#i've added some show footage to it :)

[poirott]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AGATHA CHRISTIE! (b. September 15 1890)

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime"—a moniker which is now trademarked by her estate—or the "Queen of Mystery". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

[gilbertscurls]

holaa i got request that like 7 mins vids of chris and reader being in love but they are bsf like some fan did vid showing moments chris and reader do that shows their love to eachother

hope you like it!! <3

also, i think i've seen a similar story somewhere, so credits to the original

7 Minutes of Chris and Y/N Being in Love ➵ Chris Sturniolo

You stumbled upon the video late one night, alone in your room with the glow of your phone casting soft shadows across the walls. It was titled “7 Minutes of Chris and Y/N Being in Love But Not Admitting It”, posted by one of the Sturniolo Triplets’ most dedicated fans. Curious, you clicked on it, not quite ready for the trip down memory lane.

The video started with a soft piano tune, and each moment was introduced by a little title. You held your breath as the first clip began.

1. “The Hoodie Thing”

The video opened with a scene from a casual vlog, probably from a random day where the four of you had just been hanging out. The camera was set up on the counter, capturing Chris as he talked animatedly about something or another. In the middle of his story, he looked over and spotted you wrapped up in his hoodie. You saw his mouth twitch in that familiar way as he tried to keep his composure, but his cheeks betrayed him, turning just a bit pink.

“Is that mine?” he asked, pretending to be annoyed, though the sparkle in his eyes told a different story.

You shrugged, smiling as you hugged the hoodie tighter. “You left it here. Finders, keepers.”

The fan had zoomed in on his face just then, catching the soft expression he wore as he looked at you, that look he always gave when he thought you weren’t watching.

2. “The Arm Thing”

The next clip was from one of their prank videos, where Nick had decided to try scaring you by hiding behind the door. The plan went off without a hitch; you’d jumped in fright, letting out a little squeal. The moment Chris heard it, he stepped in close, putting an arm around your shoulders, almost instinctively, like a protective reflex.

“Are you okay?” he asked, not even giving Nick the satisfaction of a laugh.

You laughed, brushing it off, but Chris kept his arm around you for the rest of the video. The fan had added a heart overlay on that moment, making it all the more obvious to anyone watching that this wasn’t just a casual gesture. It was his way of telling you, without words, that he’d always be there to protect you.

3. “The Way He Looks At Her”

This cutscene played moments from several videos stitched together: every time Chris��s gaze lingered on you a little longer than necessary, his eyes softening, or the way his face would light up whenever you walked into the room.

One clip was from a road trip vlog where Nick had asked you a question, and you’d gone off on a tangent, laughing at your own story. The fan had slowed down the footage as Chris watched you, his smile widening with every word you spoke. They’d even added text overlay: Look at the way he smiles at her.

And there it was—that undeniable, heart-melting look that said so much more than words ever could.

4. “The Hand Thing”

The screen faded to another clip, this time from a Q&A the triplets had done with you sitting behind Chris. He’d been laughing at something Matt said, his hand reaching back to rest on yours almost absentmindedly. You’d barely registered it, but the fans clearly had, picking up on the way his fingers subtly intertwined with yours.

At one point, you noticed and looked down, a slight blush coloring your cheeks. But Chris didn’t pull away; he just squeezed your hand gently, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The fan had zoomed in here, highlighting the way his thumb rubbed small circles on your hand, creating a moment that had clearly been noticed by everyone but you two.

5. “Little Things He Remembers”

This section showed clips where Chris would mention something small about you, things you didn’t even realize he’d picked up on. In one of the videos, you’d talked about a favorite candy that you hadn’t had in years, and a month later, in a different video, Chris had surprised you with it.

Your face had lit up, and the fan had looped Chris’s shy smile when he saw your reaction. Then came another clip from a Christmas gift exchange vlog, where he’d somehow known exactly what to get you—a rare vinyl record you’d been looking for forever.

As you hugged him in gratitude, the fan captioned it: he remembers the little things.

6. “The Almost Kiss”

This was the clip that made you catch your breath. It was from a few weeks back, a late night when you and Chris had been filming a random vlog in his room. He’d been teasing you about something, and you’d leaned in to swat his shoulder, both of you laughing.

But then there was that moment—a pause—where your faces were just inches apart, his gaze locked on yours, and everything had gone quiet. You could almost feel the unspoken words hanging in the air, the what if.

The fan had zoomed in, adding a soft overlay to heighten the tension, and you watched yourself look up at him, eyes wide, both of you caught in that heart-stopping second. His face had softened, and he’d opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but then he’d pulled away, laughing to break the tension.

The screen faded to black as the fan added one final caption: maybe one day.

You stared at the end screen, your heart racing. You’d felt all those moments before, lingering on the edges of your friendship with Chris, but seeing them compiled like this left you breathless. Your mind raced back to that last clip, to the almost kiss. What would have happened if he hadn’t laughed it off? If you hadn’t pulled away?

Just as you were lost in thought, your phone buzzed with a text from Chris.

Chris: Yo, did you see this vid someone made of us? LMAO they really think we’re in love or something 😂

You felt a rush of nerves, unsure of how to respond.

You: Haha yeah, just saw it… it’s kinda cute though, don’t you think?

There was a pause, longer than usual, and you held your breath, waiting.

Chris: Yeah… kinda cute.

Chris: Listen, about that one clip… you know the one I’m talking about, right?

You: Yeah. I know.

Chris: What if I said I wasn’t just acting for the camera?

Your heart skipped a beat. You could almost picture him, staring down at his phone, wondering if he’d said too much. But something told you it was time to finally say the words that had been on the tip of your tongue for years.

You: Then I’d say… me neither.

It was a simple exchange, a confession years in the making, and yet somehow, that was all it took.

tag list: @stuwniolo, @sturnobsessedwh0re, @matts-myloverboy, @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut, @lizzymacdonald06, @asherrisrandom, @sturniolowhore69, @faith5drpepper, @emely9274, @psychologyloverfr, @lovetaylorrussellgrr, @conspiracy-ash

[hesperisms]

// Knight Shift

This is my submission for @nanamiscocksleeve Christmas Secret Santa Fic Exchange! I was tasked with writing for the wonderful @reilemon ! "Please don't squirm...you're making it very hard for me to be a gentleman..."

// summary: you get a little too drunk and make a fool of yourself at the bar, requiring Zayne to haul you out of there.

// content warnings: 18+ (mdni), fluff, second-hand embarrassment, pet names, early-mid relationship, THE IMPLICATION, toothache cuteness, husband as HECK

// a/n: when I saw this prompt go on the list I was so hopeful I'd get it and I'm so glad I did! I hope I did your idea justice <3 Happy Holidays

likes, reblogs, comments are always appreciated!

1:04 AM Zayne's phone screen beamed a soft blue glow back at him as he sat in his car in the darkened hospital carpark, brow furrowed as he skimmed through his notifications at the end of his shift.

A veritable forensic timeline of your night, his nimble finger scrolled through Moment post after Moment post documenting your Christmas party, smiling and shaking his head as he watched each captured tease of your night progressing. The Moment posts were very innocent at the beginning of the night and they made him smile to himself, you looking cute and bright-eyed in your new dress, twirling in your bedroom mirror to show him what you planned to wear. He felt a blush creep into his cheeks as he watched you, beaming happily and giggling with your colleagues at the bar.

Gradually however, the blush and the smile were replaced by a tight, protective, possessive feeling in his chest and a pit in his stomach as your drinks began to flow freely. The little brightly colored umbrellas from your cocktails were now starting to get stacked up in your messy updo like a crown of flowers, each video adding to your pile of paper adornments as the footage got blurrier and more concerning to him. Zayne had never been much of a drinker himself and you had pinched his cheeks as you rolled your eyes at him, insisting you could handle it when he asked you to be careful and pace yourself tonight, but the most recent Moment posts told a different story to your dismissals.

An hour ago, blurry new male faces appearing beside you and your friend that he didn't recognize as being colleagues of yours and they definitely weren't as drunk as you; twenty minutes ago a shaky POV of you cheer-screaming at the top of your lungs as your friend downed a double shot of something as they spurred her on. Thirty seconds ago a jumbled black screen mess of your phone clattering to the floor as you howled with laughter and someone tried to help you up, shoving another drink into your hand.

"This has gone on long enough; she's too drunk to be among strangers", Zayne thought to himself with a scowl as he started the car and began to navigate his way towards the location you'd tagged in your Moment posts. He dialed your number as he drove and after what felt like half a lifetime, you picked up the phone.

"ZAAAAAAAAAAAYNIE! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYNIE!" you slurred at him excitedly as your glassy and unfocused eyes finally came into view on the facetime call. You were so much drunker than he expected you to be, so much so that he was half-questioning if something had been slipped into your drinks. "Zaynie I've been having SO. MUSH. FUN. with my new frenzzz here...what uhh...what were your namsh again?" you asked with a giggle as one of the unrecognized men muttered in the background and swiped at your phone when you turned it towards him.

Zayne forced a slight smile for you and spoke in a slow, even tone that hid his true feelings about the situation "I just finished my shift, I thought you might like me to come pick you up and we can finish the night with some dessert, hmmm?". With how happy you'd been to answer his call, he expected an enthusiastic yes, so when you pouted and whined that you were still having fun with your new friends, you weren't ready to leave yet, Zayne couldn't hide his icy scowl. "I'll be there in five minutes, Y/N, I'll carry you out of the bar if I have to." Zayne stated in a firm, no-nonsense tone.

Whether you hung up accidentally or deliberately didn't matter to Zayne, what mattered was you were alone and very drunk with strangers. His knuckles gripped the leather steering wheel tightly and he sped up a little, pushing the boundaries of how comfortable he felt speeding at this late hour. All he cared about was getting to you and getting you home safely.

Leaving his car a block away from the bar, Zayne jogged up to the doors, only to be stopped by the two large men guarding the entrance with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Too late for new entries, Sir" one of them said with a note of apology to his tone as he blocked Zayne from going further. Standing up on his tiptoes to peek over their shoulders, Zayne shook his head and began to make his case to them. "Sorry gents, I'm trying to collect someone. You might've seen her? Blue and white dress, about this tall, very drunk?". With timing so perfect only the cosmos could've coordinated it, you let out a loud squeal of laughter that carried through the open doorway, followed by a crash of what sounded like breaking glass. "Speak of the devil...May I?" Zayne winced in apology as the two bouncers looked at each other then back to him with a nod and stepped aside.

"Better you get her out quietly than we have to turf her out, Sir."

Nodding back with an apologetic tight smile, Zayne pat the shoulder of the bouncer in thanks as he passed, making a beeline for where your noise came from. When you had slipped and fallen off the barstool, your heel had snapped off your left shoe and you were drunkenly wobbling, trying and failing to understand why you had no balance.

Placing a hand gently on your shoulder so that you knew he was there, Zayne made his presence known. "Looks like I got here right on time, Y/n" he raised his voice above the cacophony of noise around you in the bar. On seeing your eyes light up in recognition, he dropped to one knee in front of you, beckoning for you to stick your foot out to him. Rewarding you with a slight smile as you complied, Zayne slid his hand delicately around your heel and began to unbuckle the strap on your shoe, slipping it off your foot. Repeating the process with your other foot, your bare feet now flat to the floor, you looked even smaller compared to his tall broad frame as he hooked his index finger into the straps of your shoes to hold onto them as he stood up, picking paper umbrellas out of your hair and letting them fall to the floor.

