#half of the deleted scenes are of them and the editors took one look and were like nah

[mutliwankenobi]

Watching X-Men: First Class Deleted Scenes is so funny to me because half of the deleted scenes are of Moira and Charles flirting meaning that the editors watched the entire movie and then decided to cut basically all the scenes of the main “couple” flirting and yet saw Charles and Erik being gay and obviously in love and were just like yes we are absolutely keeping these in the movies, no doubt about it, yes we are even including a scene where they go (on a date) and sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by themselves playing chess with Charles staring at Erik talking while sitting like that for like 10 seconds because cinema

[rwrbmovie]

#RWRBMovie: deleted scenes

Matthew López:

The Cornetto scene. The breakfast scene at Kensington Palace. Everybody’s wondering what happened to the scene [at] the campfire. You know, in the course of making a movie and in the course of telling a story — runtime is less important in the streaming age than it is in theatrical distribution, but what was important to me is that the film be the right length. You cut things for pacing. You never want the audience to get ahead of you, you never want the audience to be bored. You know, there was originally a whole scene where Alex comes to the polo match. He meets Princess Bea. Henry and Alex have a little exchange after Henry gets off the horse. They go to the tack room together. What we found as we were watching the film was that Nick and Taylor were so good together in the scene prior, in Alex's bedroom. And actually when we did a version of that scene in Alex's bedroom, we got a note from the studio, from producers, asking if we could try and make that scene shorter. “It’s good, but it’s long.” So we did our first test screening and I did a shortened version of that scene in Alex's bedroom. I was really hesitant to cut it back. But I wanted to be a good collaborator and prove that I can take a note and I'm willing to try things. We actually got more than a few comments back literally saying, “We wish that scene were longer.” So that, of course, was great for me. That scene in Alex's bedroom is the entire scripted scene. There's not a single cut from the script to the final cut. As a consequence, though, of that being a rather lengthy scene, I needed to then regain momentum. We've spent it all on this scene and it's worth it because that scene between the two of them is so dynamic and wonderful. But now we gotta get things going again. So, I had a new editor come in halfway through because my first editor, Christina Heatherington, who's wonderful, had another project that she had committed to doing. And our post dates got extended a bit and she had to leave, so Nick, my new editor coming in, took a look and he says, “I wanna try something with that polo match.” He spent a weekend of his own time doing something, and then he was ready to show me. He sat me down and said, “I’ve done something crazy.” I’m like, “Great. We love crazy.” He showed me what was largely the version of the polo match that is in the film and with that music. I was laughing with glee the whole time I'm watching it. He was nervous, 'cause he is taking like six minutes of story and condensed it into two and a half minutes. But it has so much drive. It's sexy. It tells the story. It was a real lesson for me as a first time filmmaker: if you expand time, then you need to maybe also learn how to contract time. So that was a big lesson to me in pacing. With the Cornetto scene — that scene in Kensington Palace Gardens, it does everything I needed it to do. Weirdly, the Cornetto scene actually relieved some of the tension between them. I was like, look, if you take the Cornetto scene out, then the tension from that first scene remains when they go into the interview scene. I learned a lot of it is about taking the energy from one scene and using it to help you get into the next scene. One of the things I learned as a playwright, which I found was applicable to cutting a movie, is if a scene isn't working, it might not be the scene itself. It might be the scene before. “Why isn’t the interview scene playing as well as we think it should?” Look at what came before: the Cornetto scene … The Cornetto scene is charming. But we also understood, narratively speaking, it was unnecessary. And more to the point, it sapped the tension out.

(source)

[ruelknudson]

Slow start

Day three.

Well, day 2 was kind of a bust, but I had already expected that. While I am writing as a full-time job, there is a bit of flexibility in it. I knew yesterday, and the next few days, will have no progress. Before I put my notice in with my employee, I had 12/19 as well as 12/21-12/22 requested off. I have personal days, just like anyone else.

As far as "the job" is concerned, Monday was very productive. Only a single page written in a 9-hour workday. Sounds horrible, doesn't it? Well, there is a business side to this as well. Reactivating social media accounts and updating my website took up the first two hours. I have about an hour a day allotted to social media. I might take it each day; I may do a couple of hours here and there.

The rest of the day was reviewing the current rewrite. The first draft of this current piece was finished about ten months ago. Since then, I have been treading water on the rewrite. I may get into the nuts and bolts of "my process" in another post. But, for now, consider it loosely defined like this:

Basic Outline.

Vomit out a first draft. Ignore being good, and just get the important parts nailed down. It'll be sloppy, and barely worth calling writing, but it is the foundation.

First rewrite: do the writing. This is the mechanical part of it. Make it good.

Second Rewrite: Self-editing of content. I.e. trim the fat.

Third - Fifth Rewrite(s): Grammar, spelling, structure, themes all get a final review. These are usually very fast. I usually need a few of these. As this blog will attest, my grammar and spelling are terrible.

Send to the editor. Thank God for editors. By the way, they're always right. Ignore them when you absolutely have to. I will limit myself to one "I'm not changing that" per story.

Revise based on editor notes.

Final editor pass. Be prepared to justify the thing you kept which your editor said to change. Smile broadly when the editor doesn't tell you to remove it the second time.

Release.

Number 3 is the longest, and most arduous step for me. However, this is where the book starts to actually resemble something worth reading. I am about 40% of the way through this rewrite, but I had to reread all of the previous work. This reflects how unfocused the process had been while I was working full-time on my previous day job.

This draft is still a mess. Luckily the core themes are properly worked out, and they evolve as I was hoping. My worst fear was repetition. I had to be sure the core ideas weren't creeping back into the piece later on. The themes need to evolve through the story, even a non-fiction story. Somehow, even as disconnected as those rewrites were, the themes are moving forward through the book at a natural progression.

If I stick with this format, I should finish two to three chapters a week. This doesn't look like it will be longer than my previous books. So. it looks like a month before the narrative is finished even with the holidays. Then I do the follow up rewrites. I also have appendices to write, but these are more academic than narrative, so they should go pretty quick and will only have one or two rewrites (if that).

During this process I will journal my thoughts and feelings here. I don't know if anyone will care. That's not the point. I think of it like those behind-the-scenes extras for films. Mostly, they are self-gratifying, but if you are interested in how the sausage is made, then its available.

I also want to use this to document how this process may change from story to story. I am curious how it might look after a few years. Will I have refined my process, or dumped it altogether? I wonder what future me will think of this. I bet future Ruel will take a look, get through the first half, delete it, and hope no one scraped a copy or thinks to look at the way back machine's archives to dredge this up.

One last note. I am rereading "On Writing" by Stephen King. I started in my final week of employment. I highly recommend it for any author, aspiring or not. While it has some advice, it is more of a peek into Stephen King as a writer. I am not a huge fan of King. I like many of his stories, but I don't go running to by a new book of his just because it was released.

However, I always find this book to be reaffirming, and inspiring. I don't agree with everything he says, but that's ok. I think the core value of the book isn't the advice. To me, it feels like he is sharing his experience and passing it along in case what works for him can help other writers. That's not to say one should ignore the advice. Its good advice. But that doesn't mean it works for everyone.

I don't expect the same fame, or any fame. I don't even know if writing will be profitable yet. But there is this sense of kinship when you read this book. I can relate to him, and much of what he says. The first time I read this I found myself nodding at a page like he could see me agreeing with him. It's like a conversation with King. "I totally get where you're coming from, Stephen. Telepathy."

Anyways, it's not a revolutionary book that will suddenly make a writer out of anyone. It's not designed for that. But, if you are a writer, it's a good read, and I recommend it. It's great for slumps. For me, I just needed another writer's voice to tell me I'm not crazy.

Welcome to your first day on the job, Ruel. Did you bring your toolbox?

[sleepless-rain]

Seijoh’s graduation trip plans

Translator: Leo | Sleepless-rain | Leoppii Editor: Troy  Esaki | Kahluaplusmilk

“Continue on unwaveringly.”

Those were the words that Iwaizumi Hajime had said to Oikawa Tohru, who had stopped to turn back and look at him. It was fall at the time.

“You’re my partner and an utterly amazing setter.”

On this day, Aobajousai High School had lost in the semifinals at the Miyagi representative game of the spring volleyball tournament. And starting from that lost match, the third years were to retire.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa weren’t only the captain and vice-captain of the volleyball club.  They had been together through junior high school and elementary school, more than half of their lives—up until now— was spent together on the courts as partners.

Iwaizumi’s words were blunt, unembellished and held no lies.

“Even if this team changes, that will not change. When the time comes I will take you down.”

Oikawa straightened himself and accepted Iwaizumi’s words of passion and friendship head-on.

“…Bring it on.”

And this story takes place a few months later.

TRANSLATORS NOTE: Please do NOT repost this translation ANYWHERE. If I see the whole thing elsewhere I will stop translating novel chapters and delete this one as well. Sharing small snippets are okay but not the whole thing. Please link back to this tumblr post if you want to share it.

  “I want to eat curry… So how about India?” said Iwaizumi, wiping the sweat off with his arm.

“You serious?”

“The bar is suddenly set way too high.”

Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro grimace, sweat dripping from their chins.

It was followed by, “But I like naan.”

“I totally get you.”

“When you want to eat naan, you drop by the curry restaurant.”

“I don’t get you.”

A stream of consciousness about curry overlapped with one another until Hanamaki cut in, wringing out his towel, “But you know…Hawaii would be good. How about we go snorkeling?”

“That sounds good, ‘specially in this situation. Deciding between curry and the sea, the latter sounds far better,” Matsukawa answered, ceaselessly wiping his sweat and wringing out his towel.

Iwaizumi, who had suggested India clicked his tongue, “Tch.”

It was hot in here.

Actually, rather than hot it was boiling hot. Yearning for the cool blue sea over a curry filled with spices was no surprise.

As to why they were in a highly acclaimed sauna.

                                                            *** 

In their third year of high school, winter.

With no classes to attend and it being a long time since retiring from club activities, the former volleyball club third year members of Aobajousai High School, Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa were left in a daze, and with so much free time they made their way around to various large bathhouses.

After making a big fuss over the electricity bath* with a waterfall feature* they headed into the sauna together. While sweating, the brainless discussion of “where would you go for your graduation trip? Assuming that money wasn’t an issue” blossomed: a way to occupy their free time.

“But you know I’d like to go to Las Vegas.”

“Because you want to gamble?”

“But it’s only fun if you actually have money.”

“Ah, there it is: the forbidden word,” Matsukawa pointed out in response to Iwaizumi’s frank reply, but he thoughtfully considered an alternative.

“If it isn’t a casino… there isn’t really any other place I’d want to go there. Okay then… hmmm, ah. Pandas. A tour of the panda’s homeland, China.”

“Well, if its pandas,” Hanamaki replied to Matsukawa’s panda suggestion, clapping his hands together. “Did you know there’s a whole tonne of pandas at the Wakayama Zoo? I saw it on TV recently.”

“Wakayama?”

“Oh, I bet you don’t know where Wakayama is, Iwaizumi.”

“Shut up.”

Wincing at Iwaizumi’s lack of affection, Hanamaki pulled himself together: “Anyway, even my towel has gotten hot so I think it’s about time to get out.”

“Same here, I can’t stand it anymore.” Matsukawa stood up, “What about you Iwaizumi?” he asked.

“I’m staying.”

“Okay, don’t push yourself.”

“Cold bath?”

“Cold bath.”

The two friends agreed whilst pushing open the heavy wooden door and exiting.

Left alone in the sauna, Iwaizumi crossed his arms, staring at the thermometer on the wall. There was nothing else to do.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, sweating buckets until he muttered, “Las Vegas, huh?” before taking his towel and violently wiping his face and his head. “I guess I really am a bit like a kaiju.” He said to himself, standing up and leaving the sauna drenched in sweat and in search of water.

                                                               ***

 After enjoying the baths and the sauna, the three tired boys found themselves in the large tatami room. Lined with tables and sitting cushions the room doubled as both a resting and a dining area.

An old fan swung its neck unsteadily, blowing a breeze in their direction. There seemed to be a TV somewhere in the room, as the sounds of the golf match commentary could be heard faintly. There were people watching the TV with a few beers, people lying down reading the comic books provided, and children playing the games they had brought.

Everyone in this bathhouse resting area was relaxing and doing as they pleased. And as for these three boys, they were testing the limits of their stomachs.

Of course, it didn’t start off as such a vicious scene. It was meant to be a light meal but there was a reason as to why it turned into a bloodthirsty battle.

After getting out of the baths and slipping into the jinbei* resembling pajamas, the three ordered a light meal, curry, and ramen, while resting. The place ran on a self-serve system, where you went to get your food from the counter when the number buzzer you were given went off. However, the pork cutlet curry Matsukawa had ordered still hadn’t been called out.

“You two eat first, or it will get cold and soggy,” Matsukawa, who was lying on the ground reading manga, told Iwaizumi and Hanamaki who had gone and returned with their curry and ramen.

“Then I’ll dig in.”

“Sorry.”

Without holding back the two took their spoons and chopsticks in their hands and began eating.

“I knew it, curry is the best.”

“That’s not even Indian styled curry! You’re okay with that? ”

“Yeah, because it’s curry.”

The boys continued to talk at the table, and everything was still alright. The trouble was yet to come.

Slurping his ramen Hanamaki called out to Iwaizumi beside him, “You were in there for a real long time.”

“Hm?” Iwaizumi responded with the spoon still in his mouth.

“You know, in the sauna.” He replied.

“Oh that. Isn’t that amount of time normal?”

“Are you serious?”

Their conversation ended there. Both of them focusing on the curry and ramen before them. It was just a meaningless conversation however someone reacted unexpectedly.

“Normal, huh…?”

It was Matsukawa, lying on the tatami.

Matsukawa couldn’t let their conversation – Iwaizumi’s “normal” - slip from his ears.

 “‘Normal’ he said. Doesn’t that mean that the two of us that left earlier are weaker than normal?”

 At that moment his buzzer went off beeping.

Matsukawa got up, “Oh, it’s finally done.”

Hanamaki eyed him whilst sipping the ramen broth from his spoon and asked: “Yours is the only one that took so long, what did you order?”

“Me? Pork cutlet curry.”

“Oh, one of those things that take time to fry… wait, that’s not something you eat after getting out of the sauna!? Your stomach must be strong.”

Upon hearing that Matsukawa glanced at Iwaizumi who was drinking water. And as if he were waiting for it, a smug smile crossed his face, “You think so? Having pork cutlet curry is pretty normal.” He taunted, picking up the beeping number buzzer to get his pork cutlet curry, ambling towards the counter. Someone glared at the figure strangely overflowing with confidence.

“‘Normal’… you say?” It was Iwaizumi, spoon in hand. “Normal? Then me eating plain curry means I’m weaker than that?”

The golf commentary from the TV, the manga, the faint breeze blowing intermittently, the curry and ramen, all of it relaxing and warm. This heaven-like peace enveloping the resting and dining area unfolded into a sudden battlefield.  

Iwaizumi stuffed the remainder of his curry into his mouth vigorously before slowly standing up. “I’m going to get extra gyoza,” he said.

Taken aback by the sudden dangerous aura emanating from Iwaizumi, Hanamaki winced “S-sure…”. His hands stopped over his ramen, the atmosphere created by former ace Iwaizumi could have easily been mistaken for the middle of a match.

And soon after Matsukawa returned with his tray of curry.

“Huh, where’s Iwaizumi?”

“Mm? Oh- uh seems like he went to get some gyoza.”

“…I see.”

Seating himself leisurely onto a sitting cushion, Matsukawa took his spoon in his hand and sighed, “Facing off pork cutlet curry with gyoza, pathetic.”

“What? What are you talking about? Both of you have been acting really weird since a while ago! Is this some kind of inside-joke?”

