#i'm putting my little commentary in tags so i can just watch this later WITHOUT my text

[cryingforcrocodiles]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRWhaWGS/

[sweet-star-cookie]

Forgive me, I almost never add commentary directly onto posts outside of tags because I lack brevity, but I'm REALLY passionate about this and I was discussing it with a friend literally yesterday, so it's fresh on my mind. I'm also a novice writer working on her first solo project, so analyzing and learning from this stuff is very important to me for my scripting and character writing.

I think we need to remember what the definition of filler is actually supposed to be in this context: Pointless padding or additions that serve no purpose outside of "filling" run time. And that's a key word there: Pointless.

Episodes or plot lines that diverge from the main plot of a story are not INHERENTLY pointless, they can have other uses even if it's as simple as giving the characters a break. That break then becomes the purpose of that episode, and can be good for the audience as well as the characters. I would argue that, in most cases, it is a NECESSARY inclusion. It allows for the audience to slow down and process everything, and allows the characters to have slower or lower-stakes scenarios and interactions. Like OP said, "the action doesn't hit as hard without the quiet moments". It's all about that balance. There are also many ways to incorporate important things within these episodes as well. And don't get me wrong, "filler" episodes that actually have secret lore or are otherwise plot relevant are very cool ways of threading the needle between the two, and I think media needs more of this too.

But even if it has NOTHING to do with the main plot at all and never will, not even lore wise, simply putting characters into fun or interesting situations can be an excellent way to showcase their personalities, their dynamics with other characters or parts of the world, or just provide a fun "what if" scenario that can endear an audience to a cast even more than before. It's a bit like improv, and it's your job as the writer to follow the "yes, and" principle, at least every once in a while.

A common piece of writing advice that I've come across is that the concept or story should always be second to the characters themselves. If you have good characters, you can put them into almost any scenario and still make it entertaining. If done well, it can be just as fun to see an action hero save the world as it is seeing him go to the grocery store or walk his dog. Mixing the complex with the simple or mundane adds variety, the spice of life!

I often think about how tight the scripts for Pixar movies were prior to their decline in recent years, and how every aspect of a scene could inject character and purpose into it, as well as setting up important foreshadowing or just hints at personality.

I think of Up as an example, not just because of the excellent first 10 minutes, but what happens immediately AFTER that too. We see Carl's morning routine, how he gets up, what he eats for breakfast, and so on. Normally, this would be incredibly boring to watch in isolation, but it's the CONTEXT that gives these quiet moments their importance. We're not just seeing Carl's morning routine, we're specifically seeing what his life is like without Ellie. This scene, despite how mundane it is on paper, is NECESSARY for contrast to the opening and the adventure that occurs later in the movie. We see how empty and lonely Carl is without his wife. This is all expressed completely without dialogue as well, and thus relies on the character acting through the animation and shot composition.

Moreover, we see so many little details about Carl's personality in these scenes too. The time he wakes up in the morning, how he adjusts the little bird figure after putting it on the mantle, how many locks he has on his door, the grape soda cap pinned to his clothes that seems out of place because we don't have context for it yet. In my opinion, the movie would be significantly weaker if this scene was taken out and we immediately jump to Carl meeting the people from the senior's home right after the opening, even if that would speed up the plot progression to do so.

What I'm trying to say is, injecting as much character and personality as you can into "filler" scenes or episodes, even mundane ones that aren't plot relevant, is not only important but also NECESSARY to fleshing out characters and worlds. Omitting those scenes entirely does much to harm not only the pacing of a work, but the characters and overall impact of the story itself.

It doesn't have to be complex or nuanced either, I've seen so many stories with simple but good characters and interesting concepts, but they simply aren't given enough time to tell those stories properly, and "filler" is an important part of fixing that. Relying entirely on the breadcrumbs of characterization of plot-heavy scenes is often not enough for it to be effective. Don't you want to see MORE of your favourite characters, not less?

genuinely one of the worst things that’s happened to television in the last few years (exacerbated by streaming services) is death of Filler. going from 20 episodes to 8 because “we didn’t really need that episode where the main characters went to the beach right? it had no long lasting effect” but we DID!!! we needed to see how they act without the Big Bad Plot and to establish the dynamics between the characters and lay in the sun (do they forget sunscreen? how do they react to a thieving seagull? do they get buried in the sand or do they do the burying?). the plot isn’t everything. the action doesn’t hit as hard without the quiet moments. give us character development and our little scenes back