"Lets get you home," Zayne said to you softly, eyes scanning between the floor and your short dress, frowning at the broken glass you would risk navigating to the exit. "Hold these for me please," he instructed you, handing your heels back to you, before slipping his suit jacket off and wrapping it around your hips so that it draped down over the back of your legs to protect your modesty. You blinked at him in confusion before letting out a little squeal of surprise as he wrapped his strong arm around your thigh and picked you up over his shoulder, holding you tightly and securely in his arms. "Don't worry Y/n, I've got you, I won't drop you" he said confidently as he headed back past the bouncers at the front door.

"Zaaaaaaynie," you giggled tipsily. "You're carrying me like a princess, am I your princess?" You teased him as you clung to his neck tightly, your heels and your purse tapping into his strong shoulder blades rhythmically as he walked you back to his car. He paused mid-stride and pulled his head back to look you in the eyes, noting they weren't as glassy as they had been, but you were still far from sober. "My knight in shining armor," you giggled and buried your head in his shoulder. Zayne answered you with a low rumbling hum, your words stirring something in him that makes the tips of his ears flush red. He hoped you were still too drunk to notice and you seemed to be.

He delicately cradled your head to avoid you hitting it as he bundled you into his car passenger seat and he paused, stunned for a second when you suddenly reached up and stroked his hair gently, like you were petting a cat. "So soft..." you murmured sleepily. Zayne cleared his throat and pulled his head away hoping you wouldn't notice the flush deepening. "Feel free to sleep in the car on the way home, I'll wake you when we get there," he whispered to you as he leaned across you to lock in your seatbelt, but by the time he looked up to your face you were already out like a light, your breathing steady and peaceful, cuddling your shoes and your purse to your chest.

Zayne smiled down at you gently, brushing his thumb against your cheek tenderly and closed the car door as quietly as he could, trying not to disturb your slumber. Zayne drove carefully the whole way to your apartment, taking care not to accelerate or brake too suddenly and risk jarring you out of your sleep.

He needn't have worried, because you didn't stir when he opened the passenger side door or when he reached across you to unbuckle your seatbelt. "Princess Y/n," he whispered to you, a playful tone sneaking into his voice. "Wakey wakey your knight is trying to carry you in." Zayne smiled at you as your half-lidded eyes fluttered open sleepily and you struggled to focus. He chuckled and shook his head with an exasperated sigh as you held your hands out to him expectantly, but he still bundled you into his arms to carry you bridal-style up into your apartment complex without a word of complaint.

Zayne shifted you in his arms, putting you down for a second so that he could punch in your front door code. Missing the warmth of his strong arms and the steady beating of his heart lulling you, you snuggled in tightly against his chest, slipping your arms around his hips and pressing yourself flat up against him.

"Please don't squirm...you're making it very hard for me to be a gentleman..." Zayne blushed, reaching to stroke your hair. "Are you steady enough to stand on your own now?" He asked gently. You nodded up at him with a smile, before blushing with an embarrassed giggle as you almost tripped on your own feet trying to walk to your couch. "Wait there, I'll be back in a moment," Zayne instructed you as he shut the door behind you both and made his way to your bedroom and bathroom, moving through your apartment confidently like his own.

From your bedroom he collected a set of pyjama shorts and a shirt of his you had promised to wash but had instead kept to sleep in; he never asked you about it after the fact, liking the idea of it being wrapped around you at night when he couldn't be much more than it gathering dust in his closet. Detouring to your bathroom, he took your toothbrush, loading it up with toothpaste for you, your retainer, your pack of makeup remover wipes and a jar of eye mask patches.

"Your dress, while beautiful, smells like a brewery I'm afraid," Zayne chuckled, sitting down beside you on the couch with the pile of supplies he'd collected for you. He held his hands out to you and made a "come hither" motion with his fingers, encouraging you to scoot closer to him until your knees touched. "Give me your face, Princess Y/n," he said gently, holding your chin delicately with his right hand as he pulled makeup wipes out of the pack with his left and began to carefully wipe the grime of the night from your face.

You sat barefaced in front of him, eyes closed and sighing contentedly at his delicate attentions, your skin tingling from the makeup wipes. "Nope, I'm just resting my eyes," you murmured with a smile when he gently tapped the tip of your nose asking if you had fallen asleep on him. You stiffened for a second as the cool shock of aloe hit your undereye and you opened your eyes lazily to see Zayne placing the little masks carefully and brushing them smooth with his thumbs. Zayne took hold of your chin again, pressing your mouth open with his thumb and index finger, before holding out the toothbrush and popping it into your mouth.

As you brushed your teeth sleepily, enjoying the calm domesticity between you both, Zayne picked up the clothes and put them in your lap with your retainer on top. "Go rinse and change into those while I throw away these wipes and put your phone on charge," he instructed you, brushing your hair back away behind your ears before taking the rubbish into your kitchen to dispose of. You made your way to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. Slipping the clean shirt on over your head, you noticed it smelled like him again and you knew you'd worn it to bed often enough that it had lost his smell...you half-wondered if he hadn't rubbed it on himself a little to transfer some fresh cologne to it for you and the thought made you flush with giddy happiness.

Looking at yourself in the bathroom mirror as you spat and rinsed your toothpaste, you couldn't help but grin to yourself, feeling so spoiled by him. After you disposed of the eye masks and fitted your retainer, you stepped out of the bathroom to find Zayne was nowhere to be found. Wandering through the apartment, you softly called out for him and felt a wave of relief wash over you as you heard him respond from your bedroom. Wandering in, the sight that welcomed you made your heart beat faster; true to his word, Zayne had plugged your phone in on your bedside to charge and was now fluffing your pillows and quilt for you. "There you are," he said with a teasing tone. "I was starting to think you might've passed out on your Knight again."

Zayne held his hand out to you and helped guide you into the bed, bundling you in under the covers, tucking you in. You grabbed his hand, catching his eyes as you felt his breath catch at your unexpected touch. "Stay with me? Please?" you asked and he nodded, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. "As my Princess wishes," he responded, swallowing thickly. "Let me just get out of my suit and I'll stay the night with you". You watched Zayne's movements around the room with half-lidded eyes as he slipped his tie and belt off and draped his suit slacks over the back of your arm chair. His nimble fingers worked to undo his cufflinks and free himself from his button up shirt, which promptly followed his slacks onto the chair, the clink of his silver snowflake cufflinks hitting your jewelry dish on your chest of drawers ringing through the silence.

"That gaze of yours is going to bore a hole in me if you keep it up, Your Highness," Zayne teased, a tone of a smirk to his accusation and you blushed, pulling the quilt up over your head. You felt the quilt pulled back from you and internally pouted that Zayne had already slipped on some pjyama bottoms you had bought and left for him to use at your place. He slid himself into the bed beside you and pulled your back up tight against his broad warm chest, wrapping his arms around you in a firm hug and planting one last kiss on your hair.

"Thank you for everything tonight Zaynie," you whispered. "Sometimes I feel like I don't des-"

"Shhh...." Zayne cut you off, his arms squeezing you tighter as he pressed his chin down on the top of your head. "I'm exactly where I want to be," he hummed to you. "If you really want to thank me for being your knight in shining armor, in the morning you can help me make us blueberry pancakes. For now though," Zayne punctuated his final thought by inhaling a deep breath of your hair. "Sleep, my Princess."

[merchelsea]

sacrifice - lando norris

pairing: lando norris x fem!reader

summary: you and lando have a long distance relationship due to your hard work. you rarely have free time to attend to his races, the only one you actually attend every year is monaco's. you understand things will have to change when lando gets into a crash and that makes you want to be there with him at everytimes.

author’s note: i hate making myself go through this.

word count:

warnings: lets pretend lando crashed duriung the interlagos gp, not the LA one, for the sake of the plot :)

"hey, babe!" you mumbled as you stirred from your nap. originally meant for a quick rest before the race, it turned into a marathon of sleep that spanned the entire duration of the race. checking the timing, you muttered, "shit."

"were you asleep?" he chuckled.

"yeah... I'm sorry babe. I was just trying to catch up on some sleep debt before the race. I am just tired..." you explained with a low rumble. lando always had a away of understanding things. "anyways, how did it go?"

"not so well, i am kind of glad that you didn't watch it, you would've freak out unnecessarely." he sighed

"why? what happened?" you sat up, eyes squeezed shut in alarm.

"it was nothing serious, just a crash." he reassured. the word 'crash' froze you, an unsettling feeling settling in your chest. "I'm fine now; I'm at the hospital doing some tests."

you didn't answer him and he immediately sensed your worry, it was your usual reaction whenever he had an incident. it was your own way to deal with stuff. "I'll have to stay here in brazil for some extra days. we don't want to rush things. everything is alright, but still."

"yeah, I know. how are you feeling? any pain? wasit bad? why are you at the hospital? is there anything they're worried about?" your thoughts rushed out, anxiety evident. you wished you could've been there with him, knowing how much he disliked going through hospitalization alone.

"calm down, baby. I'm fine, no pain. they gave me painkillers for my headache," he began, his voice carrying weariness and sadness. "the crash felt horrible from inside the car, but I've seen the footage, and it wasn't that bad. I don't think they're worried about anything specific, just my racing career," he added with a hint of self-deprecating humor.

"shut up. you know those jokes aren't funny, right?" you retorted, hating his tendency for such jokes. "anyways, I miss you so much. you have no idea." placing your phone on the bed, you awaited his response as you searched for your notebook.

"I know babe, I miss you like crazy too. and i won't be able to be home for some more days, as i told you. i hate it." you both sighed. "but it's okay, i'm glad you weren't here this time."

although you felt the honesty in his words, you could also know that it was pure bullshit. he wanted you to be there more that anything, and the fights you two had over the past weeks showed that clearly.

lando felt your support fading away and, as always, he talked about it with you, but there was nothing you could do, you could not just leave your work and follow him around the world.

your life had to come first. you couldn't be financially dependent. you had never wanted that for yourself.

"I love you, lando. you know that, right?"

"i know. I love you too." anuncomfortable silence lingered, more apparent to him than to you, as you were preoccupied with booking a flight to brazil. "look, I have to hang up to do some exams. I'll call you as soon as I can, yeah?"

"yeah, okay. keep me updated, for the love of god." he laughed and silently hang up.

as soon as you were able to, you called your boss, letting her aware of the whole situation, who, understandingly, granted you a week off, more than you needed. grateful, you expressed your thanks in every single way you could.

as you couldn't just fly there without someone knowing, you called lando's dad to let him know that you were going. he was thankful that his son had found someone who cared so much about him, and as so helped you through everything.

you would obviously be staying at lando's room with him, so you didn't need to worry about that, but there were things you actually needed to deal with and that's where he was an absolute angel, taking care of everything for you.

the flight proved to be torturous; sleep eluded you, your mind consumed by worry for your boyfriend, presently hospitalized in a foreign country that held no appeal for him. the inability to communicate with him intensified your anxiety, and the endurance of such a long flight was a challenge unfamiliar to you.

the only thing keeping you focused on trying to sleep was knowing that you'd see lando soon and that you needed to be sane.

once you arrived in brazil, adam had already sent an uber to pick you up and drop you at the hotel. you were eternally grateful for him. your appreciation deepened when, upon entering the hotel, you found everything seamlessly taken care of, allowing you to reach his son without delay.

he drove you there himself, the casual conversation during the car ride centered uiquely around the topic most dear to both of you—lando's health.

every detail adam shared heightened your awareness; lando was okay, but not as well as he should be. the information failed to ease your mind, creating a lingering unease.

after reaching the hospital, the attending doctor informed you that lando was still asleep but encouraged you to enter. you opened the door to his room, and an immediate sense of tranquility washed over you. lando's peaceful slumber tugged at your heartstrings, and the sight of his features made you want to cry; you had missed him so damn much.

you took his hand, staying by his side as he slept. despite your exhaustion, the anticipation of his awakening kept sleep at bay.

lando woke up and confusedly stared at you for five minutes straight. in his head, he was trying to figure out if you were real or if his desperation had just made you up. you squeezed his hand and that seemed to clear his mind. you were in fact there.