Hanamaki put down his chopsticks without thinking and upon noticing change in Matsukawa’s attitude Iwaizumi had returned with a “hey.” The clear plastic container in his hand contained eight gyoza. On top of that, another box stuffed with 200grams of chicken karaage. Seeing the extra meat, Hanamaki just feigned a smile.

“Hey, I know you went to all the trouble of buying that but I’m full from the ramen, I can’t eat that.”

Iwaizumi didn’t even spare Hanamaki a glance, staring down unblinkingly at Matsukawa who was eating his cutlet leisurely in declaration of war, “All of it is mine.”

Matsukawa stared back, putting down his fork and rising to his feet to accept Iwaizumi’s challenge, “Bring it on.”

“What is it with you guys!? Matsukawa, why are you standing? Sit down!”

The downside of war is that there are always innocents who get dragged in. And without listening to the confused Hanamaki, the pointless battle began.

Thirty minutes had passed. After eating his pork cutlet curry, yakisoba, grilled onigiri, Matsukawa now sat with what he claimed ‘dessert’, slurping down tapioca filled milk tea.

An exhausted Hanamaki asked: “Isn’t tapioca made from some sort of potato, doesn’t that make this more of a food than a drink? Why are you eating little balls of potato after a meal?”

“Because they were selling it.”

“Even if you want to look cool drinking that, you don’t.”

“I’m not trying to look cool.”

“You are! I heard you when you said ‘pathetic’ and all that other stuff. ”

While Hanamaki and Matsukawa were going back and forth, Iwaizumi returned with another plate piled high with freshly made fries.

“Potatoes! More potatoes! Why are you both eating piles of potatoes!? It’s practically another meal! What’s with you two?! My stomach hurts just watching you. I’m begging you both, please stop!”

The bystander Hanamaki had given up and Matsukawa, who was probing for pearls with the end of his straw, and Iwaizumi, who was throwing a handful of fries into his mouth, stopped. They looked at each other and nodded.

“Let stop it here then since you’re insisting.”

“Right.”

“You’re pretty strong.”

“Same to you.”

Hanamaki glanced at the two shaking hands over the good showdown they had had, clutching his stomach and rolling on the tatami groaning, “The damage runs deep…”

Having mercy on Hanamaki, who suddenly gave in, and having come to terms with the power they both held, both of them turned back to the table. Instead of eating at top speed they ate at the pace they pleased, sipping tapioca and munching on fries. This peaceful scene is what you would have called a warriors break.

“I think I ate a bit too much.”

“It’s because we haven’t been exercising recently.”

“I guess so.”

“How about we show our faces at club practice tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

After eating and drinking until they were full, they leant against the wall, satisfied. It was a warm, comforting moment. Taking a hot bath, unwinding in the sauna, eating a good meal, the fan gently carrying a breeze towards them— It was a moment of bliss.

Eyes closed and exhaustion finally settling in, everything was disrupted by music playing loudly through the speakers in the resting area.

“Huh? Seems like something’s starting…” an almost asleep Hanamaki woke up, startled.

“Look at that…!” Eyes wide, he pointed out at the open area outside.

Iwaizumi and Matsukawa stood up to look over.

A low stage had been unknowingly set up, a group of elderly people who had just gotten out of the baths and enjoying a beer gathered around it, microphones held gleefully in their hands. The sound of unknown old men singing enka songs roared through the resting area.

“I didn’t think they’d have karaoke here.”

“I can’t sleep like this.”

“This blows.”

For these three high school boys with little life experience, and it was a little too early to be battling it out in enka songs. Slipping past the old men excited by songs of mountains and waterfalls, death and killing, the three boys shuffled out of the resting and dining area, leaving it all behind.

                                                              ***

Escaping the enka hell the three boys, wearing the indoor slippers, stumbled upon an arcade.

“Oh, they have the alligator game.*”

“Ready for the hunt.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit cruel to hit their heads?”

“That crane game has a PS4 in it.”

“There’s no way you could win it.”

Familiar sounds and music filled the room. The three wandered aimlessly around the to all the old crane machines until Iwaizumi suddenly called out, “Oh! Let’s play this! Have a showdown!”

In front of the eager Iwaizumi was a punching bag machine. But Matsukawa wrinkled his brow at the effort of it all, “No way, I hate these power type games. You’re going to thrash us anyway Iwaizumi.”

“There’s no winning or losing in punching. It’s to test yourself.”

“You said showdown before.”

It seemed like they were about to break down into another fight but Hanamaki, blue-faced, cut in, “Sorry… but I… the moment I use any force I think I’ll have ramen spewing out of my mouth.”

“Don’t wanna see that.”

“If that’s the case, how about we head home? Since we’re tired.”

It was when the three went to check the time that they saw it.

“Oh.”

Hanamaki pointed to the back of the arcade.

“Damn, air hockey!”

“Huh?”

“Oh, it really is! Air hockey! Air hockey!”

At the back of the arcade was an air hockey machine, old and clunky like the rest of the machines.

“Oh crap! How long has it been since we played air hockey?”

“I haven’t played since junior high!”

“Hurry up, let’s play! How much is it?”

“I won’t lose!”

“Who versus who for the first game?”

Wanting to spew ramen from his mouth, whether someone was going to win or lose, all of that was forgotten as the three hurriedly rushed to stuff one hundred yen into the machine. And thus the first round of the air hockey tournament began.

                                                               ***

 “The bathhouse was unexpectedly interesting.”

“We’ve discovered a great place.”

“Right?”

They had eaten to their heart’s content, played around like children before heading into the baths once again to wash off the sweat. With satisfied faces, they headed home on the free shuttle.

“I didn’t even think it would be this interesting.”

“We spent all our money on the air hockey machine though.”

“We exchanged for so many coins.”

After reminiscing the day using only the words “sick”, “seriously”, and “fun” they eventually quieted down. Whether it was the swaying of the bus, the fatigue from the baths, their full stomachs, or the soft orange light of the setting sun filling the bus that had the three nodding off, no one was sure.

 Staring blankly out the window Iwaizumi mumbled, “... If only he had come.”

Upon hearing those words Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s eyes flew open, despite almost falling asleep.

“Huh, by ‘him’ you mean… Him?”

“If you say ‘him’ there’s no one but him.”

“Him… yeah him…”

The three of them exchanged glances nodding in agreement “Him”, “yeah him.” And bursting out into laugher but it only took a moment before they stopped.

“No, it’s better that he wasn’t here.”

“I guess.”

“It would be pretty wild if he were.”

“But he definitely would have stolen the microphone out of the old lady’s hands.”

“Gotta do a duet I guess.”

“And then he’d get a tonne of candy and mikan.”

“Definitely.”

Right in the middle of their heated talk about ‘him’, the phone in Iwaizumi’s pocket rang out.

“Hm?”

Iwaizumi glanced at the notification, letting out an “ugh” and leaning back, the other two asked what it was and Iwaizumi showed them his phone.

“It’s from him.”

It was a message from him – Oikawa Tohru.

“Really?”

“Hell, he might be hiding in here watching us.”

“Surveying us huh.”

Of course, it would have been unlikely, but perhaps it wasn’t with the person called Oikawa. You could say that he was mysterious, or rather incomprehensible, whichever it was he was inexplicably terrifying.

After looking around the windows and the bus to confirm that Oikawa wasn’t there, Hanamaki let out a sigh, “So what did he say?”

“He just asked ‘Whatcha doing?’ Doesn’t he have anything else to do?”

“Tell him we’re in Las Vegas, send ‘In Las Vegas now’.”

“Idiot.”

“That’s stupid.”

While they bantered they took a photo, bathed in the setting sun, and sent it a message along the lines of “Coming back from Las Vegas with Matsukawa and Hanamaki”. And a reply came back immediately, obviously addressed to all three of them.

“Here we go, ‘ Is this Las Vegas at Naruko Hot springs*?’. Why Naruko hot springs? Is it the kokeshi? ” Hanamaki laughed before his expression changed, “Wait how did he know we went to the baths? Is there a place called Las Vegas in Naruko?”

Both Matsukawa and Iwaizumi replied immediately with serious faces, “Of course not.”

“Oh but hot springs sound good too,” Matsukawa added, stretching in his seat.

“Hot springs, huh…That means table tennis and not air hockey.” As Iwaizumi smirked his phone rang again.

“No fair! I want to go!” came another message from Oikawa.

This time Hanamaki replied, “Air hockey warrior Iwaizumi was seriously something.” and a reply from Oikawa came immediately.

“He said, ‘I’d beat him no sweat’. What are you gonna do Iwaizumi?”

“As if I’d lose.” Iwaizumi replied casually, but his fighting spirit burned deep in his eyes.

“This is going to be serious.”

“Yeah.”

Hanamaki and Matsukawa looked at one another.

Would there really be another round of the air hockey tournament? Who knows?

 The three of them thought about the days ahead of them on the swaying bus.

For the three years of high school, if not the years of elementary school and middle school, the boys that had spent more time bonding with their volleyball teammates than their parents or siblings, were now about to walk different paths. Away from their schools, their hometown.

 “God, I’m getting bus sick,” Matsukawa said blue-faced and Hanamaki laughed.

“You’re so weak… wait I don’t feel so good either.”

“Don’t look down, look outside!” Iwaizumi pointed, putting his phone away in his pocket.

“What are you going to do about Oikawa?” Hanamaki asked, “You still haven’t replied to his ‘I’d beat him no sweat’ comment.”

“Just leave it.”

The other two laughed at the blunt reply.

“Amazing, he’s not even here and he managed to barge in.”

“His presence is too strong.”

“That’s why it’s a good thing he isn’t here with us.”

As they laughed amongst themselves the bus approached the station. They knew it well, this twilight town they always walked through together. The bus winded through, this small journey was almost coming to an end. As each small journey ends, the days slowly pass by. The match ends, retiring from club activities, graduating from high school.

The time to part ways will definitely come, but this won’t be a problem for them. The time spent together, the sweat and tears they shed, all of it is part of their bodies and souls. Along with the things that they built up together, their strength, technique, confidence, and trust, all these things make up their bodies. And each of them will walk a new path to a place they haven’t trekked.

As all roads are connected, although separated, for now, they will surely meet again. And so for the when they meet again so that they can hold their heads high and laugh, they will continue to take on each challenge.

 How about you?

Are you moving forward?

 A motivation that can only be gained from friends pushes them onwards through fatigue. If friends are what keeps one going when they’re apart, then not having them by their sides will be all right.

 “Continue on unwaveringly.”

That’s all they needed.

                                                               ***

  While the three began to head their separate ways home after hopping off the bus, Oikawa was hunched in the corner of the clubroom staring at his phone, “Why did they leave me on read? Damn it!!”

   TRANSLATION NOTES:

Electricity baths: Pretty much a bath that has panels running down the sides that shoot electrical pulses into the water. I’ve been in one and it’s kind of tingly at first but it feels kind of like a massage if you get used to it. It’s not all that common in Japan so even then it’s a sort of novelty to Japanese people.

Waterfall feature: I didn’t know how to translate this but it’s basically a pipe at a height where the hot water comes out. You can sit under it to hit your back and it’s basically like a waterfall/massage.

 Jinbei: Traditional Japanese top and bottoms. The kind you see babies wear to summer festivals (I guess like a two-piece, yukata top and pants). Made out of a thin material and made particularly for hot weather.

 Alligator game: in English, this game is Alligator hunt, but in Japanese, it’s called (ワニワニパニック) waniwani panicky, alligator panic, Matsukawa follows with a “What a panic” to finish Hanamaki’s sentence but I changed it a bit so English readers could get the reference.

Naruko hot springs: One of the most popular hot springs in Miyagi is also known for their wooden dolls, kokeshi. If you ever go to Miyagi, Naruko is beautiful in fall!!

As a small disclaimer:  I have taken some liberties in translation to make the  novel read smoothly. So please don’t quote specific words as canon. that being said I tried my best to stay faithful to the original.  For this reason I will not allow translations into another language using this as the base text. I apologise to anyone who is keen on sharing it in another language but please do so using the original Japanese text.

Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter please consider supporting Haikyuu and buying a copy of this novel (volume 11) ! I may consider doing more novel translations in the future!

I do have a Ko-fi so if you do feel like it, please donate!

[kamandzak]

Into the Great Night - Chapter 2

I started writing this book about a year ago and finished it ~7 months ago. Performing a big rewrite and this chapter is so dismally beautiful I can’t keep it to myself.

Context: Andrew Garland’s boyfriend of eight years has passed away and he is struggling

Recommended listening: Compass and Miracle by Two Steps from Hell

     It was foolish of me to think it would be any better at Tessa’s house. Merely leaving the place Greg and I had cohabitated didn’t mean our past would leave me; that my grief would leave me.

    It was no better sitting on Tessa’s couch as opposed to my own.

    It was still lonely. It was still joyless.

    It was still too cold.

      If that was my new normal…. If that was the life of which I would be forced to live for the rest of my days, I preferred to die.

      Tessa was worried. Beth was worried. Sara and Clara were worried. They all had the right to be. Mom and Dad still hadn’t reached out. I couldn’t say I was mad about it.

      For the first month I carried the same daily, depressive routine: Wake up, shower, watch videos, eat, shower again, sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat. Nothing to disrupt the morose mentality I held from the moment my eyes opened until they closed. Even in my dreams I continued being sad. I couldn’t escape – trapped forever.

    Jake’s constant messages of concern did nothing but send me sinking deeper and deeper into hazy nothingness. Peppered with queries about when I planned to emerge onto the gaming scene, along with the occasional ludicrous statement about how he understood my stuffy brain, each message was deleted as it was read. There was no reason to have those hanging around, reminding me why I was in Reno and not where I had once dreamed of making a life for myself.

      Whenever I closed my eyes, Greg’s face appeared in the dark. Maybe I was napping; maybe I was finally sleeping fully through the night; maybe I was simply blinking. Always, he was there.

    Sometimes it was a fleeting glance of what used to be the best part of my life. Sometimes I dreamed of things that had already happened, or things I wanted to be that would never come to light.

    One night, I dreamed we got married. Waking up was almost as painful as watching him die.

      Tessa was worried I’d off myself. It wasn’t like we talked about it or anything, of course, but I could hear her and Beth sitting over tea every weekend, hushed mutterings coming from her dining room table or her room or her little porch. My grief had thrown a wrench into the lives of those around me, Beth worrying about my life when she normally would work on lesson plans for her rambunctious class of first graders. When she was feeling brave, Tessa would ask why I kept my secrets down deep for so long. That right there was why.

    I had suffered from depression before but what I was feeling wasn’t just unadulterated sadness; it was a fierce, far more complicated set of emotions leading me to exist in a far more dangerous mindset than I had ever been in before. Instead of having an urge to kill the part of me that is making me feel so unbelievably yet nondescriptly sad, I wanted death. Death, full stop.

    Mom and Dad and Sara and Clara and Beth and Tessa weren’t good enough reasons to stay alive, and all I wanted was to see Greg just for another minute. I wanted to give up a life with my own flesh and blood just to see him again. I would have given up all the time in the world for one more night of SNL and inside jokes with a man who made me feel like so much more than who I actually was; a unextraordinary nerd with awkward social tendencies and difficulty communicating. With Greg I felt like I was more than just me; without him, I didn’t know who I was anymore.

    “Andrew! Your phone!” A crumpled ball of paper bounced off my head as Tessa’s voice cut through my outer shell, the sounds of my phone following her words. My phone beeped loudly, the tell-tale sign of a Facetime call on it’s way, and I dragged my finger across the screen to accept before I read the name. Each bodily movement seemed to take ten times longer than Before. I was living seconds behind reality.

    “Garland.”

Jake’s face popped onto my screen. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1….

    “Hi.”

    “You look like hell.”

