#Netflix does not have the budget to do something like that

[videcoeur]

c an i just say i love how Luffy doesn't care about Usopp saying he defeated the arlong pirates but also validates him in the same breath I mean

Luffy is unconditional love incarnate

[gloomwitchwrites]

Last 1! Dinner date/movie night with Gaz, please. You know he'd be the perfect gentleman...until it's time to get freaky 😏

“You know he’d be the perfect gentleman…until it’s time to get freaky.” You are so right, girlypop. Kyle “Gaz” Garrick is an absolute gentleman…except for when he’s not lmao. He’d be the perfect “Netflix & Chill” partner. And not in a “fifteen minutes in and he’d try to stick is tongue down your throat” sort of a way. No. He’s a “we’re watching this whole movie and if you want to fuck afterward we can” way.

Mostly gn!reader with an exception or two.

Word Count: 604

ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // 1k follower event masterlist

What’s a date night like with Gaz? This is a man who will hear you mention something in passing and then turn that into a date. You think glass blowing is cool? Kyle is going to make a date out of it. Want to learn how to make bread? Kyle will go buy all the ingredients and the two of you are baking bread together. This man only wants to make you happy, and he wants to do new things with you.

While money isn’t a real concern, Kyle knows how to pamper and spoil you during a date, but can also budget for a super cheap and fun date as well.

Will always say “No, love. I’ll pay.”

Super romantic and intimate during dates. Lots of soft touches and cute kisses, but he always asks permission or takes care to pick up on your interest in the moment.

Before the two of you officially started dating, Kyle was 1000% pining after you for ages. It just took him forever to gather his courage to pursue you.

Always buys you flowers before every date. And Kyle isn’t a “here are some flowers I hope you like them” energy. This man is bringing you flowers, and he’s taking care of those flowers. It’s not your responsibility. He trims the ends. He brings or find a vase. He preps them so all you need to do is enjoy them.

Opens every door for you. Compliments your outfit choice even if you dress casually. But also compliments the non-physical. Kyle appreciates you for more than just your looks.

Always relaxed and at ease on dates, but on the inside he’s a goddamn mess.

Kyle likes long-term, committed relationships. He prefers stability, and the dates he takes with you reflect that. This isn’t just a little fun thing for him.

Very good about not overindulging in alcohol on dates (if there is any drinking).

Whether it’s a casual date or something more intimate, Kyle always does his best to show that he is interested in you. But if you’re not feeling it, he’s good about backing off.

But if you are interested, it’s on. Forget the gentlemanly demeanor. The moment that door shuts, and the two of you have complete privacy, Kyle’s headspace entirely changes.

It’s not that Kyle is dominate in the bedroom, it’s that he knows what he wants and how he wants it. He also knows who you like it, and you’ll get yours, too.

If it’s a movie night on the couch: When the credits roll, Kyle is placing that popcorn bowl aside and slipping his hand between your legs under the blanket. There is nothing more intimate than getting you off with his hand and you’re looking into his eyes. And once you’re ready for him, he’s fucking you under that blanket. He’s taking what he wants. You’re either in his lap, facing the television, or the two of you are sprawled out, and Kyle is taking his sweet time with you.

If it’s after a romantic dinner or anything indulgent: Kyle is going to put you on your knees. He’s going to make you gag on it while he praises you for taking it so well. He’ll bend you in whatever position he wants. And Kyle will be languid with his strokes, making you needy, forcing you to beg for him. Only then will he let you have it the way you want.

Afterward: Back to gentleman behavior. Lots of snuggling. Cuddling. Getting you food if you need it. Massaging sore muscles. Cleaning you up (and the bed). Lots of soft kisses.

taglist:

@km-ffluv @glitterypirateduck @tiredmetalenthusiast @spicyspicyliving @miaraei

@coffeecaketornado @aykxz98 @kayden666 @unhinged-reader-36 @miss-mistinguett

@keiva1000 @cherryofdeath @sapphichotmess @enfppuff @berarenado

@saoirse06 @haven-1307 @ninman82 @no-oneelsebutnsu @thewulf

@lxblm @ferns-fics @ooldcardigan @beebeechaos @enarien

@sw33tsnow @kessi-21 @makayla-666 @lifes-project @burn1ngw00d

@heeheehoohoohahahihi @lulurubberduckie @ravenpoe67 @contractedcriteria @lovely-ateez

@gingergirl06 @kidd3ath @leed-bbg @blackhawkfanatic @suhmie

@tulipsun-flower @ghosts-hoe @jaggersinclair @nomercyforthewarrior @dakotakazansky

@talooolaaloolla @hantheconqueror @littlemisscriesherselftosleep @umno-yeah @glassgulls

[burst-of-iridescent]

atla live action thoughts: season one review

first things first: anyone who says the Movie That Does Not Exist is better than the live action is straight-up lying. the shymalan film fails on the criteria of even being a decent movie, let alone an adaptation. the netflix series, for all its problems, is at least an enjoyable watch with great effects, music and (mostly) appropriate casting. there's absolutely nothing to compare here - the netflix version clears easily.

now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's delve into the series, starting with the positives.

the good:

visuals and cinematography. they really did a great job of making it feel like a fantasy universe you wanted to be in & i love how vibrant the saturation and colour grading was. it made the world feel so much more dynamic and alive instead of the same flat, boring dullness that so many movies and shows have these days. sometimes i didn't even mind that i was being fed obvious exposition because at least they were giving me something pretty to look at lmao

effects and action. the bending was surprisingly good for the most part, and they did a good job of making the elements feel unique through the stunt choreography and the actors' movements. i'm immensely thankful they didn't try to skimp on budget by merely cutting away from fight scenes or showing us as little as possible. almost all the action sequences were fast-paced and engaging, and i was never bored watching them

acting. the main four were all great, but gordon cormier and dallas liu have to be the standouts for me. gordon brings such an earnest, innocent sweetness to aang that you can't help but like him, and dallas plays all of zuko's facets perfectly: the angst, the explosive anger, the bratty snark, and especially the deep-rooted pain that characterizes so many of zuko's actions in book 1. the range he has, especially when flashing from younger to older zuko, was insane. special shoutout to maria zhang and sebastian amoruso as suki and jet respectively, because they killed it

music. leaves from the vine instrumental had me tearbending and i love how they kept the iconic avatar theme while making it a little darker for this iteration of the story. in general, the soundtrack felt very true to the animation while still being a fresh spin on it

zuko and iroh's relationship and expanding on zuko's crew. i think the fandom universally agrees that lu ten's funeral and zuko's crew being the 41st division were the best changes in the series, so i'm not going to talk about it further other than to say that these scenes show me what the show can be, and that's why i'm not giving up on it

the bad:

characterization. almost all the main characters are missing the little nuances that made them so great in the original, but the greatest casualty is katara. i hate that they took away so much of her rage, and gave many of her traits and struggles to sokka. i don't think this is a problem solely with the writing though, because certain lines do feel like things animated katara would say, but the directing and line delivery don't have the same punch that made her so fierce in the original. this is an easily fixed issue though, so i hope they take the criticism and let my girl be angry and fuck shit up next season

exposition. this was primarily a problem in depicting aang's personality and the relationship between the gaang, because a) why are you TELLING me that aang is mischievous and fun-loving instead of just showing me and b) the gaang do NOT feel like close friends, mostly because they spend so much time apart in every episode that they have little screentime to actually bond and develop intimacy.

lack of focus on the intricacies of bending. for a show whose tagline is "master your element" the characters spend very little time actually... mastering their element. zuko is never shown to struggle with firebending (which is going to have ramifications when it comes to developing his relationship with azula), and neither aang nor katara ever learn waterbending from a master throughout the the entire show. i'm pretty sure aang never willingly waterbends ONCE in the entire eight episodes, discounting the avatar state and koizilla. bending isn't just cool martial arts, it's closely linked to the philosophies and spirituality of each nation, and i wish that had been explored more.

pacing. they really needed to do a better job of conveying that time passed between episodes because an 8-episode season is just going to FEEL shorter than a 20-episode one. the original animation felt as though they'd truly been on a long journey before arriving at the north, but here it feels like the entire show happened in the span of a fortnight or so because each episode seemed to pick up right after the previous. they needed to have more downtime within episodes instead of just rushing from plot beat to plot beat because it made everything feel a lot more rushed. give the characters and story time to breathe.

final rating: 7/10.

overall, i would describe the live action as a better version of the percy jackson movies - not an accurate or perfect adaptation, but a decent story that's very fun to watch. but what really makes me root for this show to get a season 2 is that it has a lot of potential and more importantly, a lot of heart. it's evident that the people who worked on it do genuinely love and respect the original series, and it shows onscreen.

regardless of anything else, this show created opportunities for so many asian and indigenous actors, writers and creators to tell the kinds of stories and play the kinds of roles they don't usually get, and that's something worth supporting. if they take the criticism from this season and improve, i believe they really do have something special on their hands which - although it might not be the original we all know and love - could still be a story to be proud of.

[aaronhotchswife]

BABYSITTING AT HOTCH'S

A/N : This one shot is settled in season 7 (because even if every seasons Hotch does something to me, this one is🧎🏻‍♀️) and even if I absolutely ADORE Beth, for the purpose of the story she's not in a relationship with Aaron 🫶🏼

TW : smut, dom Hotch/sub reader, chocking, a nal fingering, unprotected sex (pls be careful)

-------

"No, it's alright. I'll find someone. Yes, thank you. Have a good evening too."

Aaron hung up the phone, sighing.

"Everything ok Hotch ?" you asked, as you enter his office.

"Ah yes. I have a meeting for budget tonight and Jess can't babysit Jack so I need to find someone. Don't worry about that. What's going on ?"

"I have these files for you." you responded, hanging him the files. "You know, if it could help you, I can watch Jack tonight."

"I can't let you do that. It's Friday night, you probably have plans."

"C'mon Hotch. You know how Jack and I like each other. And even if I am a woman in my 20s, everything Friday nights I just want to go home and watch Netflix, especially with the weeks we have." you laughed slightly.