"love?" he muttered, scared of being wrong.

"hey baby" you whispered to him, smiling softly.

"you're here? what are you doing here?" he hurriedly sat up, his expression filled with worry, like he wasn´t the one on a hospital bed.

"i'm here to see you." you extended your hand and let it travel through his face. "got the week off, couldn't leave you alone." his smile was priceless. he rushed his arms around your waist, since you were standing now, and pulled you closer to him, head in your belly.

when he told you he had missed you like crazy, he didn't define it well enough.

he locked his lips with yours as soon as he had a chance. you missed that feeling, you missed it too fucking much. you missed everything about him too fucking much, and maybe this misfortune was just what you needed to realize that something had to change. you couldn't miss him like this all the time.

it was literal hell, for the both of you.

adam entered the room after some time and, from his face, you could see he carried good news.

and you were right. "you are free to leave today, all the exams cameback with positive answers. you still have to stay in brazil, of course, a flight so long could jeopardize your health, so you'll have to stay for a bit longer, but you two can go stay at the hotel for tonight.

you and lando celebrate this little "victory" with each other and then you start talking about going home, anticipating what you'd do.

the room was uncharacteristically quiet as he payed attention to the TV and you lost yourself in your own mind.

"I think I might quit my job." you let out with your head layed in his chest. he twists his head to look at you. "what?" he asks, clearly confused, in his head, trying to figure out where all of this was coming from.

yes, it's true that he didn't like to travel around the world every year and leave you behind, and it's also true that this past year, he felt your support fade away, but he didn't want you to leave your life in second place for him. he knew, and understood, how important for you it was to have your financial independence.

he had started to feel guilty, even though this was not his fault.

you thought and rethought about it during your flight, since it was the only thing you could do. of course you never wanted that, but you also couldn't bare the distance anymore, and his accident showed you that.

you wanted to be there, to be able to celebrate every single one of his podiums by his side and not over the phone, you wanted to be able to hold and support him whenever he needed you to do so.

six years into your relationship, neither of you envisioned it ending anytime soon. if it did, you had your savings, but for now, you craved closeness.

"seriously. i want to be with you. i think i never noticed how affected i was by your absence, but i am a lot." you admitted with a sigh. helistened intently. "I want to be able to be with you."

"are you for real?" he asked, concern in his eyes. "I don't want you to feel pressured to do that. I love you whether you're here or on the other side of the world."

"I know, lan. it's not like I would stop working. I just have to find something within my capacities that allows me to travel around the world with you. and it's not like you're going to break up with me, leaving me with nothing. I have my money."

"it's not like I'm gonna break up with you, period." he smirked. "we're a forever thing."

turning you around as if you were as light as a pillow, you wrapped your arms around his neck.

"I love you," you whispered against his lips.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

[madonnamadeofasphalt]

EA & Bioware honestly did an incredible job at killing any enthusiasm I had for a new Dragon Age. Fucking hell, man, I've played the first two games so much I could probably go through them with closed eyes and still pick all the right dialogue options to get My Exact Personally Canonized Plot. And the only reason I didn't do the same thing with DA:I is because it was made after EA completely gave up on optimizing their shit so the fucking thing takes up like a billion terabytes of disc space and takes 10 hours to download and install. I honestly think it's the best-written cRPG franchise to ever have a budget that doesn't involve a list of Kickstarter backers or getting an eccentric Estonian billionaire fixated on the project. And the gameplay is also there, I don't really care about that part.

Then they proceeded to fire all the talent that made me love those first three games, and scratch and restart the production twice, and be suspiciously cagey with any details or gameplay footage for a fucking decade, so my hype consistently went down and down. And yet I still managed to hold out some hope that somehow, by some miracle, it wouldn't fucking suck.

I kept that hope until the trailer dropped. You know the one. The one where we see a bearded Varric. This, I think, was the exact moment when I lost any desire to play fucking Veilguard.

Like, first of all, Varric being there at all is already an issue. Leave the man alone. His presence was already kinda forced in DA:I. And after DA:I and Tresspasser, his story couldn't be more finished if he got killed, eaten, shitted out, condemned to hell, redeemed by divine sacrifice, bathed for eternity in the everlasting light. There is no point to Varric anymore. Whatever arc they've given him in Veilguard, and I don't even give a shit enough to read the spoilers before writing this post, it has no business existing. Fuck you. The only reason he's there is because he's a recognizable IP, and when you're a certain kind of soulless corporate moron, you think there's nothing more important than putting a recognizable IP in whatever new bullshit you're trying to peddle. Maybe if you didn't fire every decent writer in your trash fucking company, you'd have someone to tell you about the importance of Ending The Fucking Story When The Story Fucking Ends.

But that's not even the core of the problem. Beard? they gave Varric a Beard? Varric I fucking hate everything that's even tangentially connected to dwarven culture with a passion which is why I've made a point to shave my beard all my life to spite anyone who gives a fuck about it Tethras? beard? you gave him a beard? He changed so much offscreen in the goddamn timeskip between these two games that he got a motherfucking berd? fucshhfdbeard? feadsgfsvarricafgfdh BEARD? yyousftoiuslyhhabevarricasgsfucningbeardandthivkimgosabedineditit?beard????

PS. (edit after finding out spoilers) I've gone to TV Tropes to read up on Varric's role in DATV after writing this (just in case I'm wrong and dumb, and there's actually a deeply compelling narrative reason for his presence), and, well, this shit is cheaper than I thought. And more importantly, just as I thought, there appears to be no justification for the beard beyond "adding a beard is a cliche way to show that a bunch of time has passed, and we didn't care enough to think this shit through". I'm fucking tired, man.

PPS. (edit after reading the rest of big spoilers) This is so much worse than I could even begin to suspect. This is worse than the final season of Game of Thrones. This is the final season of Game of Thrones if they straight-up fired GRRM, burned his notes and hired a showrunner who's only read a one-page summary of the first six seasons. This is fucking depressing, man. I'm genuinely fucking sad. So many subplots that were started over the course of these three games, that were clearly going somewhere, scrapped in favour of a simplistic good vs. evil story that would get rejected by fucking CD-Projekt in 2007 for being too basic. All because the artists who poured their hearts and souls into this bullshit franchise got thrown out like trash by its "owners". Morrigan's kid, the Well of Sorrows, all the implied complexities of Tevinter politics, the Crows, the Old Gods, Andraste. All went to shit. Death to capitalism.

[directdogman]

Hi, I hope you're having a decent day! I'm sorry if this is an invasive set of questions - feel free not to answer - but do you still actively like DSaF as your own creation, or is it more of a "it was fun while it lasted but i outgrew it and it's for the best to leave it behind" kind of project? Do you ever regret making the games? If you knew they would get so popular, is there anything you would have changed about them? Is there anywhere I could read more of your writing.

It fluctuates a bit. These last couple of years, I've really just been sorta nostalgic for it. I've seen a lot of people discuss those games being a source of comfort during bad times in their lives, people talking about how much the characters mean to them and it's hard not to smile when you see that.

It's a funny thing for close friends of yours to see people WITH fanmade DSaF merch out in the wild, or to watch a random youtube video and being hit with a DSaF reference outta nowhere. It happens from time to time, even today. On a few occasions, I've even had a person reference my work to me in real life and not realize who they were talking to, believe it or not. It's really fun to play dumb and get someone to explain your work to you like you don't know what it is.

I certainly didn't think any of that would happen when I first made the series, or even during development. I think the normal assumption would be to look at DSaF as it exists now and assume its release was a peak for it, but believe it or not, the official discord only had 30 people in it shortly before 3 dropped! The archive listing of the series (reposted to a single page after the series ended) is now sitting at over 1.1 MILLION downloads.

People kinda assume the true heyday of something is when it's new, when it's fresh and novel. For instance, some people look back at when FNaF itself was new and see that time as its peak because it had a lot of internet cultural relevance as big new indie thing on the block. But, raw numbers don't lie. The series has been continually growing since its conception and that growth has similarly bled over to its fan projects. This explains why DSaF, despite not having a new series release in almost 6 years, seems to be inexplicably growing.

Just recently, I saw someone post footage of a scene from DSaF 2 on Twitter, which got over 16k likes. People praised its writing and largely celebrated the scene. The ironic thing about that particular scene is that I remembered being unsure if it was good or not, so I showed it off in one of the FNaF community hubs. The response was broadly lukewarm to negative. Now, it's held up as one of the best scenes in those games. That's kind of the point I'm trying to make, my thoughts on the series have certainly changed with everyone's else with years of hindsight.

Heh. I'm not sure if I've talked about this in a long time, but y'know, the very first scene I implemented in-game was actually the very first Phone Guy scene in DSaF 1, more or less exactly how it appears in-game today. This was before I'd even written the bulk of the game. I was pretty unfamiliar with visual novels as a whole, pretty unsure if something like this would be palatable to a fandom that was really just used to sit 'n' survive stuff that were far more gameplay than text. I mean, there wasn't any FNaF fangames really LIKE DSaF before that point. Closest was FNaFb, a jokey turn based RPG made in the same engine.

The engine I made the game in is also not exactly fit for VNs out of the box either, and I wasn't 100% sure the idea would actually work. But, the very first time I added the image of the prize corner, Phone Guy, the audio of that iconic cheesy stock track and booted up a test screen, I had a little moment where I said "Oh. I think I'm onto something interesting here." I kinda remembering instantly realizing in that single moment how much potential the idea had. Over 8 years later, I still remember that moment like it was yesterday.

I think lately, that's the sort of stuff I think of when I see people coming to me and asking about the series. Yes, it's really rough around the edges, yes, there's jokes that've aged poorly. But, it is a source of comfort for people and entertains tens of thousands of people each month. And that's gotta count for something, right?

[drvirgus]

The shooting Range

Idol! Minji X Athlete! Reader

Wc: 2k

One Shot

———————————————————————————

Focused, I stared at the target, my hand outstretched and holding the gun in the correct position. I closed one of my eyes, especially since I needed to train both. I took a deep breath and moved my finger to the trigger. As I exhaled, I fired. This was my 150th shot today.

I pressed the button in front of me, bringing the target towards me, and immediately focused on it. I used 5 shots per target. My eyes narrowed as I counted the points I obtained on this target. Unsatisfied with the result, I sighed and secured the gun, placing it back in its place.

"Y/n," I heard someone say, recognizing my coach. My hand, still holding the target, lowered as my back straightened. My eyes now on my coach, who smiled at me. I smiled back at the taller man. "Yes?" I asked, as he didn't start speaking.

"You need to stop your training," the older man said, furrowing my brow. My head tilted to the side as I saw another girl behind him. She was taller and seemed to be a bit more muscular. Her face also seemed quite familiar. Especially when she politely smiled at me.

My eyes refocused on my coach. "Why?" I asked with a furrowed brow and visibly tense shoulders. "I've only done 150 shots," I added, pointing to the targets next to the gun. My coach glanced briefly at the targets and then at me, sighing softly.

He gestured to the woman behind him. "This is Minji, and she and her team will be filming here shortly," my coach said, causing my eyes to glance at Minji again. "So what? Let them," I replied with a disapproving shrug of my shoulders. Minji seemed to smirk at that.