[221bshrlocked]

I posted 868 times in 2022

492 posts created (57%)

376 posts reblogged (43%)

Blogs I reblogged the most (aka, reblogs I love with all my heart and I hope they know how much I adore them and how special of friends they are to me...even though I don't say it nearly enough):

@221bshrlocked (ignore this one please)

@juletheghoul

@starlightmornings

@penfullofwordsaheadfullofstories

@ezrasbirdie

I tagged 838 of my posts in 2022

Only 3% of my posts had no tags

#pedro pascal - 222 posts

#fic rec - 122 posts

#din djarin - 98 posts

#personal - 87 posts

#the mandalorian - 86 posts

#obi wan kenobi - 58 posts

#marcus pike - 54 posts

#star wars - 51 posts

#221bshrlocked replies - 47 posts

#obi wan - 38 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#i get sucked in and regret it a moment later when i realize i'm talking to someone that doesn't have respect for anything or anyone

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Stripped Down to the Bone

Pairing: The Mandalorian (Din Djarin) x Fem!Reader

Words: 12,267

Warnings: Brief description of violence. Loss of a hand. Some angst. Lots of fluff and descriptive smut. Dirty talk (including some degradation). Choking. Hair pulling. Spanking. Fingering. Squirting. Over-stimulation. Penetrative, unprotected sex (wrap the shlong before you king kong people). Fluffy after-care because Mando may be a kinky bastard but he is a giant teddy bear at heart. Love confessions. [Do let me know if I forgot something.]

Summary: “As you watch Mando drag the unconscious body, along with the severed hand, into the carbon-freezer, you can’t help but dwell on that second thought a little bit longer. Mando doesn’t once look away from you as he finally puts the man into the freezer and slams it shut. He doesn’t bother turning his attention elsewhere as he sheathes the Saber down into the handle and pushes it back into his belt. He doesn’t care for how menacing he looks as he steps towards you and eyes your shaking form.”

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847 notes - Posted June 30, 2022

#4

tell me

Pairing: Din Djarin x Fem!Reader

Words: 3241

Warnings: Literally just porn without plot. So go away if you’re not 18. Shoo. Skedaddle. Beskar Spear kink, Din using the spear to make you cum (you fuck yourself on the spear...not with it), some dirty talk.

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927 notes - Posted January 13, 2022

#3

Good to Know

Pairing: Marcus Pike x Fem!Reader

Words: 6826

Warnings: Making out. Funny sexy times. Awkward conversations. Marcus not realizing he's packing. Two blowjobs/handjobs. Cum swallowing. Dirty/Sweet Talk. Lots of emotions. Some more awkward commentary. Age Gap Kink. Size Difference Kink.

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998 notes - Posted March 17, 2022

#2

Happy Birthday Steve Rogers! Fuck You America!

Actual footage of Steve if he saw the shit happening right now in this fucking country.

1,800 notes - Posted July 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

where it wasn’t

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Ben x Fem!Reader (post-Kenobi Series era)

Words: 18,763 (can you tell I’m unwell?)

Warnings: 18+ only. Angsty Smut. Mutual Pining/Porn with some plot. Touch-Starved Obi-Wan. Lots of Kissing. Some form of competency kink? Marking Kink (again idk). Dirty/Sweet Talk. Slight Choking. Overstimulation. Penetrative, Unprotected Sex. Slight Breeding Kink. Some tears here and there because Obi-Wan just needs a fucking hug. 

Summary: “I- I am most flattered by your a-admiration but-” Ben grunts when you accidentally graze one of his nipples, his mind instantly going into hyperdrive and making him lose his train of thoughts. “But I highly doubt this is the most impressive form you’ve ever come across.” His voice is strained, that you’re certain of, and you want to see how far you can take it with him before he can no longer hold back. You’re close to thinking against it, but as you continue to knead his tight muscles, you notice a dark blush creeping down his neck to his chest and decide to tease him just a little bit more.

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1,910 notes - Posted June 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[intheseautumnhands]

Um! Kliego, and.... your favourite other TUA ship (lawd, I'm suddenly hoping that you ship kliego lmaooo, sorry if you don't :'))

Hah, it’s fine! I’m into pretty much every single Hargreeves ship to some extent. Klaus/Diego* is not super high on my list to be honest, but I’m definitely still into it overall! I think it’s just fandom saturation more than anything that puts it lower down, because I do think the dynamic could be of interest.

