yes, it was exciting and nervewracking in a good way, sometimes actually interesting conversations were held and most of the time - with the help of a little editing of course - the result was worth it. But there was also just a lot of waiting. Standing around. Constant screams around you. A. lot. of. fake. laughter. And that made sense in a way, who could keep their energy up for so long... well not me. Between interviews, I would just drop my shoulders, trying to relax my shoulders a little, just to cheer up again moments later, when I suddenly had another chance. Minutes of fast speaking, cheeriness and ... well, sometimes, yes, fake laughter would follow and then back to dreaming you could please take a nap on the sidewalk behind you.

"Cheer up! You forgot that you love this!" Nick, my cameraman murmured, his head still hidden from my view behind the camera on his shoulder. Still, I looked in his direction, my mouth fell open for a second. Jesus, he was right. Why was I complaining... when had I gotten used to all this spectacle to a point that I forgot that I was so very lucky. I was doing what I loved, just as much as the people I interviewed. How many people studying journalism and obsessed with music would actually end up where I now was. My own music show for a year now. Okay, online, not regularly on TV, but still financed by a network. But this was the 21st century and streaming numbers were probably more important to some than their own grandmother's life, yeah... I should have been more grateful. And while I stared at Nick, I could see a grin in the corner of his mouth, even though most of it was hidden. And then I grinned as well and interviewed Harry Styles. You know, casual Friday, some might say...

Somehow Nicks comment had saved my night. I forgot about the fact that I was tired, or that I had promised my mother three days ago that I would call and had never gotten around to it. Or that my ex-boyfriend was currently at the Great Barrier Reef with the girl he had told me nothing was going on with while we had been dating. It was me and people passioned about the art they were making, which hyped me enough to actually feel like I was doing a pretty good job of asking the right questions at the right time.

And still, Nick just hissed a hasty "Step it up!" at me when he realized that we had a pretty good chance at interviewing BTS next, even before I realized that they had gotten so close. I had definitely realized they were here somewhere, the screams had gotten so loud when they had stepped out of their car. But - bam! - suddenly a stern-looking woman pointed towards me and seconds later they were standing in front of our camera. Matching suits, polite smiles, super professional and me just in awe. Some clever editor would later play it up, as if I had actually gone into stand by mode, inspired by the fact that I turned around to the camera the next second and pretended I had lost my shit, before snapping out of it moments later, turning around again. "Oh my God. It's BTS, how are you guys?" They were professionals, but so was I.

I got two questions in before the woman tried to rush them away from me, but I pretended to not hear her and got one more question out there before we said our good-byes. Jimin waved at me like a toddler and for some reason, it made me "dawww". He didn't hear, but Namjoon, the last to move over to the next interview, did, turned around again and chuckled, before winking at me. I blinked. And then they were gone.

"Did Namjoon just low-key flirt with me?" I asked Nick, who was still recording me. "You wish..." he said, which made me laugh, and I nodded slightly, eyes closed as if to say "Guess so". Nick stopped recording and I dropped my shoulders again. Man, who was I to complain about fake laughing when I could go from quirky-hyper-music journalist-me to energy-saving mode in about five seconds? Checking my phone I realized it was time. I had to head inside, otherwise, there was no way I would make it backstage before stuff got really really hectic there.

The award show was alright. We didn't actually do any interviews backstage, the truth was that these things we so incredibly organized that there was no time to waste on the sidelines, no time for a chat unless it was pre-planned. This was all to show how much fun I was having, probably to be edited into a montage or something. And I mean... I was having fun... but then again it just sometimes felt a bit goofy, jumping around, clapping for people when they came off stage as if we were friends. After a while Nick and I had found a good spot where we weren't in anyone's way, could see the side of the stage and still had a monitor close to us that was showing us what the audience on tv saw. I finally relaxed a little after Nick had decided that he had enough material. He had set the camera down, and we were having a beer while watching the rest of the show.

It was towards the end of the show when the evening's hostess was giving a little speech about how much fun the event had been, followed by a montage of scenes from different celebrities getting ready to the red carpet. Nick said something about the fact that the turn around time for the clips was pretty fast, considering that some of this had happened only two hours before and I just made a "mmhh" sound to answer him when I was really checking my phone. Moments later he had kicked my shoe with his and I looked up confused. For a second I thought he was upset because I had not given him proper attention, but he gestured towards the screen and for a good reason. Because I was on there. Seemed like the behind-the-scene camera people had been standing right behind Nick when I had interviewed BTS. They showed my little "OHMYGAWD, IT'S BTS" moment and I had to smile, then there was a hard cut and next thing I saw was the whole "Did Namjoon just flirt with me?"-moment, just from a different angle. And with the knowledge that the whole audience inside the hall saw the same thing as well. I could hear the laughter and then while there was some sad applause, the live camera was in front of BTS, zooming in on RM... who was still looking up at a screen and seemed a bit overwhelmed, before acting all nonchalant about it towards the camera. The other boys were laughing their asses off, Hobi looked as if he was about to fall off his seat. Namjoon played the coolness up, even more, nodded into the camera, holding a hand up to his face, mouthing a "call me", before looking a bit uncomfortable the next second, maybe because he couldn't believe himself that he had just done that. And then they cut back to the hostess and I only realized that I had moved my hand in front of my mouth when I turned to Nick. He had laughed through the whole thing as well.

Okay. So, nothing about this whole bit had been particularly clever or as funny as everyone was making it out to be. Award show humor. What was funny was that everyone had seen my childish comment. Including the person, it had been about. It was harmless after all and so now I started laughing as well and I didn't stop for a good while. Yeah, I was a bit embarrassed. But at least they had made me look more relatable than desperate and Namjoon had taken the joke well.

When I got to my hotel room - several glasses of sparkling wine later - I realized my best friend, back home in New York, had texted me.

Lauren: [12:13 AM] So who is the new boyfriend? Me: [12:42 AM] If everyone who ever winked at me once was my boyfriend... Lauren: [12:47 AM] You'd still be single! ha!

More chapters on AO3

[foryoumyheroes]

Stan Twitter

[Midoriya + Todoroki + Bakugou + Kaminari] and their secret stan accounts.

A/N:  Gender neutral reader and [H/N] stands for [Hero Name].  Aged-up AU and everyone is already a Pro-Hero. Kinda SMAU? 

Disclaimer: I recently became aware that the word “simp” has been appropriated from AAVE. As someone who is not from the black community, I genuinely apologize and I don’t have an excuse for my ignorance. I am removing it from these hcs! I consider myself an ally (but I clearly have a lot of work to do) and it is my own fault for not educating myself, which I hope to do more of in the future.

I also have to give credit where credit’s due I love @myherowritings​ ‘s SMAUs and was inspired to write this from their works so please check them out if you’re reading this!  

Izuku Midoriya: 

Goes the whole mile. Has a [Name] stan account with 10k followers. Interacts with other [H/N] stans regularly. Retweets edits and compilations. Makes his own fancams and edits. 

Vote [H/N] for the top ten  @[H/N]might345  I am so lucky to be able to get the entire @official[Hero Name] x @Super_Groupies collaboration collection!! It sold out within minutes! 💨💨 It was kinda stressful haha. 😅 Thanks again to everyone who supported our favorite Hero! http://bit.ly/G4peUrTd36A

Vote [H/N] for the top ten @[H/N]might345 Thank you to tik tok user @rainbowinureye for giving me permission to post their playdate edit of [H/N]! It’s so well done and the cuts and the scenes line up perfectly 😊 http://m.tiktok.com/WrqKOXWpYbU  

Vote [H/N] for the top ten  @[H/N]might345 I made another [H/N] edit to the song “This is Love” by Illene Woods slowed and pitched version 😊💕💕 Please tell me what you think and how I can improve! http://bit.ly/dK9-c7QOcWg 

Of course it’s edited perfectly with all of the clips synced up perfectly?? It’s a byproduct from his All Might days. He’s still sure to respond to every person who gives him constructive criticism on how to improve his edits. 

Unintentionally becomes a meme?? Becomes known as the fanboy to end all fanboys. Like this guy is EVERYWHERE. He’s in the comments of every [H/N] funny moments and [H/N] battles but every fight is poorly edited to the sound of vines and every official interview posted by official YT channels. 

Stream Fine Line  @randomaccount360 The wildest thing about Twitter is that one [H/N] stan account that comes running whenever you mention their name. 

Vote [H/N] for the top ten @[H/N]might345 replying to @randomaccount360  hahaha! I am here! 😁

High-key people think that he’s one of those stalkerish fans?? Like he’ll post pictures of you eating at super close angles that no other news site has and it isn’t like a pic a fan has asked for either... it’s like a candid photo of you shoveling back food 

But you guys are legitimately dating?? He lives with you?? It’s just so embarrassing to know that he runs this popular stan account of you that you rarely bring it up asdfg ;; You ;; politely look away.  

Vote [H/N] for the top ten @[H/N]might345 Isn’t @official[Hero Name] the cutest? Here’s them eating the souffle pancakes at Flipper's! It was super good! http://bit.ly/fQE__7riZko

Mashomallow @mashomallowfood  replying to @[H/N]might345 OP how do you know what the pancakes taste like 

Pinky step on me @Minastannn replying to @mashomallowfood  OP pls respond it’s a legit question 

thehighground @ayeyeye  replying to @[H/N]might345  @official[Hero Name] if you are in danger please wink twice  

OHH if you get hate?? He will respectfully put that person in their place in the most eloquent way possible. Five pages, doubled-spaced, MLA format, works cited page. 

[H/N] > Deku >:(  @[H/N]might345  It has recently come to my attention that people online have been saying that Deku is a better hero than [H/N] and I am here to say that is not the case. Not only is pitting two heroes against each other extremely toxic but [H/N] has shown time and time again that they are the more successful Hero. [1/24] 

Show this thread 

He exposes himself by being tagged in those “Get to know them better” trends and it wasn’t like he was ever hiding the fact that he ran the stan account so he has no problem doing it. He’s so casual with posting a selfie of himself and saying his name and likes and dislikes but the people who tagged him just thought that he was just a regular fan?? Not Pro-Hero Deku?? 

#WTFDeku is trending for a whole day in Japan. 

It answers a lot of questions but opens up more. 

Everyone legit thought that @[H/N]might345 was just a rich kid with a lot of free time this whole time. But no?? It was Number One Hero Deku?? Does he make the edits when he’s fighting villains or something asdfg 

It makes him so happy though!! You guys would be chilling and his phone dings from notifications and he’s turning to you so happily like, “Look, [Name]! Another popular fan account retweeted my compilation of you! I can’t believe they noticed me!” Asdf i love this boy. 

Shoto Todoroki: 

LOOK even before you two debuted as Pro-Heroes he was your number one stan buying all the merch, watching all of the interviews. 

Interacts with other fans occasionally. 5K followers. Verified by Twitter for some reason. Has a generic name like @[Name]snumberone and thinks that it’s polite to always end his posts with a simple :) 

He’s told you about his side account before, but you know that he has one dedicated to Endeavor hate, so you always think that he’s referring to that one. 

Horny on main for some reason?? People think that he’s socially inept and doesn’t really understand a lot of jargon or slang, but thanks to Kaminari and all of the other stans he’s studied up because he thinks that’s how you’re supposed to talk on the internet. 

Like someone will post a pic of you holding something between your thighs like a water bottle or your phone or wallet while you tie your hair up or sign something for a fan and he’ll be like “goD i wish that was me.” 

it’s photosynthesUS @queenking[H/N]  Can you believe that there are people out there that don’t think about [H/N]’s thighs at least once a day?? coughcough anyWAY on an unrelated topic here’s several pictures of those beautiful legs http://bit.ly/pH6KeOjpKeI

[H/N]’s biggest fan @[Name]snumberone replying to @queenking[H/N]  I can die happy if those legs suffocated me 

[H/n]’s biggest fan  @[Name]snumberone  Another fan messaged me saying that they liked my account :) thank you. I love [H/N] more than anything. 

[H/N]’s biggest fan  @[Name]snumberone Someone messaged me this from a site called Archive of Our Own? They said since I like [H/N] so much I would like this. It’s pretty enjoyable :) although kind of OOC? (is that right?) 

[H/N]’s biggest fan @[Name]snumberone I thought I would try my own hand at [H/N] fanfiction since it was so fun to read I binged the entire tag last night :) But please be warned that it’s not for underage readers. 

Would try to fight the haters in the most passive-aggressive and aggressive-aggressive way possible. He had no problem with trying to square up against the chief of police and he’s incredibly stubborn. He immediately responds to their post and tries to shut it down as quick as possible and sometimes it’s ;; kinda hurtful 

One time a hater account was spreading negative things about you and after Shoto came on the scene they quickly ended their thread with a “Of course [H/N]’s white knight came to save the day again 🙄🙄”

Within the next hour he changed his bio to “[H/N]’s white knight” 

Doesn’t get that trend where after someone posts something thirsty about someone else another user will reply by thanking them for something random? 

[H/N]’s biggest fan @[Name]snumberone Has anyone seen [H/N]’s arms after their most recent fight with a villain? They can break my back like a glowstick :) and stick their tongue down my throat ig 

Stradandelous @pikadeegeek  replying to @[Name]snumberone  Thank you for paying for my anger management classes :))))

[H/N]’s biggest fan @[Name]snumberone replying to @pikadeegeek  Oh, do you have me confused for someone else? I know that @realbakusatsuou needs anger management lessons 

He gets exposed after someone posts a picture of you and him smiling at each other cutely and someone responds with “🥺🥺 get someone who looks at you the way Shoto looks at [Name] and soba. It must be nice to kiss one of the cutest Heroes of the century” 

[H/N]’s biggest fan @[Name]snumberone  replying to @bossbiccc Thank you but soba will always be number two to [Name] :) and it was nice. 

Everyone then collectively LoSeS their minds and connects the dots like hUH?? You included!! You aren’t spared from this shit!! You spend your whole day with your jaw dropped to the goddamned grOUND as you scroll through his side account. Did he try all of that before or AFTER writing his fanfiction?? 

Endeavor gets news of it and learns just how horny his youngest son is and nearly goes into cardiac arrest. 

He just slurps his soba when everyone under the sun confronts him about it and he’s just like “what about it?” 

Katsuki Bakugou: 

About 600 followers. Doesn’t interact with anyone other than retweeting posts and liking them. Rarely comments. Never answers DM’s. Only follows one person and that’s @official[Hero Name].

You don’t know about it. No one knows about it. If he had it his way, no one will ever know about it.  

Occasionally he posts, but it’s mostly him flaunting the fact that he got limited edition or super expensive [H/N] merch that gets sold out in seconds and he’s super fucking smug. 

my hero [Name] @[H/N][Name] check out my limited edition [H/N] figurine. their costume is covered in real strakowski crystals. they did a good job with the face too.

Whatcanisayyyy his parents are designers. He has a taste for the finer things in life. 

He’s not much of a texter in general? So he doesn’t go off on lengthy arguments with people who post hate like the other two. Surprisingly mature when he does this. He reports or blocks them, but he’s always proud to know that these lowlife people can’t bring up a good argument because he always finds holes in their points. (They also don’t have the whole story. Which is? He loves you.) 

NEVER retweets or likes content that involves you and another Hero being shipped together. Purely Ground Zero x [Hero Name] only. Who gives a damn that Creati x [Hero Name] got the most votes from the Official [H/N] Fan Club?? Bakugou ,,, does not see it. 