"You need concentration during your training, and I need to explain and show everything to Minji here. That would only distract you. Plus, you shouldn't be caught on camera during your training," my coach explained, which annoyed me even more. My eyes fell on Minji once again before I sighed.

„How long will it take?" I asked, slightly more annoyed as I placed the used target on the stack. Minii's eyes followed me, but I simply looked at my coach, who then turned to Minii. "Well, I'm not quite sure. Maybe 1-2 hours?" she asked. "We've already shot some footage," she added shortly after, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"What exactly is a K-Pop idol doing at a shooting range?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest. Minji chuckled at that as she looked down at me. Her eyes gleamed with a certain curiosity. "I've always wanted to try it," she replied with a smirk, which took all my strength not to roll my eyes.

"So, you're disrupting my training for that?" I asked, but my coach immediately interrupted me. His hand on the back of my head as he gently tapped it. Outraged, I looked at him with my mouth open as I rubbed the back of my head. Minji laughed at that. "If only it were Hanni," I muttered quietly, causing Minji to stop laughing.

"Oh? A fan?" she asked, pointing her finger at me. I shook my head and shrugged. "Not really. But it's hard not to know about you when almost all of Korea promotes you," I replied, which made Minji laugh even louder. She nodded. "But why Hanni, then?" she asked, making me blush a little.

Minji's eyebrows shot up, and she nodded understandingly. She bit her lip for a moment but then turned her head as one of her managers said something to her. Unfortunately, I couldn't really hear it as a sudden tinnitus started in my ears. I sighed. "Alright. I'll go grab something to eat. I'll be back in 2 hours," I said as I took the stack in my hand and placed the gun back in its place. "But you start over," my coach said sternly, causing me to roll my eyes.

———————————————————————————

With the pistol in my hand, I stared at the target. My eyes narrowed as I tried to concentrate. "And then, out of nowhere, Haerin grabbed my hand. It startled me so much that I stumbled backward into Danielle, pushing her into Hyein. In the end, we almost landed on Hanni. She saw her life flash before her eyes. She didn't even scream and would've just died silently,"

I sighed, lowering the pistol. With narrowed eyes, I looked at Minji, who was sitting relaxed beside me, occasionally reaching into the small bag of chips and popping one into her mouth. "Do I look like I want to chat?" I asked, causing Minji to visibly hesitate.

"Am I bothering you?" she asked, sounding a bit sadder as she looked at me from her seated position. Her doe eyes softened, making me swallow. It looked pretty cute...

"No, not at all," I tried to say with a sarcastic tone, but Minji interrupted me with a broad grin on her face. "Okay, good. Anyway," she continued, which made me sigh again.

Anyway... that was also good training. It was never completely quiet at competitions...

I lifted the pistol once again and tried to focus on the target while Minii continued to chew my ear off. It was weird. Minji came to the shooting range every Monday at exactly the same time. She would shoot for a few minutes next to me, and I had to admit she was really good, but for the rest of the hours, she just sat there and talked to me. All I wanted was to train in peace.

"Hanni said you're cute."

Startled, with widened eyes, I turned my head at lightning speed to Minji, completely missing my target as I accidentally fired. With nervous hands, I placed the pistol on the desk in front of me and looked at the taller woman with obvious interest. She seemed to notice, starting to giggle.

"Oh? Do you still have a crush on Hanni?" she asked, popping another chip into her mouth. Then she held out the bag to me. "Want some?" she asked, but I shook my head. "I don't have a crush on her. It's more... I find her cute. Like a little sister," I replied, which made Minji hum loudly. Her eyes roamed over my entire face. "But she's the same age as me. Does that mean you see me as a sister too?" Minji asked, standing up from her seat, immediately towering over me.

My eyes narrowed instantly. "Why are you standing up? Are you trying to prove something?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Minji laughed. "Let's go get some food. I'm hungry," the younger one replied with just a smile. My eyes fell on the bag of chips and then to Minji.

„I Can't. I have to train," I sighed, but Minii just smiled even wider. "You don't have to. That was your thousandth shot. You're done," she said, surprising me. "Since when do you stalk me? Don't you have better things to do as an idol?" I asked, sighing, which only made Minji laugh. The taller one looked at me with a smile as she took my hand. She shook her head slightly, causing her long black hair to sway from left to right.

"What's better than a date with you?" she asked, making me stutter. My mouth slightly opened. "Date?" I asked, which made Minji laugh even louder. "Of course. A friends date," she replied with a grin, making me blush slightly. My head lowered slightly. Of course, she didn't mean a real date...

I'm an idiot...

"No thanks. I have to do 500 more today," I replied, causing Minii to sigh in disappointment. Her eyes roamed over my entire face as I got back into position and lifted the pistol.

———————————————————————————

My eyes focused on the people who were talking loudly and laughing. My mouth shifted to the side as I bit the inside of my cheek. I could hear Minji laughing loudly and then she glanced at me. Her smile disappeared from her face, and I immediately stared back at the target. Minji was doing it on purpose. She knew I always trained at this time of day...

"Um. Excuse me?" I heard someone say shyly. My eyes widened as I noticed Hanni next to me. She had a pistol in her hand and held it firmly with both hands. I politely smiled. "Yes?" I asked as I briefly glanced at the pistol in her hand and then into her eyes.

"Could you explain this to me?" she asked, which surprised me even more. My eyes wandered back to Minji, who was currently teaching Danielle how to shoot. Hyein was just shooting without proper stance. With a smile on my face, I nodded. I gestured for her to use the desk next to me.

Quickly and carefully, I explained the key points to the equally tall person. I observed every movement and kept a safe distance. When she hit one of the targets, she looked at me with big, happy eyes, which made me smile contentedly. But my eyes kept wandering back to Minji, who seemed to be busy with the others.

I sighed in annoyance. "I hit it," Haerin's voice rang out as she threw herself into Minji’s arms. My forehead creased at the sight, and my mouth twisted into a disgusted look, of course without me noticing. Minji looked at me, her eyebrows raised.

I saw Minji start to giggle and slowly let go of Haerin. With a very relaxed, almost too slow pace, she came over to me. But my arms crossed over my chest, which only made Minji laugh even more.

"What?!" I asked, probably sounding a bit annoyed, but Minli didn't seem to mind at all. Her eyes wide as she looked first at Hanni, who was focusing on shooting, and then at me. "So? How's it going with your crush?" she asked with a grin, which only made me furrow my brow even more.

"Not good."

"Why not?" Minji asked, a grin on her face, her hands on her hips as she looked down at me. Her eyes were expectant as they met mine. "It's none of your business," I replied, annoyed, turning my back to her slightly. Minji laughed as she now covered her mouth with her hand. Feeling offended that she was really laughing at me, I gently hit her arm.

"My crush isn't going well either," I heard Minji say, which immediately made me roll my eyes. "Did I ask?" I retorted, which made Minji huff. "She doesn't even care about me," Minji continued, which only made me angrier.

So I started to ignore her. "Her training is always more important than looking at me. She didn't even want to go eat with me," Minji said, emphasizing each word. My expression twisted. Unaware that the taller one was talking about me, Minji continued, "Even though I visit her every Monday and spend a few hours with her."

Slowly furrowing my brow, I looked up at the younger person. She smiled gently at me, nodding slightly with her head. "Yes, Y/n. I'm talking about you," the younger one said, shocking me visibly. My mouth opened as my arms uncrossed from my chest.

I looked at the taller woman for a while.

"You... you said it was a friends' date."

"That was a lie. I didn't know you liked me."

"Neither did I."

"What?"

My head lowered as I felt my cheeks blush. Embarrassed, I laughed, "I... I didn't know I liked you either," I replied, which made Minji laugh a bit. Her cheeks were also visibly flushed. I took a deep breath.

"Do you-"

„Do you-"

Surprised that we spoke simultaneously, we both paused. Laughing, I looked at the younger one. "Do you want to go get something to eat? As... a date?" I asked, which immediately made Minji nod. Her smile turning to a big gummy smile.

"Definitely."

[jeonscatalyst]

Hey May do you think Jk acts different around Jimin when Tae is around? I've seen taekookers saying that you can always tell who the real couple is whenever Vminkook are together because Jk is always glued to Tae instead of Jimin and I also saw them talk about the fact that taekook mostly sat side by side on AYS.

Hey anon,

Yes I think Jk is different around Jimin when Tae is around. Jk and Jimin would obviously be different around each other when there is another person around. It could be Jin or Yoongi around them and they would still be different, them being different around each other has nothing to do with tae being there or not but just the fact that a third person will always change the dynamic of two. If we ever got a show with just tae and Jk their dynamic would be very different compared to when Jimin is around, that is completely normal.

The thing with taekookers is that they seem to have this belief that someone automatically becomes a jerk to their friends or is less nice to their friends when their lover is around and that is the narrative they have been trying to push. I saw this ridiculous thread on twitter a few days ago from a taekooker trying to show the difference in dynamics between taekook and Jikook when they are together and that post had over 4k likes even though it was filled with the most ridiculous things ever. Taekookers in my opinion are some of the most shallow, childish and inexperienced people ever because they lack the ability to look beyond the surface. As long as Jk or tae stare at each other, they see romance even if the next second they see Tae going away on his honeymoon, that wouldn’t matter because the honeymoon was set up by the company to cover up taekook’s real relationship. As long as Jk and Tae hold unto each other singing and dancing to a song at a concert they see romance even if moments later Jk is seen tongue kissing someone else, that person is a beard to cover taekook’s real and forbidden love. Taekookers would rather accuse every living thing on earth of trying to hide taekook than stopping to think that maybe they read things wrong.

I’ve seen them talk about seeing a difference between taekook and Jikook when vminkook are together, as a matter of fact that is something almost all the taekook blogs on tumblr believe in and talk about. They give examples like the HS concert in 2021, they talk about the Vminkook Vlive from 2021 and they have added AYS to the mix. Everytime I read the things they say and how they justify these points I am shocked at how shortsighted some people can be. I honestly don’t know if they really cannot see beyond the surface or if they just don’t want to look because they are afraid of what they might find or if they see but don’t want to accept it.