Jake’s mouth stopped moving before I even put together the string of letters that made up his blunt statement.

    “Mm,” I managed.

    “You in Reno?” I nodded. “I’m heading out that way this weekend. Never been to Vegas believe it or not. Figured I’d go explore. Have you seen anyone since everything happened?

    “Andrew, want anything from the gas station?” Tessa stood in her door frame and as I shook my head she left without another word.

    “I’ll take that as a no?”

    “Yeah, no. No, I haven’t seen anyone. I don’t want to see anyone.”

    “What if they came to you? So you didn’t have to leave where you are?”

    “I’m not about to let a stranger into my sister’s apartment.”

    “We’re not technically strangers at this point, right?”

    “Why are you so hell-bent on meeting face-to-face?”

Jake paused, inhaling loudly, wheezily, in a way that reminded me of Greg; then again, everything reminded me of Greg whether it had anything to do with him or not.

    “The best thing that came out of the worst time in my life is now I can be empathetic to other people going through the same thing.”

The tiniest part of me wanted to know what he’d been through but the larger part didn’t have the brain power to care because what actually mattered didn’t exist anymore. I didn’t think Jake was purposely jabbing at open, festering wounds for the sake of cruelty; he was just caring for me.

    I didn’t want his caring. I only wanted one person’s caring and couldn’t get past the knowledge that I'd never have it again.

    “Let me know if you want someone to talk to. I’m only in Nevada for a couple of days. I won’t mind stopping. Really.”

    “Mm.”

    “I gotta go. Message me.”

The screen went black. Please Rate the Quality of your Call, a prompt stated, with the outlines of five stars beneath. I did no such thing.

    I wasn’t about to message him, even if I had a reason to do so. I wasn’t going to be messaging anyone because all conversations led back to Greg. How was gaming going? Was I still in Los Angeles? Was I still going to be on YouTube? All questions would eventually wind up being about him and the more I talked, the more I would have to remember. The more I would have to remember, the more I would have to feel, the more I would hurt.

    It started happening when I arrived at Tessa’s; my need for answers led me to the internet and introduced me to the term dissociation; I would simply leave my body. Up to the ceiling I seemed to float as if filled with helium, watching what was taking place below. Tessa waking up and making breakfast before going to her gaming room; her video editor Reese chatting with her about her upload schedule; Beth coming and going; myself sitting in the same spot on the same couch day in and day out.

    I didn’t know why it was happening, the only reasonable explanation being that I so desperately didn’t want to exist but was too much of a damn coward to kill myself. In the end, dissociation seemed like the best option. Just remove myself painlessly from my surroundings. Was certainly better than the alternative. It was peaceful, exiting the current plane and living somewhere else if only for just a few minutes.

    Live. That was the key word. I was still technically alive, my heart still beating and my stomach still digesting and my eyes blinking and lungs expanding with each breath. The human being my brain commanded was still moving. My mind was developed enough to operate on autopilot, doing the dumb things it had to do to keep everything in stasis. I ‘lived’, for lack of a better word.

    When I did gather the courage to look up what I was feeling on the internet, nothing made sense. Nothing could be remotely tailored to fit my situation. I could relate to none of it. These people with their inspiring stories and memoirs written in loving memoriam, and benches dedicated to loved ones… their experiences seemed to minimize what kept me awake at night. How were they able to do that? How could those strangers make me and my emotions feel trivial without even knowing me and without me actively posting in detail what was happening in my head? As hard as I tried to imagine those brave widows and widowers and left-behinds feeling the way I did, their stories always wound up being of getting over that tremendous loss.

    I didn’t want to get over it. If I got over it I would lose Greg forever. I’d already lost him once.

    The grocery lists of things I could do to help myself mocked me as I read the advice of people who claimed to know how to recover from the un-recoverable. Write them a letter, authors would write in silly, curly-cue fonts before giving me a whole page to write the letter, as if I was going to sit down and put pen to paper and tell Greg about something I saw that reminded me of our first date. List all the good times, one said, with bullet points for me to fill out five moments, as if every moment we had together wasn’t the best of my life. Find someone to talk to, another whimsically suggested as it reminded me that keeping my feelings inside was dangerous. As if I didn’t already know it was ripping me apart from the inside.

    They didn’t tell me how to start a letter to Greg where all I could do was say how much I missed him. They didn’t tell me how to find someone to talk to when I didn’t want to talk to anyone about anything. They gave me five fucking spots to talk about good times as if our six-year relationship could be reduced down to that many moments and no more.

    They said all of it was doable; they said that when the lost their husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend or best friend or grandparent or dog or whatever, those were the steps they took to recovering and moving on.

    They weren’t me, though. They weren’t me and they weren’t Greg and they weren’t the set of circumstances under which we had lived. Even if half of the equation was there, the other wasn’t. Maybe their loved one was sick. Were they sick with the same ailment, or one that carried similar stigma? Did they purposely risk illness for the sake of their significant other or family member or friend? Did their risk become reality because fate can be an unnecessarily cruel mistress? Did they love the other person so much they shortened their own life?

    The door opened and couch shifted as Tessa’s hands landed on the sides of my face.

    “Andrew”

I cracked at her voice, her icy hands wrapping around my head and pushing me against her. Worming my arms under hers, I clung to her small shoulders, weeping into her jacket sleeves. Eyes screwed shut I gasped for air, seeing Greg in the darkness as he mirrored the same breathy sounds. While mine were of sadness, his were of death – the only sound of him I could manage to remember despite being together for so long. Tessa pulled at my non-resisting body and we sat together, tangled in a heap of coats and scarves and unwashed hair. Much like when we were young – when we didn’t understand what the world was about or why we were with the people we were with – and Tessa would protect me, we sat close, her love drowning out the pulsing drone of fear and hatred and sadness and anger rushing through my mind as it struggled to comprehend the incomprehensible.

    For several minutes, we sat in silence.

    “Andrew.”

    “Mm.”

    “I love you.”

    “I know.”     “And,” she finally pushed me off her body, holding me in front of her. Cold air hit my hot face, adhering the salty wash of tears to my skin, “And you can talk to me about anything you need to. I know you don’t want to. I know you think you’re strong enough. Maybe the only way to become strong is to not be.”

    “Where do I s-start?” I hiccupped.

    “Let’s get the team together,” she began, rising slowly and pulling me up with her. “Maybe they can help.”

    “But-.”

    “No one knows you like we do.”

      Hours later, beneath the door of Tessa’s bedroom, I heard her. I heard them.

    “You guys have to get here as soon as you can. Please.”

    “What’s the matter, Tess?”

    “I think it’s happening…. I think the numbness is wearing off. He’s starting to feel things again. It’s not that I don’t want to be here when it happens. I just don’t want to not have you guys here with us. I don’t know what do to.”

Greg’s death wasn’t supposed to be affecting my sisters as the sounds of their video call trickled through the under-crack of the door. It wasn’t supposed to be affecting Jake or anyone else but me and the Davis’.

    It was a stupid thought and their voices continued, muffled by my sense of inadequacy. Of course it would be affecting other people. It started doing so the moment Tessa posted my video. It started affecting the girls the second I told them I was having an emergency and they needed to come see me. What I hadn’t wanted was exactly what I had dug myself into when I welcomed other people into the hell-circle I was stuck in.

    I didn’t want them to come see me. I didn’t want Beth to take time off and Clara to leave Frank and Sara to leave Duncan to come take care of me. I was twenty-four. I should have been able to take care of me.

      The front door opened several hours later and I looked up with a faux look of surprise. Out, I sent them telepathically. Please go.

    “Why are you here?” Tessa rolled her eyes at my question.

    “Boy, don’t pretend like you weren’t listening on my Zoom call with them,” she cracked a smile before reading the room and immediately coming back to our reality. “You know why.”

    “We’re just afraid that there’s more to address than just your changing grief,” Beth began and bile began rising in my throat. It was only a matter of time really, before they put two and two together. I guess I had thought it would take a little longer. Her hand landed in the middle of my back, leading me to the same sofa where Tessa and I had broken down together.

    “Don’t worry about me,” I began confidently. “I’m just-.”

    But then I coughed. I coughed and coughed and the more I tried to regulate my breathing, the harder it was. Choking; gasping.

    Hands rubbed my back while others pushed me down and a another lowered a glass of water into my field of vision. Sip, choke, swallow, repeat until I could finally shakily inhale with difficulty.

    Looking down at me were four sets of beautiful, worried eyes with which I could barely stand to keep contact.

    Clara spoke,

    “Stage three.”     “What?”

    “That’s what you’re in, isn’t it? Frank just… just lost a patient and when I asked him, especially when Tessa told me about all of your shakes and fevers, he said he thinks it's stage three. I think I believe him.”

I was at a complete and utter loss. In my molasses-filled, sloths-paced brain, grief at the loss of Greg drifted beside my own secrets and the suffering of my sisters, bouncing off of one another like oil and water.

    “You don’t understand,” I finally said.

    “Don’t understand what, exactly,” Tessa asked pointedly, further questions and opinions trapped behind pursed lips. I could practically see them stabbing her mouth, begging to be released.

    “Everything!” I exploded. I hadn’t been truly angry yet; up until then anger had taken too much effort. What energy grief didn’t zap from my system the HIV stole for its own selfish purposes. “It’s all connected, isn’t it?” I asked, huffing out laughs like a mad scientist whose madness had taken over the scientist within. “I can’t tell the world about me and Greg because I’m afraid of people finding out I’m not straight. Then I’m with Greg and he’s so afraid of never having love and I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life, so then we take a risk and guess what? Protection fails. The risk becomes reality and I get HIV but I can’t talk about the love or the disease because it’s been ingrained in me since I was a child that people who get sick with this illness get it as recompense for their actions. I don’t believe it when I look at Greg but when I stare at myself in the mirror all I can hear is Dad’s voice. I go to clinics occasionally but only outside of town and without people I even sort of know because I’m afraid subscribers who have never seen my fucking face will recognize me and assume I’m going there for a reason I don’t want anyone to know about and guess what? They’re right! I don’t want them to know about going to get HIV treatment because I’m afraid of people finding out I’m not straight.”

    “Andrew-.”

    “We keep loving each other because hey, once I’m sick, we might as well, right?”

    “Andrew-.”

    “And then Greg dies. Greg fucking dies and I can’t tell anyone because I don’t have anyone and the only reason I don’t is because I spent the first seventeen years of my life having it ingrained in my mind that if I don't date, marry, and have a family with a beautiful woman, I’m damned to a life of eternal suffering.”

    “But we-.”

    “I can’t tell the gaming community because then Dad could find out. I can’t tell you guys or Mom because I feel bad that I kept it a secret for so long but I had to keep it a secret so I could stay safe and love the man I loved because I knew he didn’t have all the time in the world. So now I’m one serious infection away from dying because I didn’t do serious enough treatments to start with because I was so afraid of people finding out I’m not straight,” I nearly screamed, throat raw, standing up and spinning around to face my audience. “How the fuck am I supposed to deal with all of this?”

From all four sides, warm sweaters hit my torso as each sister came from a different angle and held on tightly, two of them shaking against me with emotion. Long nails raked through my hair, hands rubbed my back and arm and nape of neck; hair tickled my nose. Cold, dry lips pressed against my forehead.

    When I dared to observe who was directly in front of me, Sara had tears running down her slim cheeks.

    “This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” I whispered. “All it’s doing is making you sad.”

    “I would have been sad when you first told me, Andrew. Nothing keeps human emotion from happening. But you’ve kept it in for so long, and the longer it builds up the more explosive it is when you finally release the valve. If you told me six years ago that you were in love with a boy and were scared, I would have been so proud. I would have supported you in whatever you wanted to do… however you wanted to live your life. If you told me whenever you found out about being sick that you were sick, I would have been devastated. I still am. It’s just… complicated now,” she petered off as the others nodded in agreement.

    “I’m not mad at you, in case you think that,” Clara spoke. “I don’t think any of us are. In a way it’s nice to finally know all your dirty laundry so we can be here as a family. I know you have your reasons for doing what you did. We all do. There’s a lot to sort out. A lot to do. A lot of catching up that has to take place.”

    “There’s no timeline for this stuff,” Beth began and before I could stop myself, I opened my mouth,

    “AIDS, Beth. A. I. D. S.”

    “Grief, Andrew. G. R. I. E. F.”

    “Awesome,” I mumbled. “How am I supposed to do this?”

    “Not alone. We need to get you a doctor here,” Tessa said with a sad expression that, for a brief moment, I wanted to smack off of her face. “I haven’t seen you go since we moved. You don’t want to, but we don’t want to lose you.” I wanted to lose me but that was beside the point so I kept the words inside. “I can’t lose you,” she managed and faint sounds of stifled sadness cut through the quiet.

    “I know you want to go,” Beth said as Clara and Sara ushered Tessa away from the scene. “Not to the doctor, but to him. You want to go to Greg. Right now what we say won’t change that. Nothing we say will change how you feel. Nothing feels worth living for right now and I know that. When you go through something like this, you can tell other people you really do know what they’re going through. We aren’t worth living for right now and I understand that. There isn’t much we can do, but what we can do is make sure you’re eating and at least taking some medication. There isn’t much more to do right now than sustain yourself. Let us help.”

    “Okay.”     “You loved him. I understand that,” Beth whispered, wrapping her arms around me. “And you both did what you could with the time you had. Life’s unfair. I don’t know why things happen to people the way they do. I’m sorry.”

    “Why wasn’t my best good enough?”

    “Oh, Andrew. It was. I promise. There are just some things we can’t control. It’s horrible, isn’t it?”

[captain-aralias]

Creators: give a “behind the scenes” look at one of your works. This could be things that got removed or changed, the origins of ideas/details, whatever you like!

oh hey - it’s trivia tuesday already (i guess it’s been a long two days back at work this week). i know everyone is still working their way through the remixes that are finished and posted - and i say, do this! some cracking stuff. i’m over half way through now, and i want to write up some thoughts about how these 26 stories approached remix - because it’s super inventive. i think people benefited from not being familiar with the format.

but i also wanted to share my thinking around why i picked the fic to remix that i did - and what else i was considering from @bazzybelle‘s ficlist, because i think the thought process around remix is interesting. AND i wanted to show you the 500 words i wrote almost immediately of a completely different remix that i definitely won’t finish. it would have been... a publishing AU, fake relationship with too-early-in-the-relationship sex. all good things in a fic, right?

so - read on for deleted scenes, and discussion of thought process. and don’t read on, if that’s not your jam. 

(in general remember - i’m keen to leave stuff in the original that’s good, rather than just thieve everything. so that’s my thought process here.) 

first idea: 

I Just Want Your Extra Time And Your .....