Kinda boring really ;; he only has that many followers because he only retweets the BEST [Name] content and he’s fucking proud of it. 

He gets exposed when you and he get dragged to a club with Bakusquad one day. You’re on the dance floor with Mina and Sero and he’s just reclining in the booth retweeting paparazzi pictures of you that night and Kaminari manages to sneak up behind him and takes a picture of him without him noticing. People ofc zoom into his phone screen and find out that hE FUCKING HAS A WHOLE STAN ACCOUNT DEDICATED TO YOU?? When y’all are dating?! He’s retweeting photos of you in your outfit that night when he was right there?? He sometimes uncharacteristically comments 🥺 or 😍 or “my love”??? 

The goddamned UWUs that are passed around that night!!

The unsuppressed anger 😨😨

Pikachu’s long lost son @NOTjammingway @realbakusatsuou YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!! IT WAS SAID THAT YOU WOULD DESTROY THEM NOT JOIN THEM!! 

Red Riot @theofficialredriot replying to @NOTjammingway The PLOT TWIST OF THE CENTURY! NOT EVEN THE SHARINGAN COULD’VE PREDICTED THIS

Cellophane @Serophanetape  replying to @theofficialredriot  No wonder he’s changed since our school days... 😔😔 as his bros we should’ve seen it... the good in him...the c o n f l i c t 

Pro Hero Ground Zero @realbakusatsuou  replying to @NOTjammingway  Shut. The fuck. UP!!! 

Pikachu’s long lost son @NOTjammingway  ASDFGHJKLHELPMEEEEE http://bit.ly/DVtNve4qySA

Show this thread 

woah pass that  @hellofolksclapclap Transcription of @NOTjammingway’s post that was taken from his IG live for anyone that needs it 😊

[Chargebolt]: [to Red Riot] and anyway, I there I was barbecue sauce— [two knocks appear on his door]. Huh?  [Red Riot]: [walking to the door] were you expecting anyone?  [Chargebolt]: No—? [Door slams open loudly. It falls to the ground off its hinges.] [AHHHHASDGHSPE?] [T/N: how did he manage to keysmash in real life?] Bakugouuuu! [Screams impressively high pitched.]  [Ground Zero]: I’m going to fucking kill you!  [Red Riot]: Bakugou, no! Stop! What would [Name] think?! [Ground Zero]: [Name] can’t fucking look at me without laughing anymore!  [A whole bunch of voices interlap and more screaming ensues.] [A faint ‘wheee��� is heard.]  [END.] 

Eventually he just fucking owns it and is like yEAH!! I HAVE A [NAME] STAN ACCOUNT WHAT OF IT?? 

hero for all  @official[Hero Name] Love you too, @[H/N][Name] <3 <3

Pro Hero Ground Zero @realbakusatsuou  replying to @official[Hero Name] ...You’re lucky I didn’t deactivate the whole fucking account. 

He still retweets things to this day, but now he’s getting more bold. 

Denki Kaminari: 

Unlike the others his official twitter IS his [Name] stan page. 

He’s going back and forth from posting about his battles, his promotional content, and then splits them all with retweets that are like “I’ve NEVER wanted to hold a hand so bad before in my life. I SWEAR!” 

IMAGINE if he did have a stan account though. He would be going back and forth between his official and stan account and like fake beefing with each other. 

Pikachu’s long lost son @NOTjammingway  [Name] just defeated 28 villains today!!! FUCK👏ING👏TWENTY EIGHT👏 The talent in this household... the sexiness... 😳😳

i sent you my love pls respond @[H/N]steponme replying to @NOTjammingway Dude I’m going to steal your lover 

Pikachu’s long lost son @NOTjammingway  replying to @[H/N]steponme  You wouldn’t dare 😤 😤😡

i sent you my love pls respond @[H/N]steponme replying to @NOTjammingway   If that’s your lover why are they buying MY animal crossing turnips? 

Pikachu’s long lost son @NOTjammingway replying to @[H/N]steponme @official[Hero Name]... say it isn’t so... 

hero for all @official[Hero Name]  replying to @NOTjammingway  What the FUCK is going on 

Pikachu’s long lost son @NOTjammingway  Replying to @[H/N]steponme They’re in your acnh island but they’re replying to MY tweets we are not the same 

Since he’s a Pro-Hero and therefore a public figure, sometimes he gets flagged by karens on the internet for saying stuff like “pls sit on my face [Name]” on his official twitter and he always replies to comments that are like “Think about the children!” with “This AINT about them!!”  

If his S/O is getting hate he’ll reply to them such as

dog mom coffee lover @lilyjargon920 I’m sorry I can’t help it, [H/N] is so ugly ESPECIALLY after a fight 

Pikachu’s long lost son @NOTjammingway replying to @lilyjargon920 That’s a strange way to say that you’ve never gotten anyone hot and bothered 

Flip-flops between being super horny and “Can i hold your hand ;;; PLEASE” 

Whenever he takes mirror selfies in his bedroom his bed is like ;; half [H/N] plushies 

Because he’s not hiding anything he’s able to interact with your page freely and most of the time his retweets get more likes than your tweet because he’s just randomly thirsty without it having anything to do with your og tweet. 

He tries tik tok trends on you and reposts it on his twitter as well. He tried the “getting naked in front of partner” challenge while you were in the middle of working at your desk at home and you just looked at him like “Put some clothes on HOE” while laughing and getting back to work. 

He posts Boyfriend ASMR POVs but most of them are like self-indulgent fanfiction and he’s talking to “[Name]” instead of making it open to everyone. 

Everyone in Class 1-A clowns him so hard for this. 

Present Mic plays one of them during his radio one day as a request from a listener and he had to leave the room but since he’s so loud his laughter was basically the only thing people hear. 

[capsized-heart]

Lady Liberty and The Captain / Part One

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader (1940′s Brooklyn AU)

Summary: You are a rising young star and the newest breakout actress in Hollywood’s Golden Age! When war finally descends on the west, your reputation as America’s Sweetheart finds you cast in a promotional picture alongside Captain America himself.

Yet, he looks eerily familiar, like your Stevie from childhood…

Word count: 4.7k+

Warnings: fluff!!

A/N: hello, everyone!!!! I hope you’re staying home, warm, and safe during these crazy times. I’ve been snuggling with my doggie and continuing with my university’s online classes in my final semester..absolutely crazy how things are rn. I hope this new story can help brighten up your day just a little bit.

First of all, I just want to say thank you💖💛for all the love that old and new readers alike have shown this blog recently. I’ve been writing on this platform for a little less than a year and I never thought l’incendie would blow up as much as it has. You guys are amazing. I’m really excited and eager to share new pieces and hope you enjoy the content I have coming! Please don’t hesitate to pop in and say hi, or shoot me a message. I’ve really enjoyed connecting with readers and would love to know your thoughts on my fics, or just to talk about fandom stuff! Timmy included! PAHAHA

So, this chapter is gonna be a part of a mini-series for a 1940′s writing challenge and I’m using the prompt of wartime romance! This will probably be split into two or three parts and I will tag the host as soon as the last chapter goes up, I’ll most likely make a masterlist in the end as well. Reader has a name in this fic, but hopefully the choice of name will make sense later on :D

As always, feel free to drop a ask/message if you’d like a tag in the next update.

ENJOY!

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Film: ‘Apple of Discord’, Lola Swanson’s Dazzling Debut! 

By NICHOLAS WATTS                                                                                                                      September 1, 1943

----------

The film drama from the original screenplay written and directed by Andrew Campbell opened to a roar of applause and acclaim at the Radio City Music Hall yesterday evening. Apple of Discord is a reimagining of the myth and Plato’s allegory, focusing on the tumultuous, profoundly elegant life of a young noblewoman during the Trojan wars.  

The film’s frontrunner and leading lady is Hollywood newcomer, young and fresh-faced Lola Swanson. Swanson’s performance is so thoughtful, so unfaltering, so intelligent and controlled that it is hard to believe this is little Lola’s long awaited motion picture debut. And what a debut this is! 

Starring opposite Hollywood veterans Sean Schultz, Kash Dennis, and Gracie Smith, this star-studded cast packs punches and sizzling chemistry and yet, Swanson does not fizzle out but confidently holds her own, demanding your attention in every scene, and rightfully so. Watching Swanson in this picture is watching a major actress in the making. 

Born and raised in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen before moving to Brooklyn to pursue acting, some may recognize Lola from her daytime television roles in Insanity and Passion, It’s a Date! and as Jessica in Jessica Davis Returns.

Now we know these roles were preparing Swanson for the debut of the decade.   

“APPLE OF DISCORD” is now showing at the Radio City Music Hall and Cinema 2. Tickets at 25 cents. Running time: 139 minutes.

★★★★☆

——

APPLE OF DISCORD, written and directed by Andrew Campbell; director of photography, Laszlo Kovacs; edited by John Wright; music by John Barry; released by Universal Pictures.

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The newspaper trembles hard between your fingers, threatening to tear its edges. Pulse pounding, ears ringing. You can’t stop smiling. You feel like crying. 

You reread the words again and again, the words written by legendary film critic Nicholas Watts, the man you’ve only dreamed of making an impression on, that he’d someday see you in a picture. And here he’s written a glowing review of your major motion picture debut. 

You erupt in a fit of giggles and screams, twirling around the small space of your apartment in a swirl of nightgown, pinned curls. A neighbor, Mr. Krisinski, you think, pounds on your wall to shut you up. 

It’s still early morning and you had gone downstairs at first light to buy a paper from a newsboy. Outside your window, the streets of New York already yawn and bustle with morning commute. The movement of people, gleaming automobiles against the red brick buildings and muted gray of Manhattan. Warm sun washes over it all, your heart brimming and full, mirroring the glow of golden dawn. 

You feel on top of the world. Maybe you’ll finally make it here.

Your phone rings. You rush over to the mint blue rotary telephone on your bedside table, snatch up the receiver before Mr. Krisinski can break down your door with all the racket you’re making.

“Hello?” You say into the mouthpiece, cradling it between your hands. You feel breathless, high strung and buzzing, like you’d just downed a whole case of Coca-Cola, whirring with the taste of sugar and success, bubbling with starpower. Maybe it’s Kash or Gracie calling to congratulate you. Hell, maybe even President Roosevelt.

“Lola! It’s me. Have you read the paper?” The cool voice of Peggy asks you through the receiver. You quietly laugh at your own fantastical expectations. Of course it’s Peggy. Punctual, collected Peggy. 

Peggy Carter is your talent agent and manager at MGM. Peggy had snatched you up while you had been working as a background actress on Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca, so hopeful and beholden just to be in the presence of such respected artists, willing to stay the extra hours even after the other girls had gone home when realizing they wouldn’t be seen in the shot. It hadn’t been your first time on a hot set, you were used to the itchy costumes, long hours of endless waiting, and the empty stomachs, but no way you were going to miss a chance to see Ingrid Bergman and Madeleine LeBeau up close. 

Back then, only a few years ago yet a lifetime away it seems, Peggy had been a casting assistant, seeing your dedication and marching right up to you between takes to hand you her card. On the back, written in smooth blue ink, a time the next morning for an audition at MGM Studios in downtown New York. Eight o'clock sharp. 

You didn’t sleep at all that night after you wrapped.

She’s worked at getting you into audition rooms and meetings for years, pushing you onto writers, production assistants, riggers, directors. She had secured you an audition with Andrew Campbell after “accidentally” leaving your headshot in his mailroom and later calling his assistant with threats of stolen property. MGM’s new fresh face had been penciled in for a side read the following week. 

Fierce, ingenious, and your own bright star, you’ve risen through the ranks and fought your way up with Peggy at your side. 

“Yeah, Peg. I have it here in front of me. This is...absolutely nuts.” 

“Not really, you were brilliant in the picture, darling. But it’s a comfort to know Watts has finally replaced that cotton in his brain with some sense.”

Another laugh from you, twirling the telephone cord around your finger.

“Let me have this one, Peg.”

“If you insist.” 

You hear the rustling of newspaper from the other end. You can practically see Peggy sitting at her desk, perusing the paper over a morning cup of coffee, her hair curled, makeup and nails all scarlet red and perfect. The golden placard glittering on the frosted glass of the door. 

Margaret Carter, Casting Director.

“I’m calling to tell you about an offer we received this morning from Paramount. I think you should take it.” 

That rush of giddiness burns bright again in your veins, pulse skyrocketing. 

“Paramount? Geez, what did they say?”

“They want you for a promotional picture that’s being produced by Senator Brandt. Brandt is hoping to boost the homefront’s war bond sales with a little starpower from you and from Captain America. You’ve seen his posters, haven’t you? That costumed bloke?”

You have. Plastered everywhere and looking like an absolute buffoon. Nice physique, though. 

The disappointment that settles in your stomach is ugly and cold, like a fruitless pit, hard, rough, a sour taste in your mouth. It’s stupidly childish, yet your own expectations for your first movie, first box office hit, for that very first taste of the promised fame and fortune of success, begin to blink out. Expectations you’ve held on to since you were a little girl, since you realized this is the type of work you want to do for the rest of your life.

You’ve managed to impress Nicholas Watts, the most cynical film critic in all of Hollywood, and this is your big break? A Paramount picture featuring you and a tights-wearing mascot?

Peggy is practically asking you to star alongside Mickey Mouse.

“Is that all they offered?” You respond. You wince at the demanding, ungrateful tone. Afterall, showbiz has hardened you to go after what you want, to take and take because this lifestyle does not guarantee anything. You’re told no more than you are yes, the constant rejection having molded you into a diamond tough girl, glitzy and solid, unbreakable, beautiful. 

But how many girls would kill to be in your place?

“The only sensible deal. They also offered you the role of Violet for It’s a Wonderful Life, and Ruthie in The Grapes of Wrath.”

“What?! Peggy, contract me for those instead!” 

“Well, I’m not going to. And you listen well as to why.”

You twist your lips together. Peggy’s voice filters clipped and disapproving through the phone line, the way she always gets before she offers you damned good advice. 

“Not just Watts is impressed with your work, Lola. You’re finally turning heads and for all good reasons. Anyone can get in front of a camera if they have the right look. But you’ve shown them that you have the look and the raw talent. Critics are saying you’re rivaling Judy Garland, darling. And you’re telling me you want the part of a lousy love interest? A secondary daughter? All because the pictures have big names behind them and people may go see it?

“No,” you mumble.

“No is right. You know better than anyone that people expect young stars to burn out fast so they can take their place. It’s all business. If I put you in for those roles, we’d be playing right into their hand. We’d use up all your potential in one summer. The public would get sick of seeing your face in every big picture. We have to earn their affection, darling. It’s slow and tame and not always glamorous, but this deal is smart.”

You listen, silently.

“Morale is low. War is when people turn to familiar pastimes and simple pleasures. To treat themselves, to take their minds off all the grizzly headlines. Captain America embodies all of that and more. If we take this, I promise you, Lola, that people will remember you as the girl who got them through the darkest times. This will do wonders for your career years down the line. And then, if you still want to play Violet, I’ll phone Frank Capra myself.” 

You close your eyes and draw in a breath, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. 

“Well, it looks like I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“Wonderful. I’ll phone Paramount now. We’ll be in touch.” 