Let’s start with the HS concert. To them that was proof that taekook is real and Jikook isn’t because of the moment we saw of tae and Jk singing, holding hands and dancing to “falling”. There was that moment and another moment of taekook sharing drink or something and according to taekookers that was Jk and tae being glued the entire night nevermind the fact that we have footage of Jimin and Jungkook whispering to each other, sharing drinks, dancing together with Jimin’s hand over Jungkook, plus the fact that those two actually disappeared together for a while at the concert. Now, these examples of Jikook aren’t meant to prove that jikook is real either but just to show that Taekook weren’t glued all night as taekookers would like to believe but just because of those few moments they had of taekook’s interactions, they swore that the two were glued together all night and Jk didn’t even spare Jimin a glance. Now why do I say they are shortsighted? The Harry Styles concert happened on the 19th of November 2021 and then a little over a week later, we got the Vminkook Vlive (march 28th) and from this Vlive, we found out from Jimin that since they got to LA, he had been working out with Jungkook every single day, we also found out from Jimin that Jungkook was basically in his room almost all the time. Jimin said Jk visited his room about 3 times a day and that he saw Jungkook in his room way more than he saw the managers. Tae confirmed this story by telling us that he went to Jimin’s room one day and thought it was Jungkook’s because Jk was the one who answered Jimin’s door and greeted him. Mind you Jimin said Jungkook was in his room everyday and even came at night too when he was about to go to sleep, stayed there for 2-4 hours at a time and left. We also know that Jungkook was probably there every night because on the one night he didn’t go, Jimin asked why he didn’t come and he wouldn’t be asking this if Jk wasn’t a regular visitor to his room. Also, Tae thinking that Jimin’s room was Jk’s means that he didn’t even know Jk’s room. So which normal person thinks that taekook dancing together at a concert and you know, being friends proves they are dating when we know for a fact that at the same period, Tae didn’t know Jungkook’s hotel room, Jungkook was spending almost all his time in Jimin’s room and choosing to go to him repeatedly when he was lonely or bored? You see why I say taekookers are incredibly shortsighted? You don’t even have to think Jikooo are a couple but Jk clearly liked spending more private time with him that he did with Tae judging from the things they said. So how exactly could taekook be dating yet Jungkook prioritized being with Jimin over Tae? They focus on physical affection which in this case isn’t a sign of romance but of friendship, love and care and the they ignore facts because they facts shatter their fantasies. They watched the Vminkook Live and focused on 5 seconds of awkward eye contact and that to them was proof of the greatest romance but ignored everything that was said in that Live that completely debunked Taekook. Nevermind the fact that a few days after that Live, Tae attended Hobi’s live and mentioned that he had a meal with Jungkook and they had an adult conversation and Jk said he was happy. Anybody with a brain would understand that this is two people clearly catching up because it doesn’t seem like that is something they did often so after the concert Jk and Tae ate together, did some catching up and we saw Jk after he left Tae’s room still fully dressed with his combat boots on which means that he was just in tae’s room temporarily but when we saw tae a few moments later, he was already out of his concert clothes and had on more comfortable clothes you know, like he had already changed and settled in his bedroom unlike Jk who was clearly just passing by.

So let’s be serious anon, how exactly did the HS concert or the Vminkook Live show that taekook are the real couple when we know for a fact that Jk and Jimin were basically spending almost all of their time together while Tae didn’t know Jk’s hotel room? Before Tae started his Live wasn’t Jk busy eating chicken with Jimin while tae was eating alone? Tae had already showered by himself too while Jk and Jimin were talking about “we haven’t showered yet” lol. Taekookers never look beyond the surface and they don’t even realize that what they think is romance is just two people being friends and basically just dynamic.

They also think that AYS showed how real taekook is and when you ask them why, they tell you how Jk and Tae sat side by side or how Jk wanted Tae to get into the pool too or some other rubbish which proves that these people don’t have friends in real life. After watching Vminkook in AYS, I felt so validated about a post I made months ago describing Vminkook’s dynamic. Typical of taekookers to fail to look beyond the surface. Jk was seated next to Tae most of the time yet he spent the entire time interacting and talking with Jimin. How many times did taekook actually really talk to each other while seated side by side? Didn’t we all watch Jk and Jimin constantly interacting and talking while Tae’s head was buried in his phone the entire time? Let’s also talk about how taekookers claimed that “when Tae leaves the pool Jk leaves” forgetting that Jk chose to stay back with Jimin after they left the pool while Tae showered and went to bed. Jk did this on BOTH nights they were in Jeju btw. If he wanted to be stuck to Tae’s side like tkkrs claim, he would have gotten out of the pool, showered when tae was showering and gone to bed or atleast gone upstairs to be next to him while he was sleeping but that isn’t what he did. He got out of the pool, teased Jimin by locking the doors, knowing that he would have to stay back to open it for him while Tae went ahead to shower and go bed, he stayed back, played a little with Jimin, showered and they went to bed together on both nights so what exactly are taekookers talking about?

Anon, most taekookers, especially the ones here on tumblr swear they are body language experts and they can tell taekook is real because of how taekook’s bodies react to each other (lol) but ask them why Jk doesn’t seek tae out in moments of high emotions or why Jk didn’t immediately go to Tae’s room instead of Jimin’s and they pull out all the conspiracy theories under the sun. They say Jk always wanted to be by Tae’s side in AYS but ask them why Jk wasn’t rushing to his side at nights but choose to stay up playing with Jimin, showering at the same time as him and only going to bed together with him and see how fast they start contradicting themselves.

Anon, any unbiased person who watches AYS with Vminkook can very easily tell the difference between those three and no one would ever think there is anything going on between taekook. Taekookers harrassed and bullied so many unbiased reactors on youtube for seeing and mentioning how close they think Jikook are. You don’t need to be a shipper to see how clearly Jikook are different and how deeply they connect but I guess if you are someone who believes in how close people walk, or people’s sitting positions or people dancing together at concerts, then you might probably see what taekookers see. And this isn’t me saying that these things aren’t important, they are but the issue is you cannot depend only on your reading of people’s body language to prove a ship because first, body language cues could be subjective and could depend on so many things plus you cannot focus on your perception of things while ignoring all the hard facts. Jk and Tae stared at each other for 5 seconds, they are a couple/ there is attraction =Perception. Jk spends alot of time in Jimin’s room, so much that Tae once thought Jimin’s room was Jk’s, according to Jimin, Tae and Jungkook = Fact. While your perception could be wrong, facts can’t and if the fact isn’t wrong then your perception is wrong so that 5 second eye contact which you read as romance/ attraction, isn’t. If you thought taekook were a thing because you noticed that they look at each other in a certain way or they sit in a certain way, then you get to find out that in Jungkook’s free time, he mostly goes to spend time in another person’s room and also likes spending nights with this other person and basically spends almost all day with this person while Tae doesn’t even know his hotel room then doesn’t it make sense to just conclude that you must have read things wrong? But our neighbours would rather call Jimin and Tae liars before they sit to think that maybe, just maybe they read the cues all wrongs.

So anon, I do agree that when we see Vminkook together it is easy to see the difference between them and you can see it by watching them aswell as listening to the things they say. No reasonable person watches them, listens to the thing they say and comes out thinking “yea, taekook is the one” lol. That’s just ridiculous. When you actually watch them and listen to them, you actually get to understand just how complex human feelings and relationships are because so many people spend time arguing about who Jk is closer to when the truth is, he is close to Tae and Jimin in very different ways so you cannot even really compare but one thing that is clear and has always been clear is that of the two, his emotional bond with Jimin is deeper…unless someone wants to explain to me why in his moments of loneliness the one he thought of going to was Jimin even though he didnt do anything particularly interesting while he was in there with him… i’ll wait.

[mikelogan]

gif tutorial

i was asked to make a tutorial for this set i made, so let's get right into it!

first things first, i downloaded the music videos from youtube in 1080p using 4k video downloader. unfortunately, the quality of youtube videos always seems... not great, to put it simply. plus these music videos are from the 90s, so they've been upscaled to 1080p after the fact. all of this works against us, but i've definitely worked with videos of lesser quality than these, so at least there's that!

when i gif, i import video frames to layers rather than screencapping. this comes down to personal preference. after everything has loaded, i group all my layers together and set the frame delay to 0.05. i then cropped my gif to 540x500.

the next step in my process is sharpening. i did play around with my settings a bit given the quality of the footage and the dimensions of the gif. i compared both @hellboys low-quality video gif tutorial to my regular sharpening action and my vivid sharpening action and in this case, i preferred my normal vivid sharpening action. i used this tutorial to create the action for myself, and you can find other sharpening tutorials here. this action converts my frames to video timeline and applies sharpening.

once my gif is sharpened and i'm in timeline, i begin coloring. i wanted to simplify the amount of colors used in these gifs, again because of the video quality -- i knew it wasn't going to have the crispness i would normally like for my gifs. here are my coloring adjustment layers and their settings (not pictured: my first layer is a brightness/contrast layer set to screen) (explanation in alt text):

all of these layers and their settings will vary depending on your footage and its coloring (and obviously, feel free to make the gradient map whatever colors you like if you aren't going for this exact look).

pretty basic coloring, especially with just slapping a gradient map on top (my beloved), but at this point, i still didn't like the quality of the gif, so i added a couple textures/overlays.

i put the left one down first and set the blending mode to soft light and the opacity to 8%. depending on what look you're going for, you could increase or decrease the opacity or play around with different blending modes. i like using this texture with lower quality footage because even when it's sized up a bit, it adds some crispness and makes things feel more defined. for the second texture, i set it to overlay and 75% opacity. we love and respect film grain in this house.

now for the typography! sometimes i really enjoy typography and other times it's the bane of my existence for the sole reason of just how many fonts i have installed. anyway, here are the settings i used for this set:

make sure the color of your font is white and then set the blending mode to either difference or exclusion. i can almost never see a difference between the two, but for this set, i used exclusion. below are the blending options (double click on your text layer to bring up this menu or right click and select blending options).

now we have to add the warp effect. with your text tool still selected, click this icon at the top of your screen:

from the dropdown menu, select twist. these were my settings, but feel free to play around with different warp options and their settings. the ones i use most often are flag, fish, and twist.

this last step is completely optional, but it's an effect i use in most of my sets with typography. duplicate your text layer (select the layer and ctrl+j), turn off the layer effects (click the eye icon next to effects), and set the blending mode to normal. right click on the layer and select rasterize type. right click on the layer icon itself and choose select pixels.

at this point, you should see the moving black and white dotted line showing that only your text is selected. then go to edit > stroke. here are the settings i almost exclusively use.

this is what your text should look like now:

using ctrl+T, move the layer off the canvas so you can't see any of the text anymore. you should be left with only your outline. click anywhere on your canvas to de-select the text we just moved. use ctrl+T again as well as your arrow keys to nudge the outline over to the left 2px and up 2px. this is personal preference as far as the positioning, but i almost never move it any other way. you can leave it like this, which i sometimes do, or you can set the blending mode to soft light like i did for a more subtle effect.

and that's it! rinse and repeat for each gif in your set or use a different warp effect on each gif to switch it up! if you have any questions about this tutorial or would like me to make one for anything else, please feel free to ask any time!

[brainwasheds]

— i've been asked abt sharpening a few times but i thought that i would just share my actual actions i use but with some guidelines because it can really differ between different video sources and no sharpening is always exactly the same

— i've included different examples of video sources that i use for gifs alongside each type of sharpening action because not all actions will work for every gif. while it's always a matter of preference (whether u prefer a softer/more sharpened gif) some sharpenings can whitewash a gif so i added a little question mark as a warning to be mindful of that and make adjustments! — there are three (technically four) different actions. one is ultra hd sharp and works best on really good quality footage such as master mvs or good film/show footage! the second is a simple sharpening that can be used on all videos and the third is a softer sharpening that utilises the diffuse setting and it has a glowy option w blur as well! — take a look below at how the sharpenings look on different videos 💙

💌 MASTER/BUGS/BLU-RAY VIDEOS video source: here (gdrive) file size: 2gb

💌 4K YOUTUBE VIDEO video source: here (yt) file size: 470mb

💌 1080HD OR LESS VIDEO video source: here (yt) file size: 77mb

💌 TS FILE video source: here (k24hrs + dm for password!) file size: 3.21gb video specifications: qtgmc 60fps preprocesser + bm3d denoise (2)

💌 GOING SEVENTEEN because it varies so much it requires an example of its own video source: here (yt) file size: 606mb

YOU CAN FIND THE SHARPENINGS HERE <3 if you ever need any help or clarification feel free to ask!! no need for credit if you use, but of course please don't claim the actions as your own <3

[cool-fancier]

Hidden Flames

Synopsis: You and Bada stunned everyone at JustJerk Academy with a passionate duet, sparking comments and speculations from fans about your undeniable relationship. Your real-life romance was kept a secret behind the dance, yet it was impossible to ignore your bond.

