#style tv’s production is so bad

[bawstens]

vault tracks are good but the production value on the re-records are so bad

max martin where were youuuuuu

[milfygerard]

living in the inbetween hell where I dont hate or love ttpd enough to agree with anyone on the dash so im just sort of flinching whenever I see a post about it from any side

[bahoreal]

i feel like, tied into this idea that media literacy is absolute dogshit at the moment, that people have real trouble reconciling that shows that they enjoy are "good" and what makes a show "good". a show is not bad or less powerful because it has a happy ending, and a show is not bad or less impactful because it is a comedy. the idea that a "good" show must be angsty or dark needs to be demolished.

[phantomcallas]

i miss mr. robot so much...watching that show as a kid fucked me up for the better

[waffled0g]

Everyone gets “The 90s” look wrong and I hate it

Couple years ago I saw these two board games at the store back to back. Well, not saw them per se, but ya know. Spied them out of the corner of my eye. And for a moment without reading the text, I couldn’t tell you which was which decade at first. Funny. Either they were in a rush to get these out the door or they wanted their throwback trivia game boxes to look uniform. I didn’t think too much of it.

Only, from then on I started seeing it MORE. Every time someone markets a 90s or 80s throwback...

Goddammit they’re identical! What??! How did we let this happen? As a 90s survivor and a designer, this drives me up a wall.

Look, I know I’m late to the party to complain about “the 90s look” when we’re just starting to get sick of the Y2K nostalgia train. But c’mon, the 90s were not The 80s: Part Two™ 

Trust me when I say that we weren’t all wearing neon trapezoids up until the year 2000. The 90s look being peddled is so specific to the tail end of the 80s and an early early part of the 90s - a part of the 90s when it wouldn’t stop being the 80s. This is Memphis design being conflated with the wrong decade.

Keep reading for a long ass graphic design history lesson and pictures of old soda and fast food.

Specifically, the look is Memphis Milano, self-named by the Italian design house Memphis Group. Starting in the early to mid 80s, they made all sorts of furniture, fabrics and sculptures that were like a Piet Mondrian grid painting under heavy radiation. Their whole deal was defying the standards of existing industrial design up to that point on purpose. Chairs had weird arches, bookcases would be in strange alien colors, unusual materials like plastic or elastic were used in place of metal or wood, that sorta thing.

Memphis quickly became the signature look for the decade. You can tell something’s influenced by Memphis design from it’s telltale trademarks:

Clashing, neon colors.

Use of diametric shapes.

Contrasting patterns like zebra print stripes, confetti squiggles and checkerboards.

It wasn’t long before Memphis Milano-inspired design was everywhere in 80s pop culture:

It was a special time, yes.

I was a kindergartener at the tail end of the 80s, so I knew Memphis mostly through the lens of kids media. Toys, clothes, games, tv shows used it like candy colored catnip. Cable channel Nickelodeon more or less adopted the Memphis aesthetic as their signature in-house style and practically built a monument to it at a Florida theme park:

I think this is why folks mistake what decade Memphis is representative of - 90s staples like Nick, Saved By The Bell, Fresh Prince - they all stayed around much longer than the design trend’s expiration date. 

Couple that notion with the fact that companies are slow followers to design trends. Something gets popular and they want to get on the bandwagon? Gotta wait for the ink to dry, gotta wait for the production molds to be made. It would take a few years for them to completely work Memphis outta their system.

Now, this is not to say Memphis is bad! Personally I’m a fan of the aesthetic, if my neon-drenched artwork wasn’t a tip-off already. But it is a trend, and trends never last forever.

So what took the Memphis Milano look down for good? This part’s up for debate, but I personally think it had something to do with this dude:

It’s that grunge music from Seattle that’s so popular with the kids these days dontchaknow.

Once Smells Like Teen Spirit hit in 1991, the Nirvana tone drove the rest of the decade. Clean geometry became weathered, grainy and organic. Bright neon pastels became more bold. Bubblegum pop music sounded fake and manufactured. Attitude and apathy was authentic. Whatever.

Things got grungy. Things got grimy. Olestra was invented.

I think the best way to visualize this transition is how Cherry Coke entered the decade and how it left it:

1992 Memphis on the left, 1998 grunge junkie on the right. Fitting that the 90s would end with a design that looked like Darth Maul’s lungs.

Okay, so what should 90s retro design look like?

Continue on to PART TWO! Spoilers: No VHS filters or vaporwave needed, but maybe bring an antacid.

[slayingfiction]

How I push through writing when I don't feel like writing.

Here are some of the techniques that I use to help me write more often or more consistantly when my laziness/depression/anxiety starts to take over.

I watch TV. I don't do it with the purpose of zoning out though. I watch something popular and well-liked such as the LOR or Harry Potter to get new ideas on how I can develop my story and apply their in-depth world-building ideas to help develop mine. Without plagarizing of course!!!!