"I get that." he chuckled. "Are you sure ? I mean, I would like that but I don't want you to feel obligated."

"I would be happy to help." you said to him, a soft smile on your lips.

"It's settled then. Do you think you could go pick him up at school ? I'll call them to let him know."

"No problem, sir."

You knew Jack since a couple years now. He always liked you and everytime he went to the BAU he was always happy to draw at your desk and your drawer was filled with his masterpieces. It was nice to hang out with him, talking about his school drama and honestly spending a friday night with a kid was in your opinion, a lot better than spending it with Tinder dates. So spending your Friday night with him wasn't a chore at all.

-------

"Hey Jack! You know that your Dad's triathlon is soon right ? What would you think if we make him signs ?" you told Jack, while he was washing his hands.

"Oh yes!!! It's such a good idea !"

"Great! Where do you guys keep the crafting stuff?"

Jack took your hand and showed you a drawer in his bedroom with colored pencils and glitters and all. You took all that you guys going to need and walked downstairs to the kitchen. You spend most of the night helping Jack creating his banner, only stopping to cook dinner. He helped you cleaning the kitchen before taking his bath and asking you for a bedtime story.

"And they lived happily ever after." you read softly, before closing the book.

Jack was peacefully sleeping, still holding onto your arm. You left a sweet kiss of his forehead, wishing him good night before going downstairs to wait for Hotch.

-------

When Aaron came home later that night, he walked to the living room where he found you asleep on the couch, a blanket draped to your body, hair in your face, Before he could stop himself, his eyes trailed the expanse of skin that you’d left exposed. He never realized how beautiful you look, especially in that dimed light, so peacefully sleeping. He tried to do as little noise as possible as he walked towards you, replacing your hair behind your ear. He decided to go look on Jack, telling himself he'll wake you up after. He was sleeping serenely, his Star Wars night light illuminating the room. He wished him a good night buddy before closing the door. When Aaron saw you again, you were in the same position, breathing evenly. He tried whispering your name but nothing could make you move. Not knowing what got into him, he took you bridal style in his arms, carefully, for you to not wake up and he walked towards to guest bedroom, where you'll be a lot more comfortable. He didn't want to wake you up, sleep was important especially with your job and you look so peaceful that waking you up was not a option. In the guest bedroom, he tucked you in, hesitating before leaving a light kiss on your forehead and wished you good night, before closing the door. He suprised himself with a feeling in his stomach from the way you were laid in one of his bed, beautifully sleeping.

You woke up the next morning in a room you didn't know. With the smell of the bed sheets, you realize you probably fell asleep at Hotch's house but the fact the you're in a bed is something you can't remember. You got up, streching your arms and yawning before going downstairs to the kitchen. You see Jack watching cartoons and Aaron in the kitchen, making coffee.

"Good morning." you said, shyly.

"Hey, good morning. I'm sorry, you fell asleep on the couch and I didn't want to wake you up, so I put you in the bed instead. For you to be more comfortable you know...Hope it was ok." he responded timidly.

"Oh. Yeah, yeah. Sorry I didn't want to fell asleep. Rough week." you chuckled, a bit suprised by his answer. "How was your meeting ?"

"Well, you know how the superiors are." he said, smiling softly. "Want coffee?"

"Yes please, that would be great."

"There you go." he grins, handing you a cup of coffee. You smiled, taking your first sip. "So Jack wants pancake for breakfast, do you want to eat with us ? I mean it's Saturday, we don't have work to do...yet." he tells you.

You were a bit taken aback by his proposition. Not that you didn't want to eat with them but eating breakfast at your boss's house seemed like a weird idea. But it was Saturday and pancakes couldn't hurt and you kinda wanted to spend more time with him.

The three of you sat at the table, Jack speaking about what he wanted to do today. The weather wasn't really on your side, rain falling hard outside. It was a bit too domestic for you to be sitting at the table with your hot boss and his child. But you didn't know that Aaron felt the same. You seemed to noticed that he looked more relaxed when Jack is there, his usual frown on his face not visible, making jokes and being all paternal. It was weird seeing him like that. Of course you see Jack often but it's always at work so you never had the chance to see him really being a father.

"Dad, can we watch a movie today ?" Jack asked, his mouth full of pancakes.

"Of course buddy, what would you wanna watch?"

"Mmmh, The Little Mermaid ! Can Y/N watch it with us dad ?"

You almost chocked on your sip when you heard Jack asking that. Hotch seemed clearly taken aback with his demand as you.

"Well, if she wants, I mean, do you want to ?" Hotch asks, looking at you.

"Well, The Little Mermaid was one of my favourite movie when I was younger so why not. As long as I'm not interrupting."

"It was ?!" Jack asked, amazed. "Dad looks like Prince Eric don't you think?"

"Hahaha, yeah I can see it." you responded, looking at Aaron, his cheeks getting red.

After breakfast you help Hotch cleaning the kitchen while Jack was playing Lego, waiting for the two of you to be ready for the movie. The thunder outside made the ambiance cozy as you sat on the sofa. Aaron joined, sitting next to Jack who was happy to cuddle his father.

Even if you loved The Little Mermaid and knew the movie by heart, watching movies during the day wasn't really doing it for you. Especially after eating, the chances of you falling asleep were high. Hotch seemed to notice that as you fell asleep right on his shoulder. He didn't dare to move, you looking too cute your head on his shoulder.

"Y/N." Aaron murmured, shaking you a little. "The movie's over."

"Aaron." you said, sleepily.

The use of his first name was unusual for you. Always calling him Hotch or sir or boss, but never Aaron. The feeling he had in his stomach the night before was back and he couldn't push it away.

"Where's Jack?"

"JJ's house. Henri called for a playdate." Hotch answered, his eyes in yours.

He couldn't help but look at you, all shy on his sofa. Your cheeks getting red, your eyes in his and slowly looking down to his lips. You always knew he was beautiful, always looking at him at work, at his features. But you never knew he looked that beautiful, dressing normally, in his living room, so close one another. Before you knew it, your lips were on his, tasting the sweet taste of pancakes and the dry taste of his coffee. The kiss was soft, rather inquisitive, both of your lips learning each others. When you both back off to take a breath, you gazed up at him, flustered, a small shy smile on your lips.

"You are so pretty." Aaron murmured, his forehead on yours.

"So are you." you said chuckling a little.

He chuckled slightly, not believing he was kissing you, leaving a couple of kisses on your forehead, down to your jaw before going back to your mouth. The kiss was more heated and his hands quickly found their way to your hips, pressing them slightly. This action made a moan come out your mouth and Aaron couldn't help himself from bitting your lower lips.

"Come here." he murmured, pointing his lap.

You did as asked, grinding yourself on him, feeling him getting hard. His mouth moved to your neck, nibbling on your sweet spot near your ear.

"Want to continue this in the bedroom ? I mean, if you want of course." he asked, his lips on your ear.

You follow him in his bedroom, anticipating what's going to happen. Hotch pushed you gently on the bed before hovering you, his lips on your jaw and his hands on your hips. Grinding himself a little on you, he moved his mouth to your collarbone, sucking on your skin. Your hands found their way on his back, tucking on his shirt to take it off.

"Do you really want to do this?" he asked, his eyes in yours.

"I do. Please."

"How do you wanna do it ?"

"I want you to do everything you want to me Aaron."

His hand went between your legs, grabbing the place where you wanted him the most. You could feel yourself being wet, cyprine making it's way to your thighs. He helped you take off his shirt and yours, his eyes going down on your breast covered in your lace emerald bra. Your chest was raising up and down, your hands cupping his face. Aaron kept his eyes in yours before kissing down your chest, unclipping your bra, moving his lips to the hem of your jeans. He looked at you, as if he was asking for permission. You nodded slightly, wanting him to put his mouth down there already.

"Words baby."

"Yes please Aaron."

He took off your pants, kissing your stomach before kissing down your thighs, pushing them apart slowly. He left a kiss on your panties, your respiration becoming more and more rapid. He pulled your panties aside, licking a long strip from your folds. You moaned, hands gripping his hair. He then placed his lips against your folds, nibbling against your clit. He pushed one finger in, then two, your hips rocking against his mouth, wanting more. Sucking your clit, he lifted your legs on his shoulders, weighting your torso down on the bed with one hand on your lower stomach. Your moans were becoming more and more loud and you knew you would be cumming soon. Aaron knew it too because his mouth left your core to leave small kisses near your hips.

"On your knees." he ordered.

You did as asked, unzipping his pants before taking off his boxers. You told yourself he was big but not that big. You gasp in suprise, making Aaron chuckled.

"What's going on sweetheart ? Too big for you ? You're gonna open your mouth and make it fit like a good girl."

You nodded, approaching your lips to his member but he stopped yourself, tucking of your hair.

"When I speak I want an answer. Are you gonna suck my dick like a good girl?"

"Yes."

"Yes who?" he asked, his hands putting your hair in a make shift ponytail.

"Yes sir."

You kissed his balls, moving your lips to his member, keeping eye contact with him. You sucked on his head before taking him all in your mouth, his head going deep into your throat making you gag. He pushed your head slightly, making back and forth movements. Salive coming out your mouth, your mascara running down your cheeks.

"Fuck. You look so pretty on your knees for me. I'm gonna cum and you're gonna swallow everything alright ?"

You took his dick out of your mouth to answer him, crying a yes sir before taking him back in your mouth. His respiration was twitching and you could hear him groaned, his cock twitching in your mouth. A hot substance making it's way down your throat. You stuck your tongue out to proved to him that you swallowed everything.

"Go on the bed, on your hands and knees."

Positioning yourself on all four, you almost screamed when his hand slapped your ass, hearing Aaron chuckled at your reaction. His fingers runned down your pussy, his mouth finding it's way between your folds again. You couldn't help but moaned, the sensation being too good.

"I want to put my mouth and my fingers everywhere, in all your holes. Would you be okay with that?" he asked, fingers in your pussy.

"Yes sir."

Without you saying more, he put his tongue on your asshole, licking it.