* (I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I cannot use smushnames. I don’t begrudge anyone else use of them, they don’t bug me *that* much, but typing them feels so awkward.)

Choosing a favorite is honestly harder because I just want to ship all of them but I will... I dunno. Maybe RNG stuff I’ve written lately to pick. XD

Gonna cut since I’m already rambling before I even put in the questions, whoops.

(Also, two-days-later A: Hi I fell asleep in the middle of this and then barely touched my computer yesterday. Sorry!) 

 Klaus/Diego:

when of if I started shipping it: I walked out of my first viewing singing the song of my people at every single combination possible (Not even walked out, I watched over several days, it only took the first. not even half a season.) (The song of my people is, of course, I Ship It by Not Literally.)

my thoughts: Again, it’s not my #1 ship for the show, but I definitely could see it. I like that, of all the possible combos that could have hung out during the time between leaving home and the show, they seem to have the least amount of active vitriol and bitterness. It opens up interesting windows for that time period, as well as means it’s among the ships that need the least foundation work to get to somewhere decent afterwards. It makes it an interesting counterpart to some of the more actively difficult combinations, which I like especially in a poly context (because I am me and everything happens in a poly context).

What makes me happy about them: Again, the possibilities during the time gaps! And the general sense of... friendliness? It does feel like they’d have a lot less to get over than a lot of the pairs and I like it. (granted I think Klaus in general, while he has plenty of issues, seems to have less of them with his siblings specifically than most, so that’s playing into it, but I also see Diego as probably the one with the most after Vanya, so that’s interesting in and of itself.)

What makes me sad about them: I’m just sad for all these children growing up in their shitty, shitty childhood. And by sad I mean I want to read a lot of things that make me want to cry. Either as children but also I’m down for adults unwillingly letting the conversation drag around to their trauma too.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: Klaus is snarkier, more clever, and a lot stronger, mentally and physically, than I feel like a lot of fic gives him credit for. I think that goes for a lot of fic in this fandom, but since it’s one of the biggest ships and he’s in it, I feel like it shows up a lot for K/D. I’m not a big fan of them being really close as kids, either, which comes up a lot; my headcanon for Diego being pretty distant from all his siblings is strong enough that it takes a lot of set-up for me to accept anything else. (Awkwardly getting close in late teens as both of their ‘get me the fuck out of here’ drives get stronger and stronger is easier for me to see than close-as-kids.)

things I look for in fanfic: Tropes! The writers for this ship give me all the tropes. I want to marinate in it. I’m also kind of into general ‘it was casual, then whoops, I caught feelings, now what??????’ for them, because I could see it. Other than that, like... look, if it looks like it’s interestingly written or has an interesting concept, I will read it. I’m not super picky in this fandom, if it’s Hargreeves-centric and doesn’t bitch at shippers in the tags I’m in to at least give it a try.

My kinks: Uhhhh. Hmmm. I haven’t actually read a lot of kink fic for this ship or considered it, but I feel like I want mutual sadism/masochism.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Honestly my hope is for most of the characters to end up without another major romantic plot. I’m here for canon Allison/Luther but hoping the rest of them just... don’t. Especially since I don’t see them going for two sibling ships and that’s really all I’d want to see. If not that, both of them with new characters would be my preference, because there’s no one actually in the show I’d be down for. Maybe if they somehow warp the timelines around enough to bring Patch back, but even then, eh, just let me have family stuff.

My happily ever after for them: In general as characters, my ideal endgame for both characters is in healthier places than their start point, still clearly working out their shit, and on good terms as a family. As a ship: I feel like both of them would get bored eventually by any kind of ‘and then they went and got a happy domestic place to live and nothing exciting ever happened again’, even if it might be nice for a little while, so... active, somehow. Either they end up somehow finding some kind of active hobby to screw around with together, and enjoy flirting with each other while they do it, or like, I don’t know, get bored one day and accidentally buy a business just to have something to do and find they get weirdly invested in running it. (Maybe, like, a restuarant or something else that’s really high-stress. Or maybe the gym Diego boxes at goes for sale and he doesn’t like the look of the most likely potential buyer and buys it himself before he realizes he has no idea how to run something and has to slink back home and let Klaus laugh at him. Shit, I want that fic now.)

who is the big spoon/little spoon: This assumes either one of them are capable of sleeping totally still which honestly I don’t see. They both seem like the kind of people who flip around in their sleep and wake up five times a night. So, they both take it in turns and also sometimes just end up in weird sprawled positions, either on top of each other or really far from each other.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Honestly, I feel like joking around and talking together would probably be it. I could see road trips, too.