The atmosphere at JustJerk Academy was electric that evening. Students crowded into the dimly lit dance studio to watch a spontaneous dance battle, which was causing a buzz of excitement. It was today when you and Bada would perform the dance duet you had been practising for weeks to the seductive music of "Señorita"

The audience split apart to form an impromptu dance circle as the music filled the space. You and Bada were in the middle, surrounded by curious viewers.  There was a moment of uncertainty, but the connection you shared was undeniable. You gave each other a subtle nod as you started to dance to the beat.

You two had an evident chemistry that carried over into your dance with ease. With each step, you and Bada painted a picture of passion and desire thanks to her precise movements and your grace.

The dance's daring lift and dip routine was its high point. You were wrapped by the strong arms of Bada, who swiftly and expertly spun you around in her grasp.  She lowered you as the music grew louder, the surroundings becoming increasingly hazy. The audience let out astonished gasps, and the energy in the room rose to a fever pitch.

Bada brought you back up into a closer embrace as your bodies squashed against one another and your breaths mingled. The students' loud clapping and cheers were evidence of the undeniable chemistry you two shared on the dance floor.

You and Bada went to the sidelines after the performance to gather your breath and enjoy the joy of the moment.  The fellow dancers were talking about the show nonstop.

"That was amazing!" While giving you both a pat on the back, Lusher exclaimed. "You two are like a dance couple in real life!"

With adoration on their faces, Kyma, Tatter, Minah, Cheche, and Sowoen nodded in agreement. Minah added with a flirtatious smirk, "You two have some major chemistry."

You two couldn't help but smile knowingly as the compliments and comments flowed in. Little did the rest of the world know that you two were more than just dancing partners.

Later that evening, the academy's YouTube channel published the official footage of your "Señorita" dance performance. The first comments from fans arrived quickly.

@BadalovesY/n: Who else saw the chemistry between Bada and Y/N?❤️‍🔥

@DanceQueen:Seriously! They are burning up. I love them so much.🫶🥰

@BadaLover: I've already seen this one hundred times. Y/N and Bada are such a fantastic team. I hope they dance together more often!

@SecretbadaShipper:I'm sure I'm not the only one who believes that this is about more than just dancing. #BadaAndY/N4Ever 😉

@Y/NisBada's:I don't know who to be jealous of 😒😅

Fans continued to speculate about the relationship between you and Bada in the comments that kept coming in. Some shipped you together openly, while others spoke about the possibility of something more beneath the surface.

You and Bada laughed together as you looked through the comments, and you two exchanged flirtatious glances. You were aware that your relationship was private, but even the fans watching from a distance couldn't deny the amazing spark you two had.

"I wonder if they'll notice if I would've snuck a kiss?" jokingly teased Bada as she came in closer and spoke in a seductive whisper.

You couldn't help but smile as your heart skipped a beat. "Well, there's only one way to find out." You both laughed at this point because you knew that even if your love was kept hidden, it was a strong force that was unstoppable even when it was in the public eye.

[poirott]

Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch at Salt of the Earth event → Venice International Film Festival, September 6-7 2024

Sophie Hunter is the director of the immersive performance and installation Salt of the Earth, an artistic production and campaign aimed at raising global awareness to protect our Salt Marshes.

"Salt Marshes are an incredible natural ecosystem that capture up to 50 times more carbon than rainforests. They are nature's buffer against rising sea levels and an essential habitat for diverse ecosystems. But this extraordinary natural asset is facing extinction by 2100, with devastating consequences for the planet."

Salt of The Earth premiered in Venice, a city at the frontline of climate change, which has already lost 85% of its salt marshes.

Source: twittaurora, imogen__knight__moves__, seanovenice, Instagram Stories via ariannasgarbi (alternate), chihiro.kawasaki_, juhi_blue, multa_paucis__, dianagomezphoto (alternate), punh (alternate)

[curio-queries]

ARE YOU SURE?!

Episode 4 production Notes

Again, I genuinely didn't think I'd have anything to say at this point about this episode. I had such a good time the first time I watched it, just smiling the whole way through. There is one thing that did stick in my brain a little bit though so here I am again with another post.

Episode Break Points

We honestly can't be making any final conclusions at this point but there is starting to emerge a picture of how the production team approached the development of this show as an episodic release. The question that was rattling around my brain after watching episode 4 was how they are choosing their cut points between episodes. We really only have three data points right now which is not enough to definitively identify their intent but it does start to paint the picture a little bit. Sometimes, the break point is beyond obvious, like cutting ep.2 at the end of the USA trip. But when there's not a definitive line, a choice has to be made when to bring one episode to a close and start another.

Some shows use the changing of the day as a break point but that's not necessarily always the best choice to make for the narrative of the show. For example, the break between eps 1 and 2 is in the morning after JK has his coffee and makes the stone tower. This better served the momentum of the episode and wrapped up the story beat of JM's rough night. Ep 2 then starts on a high note with JK's motorbike ride. In my opinion, this was an excellent choice as we close ep.1 feeling all cozy and ep.2 begins with a little bit of excitement.

A Look Back

So why am I bringing this up now? It's because I was so confused as the choice of when to break these two episodes. I don't know if I've decided if it was good/bad/somewhere-in-between but I absolutely was not expecting Episode 4 to start the way it did. Ep 3 ends at the Go Karts and feels like a complete story beat. While ep 4 starts with the drive to the Omakase.

To me, it feels like we're picking up on the last remains of the previous episode and not starting a new section. Which is honestly, kind of counterintuitive. Why would it feel like that? They're literally on their way to the next activity. I suspect it has more to do with the tonal momentum. The guys are still coming down from all of the energy they expended from Rock Climbing and racing and are having a well-deserved relaxing drive. Even the brief moments we see of JK on the motorbike are quite chill. (mostly because there's not really a great way to get action footage on a bike in the dark lol).

So...to see if I could support my suspicion, or if I was just bringing something else into my viewing experience, I decided to rewatch the whole series so far and rank every story beat on a scale for how energetic/intense I felt the narrative was supporting.

A couple of notes before you judge my rankings:

This data is the very definition of subjective. if I redid this same exercise even the next day, I'm sure I would disagree with myself on certain rankings so you certainly don't have to agree with my rankings.

If a storybeat had a noticeable tonal shift, I entered it twice and included both rankings. If it just varied a bit, I entered a ranking more representative of the scene as a whole.

This won't be reflective of the time occupied by each story beat. Some sections are longer than others but with sustained energy so it doesn't translate in this visual representation how much of an impact on the overall tone of the episode any one of these are.

I also added a star at the end of each episode of my median scores. I feel that this was a better representation of the overall tone of each episode rather than an average but that's just my personal view on this teeny dataset. Please don't come for me analytics folks! This is just a post for funzies, not proper analysis!

So What?

The point was curious about is in the gap between eps 3 & 4. Everywhere else there's a pretty clear shift in the start and end of the energy but that gap looks like it was just a step that was missed in what could have been a continual episode.

Here are the runtimes of each episode so far:

USA: 56 min

USA: 72 Min

Jeju: 56 min

Jeju: 70 min

I don't have any conclusions about why it was done this way other than they felt the tonal break was the sacrifice for keeping the Omakase story line in tact. Which honestly, I agree. There would have been time to include the drive in the previous episode but it would have left us on an unfinished storybeat. This is one of the reasons that we never get footage of the members return trip from their travel shows. Bon Voyage ends every episode with the members remarking on the trip overall. Even though we know they have to return home, we don't see it because that would start to build energy for whatever they're doing next and not the story of their trip.

Even in ITS1 when the members do return home in the middle, we see them packing up and getting in the cars but the episode ends before they really start traveling. (Actually it ends before they even let Jin in the car so they're definitely not on their way yet!)

Commercials?

I have a question for anyone that's watching this with ads. I don't really watch streaming content so I'm curious, do the ad breaks just randomly occur? Or does it seem like they're intentionally scheduled? Building story breaks for commercials was a huge focus of legacy tv and I'd be interested to learn more about how streaming services are incorporating it (not enough to not have commercials though, I get insta-rage when the content I'm consuming is interrupted lol). I vaguely remember getting frustrated when I was attempting to watch something at my parent's over the holidays but I don't recall if it seemed structured or not.

That's it. That's all I've got to say right now. We're definitely getting a lot more to the story of this show and I'm absolutely loving it. I'm going to be away for a bit next week and I honestly don't know when I'll fit in watching episode 5 but I'm very much looking forward to it!

If you've seen this post and are interested in some more of my thoughts on Are You Sure, here's a link to my AYS MasterList. Still can't believe I've rambled so much about this show but it's been fun! Thanks to everyone that's been rambling with me!

[dark-night-hero]

Episode one: 'Ex and whys ft. Richard `Dick` Grayson-Wayne and you'

↳ ‘Episode one featuring one of the princes of Gotham, Richard 'Dick' Grayson-Wayne, the eldest among the Wayne sibling and a police officer. And (First name) (Last name) one of the highest paying model and artist with a humble origin. Have come to share us the up and down of their relationship that eventually lead into their parting ways.’

On the screen with a typewriter font appeared the words 'Episode one: 'Ex and whys''. Before it went black once again.

Then comes the on set footage, Fake was shown first, fidgeting on her seat with a nervous smile on her lips. Suddenly her eyes lit up as noise, footsteps could be heard from the background before it got cut off.

Just like on the other side of the story, Slacker could be seen. He sat there looking all relax and flamboyant as much as to his oblivion. Suddenly, his eyes widen as a figure creep up on the corner then it got cut off.

[Going back to where they are]

"Hi, hello, how are you?" An unknown voice came forward as Fake shows them a smile. "Hiiii! It was so nice to finally meet you in person! I was a huge fan of your speciallly on the last season runway!" "Oh dear! What a coincidence, I was a fan of yours too, I love your travel vlogs with Slacker, it makes me want to travel too." Emerging from the corner of the screen was a figure dressed up in all good fashion, hair styled neat, not looking all fancy, just casual. But that did not take away the amount of aura and appeal that they have. Goddamn they are gorgeous. "Oh." Fake blinked in awe and looked st the camera for a second before she snapped back into reality. "Sit. Please take a seat, a one hell of a conversation is about to come."

"Woah, it's been a while since I made an interview." Richard Grayson-Wayne, or more commonly known as Dick Grayson for his close friends walked into the room with a flamboyant smile on his lips. /s: such a pretty boy T-T/ "Hello Sir." Slacker stood up and offered in a somehow stiff posture a handshake. This causes Dick to laugh as he walk close. "Oh please don't be too nervous. I don't bite." Dick spoke and went in for a handshake before gently pullin the other man into a bro hug. "I've seen some of your vlog. It's wonderful." "Thank you sir." "Just call me Richard, or Dick. My family and friends calls me that." "Sure si- Dick." Slacker snicker.

[10 minutes later...]

Both were a quick scene of the two sets where it seems like the duos were now looking comfortable around each other. Fake and (First name) looking rather invested on their current conversion as Dick and Slacker seemed to be having a story telling in which could be seen with Slackers wide eyes and Dick's excessive hand movement.

Suddenly the two sets appeared on the screen with only a black divider on the screen, this time it seems like the camera got their attention before everything went black.

"I guess it's time for the main course a.k.a the question and answer." With the screen still black, all that can be heard was the voices of Fake followed by Slacker with a chuckle. "It's time for the hot seat."

[What makes you come forward and go on in this talk?]