"Gonna make it nice and ready for my thumb, right sweetheart ?"

You couldn't talk, only responding by a moan. The feeling of his tongue down there was so good, better than anything you had before. You felt his thumb running near your asshole before entering you. You couldn't help but make a muffled pleasure scream, rocking your ass on his finger. His thumb in your ass and his tongue in your pussy was a combination you could only dreamed about.

"Mmmh, you taste so good, like I imagined it."

This did it for you, hearing him say he imagined doing these things to you. Before you knew it, you came on in mouth and fingers.

"Oh my baby made a mess. She will help cleaning that right ?" he said, his fingers on your lips making you open your mouth to suck on his fingers. He kissed you, his tongue fighting for dominance. His lips moved to your ear, murmuring sweet things to you.

"I'll fuck you good baby, and you're gonna take all of me in you. I'll fuck you until you become a mess in your boss's bed."

His hands reached your ass, spreading your thighs slightly before pushing himself in you. He was so big and you let out a cry. His fingers brushed your hair, letting you time to adjust yourself to his size. He kissed your ear, before thrusting slowly.

"Is this alright love ? I'm not too rough on you ?" he murmured in your ear.

The way he was dominating but at the same thing caring for you to feel safe was something that could create butterflies in your stomach.

"It's good Aaron. You make me feel so good, I promise."

You heard his chuckled slighty, still thrusting slowly into you.

"Harder."

"Beg for it."

"Please sir, I need you to fuck me harder please."

He didn't need more than that for him to thrust harder, his balls punching against your pussy. Both of your were moaning and your moans became louder when his fingers found their way to your clit, pinching it. His thrust were becoming sloppier each time and the familiar knot in your stomach was back.

"I'm gonna fill you up." you heard him say, one of his hand grabbing your throat, squeezing it softly. His other hand grabbed your nipple, pinching it. Your fingers found their way to your clit, finishing the job he first started. A few moments later, you felt the hot substance in your core, cumming at the same time.

Aaron fell next to you, his hand tracing little circles on your shoulders.

"Thank you for that." you looked up to him, shyly.

The confidence you had during your sexy moment was now gone and you couldn't help but feel shy, even if he just fucked the hell out of you.

"I've been dreaming of doing that for a long time." he smiled, his fingers brushing your hair behing your ear.

"What does that mean for us ?"

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"Well at work...and in real life."

"Well, at work we could sign some papers but for starters what would you say if I asked you out on a date first ?"

You blushed, kissing his nose before agreeing.

"But first I want another round, soft this time." you murmured.

[doorbloggr]

Long Form YouTube Videos: Documentaries and Video Essays

Thursday 8/12/22

Media Recommendations #41

Content:

The History of Wii Sports Resort Golf World Records (Summoning Salt)

Disney Channel's Theme - A History Mystory (Defunctland)

The Line Goes Up (Folding Ideas)

Treasure Planet - Disney's Biggest Mistake (Breadsword)

YouTube and new TV

YouTube is one of, if not the most popular ways to engage in video media in the modern age. I am in my mid-20s now, and I do not watch broadcast television at all. Subscription services like Netflix and Disney+ have meant that users can now curate their watching experiences, watching what they want, when they want, instead of having to watch for a certain time of day for a show to air.

Netflix is a giant in today's media consumption

Unlike these other subscription services, YouTube is a user driven site and thrives off the very low bar of entry for creators. All you need is a camera, and/or microphone, and a computer. This means that videos can be and are about anything. Videos of people playing videogames, rating their personal preferences of foods, tourist commentary, chemical demonstrations, original animation and music, or just educating other on your favourite things.

Some of my favourite Youtube Media. Clockwise from the top left: NileRed, SoloTravelBlog, LunaiMooney, TerminalMontage

Getting paid for your creations on YouTube is a tricky topic I do not want to get into deep today, but to get to today's topic, there is a sweetspot of length. A very short video does not pay well, and a very long video does not either. And it is tragic that longer videos do not get the recognition, reward, and engagement they deserve, because I have recently become very aware of how good the long form video catalogue is on YouTube these days.

Long Form Video Content

Now it can be quite easy to make a long video, but what I'm talking about today is beyond just stream archives and let's play compilations. I'm talking about feature length discussions of topics that the creators are passionate about and have put their passion into. In the early phase of planning this article, I came across two terms to describe my taste: Video Essays, and Documentaries. And there is a difference.

Now, Documentaries exist as a broad appealing form of media outside of YouTube. But the difference between a David Attenborough narrated exploration of nature and an explanation of the history of speedrunning a Wii game is resources and interest. The BBC would not greenlight funding for a History of Speedrunning, because it is a niche topic that will not have the broad appeal necessary to return on the cost to make that documentary at a BBC level budget. But just because it does not have mass appeal, does not mean it doesn't have appeal. The reason why I'm writing this article is because these are topics that will engage a niche audience, and these videos would not exist without the passion of the creators.

GenoSamuel's documentary of ChrisChan is a very unique case of something that can only exist on the internet.

The point of a documentary is to document. It is a presentation of collected facts, with little room for interpretation other than the presentation itself. BBC's Blue Planet is not a narrative any more than the the History of Wii Sports Resort Golf Speedrunning is. They are a curated presentation of knowledge on the topic that is enjoyable because it is easier to enjoy in one complete package rather than the interested party having to seek out and consume the scattered information themselves.

A Video Essay on the other hand is exactly what the name suggests, it is an essay in video form. It is the creator making an analysis or argument on a topic, often by dividing their video into sections, presenting information supporting their point of view. Video Essays are often more emotion driven, targeting the viewer's empathy to support the creator's opinion, either by making them happy, sad, or angry with the information presented. Video Essays do not exist as a popular form of media outside of YouTube, since their scholarly/professional equivalent are written essays. The idea of the Video Essay is not unique to YouTube but it is the best platform for independent long-form media. On the internet, there's an audience for everything, and a someone willing to present their opinion on it.

Contrapoints is a trans video essayist that discusses societal values, politics, ethics, and trans rights.

It might be my personal taste evolving, but even if YouTube doesn't financially support the models of Documentaries and Video Essays, the rise of crowd funding e.g. Patreon, has meant that the model becomes more feasible, and as a result, the general quality and variety of good long form videos has increased on the platform. So I'm take a bit of more of your time to recommend some of my favourite creator's of such media, and my favourite videos they've made.

Documentary Recommendations

The History of Wii Sports Resort Golf World Records

Summoning Salt

Summoning Salt is a historian of videogame speedrunning. To the outside observer, speedrunning may not seem like a topic that needs or lends itself well to documentation, but in reality it works very well. Since Speedrunning works around reporting your records via footage, there is lots of footage to demonstrate the topic. And if you fear getting lost in the jargon of techniques, Summoning Salt is very good at explaining the runs in laymen's terms. His sound design, narration, and how the video is formatted makes it easy to follow a topic, and the Documentaries go at fast enough pace that you never feel bored down by unnecessary detail.

The video that introduced me to Summoning Salt and the true depths of speedrunning was their video on Wii Sports Resort Golf. It was a tale of competitive spirit, flukes of ingenuity, and tenacity. What was one person's whim became a series of trials for many. How far can you stretch the technical ability and exploits of a Wii Motion Control Game? Very far it turns out. At 36 minutes, it is a shorter doco, a great introduction to Summoning Salt and his genre. It is a gripping tale that I implore you to experience for yourself.

Disney Channel's Theme - A History Mystery

Defunctland

Defunctland is a historian on theme parks, children's media projects, movies, and shows. Their origin was in extinct theme parks, but the breadth of topics discussed has expanded. While theme parks documentaries are not an uncommon subject area on YouTube, nobody does their research quite as thoroughly or directly as Defunctland. Much of the information presented in their works are things the creator had found out themselves via interviews with involved parties, or trudging through deep internet archives, all to put together complete packages.

The first video I watched of theirs is the latest (at time for writing) and is a story of how Defunctland found out who wrote the theme song for the Disney Channel. Given it is only a four note melody, it seems like it would not be difficult to find, but there are several layers of intricacies about channel tones, Disney's marketing teams, and composers that make this a very long journey. It is an emotional tale that does great tribute to those artists involved. Do watch!

Video Essay Recommendations

The Line Goes Up

Folding Ideas

Folding Ideas is a documentarian who discusses ideas that often affect society at large. Some topics are meta discussions of how to make media online and analysis of certain media products, others are societal level analysis of phenomena such as Flat Earthers. Folding Ideas has a sort of university lecture style presentation unique to Video Essays, where a large part of the video actually features the speaker in frame, while images and videos are used secondarily to better demonstrate his points. Folding Ideas videos are very long, but easy to follow; any concept brought up during explanations is quickly explained in layman's terms, so the entire essay can be followed.

The video that introduced me to Folding Ideas was their 2 hour explanation of NFTs, which also explored market capitalism, cryptocurrency and Web3. It is a Video that can be enjoyed in the background of other tasks, but I advised that for a first watch, you may want to set aside a couple hours near bedtime to sit down and absorb the explanation. Like many other Folding Ideas videos, it is overall neutral on the topic itself, but he is not afraid to make clear his stance on what he thinks of cryptocurrency and NFTs. If the NFT craze passed you by and you had no idea what any of it meant, this is THE source to educate yourself on what it all means, and why it is so bad.

Treasure Planet - Disney's Biggest Mistake

Breadsword

Breadsword is not your typical video essayist, I would describe them more as a story teller. Breadsword's target content is nostalgia bait for people who enjoy feel good media, be that older anime, disney and dream works movies from the 90s and early 00s, or even videogames. The videos of Breadsword are a love letter and analysis of childhood memories, stories from their internal development, deeper meanings, and why we should (or do) enjoy these pieces.

The first video I watched of Breadsword was their exploration of Treasure Planet, one of the last 2D Disney feature-length films. The video is both an exploration of all the technical and narrative techniques that made this movie great and how Disney tried to sabotage its success. Breadsword makes the argument that since movies like Treasure Planet are so technically demanding, and 3D animation was on the rise, Disney wanted the film to fail, so they had the excuse to change medium. It is an emotional story and a heartbreaking one, and Breadsword tells it very well.