Uhhhh I RNG’d things I’ve written lately and I got Ben/Allison. Nobody else writes that but it’s the tiny ship of my heart so I’m gonna do it anyway. I’m sorry, my random teeny ships are what you sign up for when I get to choose. >>

when of if I started shipping it: On like my third rewatch Allison’s little “I miss him” while she’s watching the cameras burned itself into my brain and I have wanted more for the two of them ever since.

my thoughts: I just! Look it’s pretty much canon that everyone loved Ben, but something about his snarky-but-because-I-want-you-to-do-better-and-I’ve-given-up commentary with Klaus and Allison’s alternating defensive and concerned mode -- I just want them to team up together to despair everyone else’s problems and try to figure out how to help (and often failing; I feel like in a general sense, they’re both better at pointing out the problems than actually fixing them on their own). And I feel like they both get prickly in ways the other would understand and be able to deal with easier than most of the family.

What makes me happy about them: I feel like this just blends into the thoughts above. I love the potential for how they might interact, and the potential for them to call out each other’s shit (and probably everyone else’s).

What makes me sad about them: Everything about Ben in canon is sad! Even the happy things are sad!

things done in fanfic that annoys me: There are exactly two fics for this pairing and one is me and one is PWP smut, which just isn’t super my thing. So uh. there needs to be fic to annoy me. Please write fic specifically to annoy me, oh no, don’t throw me into that briar patch. (That said, in general, I feel like both of them get their sharper points filed down a lot in fic. They both have their pointed sarcasm and their moments of outright lashing out, and I want to see more fic deal with that.)

things I look for in fanfic: Again, I say, please let fic exist. Also, I badly want a proper AU of Ben surviving and running off to Hollywood with Allison. I did not do it justice in my tiny thing.

My kinks: I want switchy powerplay with an emphasis on play -- competitiveness and teasing and wrestling. Also younger or AU Allison who hasn’t yet tried not to use her rumors for everything not trusting anyone but Ben enough to gag her, because her voice is her best weapon. 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Please please give me an Allison/Luther endgame. Ben I have no feelings on -- I still stand by not wanting any other romantic subplots, really -- but I am rooting for Allison/Luther in canon no matter how many others I ship them with.

My happily ever after for them: Possible in canon, as characters: Allison figures out how to balance ‘not using her rumors at all’ and ‘rumoring everything always’; Ben gets brought back to life and gets to be happy. As a ship: Honestly, connected to the family and both doing their own, fulfilling, non-superheroy things. Allison can act and Ben can get a chance to figure out what he wants to do, because I feel like even if he’d survived that would’ve been hard for him.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Especially if we’re going with some semblance of canon and Ben’s died and come back, he’s the little spoon, because being wrapped up in someone else is comforting. But also just any kind of cuddling is welcome.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Judging everyone. No, I kid. Sharing and discussing books and movies, maybe. Ben passes along books he liked* and they watch movies together and Allison dissects acting choices and they both debate themes and ending of more ambiguous stories. They are loud movie watchers if they stay home to watch things, and go have loud debates over coffee after if they go out. *(I actually have a whole tangent in a fic that got cut out that I want to reuse for this fact, specifically about Ben having a slightly masochistic Lovecraftian phase in his early teens and passing it on to Allison, and Allison in her 20s thinking that if it fits either of them, it’s her, because she gets in people’s brains and rewires them and they forget what she’s done to them, and if either of them could make people go mad, it’s her.)

[bastardnev]

I Told You So

i FINALLY finished the Happier sequel to My King

(crossposted from ao3)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Wrestling Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wade Barrett/Pac | Adrian Neville Characters: Wade Barrett, Pac | Adrian Neville Additional Tags: Fluff, i love!! these boys!!, Post-Summerslam Summary: Wade knew that Neville would win the title back.