--

Growing up with poor Irish immigrants for parents, the rare moments you could afford to splurge on luxuries, you spent them at local cinemas and theaters with your brother. Any day was a good one when you and Samuel bought tickets for a noon screening, the cheapest showing of the day, scraping together pocket change to split a popcorn if you were feeling extra special.

And reclining in a nearly empty theater with refreshments and goodies between the two of you, you’d watch the silver screen with hope in your mouth and stars in your eyes. In here, it no longer mattered how little money you had, or the discrimination your family faced, or the war in Europe, or the meager apartment you’d go home to, lucky if the electricity and heating had been paid for. In here, nothing else mattered but the visual stories. 

And you realized that you wanted to help tell them. You wanted to be in front of the cameras, to embody characters and personas and let audiences worldwide empathize and identify with your performances. 

You’ve loved playing make-believe since you were a little girl, having never really grown out of it. You could do it, you think. Dangerous dreams, perhaps, but what child doesn’t hold this wish within them? To see their name in lights and to be admired and commended, but most of all, to provide for their family?

 How hard could it be?

**

At sixteen, you land your first speaking role. It’s pathetic. You’re working on set as background, per usual, only this time, the director picks you out from the crowd and gives you the line of, “Good morning, sir.” You’re to look off camera as the actor playing Kent entered the scene and you would then say your line. 

You’re stupidly excited. Three simple words. You’ll be uncredited, of course, but your face would finally be seen! With butterflies fluttering in your stomach, the scene resets, Kent takes his mark, the cameras roll, and you deliver.

The scene is cut from the final reel. 

**

You pound the pavement. You scour newspapers and flyers for casting calls, you phone agencies and playhouses, you save up to get your picture taken on glossy photo paper. You keep looking. You keep working in background until you can land a steady role. 

Then, you finally get one. A miniscule part of a friendly neighborhood girl on a TV drama for CBS. You only have mere minutes of screen time, but the checks that arrive in the mail from Columbia Broadcasting System after your first few episodes air say otherwise. 

You open a savings account. You plant your paychecks and watch them grow into a comfortable sum of money. You land another guest starring role for a daytime soap, the secretary of the title character. Combined with your parents’ salaries from your mother’s sewing and your father’s work on the railroads, you become the main breadwinner.  

You move your family out of Hell’s Kitchen, out of your cramped, dark apartment. You sign a new lease under your new stage name and move to Brooklyn together. 

**

Brooklyn is slightly cleaner, but the familiar hustle and bustle, the noise of shopkeepers and dialects and children and cars is comforting, grounds you in your roots. When your CBS drama wraps months later with your last check in the mail and you’re looking for your next gig, your brother works odd jobs to help shoulder the burden. Brick laying, chimney sweeping, milk and mail delivering, Samuel becomes no stranger to any and all work, so long as it pays. You become a typist on the side as you wait for auditions and callbacks. 

Samuel tells you his aspirations to be a poet, a writer. He hasn’t said a word to your parents, but he shows you the small bound notebook he carries with him, leafing through pages of prose and verse. You encourage him to submit his work to newspapers, publishers. He gives you a shy smile, says he’ll consider it as soon as you get your motion picture debut. You shake on it. Together, your already close bond of brother and sister grows stronger as you each work to support your art.

**

You’re waiting for Samuel to finish his shift so you can catch a late showing of His Girl Friday, a warm September day when you first meet Bucky Barnes down at the wharfs. He’s tall, lean, and glistening with sweat when he rounds out of the warehouse with an armful of crates and nearly knocks you off the pier.

“Hey, watch it!” he snaps. His eyes flash like the water around you, blue and cold and dangerous. Brown locks curl with perspiration against his forehead, the sleeves of his workshirt rolled up over his shoulders, the exposed skin of his throat and arms flushed and tan. 

Embarrassed, you try to steady him, to which he growls in annoyance and spins out of your reach. He makes a great show of bearing the weight himself, grumbling as he sets down his load. You don’t miss the way the muscles in his back flex and dip. It isn’t until he slowly stands back up, wiping his palms on his khakis, that you get a good look at each other.

The hostility in his eyes softens ever so slightly, simmering into a look that cinches your chest tight when his gaze travels shamelessly up from your kitten heels to the curves of your lips and cheek. His breathing is still labored as he surveys you and you can feel heat and color blooming against your skin. When his eyes finally settle on your face, you can’t decide whether you want to slap or kiss him. 

“You lost or something, honey?” He asks with a whisper of a smile. He strolls in a lazy half-circle in front of you and moves to go back up the ramp to the warehouse. Then, he pauses and turns back to you.

“Have we met before? I swear I recognize you from somewhere.”

This delights you deliciously, that a handsome young man you’ve met by chance has seen your work. Not glamorous, acclaimed roles by any means, but recognition nonetheless. You bite the inside of your lip to suppress your smile and give him a coy, bashful flutter of your eyelashes.

“If that were the case, I’m sure I’d remember you.” 

He grins wolfishly, pleased, and takes a step closer. “Yeah? Think you’ll let me take you out for dinner tonight?”

“She’s got plans with me, Buck.” Samuel’s voice carries across the water. Your brother emerges with wooden boxes and sets them between you and Bucky in a huff, as if he’s implementing a physical barrier, both childish and endearing. Bucky glances at you and Samuel.

“Are you two..?”

“Steady? No. She’s my sister.”

Bucky snorts and his eyes find you again, glittering in the evening light. “You never told me you had a sister, Sammy. And such a looker too..”

“Makes you wonder why I never brought her up,” retorts Samuel and gives him a playful shove, traps him briefly in a headlock. “At least Steve wouldn’t ogle.”

“Stevie would get a nose bleed and pass out.” You hear Bucky grunt back. Samuel moves as if to dump him into the drink and Bucky pinwheels, scrambling. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”

Satisfied, Samuel releases him and socks him in the shoulder for good measure. Bucky stumbles, looking boyish and smooth despite his shirt and hair all disheveled. 

You’ve seen his type in casting offices all across New York; bold, alluring, and charismatic. It’s a look and type you’ve longed to act opposite of someday, as all young starlets dream of, but a look that simultaneously sparks the feminine temptation that shivers between your breasts. You wonder if Bucky would look the same in a dark bedroom, with him on top of you and your fingers running over his back…

Bucky grins toothily when he catches you staring and shoots you a wink. None of those movie star hopefuls hold a candle now to his rugged, spirited charm.

Samuel guides you back up the pier so he can punch out his time card and the two of you can be on your way. And as you’re about to set foot on solid ground, you hear Bucky call out to you.

“What’s your name, honey?” 

Samuel sighs and shakes his head. “Cripes.” He mutters to himself. Before Samuel can stop you, you laugh and turn back to the water with a fresh and girlish aire, warmth and excitement whispering through your veins, young and naive and sixteen.  

“Dolores!” You give him your full name, your real name. For once, you don’t want to be Lola Sparks. You want to be your natural, honest self, the girl who deserves young love and joy and an untroubled adolescence. The sound of your voice rings clear and strong, the diva that you are, and Bucky’s mouth curves upwards.

“See you ‘round, Dot.” 

**

Much to Samuel’s displeasure, you tail your big brother around the docks like a lost pup whenever you have time. And being a C-list actress and a part-time typist, you have plenty of it. You loiter with the excuse of bringing sack lunches, waiting on Samuel and Bucky at the edge of the warehouses. It’s lonesome and bores you to no end being all by yourself, until one afternoon when someone is already waiting at your spot by the pier.

Small, skinny as his own shadow with a fringe of blonde hair, he leans hunkered and folded within himself, timid and seemingly conscious of how he occupies space. His jacket droops over his shoulders, eyes downcast even as you approach. He has a sketchbook in his hands, concentrated as the pencil moves across the page in fast, gentle strokes. You see an impressive likeness of the piers and Bucky’s distant figure in charcoaled lines.

“That’s really something.” You say.

He jolts so hard the paper tears and he crumples it into his fist in a single motion. “Huh?” he answers. When he looks to you, you realize his eyes are a pretty shade of teal. He flushes, petrified, the tips of his ears coloring pink. You feel horrible when he goes to pocket the ball of paper.

“I’m so sorry for scaring you,” you breathe. Gently, you offer your palm to him. “If you’re not keeping it, do you mind if I have it?” You ask softly. A few seconds pass and he shakes his head before placing it in your hand. You unfurl the paper, carefully smooth it out as he watches you from the corner of his eye. 

Shyness is a barrier of art you’ve known all too well, from your own experiences in audition rooms to your brother’s reluctance to find a publisher, you understand that sting of insecurity better than anyone. So, you let him watch you as you admire his work, let him know of his talent and let your actions speak for you. You smile and slip the drawing into your purse. 

Then, his stomach grumbles audibly, almost comically loud. He folds his arms around his stomach, so tight you’re afraid he’ll snap in half. You quickly reach into one of your paper bags and hand him a sandwich wrapped in cellophane and a can of lemonade. 

“Here, let’s trade.” 

“That’s awfully kind of you, but I can’t accept..” he starts. The timbre of his voice is surprisingly gallant and sure, pleasant, sweet. You have a gut feeling that the world has been taking advantage of that kindness his whole life, scaring him away from genuine compassion, that everything must have a catch. It makes you press harder.

“I insist. Please. It’s the least I can do for sneaking up on you.” He eyes you warily and again that feeling of regret washes over you. “Consider it payment.” You smile. 

Finally, he takes Samuel’s lunch from you and unwraps the sandwich. He eats quickly and quietly, draining the lemonade only minutes later. Perhaps it’s his bony statue, but you feel happy to see this stranger eat.

When he’s finished, he wipes his mouth and turns to you. His lips, pretty, pink, part as if about to speak, yet no words leave him. Instead, he stands frozen with that transfixing blue-green gaze keeping you still, lingering. 

That is until a stream of brilliant scarlet red dribbles down his chin and splatters onto his dress shirt. He pinches his nose, doubling forward and his flustered complexion matching the blood spilling from his nostrils.

“You must be Steve,” You laugh lightly and quickly hand him your handkerchief of cream yellow lace and embroidered flowers. You help steady him as he keeps his head tilted down. “Bucky’s told me all about you.”

Steve groans and presses the handkerchief to his face, blushing all the way down to his neck. 

**

Steve returns your handkerchief days later with an embarrassed hush, carefully cleaned and laundered. It smells of lavender and clean linen and the image of him working the fabric between his thin fingers with soap and suds warms your heart. 

You tell him it’s his. He blooms and keeps it neatly folded in his breast pocket. 

You and Steve quickly grow close in the hours you spend together waiting on Bucky and Samuel. You pack extra lunches for him and sit by the piers chatting, skipping stones as Steve sketches the Brooklyn skyline day in and day out.

“Draw me!” you tease. “Isn’t that the request that all artists want to hear?”

But surprisingly, he does. He always draws you and Bucky and Samuel with striking, intimate familiarity. His sketchbook gradually fills with portraits and pictures of you, sketches that could put your very headshot to shame.

**

After their usual shifts, the four of you head to the drugstore for your ritual of sodas and sundaes. Two pairs, brother and sister and brothers by blood enjoying a rare wartime treat. With the rations on sugar, it’s a special and memorable circumstance just to be together and sharing something sweet.

It’s there, at your corner booth in Wolfe’s Pharmacy over ice cream, that Bucky opens up a paper for that night’s television network schedule and sees your name. 

His eyebrows shoot up. “Dot,” he says. “What do others call you?”

Defeated, you twist your lips, hesitant to break the short spell of normalcy you’ve had with your new friends. Samuel sips at his Coke with a silent grin. 

Time for the truth to come out.

“Well, ‘doll’, by Stevie,” you giggle and toe Steve’s foot under the table. Steve shyly shrinks back into his seat. “But CBS calls me Lola.”

Bucky’s jaw drops. 

“Get out of here. You’re pulling my leg..”

“I absolutely am not.”

“Sammy, tell me she’s pulling my leg.”

“She’s not.”

Two pairs of brilliant blue eyes dart between you and your brother. Bucky’s face breaks into an open smile, laughing. Steve lurches forward. 

“Have you ever met anyone famous?” Steve prods with a hint of that honest, innocent charm.  

You wrinkle your nose sheepishly. “Mason Cook?”

“Who?” Bucky asks around a mouthful of sundae.

“Exactly.” Samuel snorts.

“Well, I’m sure he’s very talented.” Says Steve.

You swipe his maraschino cherry and let the stem dangle between your lips. “At least Stevie believes in me.” 

“Dot, honey. I saw your pilot episode. If anyone’s a fan, it’s me.” Bucky feigns hurt, hand to his chest. 

You stick out your bottom lip before sucking in the stem, working it into a tight knot in your mouth. “Are you still gonna be when your girl is signing autographs with John Wayne?”

You place the knotted stem on your napkin. Bucky nearly chokes. 

“I better be.”

Samuel coughs. Steve giggles. 

**

You thank your stars that your secret doesn’t change anything between Steve and Bucky. They treat you just the same; as Samuel’s baby sister who tags along with the boys. The teasing, the fleeting looks all unchanging. 

Girls, you’ve unfortunately realized, are catty and mean. You’re competing for roles, after all. But with Bucky and Steve, your first taste of homecoming since moving to Brooklyn, you don’t have to worry about silly competition, or fame, or being the best in the room. They keep you level-headed, reminding you of your girlhood and life’s simple pleasures.

Bucky drives you and Steve around town in the company truck on weekends. Hopscotch and jacks on brick roads and warm nights, watching sunsets until the sky blushes peach and mango yellow at Coney Island. 

A Saturday afternoon on Rockaway Beach, a vacation for you all after a draining week of work and auditions when Bucky promises to win you a stuffed bear when he sees you eyeing the one on careful display. 

“Buck..Bucky, give it a rest, we can try the next one.” Steve chides.

Another plastic ring pings off the neck of a glass bottle. Bucky curses, rings his hands together and slaps another dollar onto the counter.

You and Steve trade looks. Bucky’s been at it for ten minutes. At this rate, you know you’ll be walking on the train tracks home tonight.

So, you and Steve huddle close and cheer him on. Do it for our doll! says Steve. Finish it so you’ll stop wasting money, you dolt! you cry. Hell, even the vendor finds it humorous and joins in.

And when Bucky wins that grand prize and you’re handed a teddy bear as big as Stevie, you hoist it on your back, careful to not let it touch gravel or dust as the three of you walk in line with the train tracks later that evening.

Paradise, a sheltered haven from the broken landscapes and realities that the European newsreels broadcast home in grim black and white. 

**

True to Bucky’s word, they become your biggest supporters, helping you run lines and monologues and accompanying you to auditions. Bucky’s not bad for a scene partner, and Steve’s awareness of emotion and character motivation is impressive.

The attention you receive from casting directors and auditionees doesn’t hurt your chances either, lanky Steve and smoldering Bucky wishing you luck before stepping into the green room.

You book a drama. Then, a short film. Then another. You call them your lucky charms. 

And when your humble little short film “premiers” at the corner cinema, squeezed in between an empty noon showing of a cartoon rerun, Steve and Bucky whoop and holler when your character is shown on screen. They throw popcorn and gumdrops, jostle you by the shoulders. Bucky even runs down the aisle and mimes kissing the projector screen.

“That’s our girl! That’s our Dot!”

The usher threatens to throw you out. Steve tells him you’ve paid good money for your tickets and you’ll stay and watch as long as you please.

The following week, you’re scouted by Peggy Carter. 

Your world, your career will never be the same.