Zoning out and daydreaming. As I have mentionned before, daydreaming is a huge part of my story outlining and world-building process. I'll stand in the shower, or take a walk and think about how my charcaters would act/react/behave in situations, mundane or not. Doing this gives me a better sense of my characters, and sometimes gives me ideas for scenes I use later on.

Work on writing related projects. These work well at keeping me distracted while still being productive on my writing goals. Example, I have one story I am working now, I made a new language (alphabet and numbers included) to include as a cool and fun component for the book. So, at times when I don't wan't to write, I continue creating the dictionary (very fun, 8/10 would recommend). Also, for the same book, my characters don't work off the Georigian calendar and 24 hour clock, so I've been working at creating a new calendar (harder than it seems, 2.5/10 dont recommend). These are side projects that help my story, without having to write.

Reading. You saw this one coming, I know. Reading is great, especially when you're editing, your writing style will unconsciously change to be more similar the author you were just reading. Also, most importantly, I'll be reading and think, "this story is really good, but you know what story I like even better? Mine." then change to writing.

This one is my biggest life saver!! I learnt about a year ago that sometimes I'll get bored of writing a story, and have difficulty keeping on track. That's why I finished my first book in 2016 and just started editing the first draft last week. The solution for me was to work on multiple projects at once, because it was much harder to be bored of multiple stories. I stick to 2, but will sometimes add a third. This is easy for me, because I have a list of over a dozen series I want to write. Don't abandon one project for another, use them as a distraction/ motivation for each other, so you're always furthering at least one project. I've never heard someone say, "oh no, i accidentally worked on this other writing project for three months instead of the other writing project I was doing. Dammit." No, we're just happy we have written something. Be sure to have well outlined story lines before starting, don't just start writing randomly or you'll reach a point where you don't know where to go from there.

Author/ writer projects. Maybe this is building a following, or community to share your projects and engage with. Tumblr, Insta, Reddit, whatever it is. My hope this year is to start up my website to offer publishing services (editing, graphic design, short writing courses) and build a following as a writer. (See what I did there? Never a bad time to self-promote ;) ) Having your own projects like this will help you in the future when you're going to try to publish and sell your books!

Talk with friends and a writing community. Never underestimate the passion that will burn inside you when talking about your story, or when others are talking about theirs. Surrounding yourself with a positive writing community can be the best thing for you as a writer.

Write or read (your story) every day. I'm not going to be one of those people that say you need to write 1000 words a day, that's a lot. But maybe try for 100? That could maybe only take 5 minutes, and at the end of the year that's still over 36 thousand words of a novel. Or just read your story, and I've always found it helped me get in the creative mood.

Make a playlist of songs that remind you of your characters, your story, or just puts you in the mood to write. Then play it ONLY when you're having trouble writing. Playing it while writing will not help, you'll get annoyed with the songs.

Just really can't do it today? That's okay, take a break. You deserve it. There's always tomorrow.

Does anyone else have ways they push themselves to keep writing? Let us know in the comments!

Happy Writing!

[tuktukpodfics]

The Problem With "Dao Swords": My love-hate relationship with pleonastic translations

An essay that no one asked for.

A lot of fanfics call Zuko’s broadswords “dao swords.” As a Chinese to English translator, this phrase makes me pause every time. Here is my humble opinion on “dao swords” and other pleonastic translations:

What the heck is a pleonastic translation?

I’m so glad you asked! “Pleonasm” is a fancy term for a redundant phrase, like “black darkness” or “burning fire.”

A pleonastic translation is a phrase that puts the source language and the translation back-to-back. A common example is “chai tea” which literally means “tea tea.”

“Dao swords” is a pleonastic translation. “Dao” 刀 is the Chinese blanket term for blade. The phrase basically means “sword swords.” Sounds pretty silly, right?

Pleonastic translations are bad?

I think it depends on your audience, the text purpose, and how special the word is.

In advertising, pleonastic translations can help increase a product’s searchability. Ex: “Longjing Dragonwell tea” would appear in a Google search for either “longjing” or “dragonwell.”

Tourist destinations often use pleonastic translations to help foreigners navigate. Ex: “Nanzhan South Station” on a map helps foreigners know what the place is, but also gives them the Chinese pronunciation so that they can communicate with their taxi driver.

In literature, a pleonastic translation is a succinct way to introduce a culturally significant term without a footnote or distracting tangent. A lot of translators will sneak in a pleonastic translation the first time the word appears in a text, and then use the untranslated term alone every time after. Ex: "He slouched on the kang bed-stove. His grandmother sighed and took a seat on the kang too.”

Is "dao" a culturally significant word?

No.

Dao is a super mundane word used to describe any kind of single-edged blade, from butter knives to ice skates. It feels weird to keep such a normal word untranslated. Using the Chinese word emphasizes its foreignness. They’re not just swords, they’re special, Chinese swords. 