(sequel to "My King")

Things had been rough since Neville lost the Cruiserweight title.

Not even 24 hours after he'd lost, Neville had grown to be a shell of his former self, marching around backstage with messy hair and unhealthy-looking dark circles under his eyes. Wade knew that the talk that they'd had wouldn't be enough to help him get over such a devastating loss, but he never thought things would get this bad. Every time Wade was with Neville, he was trembling, though whether that was due to sadness or anger Wade hadn't yet figured out. Whatever it was, Wade hoped that it would be gone by the time Neville's match at Summerslam ended.

Neville's rematch was set to be the second match on the kickoff show, which frustrated Wade for multiple reasons. It was bad enough that Neville wasn't seen as being 'important' enough to be on the main card, but there was hardly anyone seated in the stands yet. People would still be waiting on line to get in during the most important title match of the night -- in his opinion, at least.

His position on the card didn't seem to bother Neville, though. So long as he was getting his rematch, they could do it out in the parking lot in the early hours of the morning for all he cared. It didn't matter who was or wasn't there to watch -- he was going to get his championship back in the end.

"You're going on right after this interview, right?" Wade asked. He and Neville were watching the Ambrose and Rollins interview on a TV monitor out in the hallway, though 'watching' may not be the best word to describe it since it was really more background noise than anything. Neville was far too focused on his pre-match preparation to pay any attention at all.

"Mm," Neville affirmed, decked out in his new white and silver attire, his arms crossed. He hadn't been much for words in the last week, most of his responses having been either head shakes or grunts.

"Hey," Wade started as he put a hand on his shoulder, feeling how tense he was. "You're going to do great. I know you will. Kick his ass and bring that title back where it belongs."

"That's the plan." Neville noticed that the interview on the screen was close to ending. "I need to go."

"Go get 'em, King. I'll be waiting here for you when you're done." Wade wore as assuring of a smile as he could muster, and he watched as Neville walked away and left him by himself.

Wade sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at the image of Graves and Joseph on commentary. He had all the faith in the world in Neville. Wade knew how he operated, and there was no way in hell that he was leaving the Barclays Center that evening without that title in hand.

"Holy shit, he did it!!" Wade shouted when he watched the referee count to three, the sound of the bell signalling the end of the match sounding like music to his ears. In the process, he accidentally scared a few backstage workers who were standing nearby, causing them to jump. Wade paid their shock no mind, however. He was far too excited to worry about what anyone thought of him.

Neville had won. He countered Tozawa's senton by sticking up his knees right as it was about to connect and managed to hit the Red Arrow -- the same move that had cost him the title less than a week ago. That split second decision changed the momentum of the whole match and allowed for Neville to capitalize, and was champion once again.

The first two time Cruiserweight champion. That accolade belonged to the King.

His King.

A few moments later, Wade noticed that Neville was making his way towards him, clutching the title tightly in his hands as if it were going to be snatched from him at any moment. Neville shot a glare in the direction of the workers that were standing nearby, and they hurriedly scurried away, causing Wade to snort. Neville has the power to get rid of people with a single look. I can only hope to be that intimidating one day.

It was once they were alone that Wade quickly swept Neville off of his feet, hugging him and spinning him around. "You did it! I told you that you would!"

"Wade, stop that!" Neville struggled to break free. "I told you not to do that when someone could see us!"

"You've already scared everyone off, Nev. There's no one around to see us."

"Still, it's embarrassing... Imagine if one of those peasants sees me like this?"

"Fine, fine." Wade let him go, and despite his complaints Neville didn't actually look like he was angry at Wade. "But seriously, congrats. I'm so proud of you."

"Was there ever any doubt that I wasn't going to win my crown back?" Neville slung the belt over his shoulder and began to stroke it as if it were a cat. "This is mine, plain and simple. This title and the whole damn division is going to be mine until I decide that I'm done with it."

"That's my King." Wade grinned and ruffled up Neville's already messy hair. He took a chance and bent down, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. The two of them hadn't had any actual romantic contact since the day Neville lost (if that kiss they shared could actually be considered romantic and not sloppy and desperate). Wade had no idea what kind of a reaction he was going to get.

Neville's expression had changed by the time Wade pulled away, his cocky one having been replaced with a more complicated and hard to read one. "You alright?" Wade asked. "You look a little weird."