Thanks for Reading

The irony of my article about Long YouTube Videos being very long was not lost on me, and I understand that this length will be intimidating to readers. I will not expect a lot, if any, to read the while post, but if you did, and you're reading this, thank you so much.

Like many YouTube creators, my input on this blog is for the benefit of my creativity first, and if it turns out others enjoy it, then that's fantastic. If you want to see what my other recommendations are, I have a list of them in pinned post on this blog.

[viplatency3d]

Felt like addressing this here and now before anything else drops on season 2 of Wednesday. I'm having a bad gut feeling about Wednesday season 2 that they're going to move away from most of the things I liked about season 1 (tyler, hydes, and obviously the romance with him and wednesday which isnt a deal breaker but damn I will miss it) and push more of the things I didn't care about as much in season 2, like Wednesday's family, her friendship with Enid, ect. And I know in a show about the Addams family that the family should be focused on, but the actors just aren't that good. Morticia is probably the best actor, Gomez was probably the worst casting choice, and Pugsley has potential but he just gave off generic sad boy vibes for all the short time he was on screen, and it wasn't interesting to me, sorry I'm just being honest.

Same with Enid and Wednesday in that their friendship can be entertaining, but I honestly wanted less focus on Wednesday and Enids friendship and more focus on Enid as an individual. We see her mommy issues, among other things, but a lot of conflicts that Enid was in ended in the same episode they started. Mommy issues, being hurt by Wednesday, the only thing that remained consistent was her insecurities with not fitting in as a wolf and not being able to wolf out, which was basically just a late puberty thing. I want something deeper for Enid to battle, either internally or externally, for the whole season. I think in the same way Jenna needs Wednesday to be her own individual, Enid also needs that, we need to see her when she is alone or not with Wednesday, otherwise I'm just supposed to care about her because she's Wednesdays best friend and nothing else, and that just isn't compelling to me, although I know the shippers will disagree. The person who's watched plenty of TV shows in me says the mommy issues thing will come back to play in a big way in season 2, but idk anymore because with Percy gone who knows how much they changed up from character to character.

For me, all of the new starring cast and guest starring cast indicate that the production team are not comfortable with their current starring cast carrying the show, besides the usual being: Jenna, Emma, Hunter, Joy, Moosa. And I think they will focus less on Tyler even though he is still a part of the starring cast, I think he will be absent a lot from season 2. I know Hunter says Netflix allows him to travel, but he's been traveling A LOT, which could indicate fewer scenes/screen time. I have my own theories on where his story would go but honestly just not in the mood for discussing any of them anymore, because it seems like even the Wednesday team are not proud of what they are making, not one on set photo, no teaser videos showing some behind the scenes footage and talking about how the new season is coming like how Stranger Things does, no filming leaked pics at all. And at a time where people are craving literally any piece of content they can find, and when the budget is so big (biggest in Ireland history) they have no excuse not to drop some crumbs for fans, so yes I do think they are hiding it for the wrong reasons and not because its so super secret lol.

And it seems like Tim Burton is only directing two episodes? One being the first, the 2nd being the finale? So we don't even have Tim Burton directing for half of the season like last time. I think that will hurt the show TREMENDOUSLY, and it can't be stated enough how much better the first 4 episodes of Wednesday were than the last four. Overall, I'm hoping that with all of Jenna's demands and possible rewrites they made at the last minute, they were able to salvage something here and make a great season, but I wouldn't be surprised if it flopped hard. Again, I could be seriously wrong, and this could just be me worrying too much, but I think it will be worse than season 1. I hope they prove me wrong. I've been dealing with this realization for at least a week now, and I'm finally able to say confidently I don't really care about Wednesday anymore until further notice. It is what it is.

[undrgrnd-nft]

Tezos Goes Big

I really didn’t want to write this, I swear. I have real work to do, podcasts to edit and my daughter is home sick; but, it’s like holding in a sneeze, when I have something to say it’s best to get it out.

This is not about the @tezos event at Art Basel Miami. It may be what is driving the conversation but this is not really about the displays in a lobby of a hotel.

This is the culmination of years of disrespect to a driving force of adoption and endemic of the crypto space (and society) at large.

Art rejuvenating dead space is not a novel concept. In fact, in Miami, there’s an entire area that could have been used as a template by all blockchains. It’s called Wynnewood, look it up and you’ll get the New York Times article I reference all the time.

What was once an industrial park became a hub for restaurants, music and entertainment: culture.

Why? Because some graffiti artists began painting on the cold gray walls of a concrete jungle.

Did those artists share any of the financial gain brought to the neighborhood? No, but think of the exposure!

Web3 was not built by nor built for creatives like us (yea, I’m putting myself in that group, shut up about it). It was built by boys and men that look, talk and act like me (white, male, presumable douchey based on appearance) but lack a moral and emotional foundation.

They use the right words, have picked up key phrases and platitudes, but at the core it’s not about the things many of us value. It’s not about art.

It’s not about a reorganization of institutions that were built to keep specific classes, races and sexes subservient.

It is not building a utopian-Marxist future where the moral and decent are rewarded financially for their collective effort.

Look at the state of streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Paramount, Peacock, Max. What was once meant to disrupt the cable industry has now become Cable Networks 2.0.

The same is true in crypto. What started as a revolution has become a hype parade led by influencers masquerading as cultural relevance.

Remember the @TezosFoundation Permanent Collection drama? In a Twitter space shortly after things began to spiral downward, one of the leads made a comment on the criticisms, “if this is the response maybe we won’t do this again.”

We all knew it then.

But many of us came here to create something better. So we, many of them my friends, gave second chances, put a positive spin on it and took their opportunity when it was offered.

I was jealous.

Because I would have done the same.

UNDRGRND is just me: a stay at home dad, taking care of a toddler who disrupts the means of production constantly. I know how hard it is to put together something and share it with an audience.

But so does every artist I write about.

So when we watch people with large budgets, people who are able to make a living on crypto already, getting paid to present the work of others and the result is done with the level of care it takes to hang a Missing Cat poster on a telephone pole, it’s infuriating.

Many of the artists I’ve gotten to know over these past three years were creative directors in their web2 lives. Do you know what they could have done with a fraction the amount of money @tezos has in its war chest?

It’s disrespectful.

It always has been.

I’m going to push post on this in a few minutes and the anxiety is rising. I know others are going to criticize what I’m launching in the coming months.

I’m in a glass house throwing rocks.

The difference is I’m not deluded enough to think I have all the answers or have an ego like I’ve done anything yet.

I’m just a guy writing about the things I like while my four-year-old sleeps on me.

This was never about the display.

It was about the devaluation of creatives for years and the continuation of a broken social contract that promised an idealistic future.

So heed the lesson because we’re tired of this shit.

And I’m fucking coming…

- Founder of UNDRGRND, @NFTjoe

[kajaono]

Why Douglas leaving doesn't mean we will see a drop in quality

I see many people worrying that Douglas leaving will effect the quality of the show, in a negative way.

I would like to take Shadowhunters as an example. Here the showrunner changed after season 1. Todd Slavkin, who took over the psotion, then functioned as a showrunner, co-producer and writer. So i think it is fair we now pretend its kind of the same as a change of the director. One main role of a director is: "They collaborate with actors, read and develop scripts, and motivate the cast and crew to deliver their best performances. They also make critical decisions regarding set locations, budget management, and artistic execution."

This means the show can go downhill with a wrong director. Unmotivated crew, shit locations, rejected script, wrongly managed budget... or it can also have a positive impact.

In Shadowhunters Todd Slavkin sweet talked Freeform and Netflix to give the show 22 eps instead of 10 eps, and got rid of a lot of bad CGI, costumes and lightning.

Costumes:

Swords:

You get my point.

You may say: But GO is already perfect. How could a new director make it even better?" Well I also don't think they will, but they can add their own vision to it. That doesn't mean it has to be bad. Just different.

But will we like those changes?

Well... i can not answer this question, but remeber that the course of season 3 is already set. Jesus 2.0, Zombies (?), Supreme Arc Angel Aziraphael, a garden, the cottage. And Neil is still head writer. There will be no sudden changes. They will also not cast a homophobic asshole... hey, maybe they will cast a queer person who can add their own queer accents to the story?

This show is openly queer, they will not cast someone who is against a queer version of the show.

Yes this person will handle the budget differently, they will connect with DT, MS and Neil differently, but why does that has to be bad thing? Douglas vision was amazing and I am sad he left, but there are many amazing directors out there. And just because they join later, doesn't mean they do not understand the story. See Todd, we had an amazing time with him. He even published a BTS book about his time and how friendly the fandom welcomed him. In the end he intergrated a lot of fan wishes into the show and was really open to critique of the queer community.

Why can't we have the same for GO? Why does everything has to be bad? I know we have trust issues, and i can totally understand that not knowing who will come next is scaring, but just this times I wnat you all to focus on the positive things. We are also still talking about Prime. They don't want to blow this up either.

And Neil and Terry were always so protective of GO. they made sure that only someone who understood their vision was allowed to adapt GO into a show/movie and rejected multiple offeres who felt untrue to the story. You think Neil suddenly agrees to give the story away to someone who doesn't respect it and wants to change it to something bad... more Tom Cruise like? (little joke)

And we already had a change in tone and lightning of the show.

Many liked it, some hated it. But nevertheless, it worked.

The only thing I want is that Neil does not take over Douglas position now. This show is a two person story. Terry and Neil, Douglas and Neil, Azi and Crowley.

TL.DR: The husbands are in no danger. A director change will influence the show but why does that have to be a bad thing? Neil is as protective of the show as we are. He will not suddenly give it away to someone who wants to make drastic changes or who rejects all of his script ideas.