(texting, sex chat). i already really liked this fic, and i have IRL experience of working in publishing (which you’ll see to some extent in the fic - i worked very near people who worked on celebrity cookbooks, which is what baz works on in the fic) (the launch party is not revealed to be at the groucho club in the bit i wrote, but would have been - and i’ve been there/i know soho, so ... that was all appealing)

my idea was: the original is a text fic, mine isn’t, although they still only know each other through the sex chat set-up. so instead of simon and baz having text-sex (as in the fic), baz asks simon [who he's never met] to come and be his fake date at a publishing launch party where he sees lamb, his former boyfriend. 

the trigger for simon and baz progressing with their relationship/having sex (Because they were going to have sex but IRL) would be the same - baz seeing lamb and freaking out. and some of the texts would be literally copied and pasted in my fic as backstory. 

here were my original notes:

in the original fic there's a bit where baz sees lamb, his ex boyfriend, and then is like - hey, simon distract me and they have phone sex

my fic will essentially start there - baz is at a launch party for one of his books, lamb is there - dating the author. it is awful. baz wants to leave, but can't. also, it's time for the text slot with simon - he goes and hides in a cloakroom

and is texting simon, it's terrible - i am so drunk and it's still terrible. and i think simon offers (rather than baz asks) to come and pretend to be his boyfriend

for some sort of plausible denial reason like baz will text him a lot over hte next few days so he'll get a lot of extra money or some shit, but also because simon thinks lamb is a dick even through teh messages

simon shows up - they both drink a lot. they like each other, simon punches lamb (probably). baz asks if he can take simon to a restaurant, they talk more - they kiss. they go back to a hotel together. they discuss whether or not this means that simon is a prostitute (no). they have sex IRL

baz wakes up - and leaves immediately, obviously.

they text again the next day - it's awkward. simon thinks about how he could track baz down if he wanted to - but he feels like baz doesn't want him to, so he doesn't

simon gets out of his horrible job - baz probably tries to get in touch with him, but can't because he's gone. simon gets a message from baz ....... this is still to be determined

anyway - i will probably steal the meet cute in the elevator, it's nice.

why i stopped writing it: 

i knew it was going to take ages to write - i didn’t have the time or brainspace to write 20k of fic. i’d assumed going in that i could lean on the original fic to provide the meetcute, but realised that since it was an AU, i still needed to sell the relationship - particularly given that they were meeting in real life for the first time in my fic. 

also, it would have been my first mundane AU for the fandom, and my first thing where they weren’t enemies first. (so i was trying to think about how i could get them not to like each other a bit WHILE STILL doing fake dating - and it was throwing me off). it was all just too much.

everything i’ve written is pasted for you at the bottom.

other ideas: 

a month passed. i didn’t write any more on my original remix, but went back to greener grass instead. i sent out the month warning email to remixees and thought - i am not going to finish this fic. 

so, i went back to the list of bazzybelle’s fic and thought what can i write that i can definitely write in a month? 

1. You're F***in' Perfect to Me - daphne POV

i thought, i could write this from malcolm's POV.  in the fic daphne talks a lot about how she and malcolm are just friends, rather than true love, and it's baz she has real (motherly) feelings for, not malcolm. so i thought i could write 'the courtship of mrs grimm' where malcolm gets a wake-up call from this argument, and thinks, i actually do love daphne but she likes my son more than me. he's been hiding behind not wanting to sully natasha's memory, etc, etc. fiona would probably be in it. 

2. bat baz

i also had a bit of a naff idea where instead of baz turning into a bat, in bat baz, he would turn into bat man... 

(interestingly one of the remixes was about baz turning into a cat) 

3. If I Fell In Love With You - which i eventually chose

i took the dancing and the music, the set up, and the theme of communication - also some dialogue. pushed some of the focus onto baz’s relationship with niall, pushed the action back in time towards wayward son, added a truth spell (based on a spell in the original) to force communication.

i think this is one of the most interesting remixes i’ve ever done, btw. i’m really pleased with my take on it. 

i chose this to remix because i thought - it’s only a few scenes, rather than a whole get-together arc, and it felt achievable in the timespan. i also had a strong idea about what i could do that was different - the relationship with niall and the spell, and what i would leave for people to discover in the original (simon’s POV - including the warmth he feels when baz cooks for him, the two of the resolving the initial fight when simon comes home in a bad mood). 

the title is a combination of - another line from ‘if i fell’ but one that is about not talking to each other/not putting yourself out there... and ‘where words fail’ - which is the spell i used, and also picks up on what baz says to niall - that telling simon wasn’t enough. even if he’d had the right words, they wouldn’t have been believable. but - through the music/magic, they were able to communicate. 

i also considered using a line from ‘into my arms’ instead (I believe in some kind of path), since that was the song that the magic is cast on - but it didn’t work as well thematically. 

here’s the fic i wrote: Don’t Run and Hide (The ‘Where Words Fail’ Remix’)

and here’s the remix i didn’t write. i think i almost wanted to finish it just for the elvis gag. alas, alas.

I Just Want your Extra Time: remix, not written

BAZ

I don’t smoke as much as my father thinks I do. And I don’t drink – not usually. This evening, though, I’ve already had several glasses of champagne and I’m on my fourth cigarette, the second this smoke break. Because it’s that or go back inside. And I definitely don’t want to go back inside.

I should have known he’d be here.

Not that he was invited. Not that he’s on the guest list. Not that there’s any reason at all, in fact, for him to be here, except that my life is an absolute disaster. Today definitely not an exception.

If anything, it’s worse than usual. I thought I’d already hit bottom when Dev told me I had to ring our printers – in China – and get them to promise to ship one of our new titles three weeks early, as some idiot had sent the press release out with the wrong date. That was excruciating, but things seemed to be improving.

It’s a launch party night. I’m not sure why, but I always look forward to them, even though I hate crowds. (Niall would probably say, other people in general. And he wouldn’t be far wrong.)

But I get to wear a suit. (Tonight’s is Spencer Hart. Dark grey. Green tie.) And I know Snow is going to text after the first hour. And even though no one ever remembers to thank the editor – not unprompted, anyway – I do enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that I’m responsible for turning whatever dross we’ve been told to sell into something that could loosely be called a book.

This one is a cookbook by an actor (not a chef, in other words. I had to hire someone else to write the recipes and then we just photographed him next to the result.) It should be a triumph. It is – we’ve already sold several thousand copies. I should be enjoying myself. But then I heard a voice next to my ear.

“Baz.” And someone put a hand on my waist. “Don’t you look rosy?”

Not someone. Lambert. (I never called him Francois, even when we were intimate.) As irritatingly handsome as ever. And just as confident I’ll do whatever he wants.

I haven’t seen him for months. Not since he left me Las Vegas to go off with one of the better-looking Elvis impersonators. (And if that isn’t the most humiliating break-up story you’ve ever heard, then I really don’t want to know what is. Dumped. And for Elvis.) (Not even the real Elvis - not that it makes a difference.)

“I hoped I’d see you here,” he – Lambert – told me. “It’s been far too long.”

“Since you left me.”

He gave me a hurt look. “Baz. We said Auf Wiedersehen, not goodbye.”

“Who are you really here with?”

The author, of course. I watched their eyes meet across the room and Lambert smiling, before he told me it wasn’t serious. And that he’d be interested in taking me to dinner.

“Unless you’re seeing someone?”

I raised an eyebrow – even though I know Lambert knows I only do that when I can’t think of anything to say. Which means he probably knows the truth, which is that there isn’t anyone else. Not anyone else real, anyway.  

Which reminds me …

I check my watch – it’s later than I thought.

[hashtag-amf]

Welcome to my Tumblr blog. Here I will give my honest opinions and pour out my thoughts about the ideas behind my Wattpad books. You can take inspiration from this blog when you are planning to write a novel. I wanted to write a separate Wattpad book where I could talk about this. But I then decided that I wanted to reach a wider audience, and Tumblr was better suited for this purpose.

Please note: This will be posted in parts every Friday!

Edited by @wayward-heronstairs , @hashtag-amf and Hemingway Editor

I started my Wattpad journey in May 2016. I was staying at my cousin’s house, and she asked me whether I knew about the app called Wattpad. I had never heard the name before. It was such an odd name for an app, I thought to myself. I was not interested in downloading the app because reading didn't appeal to so much. A few hours later, I downloaded Wattpad. Yay.

Then came the shocker. I got my first follower. A thin guy with spectacles. I was nervous because I had never been on a social media platform before. I didn't know what to do. I was staring at his profile pic, wondering if he was a psychopath or just crazy enough to follow me on Wattpad. I am anxious like that. I wondered how on earth did he find my account within six hours as I had not posted any stories on Wattpad yet.

The first book I read on Wattpad was fanfic about 'The Fault in Our Stars.' At that time, I had no idea what fanfic was. I picked that book to read because I had watched TFIOS twice now. Unfortunately, I didn't like the fanfic, so I uninstalled the app the same night.

Then came December of 2016. It was the Christmas holidays, and I was very tired of studying. I owned that crappy Nokia XL neon green phone. Urgh, that stock Android phone was a nightmare. I downloaded Wattpad and looked for some good books to read. At that time, Midika Crane’s books were a huge hit. Her books had those dark black and white covers were guys with eight pack abs stared out of the cover at the reader. At first, I hated the cover because I thought she hadn't done a great job of selecting a good cover for the book. I remember clicking on 'Alpha Kaden', a currently published novel. I had spent half an hour on one page trying to decipher what was written. Halfway through the Prologue and I couldn't read more. Her professional level of writing was not understandable by me.

When I was halfway done with Midika’s book, I added ‘She’s With Me’ by Ava Violet to my Wattpad reading list. It was such an amazing book. I loved reading it. It was about Amelia who was running away from her past. She had enrolled herself in the school. I don’t remember the name because I read it a long time back) and she meets the heartthrob of the school and his friends. The story was like a cliché romance novel but what stood out was Amelia’s back story.

After reading more than 90 books on Wattpad I decided to make a writing debut on Wattpad. I spent more time reading Wattpad books than studying. I would read Wattpad books in the canteen, the student's study room, at home when my mom wasn't watching. It was addicting. In 2017, the first book I wrote was a fanfic of Hellboy, the 2004 film. I never imagined myself writing fanfiction about a movie I was so scared to watch. As a child, I was so terrified of that movie that the moment I saw Hellboy on the screen, I would look away in fear. All that I remember as a kid was the scene from the second installment of the movie 'The Golden Army'. He was holding twin infants wrapped in a white blanket. There was some sort of fantasy creatures running around the street. Hellboy was spot on with his aim, that she shot them with his gun.

Then in May 2014, I got a chance to watch Hellboy on the television again. As a teenager, I wasn't scared of him anymore, but I was more intrigued by it. I loved that movie so much that I had a crush on John Myers (Rupert Evans). He was 'the dude that didn't get the girl', you know. I empathized with him as he took so much trouble by fighting alongside Hellboy. He deserved more.

Later in the movie, the professor tells John that he is dying, and Hellboy needs someone in his absence. In the movie, Hellboy treated Myers like trash. He is more of a nanny and less of an FBI Agent. And because of this, Myers tells the professor that he cannot stay at the BRDP any longer. The professor tells him that he chose him for a reason as he saw potential in Myers. He adds that in many medieval stories there is a white night and Myers was that. He tells him to take care of Hellboy after he passes away.

Another reason why I felt like writing fanfic was that Myers and Liz's chemistry was so adorable. He tried his best to flirt with Liz (Selma Blair). I hoped that he and Liz ended up as a couple. But Hollywood movies are unkind to side actors. So, when Hellboy got the girl, my heart dropped. My heart couldn't handle it. I was screaming at this heartbreaking injustice. I was like, this man needs a girl. I had to make a way to help him get the girl so that I didn't have this heaviness building inside me.

Above: Rupert Evans as John Myers in Hellboy (2004)

And thanks to being a Wattpad writer, I came up with my own story. I named it Hellboy 3. The reason for keeping this title was because of Hellboy: The Golden Army released in 2008. I didn’t want to confuse readers about which Hellboy movie the fanfic was about. I researched Wikipedia thinking that Rupert Evans had reprised his role as John Myers in it, but I was wrong. As per Wikipedia reports, Evans was filming ‘The Kiss of a Spiderwoman’ so he couldn’t be a part of the movie.

Writing the fanfic was challenging. I was stumbling through the dialogues and the scenes. I thought that this will not get more than 20 chapters, but if I am not wrong, it surpassed 20 chapters. The story got some likes, some encouraging comments, but then I was not happy with my writing. I deleted it.

In 2017-ish, I wrote another story about vampires. I wrote down the story on one of the leftover books I had in my drawer. I had a good time writing it as it was one of my original stories. I made my original characters, a mythical place cursed by time. I named it ‘The Kingsmen’. Then after I had filled half of the pages by writing, I decided it was time to edit. I posted it on Wattpad. I published the chapters with no updating schedule. After surpassing fifteen chapters, I deleted the book because the grammar was awful. I felt I was adding unnecessary commas after the dialogues. I didn't have someone to edit the story, and I also had this nagging suspicion that my mom knew I wasn't studying. I hated college because I would get tired, and the studies bored me to the core. I studied for the heck of it. Everything was fine when one fine day, I forgot the password to my Wattpad account.

It was hell on earth. Panic rose within me. It was like the end of the world was near. I tried to calm myself down. I had to remember the password. I felt that I was such a miserable person for forgetting a simple thing as a password. I tried password recovery. I scourged my Gmail account for the recovery link, but Wattpad wasn't sending the link. At that time, Wattpad was super slow when it came to sending recovery links for passwords. I remember Wattpad sent me recovery passwords five hours later. Wattpaders know that logging via recovery link is time-sensitive. When I clicked the link, Wattpad said that the link wasn't valid. I did this three times till my patience wore me out.

I was devastated. I had put so much of my heart and soul while writing that book. It was my baby, and now the account was gone….I didn't cry. Thank God I didn't cry. I was sad. It felt like someone took a piece of my heart away from me and didn't return it.

This is how it looked:

In January 2018, I made a new account on Wattpad. Now I have written down all the passwords in a notebook, not going to repeat the mistake.

Okay! This was the end of part one. Tell me how you liked it!!

By the way, I got the chance to watch Hellboy (2004) on the television today. John Myers is such a cutie!! Please check my latest IG highlights for the video. I cannot embedded the video on Tumblr :( 

[sinsbymanka]

Ask Meme: Your OPs doing...

This was an ask from @lostinfantasies38 which I accidentally deleted while trying to answer and APPARENTLY I can’t undo that mistake. So sorry love. 

#6: Who starts the dance off in the kitchen while they are baking cookies?

Oh god I hope you wanted the modern AU version of them because this was too cute NOT to do that way. 

“If you eat all those, these are going to be some disappointing chocolate chip cookies.” 

Maria only smiled and slowly popped one more little chocolate chunk into her mouth. Varric adopted an expression of wounded martyrdom and she smirked, shaking the bag to illustrate that there were plenty left. 

Although with Maria’s infamous sweet tooth, there wouldn’t be for long if she kept holding that bag. She must have read the thought in his face because she simply grinned even brighter. “That’s why you bought two bags.” 

“Just because I’d prepared for you to derail our plans doesn’t mean you should.” He chuckled and turned his attention back to the half mixed dough in the bowl. 

“But it’s so much more interesting when I do.” 

He couldn’t argue that. In fact, baking the maddening woman chocolate chip cookies hadn’t been on his agenda at all today. He faced a rather tight deadline to get his next chapters to his editor or risk his life and limb facing her wrath. He should be up in the study glaring at his laptop, trying to make the pictures in his head come alive in letters and syllables. 

Maria wondered in, took one look at him, and suddenly he found himself roped into her and her plans for the day. Varric complained, halfheartedly and really only because that too was part of the game. She batted the complaints away with her sharp sense of humor and keen observational skills. 

Then she demanded cookies. And since she couldn’t bake or cook worth a damn, it fell on Varric to supply his willful lady with sweets or risk her burning his kitchen to the ground trying. 

But there was something cozy in this scene, something that warmed his heart. Simple, straightforward, and his. She leaned against his counter, sipping on one of his beers, smiling the crooked grin she reserved purely for him when he was being a bit of an ass. 

Blissfully domestic and sickening, really. If the world could get a peek at their heroic Inquisitor and the intrepid author who followed in her wake now would they even recognize them with their public personas cast aside? 

“Varric, I would like these cookies sometime in the next age.” 

He’d been staring at her like a lovesick idiot, but despite her teasing Maria’s gray eyes sparkled with matching adoration, a pretty pink blush creeping over her cheeks. 

“You ready to hand over the chocolate chips?” He asked smoothly. She laughed and shook her head, dancing out of his reach just before he lunged to retrieve them. He let her slip away, sighing and rolling his eyes while his own joy bubbled inside him. He grabbed the second bag on the counter and listened to Maria open the fridge behind him, heard the clink of another bottle being retrieved.