[vocalprinceseokmin]

Xcalibur summary (Part 1)

SPOILER ALERT: If you are someone who has tickets to go watch Xcalibur, or you intend to go and watch, then I highly suggest that you do not click under the cut. This is my attempt to piece together the musical from whatever is available online for those who have not or will not manage to catch it. My understanding of Korean is at best minimal, so my understanding is from the summaries that have been floating around (including the summary from the program book), and guesswork from watching the musical.

I watched the first two shows that DK performed, namely 19 June and 22 June, which shall be referred to as Day 1 and Day 2 respectively. I also watched the Kai show on the 21 June, which featured pretty much a completely different lineup from Day 1 and Day 2. 

Cast (Arthur / Lancelot / Morgana / Merlin / Guinevere / Ector )

Day 1: DK / Um Ki Joon / Shin Young Sook / Son Jun Ho / Min Kyung Ah / Lee Jong Moon

Day 2: DK / Lee Jee Hoon / Jang Eun Ah  / Son Jun Ho / Min Kyung Ah / Lee Jong Moon

Kai Day: Kai / Park Kang Hyun / Shin Young Sook / Kim Joon Hyun / Kim Sohyang / Cho Won Hee

 As a matter of background, please do note that DK is triple cast in the role of Arthur together with Kai (not the EXO member, musical actor whose real name is Jung Ki Yeol) and Kim Junsu (Xiah Junsu). Both Kai and Junsu happen to be (very) well regarded musical actors, so let’s just say that there is pretty much no way that DK can match up to the two of them given that he has zilch experience, and I don’t think anyone with background expects him to match up. In addition, as a broad generality, the rest of the cast is well regarded, and it is established that he is the youngest of the lot. I suspect every other main cast is at least five years older than him (with the youngest of the rest I think being Min Kyung Ah), and way way more musical experience.

So really, he has his work cut out for him, and I am saying this as someone who runs a DK vocal appreciation account. That said, Arthur is the lead role in a big budget musical “world premiere”, so he really can’t afford to suck. 

I repeat: If you intend to watch the musical, I suggest you do not spoil yourself.

Due to the length of this post, I will not be embedding the videos like I normally do. There exists more videos, but I want to get this out first.

Edit (28 June): to include alternative videos from the press call + new videos from the Sitzprobe (but please note that the quality of the video in the Sitzprobe is not great but there’s no other source)

ACT 1

0 Prologue

Ensemble

Opening of the musical where masked ensemble members come on stage to do some chanting (think in relation to the Xcalibur). Looks quite ritualistic.

 1 A Bond that Cannot be Broken

Arthur / Lancelot / Ensemble

Arthur runs onto stage (for DK fans, the first guy who runs on to stage with the sword is Arthur, because I couldn’t tell until later). Arthur and Lancelot have a duel (not serious). Don’t recall who wins, but in the end after Arthur and Lancelot are done fighting, some ensemble actor (who is a village boy) kicks Arthur in the butt. Arthur gets angry and brandishes his sword at the ensemble actor. There is some further provocation between the ensemble actor and Arthur, but after interference by Ector (Arthur’s adoptive papa), and the other ensemble actors (village boys), the tension is diffused.

Arthur breaks into song, which I think generally introduces his life (as a ordinary village boy), with his friends and his adoptive papa. Generally a merry mood, with him drinking a few times out of his cup. He appears to be great friends with the village boys (including Lancelot).  At some point Lancelot takes over singing the song. The spoilers are right in that he gets kissed once on his cheek (he falls over), and then I believe the same ensemble actress kisses him on the lips. While shocking when watched the first time, it’s really quick (and contrary to the image you are likely imagining, he has both village boy and girl friends).

Arthur ends the scene on the shoulder of two other village boys with the light shining on him.

2 Telling of a Tale

Merlin

Lightning strikes, and most of the villagers disperse. Arthur asks what is going on, and Ector (adoptive papa) basically knows that it’s Merlin who is coming.

Merlin sings. I believe the song is telling Arthur that he is destined to be king. Merlin is a very composed character, I feel, and makes hand movements wherein basically the fate of Arthur is projected (namely for him to be king etc). Effects were cool.

3 My Flesh, My Blood, My Skin, My Bones (on DK international twitter, I think people translated it to I Am Mine)

Arthur

Arthur gets angry and does not want to accept what Merlin is saying and gets angry.  

This is the song that DK sang during the mini live (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiQJGPa5ktM).

Trans: https://twitter.com/17_HAMZZI/status/1130284402150240261

Arthur confronts Merlin, points his finger at Merlin. At some point picks up his sword and points that Merlin too.

4 World on Fire

Ensemble

There is a press call for this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnvvEpp_wOk

Alternative link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIivCO6yewQ

Camelot ensemble is living in fear, and then the Saxons end up barging in and finishing them off.

5 Where Are You Now  

Morgana

Sitzprobe at approximately 4:14 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvg5_pFKDPE

Morgana is Arthur’s half sister, and appears to be a nun. Believe she is mourning her fate, and asking where Merlin is, but I will admit I didn’t get much more than that. From information that I have seen subsequent, it seems that Morgana is Merlin’s former disciple.

I think at the end of this scene, the Saxons crash into Morgana’s room, kill the other person who was in her room, and Morgana manages to save herself by saying that her father is Uther Pendragon. Not sure if they believe her, but the Saxons spare her life and take her prisoner.

 6  Telling of the Tale Reprise

Merlin

Arthur runs to the forest and prays. Probably asks why his fate is this, can’t believe it etc. Ector shows up, and I believe confirms that he is not Arthur’s biological father (giving credence to what Merlin says that he is destined to be king, and he is Uther Pendragon’s son). Arthur is angry. I am also being led to believe that Ector tries to convince Arthur to listen to what Merlin has to say.  

Merlin is singing the song, probably showing Arthur his fate. I think there is some suggestion that Arthur has some “dragon blood” and “dragon rage” in him. Many animations of parts of a dragon appear, in which Arthur swings his sword at the animations that appear. In the end he falls on the floor when the animation of the dragon eye appears.

Merlin probably tells Arthur about how the Saxons are threatening Camelot or something. Merlin takes away Arthur’s sword and I think tells Arthur to go pull the xcalibur out of the stone.

 7 The Man You’d Have Me Be

Arthur

The first song from this clip of press call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbzWMHbszjk

Alternative link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm0DC5gHyrA

At some point, it seems that Arthur is buying what Merlin is saying. Then the rock formation with the xcalibur sword in it appears.

Arthur scales the rock (while singing) with the intention of trying to pull the sword out of the stone. Villagers are starting to gather below the rock formation.

Arthur fails to pull the xcalibur out of the sword twice (to giggles and then more giggles from the onlooking villagers below).

8 Let the Sword Make This Man

Lancelot / Ensemble

Merlin tells Arthur something, and then the xcalibur slides out easily without Arthur needing to exert force at all.

Second song from this clip of the press call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbzWMHbszjk

Alternative link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm0DC5gHyrA

Arthur is in awe of the sword, but Lancelot doesn’t seem to be very happy (and Lancelot is the one singing the song mostly). Villagers seem to be in awe of the sword too, and have fallen to their knees to pay respect to the king (except Lancelot). 

There is a moment of suspense when 5 or 6 ensemble actors (to be knights) sing, and then there’s a pause and everyone looks at Lancelot who hasn’t sung yet. And then Lancelot breaks into song, gets on his knees. And then the joker asks to be knighted right away – and Arthur does. Arthur and Lancelot hug. Then Arthur goes to Ector and they hug too. 

Arthur celebrates with Ector, and then Merlin. Believe Arthur hands the xcalibur to Ector.

9 If He Were Standing Here

Guinevere / Arthur

Last 30 seconds of this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbzWMHbszjk is the background to the song. Song itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv6OLpbsnBA

Alternative link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcYAjOAIVZI

Sitzprobe at approximately 7:05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvg5_pFKDPE

Guinevere shows up and is in awe that someone managed to pull the xcalibur out of the stone.

I believe Arthur asks Guinevere what she would say to the person who managed to pull the xcalibur from the sword if he were standing here. Guinevere doesn’t know that Arthur was the one who managed to pull the xcalibur from the stone.

Guinevere is excited that someone managed to pull it out of the stone, that is clear enough.

Towards the end of the song, Ector comes and gives the xcalibur back to Arthur, to the shock and horror of Guinevere. Who makes an excuse to run away, but Arthur manages to get her name. Arthur looks smitten anyway, and I have been subsequently informed that Merlin asks Arthur if he likes Guinevere, and he answers yes. Merlin tells Arthur that ok, he’ll make Guinevere his wife, and Arthur answers yes, without paying too much attention to what Merlin is saying, then realizes that Merlin is saying, and pretty much goes “really” or something along those lines and chases Merlin excitedly off stage.

10 The Mark of the Wolf

Wolfgang / Ensemble

Sitzprobe at approximately 12 minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvg5_pFKDPE

Ensemble (Saxons) get on stage and demonstrate their power.

Lee Sang Jun (Wolfgang), I think, has more to do than his 7th billing suggests, and I think he sings well. I think he has more to do than Ector for sure.

 11 Where Are You Now Reprise

Morgana

I think in 10 there might’ve been some Morgana bullying (notably, it seems like Wolfgang’s son (who is a important ensemble member) likes to pull her hair).

So I guess Morgana is again, not very happy.

 12 In Troubled Times Like These

Arthur / Guinevere

Guinevere is with a group of girls. It seems like she’s holding some fighting classes or something. Lancelot and Arthur come along (for what purpose isn’t exactly clear to me). Think Lancelot might have said or done something to piss Guinevere off, so Lancelot and Guinevere get into a (not serious) fight. Guinevere wins.

Lancelot wants to like chase girls, and I think the girls want to see the xcalibur. Arthur moves closer to offer the xcalibur to Lancelot to take to chase the girls, and all the girls save Guinevere flock to Lancelot who leads the girls away.

It’s only at this point that the song starts. Unlike If He Was Standing Here, this song is probably even. It seems like some love song, and it seems like at the end there was an intention to kiss, but they get interrupted by the Saxons. Arthur pushes Guinevere away and fights the Saxons (without the xcalibur, or any other kind of proper sword), but soon after Lancelot comes back, hands Arthur his xcalibur, then Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere (with the bow and arrow) manage to fend off the Saxons. However, Arthur is injured in the process. Wolfgang’s son is seriously injured in this battle, and I think Arthur tells Wolfgang’s son that he is the son of Uther Pendragon.

 13 Pagan Dance & Ritual

Ensemble

I think basically what it suggests. A lavish number of ensemble (the female Saxons(??) who like entertain instead of fight, are not as good as the male Saxons). They are celebrating and then engaging in some ritual, which seems to result in perhaps crowning Wolfgang as king? (Morgana is still Saxons’ prisoner).

Wolfgang’s son runs in, and I think is quite injured. Understand that he reveals that he met Uther Pendragon’s son. Wolfgang is angry. Morgana is angry and shocked that Arthur is alive/exists/in the way.

 14 Sins of Father

Morgana

Press call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijpz7GqTAaI

Alternative link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xWQgN7VOoE

Sitzprobe at approximately 15:50 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvg5_pFKDPE (sung by Jang Eun-Ah instead of Shin Young Sook at the press call)

Understand that Morgana is angry/jealous of Arthur for taking away what she believes is rightfully hers, and is angry at her father.

The edges of the dragon in the background shine more brightly as the song goes on, and at the climax, a dragon projection roars out (this does not show up in the press call). Cool stuff but Morgana is definitely the highlight still.

15 The Tempest

Lancelot

Recall that Arthur got injured due to the clash with the Saxons. At the start Arthur didn’t have a weapon because Lancelot took it away to go and chase girls (though to be fair, Arthur offered the xcalibur). Still, Arthur is the one who got injured.

At the start of the scene, some of the knights are angry at Lancelot. Lancelot breaks into song. If you believe the summary, it’s probably Lancelot regretting and vowing to be a better person or something along those lines.

 16 In Troubled Times Like This Reprise

Guinevere

Merlin does some singing at the start (understand that he’s backed by ensemble). Arthur is in Merlin’s cave, and Merlin is trying to save him.

Guinevere comes along, and Merlin is quite exhausted from trying to rescue Arthur. Not sure what Merlin tells Guinevere. But at the end of the scene, Guinevere told Arthur that she loves him. Arthur is already awake (or wakes up) and tells her that he loves her too. They embrace.

 17 Hundred Years From Now

Ensemble

Scene starts with many villagers who are all out and about building things. There is a fair bit of construction equipment. Ensemble starts out singing a short number.

As you can guess Arthur survives, and walks in (with Guinevere and Merlin supporting him) to a crowd of villagers chanting his name.

 18 Why Am I Here

Morgana / Merlin / Arthur

Lightning strikes, and Morgana (somehow) is on the floor (for avoidance of doubt, this is a direct continuation from the previous scene with the villagers still all around them with the construction equipment, though as the scene goes on the villagers start to retreat). I think Arthur and Guinevere check if Morgana is ok,  and then Arthur asks Morgana who she is to which Morgana says that she is Morgana Pendragon, and that she is Arthur’s older sister.

Morgana and Merlin have a confrontation, and this is where Morgana breaks into song.  Merlin joins in.  There is a lot of back and forth between Morgana and Merlin. Then Arthur joins in. And there’s a lot of back and forth. At the end it seems like Merlin is on the other side from Morgana and Arthur.

After the song (I think, but no promises, might have been before), Arthur embraces Morgana. Arthur seems genuinely happy to meet her. It seems like Arthur is not happy that Merlin kept this fact from him.

 19 The Mark of The Wolf Reprise

Wolfgang / Ensemble

Saxons display their power. As before, they have a very cool routine in which the Saxons ensemble bang their weapons on their shields. If you sit near the front it’s really quite scary.

 20 Sins of Father Reprise Chant

Morgana

As the title suggests, Morgana is angry about the sins of her father.

 21 Remember This Night

Arthur / Merlin / Ensemble

Press call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZySqHmL3qc

Alternative link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Fzaj6NYFg

Sitzprobe at approximately 20:30 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvg5_pFKDPE (with Kim Joon Hyun as Merlin instead of Son Jun Ho)

Crowning of Arthur atop the rock formation. All key casts are present (Merlin, Ector, Guinevere, Lancelot). The knights have now their knight outfits, and well, now knights around the round table. Villagers are also present.

I think the press call is quite accurate, except at the end, the light on Arthur intensifies and gets really bright and then Arthur thrusts his sword into the air to bring an end to Act 1.

===========================================================

I have thoughts, and initially thought of including them, but I have left them out, and have decided this to be a skeletal of the musical instead. I will share my thoughts eventually (probably in a separate post). On DK, let me just say that when I decided to fly in to watch him (I have never flown to watch a concert before), I knew that if he did not meet expectations (whatever that means, to be clear expectations is not to be as good as Junsu or Kai because that’s simply unrealistic), I would likely drop him and leave kpop altogether. That got messed with because the rehearsal reviews were quite positive (which I saw), and I guess, despite that I’m still writing this to piece together the musical so.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a message, and to the people who have reblogged this, thanks alot!!