[waynes-multiverse]

Plastic Hearts – Part 1

Pairing: Director!Dean Winchester x Actress!Reader

Series Summary: Los Angeles, 1985. Y/N’s a young actress without any success, hopping from one failed audition to the next until one desperate mistake brings her to her breaking point. Dean Winchester, on the other hand, is a grade A asshole and washed-up director at the end of his career, known for his godawful slasher movies in the 70s and his love for blow, booze, and women. Lost in the toxic Hollywood life, their paths cross when one hopeless little wrestling show changes their trajectory.

Chapter Warnings: +18, GLOW AU, self-worth issues, implied smut (reader x unknown dude 🤷‍♀️), cheating, Sam and Dean are not related in this story (--> check the series masterlist for overall warnings!)

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: Truthfully, I wasn’t gonna share it because it was just a fun, silly project to get over some writer’s block (which I did!). Netflix never gave me an ending to this amazing show, so I wanted to write my own, y’know? But hey, it’s already written, so why not share it with the class, right? As my awesome cheerleader on this project @panicking-outside-the-disco said, the dilaogue screams Dean AU 🖤 (Thank you so much for your encouragement, bestie!) Fellow fans of the show, you’ll be happy to know I kept all the good stuff in there, from Steel Horse to pink, frosted donuts. Everyone else will make sense of those words soon enough. So, hopefully, you’ll enjoy this nostalgic love tribute, and let’s give ourselves a decent ending, shall we? 🤩

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

1. Holding Out For A Hero

Another failed audition.

Moving from Nebraska to Los Angeles at the sweet age of eighteen, Y/N has played the Hollywood game for quite some time. Now, at the ripe age of twenty-seven by La-La Land standards, she only has little to show for herself, though. She’s had a few background roles and starred in a handful of low-budget plays, but her big breakthrough, the role that changes everything, still remains a hopeless and seemingly unreachable daydream.

Worst of all, she is sick and tired of the simple and reduced roles Hollywood forces upon its actresses. She wants more than the shitty role of the secretary who tells a powerful man his wife is on the phone. Y/N wants a real part instead of playing second fiddle to yet another pompous dick.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

After her latest failure, she even became so desperate she hid in a bathroom stall for three hours before ambushing her casting director Josie while the poor woman was fucking peeing. But instead of the customary, unexplained rejection, Y/N wanted to hear reasons this time. She wanted to find out why she always gets pushed over for someone else, wanted to know if she could do something better, for crying out loud.

Usually, it’s the agent’s job to tell an actor all the reasons why they were wrong for the role, but she doesn’t even have an agent anymore because, as it bitterly turns out, everyone stops fucking caring about you if you haven’t worked in over two years. For once, though, she wanted some goddamn feedback.

The casting director’s response?

“Look Y/N, every director I work with says, ‘Get me someone I don’t know. Someone I haven’t seen. I want a girl who’s real.’ That’s when I bring you in, so they can see that they don’t actually want the thing they think they want. It’s 1985. Everyone wants Jane fucking Fonda. I’m sorry, honey… But listen, I have some experimental projects in the Valley, if you’re interested. Would you consider doing erotica?”

So, fucking porn. That’s where she’s at with her life.

Defeatedly, Y/N leaves the casting office in West Hollywood once more and gets swallowed by the city’s filth, lost between hellfire and demons. No matter what she does, she never feels like it’s enough. Each audition, you throw yourself against the wall and hope, this time, it’ll stick. It’s an endless game, a gamble of hope – hope isn’t an infinite resource, though, and hers is running out.

Y/N likes getting tortured. That’s the conclusion she’s come to. And because she seems to thrive on torment, she joins her best friend Joanna for a Jazzercise class – aka a room full of toned women in leotards, sweatbands, and leg warmers. The two friends have known each other since middle school and have done everything together since then, including their move to the big city. Joanna is a blonde bombshell who immediately got a role on a popular soap until she quit acting and had a baby a couple of months ago. Now, she’s a housewife and mother in Pasadena while her husband brings home the money.

Y/N loves Joanna, but admittedly, the blonde sometimes makes her feel small and insecure. She doesn’t have the big tits, the perfect curves, or the shiny hair. Jo has always been more successful than her in every aspect of their respective lives, the friendly competition leaving Y/N, more often than not, with a bad aftertaste in her mouth. She constantly tries to keep her envy in check, though, even when the blonde’s boobs exploded during their freshman year of high school. Simply put: Joanna is a sparkling diamond, while Y/N feels like a dirty lump of coal next to her.

The cheer captain versus the theater geek.

“You know, I’d actually do porn if it had a good story. Like, Shakespeare porn,” Y/N half-heartedly jokes as the women change in the locker room after their class.

Jo arches an eyebrow at her, the smile on her lips a bit condescending. “C’mon, Y/N, would you actually do porn, though? You hate being naked in front of people.”

“Things have changed since you disappeared,” Y/N shrugs her shoulders, her voice laced with rebellion, and purposely changes out of her leotard in front of her friend to drive the point home. She also tries not to sound too bitter about the fact that the blonde basically abandoned her after getting married and pushing a human out of her vagina. She knows her jealousy is silly. It’s just part of life. That’s how it goes. It wasn’t always going to be them vs. the world forever.

“I didn’t disappear. I had a baby,” Jo retorts on cue before her face lights up with an insane amount of excitement. “Which you could too! Then we’d both have babies.”

“Great idea,” Y/N snorts sarcastically and slips into her sneakers, playfully musing, “Who of the guys I randomly fuck would make a good baby daddy, huh? The alcoholic I met at the farmer’s market or the depressed stand-up with a heroin addiction?”

Jo sits down on the bench next to her and conspiratorially leans closer. “Can I tell you something that I realized recently?”

Y/N gives her a raised look that borders on amused. “What?”

The blonde has been a bit of a postpartum mess these days. It’s the lack of sleep and the fact that her boobs won’t stop leaking. Also, her kid is a biter.

“When I first was cast on Paradise Bay, I was thrilled, okay? I mean, it was so exciting, remember? And then they put me in that year-long coma, and I was just lying there in this hospital bed, feeling powerless. And then when season three came, and they graduated me to that wheelchair with that blanket–”

“I’m sorry… Is this going somewhere?” Y/N interrupts her because the last thing she needs to hear today is another one of Joanna’s success stories.

“I’m getting there,” Jo frowns and continues straightaway, “Anyways, I was so relieved when Sam asked me to marry him and told me to stop working. He was right. It was completely ridiculous. Why would I do this to myself, you know? I swear to God getting pregnant and written off that show was the best decision I ever made,” she tells her enthusiastically.

Y/N just twitches her shoulders and ignores the guilt that’s bubbling in her gut. “Well, we’re different people. I choose work. I can have a baby once I win an Oscar.”

Jo lets out a deep sigh, “But you’re not even working, Y/N. Don’t you wanna be happy and have a family?”

“Of course I do.” Y/N’s not sure that answer is the whole truth. She knows she’s supposed to want the supportive husband, the cute kids, and the white picket fence, but all those things come with the end of your career. She’s not ready to give up and pay that price yet. She wants to make it on her own first, not needing a hero to save her like some damsel in distress. “‘Sides, don’t I need a boyfriend for starters? Isn’t that how it works?”

“Oh, it’s not that complicated,” Jo huffs and rolls her eyes dismissively. “Just pick the first nice guy with money you find. It’s what I did. I mean, Sam is a complete idiot and so out of my league, but it works,” she shrugs. “Why don’t you come visit me in Pasadena sometimes if you miss me so much? I called you like a million times in the last few weeks.”

“I know,” Y/N groans in response and finishes buttoning her blouse, swallowing the giant lump of shame in her throat. “It’s so far away,” she excuses, even though it’s another white lie. A big one, this time.

Jo tilts her head at her, but Y/N knows the wrinkles on the blonde’s brow are not out of concern. It’s pity. She’s seen that look all her life. “Y/N, are you okay? ‘Cause you look sad and fucking depressing, honestly.”

“Thanks. But I’m fine,” she brushes her friend off with a bitter smile. “Just the usual, you know? I have $28 left to pay my bills, including rent, which is why I’ve been waitressing at that awful diner in Downey all week… Oh, and, uhm, I’ve eaten Honey Nut Cheerios for my last eight meals,” she lists off her miserable life and grabs her duffel bag, feigning the brightest grin, “But hey, I’m gonna do porn. Things are looking up.”

It’s late at night when Y/N returns to her rundown shoebox apartment. Her decorations include one dead plant and two ripped posters of Angela Lansbury and Barbra Streisand, respectively. It’s a sad affair, really.

Completely beat, she checks her fridge, which resembles an empty ice cave, except for that half-full box of cheap wine. Yeah, she can’t even afford to get drunk properly. The old mattress squeaks as she falls face-down on the bed and exhaustively snatches the rotary dial phone from her nightstand, only reaching her parents’ answering machine.

“Hey, Mom. It’s Y/N. I didn’t get the audition today either, but I’ll get another one soon. So, fingers crossed… again. But I was just wondering if you and Dad could maybe wire me some money? You know, just so I can pay my electricity bill and… eat food. I’m really sorry… I know I can’t keep asking you guys for money because I’m a grown-up now… but I swear it’s the last time, okay? And I’m aware I said that the last time, too… Anyways, love you. Call me back, please? Okay, thanks… Bye.”

Slamming the receiver onto the phone, she groans loudly and is close to screaming into her goddamn pillow. When did she become such a pathetic fucking loser?

Needless to say, she imagined her life would go a lot differently.

In the midst of her nervous breakdown, her ears then perk up at a strange noise, eyes darting warily to the window. There’s an audible jam of the lock, followed by the rustling of the yellowed blinds before a large hand pops through the crack.

Shit. Someone’s trying to break in.

Anxiously, she grabs the phone and holds it up like a weapon, her heart thrashing wildly in her ribcage, the sound ringing in her ears. Then, she bravely yells with a shaky voice, “Whoever you are, I have a knife in my hand and already called the cops!”

“Whoa, whoa… Y/N, it’s just me.” A young man’s head pokes through the window, raising his large palms with a chuckle.