“Hey B, play something I can dance to.” She called out. Varric knew what would happen before it even occurred. His smile curled upwards and he waited. 

“Technically, any music can be danced to.” The AI responded from the speakers above them. Maria swore under her breath. Varric looked over his shoulder just in time to see her level a steely, rather Inquisitorial, glare up at the ceiling.

“She knows what I mean.” Maria complained with a huff and a wounded look. “She just doesn’t like to listen to me. I think she’s jealous.” 

“I am incapable of jealousy.” Bianca replied smoothly. 

Bianca liked to be a pain in the ass and Maria hadn’t quite learned how to manage the computer yet. “Bianca...” He began reproachfully. “You know what she wants.” 

If the computer was capable of sighing, she would have too. Varric thought it would have been with the same degree of fondness, no matter what Maria thought. 

The rolling beat drifted from the speakers and Varric turned his attention back to the cookie dough. He dumped a rather generous amount of chocolate into it before he felt Maria’s arms circling him from behind, the slow, smooth roll of her hips against his ass. 

He nearly dropped the whole damn bag into the mixture when her fingers slid up, slipping beneath his unbuttoned shirt. “Shit.” He swore, her tiny fingers nimbly undoing both buttons and him without nearly enough effort on her part. “I thought you wanted cookies.” 

“And I want to dance.” Her breath was hot against his ear, her voice a delightful little purr. “I know you can multi-task.” 

Not when she was like this, he couldn’t. Not when it was just them, free of the world hounding them on their doorsteps, her warm and willing, him at peace for the first time in... hell, maybe forever. He dropped the bag and mixture, turning to capture her in his arms, his hands dropping to her undulating hips and tugging her as close as she could get. 

“Minx.” He muttered, kissing her forehead and easing himself into her rhythm. “I never get anything done when you’re here.” 

“Stop complaining.” She ordered, wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging gently at his hair. “You love every second.” 

He couldn’t even summon a lie to refute her. More importantly, he didn’t want to.  

[freudsghost]

Your art is beautiful but you should credit the editor that did the photo edit you used as reference

you’re right, I should! (this is going to be a bit long into how i make art so prepare...)The drawing I really want to talk about is THIS because the process was pretty wild. My focus for this drawing was lady loki, and my goal for creating her how i wanted her to look was separate from the comics, i wanted to create a believable MCU lady loki, and to do that i didn’t want to just fan cast her, because this is art I can do whatever I want right? So as much as I don’t like him-- i watched about two hours (maybe more) of interviews, red carpet BS and combed thru scenes in Thor Ragnarok. I took multiple screen grabs of him thru-out the process and kind of “morphed” them mentally and then did like 200 sketches of what I thought Lady Loki might look like by feminizing Tom’s features. I really wish I still had all this on my tablet but because I need to preserve storage and I did that piece over a year ago, it’s been deleted. But for that one most of my ‘edits’ were my own screen grabs from interviews and T:R and then a process of drawing her over and over again until I was happy.

You can see part of the process and sketches here in a screen grab from my gallery! (i blocked out some other art and photos here for focus)

for THIS sketch I was sure I wanted to do some snake sketching (i really want to draw Craig too... might do that soon) so I combed thru the snake yoga video and I still have most of the screen grabs I used as seen here:

I circled the shots I used here and blacked out surrounding images for continuity again. I used the top images for an unfinished sketch I posted to my IG story.  

For THIS I did the same thing but I had to go thru multiple videos finding Chunk footage. And I used multiple images as reference and “edited” them all together.

for THIS I used four reference photos and interpreted them thru a “creative” lens, I was kinda going for a comic pop art feel for no reason at all. i just kinda like the way clean lines and bright colours look.

at this point you can kinda see how weird my tablet looks with 1000s of screencaps (this is why I have to delete after a while, it gets wild)

and finally! THIS one was harder because I found the source photo on pinterest... kind of a side note, but this was my first sketch after a year and a half of no art and I didn’t even know I was going to start drawing again. I usually get my own source images because it took me a while to reverse image search (why I hate pinterest-- don’t use pinterest as a source kids) but I think it’s an edit created by @atbackground and can be found here! (finding the source on this took over an hour this morning omg) whoever posted it to pinterest took off any credit as well which is shitty af, credit artists people!!

anyway, hope this helps! 

[tonystarkssnipples]

December/January fic recs

In Your Company by mrhd Rating: E Word Count: 64118 Summary: They meet at a party. (MCU College AU)

Open Field in Front of Him Rating: E Word Count: 66405 Summary: Steve Rogers's football season is functionally over after a loss to Rutgers, but he finds a distraction in Tony Stark (yes, THAT Tony Stark). A college AU Stony fic.

ten years too late (just in time) by theappleppielifestyle Rating: Not Rated Word Count: 3,080 Summary: Steve never went out with Tony when they were young despite Tony's attempts at wooing him, mostly because he thought Tony was too much of a flimsy playboy who could never really commit seriously to anything that wasn't partying. Years later he runs into Single Father Tony taking care of his 3 year old. Tony refuses to buy his kid candy before dinner and is overall a pretty decent dad. Tony also thinks Steve could never be interested in him, since he was always rebuffed before, but Tony's in for a surprise.

The Billionaire and the Army Captian by Neverever Rating: T Word Count: 12652 Summary: Facing finanical ruin and needing to care for his sick daughter, Steve Rogers agrees to marry Tony Stark, who needs to get married by his 30th birthday to inherit. It's just a job for Steve until he starts to fall for the enigmatic billionaire Written for the MCU Harlequin Challenge.

(I Want You To See) The Darkest Side of Me by ann2who Rating: E Word Count: 16855 (WIP) Summary: In Monte Carlo, Steve meets the wealthy widower Anthony Stark. It’s love at first sight—at least for Steve—and he can’t believe his luck when Tony asks him to live at Stark Mansion, his large estate in Malibu. Never in his life had Steve thought something like this was possible… never had he been this happy. However, soon Steve realizes that Tony is still deeply troubled by the death of his first wife and haunted by the many ghosts she left behind. The longer Steve lives in her shadow, the more he understands that… He can never be what Tony’s wife had once been for him. And Tony might never truly love him.

i spent twenty lifetimes at your door by goodmorningbeloved Rating: T Word Count: 2636 Summary: The sheets don’t smell like Steve, not anymore. Whatever has him crawling back must be something rooted into the very walls of the room itself. Or in you, his thoughts whisper.- Or: Five times after the split that Tony seeks out Steve in his sleep, and one time he doesn't.

Better Angels/Lesser Demons (series) by sabrecmc Rating: E Word Count: 34,550 Summary: Chris Evans mentioned in an interview (jokingly, unfortunately) that there was a deleted scene from Civil War with him and RDJ showering together. Welp. Headcanon accepted. // Peggy leaves Steve something in her will. Sequel to Better Angels, but can be read alone.

Would You Have Married Me? by 1000mileshigh Rating: M Word Count: 2213 Summary: The band was smooth, a rose gold studded with rubies around one half. It was gorgeous, everything Tony didn't know he wanted. It fit perfectly, so perfectly, as if it was meant to be right where it was, on Tony's left ring finger. Tony fell in love and then loudly, so forcefully it came out as a scream of agony, he fell apart.

Why We Should Date by sariane Rating: G Word Count: 2217 Summary: Steve doesn't understand modern dating customs. That's how he ends up making a PowerPoint presentation for Tony.

The Tony Stark Relationship Primer (series) by uraneia Rating: E Word Count: 14,622 Summary: Steve needs to make some quick cash to cover his mom's TB treatment and hospital stay. Bucky convinces him to try porn. Steve's not sure he'll be able to go through with it... until he meets Tony, the guy he's supposed to do his screen test with. // "Pepper, I need a million dollars to suppress a sex tape."Tony Stark has a date. But first he has to explain to his CEO that he picked up a guy at a porn shoot.

The A-Z of Tony and Steve (series) by snarkstark Rating: G Word Count: 2,360 Summary: Maybe when the blonde haired dreamer had packed up his shit and told his Ma he was leaving Brooklyn to make his fame in Hollywood, he hadn't exactly pictured himself fetching coffee and embarrassing himself, but he was on the set of the most highly anticipated film of the entire year, and personal assistant to one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Tony Stark. // Tony took a deep breath, trying to summon up all of his courage. For fuck's sake, he'd flew into a wormhole, fought countless villains and made a suit of armour that made other engineer's intentions look like a Goddamn potato radio. He could ask Steve Rogers on a date. Or Tony is extra and Steve liked baseball.

My New Year’s Resolutions Is You by izazov Rating: G Word Count: 1,114 Summary: Steve, Tony, and New Year's Eve in Venice.

Tony’s Big Gay Freak-Out by imafriendlydalek Rating: T Word Count: 1004 Summary: Tony's having a Moment. It's a good thing Rhodey is there to talk some sense into him.

The Stark Scenic Retreat by McG Rating: G Word: Count: 22403 Summary: Steve Rogers is the newest member of the Visitor Reception Team at the Stark Scenic Retreat (or SSR for short): a ten square mile woodland estate built by Howard Stark, in upstate New York: a playground for invention. The site is now in the care of the Society for the preservation of Historic Industrial and Engineering Landmarks and Domains (S.H.I.E.L.D.) As Steve gets to grips with life after the army, being reunited with his friend Bucky, and working at a busy tourist attraction, the SSR faces its own challenges. Justin Hammer wants to convert it to a spa hotel and resort, and Tony Stark, main benefactor and SSR shareholder, is caught up in his own issues and seems unwilling to help save Steve's new home and family. Or a story of team bonding, team building, pride and prejudice, and the daily trials of working in the customer-facing environment of tourism.

Double-Blind (Get Me Back In This World) by navaan Rating: E Word Count: 31924 Summary: Shortly after being defrosted, Steve meets a handsome stranger at a party and has the certain epiphany that sex is a good way to reconnect with the world that is now so strange to him. Because one thing that hasn’t changed is that sex is simple. That the man seems to hate the very thought of Captain America makes it even easier for some reason. Or the one in which Steve sleeps with someone called Henry Hellrung. Although - not really.

just the way you look tonight by goodmorningbeloved Rating: E Word Count: 3164 Summary: Tony's sweater shrinks. Steve's okay with it.

Good For You by orbingarrow Rating: T Word Count: 42131 Summary: Steve doesn't understand why Tony dates people who abuse him. Tony doesn't understand why Steve cares. The rest is bad choices, good choices, rehab, milkshakes, paintball, YouTube videos, couples therapy and learning to put the past in the past. Or: How Tony finds his happy ending.

Place Your Bets by RurouniHime Rating: M Word Count: 35999 Summary: Steve Rogers may or may not have just picked up a prostitute. This may or may not be Tony Stark’s fault.

Double or Nothing by RurouniHime Rating: E Word Count: 5757 Summary: One of these days, they're actually going to get that sleepover. Steve's patient, Tony's determined, and Bucky is... wait, what's the opposite of helping? (otherwise known as the sex-filled sequel to Place Your Bets)

Driven to Distraction by Morningandnight13 Rating: M Word Count: 3046 Summary: Steph Rogers is an exhausted college student just trying to blow off some steam when she meets the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) Toni. One-night stands are great and all, but it's possible they didn't completely think this one through. (Steve Rogers/Tony Stark genderbent AU. dl;dr)

Choosing by indigorose50 Rating: T Word Count: 1761 Summary: The "first words your soulmate says to you are tattooed on your body" Soulmate AU. Except Steve isn't Tony's soulmate. But who cares. This one was a gift for me and obsessed.

One of Us Cannot Be Wrong by shetlandowl Rating: E Words: 4225 Summary: Steve Rogers is a hard-working book editor without equal, who has cultivated a career and lifestyle precisely as he likes it. When the US Immigration office threatens to take all of it away from him just because he happens to have been born on the wrong side of an imaginary line, his only hope is to find an American spouse within two weeks.

Observations by smol_bird Rating: G Word Count: 4578 Summary: There is a running gag in the Academy, started, as many of them are, by Clint, that in one of the certainly-existing parallel universes Natasha is a spy ———— Or: In which Tony renames his computer files, Steve draws, Clint questions, and Natasha is left the observer role, not that she minds at all.

[sweetnestor]

12 Days | Chapter 8.2

Two guys that lowkey hate each other are forced to walk in each other’s shoes in order to learn a lesson.

***in collaboration with @themarkiplierexperience

lmao soz its not actually x reader we’re just desperate for attention haaaa

previous

“I want to ask what the origin story behind this is, but I think I’m better off not knowing,” Tom typed. He attached a “selfie” wearing a bright blue shirt with the word “Wowie” printed on it in a strange fashion. Then, he sent the whole thing to Ethan.

He did see the other texts from the boy that he received the evening before, but Tom was dying to show this to him now. He finally had a look at what Ethan’s “merch” was like. To say he was not expecting “wowie” on a t-shirt was an understatement. Why “wowie”?

Halfway through editing this video, Tom kind of despised Ethan… and he definitely hated the word “Wowie” with a burning passion. It wasn’t all bad, though. Tom had spent the day with a funny pair of people: Parker and Andrew. He didn’t have to consciously act like Ethan to get along with the pair. They were so graciously weird that seeing their friend act out of character was considered normal for them… if that made any sense. The three of them, along with Amy, made a video together that was about this awful blue t-shirt. A promotional video, and instead of having a whole filming crew complete with camera men and editors, it was all self made. It was impressive, don’t get him wrong, but Tom only thrived when he was on camera, not behind the scenes.

It was a minute and a half long video, yet it was taking ages for him to put it all together. Not to mention, Tom was awaiting an update from Ethan about Zendaya. Earlier, he had said that she wanted to talk, and god knows what that was supposed to mean. On top of that, Bella was getting a little harder to handle.

Tom had invited her to come along to shoot the video, but she had gotten immensely sheepish and timid when she heard about the people who would be joining them. She made an excuse about having emails to answer and business Skype meetings to have. She only returned to his apartment after hearing that Parker, Andrew, and Amy had left for the day, and even then she just stayed in the living room while Tom finished the video. Weird, but whatever.

A few hours later, Tom could say he was proud of what he had created. The video was very sarcastic, and kind of funny, but it got the message across: “Buy this ugly ass shirt.” Really, he didn’t see the appeal, but Ethan’s fans sure did. The shirt had been on sale on Ethan’s merch store all month, and as of today, there were only ten days left to buy it. Tom learned all of this through Parker, who had a hand in running the store. Thank god he wasn’t left in completely in the dark.

Thing is, Tom easily learned about different aspects of this kid’s life. He knew the girlfriend, a good amount of the friends, and just enough about his personality to get by. The hard part was the YouTube stuff, because everyone around him assumed that he knew what he was doing. They all assumed he was Ethan. How bizarre would it be if Ethan just suddenly asked for help on the basics of editing a simple video? How long would it be for someone to figure that this wasn’t Ethan, that it was somebody else? What would they do, besides throw him in an asylum?

A knock on the bedroom door snapped Tom out of his thoughts. He pulled off his headphones and granted access.

Bella came in, an unreadable expression on her face. “Hey…”

“Hi, love,” Tom greeted, turning in his chair to face her.

She stepped in, looking around the room as she tangled her fingers together. “I don’t mean to interrupt you, I’m just…” She sighed. “This is really stupid, like really stupid…”

“Oh, how bad could it be?” he asked, putting on a kind smile, despite how nervous the sudden tension made him.

Bella picked at her nails to fill the silence. But she finally asked in a soft voice, “why didn’t you ask me to be in your video?”

Honestly, Tom had been hoping she had that conversation with her real boyfriend. Even he found it weird that the “talking to women” bit from the video starred Amy. Why not Bella? It probably wasn’t something to fuss about, but the girl’s nerves radiated for miles, it made Tom himself feel like he had done something wrong. He didn’t even know how to respond.