[murderwasthecase]

Showcasing Marvel’s Daredevil - The Crown Jewel of MCU

Quick rant about the situation

So this shit just happened and of course I wanted to say something. Daredevil has been CANCELLED by Netflix. Honestly, if you follow this kinda stuff, I think you all saw it coming after they did the same thing to Iron Fist and Luke Cage, but this shit hurts because the show’s third season which was, in my opinion, maybe the best one yet still hasn’t cooled off, people are still talking about it, it received many praise from critics and audiences alike, and it just came off as a really cold thing to cancel the show now especially if you’re a fan of the series.

There are already millions of videos and essays on what this kind of Thanos-snapping his fingers action that Netflix just did with Marvel’s heroes could mean and I will not talk about them in this particular piece. Instead, I’m gonna pay a tribute to the show by going through some of my favorite moments of the three seasons that we got. We definitely deserved a few more and as of now it could theoretically happen on some other network, but the Netflix era of Daredevil is over and during that time, it made it the best superhero tv show that was ever created and probably the best thing to ever come out of MCU alongside Infinity War. And now you’ll see why. By the way, the idea is to showcase the genius of the series through some of its best scenes so if you haven’t seen it, you are warned.

Writer’s room of Daredevil has blessed the MCU with some of its richest characters. Their actions are well-thought, striking and every one of them has some kind of dilemma going on in their heads which makes them more human and more interesting for the viewer. They have personal demons and individual values which are fleshed out to the maximum. That characteristic just brings those fictional people closer to the audience, resonating with their own lives. While MCU’s movie characters are more concerned with battling aliens and saving the planet, ones in Daredevil fight the battles of the ordinary people. 

The drama in Daredevil is mainly based around the clashes of polar opposites in the lives of its main characters. The best example of this is, of course, Matthew (brilliant Charlie Cox), whose ever-lasting moral fight with his Catholic faith and God is one of the running themes of the show. The crescendo of it comes in the series’ third season when Matt, much more pessimistic than before, considers taking another man’s life which he earlier swore never to do, running away from the fundamental principles of his religion which earlier guided him through his vigilante mission.

While the aforementioned third season takes that battle inside the mind of Matt Murdock, in the previous one, we can see that fight literally taking place with another person. Enter Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, played by the amazing badass that is Jon Bernthal, who does the same thing as Daredevil, except he TAKES lives because of his beliefs. Psychological clash between these two broken men takes it’s heights in the third episode of the show’s second season, where Daredevil confronts Frank Castle and tries to reason with him, eventually planting the seeds for clash in his own head a season after that.

That is exceptional writing and phenomenal acting right there. Even though I think the second season of Daredevil is the least good one from all of them because of the tiring ninja subplot, the Punisher arc is one of the strongest things that happened in these series. That’s another polar opposite for you.

Dialogues like that are one fantastic way to flesh out characters and their essence, to show us who they are and what goes on in their heads. Daredevil isn’t overcrowded with quips and sarcastic insults like the movies are, the time it’s not wasted on melodramatic, soap-opera style love triangles which occur in the CW shows. Compared to them and even to other Netflix superhero TV series, Daredevil brings a deeper meaning to its characters by including philosophical arguments that connect us to their dilemmas, layering the story in the process. For instance, take a look at this scene (can’t embed it because of Tumblr) from season 1, when father Lantom tries to answer Matthew’s question about the existence of Devil.

Have you heard the last question in that clip? This scene not only brings a thought-provoking anecdote to the table - it’s much more than that. It serves as a great MOTIVATION for the main character to link the speech to his real-life situation, to try and stop the evil, even if its power seems impossible. This is superhero mythology at its finest.

And it works for antiheroes as well. Like the situation from season two, where Punisher refuses to deny his radical beliefs, taking a piss on the whole judicial system in the process, packed with another great Jon Bernthal performance.

Talking about great acting, it would be a sin not to showcase the ability of Vincent D’Onofrio who gives a role of his career as the main villain Wilson Fisk, the pinnacle of excellent writing on this show.

His portrayal of this crime lord is so menacing. D’Onofrio plays Fisk who with his posture and gestures reminds you more of a shy child than a criminal mastermind, but he’s at the same time almost harrowingly dominant and explosive.  This makes for an extremely unpredictable villian who is layered, complex and whose character development is, as a result, ever-lasting. Just watch as he transforms the scene by delivering this great analogy about the good samaritan.

To all you aspiring writers, actors and directors who want to work in the superhero medium - take notes.

When talking about Daredevil I obviously have to talk about action scenes. I would argue that Marvel’s Daredevil is probably the best action series of all time considering how it balances good writing and exhilarating fighting sequences, but I’ll let someone more experienced to prove that hypothesis.

The action in Daredevil has reached almost a mythical point by now, with fans making memes about their duration and ridiculously coordinated and well-executed stuntwork and camera work. Hallway fights have become a norm on the show and there are lots of good YouTube videos that analyse them so I won’t get in detail here and dissect them even though that would be fun - I will rather point out the one geeky detail about them which is key to why the most talked about action scenes in Daredevil are so good.

You know what was my all-time favorite action scene on tv for a long time? Let’s take you back to the first season of True Detective, precisely, to the end of fourth episode, when Rust Cohle infiltrates this biker gang and goes on a mission to the hood with them - just to blow his cover and capture their leader. This is one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen in tv series, ever. Director Cary Fukunaga decided to film this as a TRACKING SHOT.

By placing the camera directly behind Matthew McConaughey’s back he placed US in the perspective, almost creating a 3D, video-game like environment in which we get close to the situation as much as possible. Doing this, he creates tension, the feel of urgency and danger which resonates with audience and makes everything more interesting. That raid scene was six minutes long without visible cuts or edits. Fukunaga used a long take which made episode end on the high note. In my opinion, this is how grounded action should be made. It has to communicate with viewer, it enhances the atmosphere.

When I saw something similar in the hallway fight in Daredevil’s first season, I was hyped. It wasn’t exactly that as we watched everything from the hall, not from “behind Matt’s back” perspective, but it reminded me vividly of Fukunaga’s take. And in the second season, when they filmed the Staircase scene, they used that exact method which they pushed it to the limits in the prison sequence in the third season which is as of right now definitely my favorite action scene in any tv series, of all time, period. And another thing which is mind-boggling is how they make it longer every season. Hallway fight from the first season was three minutes long, Staircase was five minutes, while Prison was around eight. All in single take. By that, you can see how the cast and crew tried harder and harder every season, pushing the boundaries of not only superhero genre, but the tv series making in general. Do you know how hard it is to film something like those scenes? You can look it up online, it’s an extremely difficult work.

DAREDEVIL has created a perfect mixture of drama and superhero crime story, presenting us a gritty world of crime-ridden New York. Of course, as everything, it has a few problems here and there, but it’s by far the most mature thing to come out of MCU. I don’t know who’s really responsible for the cancellation, is it Disney or Netflix or both of them, but I hope they’ll realize what stupid move they’ve made and let the cast and crew continue their magic. Because if not, our dear MCU has just lost one of its crown jewels.

[meeedeee]

Vidding Linkspam July 19, 2019

Conventions/Challenges

 Connexions

Multi-Fandom Convention in Maryland is seeking vids for their vid show. Submit your vids by August 1

https://sites.google.com/view/connexions-south/programming/vid-show?authuser=0  

  Fall Equinox 2019 will be a costume party!

Theme will be:  Fictional sources in any format that are set in earlier eras than they were produced/released in -- e.g., costume / period / historical dramas and comedies.   Deadline for Signups:  July 21 - 28  https://equinox-exchange.dreamwidth.org/27045.html  

Convention Vid Show Question

I'm now getting a little worried... would submitting 3 premieres to fanworks con be considered a dick move? I don't wanna take time away from anyone, but I also really wanna show these vids to people.    https://findmeinthealps.dreamwidth.org/7949.html   

 VidUkon Eurovison 2019 Vid Show ....this year's Eurovision show listing showcasing European vidders & source and celebrating the diversity of the European vidding community across all platforms.  

https://amnisias.dreamwidth.org/59043.html

VidUKon 2019 Feedback Notes

It's been a little over a week since VidUKon, so it seems like a good time to post up some of the feedback notes from the final panel of the year and the end-of-con feedback session. First up: panel notes!   https://vidukon-cardiff.dreamwidth.org/39561.html

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MetaVidshow Discussion Post: Be Gay, Do CrimesVidUKon is a vidding convention held in the UK. This year they're trying something new - inviting people to watch one of the vid shows online and then comment.   The vidshow is "Be Gay, Do Crimes "   https://vidukon-cardiff.dreamwidth.org/39913.html

 Vidding Chatter July (vid_bingo)

What is your least favorite thing about vidding as a hobby?  What is your favorite thing?    https://vid-bingo.dreamwidth.org/4373.html

Vidding Chatter  June (vid_bingo)

Have you ever been to a vid or fan-focused convention? Which one? What was your experience like, etc?    https://vid-bingo.dreamwidth.org/3623.html  

 Vidding Chatter  May (vid_bingo)  

Are you a vidding plotter or a pantser?  If you use storyboards, how do you approach them? Are they vague or detailed, handwritten or a google doc?    https://vid-bingo.dreamwidth.org/3441.html  

  Fanvids- Vids that you think of every time you hear the song

https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/378261.html?thread=2216111765#cmt2216111765  

 Vid Me Closes (on building our own vidding platform)

This article is about why the site VidMe closed, but provides fascinating insights into the state of things; particularly hilarious TO ME are the "Insights for Newcomers," i.e. what they learned for people who want to try to do this: If you’re considering building your own video platform, here are a few suggestions....  https://cesperanza.dreamwidth.org/594255.html  

 YouTube Vidding Contest Strategy

Vidding strategy is not a thing I usually think about in those terms, but here we are. I entered a youtube vidding contest and the first round was scored and "The Engineer" finished tied for 13th out of 19 entries.   https://seekingferret.dreamwidth.org/307266.html  

 Vids With Dialogue

I hate, hate, hate all these vids with the dialogue left in.   

https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/374581.html?thread=2192738613#cmt2192738613  

  VidUKon Vidshow Discussion Post: 2009 Retrospective

This is a new thing we’re trying - we love talking about the vidshows at the con itself, but we think there’s scope for further discussion here on Dreamwidth, where folks who weren’t able to attend the con can get involved too. Anyone who’s interested is welcome to watch the show and join in! We’ll be running these posts roughly once a month, initially featuring shows from VidUKon 2019.  https://vidukon-cardiff.dreamwidth.org/39170.html

 FanVid Recs Thread: Special Request

Nonnies, please give me funny crack vid recs? Any fandom, any ship. I need something to laugh about today.  

https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/374457.html?thread=2190469817#cmt2190469817  

 Good Omens FanVid Takedowns

I've never understood how fanvids persist against takedowns at all, especially the popular ones.  

https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/374457.html?thread=2189939641#cmt2189939641  

 FFA FanVid Recs Thread

music vids, AMVs, edits, supercuts, mashups, etc. Ask for recs or just drop a link to something you like!  

https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/374060.html?thread=2189690924#cmt2189690924    

 Newbie: I'm a newcomer to vidding and wondered if I could have advice to learn the ropes.

If someone could help me learn the ropes that'd be lovely.   https://vidding.dreamwidth.org/395455.html  

 The evolution of #vidding trends be like

2012 - heavy colorings, catchy songs, crossfades, overlayers, texts 

2019 - almost to no coloring, clean cuts, minimal editing, trailer-ish instrumentals 

2020 - no coloring, no editing, no music, just play the damn episode would ya?  

https://twitter.com/anJaaXx/status/1139404158820220928  

 Do you ever have an amazing idea for a vid but lack the confidence to actually make it

cuz you’ve never done something like it before and don’t want to screw it up? Now try having that for like 4 different ideas...so frustrating #Vidding #VidderProblems    https://twitter.com/hollywoodgirl05/status/1137771341635964928    

You know the feeling when start project so inspired and then get to some part of song and you just can't move past it? For weeks... And then start to hate whole song and part of project you already finished. Yeah. #Vidding #Viddingproblems   https://twitter.com/TheMica993/status/1134759868605390848  

 Reading it made me think of lumi_nation and other fellow vidders who see & hear music as movement & color, hear color as music, and so on. There are many of us. We don’t often talk about it outside of con suites and panels, but we exist in our special little universes. #vidding   https://twitter.com/Bonibaru/status/1132780458494910464

 Vidding and/as Pedagogy Vids explore themes related to the source material(s) they remix and rework. In a vid, the juxtaposition of moving images and music, as well as careful sequencing, cutting, and pattern construction, work together to communicate the vidder’s messages.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324065471_Vidding_andas_Pedagogy   

Vid Society: discord server dedicated to editing/vidding We are a friendly content creator-based community, mainly for video editors (but also for various other artists), with a passion for anything fandom and art related. Join our humble family and feel free to stay as long as you like!  

https://meeedeee.tumblr.com/post/186406012376/discord-server-dediacted-to-editingvidding  

Vidding Styles There is a difference between completely ripping off a style to the point it's just the same video with a different song and taking inspiration, then adding your own spin. While nobody has 'ownership' over a style.... I'm tired of seeing basically the same videos everywhere.  

https://twitter.com/xOurConnections/status/1150547423841771520  

 Current vidding status: 

Vid for which I have clipped that seemed fun: now seems silly and tropey. 

Vid I have most excellent song for is for a show I thought was ok, but for which I'd need to learn new vidding software. 

Vid I've pottered with for years now has corrupted files.  

https://twitter.com/BrokenMnemonic/status/1149750471156015106  

 Your favourite well-made music vid.... I am an old and don't listen to music radio, so in the last twenty years, my main way to discover music less than thirty or forty years old has been through very well-made fan videos. So please rec me yours with the appropriate link 

https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/373194.html?thread=2181417674#cmt2181417674  

  #viddingpetpeeves 

When someone vids ship and uses voiceovers or scenes related to the competing ship on that show. I just always think to myself Bro, that's off-limits" Is this super petty of me. Don't hate me. What are some of your pet peeves, #vidding community  

https://twitter.com/IATFirstGlanceI/status/1146041935074922496  

 VidRecs.com

#vidding friends, for the last couple of weeks I have been exploring (link: http://vidrecs.com) vidrecs.com! (Some of you may remember I mentioned it briefly at #vidukon.) It's very new but it looks as though it could be a really cool resource!  

https://twitter.com/llintrek/status/1144966906690134016    

I just posted my first #fanvid to #Instagram. 

It is an old VCR-era #Titanic vid #Titanicedit #fanedit #vidding (link: https://ift.tt/32FnCPR) instagram.com/p/BzKUNThjCZr/ https://twitter.com/morgandawn6/status/1143897561394110464 

  nothing has demotivated me from vidding more ...

...than youtube and twitter. lost channels on youtube 5 times and twice on here. i know i can unlist, but i don't like doing so. now i'm just waiting for july 27th so my strikes can clear off.

https://twitter.com/RuksarCreation/status/1148686654904983557  

 call me old fashioned but I am really not a fan of the youtube vidding trend..... of putting dialogue over the whole fucking thing. I can deal with a bit here and there but for a 3+ minute song?? I imagine you picked the song for a reason, let me hear the lyrics!!  

https://twitter.com/leanwellback/status/1140679467406376961   

 ...fanvideo styles getting more & more reduced, 

is it even fanvideo editing in some cases anymore....  i guess vidding is living on borrowed time anyway.    https://twitter.com/disasxter/status/1139406005723230208

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

 Technical 

VIDDING TECH: WHERE SHOULD I GO FOR HELP?