Her shoulders slump, the tension of fear replaced with one of annoyance as she sighs half-heartedly in relief, recognizing the intruder. Y/N lowers her makeshift weapon, tossing it on the bed. “Oh my God! What the fuck are you doing here? Why are you climbing through my window? You can’t be here! Climb back out – now!”

“You said the last time that no one can find out about us, so I took that seriously,” he explains as he gaspingly pushes his tall body through the small opening. “Can’t you just be happy to see me, Y/N? It took some effort to come here and climb through that window, you know?” A charming laugh bounces off the thin, bare walls once he’s made it into her apartment and towers over her.

Y/N folds her arms over her chest and cocks an eyebrow, “You want credit for cheating on your wife?”

He sighs and rolls his eyes back a little, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can we please not call it that?”

“What would you like me to call it? You’re married to someone and had sex with me,” she counters sternly. She absolutely doesn’t want him here. That man is only trouble and part of the reason why her life is so fucking shitty these days.

“Look, this isn’t normal behavior for me,” he shrugs innocently as if the madness can’t be helped and adds the softest puppy dog look. “I just-, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“So?! It was a huge fucking mistake!” There’s a sharp inhale of breath as she tries to gulp down the anger, guilt, and shame inside of her. “It happened weeks ago! You shouldn’t be here… It was a party. The drinks were free… I-I was feeling sorry for myself, and you took advantage of that.”

Quietly clearing his throat, he mumbles under his breath, “I think we both took advantage of that.” As he meets her gaze, his whiskey-colored orbs mirror the same guilt she feels.

Y/N places her hands on her hips with a deep exhale, her head bobbing as the words sink in and her head begins to spin. She knows he’s right. They’re both equally to blame, but it doesn’t change anything about her regrets. “Please leave. Go home to your family,” she begs him softly, too soft, not enough strength left to fight.

“You can’t just pull the plug on this. You and me. This is real,” he tells her, his hazel eyes boring into hers. “I think you’re the one, Y/N.”

“No, I’m not,” she stresses with a heavy shake of her head, fighting against the tears that prick her eyes and cloud her mind. “I’m nothing special.”

Pensively, he nods and licks his lips, a humorless chuckle escaping between them as he rubs his mouth and ponders, “I keep thinking about what you said to me that night… You know, how there are shiny people who have everything? And then there are people like us who have to go to parties with those people and watch them get their pictures taken. And it’s not fair... ‘Cause we deserve good things, too. We deserve attention and love and… sex.”

Silently staring at him for what feels like an eternity, her mind races a mile a minute as her heart shatters into a thousand sharp daggers that pierce through her skin and leave deep scars in their wake. And then, Y/N foolishly crashes her lips against his just to stop the goddamn pain in her chest.

What is there to say that even justifies any of this? She’s fucking weak.

The harsh sunbeams that fall on her face and blind her eyes announce another dreadful morning as she wakes with a pessimistic groan. The bed is cold and empty; the married guy is long gone, leaving right after the fuck.

Y/N is alone again – with nowhere to go.

Why did she do what she did? In all honesty, she can’t quite understand it herself, the truth too cruel and pathetic to accept it. The only positive thing she can find about her situation is that at least she can’t sink any lower than rock bottom. She’s certain she’s reached the depths of Hell at this point. Los Angeles mistakenly gets called the city of angels. Truthfully, though, it’s filled with devils who lure you to the dark side until you can’t even look in the mirror anymore without seeing a white line instead of your own goddamn reflection.

The funny thing, though? She’s never even been into drugs or booze or whatever bad habit you can catch in this city, like an STD. She has always worked her ass off and walked the straight and narrow. And for fucking what?

Y/N is definitely at her lowest of lows, but that also means there’s nowhere to go but up, right? And when the red light on her answering machine keeps blinking, her hope and good spirit return as she eagerly presses the button, restarting the endless cycle once more.  

“Y/N, this is Josie. I have an audition for you tomorrow. I’m not running it, but I thought of you. It’s in Watts. And it’s not porn... They’re looking for unconventional women, whatever the fuck that means… Oh, and uhm, if you ever ambush me in the restroom again, I’ll make sure you’re gonna be blacklisted on every casting call in Los Angeles. Are we clear? Anyways, good luck, honey!”

A loud scream echoes through the tiny apartment. Y/N can’t believe her fucking ears and jumps excitedly up and down when Josie’s message ends, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

The game is back on – and it’s not fucking porn.

2. Livin’ On A Prayer

Yikes! I think it’s fairly easy to guess who this mystery guy is, but let me know all your suspicions and gasps, anyways! 😉 And don’t worry. You’re getting plenty of Dean tomorrow (some would say too much Dean) 😎😈

Everything Jensen (1st part tag only): @extraterrestriali @this-is-me19 @writercole @awkward-and-indecisive @eevvvaa @imherefordeanandbones @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior @jassackles @maggiegirl17 @perpetualabsurdity @deandreamernp @roseblue373 @lyarr24 @deanwanddamons @deanwithscissors @flamencodiva @chriszgirl92 @lhymer1995 @wittyboldsoul @djs8891 @snowlovespie​ @b3autyfuldisast3r​ @recoveringpastaaddict​ @muhahaha303​

Plastic Hearts Series: @spnexploration @jessjad @siospins2 @mrsjenniferwinchester @akshi8278 @xlynnbbyx @wayward-dreamer @foxyjwls007 @smellingofpoetry @justrealizedimmascifygurl @ladysparkles78 @leigh70 @4getfulimaginator2022 @globetrotter28​

[blatantlackofdecorum]

Reallly enjoy your headcannons for Ron, ya got anymore to share?

I do!!

These are JUST general Ron headcanons; since I just posted ‘x reader’ ones.

cw: brief mentions of substance use.

- he seems like a radiohead listener, and whether this is done ironically or un-ironically is up for interpretation.. but I also think he’d definitely still appreciate 80’s music, Tears for Fears, The Smiths, AC/DC.. he was also a big fan of Metallica and Iron Maiden growing up.

- I honestly kinda love trans ron headcanons because… cis people don’t stand like that. + he’s bi, just trust me he told me himself.

- still super embarrassed of his high-school and early college years. his parents (who he doesn’t talk to much anymore) have pictures of him when he was younger all over the house. speaking of which, he ended up going no contact with them pretty early in his 20’s.

- he hyper-fixates really easy, so, whether it’s a type of animal or low budget show he found on netflix while doom scrolling, it’s not going to leave his mind until he finds a new one. will also play a specific song 50x over if he likes a specific part.

- constantly fidgety, can not sit in a chair without bouncing his leg, and has a bad habit of picking at his nails.

- has met bo burnham once on accident. he has a selfie with him.. he isn’t sure how he feels about it. he stares at it from time to time trying to evoke some emotion so he can figure it out though still can’t figure it out.

- casual stoner especially if he needs to relax I think he’d get along with andre pretty well if they ever got more time to talk.

- you can’t tell me he doesn’t game, grew up on COD, and now will not hesitate to play minecraft. he reminds me a lot of an enderman to be honest and he really kind of is one.

- he does go nonverbal from time to time, but usually when he’s caught up in doing something, usually when he’s working, or hyper focusing on something. he won’t even notice he’s doing it until someone tries to talk to him, and he gets pretty bewildered.

[orionsangel86]

Listening to The Sandman Audible again and I can't help but think about a few interesting choices made including:

1. Hob and Dream have absolutely ZERO chemistry. Like there is nothing there at all. I physically can NOT ship Audible Hob and Dream the actor playing Hob is just far too Straight and kinda annoying #sorrynotsorry. I've listened to Hob's scenes with Dream in Audible a few times now for my Dreamling meta essay and its literally a zero on the chemistry front. There is nothing compelling there I'm afraid.

2. However Dream and Lucifer have amaaazing chemistry and its honestly difficult to listen too WITHOUT assuming they had a fling back in the old days. Its implied in the comics, but imo they went pretty heavy in this (clearly Michael Sheen knows all about getting fans to ship his characters lol).

3. Titania x Dream is confirmed in Audible. They talk about how they slept together in A Midsummer Nights Dream (I checked and this isn't in the comic and Titania refuses to talk about her relationship with Dream in The Wake so its only ever implied until the Audible show). This officially makes Titania the only confirmed ex lover Dream is actually still on good terms. Something worth exploring in our meta analysis perhaps?

4. What the hell happened in Babylon? Okay so do y'all remember Pharamond? The transportation guy who helps Dream and Delirium travel on Earth? Yeah I barely paid attention to him in the comic, but in the Audible show he's like a super simp for Dream. I dunno if its just me but the chemistry between them is heady... like with Lucifer I get a strong impression that something went down between them and I'm just gonna go ahead and consider "we drank wine together in Babylon" a euphemism from now on.

5. Furry Porn...? I am absolutely dyyying to know how Netflix plans to portray Lady Bast, and Dream when Lady Bast sees him, because they dont have a lot of options tbh. Either they pull a Doctor Who cat people thing (which is always gonna look clunky and low budget) or they do some form of uncanny valley style CGI (prob the most likely option) or they just go full furry outfits (the funniest option imo however unlikely). Either way though, the Audible show turns up the heat. I love the voice actress for Bast, she totally leans in to the sexy kitten persona - like Cat Woman but extra furry and in heat. I wanna see the cat lady totally come on to Tom's Dream and see his reaction to her propositioning him whilst he has a cat face. Do NOT chicken out Netflix. You better lean into the extra weird even if it does end up looking like furry porn. I wanna see it, and I'm not even a furry! 😅

6. The Goddess of Love in the strip club - honestly HOW are they gonna adapt this? Its difficult enough having to listen to Neil Gaiman's voice explaining in graphic detail how the men watched her dance whilst ejaculating over and over again until they were "cumming blood".

Also "you really don't like women do you?" One issue before "he's gotta stop hanging out with poets and stick with me, I'll set him straight."

Dream really isn't beating the gay allegations anytime soon lmao.

[kawaii-harrys]

Seven Chapters

Summary: Elena Whitman, a bright young woman. Harry Styles, a bright young man. They cross paths but where do they end up? Rivalry? Friendship? What does the future hold?