“I mean, you and Parker came up with the video idea like what? Two weeks ago,” she rambled, “and you guys came up with the ‘talking to girls’ thing and your first thought was Amy? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I-I mean she did come up with the shirt design…”

Ah, so that was the culprit.

“I-It’s not that I wanted to slap you - uh, fake slap you for a video,” Bella went on, her voice getting shaky, “i-it’s just you didn’t think to ask me, I don’t know. Am I freaking out over nothing?”

“You freak out over everything,” Tom said without thinking. There was a small pause before he turned back to the computer.

“I know, it’s what I do,” Bella said, not seeming offended by that statement. “It probably wasn’t a big deal. I shouldn’t have bothered you, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Any other thoughts, concerns?” It was half sarcastic, but she took the bait.

“I’ve been… having dreams…”

Ethan was supposed to know that tone, what that particular phrase meant. Tom, on the other hand, was clueless.

“Naughty dreams?”

“No.” Bella’s tone was serious now. She paced around the small recording space, still picking at her nails. “Bad dreams. I’ve had dreams like this before… Ethan, please don’t make me say it.”

It had been five days since the switch, five days of being this girl’s boyfriend, and Tom was getting more and more impatient.

“Don’t talk about it then,” he said with a shrug. “If it’s really that scary, or disturbing, or whatever it is... then you don’t need to speak of it.”

Again, it was silent. Tom definitely said the wrong thing, but he didn’t know how to handle a girl with anxiety. He could barely handle Zendaya, even though he hoped to fix things with her.

“You’re probably right,” Bella spoke at last. She turned on her heel towards the door. “No one wants to remember that time, especially me.” She stopped at the doorway and looked back at him. “Oh, and I just figured out why I was freaking out over Amy. It’s been almost a year since Mark left me for her.”

Whoa. What would Ethan say to that? What would Ethan think about his girlfriend mentioning her ex?

Speaking of the ex, Tom’s phone dinged on his desk. Mark had texted him. Admittedly, Tom wasn’t really texting anyone consistently apart from Ethan. He had also ignored Mark’s texts from the other day, so there was a chance he wasn’t on good terms with the boss.

“Hey look man, I don’t know what’s going on with you lately, but I need an answer. Are you going to be returning to work anytime soon? Or do we need to make a public statement that you don’t work for me anymore? I’m not trying to put pressure on you, or anything with malice. I just need to know what’s going on business wise.”

Public statement? So the fans knew Mark had editors? And there had to be something said publicly when something changed behind the scenes? Is that how YouTube works?

“I think my girlfriend is hung up on you, you’re the last person I need to see right now,” Tom typed for literally no other reason except to see if it sounded like something his other half would say. He chuckled to himself after deeming that it was too ridiculous and out of line and went to delete it…

You know when you mean to do one thing but instead do another? Yeah, Tom somehow mixed up the ‘send’ key and the ‘backspace’ key, and well…

“Fuck!” he snapped, sitting up in his chair, watching as the angry text sent. “No, no, no, no! Shit!”

Oh god, Ethan was so fired.

~

Tom didn’t have the heart to tell Ethan about the wonderful conversation he had with Mark following that text. He read through the messages he received while he was editing over and over again just to avoid telling him what went down. Ethan seemed excited to be in Montreal.

“So guess I have a workout tomorrow morning? Wish me luck bc I’ll actually die.” That’ll be fun to hear about, but it didn’t settle the knot in Tom’s stomach.

“I’m almost ok with the switch if it means getting to stay in this house dude it’s so nice?? I’m never leaving.” Tom was not okay with the switch. He wanted to be in that house right now, leave Ethan with the mess that he made.

“I finished the wowie video. I hate the word wowie. Please never say it again,” he typed and sent before reading the rest of the texts. He noticed that Ethan will either be completely silent, or send multiple texts at once. No in between.

“Also,,,,, fuck kinda friendship you got with Harrison? You give each other lap dances???” Ethan asked. Oh no. Oh god. “Not judging, just wish I’d known you were rejecting zendaya for ur best m8 lolol.”

Tom literally groaned out loud and palmed his forehead. Then, he frantically sent, “IT WASNOTHING WE DONT SPEAK OF IT SHUT UP.” No way he was getting into that with this guy. He wouldn’t understand.

The next message didn’t help very much. “Speaking of Daya, we talked today. She asked abot how you feel and what you thought you 2 had going on. Made it clear it was her choice what happened, but that you’re just friends? Idk man how DO you feel?”

“Anyway, the videos were good. Much better than Tyler’s first edits for sure. Good job, I’m impressed.”

“Shooting starts tomorrow so I’m off to learn everything there is to know about acting…….. By watching some movie wiht the guys, gn.”

Tom sat there for a few minutes, trying to word any of the thoughts in his head. Why couldn’t have Ethan made the Zendaya decision for him? He seems like a nice guy, he’s had a girlfriend for six months, and she didn’t seem tired of him!

“I’ll deal with her when we switch back… by the way when are we gonna switch back??? Anyway, have a good night mate, have a pint for me!”

_____

tag list: @beardedsteveslut @marie-is-in-the-dark @ohsnapitzmoony

_____

next

[superman86to99]

Superman: The Man of Steel #23 (July 1993)

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN! In this issue: Steel vs. Superboy! I mean, "Superman” vs. “Superman”. The Man of Steel is battling some hoodlums armed with hi-tech killer weapons when the Metropolis Kid decides to butt in and "save him" in front of the cameras that follow him 24/7. (Side note: Was Superboy the first '90s reality TV star?) The Kid draws all the firepower to himself... accidentally causing the bad guys to shoot down a Daily Planet helicopter containing Lois Lane. The chopper blows up, signaling the death of a classic and beloved DC Comics character: Frank the helicopter pilot. RIP.

Lois, meanwhile, manages to jump out of the exploding chopper in time (probably out of pure muscle memory) and is rescued by Steel in a rather familiar-looking scene.

Lois tries to turn the tragic situation into an exclusive interview with Steel, but Steel has something more important to do: chewing Superboy's butt for scaring off those criminals he was trying to interrogate (and, you know, causing a man's death). The Kid is like "I'm da real Superman, yo!" and bails... but as he flies away, he actually starts questioning his half-assed approach to superheroics. I'm sure Frank's wife and 12 children would find great comfort in that.

Meanwhile, Steel is approached by Lex Luthor Jr., who wants to offer him a job as one of his armored security guards (because having one S-shielded superhero in his pocket isn't enough for him). To butter Steel up, Lex offers him the location of the White Rabbit -- aka, the lady distributing all those highly advanced weapons to street gangs. Steel thanks Lex for the tip and immediately ditches him, making it clear that his services aren’t for sale.

Steel drops by the White Rabbit’s penthouse, and she turns out to be an old flame from his time as a weapons designer for the military. Things almost get steamy for a second in there, until Steel remembers that this lady has made him indirectly responsible for countless deaths (all those weapons are his design). Once she takes the hint that Steel won’t work for her (either), White Rabbit just shoots him point blank with one of those big-ass guns, launching him off the building and into a convenient tanker parked outside.

Superboy (who was following Steel to apologize for being a dick) flies in just in time to pull Steel’s body from the resulting tanker explosion:

By the time Superboy and Steel return to White Rabbit’s penthouse, the place is already empty. The two Supermen then bond over that whole “we’ve both caused innocent people to die today” thing and part amicably. Awww!

Plotline-Watch:

Ponytailed scumbag Jeb Friedman, having given Lois Lane WEEKS to recover from her fiance’s supposed death, urges her to “forget Clark” and go to Cairo with him. Don Sparrow says: “I hesitate to even mention that the hated Jeb Friedman appears here, and even Jimmy doesn’t want Lois rebounding with him. Serious question, though: are we supposed to hate Jeb? Or is it just happenstance?” If we weren’t supposed to hate Jeb, would they have given him a ponytail, Don?

After meeting Steel, Lois reflects on the fact that the other Supermen may look like Clark, but Steel is the only one who acts like him. Obviously she doesn’t think Clark’s already been reincarnated as an adult black man, but she does seriously wonder if ghostly possession is a real thing.

I love how efficiently Steel’s backstory is presented in this issue. As he and White Rabbit are about to lock lips, we see a handful of black-and-white panels showing the two working together for the military, hooking up, finding out his weapons were being used against innocents in Qurac, and then a flashback-within-the-flashback of Steel’s grandparents having just become victims of gang violence. It’s only half a page but it tells you everything you need to know about this dude and his motivation.

Superboy burns his hands while rescuing Steel, even though a clone of Superman should be equally invulnerable. Hmm. Hmmmm. Hmmmmmm.

The issue ends with Supergirl telling Lex she’s going off to look for Superboy, which leads to the next issue of Adventures.

And this leads to the end of my section! For more commentary, Easter eggs, and gratuitous images of White Rabbit, check out Don Sparrow’s section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow​):

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like none of the other four Superman titles seems as swayed by the importance of the storyline as SMOS.  What do I mean? I mean that when it’s a big storyline, like Panic in the Sky, or Doomsday, the art on the title really seems to rise to the occasion, and there’s some standout stuff being produced.  But in the meantime, when a story doesn’t feel as important, the quality seems to dip a little. To me, this is one of those issues.  We begin with the cover, and it’s not one of Bogdanove’s best.  Sure, his artwork could be called cartoony at the best of times, but this one really took on a loose, loony tunes sketchiness, particularly in Superboy’s “ain’t I a stinker?” expression and giant wall of teeth. He looks less like a 16 year old than he resembles Rex Leech, a character we’ll come to know better in time.

Inside, the story gets off to a slow start, as we’re abruptly thrown into a video of wannabe gangsters, moving in on where they think they’ll find John Henry Irons.  The double page splash revealing his location is an exciting one, and Dennis Janke does some interesting things with his hatching to indicate the shine of the metal, leaving certain areas unhatched to show a glimmer. 

Bog’s depictions of The White Rabbit continue to push the envelope for how much skin a comic code approved book can show, both on page 7, and then later in the book. [Max: This next sequence of panels burned itself into my young mind. Because of the cool panel layout, I mean.]

[December 2018 edit: White Rabbit’s body has been covered with Mike Carlin’s face so that Tumblr doesn’t delete this post. Sorry.]

Page 8 brings us a long sought after in-comics cameo.  If you’ll recall, back on one of my first reviews on this site, I interviewed the great Tom Grummett and asked him if there were any Easter Eggs that we should look out for while we were reading.  He answered that "My personal favorite moment was when Jon Bogdanove drew me in a scene with Jimmy Olsen in one issue of Man of Steel. I’m the one with the moose on his shirt. Happy hunting.”  Well, we need hunt no more, as a certain fellow pops up, arguing with Jimmy Olsen, and what’s that on his shirt?  A moose?! Found you! [Max: Are we the first on the internet to point out this cameo? I don’t have time to look it up, so let’s go with “Yes”.]

I also love the little gag in the lettering, where the first part of “Saskatchewan” (Tom’s home province) is shown as “Saskatch” and then below that Bog has written “W-1”, phonetically completing the phrase.   It’s also a very Neal Adams-y couple of panels when Jimmy and Tom start to get heated debating who the real Superman is.  [Max: I wonder if the Neal Adams-esque panels above are homaging a specific Adams comic, or just his “intense argument” poses in general...]  Then a page later, there’s an unmistakable rendering of another Super-Teamster, none other than group editor Mike Carlin, scanning the police radio for scoops.

As the story progresses, there’s a great shot of the Metropolis Kid (who they refer to as Superboy on this page, without a rebuttal from the Kid) showboating and holding one hand behind his back.  But, on the page that follows, a pretty heavy end for Daily Planet chopper pilot “Frank”, made all the more sickening by the lack of concern from the Kid leading up to this point. 

Some great visual callback on page 12, as the mob scene when the Man of Steel rescues Lois Lane recalls the meet-cute at the shuttle disaster wayyyy back in MOS #1.

The scene were John Henry confronts the Kid about his carelessness is well-done, even if it gives way to another mention of the preposterous ‘spirit-walk-in’ idea, which even these characters seem to find tenuous.  

The flashback with White Rabbit does a good job of filling in the gaps of John Henry’s history (interesting how similar Irons’ motivation is to that of Tony Stark’s, at least in the movies) but it’s an odd scene—not just because of the aforementioned vamping from White Rabbit, but also Irons’ inaction in the scene—he went there to capture her, but mostly just stands around and then lets her stroll back over to the bed, where a weapon is clearly visible from where he’s standing. [Max: Can’t imagine what else he could be looking at.]

As The Metropolis Kid rescues The Man of Steel, we get more looney tunes-style comedy, when the Kid comedically blows on his burning hands, trying to cool them. They seem to be working hard to establish how different his powers are from Kal-El’s, though they eventually go back on almost all of this stuff.

Moving on, we get a really nice look at Lois at a rainy window, once again musing on how the Man of Steel, while physically the most removed from Kal-El, seems to embody his “soul” more than the rest.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

Is the cameraman gangster supposed to be a riff on Spike Lee? The glasses seem pretty similar to ones Spike wore at the time.

How is it that we never noticed such a giant, futuristic tower on the Metropolis skyline before?

Jimmy Olsen wearing a Spin Doctors t-shirt is a little too meta for my head, since one of their biggest hits was “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues”.  What does the DC Universe Jimmy think when he hears a song about himself, lusting after Lois Lane?  They were also one of my favourite bands when this issue came out, so my mind was doubly blown.

What is it with Lex hanging onto VHS tapes?  Thank God he never got his hands on that one of Big Barda! [Max: Dammit, I’d JUST managed to erase that from my mind, Don.]

[riotatthemovies]

So welcome back to another QUESTIONS WITH RIOT! 

So here is a nice big post for you to read, see it on my tumblr page and the facebook group and maybe in a new book someday.

I will be reaching out to B movie directors and actors in the next week or so with a handful of (often similar questions) .

They are not real time interveiws , I just sent them the questions and they msgd me back. Because they are awesome people. 

Todays guest that I suckered in to using their precious time to answer my questions for b movie film makers is Richard Mogg a fim maker from Vancouver. Richard chilled us with the Massage Parlour of Death! As well as hit us right in the Easter time nightmare of EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH which just recently released a sequel. Riot at the Movies folks will remember BIGFOOT ATE MY BOYFRIEND that played on the first ever Terrible Two Day best a few years ago. On top of all that he is a writer of a few of the most detailed go to books on the genre of shot on video and low budget underground film makers.

Lets get to the questions

ADAM RIOT : SO RICHARD, IF YOU WERE GIVEN A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR BUDGET WHAT WOULD YOU DO?  GO CRAZY? 

Mogg: To be honest, I'd split it - but only half of what you're thinking.  I'd take half and make THE ULTIMATE sci-fi Extravaganza!  Then I'd make a whole bunch of small independent features.  So yes, I'd make my GALAXINA but with a bunch of cheese to go with it. 

Adam Riot: HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU WRITTEN SOMETHING AND SAID "OH THAT'S SO BAD, BUT I'M KEEPING IT IN"? 

Mogg:  Actually never... unless it overwhelmingly sucks.  I've been writing scripts long enough to know you can write unlimited, but it's smarter to write what you can actually do.  So write ambitiously but never against your vision.  One time I thought to not include something, but after we shot the film, I was able to edit back in my original idea... so first impulses are usually the right impulses.

 Adam Riot: WE DO TEND TO DOUBT OUTSELVES TOO MUCH. OF ALL THE MOVIES YOU HAVE MADE WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE?  FROM EXPERIENCE OR FINISHED PROJECT, WHAT MADE IT YOUR FAVORITE? 