"Now this is good." Fake laughs as she put the card on the back of the deck. "I'm actually curious about this one. Coming on a show with your ex, knowing that you're jut rooms away from your ex, and talking about stuff... Not everyones choice." She added. And then you laugh. You laughed enough to make someone around them smile without even knowing. "True, that's not the wisest choice for everyone. But the truth is. Dickieb-Dick weren't just an ex. He was a friend, still even after all those times. Even if we did have such history. He was a good friend of mine to this day and it wouldn't hurt to go into this talk." You explained with a sigh. "When I first seen Leanne's email, I found it funny and interesting. Ex and whys... it's such a funny content. So as soon as I read the contexts and the stuffs. I immediately talked to Dicki-Grayson about it."

"The first time I have heard about it is via (First name) and not Leanne... Come to think of it. Leanne reach out to my father and not for me..." There was a momentarily pause after that. "Anyway I was on duty that time to be honest. I was reluctant to go at first. Don't get me wrong. I love attention. It comes natural for me. But we- (First name) and I never really got to talk about it. We just kind of went back into being friend and never really talked about it. So I assumed our break up is a no go conversation for us. So I was kind of taken a back when she told me if it was okay for me- for us to go on a show that would talk about the 'Ex and whys' of your relationship." Dick Grayson explained. "Then again, since it seems alright for (First name). I just decided to go alongside it. I was told there would be a joint interview at the end. I haven't seen them for like a year now so..." Dick added, giving the camera a wink when it suddenly focuses on Slacker on the other seat. "Sounds like one of the main reason why you decided to go for the talk." All that could be heard after that was laughter and the screen went black again.

[Describe the first time you two met.]

"A (radicated) ungrateful (radicated)." This causes Slacker to cough out an incoming laugh. "What?" He eventually let out a laugh, "Why?" Dick rolled his eyes and sigh dramatically, leaning back on the chair. "So I was on duty, okay? At night. I happened to come across them- thankfully as they were in the middle of trying to rob- threatening to kill'em so I did what any cops would do, I apprehended them. Because that's what I do, right?" Dick reasoned out with a frown. "So by the time I was finished dealing with the goons, I was trying to approach them for some sort of assistance because who knew what was happening before I arrived? Anyway..." This time were was a pout on his face as he seemed to be recalling back that very same night. "(First name) snapped at me." He spoke with what it seemed was a very shocked and hurt expression, there was a hint of laughter before it got cut off.

"I snapped at him." You admitted. Then frown and ran a hand through their hair. "(Radicated) he's gonna be so (radicated) dramatic about this I bet." To their side was Fake looking at you with anticipation. "What? Whywhy?" She bounce in her seat causing the other to laugh. "Well, it was a long story that eventually lead to that faithful encounter." You sigh. "Richard John Grayson was my first crush. The truth is that he is my childhood crush. I'm guessing you have heard of the 'Flying Grayson' no? If not then ask Leanne about it." Then there was a small smile on their lips. "I've known Dick for a long time, more than he have ever known me." You laugh. "I was a fan of him and his parents. He was then kept by Bruce Wayne- Hello Uncle Bruce by the way. Those were the topics back in the days and well, I was kind of updated. Anyways, that crush kind of went away as time passed by, there was not much of a news about him after that and well, he just kind of linger in the back of my mind? I kind of forgotten about him to be honest." You admitted with a smirk, as if know a certain individual would be watching this upon released. "And how does that take you snap upon finally seeing him for the first time in person?" Fake asked in anticipation but there was only a moment of silence before a deep sigh can be heard followed by mumble. "What was that?" Fake asked. "...rrassed" "Huh? What was that?" "I said I was embarrassed." Despite the sudden calm demeanor, your ears were hot red. "I mean, he was literally my first, greatest crush. How come our first meeting was me getting almost kidnapped my some goons? Do you know how embarrassing that was on my part? I (radicated) hate it to death. God knows how much I prayed to be swallowed up by the ground back them." You groan. "Oh my goodness, looking back. That was really. Really embarrassing. I don't even remember what I did after getting approached by him. I was so embarrassed my mind functioned on it's own and decided to just forget that ever happened." "Oh my go-" the screen went black.

[Do you think the two of you would last forever?]

"Actually, I did." Dick chuckled forward and Slacker did not missed the sadness that linger in those blue eyes before it went away with a blink. "It may not seemed that way but I really did think we would last forever."

"Can I be honest in here?" You look around before your (eye color) iris eventually fall back to Fake's violet ones. "I mean, honestly, you could lie right here and now and we would not even realise it was a lie." "Good point." You chuckle before taking a deep breath and saying. "No, I did not think about it." Eventually, you looked away and stared far away. "The thing is, I never think that we would last forever. Was it some kind of instinctual sense? In the end I was correct, we did not last forever at all."

[Who broke up with who?]

"It was a mutual decision." You and Dick spoke as the scene switch back and forth between the two of them until Dick's frame stayed. "At some point to our relationship, we, not them, not I, we came up with the decision that it would be the best for us to partways." Dick explained and the screen was swallowed up with darkness.

[What do you like about the other?]

"I can be myself when I am with him/them." Once again, the frame switch back between the two of them.

"Does it make sense if I told you I don't know?" Frustrated, (First name) run a hand through their hair. "I feel like a simp for saying this but back then, everything he does drives me crazy, in both good and bad way." You laugh.

"I've been in a different relationship before, but with (First name). It was different." Dick looked longing while saying that, as if he was looking back into yesterday. "I was myself, my true seld when I'm with them. No expectations, no questions, no responsibilities. It was as if I was enough. Not Richard Grayson of the flying grayson, not Richard Grayson-Wayne. Just Dick Grayson."

[What do you dislike about the other?]

"How little he cares about himself." You roll your eyes on the camera. "Even now, he should take a better care of himself, I am no longer around to take care of him so too bad for him." You spoke in a teasing manner before looking all serious on the camera. "Seriously Dick, take care of yourself before Alfred- Hello Alfie, I miss you- drag your sorry ass into bed." You wink into the camera.

"How hard it is for them to admit they needed help." Dick sounds frustrated when he said that. "I wish they could just lessen their burden, you know? That I could help, that I am willing to help. Just like how they always hold up a hand when I needed it. I want to be there for them too." He then looked at Slacker who then opened his mouth. "Do you-"

[Why did you two break up?]

"I/They want to settle down." The frame switched between the two, "He/I wasn't ready."

"I really wanted to settle down, you know." It was you who was on the screen. "We're not getting any younger and we were dating for like, two years. So I thought it was about time." There was a moment of silence after that. "Looking back, I thought I wasn't enough I mean, before he dated me, he was had a long history of dating someone else, one he actually proposed marriage to, so I thought.." You zone out for a moment before snapping out of it "Anyway now that I think about it. Maybe I was really asking for too much." You smile gently at the direction of the camera.

"It was around the third time (First name) proposed and well... I told them still, I wasn't ready that everything about us started to go south." There was a pause. "Not really south, everything was well and still even after that. But I could tell something was shifting, something was changing." Dick chuckled painfully. "I was busy, patrol and cases. The distance between us, the different schedule. Before I knew it they were already slipping off my finger. And by the time realise it. We made the decision to take a break and then we part ways." "Wait, so are you saying the two of you never really called it quits?" Slacker deadpan at Dick and he laugh, "I don't know, I don't know man. Think of it the way you want."

[Did you cheat on the other at some point within the relationship?]

"Can I ask a question?" You hold up a hand. "That's suspicious." Fake narrowed her eyes at you. "Spill." "Is it considered cheating if I have a crush on Nightwing too all throughout our relationship once?"

"No." Dick reply without any second thoughts causing to Slacker to nod.

[Rumours says that Miss. Barbara Gordon is the reason why the two fo you broke up, is that true?]

"100 percent a lie. Babs have nothing to do with ot break up. She was just a friend-" Dick got cut off follwing a similar sentence from you, "She was just a friend. And even if she was Dick's ex. Well damn girl, she's gorgeous, if it wasn't for Dick being the first one to caught my interest, I would definitely fall for her. Take note of his official ex too, she's one hell of a hotie, 100/10. Kori, darling, whenever you are, I miss you, hangout with you soon!" You spoke with a flying kiss before the camera switches back to Dick. "What I'm saying is that, if there is someone who would cheat on me with my ex, that would be 34 percent be (First name) and not me." He pouted, "What the fu-"

[What happened after the break up?]

"Day went on like it normally does, you know?" Dick started. "We never really move into each others house so there was no moving out of anything." This time there was a bitter smile on his face. "Were you lonely?" Suddenly asked by Slacker. Dick then looked at him, "We... we never really break up didn't we?" He asked back as if hoping, looking for something. "We just took a break and then parted ways... While I remained in Bludhaven, (First name) went away."

"I left the states." You admitted with a serious look on your face. "I want some time for myself and being near to Grayson, I wouldn't be able to do that. The truth is that Grayson being friends with his ex, being around so many gorgeous woman back then was one of the sources of my insecurity. But then looking back, maybe I was just trying to find a reason- someone to blame. Nevertheless, I left." You sigh, a deep yet somehow a kind of relieved sigh. "I flew and wander around Europe and trust me, it was so un I almost never want to go back." You chuckle then look down into your lap. "I was in there for months, focusing on myself, working on my insecurities, my dreams- other dreams and then one day I looked back on the things that I felt behind, thinking I was finally okay, I went back after a year and yeah, I came back and continue what we should have remained to be. Friends." You conclude but then almost laugh when you look into your side and Fake was looking at you jaw dropped. "What?" "Nothing. Does that mean you're jealous of his ex and girl friends?" "Jealous? Nah. I knew Dick loved only me and only me when the two of us were together, there has never been a doubt about that. It was kind of my fault that even after all of that, I felt so damn insecure. So yeah, there was no other to blame but myself. But then again." You look back at the camera with a genuine smile. "I'm okay now."

[Do you regret it?]

"Regret what?" Both asked.

[Everything, the relationship, how things ended, something like that.]

Dick laugh, like for real laugh, throwing his head back with his shoulders shaking up and down before he eventually calm down after a good minute. With a smile on his face, he answered. "The relationship? No. Never." He said softly. "How things ended?" There was a momentarily pause. "A few, I do regret." He sigh.

You blink "Well, the relationship? I do regret it sometimes. I think we were better of as friend after all, but after a while, I would often think that being in a relationship with him was also a good thing, I get to see the side that only a lover would see and not a friend." You smirk at the camera. "But with how things ended, I think there was none, I give myself, my everything in the relationship, so no. I don't regret everything, not with how things ended, nor the overall relationship that we have." You smile at Fake who gives you a smirk. "I think you're the only one who thinks that." "Nah, I bet Dick would agree with me." After all, he did nothing even before you left.

[What is one thing you could have done differently?]

"I wouldn't ask him for marriage." "I would have accepted the proposal." With one black line separating then at the screen, seriousness could be seen from their side frame as they answered.

"Things started going south after that." You laugh. "Looking back, it's not that I want to tie him up to me, it was just a proposal- we could engage now and well, get married in years to come. Back then, I was just really looking for some sort of-"

"(First name) was just looking for some sort of clarity." Dick lean back on his seat. "It took me a while after we parted way that that was what they wanted." He sigh. "When I couldn't give them that, they started doubting themselves. And it was already too late by the time I realised that." He looked at Slacker. "As much as I want to say that not going after them after our break up was the thing I could have done differently. I bet with whatever is going on on their mind at that time, even if I were to chase after them, they would have still left."

[Second phase: Joint talk]

This time, it was a different segment, within the left side of the room was a long and wide looking couch where five people could easily fit. Right next tk it on the right side was another couch but a rather small looking one, one were two to three people would fit. On the background was cream wallpaper, painting and plants as well as lamo that is currently on.