Word count: 2.1k+

Prologue

It had been a sunny, long, bright day where Elena was sat in her business management classes taking notes of things she didn't even understand.

For starters, she didn't even like anything about the economy and budget and balance sheets. If anything she found it terrible and boring. She lazily looked at Louis who was busy scribbling down notes that she was sure she will be borrowing in the latter half of the day.

She didn't even know why she was doing this.

She just had to carry on the company that her great grandfather had established.

The Whitman Enterprises.

As posh as it sounds, the success and the money never really attracted Elena. But, as much as she hated to admit it, her younger brother had no interest in it either and had admitted it to their parents already and so he was somewhere out of the country pursuing medical studies or something like that. So, somehow all the responsibility fell on her shoulders. It wasn't difficult to approve of his choice because they had another, older and mature kid to dump their hierarchy to.

But, nobody really know about her interests. Her parents hadn't wanted to leak weaknesses to the rivals, and that's the only thing that she had learnt from her parents.

If you show yourself, raw and pure, the world is going to take benefits of you.

"You are going to fall back if you don't keep up, you know", Louis spoke from her side and she looked at him. He was like an ally. He wasn't always looking for ways to bring her down. While most of the girls in the class actually didn't fantasize the idea of her reaching the heights, Louis often stood beside her. He would often express how he was happy for her, but she assumed it was because he was taking pity on her and didn't want her to feel bad.

"I can only rely on your notes after class", she said rolling her eyes.

He shook his head in nothing but amusement. "I am still wondering how you manage to get an A+ every time", he smiled as he said so.

"Because I study and prepare a month before the exams actually start", she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Right", he rolled his eyes as he remembered all the times she would call him in stress and frustration and he would have to teach her everything and provide her with the flashcards and pop quizzes to help her understand and remember each word and vomit it out on the paper. She managed to get an A+ all the time. Her parents were pleased.

More like, her father was pleased.

Her mom and dad had divorced when she was still thirteen, waiting for her birthday gift. Instead of a surprise party and wishes from family and friends, she was welcomed with her parents fighting and finally divorcing each other. Her mother took custody of Niall, her younger brother and she was left with her dad. A part of her was angry why her mom had chosen Niall over her; but she felt guilty for thinking about abandoning dad. Two or three years later, her dad was engaged to another lady with a son, Liam. Liam was still around her age, and around meant he was two years older to her.

She wasn't even asked about it. And she didn't even know about it until it was on tabloids and news. She had found out about it in not an so private manner and she wasn't able to contact her father about it for he was out in Jamaica looking out for the new project.

Somehow, she had managed to keep it all to herself, not really talking about it to anyone else. Liam was a sweet brother. He had managed to make out her favorite color and food somehow, and treated her to it. When she had her first breakup at the age of 17, he had helped her overcome it, staying by her side, helping her to tubs of chocolate ice cream and watching Netflix. He had even gone to the extents of hugging her and whispering in her ears that she was enough and if anyone didn't have the eyes for it, they were blind. He even proposed that he could go around and beat her ex's ass with a few of his friends who were always looking for action to which she had obviously nodded in a 'no' while she giggled. He had taken care of her delicately.

Liam was now out in New York, studying cinematography, something he had admitted to be interested in since he was a kid.

That left her. If she hadn't been so indecisive and just had thought about what she wanted to do, she would probably be able to free herself from this hell.

But then again, what could even heaven possibly bring for her?

"You okay? You look out of it", Louis asked noticing the nine o'clock on her face.

"Yeah. I am fine", she said back, not looking back at him, but looking straight ahead at the bald man who discussed strategies.

"You know you always say fine when you aren't", he said, typing the words of the professor on his laptop.

"If I don't say you what's wrong would you know anyways?", she asked back still not looking at him but drawing circles on the top of the notebook.

He sighed out in disappointment. He had known for a fact that Elena always struggled with talking out how she felt at a certain instant; she struggled with naming the feels and chills; she struggled with talking about her life; and she most certainly didn't know how to recognize her pain.

In short, she was an expert in invalidating her emotions and numbing what she felt.

He knew she assumed that she could do just fine if she was alone, but without a support system she would crumble apart. And probably that's why he decided to support her; stay beside her.

She was already struggling with gripping what wasn't for her.

"I would appreciate it if you talked to me instead of bringing yourself down in your head though", he said quietly but she heard it.

Something tugged in her heart and she had goosebumps all over. She wasn't bringing herself down. She was just wondering what could have happened if she had been the first one to talk to her father about her interests. She shook her head in order to get those thoughts out of her head. She couldn't act selfish and think of putting Niall or Liam through it all when they clearly didn't want to.

She was stuck.

"I am not bringing myself down. I was just wondering...things", she said, not really giving out what she was thinking about. She didn't want pity or sympathy from people who were close to her, like Louis.

"Sure", he rolled his eyes as he slumped back on his seat, tugging his shirt down a bit and stretching his arms out.

"Its nothing bothering", she said again, this time to convince herself as well as the man beside her.

"Uh-huh", he said, still looking straight at the bald professor, tapping his fingers on the bottom of his laptop.

"I was just wondering if things would have been different if I beat Niall and Liam to it and talked to my dad of my interests", she sighed giving up just because she didn't want Louis to give her the silent treatment.

"What are your interests then?", he asked, still calm.

She met Louis on the first day when she was lost in the building, and they kind of clung together since then. "Nothing special", she said shrugging her shoulders.

"You like it, of course it is special", he said back in a low, disappointed voice.

"Its nothing really. You asked what I was thinking about, I said that", she sighed throwing her head back.

"So, you just don't like business?", he asked her, looking at her now.

She didn't say anything but stared ahead, sighing out.

She was afraid if he would use it against her somehow, although she knew it wouldn't happen. She sighed out again. "You can say that", she said folding her hands behind her head.

After a few minutes, as the bell rang, both of them stood up, pushed the chair back forcefully, and walked out the back gate hurriedly. "You have done Rockerfeller's assignment, right?", he asked her as both of them hurried down the hall to the next class. "Yep, you reminded me two weeks ago", she said.

The thing was, she had great memory power, that came out only when applied to things that she liked. And probably she liked statistics more than any other subject she was taking up.

"At least you did one thing right", he rolled his eyes running up in front of her, walking ahead of her when her eyes looked down on the floor.

"It's not just that; I am doing so many things right", she said, looking down yet, but mostly to herself.

"You said anything?", he asked looking back at her.

"Probably", she shrugged her shoulders as she looked forward and walked in front of him, pushing him in the process.

And in haste, her head met the brick hard body of a man which resulted her in a crash down the floor. She managed to rub her head as she looked up at the person who was already busy collecting up the papers fallen down.

"I am sorry", she muttered.

"As you should be", he scoffed and she looked at the mess of curly mop of hair. Couldn't he say that he was sorry too? Doesn't he know basic civil behavior? Louis came to sit beside her and helped her with her bag.

"Excuse me? What is with that attitude?", she asked, looking at him.

"You weren't looking. You crashed into me. You made all the papers I was holding fall down. So, I don't think I should be the one to say sorry", he said and she could admit that it was her fault but she didn't need an assurance. He could have just said that it was okay?

She was seething with anger when Louis held her bag and hand and pulled her aside.

"Louis, what the fuck are you doing? Why did you pull me away?", she asked, astounded to what her friend had just done.

"Saving you from trouble. That man, right there, is Harry Styles; heir to Styles Corporations; the sole rival to the company you are going to inherit. You don't want him to have a gist of who you are, do you?", he asked. And she didn't have the heart to say that Louis was wrong. She wasn't afraid of the young man. Not a bit; but the fact was, she knew she had to protect herself from people who hated her; and considering the age old rivalry of Whitman Enterprises and Styles Corporations, he is going to hate her even before he got to know her, because of the positions they were bound to; and he had an awful aura to him along with the awful attitude.

"Thanks", she muttered lowly as she walked away with him to which he just gave a small smile to her. "Well, the rivalry between Styles Corporations and Whitman Enterprises is age old and well known. Didn't you know that man right there?", he asked, with curiosity. She shrugged her shoulders in oblivion. "Not really cared to research people who weren't of any use to me", she said.

Louis chuckled from his side as both of them walked in the class, all the way to the back of the class amidst other people in the same field.

Harry Styles.

She wouldn't forget the name; not that she had a choice. Within the next eight months, Whitman Enterprises would welcome her as the new CEO, and then she will be in rush. She was nervous from now only. She knew she would have to kiss her days of freedom and normality goodbye when she was to take up responsibility. It made her stand on her toes. And although it was making her feel sick in the stomach, she was keeping up.

In eight months, she would be introduced to a whole new world of rush, sleeplessness and tiredness. She wouldn't be free to go out to meet friends like Louis; but to meet business friends and partners. She wouldn't be ignoring people who wanted her out of their way; but she would be rivaling against other companies to be constantly on top.

She is going to be exhausted; but probably, she chose the life of exhaustion over the life of peace.

Anyways, Harry Styles, would have to pay though.

______________________

So guys, this one had been sitting in my draft for so long now, so I thought why not give it a shot on tumblr? Anyways, please show some love to this one. I love y'all.