After a decade as a Mac vidder, I am about to buy my first Windows machine and start vidding on a PC.   https://laurashapiro.dreamwidth.org/382846.html Sharing Your Fanvids To Instagram

 Instagram limits the number of external links you can use in a post. Up until last year, they didn't  support longer vids or links to external websites, preferring to keep the material "in house." If you have a streaming vid on Youtube, Vimeo or your own website, you can still promote it on Instagram    https://morgandawn.dreamwidth.org/1667645.html

Mac Vid Encoding Vids on Mojave

LlamaEnc is not currently compatible with macOS Mojave.  

https://fanworks.dreamwidth.org/10195.html

 Request: Vid Tagging Assistance, Vid Streaming Alternatives  

Requesting assistance in tagging vids using Excel (2013/2016/2019). If you have Office 365 this would be ideal as we can collaborate in real time similar to what you see in those ads for Google docs co-authoring where you see the names of people typing as flags. Additionally, if you have ever wanted to get up to speed with Excel for work or to get work this could be one way of doing so while also watching and tagging vids. I teach Excel as well  

https://vidding.dreamwidth.org/394837.html

 Video Analysis Software

Any idea if any vidders have played with this (or related tools) yet? #fandom #vidding ML-powered automatic video editing app released recently   

https://twitter.com/arnicas/status/1143800870896832512 

  Quick question #vidding community

Is there any other way besides rewatching the source materiel a hundred times to connecting clips to the lyrics? Is there some sort of trick I'm missing?

https://twitter.com/IATFirstGlanceI/status/1139669286581092357  

  Vidding friends, I'm about to make the switch from Mac to PC vidding.My better half is building me a machine. What should I know? How much RAM/what kind of hard drive? Is there a solution for converting iTunes source? (feel free to DM me) Thank you!  

https://twitter.com/killabeezish/status/1145014452552515584   

  comments x-posted to morgandawn | comment there Anonymous commenting enabled or use OpenID to log in to comment.

[i-r-a]

October Favorites

Sex and the city -  The American romantic comedy every girl should watch at least once. Funny as it may seem to some, I adore this tv show. It's obviously not a "heavy", full of educational facts tv show, but it's exactly what you need when you have 20 minutes of free time and need a cheer-me-up fest. It's funny, smart and changes your perception on a lot of things you wouldn't expect it to. I do have to want that it's a very sexual tv show meant for adults and therefore if you're under 18 I don't recommend this for you..yet.  Stranger Things-  Also known as the show everyone has been blabbing about for the past 4 days. Season 2 came out October 27th and I had watched all of it by October 28th. Although this season starts slow, it definitely reaches its peak later on. I adore the characters and their personalities, the cinematography and above all the way so many values like those of true friendship, trust, family and love are displayed in such a beautiful way, and the actors are all incredible [especially the kids] The Deep Skin YT channel- I discovered this channel thanks to Orion and Britenelle's video on it and since then I can fearlessly say it has been one of my favourite channels on Youtube. Their videos are so raw and beautiful and they show how messy and complicated humans are and how complicated their relationships are. It's so refreshing to see people express their feelings to someone else so honestly in front of a camera and you can very often see yourself in someone else and recognise your habits, mistakes and behavioural patterns in general. 

The way he looks-  A 2014 Brazilian coming-of-age romantic drama film I've recommended to more than 10 friends this past month. The story is so beautiful and not your typical kind of romance at all. The cinematography is ideal for the vibe of the film overall and the portrayal of the character's emotions is so refreshing. Out of the numerous movies I've watched this month, this one definitely belonged to those that stood out. 

You are a badass- I bought this book last summer but hadn't bothered reading it till this month. It only took me two days to read the whole thing because if there's one thing this book will do to you it's make you thirsty for improvement. It really does motivate you to change the way you view life and your perception on a lot of things. If you're going to chose one book out of all the books in this section, I insist it should be this one. 

The class by Eric Segal- I'm not going to lie; I'm only halfway through this book. I bought this book on a market for 1€ and picked it up a few days ago and I find myself unable to put it down. It's witty, smart and so well-written. The depiction of the characters' personalities, the contrast in their way of thinking as well as the differences in their background, all come together to create one of those novels you wish you could finish in one sitting. 

Licor 43 and milk- My friend Antonia is the one to blame for my addiction to this combo. I stayed over at her place one night and we had this while having a long 5 a.m conversation at the balcony about the mess in our heads, the weight of our thoughts and consciousness, the universe and so on and.... that's when my addiction was born. If you're under the legal drinking age this is definitely not for you but for all my fellow responsible adults here, this is heaven. The milk can either be hot or cold; it tastes amazing either way. But since winter is around the corner, warm up the (soy or other non-dairy) milk for the perfect warm drink on a cold fall/winter night.

Soy Milk cappuccino- Since I bought a Nespresso coffee machine, this has become part of my daily morning routine along-sides washing my face and brushing my teeth. I live in Italy so I obviously drink way more coffee than I should and you might think I'm exaggerating when I say this but I can't leave the house if I haven't had my soy cap. If you don't have a coffee machine at home, it's time to explore your neighbourhood to discover the best coffee place that can provide you with your daily coffee-intake at any moment because nothing screams productive evening more than a cup of hot coffee.

Broke girl breakfast- Bred with ricotta and raspberries ; aka the "broke girl" breakfast. Buy a fresh baguette and some toppings like jam, (vegan) butter, fruit and share it with your friends. We all know what being young and broke is and we all get that sometimes your budget just doesn't support fancy brunch in "instagram-looking" cafes, and that's okay! Go to the supermarket with your friends, put some change together and treat yourselves to a "broke-girl" breakfast at the park. 

 @lisasaysgah - LSG is a clothing brand I discovered through Instagram. Feminine, carefully crafted and stylish, this is definitely one of my favourite brands at the moment. The focus they give to creativity and to giving new designers and independent voices a place to express is beautiful. Definitely a brand to check out! [ their stories a lot of times show behind- the- scenes clips that are very interesting]  @francescodaprile - I love surrounding myself with people that inspire me, and my friend Francesco is definitely one of them. He went through one of those crises everyone goes through at some point and deleted a lot of stuff from his Instagram but his account is still very inspiring. He's one of the people that really have an eye for art and that value true aesthetics and find beauty in everything they see. 

@paigemaccready - Where do I begin with this amazing lady. She's the girl behind many of the beautiful photos you guys might have seen on the Messy Heads mag and she's the girl with one of my favourite Instagram accounts at the moment. Her photos, in contrast to the majority of photos prevailing on social media at the moment, are very raw, natural and truly capture a moment with all its emotions. Definitely someone to check out if you feel like you need an inspiration boost for your photos. 

Hoops- An obsession that started in August and has carried on till now for me has been hoops. I initially didn't want to invest in a good pair because I didn't know if I'll be feeling the vibe but I think it's time I bought some quality ones cause this is definitely not a short phase. I adore the sexy, feminine but still sassy vibe they give to every look. 

Plaid pants/skirts/jackets- If I hadn't disappeared from social media, this would be one of the things you'd know about; my newfound love for plaid pants, skirts and blazers. Plaid pants, leather jacket, red lips and messy hair has been my October uniform and will probably continue to be. A pattern that can be worn in so many different ways, so many different styles and so many different occasions, I definitely recommend you bring some plaid in your life. 

Red-  my colour of the year in all aspects and definitely my colour of the month when it comes to outfits. A couple weeks back I thrifted this red blazer I can't get enough of and before that I bought this red mini skirt that's the definition of sexy and before that I got this red sweater and so on. Nothing screams classy, sexy and cool more than a red blazer with matching pants or skirt and nothing screams more Ira than red lips and bed head all day long. 

Monochrome outfits- All red (see previous point), all yellow (pastel yellow), all nudes, all white and all pink have been my go-to look for this month. I've even done some almost total plaid looks but I always break those down with a white tee to avoid crossing the line. Monochrome looks are the easiest way to look classy, stylish and still not cry in front of your wardrobe to put them together. The easy solution to when you're running late but still need to look cool and you know.. somewhat presentable. 

Disposable film cameras- I've been shooting film for quite a while now and if you couldn't tell, I adore it. Since I got my first film camera and learned how to use it, I can't remember what life was like without it. Disposable cameras are a different feeling however. Besides them being perfect for parties, trips and generally occasions when you don't feel like carrying your camera around, their built in flash and unique vibe makes them irreplaceable and very fun to play around with. 

Bullet journals- I've been bullet journaling for more than a year now and I adore it. You can obviously buy a journal that's already prepared for you but there's something really soothing and satisfying about making it yourself. You can add doodles, customise it to any special needs and channel your creativity while being productive and organising your life at the same time. Just be careful not to fall for the "fake sense of organisation" trap and focus too much on making your task lists look pretty and not focus enough on actually getting stuff  done. 

L’Enfant Visionnaire Stickers - If you live in Milan here's a challenge: find the L'Enfant Visionnaire stickers around town and dm us a photo; we are taking over the city. After so many of you requested it, you will soon be able to find them on our online store and order them with free international shipping! 

Photo albums- Three words: magic of print. I've never been the person to print photos before but after a small project I did this summer I decided I would print photos more often and start keeping photo albums. It might sound really lame and maybe a bit pretentious but belonging in a generation that has everything available at its fingertips - only with a touch of a screen- you really start appreciating things like photo albums, vinyls, magazines and books. Maybe our world is still not ready to give up on the smell of books, the glossy printed pictures that decorate our rooms and are hidden in journals and memory boxes, and the crackling sound of a vinyl. Not yet. 

Learning how to use software on your own - Last month I gave myself InDesign classes and this month I’m focusing on video editing! Stop making excuses for yourself and go learn the things you’ve been wanting to learn for forever. You don’t need someone to teach you how to use photoshop, you just need will to learn and the program installed on your laptop.

Duolingo - Living with people from all over the world sparks your interest for a lot of things, one of which is definitely languages. Living in a foreign country Duolingo is certainly a way to practice and improve the country's language (which in my case is Italian) but it's also an amazing way to learn the basics of a new language and improve your vocabulary. Not only am I using this to train my long-gone french, I'm also starting to learn some Turkish and German on it. 

Walking everywhere - As someone living in Milan without a car (or a driving license for that matter) I have to renew my public transport card every month. This month, I decided I wouldn't.  I obviously bought tickets a couple of times, when I had to go places that were too far to walk to or I just needed to save time, but on an every-day basis, I decided my only form of transport would be walking - and sometimes biking-. Putting your headphones on and walking around is one feeling but walking around and actually paying attention to what is happening in your surroundings is another. Next time you walk somewhere leave your headphones at home and try to be present at the moment. 

[imeugene]

Down But Not Out

The Animal full lengths have cemented themselves as pivotal moments in East Coast BMX and in greater the entirety of BMX street. The approach they had at the time was very different from mainstream videos. Ride everything was still the standard and when people rode street a more aggressive style of street was preferable. It was with the Animal videos that a technical aspect of street was put on the forefront and street, the discipline of choice. Something that echoes in today’s riding. 

The Animal videos were released on every two year schedule. The first Animal video came out in 2002, second feature ‘Can I Eat’ in 2004, then the follow up ‘All Day’ was 2006′. ‘Cuts’ the final full length project was released in 2010. Taking four, a departure from the previous intervals. The thing about Animal videos is that they had a structure to them at this point. The same few faces plus who ever most recently joined the ranks. The same cities and same spots. With the Animal videos you saw a progression of the riders and their scenes, a lot of whom only released clips through Animal. Like with Edwin, he was always at the spotlight. In the first Animal video he had a very influential section as a starter, his real premier section into BMX. The next two were also equally memorable that finished the video, a spot reserved traditionally for the best. Edwin was definitely the highlighted pro of Animal but the much hyped Cuts saw a departure to that normality at that point.

Honestly it was quite a surprise to a lot of people to think that Edwin wasn’t last section and it actually went to Butcher. At this point in time, Butcher was a full seasoned veteran. He’s been putting out sections since 1996 and earlier probably. To put that to perspective, Edwin was 12 when Butcher was coming onto the scene. He was a legend all ready when his part in Neighborhood Superhero in 1996. Something your favorite rider’s favorite rider’s favorite rider cites as their source of inspiration. A video and a section that is pivotal in the whole early street movement. Butcher was a street rider before being a street rider was a real thing. 

His showing in the Animal videos since the beginning was strangely kind of poor. Not in the sense his clips were bad because they were always pristine but in the first Animal video his section was a mere 35 seconds long. 35 seconds of absolute gold but not really quite a full section. In ‘Can I Eat’ it was 1:43 which is more reasonable but still a short section in a time where the average section would be around double that. ‘All Day’ he goes back to less than a minute.. Butcher being the seasoned pro he is, with the longevity he’s had in BMX is not someone whose proving his worth through video section at this point. Butcher is in there so we can enjoy a bit of Butcher and what he’s been up to. He’s kind of relegated to that point in a lot of people’s minds. With Cuts he comes back with 2:32 of pure fire and last section. Uncalled for and absolutely amazing. 

Butcher joined Hoffman Bikes in 93/94. Cuts comes out in 2010. That is 17 years of being a professional rider and he puts the best section he’s ever done. I don’t know how old he is at this point but he’s a lot older than the average pro. This guy is the type of guy who remembers Mat Hoffman doing the first double peg on a handrail. It was really a surprise like that. It didn’t make sense at all and the tricks he was doing were progressive and worthy of being last section withstanding his already build legacy, clout and what not. It was deserved through riding alone. That signature Butcher sketchy street style where he does crazy tricks and it may not be pristine or anything like that but it’s done. When no one else is stepping up to the plate to do tricks like he does on the spots he does. Sketch becomes a style itself. The whole section half of it is filmed terrible with dirt on the lens, the cameraman dozing off not even pointing it at the rider at one point and it all adds to that aesthetic in a not purposeful happy mistake type of way.

BMX is a young man’s sport. There is no doubt about that and there is serious lack of support when it comes to the older riders. Which is completely understandable in the economic situation that BMX is clearly in. Dismal. But is there still reason to support these riders and I think there absolutely is. You see whoever’s good right now with no video section and only a Instagram to show is just that. Himself on some profile. When this section dropped. I’m sure a lot of people rewatched everything Butcher did to get to that point, I certainly did. And Butcher having this amazing section is a miracle that honestly I don’t think can be replicated by much pros but still there is real worth to having a rider like him in the ranks. Even Josh Stricker’s last section in the last Primo video ‘Nice Try’ made me revisit him and that section wasn’t even that good(Stricker is still A1 BOSS!). 

In short term value, no there isn’t much to gain from a veteran rider. He’s not gonna put up instagram clips left and right and get the kids hooked but it’s through keeping these almost time capsule riders that kid get a taste of what did happen before. Maybe some kid got stoked on Cuts and saw Neighborhood Superheros online. Then saw Will Taubin or Robbie Morales when he was rider. Then they watch F-It and see early Aitken. It’s things like that, that keep BMX rich and full of real culture. Something that is build up over time and not some passing fad that unfortunately a lot of industry to resort to sell. It’s an industry and people want money, I get it but you really don’t need to replace Butcher with some young gun who no one is gonna care about in three years and I can’t tell the future but that does seem like the model people are going for. Like there are some riders who completely fell off like a year ago and was signed like a few years before that, that I absolutely don’t remember but know they exist. It’s that kind of thing. Butcher is the dopest and should get a Walmart and 7-11 sponsor 4 lyfe. Throw in Red Bull too. Check out his A-Town Trash ‘Still Folded’ section too. I think it’s the clips that didn’t make Cuts but it’s still better than anything on Instagram today or whenever you read this.