It did not take too long for two figures emerged in both corner of the room followed by series of gasp and laughed on the opposite corner of the room. "Grayson! Its been a while hasn't it!" You laugh, sounding so excited as you walked towards him on the opposite side of the room looking as excited as you. As soon as the two of you were within ech others reach, Dick was quick to reach out an arm and hug you. "It's been a while. I missed you." He whispered on your neck causing you to giggle. It tickles. "You big baby, We saw each other on the gala two months ago." You pat him in the back and eventually pull away.

"Wow, the two of you look more comfortable than we thought." Fake spoke as Slacker walked behind her. "Is there room for two more people?" She joked but then halted when she saw the two invited individuals sitting on the smaller couch- the one that was supposed to be their seat- not this huge one. "Aren't we supposed to seat in there?" Whispered by Slacker. "Yeah." Fake nodded but upon looking at the duo siting comfortable with Dick leaning into you as you sat there cross legs looking comfortable. "But let it be."

[Two truths and one lie]

"What was that supposed to mean?" Asked by you, raising a brow at the twin sitting opposite to you two. "Well here is the mechanics." Slacker straighten on his seat. "Each of you get to ask the other three questions while the other get to answer with two truths and one lie." Slacker explained. "At the end of the game, the other would try to guest which one is the truth and which is the lie." He added. "And it is up to you who answered whether to admit their guess was wrong or right."

"What do you think Dickhead? You think you can do this?" "Why ask me? You should ask that yourself." Dick laugh and snuggle close to you whom almost push him away out of annoyance of moving too much. "How about this. Let's have a fast talk instead of prolonged ones. No complicated answer, just the truth and well, I guess one lie." You suggested with a laugh and he said, "Alright let's do that."

[Richard Grayson to (First name)]

Dick: Did I ever do anything that hurts your feelings?

You: After all that happened? No. Never once did you ever hurt me.

Dick: Did you ever lie to me?

You: Yes.

Dick: Do you still have feelings for me?

You: laughs* what do you think Richard? Yes Dick. I do, aren’t we friends?

[What are your thoughts about it?]

"It's a tricky answer." Fake chuckles, right behind her was her twin nodding at her words. On the background not too far from the two was you and Dick. "It's tricky indeed. I mean at some point it was kind of obvious which one is the truth and the lie but you cannot help but to think twice and overthink." This time it was Slacker voicing out his opinion.

[(First name) to Richard Grayson]

You: Were you happy with me?

Dick: laughs* Of course. I was the happiest when I was with you.

You: Did you ever lie to me?

Dick: No.

You: laughs* That's what I thought, last question. What made you fall out of love with me?

Dick: Nothing.

[What are your thoughts about it?]

"I could not even tell what was the lie and what was the truth." Fake laughs in frustration. "The effff. They're so meticulous! I couldn't get a read on them!" This time, it was Slacker holding his head as a distant laughter could be heard in the distance before the camera zoomed in and focuses on the two figures laughing on the couch. "They're enjoying this." "This is driving me insane. They look so good together, I have never seen such exes looking like that-"

[Moment of truth.]

"I'm guessing you lied at the second question?" "Why do you sound so unsure about that?" You scoff and roll your eyes at him. "Also, wrong." That was not your lie. "Then was it-" "Nope, not revealing it." You laugh when he pouts and attempt to tickle you by your side. "Hey! Stop. Sooooo I'm guessing you lied the third question." You almost hate how you sounded to confident by your answered and he frown. Mouth went open and shut before it draws into a thin line. "Why would you think that?" "Huh?" Your smile almost dropped by the seriousness of his look and tone. "I mean- we broke up and-" "We did not broke up." He emphasizes and your jaw dropped. What the hell? "What do you mean we never- what?"

"We agreed to take a break, not break up." "Didn't I left? What do you mean we never break up. Me leaving was clearly the end of our relationship." "Sure you left, but that doesn't really means the end of it." "Dick" You called him out gently "If me leaving does not end the relationship, then you letting me go and not going after me was clearly the end of it." There was a painful, awkward silence after that. "Nothing made me fall out of love with you." "Yeah I know, what a great lie-" "What makes you think that was a lie?" The way he sit up to properly look and face you suddenly made your heart skip a beat out of nervousness. Why are you nervous? You are so sure about this.

"Because it was a lie?" You smiled but eventually dropped as he looks frustrated than ever. "I said nothing because I never stopped loving you." What? "It wasn't a lie. That was the truth." He said. "I lied about the second question okay?" He admitted while you remained there seated in silence. "Because I lied. I lied okay?" Then he looked away. "I lied back then about not being able to settle down." That sent an ache within your heart. "I lied about a lot of things and that was one of them."

"We were so young back then, it's not that I don't want it to be you. But I got pressured, I saw future for us but I got pressured, when I turned you down for the third one. I started doubting myself, will I be able to make you happy? After all that shit I gave you? Was I stil worthy for you? Will I be able to really give you want you wanted? Looking back I got pressured thinking I needed to give you everything when all you ever wanted was me and only me." There was a bitter smile on his face. "I want to settle down with you but I was scared, so I turn you down and started lying to myself." He chuckles, unable to look at you. "Do you really think I am okay with this? Just being friends with you?" He let out a scoff. "It kills me to be just a friend to you knowing fully well I could have been more than that."

"Well... I lied too." "The second question?" "No, the third one Dick. I lied when I told you I still have feeling for you, as a friend, of course I still have feeling- romantic feelings for you, wond-" Dick grabbed you by the back of your neck and pull you for a k- the screen went black.

["A lie for a lie' End of Episode one]

[Extra scene one]

Fake: I think this was a set up for them to get back up together.

Slacker: looking exhausted* I never want to do again.

Fake: Too bad buddy, this is just the beningging pfff-

[Extra scene two]

At the very end of the talk, the two guest has their hands intertwined with one another.*

Slacker: Do you two ever consider going back together?

You: looking very serious at Dick* I don't know. What do you say, pretty boy?

Dick: holding up their intertwined fingers for everyone to see* Well if you would do me the honor of accepting a dinner date for tonight then-

[The end...]

[ⓒdark-night-hero] 2024°

:bruh, how did this turned out to be so f long T^T

: part of the series 「Talk with Fake Slacker」

[fatphobiabusters]

I have been forced to see so many Noom ads by YouTube, and each time I can't believe their audacity and how far they're willing to go. Off the top of my head, I can think of three specific Noom ads that astound me every time I have the displeasure of being reminded that Noom exists:

All of the ads that are just them showing footage of either extravagant or absolutely wild, no-one-has-ever-eaten-this food dishes with voice over saying "I couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing weight!" And the most recent iteration of this ad starts with footage of someone spraying whipped cream on a hot dog. Why? Who knows! But it's apparently related to why the paid voice actor wasn't losing weight I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I was actually telling Mod Squirrel about this ad last night because the manipulative tactics of this one are so blatant and disgusting. The Noom ad starts with footage of puppies—I kid you not—and then says "Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired about your weight? We've got you!" I don't know what's more disgusting, the fact that they're using puppies (PUPPIES!!!!) to sell their fatphobic eating disorder app like some kind of cartoon villain, or the fact that they're pretending to come to the rescue of people who are tired of feeling ashamed of their fat bodies when companies like Noom are one of the direct causes of that internalized fatphobia in the first place. That would be like a canister of gasoline showing up to a house on fire and saying "Tired of me coming to your house ten minutes ago to set all of your belongings and memories ablaze? Don't worry, I've got you!" *starts a forest fire in the forest behind the house* "That'll be $100."

It's been a while since I've had to see this shitty Noom ad, and I hope it's because they received backlash for it since even people who don't care about fat liberation at least care about xenophobia. Does anyone remember that advertisement Noom made of (if I'm remembering correctly) a Latine grandmother showing her grandchildren love by cooking them homemade food that was part of their culture, and Noom called people like this Latine grandmother "food-pushers"? Literally coming after grandmothers making their grandchildren food from their cultural heritage????

Please let 2024 be the year that the Noom app dies. I am so tired of that fucking app.

-Mod Worthy

[detailtilted]

NEW Enhanced Edition - CHICON 2010 - Mishalecki Breakfast Panel

Direct link to video. Link to YouTube channel. (15 videos available.)

My latest video is up! This is a rare U.S. Jared and Misha panel. They have a fun dynamic with Jared's playful humor and Misha's dry sarcasm. If you haven't seen my posts before and want more details about what I'm doing, see the bottom of the post.

92% of the footage came from the video AgtSpooky sent me. It was already on YouTube, but not properly credited to her. Most of the audio came from a different source, and I used a few other sources to fill in small sections of both video and audio. All sources are credited in my video description.

Video Quality Notes

As usual, the breakfast video quality is lower than the main panels. AgtSpooky's video came out the best and clearest overall, but the quality does fluctuate. She also had a more sideways angle, so we don't always have a clear view of their faces depending on which direction they're facing. The other videos with a more direct view were usually quite blurry, so I mostly stuck with AgtSpooky's because I thought her clearer profile view offered better visibility than a blurry direct view. There were a couple short clips with good quality and a direct view, and I cut to those when I could.

The main panels have much better quality and a more direct view, so my next set of videos will look better.

Subtitles

Many of you know that I subtitle Jared and Jensen in red and blue because those were their mark tape colors on the set of Supernatural. When I tried to find Misha's mark tape color, I found this post which has photos indicating it was probably yellow.

I've used yellow to represent the fans at the mic during the main panels since I started this project. At the time, I hadn't thought ahead to the likelihood that I'd eventually subtitle Misha too. Since my YouTube statistics show that nearly half my viewers watch with the subtitles turned on, I don't want to cause confusion by switching up my colors after all this time.

I did want to give Misha's color some symbolism that fans would likely recognize though, so I subtitled him with orange in honor of his apparent penchant for wearing orange underwear.

This video was more difficult to subtitle than most I've worked on so far, so you may see more than the usual dreaded [inaudible].

What's Next

I've started working on the main panel from this same convention. It starts off as a solo Misha panel, then it becomes another Mishalecki panel, then it becomes a J2M panel. I plan to split them up into 3 videos, the same way I treated the Jared/Jensen/J2 panels that ran one-after-the-other at other conventions. This will keep them a more manageable length so that it won't take me an eternity to publish a new one, and it allows people to more easily watch just the video(s) with the actor(s) they're interested in.

Although my project is more focused on Jared and Jensen, I do plan to do the solo Misha panel. I had promised a while back that I'd probably do Misha's solo panels if I happened to have any good-quality, mostly-complete videos of his panel that I could use at the time I was working on other videos from the same convention. That probably won't happen often, but in this case I have a video like that from AgtSpooky.

Before/after Comparison Photo

A recap for anyone not familiar with this project…

In December 2023, I started this project to enhance old convention videos. I'm upscaling the videos and making other visual improvements, adding extra content to clarify various references, and adding human-generated, color-coded subtitles so you can better understand the sometimes-chaotic audio. The subtitles can be auto-translated to other languages via YouTube.

My goal is to publish the best, most complete, and most watchable versions of these older convention panels yet seen, but this is only possible thanks to the fans who captured the footage in the first place and were generous enough to share it with other fans. My video descriptions on YouTube will always credit my sources.

If you have any old convention videos you'd be willing to contribute to this project, please message me! I can also be reached at DetailTilted@gmail.com. Even if your videos are on YouTube, the original files, if you still have them, may upscale much better. If I can get them to upscale, I'd happily send the upscaled files back to you for your own collection whether I use them or not.