Mogg: My favorite film that I've done is BIGFOOT ATE MY BOYFRIEND, which isn't gory at all but heavy in the awkward comedy I enjoy.  But the real reason it's my favorite is that everything seemed to come together.  It was the first time my vision matched execution, and the final product was as good/better than I had hoped.  BIGFOOT was my 5th feature film, so it took that many tries to get things right - plus I had my all-star cast.

Adam Riot: WE ALL LOVED IT HERE. 

HAVE YOU MADE FILMS THAT YOU HAVE NOT SHOWN TO THE WORLD THAT YOU JUST DIDN'T LIKE SO YOU HID IT AWAY? 

Mogg:  There are films I've done that haven't been released yet, but that doesn't have anything to do with hiding them.  Sometimes it seems that opportunities come up and you have to be ready to jump in... my 3rd feature film was shot just as 2013 rang in, but that was the year I found out we were having our first baby.  So after quickly moving and getting our lives set straight, I had an empty bedroom while we anticipated the baby's arrival.  But did I waste the opportunity of an empty bedroom?  Heck no, so I quickly shot MASSAGE PARLOR OF DEATH using the bedroom as a massage parlor.  So MASSAGE took the place of that 3rd film I shot (which hasn't been released), but that's the way life happens sometimes.  One day I'll release everything but timing and momentum occasionally get in the way.  I still have 3 films in the can yet to be released: HOT CHICKS BLAST URANUS, DEATH RIDES OF DEATH (formerly ROLLERCOASTER KICKBACK) and my "exotic" picture JOHNNY GLOBBER.

Adam Riot: I AM ALMOST SCARED BY THOSE TITLES BUT CURIOUS AS WELL. AND LAUGHING THE MASSAGE PARLOR BECAME A BABY ROOM.

 WHAT MOVIES IN A MICRO BUDGET GENRE HAVE IMPRESSED YOU RECENTLY? 

Mogg: You know, I'm so obsessed with watching older films to see their overall genre evolutions that I don't get to see many "newer" films.  Drew Marvick's POOL PARTY MASSACRE was a favorite, as was 2019's MORBID STORIES.  I recently caught Dave Castiglione's rerelease of DEEP UNDEAD and it's a knockout with some amazing underwater photography - stuff you just don't see in a lot of micro budget flicks.  And that's the great thing about lower budgeted stuff... it's made from the heart using igneous techniques rather than boatloads of money.

Adam Riot: WHAT MAKES YOU LOSE YOUR LOVE FOR INDEPENDENT FILMS, THE PEOPLE?  THE MONEY?  THE RESPONSE FROM FRIENDS OR BUYERS?  HOW DO YOU OVERCOME IT? 

Mogg: Wow, LOSE my love?  That's a tricky question.  I think there are personal turn-offs that might not let me get into a film, but the filmmaking spirit never leaves.  Yeah sometimes the people involved are only out to "get rich quick" can be trying, or rip off artists who turn out flicks every week with no investment in their content... that's a turn off.  I don't personally enjoy mean-spiritedness in movies, which is why all RickMoe titles are lighthearted and silly.  But as a pure business, I think basic indifference and self-righteousness in people infront and behind the camera can really effect the product.  But that's true of any business really...  

Adam Riot: WE ALL KNOW THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING MORE THAN MONEY. YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE, HOW DO YOU FEEL FRIENDSHIP IN THE INDEPENDENT FILM WORLD IS IMPORTANT AND HOW HARD WOULD IT BE WITHOUT CLOSE FRIENDS? 

Mogg: Great question.  Close relationships and treating people with respect is everything.  Acknowledging that everyone counts and their efforts are never taken for granted is key to longevity and happiness in this business.  It's true, in independent filmmaking many (perhaps all!) people involved in making films don't get paid financially... maybe they do it for a credit or recognition or even just to have fun, and we as the audience need to know that people really do put their blood, sweat and tears into these movies.  Sure there are straight up jerks running around with a camera, but when you start seeing the same people out there having fun and KEEP TRYING, you really get to feel that they're being honest with the audience.  Making movies IS fun - even when you're against problems - but a positive, uplifting leader can make the world of difference.  And I think that positivity can draw others together.  So making close friendships is really the sign that you're doing things right.

Adam Riot: WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE STREAMING SERVICES, DIRECT DOWNLOAD, TUBITV THAT KIND OF THING?  

Mogg: ANY OPINION? Well I'm trying it now for the first time with EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH 2: NO MORE TEARS.  I went thing route (direct streaming through Vimeo) because I needed to have quick access for viewers before Easter.  But also because of this damn coronavirus pandemic.  So being able to have audiences access something instantly without waiting for physical mail was very important.  But in general, I'm a physical media type of person.  I WANT a VHS/DVD/BLU copy on the shelf to look at, admire, hold.  I don't think I'll ever get away from that need to hold a film... because when everything is digital, it almost feels like it doesn't exist.  Delete and it's gone forever!

Adam Riot: FOR THOSE READING RICHARD MOGGS EARLY WORK IS ON SRS IS AVAILABLE ON TUBITV NOW.

 IS THERE A CHARACTER YOU SHOWED THE WORLD THAT IS ON THE TOP OF YOUR WANT LIST TO BRING BACK?

Mogg: 100% our Federal Bigfoot Investigator John Saurius (played by the incredible Kirk Munaweera) is a character I'd bring back for EVERY film.  He's so applicable to any story, and he carries a comical vengeance (his dick was torn off by Bigfoot).  But I'd like to see him lead a film completely too... he sorta does with EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH 2: NO MORE TEARS, but I'd like to bring him in in a bigger way for our upcoming Noir picture. 

Adam Riot :I do hope to see the son of the kung fu kid or something (smirk)

 YOU HAVE WRITTEN SEVERAL BOOKS ON THE SHOT ON VIDEO GENRE, ONE THAT'S NOW BASICALLY THE GO TO ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR THE GENRE AND ON THE TWISTED HORROR LOVE FOR CHRISTMAS.  IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE ON THE DRAWING BOARD/TYPING BOARD? 

Mogg: YES!  And thank you for asking!  I learned a lot writing "ANALOG NIGHTMARES" and even more with "GIFTWRAPPED & GUTTED" and the door is always open for another... maybe even a revisit.  But the next writing project excitedly being discussed is turning some of my own films into novels.  And not just the movies written as stories... but actual novels based on the ORIGINAL SCRIPTS of the films we've made, including much more graphic ideas.  For example, sex scenes were originally written in our early films that (of course) our actors weren't too interested in performing for no money... but NOW!  Now we can really write in detail the spicy hot sex always intended!  And same goes for the gore! 

Adam Riot: EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH 2: NO MORE TEARS IS ONLINE NOW AND ITS A VERSUS TITLE.  TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE MOVIE AND TELL ME WHAT VERSUS TYPE MOVIES IMPRESSED YOU IN THE PAST. 

Mogg: YES!  EBB2 is a "BIGFOOT VS BUNNY" sequel!  So there's an amazing climax where the two beasts meet for a showdown to the death!  After shooting BIGFOOT ATE MY BOYFRIEND, I knew that the only way to bring Bigfoot back would be to pair him against and equal of physical strength... and the Bunny hit me like a ton of bricks.  Plus it was great fun revisiting 2010's EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH which isn't the best film around but was my first feature length film (which I lovingly say "taught me all the mistakes I wanted to teach myself").  So in making this sequel (after making tons of other films), I was able to re-examine my early approaches and redo things from a new standpoint.  It was also fun to reuse some of the old musical cues and try to match the style of the first film.  But I think the biggest difference was in the editing, because I have become a much more experienced video editor since then... learning how to better time things for a greater payoff.  But as a versus film, I felt it was important to focus clearly on the Bunny storyline first, then bring in Bigfoot almost unexpectedly at the end - surprising the audience.  And that's sort of the way I cut films, leaving the end to play out in a zany over the top fashion (anyone who made it through TEENAGE SLUMBER PARTY NIGHTMARE can see this).  But I do love THE TOXIC AVENGER III's pair off with TOXIE and the DEVIL...

Adam Riot: Thanks so much Richard, now every get his books and get your Easter and rent or buy Easter Bunny Bloodbath 2. Stay Safe and Stay Awesome

Rent or download Easter Bunny Bloodbath 2 here https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bunny2/

Ps I will post a review of Easter Bunny Bloodbath 2 tomorrow on my social medias as well as the Riot at the movies instagram. Regardless you know I think you should see it too.   

[cassie-babyz]

[170415 Korepo] B.A.P - Focus on the upgraded performance from their new song “WAKE ME UP” completed with the whole group!

After successfully completing their 3-day concert “PARTY BABY! SEOUL BOOM”, we had this interview with B.A.P somewhere in Seoul. 

Amongst their busy schedules with their world tour upcoming and their leader Bang Yongguk’s return, the members welcomed us with all 6 of them as a group. They talked to us about their world tour and their new 7th Japanese single “WAKE ME UP” to be released on 4/26 and such. 

Q. Firstly, you successfully finished your concert “PARTY BABY! SEOUL BOOM” from 3/24-26, how do you feel now? DH: It was for 3 days, but since we had the new concepts, it was refreshing and interesting. It was a new challenge for us as well, I think the concert was a great success as the fan’s enjoyed it as well.  JU: For this time round, we emphasised the EDM and used the concept “PARTY BABY”, so it was very refreshing and we were able to have a lot of fun. Also, I think it was nice that we were able to show our own personalities through the solo stages. 

Q. Bang Yongguk has returned, making this a concert with a complete revival; what was the most memorable? DH: For the last album, Yongguk took a small break, and for this album, Himchan took a small break, so I don’t know, it felt like something was missing. Same as when we were on stage, we had that feeling for our usual schedules, but while we were doing this concert, that space was gone and somehow my confidence was boosted.   *Even when we challenged new concepts, it feels a little lacking when it’s only the 5 of us, but (challenging something) as 6, there’s a great synergy because we can trust and rely on each other. That’s why this concert will remain as a great one done without regrets in my memory.  YJ: Same as below* [*T/N: Although it’s not indicated, the second paragraph of Daehyun’s answer may be Youngjae’s since it was written as a separate paragraph, and the ‘same as below’ sounds more like an editorial note than an answer. It could be simply that Youngjae’s line was left there accidently or maybe it was an editing miss.]

Q. It must’ve been tough to be the temporary leader, Himchan. How do you feel now? HC: There wasn’t anything too different so it seems like I don’t have any particular feeling about it.  DH: If we were rookies, or only into our 1st or 2nd year, the hyungs’ position would definitely be very important, but since we’re into out 6th year already, I think we were able to make up [for the empty space] by each working our best. HC: The system or however you would call it was well set, so there weren’t any inconveniences, but I still worried a little about the stage performances. The fact that there was an empty place... Other than that everything was fine. 

Q. I heard that there was a “party look” dress code for the concert, how were the fans? HC: Somehow, sexy shall I say? There were many fans who wore see-through pieces. It concerned me a little but I was grateful about the concert (laughs). YJ: I thought pajamas for the home party [theme], but there were actually guests who wore pajamas. I was very thankful. They could’ve come as they were, but preparing as they did to our themes to enjoy the concert a little bit more and matching their clothes to the concert; I am very thankful. But on the other hand, I realised it might have been difficult to get to the concert [in their outfits]. 

Q. Your 7th Japanese single “WAKE ME UP” will finally be released on 4/26. Please introduce us to the concepts and highlights. JU: The song “WAKE ME UP” is a very refined and upgraded song and many praised it. Personally, I’m taken by the performance of it. Somehow, it matches well with the song and it’s even more complete and elaborate than the songs we’ve done till now, so I’d like everyone to watch the stages thoroughly. You may have already heard the Korean version, but I don’t think you’ve had many chances to see it. That’s why I want to show you the stage performance for it someday in a Japanese concert. 

Q. Which part of the performance in particular? JU: From the start to the end of it, it’s packed with great parts. Each and every bit is a highlight and I think it was created very coolly.  ZL: I participated in the choreography with Jongup-hyung since “Young, Wild & Free”, and the person we call “leader” of the dance team would always think up concepts since “Young, Wild & Free”. That’s why there’re a story-like qualities to it as well. The “leader” choreographed a cool dance for us. 

Q. I heard that Bang Yongguk and Zelo participated in the lyric composition for WAKE ME UP”. How was that? ZL: We usually work with others for our songs. There’s a chance for me to participate when Yongguk hyung is producing, but it’s rare for someone else to do it for us. Although we received this song from someone else, when I said “I want to try writing the lyrics about the title”, Yongguk hyung replied “then why don’t you try writing it?”. The song was finished belatedly and I thought of many ideas in the meantime. If there are people who think “it’s nice for the general public”, then there will also be people who think “isn’t it too packed with the things that they’re trying to tell?”. I think it was a good chance to receive those sort of precious comments. I hope there will be many more chances like this in the future. 

Q. What are the highlights for the “WAKE ME UP” music video? DH: We had a meeting whilst filming the music video, and in it, there are more parts with the extras than with me. We hadn’t decided if we were going to have Korean or foreign people at the start, but I suggested “this sort of scene would be good”, “if we’re going to have extras, then they should be foreigners since it’s for the whole world to see” and such comments the whole way through. We wanted to show a rebellious image and various things in the music video too so we tried many times. It’s difficult to express everything within 3, 4 minutes after all, right? It was a difficult theme, so. When you look at the first part and the second half, there are more painful and tiring scenes in the first part. On the other hand, the second half has more images about starting again, challenges and awakening. It’s a story about experiencing pain at the start, but slowly, like an egg shell gradually cracking, to find your true self.  ZL: The emphasis was on the story, and not the performance this time, so there weren’t any scenes of us dancing (the dance scenes were added to the later-released Japanese version) and although there were many scenes included where you watch whilst listening to our voices, we appear frequently so you can both see and hear us. We often edited on the footage that the editors put together, so it was always changing. We were in it a lot so I gained some know-how too. 

Q. Were there any episodes when filming the MV? DH: There wasn’t a lot to film so it went well. Since there weren’t any group scenes but many solo shots, there aren’t any episodes in particular to talk about. On the contrary, there are scenes where we’re paired together with different concepts. Scenes with being under the sun, lights going on and off, lying on the floor and such. These parts were changed quite a bit on the day. I think it was interesting to try all these new things. Also, it’d always been me who destroyed the car (laughs), but this time the extra did it so it was very refreshing. YJ: It was a cool BMW. JU: It was completed whilst we were still rehearsing the dance, so it helped us with the stage practise as well and was fun. 

Q. The coupling songs “BE HAPPY” and “I GUESS I NEED U” are also in Japanese; was recording in Japanese difficult? DH: We’ve released quite a few Japanese albums. So we don’t feel burdened at all when we’re recording in Japanese, but difficult-to-pronounce words are still difficult. ZL: It seems like it’s difficult to write it into Japanese if I make the raps too tight. So there are times where they cut and fix it before I record again. It was like that again this time. It was very tight again, so they cut the unneeded parts and changed it; it was a little tough. 

Q. I heard that you’ll be newly challenging a “flying kiss event” for the release events to be held in Tokyo, Kobe and Fukuoka, please tell us how you feel.  YJ: I felt that they would like this when I saw them[the fans] being very happy when we did this sort of fanservice at concerts and such. I didn’t know that this would turn into an event (laughs).  DH: Japanese fans like these sort of detailed things. 

Q. Isn’t it different doing it in front of everyone and to doing it 1 on 1? YJ: I’m very troubled.

Q. In a sense, isn’t it a challenge for the members? DH: It’s our first try.

Q. What determination do you have prepared? DH: I don’t have confidence (bitter laugh) YJ: I think I should be thankful that many of them will come. HC: I’m thinking about what we should do next time.