Joe ‘Butcher’ Kowalski

Animal Freestyle by Tame One

Animal - Cuts (2010)

Edited by Bob Scerbo

[lids-flutter-open]

3 Fan-Made Music Videos About Brideshead Revisited and Maurice And How To Mute Them And Pair Them With Songs From The Shins’ Excellent New Album, Heartworms

First, a word on my methods. I have been prompted to embark on studies of this medium--that is, the medium of the fanmade music video about gay lovers from a piece of fiction that may or may not name them as gay--by the dearth of adequate visual representation of homosexuals in media. For a while this was a popular folk art form in America and worldwide. While most videos were about popular TV shows, teens learned video editing skills and then trained their attention on niche interests as well. There are no videos for “Y Tu Mama Tambien” (I’ve checked), but whiter, nerdier gay classics like Brideshead and Maurice have received the AMV treatment. Once in a while I like to regress, and during these times I watch these videos. I appreciate all the people who make these videos for me to consume. Sadly, the popularity of the art form has declined as other video art forms like snapchat and vine have encouraged youth to innovate in new ways. This has led to most of the videos still online for any given fandom (and there are almost always some for almost every fandom) being set to songs which are years out of date. You can remedy this in the comfort of your living room with no technical skills required at all. All you have to do is open a new tab and play a song you like which matches the video sort of. This article is intended to highlight my favorite songs from the new album which indie rock band The Shins has just put out, but you can play any Britney song from before 2005 and it will work just as well for all of these videos.

Without further ado, here’s the shit that’s keeping me up at night still to this day because this is how I engage with my own emotions rather than seeking a therapist or something:

1. Maurice/Alec- Keep Holding On - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQIOu2RmEm0 --pair with “So Now What?”

This video is a classic, posted on Youtube in the brighter year of 2008. Its low-res quality doesn’t impede the seriously artistic way this four-minute long video is put together. Part of the credit goes to the brilliant cinematographers working on the actual movie, but Youtube user perrythaler has a great sense of how to choose clips which convey the narrative arc of Alec and Maurice’s love while punctuating the flow with shots of them embracing, sharing glances while playing cricket, and (most wrenchingly) Maurice undergoing hypnosis. The video also mixes in a lot of variety between dark blues and bright outdoor summer scenes, so it stays interesting. The song isn’t one that currently strikes me as emotionally resonant, but that’s why God gave us mute buttons and allowed us to open new tabs. Like a fine wine, you can pair this video with any music which matches its joyous, nostalgic, hopeful ambiance. For this, I recommend “So Now What.” Mercer’s vocals are floaty and dreamy. Featured lyrics: “I had this crazy idea/that we’d just coast to the end/change lines in every direction/guess we’ll just begin again.” The words to the song really are, you realize, about Alec and Maurice suddenly realizing they are willing to take risks for one another and give up literally everything stable in their respective lives in order to achieve intimacy which transcends class distinctions and which flies in the face of homophobia and, hopefully, avoids the brutality of the oncoming first world war. 

2. Brideshead Revisited-  With All Of My Heart - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulEHogq4Xwo --pair with song of your choosing but “cherry hearts” works well for the first half

I highly recommend watching the actual video with sound, but you will also want to mute it and use it with other songs, because this is, sadly, one of the very few Brideshead videos out there. It is four glorious minutes long and tracks the happy-to-tragic trajectory of the overall story. There are shots of Charles and Sebastian dancing, laying arm in arm, etc. The later parts of the video are about Sebastian’s alcoholism and Charles falling out of love with him.If you have a song about being in love or longing, mute it and play from the beginning. If your song is about tragedy and grief, start somewhere about two minutes in. “Cherry Hearts” fits with the beginning pretty well, and the lyrics are just so so in line with Brideshead that it prompted me to start on this whole spiral. 

You're not wanting anybody wanting you I get it, all is fair But I've been biting all my cherry hearts in two You don't even care Won't you ever come down from the big rock I found you climbing Stowing your diamonds away [Chorus] You kissed me once When we were drunk It left me spinning on my heels Called the devil for a deal You kissed me once When we were drunk My head went rolling on the floor Past the window, out the door

Cut to me crying!!

3. Shattered- Maurice and Clive -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTOJ11iF4d8-- pair with “Heartworms”

I have one complaint for this video, which has to do with the multicolor filters that seemed to the creator to be a good idea and which were indeed very fashionable for AMVs created between 2011-2013. Everything else about this video (when it is muted, anyway, and paired with a really good song) is perfect. It’s heart-wrenchingly organized in almost reverse chronological order, starting out with the scene where Maurice tries to rekindle the physical affection he and Clive had always shared and is brutally rejected by his sweetheart. Maurice starts to cry, and the rest of the video is a montage of the past and then of the scenes where Maurice visits Clive at his country estate after he is married, when Maurice is still mooning over him and has not met Alec yet. I think the original song the creator chose is probably okay, but I won’t ever know because I am only listening to “Heartworms” over this video, over and over again. “Heartworms” is a song about being rejected and not being able to get over it and feeling like while maybe part of it is about homophobia or pain or something personal it might also kind of be about class (which with Maurice and Clive it almost certainly is, since Clive really is from the gentry whereas Maurice is just a middle-class workaday stiff, especially after dropping out). It’s half bitter and half loving, and this video paired with the song captures that sense really well.

There we have it, folks, my midnight infodump! This is what I found myself obsessing over on emotional late nights in the years after I got done caring about Harry Potter. That said, though, if you are ever interested in which Remus Lupin AMVs are good enough to pair up with your favorite mountain goats song, give me a call.

[andylocksmithtipsntricks]

Net Nanny Review: Great for Managing Screen Time, but Weak When It Comes to Filtering

Overall Rating

3/5

Device pause button

Location tracking

No social media monitoring

Plans start at $39.99/yr.

Visit Net Nanny

Compare Plans

Last Updated: A day ago

We asked a parent test Net Nanny on her kids' iOS and Android devices to see if we still like its features and performance. Find out why Net Nanny dropped from four stars to three in this updated review that digs into all the good and bad of this parental control app.

Net Nanny is a great tool to control my kids’ screen time, but it’s a pain to set up—and the holes in its content filters made me question its effectiveness.

Net Nanny Pros and Cons

Pros

Pause button

Website blocking

Location tracking

Screen time limits

Cons

Confusing installation

No social media monitoring

Weak content filters

How We Tested Net Nanny

To test Net Nanny, we signed up for the five-device plan. We downloaded the Net Nanny child app to a Moto4 and an Android 6, and we used a Google Chrome browser on a MacBook Pro to control the online parent dashboard.

Over the course of several days, we saw how Net Nanny performed with normal device use and we also actively tested specific control features.

Our full methodology gives more details about how we test and review products like Net Nanny.

Net Nanny Pricing

Total Yearly Cost Yearly Cost Per Device Trial Period Return Policy Contract Length Learn More

1-Device Desktop Plan 5-Device Family Protection Pass 20-Device Family Protection Pass $39.99 $54.99 $89.99 $39.99 $11.00 $4.50 None None None 14 days 14 days 14 days 1 year 1 year 1 year Visit Net Nanny Visit Net Nanny Visit Net Nanny

Data effective 8/14/2019. Offers and availability subject to change.

Unlike similar software products that base plan pricing on the number of features offered, the only difference between the various Net Nanny packages is the number of devices covered. All packages come with the same protection features, so you don’t have to trade more money for more control.

The average family with two to five children will get the best deal by purchasing the 5-Device Family Protection Pass, but a larger family will benefit from the savings offered by the 20-Device Pass.

Tech and Equipment

Net Nanny software works with Windows PCs, Macs, Kindle Fire tablets, and iOS and Android devices, but older operating systems may not support it.

I couldn’t install Net Nanny on my youngest daughter’s device because it’s my old iPhone 4S. If you’re like me and your kids get electronic hand-me-downs, be sure to check the Products tab on the Net Nanny site for compatibility before you commit.

Many parental control software products use a website’s history to determine whether it’s safe for kids, but Net Nanny actually analyzes website activity in real time with its Dynamic Contextual Analysis. It’s kind of like the difference between reading a Yelp review to find out what a restaurant is like versus sending someone to the restaurant to find out in person.

We like that Net Nanny is gathering up-to-date info based on what’s on the website at any given time, not just what category the website is in.

Despite its real-time web filtering technology, Net Nanny caused no noticeable delay on my kids’ devices after installation. Also, adjusting a control on the Parent Dashboard translated to their phones almost instantly.

Net Nanny Features

Screen Time Limits and Scheduling 

Net Nanny offers both time limits and schedules, so you can control the amount of time kids spend on their devices each day and what times they’re allowed to use them.

Similar parental control devices like Disney Circle limit only internet activity, but Net Nanny actually pauses the smartphone or tablet itself, which is exactly what I hoped for.

Net Nanny also notifies the child with a full-screen message that they’ve used up their screen time or that their scheduled screen time has ended. In all of my tests, the screen time limits worked perfectly, and I like how easy it was to control them from the user profiles on the dashboard. I also loved the instant pause button.

Content Filtering 

I’m not impressed with Net Nanny’s content control filters.

I blocked my daughter’s phone from content related to suicide, but in testing I was still able to access graphic scenes on YouTube from a popular show about suicide.

On the flip side, when my daughter tried to access a video about doll refurbishing, Net Nanny blocked it, and I got a notice that she was being blocked from “mature content.” I watched the video in question and saw nothing in it that could be considered mature.

Net Nanny’s filters might provide more inconvenience than protection.

App and Website Blocking 

Net Nanny lets you block specific websites and apps, and while website blocking worked well, the app blocking was glitchy.

A word game continued to work for several minutes after I’d blocked it, and then Net Nanny told me an app I hadn’t blocked was blocked. I also wish that the app blocking feature had an alert option like the website blocker does, rather than just a total block option.

Location Tracking 

Net Nanny’s location tracking is a nice bonus for this kind of software. It will update your child’s phone’s location on a map every minute so you always know where they are—or at least where their phone is. In our tests the location tracking worked perfectly.

Installation and Setup

Installing and setting up Net Nanny on my kids’ devices took almost an hour and it was a hassle.

The parent page instructs you to install the software on your children’s devices by using your children’s devices to go to a website. But when I entered in the web address I came to a webpage that was not optimized for mobile users, and I couldn’t use it to install the mobile app.

I finally searched for the Net Nanny child app in the Google Play store. Fortunately, once I found it, downloading and installing it was easy. I used the same technique for my oldest daughter’s newer Android.

Because this is an app that tracks your child’s phone usage, most of the setup was the app asking me to say yes to all the permissions it asked for. As a security-minded parent, I was nervous handing over all that access to an app, but without it, the app can’t do its job.

To learn more about what the company does with the data gathered from the app, you can check out Net Nanny’s privacy policy.

Parent Dashboard

The Parent Dashboard was tricky to figure out at first.

It was only by chance that I realized one of the icons on the dashboard was the same as the icon I click in my photo editing program when I want to edit an image. When I clicked on it, sure enough it opened up the parental control options and let me edit each child’s filters, blocks, and screen time.

The wording is also confusing on the dashboard. For example, “Paused from Schedule” doesn’t mean that Net Nanny is pausing the schedule. It means that the device has been paused because of the schedule you’ve set.

“Current Rule: Standard, Applied Manually” means that the device’s current status is standard, meaning no screen time restrictions, and that it’s on that setting because you manually set it to standard (not because it’s scheduled).

It took me awhile to decode Net Nanny’s jargon, but once I did, it made sense and was easier to navigate the various tools and options.

One thing I liked about the Parent Dashboard was the family feed that showed all of my children’s activity. I could see their internet browser searches and view notifications if they tried to access any blocked content. Clicking on the content took me right to the blocked site so I could evaluate it for myself.

How Net Nanny Stacks Up

Yearly Starting Price Content Filtering Screen Time Monitoring Social Media Monitoring Location Tracking Learn More

$39.99 $99.00 $49.46 ✓ Yes X No ✓ Yes ✓ Yes X No ✓ Yes X No ✓ Yes ✓ Yes ✓ Yes X No ✓ Yes Visit Net Nanny Visit Bark Visit Qustodio

Data effective 8/14/2019. Offers and availability subject to change.

Net Nanny FAQs

Are Zift and Net Nanny the same thing?

Yes, Zift parental control software recently “married” Net Nanny software, and together they became Net Nanny 10.

Zift subscribers retain the same features and control they had with Zift, but with a name change and additional Net Nanny features like the Parent Dashboard.

Likewise, Net Nanny adopted some Zift features, like the App Advisor that informs parents about the safety of different popular apps.

Does Net Nanny work with the Google Chrome web browser?

Yes, according to Net Nanny, “Net Nanny products work with ALL internet browsers.”¹

Will my kids know I’m monitoring them with Net Nanny?

Yes. Unlike other parental control programs, Net Nanny does not offer a stealth mode for parents.

According to the Net Nanny Help Center, “Net Nanny does not offer an option to run in Stealth Mode because we encourage open and honest dialogue between family members regarding the importance of surfing the internet safely.”²

Conclusion

Once I got through some installation roadblocks and spent some time using the tools on Net Nanny’s Parent Dashboard, I found it easy to use.

I loved the screen time controls, but the inappropriate content that snuck through the web content filters was troubling, and the app blocking wasn’t always reliable.

I might be willing to give Net Nanny another shot just for the screen time control and handy pause button, but I wouldn’t trust it to protect my kids online.

Visit Net Nanny

Related Pages on SafeWise

Best Parental Control Apps of 2019 Internet Safety Guide for Kids What to Do If Your Identity Is Stolen Best Anti-Malware and Antivirus Software Best Identity Theft Protection

Sources:

1. Net Nanny Support, “Is the Net Nanny Website Not Working Like You Expect?” 2. Net Nanny Help Center, “Stealth Mode“

The post Net Nanny Review: Great for Managing Screen Time, but Weak When It Comes to Filtering appeared first on SafeWise.

Article source here: Net Nanny Review: Great for Managing Screen Time, but Weak When It Comes to Filtering

[oliviathomasba2b]

Showreel - Research

Below are a few showreels I looked at last year and found them particularly interesting to assess and critic. Lots of aspects in each were really effective, while some perhaps were not so, but through this kind of work and assessment I’ve been able to pick apart peoples work easier which as a result is making it easier to pick apart my own. This kind of task is giving me these critical skills that I need in order to evaluate and critic. 

The purpose of finding this range is to help increase my understanding of what works and what doesn’t, ultimately helping me with my own showreel - knowing what to do and what not to do.

To begin with, I tried to find some good and effective showreels - through this, I stumbled upon an article on creative blog titled ‘4 of the best animation showreels to inspire you’ - sounds promising.

All were very good animation, however, they were mainly character amination showreels and thus consisted of a few scenes of 3D animation with lip sync - not the kind of reel I’m looking for sadly. Here’s one of the examples below:

The reason they weren’t quite right was because they were very disjointed and didn’t connect and flow. This is purely because of he kind of reel and work it was, I want my reel to be a bit more sharp and snappy, with a backing track ti help connect each piece of work, that leads the viewers through the video with ease.

Moving on I found some good animation reels online, particularly on YouTube. Below is a reel by Joshua Mutter, a 3D animator.