"Don't I always look weird? Come on, just look at me," Neville joked, but his expression remained the same.

"What's bugging you? You don't look like someone who just won his championship back." Says the guy who made him look this way in the first place...

"This might sound like a weird question to ask, Wade, but..." Neville glanced around and made sure that they were alone before he asked. "What are we, anyway? Are we still just friends?"

Wade swallowed, looking down towards his feet. "Well, what do you want us to be?" He replied. "I mean, we did kinda kiss last week..."

"And we hung out at the hotel afterwards," Neville pointed out. "You kept me company."

"Yes I did." Wade remembered lying in bed next to him in silence, gently stroking at Neville's hair (which was still a little damp from the shower he'd taken) as he fell asleep. It wasn't a very happy memory given the context, but it definitely didn't read as being very platonic. "Do you want us to be more than friends? I was kinda hoping that we could at least try it." They were already close friends who shared all the same interests -- some examples of those interests being making fun of their co-workers and acting dickish in general -- so wouldn't it make sense for them to give dating a shot?

Neville chewed the inside of his cheek, fingers tapping against the title as he thought. Slowly, his hand reached out and gently grabbed Wade's. "... I wouldn't mind giving it a try."

Wade looked down at their hands and smiled. "So, since we're dating, would you mind if I... y'know..."

Neville rolled his eyes with a small smirk, checking again to make sure no one was watching before saying, "Fine, go ahead."

"Excellent." With that, Wade bent down again, this time pressing his lips to Neville's and letting his eyes slip shut. He knew that he needed to pull away before someone (especially one of the other cruiserweights) caught sight of them, but that was going to be difficult what with how nice Neville's lips felt. Wade was beginning to think that maybe it was worth it to get caught if it meant that they got to continue for a little longer.

Ultimately, he pulled away, chuckling at Neville's flushed face. "Is the King embarrassed? Is our feared ruler really that bashful?" He teased.

"Hush up." Neville shoved his arm. "Ugh, I feel grimy as hell... I need to go wash up."

"Good idea. You're all sweaty." That fact didn't stop Wade from pulling Neville close to him as they started to walk towards the locker room. "What do you say we go celebrate later, hmm? Lemme take you out someplace nice."

"First you kiss me, and then you ask me on a date? All within a few minutes? How suave," Neville replied. "But I'd like that. I'm in the mood to be spoiled."

"Only the best for my King."

[tortuga-aak]

I've been using the iPhone X for 18 hours, and I'm already sold (AAPL)

Hollis Johnson

I've been testing the iPhone for a little less than a day.

Overall, I enjoy the design and the new, larger screen. And I don't miss the home button at all.

Despite some of the concerns over Face ID, it works flawlessly.

I only got to use the iPhone X briefly during Apple's launch event last month, but it was enough to convince me Apple was cooking up a hit.

This week, I got to spend more time with it, and I'm equally, if not more impressed with what Apple pulled off.

I've been using the iPhone X for a little less than a day, so I won't have a full review for you until early next week. But I do have a much better sense of how things work in the real world and outside the careful gaze of a bunch of Apple employees.

Here are some first impressions after my roughly 18 hours with the iPhone X.

Finally, a new design

The latest trend in smartphones is to cram as much screen onto the front of the phone as possible, with minimized bezels. Until now, the iPhone felt behind the times with its gargantuan size and relatively small screen.

The iPhone X is a refreshing redesign. After over three years of essentially the same look, it's nice to see Apple make something radically different again. 

The best part is the screen. At 5.8 inches, it's slightly larger than the iPhone 8 Plus screen, but on a body that's only a little larger than the iPhone 8. For everyone avoiding the plus-sized iPhones because of their surfboard-like construction, the X will strike the perfect balance.

Hollis Johnson

It's also the first iPhone screen to use OLED technology, which is more power efficient, has a higher resolution, and displays colors better. (Samsung phones have been using OLED screens for years, and they consistently put the iPhone to shame in that regard.) The X's screen is stunning, almost as if it's painted onto the phone.

The back of the phone is made of glass, just like the iPhone 8, but it's tied together with a steel band around the edges instead of aluminum. I'm using the white/silver model, and the steel band has a nice chrome shine to it. I think it's more attractive than the space gray model.