Q. Is there something you want to do for next time? DH: An event that we can do together where there’s a sense of closeness...  YJ: Like toasting, with water (laughs) 

Q. If there are 1000 people then you’d have to drink 1000 cups. DH: We’d have to drink 10,000 cups.

Q. Do you have any methods to release stress, or things that you think that “if I have this, then I can work hard”? DH: I simply, free myself from various thoughts. I definitely won’t think about other things. Today too, whilst going through our schedules, I thought “let’s delete all these thoughts from my mind. I will do my very best”.  YJ: Lately, I’ve been enjoying lying down on my bed. In the past, even if I worked daily for a week, two weeks, or even a month, I would recover if I rested for a day. I’d sleep for 10 hours and my body would recover and my energy would come back to me so I’d go out, but lately that’s not the case (laughs). So I’ve been starting to take vitamins and such. HC: That’s how me and Yongguk feel when we’re on stage. Previously, we’d recover in the moments between each song, but lately our recovery is slow (laughs).  ALL: Isn’t that just you Himchan hyung? HC: Didn’t I tell you before. I’m sure we talked about this together before *A panicked Himchan*

Q. Please teach us your favourite mottos or phrases that you cherish. YJ: Lately, around 2 years ago, I’ve started thinking “youth isn’t eternal so do everything at your best whilst you can”. That has helped me a lot. DH: Me too, I’d thought from the past that doing my best at anything is the best. But different to this, I’ve thought more about “having perseverance”. I have a very impatient personality, and really don’t want to do things that I dislike, so I always think to “have perseverance”. I’m learning. “Have perseverance”.  ZL: For me, it’s “doing my best”.  JU: For me, it’s “don’t worry, because I’m the coolest”. ALL: Jongup is very full of confidence (laughs). 

Q. Do you not have a favourite motto Bang Yongguk? YG: I thought about it a lot in the past, but not much in particular lately. That’s the easiest. (laughs)

Q. Finally, a message please to the Japanese fans who await your visit to Japan.  YJ: We don’t get to meet the fan in Japan often so I want to see you soon. We’ll bring a new single to you this time, so I’d be happy if many of you come to see us. We’ll do our best for you even when we’re in Japan so please enjoy yourselves too when you come see us.  ZL: I think it’ll be the first time you see these activities, but I want to give you many dreams. I’ll do my best. I love you! HC: It’s been a while since going to Japan. It’s a shame that we can’t go often, but we’ll come and repay you with good songs and events. (in Japanese) I love you!

For the second time in 4 months, it was an interview that was completed peacefully from start to end. I felt that the members themselves were the happiest about promoting as 6. The members exchanged jokes whilst answering the questions in a joyous atmosphere. I was able to feel the trust and friendship between them from their small talk. 

From 4/5, B.A.P will tour America’s Atlanta and LA, France’s Paris, Germany’s Frankfurt, Portugal’s Warsaw, Hungary’s Budapest, Russia’s Moscow amongst others before promoting in Japan. Their new single “WAKE ME UP” is receiving attention for both its title and coupling songs, and the fact that the CD cover, for the first time will not be of their mascot figure “MATOKI”, but of B.A.P members themselves, is gaining press. 

Fans of course are looking forward to their visit, but even non-fans should be awaiting it. 

Source: Korepo Translation: cassie_babyz

Please take out with full credits

[carry-on-kissing-snowbaz]

Love and Manuscripts (5)

I like to believe that Simon can’t handle his liquor well, don’t you? Previous chapters for this fic are listed here: 1 2 3 4

Simon

Simon felt utterly exhausted. He’d submitted his first real edit today to Penny. If his edits were good, she’d mention them to the author, if they weren’t he was back to practice mode. But he’d had other assignments to finish even after submitting the edits. He was just finishing up when Penny walked in wearing a gorgeous full-length purple gown. The color complimented her purple hair and dark skin tone nicely. She had obviously come from the office party happening in the conference room. “When are you two coming downstairs?” Simon glanced at Baz and then away. Technically they had finished the edits together. In reality Simon had handed his edits over to Baz silently and let him combine their edits on his own. They hadn’t actually spoken to each other in a month, ever since Baz had slept over Simon’s place. “We’re still finishing up some work so I don’t think we’ll be making an appearance,” Baz replied smoothly. Penny’s eyes flashed angrily. “By all means finish your work but just so you know the party is mandatory.” Simon felt like pulling his hair out or falling into a coma. After the kind of day he’d had the last thing he wanted to do was go to a party. “What do you mean it’s mandatory?” Baz asked hotly. “I mean,” Penny’s voice was icy, “That if you don’t come you may as well not come back to the office tomorrow.” After a few seconds of silence Penny rolled her eyes and smiled at them. “Oh stop moping. Sure it’s mandatory but at least it’s fun. Come enjoy yourself and see what goes into celebrating our authors.” With that she turned and left them alone in their cubicle. Simon put his finished work in his desk and went to the bathroom to examine himself; his reflection was a depressing sight. His suit had a coffee stain near the tie and his hair looked as if it had been pulled into several directions. On top of that he had bruise-like dark circles under his eyes. Baz strolled in and ignored him as he adjusted his own tie. Simon noted bitterly that Baz looked immaculate, his tan skin gleaming and hair perfectly in place. “See you at the party,” Simon muttered and walked out. As he stepped in the elevator he heard the slap of Baz’s shoes on the floor. He rushed into the elevator just in time. Simon was surprised but didn’t say anything. Talking to Baz usually turned into a fight and he was far too exhausted to handle that. “What do you think it’ll be like?” Baz’s quiet voice came from the corner of the elevator. Simon didn’t respond for a moment, he was completely thrown by Baz trying to talk to him. “Um, probably dreadful,” Simon replied evenly. As they walked to the conference room Simon could hear the thumping of music. He felt confused for a moment. Simon had always assumed office parties to be dull, professional-like gatherings. Baz opened the door for them and Simon had to forcibly prevent his mouth from hanging open in shock. “You were right,” Baz’s face was a mask of distaste. “I’m sorry?” Simon still couldn't get over the scene in front of him. “This is going to be dreadful.”

Baz

The conference hall was filled with dancing bodies. It resembled a night club more than a formal office party. Baz took note of the nicely decorated buffet line and cloth covered tables. Clearly the party had started as a formal gathering and evolved into whatever this was supposed to be. Baz recognized plenty of coworkers who appeared drunk off their asses. There were authors there too and several of them appeared to be making questionable advances on their editors. Snow had found Penny, given her a quick hello, and then scurried off towards the buffet line. Normally Baz would attribute this to his insatiable appetite but tonight he had the distinct feeling Snow was hiding. Baz didn’t want to be here anymore than Snow did but he wasn’t about to stand around like a scared child in the corner of the room. Instead he drifted over to the bar and ordered a vodka tonic. If he was being forced to attend this nightmare then he wasn’t going to do it sober. Snow looked utterly ridiculous in his buffet corner eating tiny sandwiches by himself. Baz sighed, an internal battle playing out in his mind. It was all kinds of stupid but Baz knew he was attracted to his competitor. This was a very good reason to keep his distance and not over complicate their rivalry. But Snow looked so miserable and stupid by himself that Baz couldn’t help the urge to go over there. It was probably the effect of the vodka tonic but Baz decided to go with the stupid choice. He ordered a screwdriver and walked over to Snow. “You look like you could use a drink,” Baz commented. Snow eyed the drink warily and didn't respond. “I’m not trying to poison you,” Baz joked. Snow frowned but accepted the drink. “No it’s not…I don’t really drink.” Baz looked at him in surprise. “Why not?” Snow’s cheeks flooded. “I get drunk very easily.” “So?” Snow downed the drink in one go and then winced. It was obvious that the orange juice hadn’t done enough to cover the vodka. “Well I’m not the best drunk to be around…” Baz had understood this to mean that Snow was an angry drunk. But as the night progressed, and Snow consumed more alcohol, Baz realized his assumption had been incorrect. Snow was a happy drunk, a very happy drunk. Baz became Snow’s personal guard, keeping coworkers and authors away from him. After an hour or so Baz begged Penny to let him take Snow home. Her face, flushed from alcohol, crumpled. “But it’s such a fun party!” She complained. Baz realized that she too was drunk. He couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of this party. Nothing like this happened at his father’s company. “I know,” Baz struggled to prop Snow up against him, “But he won’t be able to drive in this condition and I need to go.” She pushed Baz angrily. “You’re no fun Basilton. So angry all the time.” “Like a small dog,” Snow commented. Penny broke out into laughter. Baz gritted his teeth but didn’t take the bait. Instead he dragged Snow out to his car and half threw him into the passenger side. Snow’s loud complaint was cut off by Baz slamming the door on him. He rubbed his temple harshly and glared at Snow through the windshield. He had deleted Snow’s address from his phone a long time ago and didn’t remember how to get there. That meant he had to either drop Snow in the middle of no where or take him to his house. With a groan he got into the driver’s side and started the car. “I’m glad you’re being nice to me now,” Snow slurred with a grin. “I’m not being nice to you.” Snow pouted. “Why can’t you just…give me a break for once?” “I’ve explained why before,” Baz reminded him. Snow rubbed his eyes aggressively and mumbled something Baz couldn’t catch. “What?” Baz asked irritably. “I said, I know. But it doesn’t matter.” “Why doesn’t our competitive status matter exactly?” Snow leaned his head affectionately on Baz’s shoulder. “Because I like you.” Baz felt like the universe had to be testing him. Snow was his own personal tormenter sent to keep Baz from getting the job of his dreams. He was much too attractive for his own good and at this rate Baz would be drooling over him and forgetting about his work. “You don’t mean that.” Snow snuggled in closer, making it more difficult for Baz to drive properly. “But I do. You’re so smart and confident and I…” “Yes?” Baz prompted in spite of himself. “Nevermind,” Snow muttered, obviously angry with Baz’s earlier rebuff. Baz sighed but didn’t push him any further. It was best for him not to tease himself. Snow wasn’t the kind of person he could be with. He was stubborn, honest, and too trusting. Baz would just wreck him and then wreck himself in the process. They pulled into the driveway and Snow started in disbelief. “What is this place?” Snow asked, wonder in his voice. “Pitch Mansion,” Baz replied grimly.

[eclairbrun]

Scrivener 3 Upgrade Thoughts

(I’ll stop posting about it after this. Probably.)

Tbh my main thought is that this program would be easier if I didn’t use Scriv 1. The UI is mostly the same, but that just makes it more jarring to encounter a change.

Anyway, here’s my two cents for anyone like me who was thinking of upgrading but didn’t do it instantly. This is Windows version, btw. Apple got it earlier, so if you like overpriced computers designed to break in a couple years and also use scriv, you probably already upgraded.

Editor

It’s now easier to adjust to standard page width without messing with everything else at the same time. There’s also an option for a straight-up page view, which I never saw in old scriv, although I might have missed it. If I were still adapting from MS Word I think I would have loved that, but I’m kinda used to not seeing each new sheet of paper my story takes up at this point. So it’s neat that they added the option, but I’m not using it.

Indentation is no longer an option in line spacing. The only way I’ve found to edit it is add a ruler in your view dropdown menu and mess with the ruler markers. If the ruler were visible by default that would be fine, and I don’t need this adjustment often, since it’s only typically when making templates for my atlas that I deviate from my presets, but I think this is less intuitive than having the option in the main formatting menu.

On the other hand, bullet points seems way less buggy now. Tables are still a headache to get fancy with, but I basically only use them for drafting an outline and that doesn’t require fancy. I only even checked if they changed at all for the purposes of this post.

There’s also now a tracked changes feature of sorts, but it’s weaker than MS Words. Added changes are automatically in a different color, but it doesn’t seem to track deletions. Getting it to accept changes and convert them to default text color also took me a couple tries. I’m going to keep experimenting with it, but for now it seems more like a for-fun feature than a seriously useful one. Without the ability to see deletions, I would still rather send word files if I let someone else edit, so I could catch if they deleted something I want to keep..

Themes

I just really, really love this. None of the themes are perfect, but they change the colors of everything when setting customization in old scriv was limited in what it could hit. There’s dark themes and colored themes that create a lower level of contrast. The dark modes in particular I find to be a godsend. I still mostly use a lighter setting, but dark on days I’m sick makes me less inclined to puke. (I’m not being hyperbolic, so we’re clear. I am very migraine-prone but still hold myself to writing goals on bad days. Dark mode really really really helps when I’m photosensitive.)

I haven’t taken the time yet to look at all the additional customization options, but I plan to sit down on my next day off to toggle settings and create some personalized, low-contrast light and dark themes

Project Targets

I don’t know how many people use this feature, but as someone with a daily word goal this feature making it easier to track words written was the thing that convinced me to make the switch to scrivener in the first place, albeit not the reason I stuck with it. (I bought scriv on sale on a whim and then let it sit for half a year before noticing it had this feature.) I have not yet encountered the glitch where hitting reset sends the count into the negative, but I can’t say for certain that it’s gone.

Targets comes with way more options now. You can set session count to reset on its own under different circumstances, not track if you go into the negative, 

Other than that, there’s a visual change that it now switches from color A to color B the moment you cross your goal, instead of the gradient shift as you got closer. It’s not a functionality change, but it still popped out to me.

Project Notes

They’re gone.

They’ve been replaced with a bookmark feature, which is slightly less intuitive imo. It takes more setup, but once you have it set up it’s roughly the same, except you can’t see the document’s index card while looking at project bookmarks. I guess they changed it because it was easier to do some sort of “open documents in the side bar” thing than it was to make project notes searchable.

There is an option for both document bookmarks and project bookmarks, while document notes is still a thing. If you’re especially type A, that would be a great way to link specific reference notes to scenes that use that info. I, for one, am not about to organize my already once-revised novel to that end, but since I do have an atlas of sorts in my project files, it seems like it could be handy for that. You can change the colors, at least. I switched the “goal not met” color to something a little less pleasant. Failure to reach a goal should not be a pleasant color.

Incidentally, a lot of the visual feel more apple-y to me now. Just an aside.

Toolbar

Mostly the changes seem visual, tbh. Icons are simplified mobile-app style and much smaller. Search options are a little higher powered, but slightly more annoying to back out of. Mass replacing words in a project is a little easier to find now, as it is built into the search options rather than hidden in a different setting.

Spellcheck

Still the main black mark on the program. Missing lots of real words still, including some mainstays that a fantasy writer will want.

They didn’t implement the one feature I would have most wanted in an update either, which is to check for if you typo’d in a way that gave you a real word. It will catch things that aren’t words, but still can’t tell if you used too when you wanted to like MS word does.

Compile

So far, I like it less. I think it’s more powerful, and I’ll probably like it once I’m used to it, but I currently hate it. It has way more options, but a lot of them are options I don’t need and ultimately make things feel cluttered, and I generally find the layout changes less intuitive. If you’re not used to the old version, then the editing options aren’t that hard to find, but I was so thrown off by them not being where I was used to that I initially thought I only had the option for a few preset looks. Although it is now much easier to edit how your project title and author name appear in the final compile. I like to put entire series in one project folder so I don’t have to cross-reference projects for character notes, magic rules, etc. and it was always easier in the past to just let the drafts I loaded onto my phone all have the series name rather than the individual book titles, so I like being able to easily adjust this.

There’s more stuff to edit, but less guiderail to let you know where all those changes take effect, I’ve actually given up on trying to feel it out. It auto-loaded my presets from a project I compiled on old scriv so I just tweaked the font size on those and called it a day. I simply cannot create a new custom set from scratch. I had to look up a few codes for old scriv too, but I think I’m going to actually sit down and read the tutorial on this one when I have the time and patience.

That being said, you now have the ability to save multiple compile settings as personal customizations and access them across all projects. So once I get the settings right, that’s mean no more redoing them over and over for each new project. It also comes with some defaults for different types of projects, including a standard manuscript format that I will definitely not be using for sharing my story with friends and family, but that will be handy for querying.