[notsamsfanaccount]

i’m fucking livid over the cancellation of ofmd3.

it doesn’t even make sense for them to cancel it. ofmd broke streaming records for HBO max. it was one of the top shows of 2023 despite coming out in october. there was official merchandise and a huge advertising campaign (which i remember VERY vividly because i was sick before it came out and i was passed out on the couch for a solid week, waking up several times a day to “no, we’re on a break”).

it’s obvious what’s happening. this is what happens when writers don’t queerbait; the studios do it. they love our money and viewership, but they hate US as people. david jenkins and the rest of the team behind ofmd gave us an unashamedly queer story, and now that we’ve lined HBO’s pockets, it’s getting kicked to the curb.

the ending of season two was a “just in case” ending, which was appreciated, but i feel like everyone thought it was a given for there to be a season three. sure, season two wasn’t as good as the first one, but most of that was a pacing issue that wouldn’t have been there if HBO Max didn’t cut the budget and season length. already looks pretty sabotagey to me. not to be tinhatting about this, but that’s hella fuckin suspicious. trying to tank the ratings so they’d have an excuse to cancel the show.

but after years of sherlock levels of queerbait, we were fine with it. ofmd2 was good even with all the cuts and restrictions. of course it could’ve been better, but we all know why it wasn’t, and now we all know why we won’t have an ending.

i was scared for the finale to come out. i thought they were gonna massacre half the characters, rocky horror style. a whole “this is what happens when you’re queer” hayes code era twist. but of course that didn’t happen, the writers love us and their show too much for that. i always have seen that people like us don’t get happy endings, but for a moment, we did. and then we didn’t.

doesn’t that make you viscerally ill? we were given a show that treats queerness as a given, not as some tragic odd-one-out character development thing, depicts relationship dynamics we never thought we’d see on tv, and celebrates all of us. we were profited off of, which is okay as long as that profit is going toward the people who made this for us, and a lot of it did. then, the executives who platformed the show to get into our untapped consumer market rip it all away. they have our stats and subscription, that’s all they wanted.

the thing is, they could’ve had more. they could’ve just let us be and profited even further off of a third season, but something about us is just too much for them. it’s sick. it’s bigoted. it’s infuriating.

this keeps happening. remember when I’m Not Okay With This got canceled on a cliffhanger? and for what? the show got great viewership, an active fanbase, and people willing to stay subscribed to netflix for another season. it wasn’t even corporate greed of not wanting to cough up the production costs. they would’ve made a whole bunch of money if it was renewed. their bigotry was stronger than their corporate greed.

they hate us that much. enough to manufacture a tragic ending. enough to not rake in more profits just to get us off of their roster. i may be a bit dramatic about this but god DAMN it sure does feel intentional.

[alpaca-clouds]

Anime movies and those straight teenagers...

It's Saturday and that means I am rambling about some anime topic, right?

So, let me talk about something that has to do with anime movies. Especially those big movies that usually get attention in the west. Those that actually do have a budget and marketing and what not.

They are... so darn straight. And that in a way I personally just kinda find cringe.

Okay, let me prephase this with one thing: I never got into teenager romances. Not even when I was a teenager myself. Sure, this also was because I am aromantic no doubt. But also because of one thing I personally just learned: Teenage romances tend to be overdramatic - and most of the time they do not last.

And sure, yeah. There are teenage romances that last. Obviously. I have a friend from highschool who got together with his girlfriend when they were 16. First ever relationship for both. He is now 35. Still married. Two kids. That does happen.

But it is not the norm. Most teenage romances burn bright, but burn out fast. And that is okay. Absolutely okay.

But... it kinda makes me so annoyed about those big ass anime movies that most of the time will definitely focus around some teenage romance in the center. This is less true for Ghibli, but if you look at Makoto Shinkai and half those newer anime movie releases produced through Netflix, it is definitely true.

Someone on YouTube (I do not know who) once put it so nice: "And then in the big finale like always with those movies we have that teenage boy and the teenage girl and they are dramatically running towards each others!"

And yeah, that is kinda the thing.

I have talked before about how I do not like Makoto Shinkai movies that much. Like, they are BEAUTIFUL and visually stunning. But most of them - to me - are ruined through the romances, that just... do not really work.

Because they kinda do the thing that is so usual for all sorts of media... But kinda make it worse because of the characters being teens. That is the idea that a male and a female characters cannot exist around each other and NOT fall in love.

And it is just this typical hetero- and allonormative worldview.

And I know, I know... Shinkai actually wanted to create a lesbian romance in Suzume and just did not get allowed to do that. So, yeah, it is maybe not even his fault there. Or the fault of the other creators.

But man... I just wished those movies, that often have like really strong hooks, ended up having a finale that does not somehow involve that teen girl and teen boy dramatically running towards each other.

But it without romance. Or be it, like... gay romance. Stuff like that. Something different. Just once. Just... Please. I cannot deal with this teen heteronormativity anymore. Q-Q

[stromuprisahat]

why do so many of Yennefer’s outfits that I’ve seen (including her bra) look modern? Wouldn’t she be wearing something else?

They can't stick to monochromatic colour scheme- considering various options regarding cuts, layers or structure the history of clothing offers, would be way too much!

So yes, her clothes looks either like something my grandma would wear, or rags they scavenged on a raid on local trift store. I don't know where the budget went, but it sure as fuck wasn't Yennefer's wardrobe.

I hate you anon, btw. Now I have to go through all of that to see how superficial my impression is... although I'll only do first five episodes, considering when did the ask arrive (and my mental health).

That fucking purple cloak. Or another one, it doesn't matter. Either way TWN world apparently works in completely different way if purple isn't both conspicuous and expensive. Probably why we saw so much of it on average peasants in previous two seasons...

The broke nerd all class makes fun of (Are those platform shoes?!) or local goth witch high schooler, who's probably gonna lecture you on energies and angels? From up close my guess would be a bit older- that's some 20-ish teacher fresh from uni, trying to look respectable. My grandma would like the blouse very much. It's exactly her style.

This looks like vaguely "historical" cosplay you can find in trift stores or even your own wardrobe. It's also good to know average sorceress on the run can still get her mani-pedi comparable with present-day treatment.

Sorry for the quality, the lighting isn't very good and I'm not in mood to spend even a little more time on this, but this dress looks A LOT like the one from 01×05. So does the mask. (Budget cuts? Lack of creativity? Yennefer saving it for some twenty years in case she'd need to make Geralt feel nostalgic?)

Strong businesswoman jacket or What you want to wear to impress your peers and make them agree with you!

Some sort of nightgown? Sexy lingerie straight from the catalogue?

And we got to my "favourite"!

What the fuck is this rag? It looks like somethig Yen used to wipe the floor with, then proceeded to tie a knot or two and ta-daaa! Comfortable dress for every occasion's here! A ball or leisure? It's prefect for anything! (Unless you possess fashion sense, or gods-forbid sense of aesthetics.)

IS THAT A FUCING BRA?!

Couldn't they at least pretend to try?!

I guess Netflix couldn't afford seamstresses, so their brilliant costume designer decided to lend them something of her own.

This isn't even attempt at vaguely historical fantasy. Just some ugly loose whatever... Yen's tops, Yen's shoes... It certainly doesn't look like she's wearing stays EVER.

Compare with my favourite historically totally innacurate series:

[thephloxbayou]

It's really wild having read the books, watched the Tencent adaption, and now watching the netflix adapation.

Im only working through episode 2 right now but thoughts so far:

If you want to get into Three Body Problem, the netflix adaption isnt it. Tencent did a really good adaption if you need the visual media before reading the books or just to have a good idea of what's up in the books (tencent only covers the first). Netflix is, from what I heard and what I'm seeing, taking all 3 (or 2 of the 3) and cramming it, mixing what is supposed to be thousands of years in timeline between different characters and instead placing them all at the same point in time. It's running at breakneck speed, and each concept is barely getting time to sink in. In fact, none: they throw it at you and it happens then we're on to the next thing.

But what I DO like, if I'm viewing this as a little bonus add on rather than an honest recap, which is really what I'm doing (also a teeny but hate watch but mostly what I'm about to say lol), is seeing how the higher budget is used for particular scenes. Dehydration was gnarly as shit and great. Tencent got the concept, but didn't have the budget. (Tencent NAILED the boat scene tho imo, but I haven't seen in here yet either). I also like that we are getting it more established that the game immerses you physically. That wasn't covered in Tencent. Now, Tencent went with what we can ACTUALLY do which included the headsets and the omnidirectional treadmill, which is rad. In the book, you are physically immersed via a headset and a suit. Conceptual, but reasonable enough to reality. Netflix jumps past reality, but does bring in the immersion part. It's just a headset (likely alien tech, I believe), but when you put it on, they have a bunch of good visual cues/actions from the actors to show they can feel/taste/ etc the environment. I felt that was important to show, because then the stakes of figuring out the stable eras become higher: you don't want to feel like you're fucking burning up or freezing to death. (One character... lets say doesn't seem too concerned but it was hilarious lol )

Something that is interesting but I don't feel is objectively a point for or against either show is the acting. It's really cool to see the differences between Eastern and Western methods! This is especially apparent in the scenes based in China as they are the most similar between the book and the shows. I'm an animator so this is also something I'm always processing, consciously or not. At different points I find myself preferring one or the other. Overall, the more subtle acting of Tencent (Eastern), although there were times it felt wooden to me. At a few points, Netflix (Western), but it's lead to some hilarious over-reacting at some points, that I don't think I would have recognized (as an American raised on Western media) if I didn't have the Tencent comparison. Specifically, Ye Wenjie doing hard labor and THROWING herself dramatically to look at the sky for relief, which made me laugh out loud. Or her reading the book under the covers, eyes getting EXTRA wide and biting her lip to show "oh wow I am reading interesting forbidden media!" Less hilarious and more groan inducing is her and the reporter having to have sex in the netflix version as a shortcut to show "oh an now when he betrays her that's showing you just how bad it is!" when I think they had done a good quick job of showing their mutual disdain and desperation and the destruction of the planet and the closeness of having that "outside" view and the secrecy of it brings them from the way they showed that and a simple hand holding scene they did. If they kept with that, dropped the sex, and then when the betrayal happens have him go in on her viciously like he does in the book (and recreated in Tencent), it would have worked fine and taken the exact same amount of time (instead he just stands quietly in a corner during that scene looking ashamed). All in all, I know I prefer more subtle acting per my animation preferences, but regardless it's just a really fun thing to see.

TLDR: Don't watch the show to learn about 3 Body. If you already KNOW 3 body, my recommendation at the moment is watch if you just want to see some scenes done with a better budget, I do find it really fun to see how some of these things (between both Netflix and Tencent and just for books to visual in general) are adapted and if they match up with my mind's visual of the events :)