Of course, all that screen means Apple made another huge design change. There's no more home button. Instead, you swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go back home. There's a bar that floats at the bottom to help you see where you're supposed to swipe from. (I've been calling it the home bar.) It takes a little getting used to after 10 years of mashing a home button, but it eventually starts feeling natural.

But some things on the front of the phone can't be replaced by software, like the camera, which leads us to the controversial new notch at the top of the screen.

I don't mind the notch

Hollis Johnson

Boy oh boy did the iPhone X's notch trigger a bunch of angry nerds.

Apple engineered the screen so that it wraps around the front-facing camera and all of its advanced sensors. (More on that in a bit.) It's a drastically different look than the iPhone screens you're used to, and it's easily the most polarizing design decision Apple has ever made. John Gruber, who runs the site Daring Fireball and is typically pro-Apple in his commentary, said the notch "offends" him.

That's a pretty strong feeling to have about a phone screen.

I don't mind the notch. In fact, I kind of like it, and I think it blends in nicely to the rest of the phone's software interface. The sides of the notch display the time, battery status, and WiFi and cell signals. By default, photos and video don't bleed into the notch unless you double-tap them for a zoomed-in view. You barely notice the notch in most cases, and it looks especially nice when scrolling through apps like Twitter and Facebook.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling tech pundits are going to be debating the merits and drawbacks of the notch for the next several weeks. It's going to be insufferable. You've been warned.

Third-party apps need work

So far, the biggest drawback to the extra screen space and lack of home button has been third-party app design. Many of my apps haven't been redesigned for the new screen size, so they show up with thick black bars on the top and bottom to mimic the same aspect ratio you'd get on a regular iPhone screen. It looks like a lot of wasted space.

Other apps have been refitted for the iPhone X screen, but have made a bunch of funky design choices. For example, some have large chunks of unused space at the bottom near the home bar. And I saw at least one app that showed the home bar bleeding into the menu icons at the bottom of the screen.

Apple's not totally innocent either. There were a few cases where I saw large chunks of unused space at the bottom of the screen in some of Apple's own in-house apps, such as the iPhone's built-in Mail app, especially when the keyboard popped up.

I have a feeling it's going to take a few months for developers to get used to the new screen size and shape, just like we saw when the iPhone screen got bigger on the iPhones 5 and 6.

All that panic over Face ID seems to be for nothing

Hollis JohnsonNo home button also means there's no more Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Instead, the iPhone X uses a new facial recognition system called Face ID. Face ID taps into the new front-facing camera and other sensors to accurately scan your face and securely store it as a mathematical representation.

The iPhone X isn't even out yet, and Face ID is already the feature most people seem to be the most worried about. Does it work in the dark? Is it creepy? Is it secure? Bloomberg even ran a scary story last week saying Apple told suppliers it could reduce the accuracy of of Face ID in order to meet production goals, something Apple denied.

I have a feeling all that hair-pulling is because after years of using Touch ID, Face ID will have to prove itself to be just as good or better to justify removing the fingerprint sensor.

In my short time with the iPhone X, Face ID has worked well. It unlocks the phone quickly in low light, bright light, the dim light of Business Insider's video studio, and even in a pitch-black closet.

Hollis JohnsonBetter yet, it seems impossible to trick. I had a set of identical twins come into the office on Monday to put the facial recognition system to the test. One of the twins programmed his face into Face ID, allowing him to unlock the phone with a glance. His twin brother however was locked out — he couldn't even trick the phone while wearing a hat and sunglasses. The two siblings told me that even some of their family members can't tell them apart, yet Face ID was able to map a face accurately enough to tell the difference.

Face ID can also adapt as your face changes, like if you grow a beard or wear a hat, glasses, or sunglasses. In fact, one of my bearded colleagues programmed his face and then shaved himself clean a few minutes later. Face ID caught on. He had to put in his passcode twice to confirm it was him, but after that, Face ID learned who he was without having to be reprogrammed.

Of course, I'll need to spend more time with Face ID to fully evaluate how well it works. But so far, so good.

More to come...

There's still a lot more to unpack here. The battery life. The accuracy of Face ID over time. Some of those funky app designs. The camera performance.

And of course, there's the phone's $999 starting price tag — the highest Apple has ever put on an iPhone. So far, the phone feels worth the premium price, but a full verdict will require more testing.

I'll have that and more in the coming days. For now, the iPhone X gives a great first impression.

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