I thought this reel was effective and worked well.

Positives:

It’s a nice length so you stay engaged for most; if not all, of his content.

I also really liked how he added in his reference videos in the top right corner - this allowed the audience to understand what he referenced and how well he did it in comparison. It’s also tucked nicely away, thus not distracting from his work which is the main focus. This can be seen as 0:22 of the Tiger and 0:27 of the men talking.

The music dips nicely when he shows his lip syncing work. Therefore the attention is on the animation, without the flow of the backtrack being broken - allowing the reel to swiftly continue after the scene.

The life drawing college at the end was a nice touch as well. This gave us a quick chance to see his hand drawn skills and versatility of techniques. Not to mention he’s telling us he’s studied anatomy through life drawing and probably understands it, which is important in animation.

His intro page clearly tells us who he is and what he does and he incorporates a nice logo for himself to help with this distinguishing feature. The outro card is created in a similar way to the opening and shows all of his contact details and credits.

Negatives:

The music is okay and doesn’t distract from the animation which is the main thing, however (in my opinion) it’s a tedious and tinny - having said this, it does work quite well with the style and pace of animation.  

Something Joshua could have added is descriptions to go with the various clips of animation. This is so the audience can get a better understanding of what it is and perhaps how it was created (did he use Maya or other software?).

Even though the animation is very good, the clips were quite long at times and I found myself zoning out a bit waiting for the next piece. This was particularly evident at the beginning which dragged on a bit - the beginning is where you want to grip the audience!!

Below is a showreel by AnimationCafe Studio, 2016:

This is another effective reel that I found easy to watch and engaging.

Positives:

The music really suited the style and pace of the animation, this worked well and kept me engaged the whole time. It was pacy and energetic just like all the animations.

Of course, the animation itself is done extremely well and there is a clear style presented - stating to the viewers exactly what this person/company does

At 1 minute 3 seconds, this reel is a nice length. Too long reels can get boring very quickly, thus the viewer may not stick around to watch all the work.

Negatives:

This clarity in style can be a positive as mentioned above, however, may also be a negative in some ways since it can show little versatility.

There are no intro or outro cards, therefore it may not be clear who this showreel is advertising. Also there it isn’t clear how to contact them either.

Some of the scenes where quite long - showing the animation nicely, but may cause some boredom to viewers.

This last reel is a reel by Sigurdur Orri Thorhannesson, a character animator:

This reel to me is quite conflicting. It’s actually very good overall; particularly at certain points, however, there are a few areas and pieces of editing that lets it down.

Positives:

The intro card clearly states who this person is and what they do, along with some contact details.

At 0:53 some music kicks in and then there is this nice period of slick animation with some nice editing to the music.

The clips at this point are of a nicer length - shorter, but still, give a good impression of their skill.

The perky music works well with the type of animation.

Negatives:

2 minutes 12 seconds is getting a bit on the long side of showreels, therefore it’s harder to maintain attention.

Even though the animation is done very well, the scenes drag on a bit and go on for too long! Especially the lip syncing at the beginning. This is where you want to grip and hook the audience, however, I found myself getting a bit bored already.

Even though most of the later clips are of a better length, some drag on too much; especially ones that are a bit slower like at 1:39 of the man milking the cow.

The flow is broken again at the end when there is another longish scene of lip-syncing character animation.

[teritcrawfordca]

How to Build a Lead Generation Machine

This week on #Smallbizchat LIVE our show featured three guests: How to Build a Sales Process with Alice Heiman, @aliceheiman, Start Making Connections, Stop Adding to Your Connections with Phil Gerbyshak, @PhilGerb, and How to Develop Your Personal Brand Using Video with Cher Jones, @itscherjones.

I pulled three of the best questions from each of them to share with you. Every third Wed of the month, Smallbizchat LIVE is broadcast on my SmallBizLady Facebook Page, YouTube channel and on Twitter @SmallBizLady.

  Alice Heiman has been helping companies increase sales for over 20 years.  Her firm specializes in the complex sale, strategizing with sales teams to find new business and grow existing account. For more info: www.aliceheiman.com.

SMALLBIZLADY: What are the stages in a sales process?

Alice Heiman: There are typically 5 stages in a sales process. We call them:  Prospect, Qualify, Verify, Close, and Won. For each of those stages, there will be a definition, activities, and criteria for moving to the next stage. The biggest mistake that people make when they develop a sales process is mixing up the stages, activities, criteria, and positioning.

SMALLBIZLADY: How do we determine what activities go with each stage?

Alice Heiman: You start by understanding how your buyer buys and how we interface with that process. First buyers realize they have a problem to solve. Next, they look for solutions that might fix that problem. Then they compare the solutions and see how well the solution solves the problem.  Finally, they make a decision. To mirror that process we need to: (1) Target Your Audience, (2) Build Awareness, (3) Develop Interest, (4) Determine needs and qualify, (5) Educate on fit and differentiate, (6) Close the business, and (7) Implement.

SMALLBIZLADY: How do those activities fit into the 5 stages?

Alice Heiman: You start by defining the kinds of clients that will have the problems you solve and determining which of those kinds of companies are the best fit for your product. Next, you make a list of clients to prospect. Those 10 to 100 clients go in the top of the funnel in Prospecting. Once you have that list you will begin the process of building awareness and developing interest.

When the customer has self-identified as being interested, the process of Qualifying begins.  The sales rep will continue to develop interest while asking the questions to determine need, fit budget and buying process. Once qualified, the process of Verifying and differentiating begin.  This is when the sales rep meets all the buyers and ask questions to confirm the fit, need and budget and to move the buyers toward a decision. The lead moves to Close when the buyer is working to get the contract signed and check written.

Once the contract is signed and the check is in hand, the lead moves to Won and the team begins working on delivery or implementation. The salesperson’s job is to make sure this process goes well so more opportunities will follow.

Phil Gerbyshak, bright, BOLD, and enthusiastic, is a speaker who never holds a back and leaves it all on the stage, energizing and inspiring audiences to take action immediately.  He is a highly respected speaker, trainer and coach.   Phil works with small businesses to build more leads, have more qualified sales conversations and close more business.  For more info: http://philgerbyshak.com.

SMALLBIZLADY: What’s the difference between a connection and a capital C Connection?

Phil Gerbyshak: A connection is someone in your LinkedIn network, someone on your friends list, someone you loosely know, without having any deep thing in common.

A capital C Connection is someone you feel connected to, that also feels connected to you, that will respond when you send them a relevant personal message, call them or otherwise contact them.

SMALLBIZLADY: How can you connect with virtually anyone online or offline?

Phil Gerbyshak: First, you have to look them in the eyes. I mean it. Pull up their profile. Look into their eyes. There are two eyes. Look deeply. Focus on the person. Their wants. Their needs. Their desires. If you don’t know these, you need to do your research.

Next, you need to look them in the Is. That’s the letter I, and there are three of them.

The first I is in common. Who or what is in common? I mean really in common, not just something you are pretending is in common, like a LinkedIn group you joined just to connect with them or a random person you don’t really know. Is it their location? Their industry? The company they work at? Where they went to college? What’s in common? Mention it.

The second I is insight. What do you know about their problems that they can’t find with a quick Google search? Are they new to their job role? New to the company? Did they just move? Is their industry going through a pivot, or about to undergo one? What do they need to know that they probably don’t. Share that.

The last I is interesting. Not everyone wants to talk about work. Statistics show people change jobs every 17 months. Maybe they want to talk about their kids, their vacation, their hobbies, whatever. Ask about them – and share yours in a fun, interesting way.

SMALLBIZLADY: What’s the biggest mistake people make about Connections and connecting in general? 

Phil Gerbyshak: I call this the illusion of connection and it happens to me every day. Just because I answer the phone, sign up for your email newsletter, accept your LinkedIn request, let you be my Facebook friend or follow you back on Twitter or Instagram does NOT mean we are Connections. Until you show me you care about ME and my problems, I do NOT care about you, your products or your services. Relationships take time. Sales take time. Take your time and always aim for a capital C Connection and you’ll sell more, serve better and have more fun than if you rush it.

Cher Jones is a Social Media Trainer & Personal Branding Strategist, with the love of technology hardwired into her personality.  Her ability to remove the fear and expertly breakdown how to use social media networks like LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter to build relationships, improve sales and grow business have many referring to her as one of Canada’s leading social media trainers. For more info: www.sociallyactivetraining.com

SMALLBIZLADY:  What do I need to consider when I am developing a video strategy for my personal brand?

Cher Jones: There are a lot of factors that go into to a video strategy for your personal brand. Here are a few key questions you should ask yourself:

What kind of videos would best serve my target audience?

Why are you creating them in the first place? (Know your goals!)

How much time do you have to work on these videos? (Shooting & editing)

Can I start with the equipment/resources I have? (Yes… yes you can!)

How are you optimizing your videos for maximum visibility? (Thumbnails & keywords)

How often, where and when are you sharing them?

What formats do you believe will best represent your personality and brand, once you’ve developed your comfort level in doing them

SMALLBIZLADY: What social video formats will work best for my brand?

Cher Jones: There are so many formats including: how to videos, produced videos, interviews, behind the scenes, advice & tips, product reviews, unboxings, Q&A’s, LIVE, edited vlogs (document), ephemeral (IG stories/Snapchat), voice over (over pictures or power points), slideshows,  cartoon/whiteboards. You have to choose the ones that will play to your strengths. Whatever format you choose, you must take the time to plan a beginning middle and an end. Your video MUST grab the attention of your viewer within the first 3-5 seconds or else you could lose them. The video must then maintain their attention with how you choose to unfold the story/information.  When it comes to length the stats say your videos should be 2 minutes long for maximum retention. But I say they should be as long as they need to be to share what you need to share in a BRIEF but value filled way.

SMALLBIZLADY: Even though video seems to be where it’s at from you damage your brand with video?

Cher Jones:  The easiest way to damage your brand with video is by creating content that doesn’t serve your audience. No, not everything needs to be perfectly produced, polished and “professional” but your ideal target audience should never feel like watching your video was a waste of their time. Before you create a simple 15 sec clip on IG stories, a 3 minute how-to video on YouTube, a 5 minute tips & advice video for LinkedIn or a 1 hour LIVE show on Facebook you must ask yourself: “So what’s the point? & Who cares?”  If you can’t answer this question effectively, don’t bother post it.  The job of your content is to build trust in the newsfeed.  You want your audience to always feel like when they click on your content they know it will be a good way to spend their time. Break that trust with poor content more than 3 times, it will be difficult to earn it back.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a guest on #Smallbizchat? Click here to submit your pitch.

Join us every Wednesday from 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter to stay up to date on our upcoming guests.

Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz

The post How to Build a Lead Generation Machine appeared first on Succeed As Your Own Boss.

from Teri Crawford Business Tips https://succeedasyourownboss.com/how-to-build-a-lead-generation-machine/

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

Mourning the end of your sitcom binge-watch? Devour the bloopers.

This is Ode To, a weekly column where we share the stuff we're really into in hopes that you'll be really into it, too.

Growing up in the golden age of DVDs was both a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, I wasted some serious cash building up a collection of movies and television box sets that are currently on their way to being obsolete. But whenever I watched a DVD, I always had the luxury of knowing my viewing experience would extend far beyond the movie or TV show itself. I'm talking about those beautiful bonus features — the extra nuggets of entertainment today's world is seriously lacking.

SEE ALSO: I miss the days before everyone was addicted to streaming services

Nowadays, binge watches come to a screeching, painfully unfulfilling halt once I've made it through the full series. While streaming is ideal for uninterrupted viewing, once I've finished a show or movie you love, that's it – I must accept that it's over, mourn its loss, and frantically search for the next great thing to fill the empty void in my heart.

DVDs provided a far more graceful transition period. Before saying goodbye, I could return to that sweet, sweet DVD menu and experience a treasure trove of cast commentary, deleted scenes, related trivia, games, and my personal favorite: the gag reel.

So when I've finished streaming a great television show, I try my best to mimic the DVD-viewing experience and head over to YouTube to bask in hilarious and under-appreciated blooper reels. If you've ever finished a show and found yourself feeling lost or empty, like you've just been ghosted by a group of friends you'd spent a straight week with, you need bloopers in your life. Trust me.

The best of the best

Throughout my own online journey I've discovered some pure bonus feature gold. For instance, The Office knows what's up and features full gag reels from almost every season on its official YouTube channel.

While they're all wonderful, there's a special place in my heart for the Season 4 bloopers — when cast members can be seen losing their shit during takes of Episode 13, titled "Dinner Party." The episode was SO GOOD that Rolling Stone recently published an oral history to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, in which the cast gushes over how hilarious it was to film. They clearly weren't exaggerating.

The only thing more pure than Steve Carell laughing in character as Michael Scott is Steve Carell laughing as himself. And John Krasinski breaks so hard that he turns bright red and releases an actual squeal. The 30-second clip of Michael attempting to show off his tiny plasma TV, and the below video of Stanley making the office erupt with laughter, are two of my favorite things.

Sadly, not all shows share behind-the-scenes footage as openly as The Office. While it's rare to find bloopers from older shows like Gilmore Girls sans DVDs, that shouldn't discourage your search. 

The few Gilmore Girls extras that are floating around online are brilliant. They fulfill your lifelong dream of hearing Lorelai drop an F-bomb, and finally let's us in on what she and Rory gushed about after meeting in the Stars Hollow town square, post-Max proposal and Dean-reconciliation at the end of Season 1 (episode 21, if you need to know.)

And in an extra-pure blooper, fans of Lorelai and Luke can imagine an alternate reality in which the two accidentally express their true feelings for one another as early as season 1. Think how easy all of our lives could have been if this is how it all played out instead of leaving us in suspense for four whole seasons. But hey, at least this confirms what we all knew from the start.

There are wholesome bloopers like the ones featured above, and then there are shows like Parks and Recreation, with bloopers and improv so unexpected that you'll either applaud or feel absolutely mortified.

Essentially all of Chris Pratt's outtakes as Andy Dwyer are LOL-worthy in the sense that they're completely gross. From farting to burping to that extremely NSFW Kim Kardashian comeback story joke, these are the bloopers to watch for more PG-13 laughs.

Bonus feature benefits

Aside from the satisfaction that comes from witnessing professional actors break character, bloopers give you a chance to savor your relationship with the show a bit longer. You get to see the actors be themselves, and get a sneak peek at all the work it took to make the seemingly flawless finished product you just watched come to life.

There are bloopers for popular modern shows like Game of Thrones, The Good Place, Modern Family, and Breaking Bad, and classic favorites like Friends. Sometimes there are reels so long that it'll feel like your show's getting a mini-revival. If you're in the mood for a lengthy laugh, we recommend this 30-minute edit of LOST mess ups, or the nearly two-and-a-half hours of Seinfeld bloopers. Yes, really. 

There are hilarious news bloopers out there and outtakes from movies, all waiting to be watched. You've seen your favorite actors at their best, and though it's fun to idolize talented professionals, it's refreshing to know that even the best of the best mess up every now and then.

And if you're still craving more of an insider's perspective, the internet is packed with deleted scenes, on-set interviews, and tons of other behind-the-scenes goodies from the shows and films you love.

Take advantage of the often forgotten entertainment extras, and have a good hearty laugh over the fact that everyone fucks up sometimes.

WATCH: Nick Offerman says his latest character would love 'Parks & Rec'