Yes, words take on different meanings as they pass from culture to culture. That’s how language works. But English is also a unique case. Because of imperialism. I think English speakers have an obligation to avoid exotifying every-day words.

Also, English is a global language. Chinese speakers are reading your translation, and…I dunno...“sword swords” feels off putting. Disruptive.

But I want to acknowledge the real-life culture behind the swords

Giving credit to the cultures that you're borrowing from is an A+ idea.

...I don't know how to do this in a fantasy setting.

Zuko’s swords and fighting style is based on oxtail sabers (牛尾刀）and Shaolin dual broadswords (少林双刀). @atlaculture has a very cool post on oxtail sabers. But calling his swords "oxtail sabers" doesn't work because cows don't exist in atla. Shaolin is a type of martial arts that originates from Shaolin temple in Henan, China (Shaolin itself literally means “young forest”). But you can’t call them “Shaolin broadswords," since Shaolin does not exist in the Fire Nation.

It’s quite a pickle.

Maybe just use a footnote?

So what should I call Zuko’s swords?

I don’t know.

I think you can just call them broadswords. That’s what the TV show calls them.

Dao by itself could work too if you need to differentiate Zuko's dao from Sokka's jian (double-edged blade). Readers can probably figure out what dao means from context.

If it’s not clear from context what dao means? *sigh* ..."Dao swords" it is, I guess.

To end on a happier note, here is a video of Chang Zhizhao busting some sweet moves.

[so-mordor-itis]

Never Out of Sight

Synopsis: Leon finally returns home after a rough week of work, and you're there to welcome him. He's allowed to feel normal for once and ignore his responsibilities, going back into a world that did not have a use for a gun at every turn. Though, he still awaits that inevitable call that will burst his bubble of normalcy and force him to leave again.

I got inspired by @uhlunaro 's Enough series, and honestly, I got a lot of angst planned, so I decided to give Leon fluff instead! I'm also trying out a different style so I apologize if it feels different than my usual formula

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: Kinda edited, I finished it at like 2 a.m., so apologies. Also, there's suggestive content in here if you don't like that kind of stuff

I.

The click of a lock echoed throughout the living room. Leon entered the threshold with a sigh, removing one of his boots and tossing it to the side of the front door. The other followed shortly, landing on the ground with a thud. It was still early in the morning, the apartment still a grayish color as the sun barely began to peek out. He wondered if you heard him; it would be hard not to. He was a bit careless, but with the way his muscles ached and yelled for rest, he couldn't help it.

The apartment smelled of cleaner and air freshener. You had probably just done some spring cleaning–he could easily imagine you worrying about him as you scrubbed dishes and mopped the floor of the kitchen. Guilt entered his system, and he decided pondering on that would make him feel worse.

The most obvious thing to do was shower, and immediately after climb into the bed you two shared to grab you close and hold you until you groaned at him to let go because he was stronger than he thought. His heart ached now, wanting that more than ever.

Though, his screaming muscles won. Once he laid eyes upon the couch, he fell on top of it. Leon told himself he could shower later before succumbing to his exhaustion.

–

He was home. You knew he was home because the air of your apartment was different. The smell of rust and his stale cologne greeted you once you opened your eyes, and your heart felt full. You were slightly disappointed he didn't settle next to you for his rest, but you figured he must've had an incredibly exhausting week. You wouldn't give him too much shit for it.

After contributing to your daily routine, you entered the living room to find his sleeping form. Leon was still in his work t-shirt and jeans, even forgetting to take off his socks. He had one of his arms draped across his eyes, and soft snores were escaping him. The last time he was this exhausted, he slept till 4 in the afternoon. You supposed this would be a similar case.

Nonetheless, the last thing you wanted was to wake him. He was a bit of a grumpy bear when he never got enough rest. He'd never admit it, but he hated feeling tired. Made him feel strange, as if he couldn't do anything.

You poured yourself a cup of orange juice–quietly of course–before glancing at him again. Your eyes ran over his form, watching the way his chest fell and rose.

"Welcome home, Leon." You whispered. For once, you felt at peace. He came home to you once again.

II.

The rest of your day consisted of working from home and reading. The thought of turning on the TV and waking him made you feel bad, so you decided it was time to stop procrastinating on your work and actually be productive.

You had just finished your latest outline when you heard shuffling in the living room. Your heart leaped with anticipation. You were wrong with your estimation, but you were glad he got sleep regardless.

"Sweetheart?" His voice called to you.

You couldn't contain the smile that was curving. "Coming," you replied.

The moment Leon saw you exit your office space, his eyes softened, and he instinctively pulled you into his arms, a groan of satisfaction left his lips. He needed to see you bad, and you felt it.

“Long week?” You asked, voice muffled against his shoulder.

“You have no idea.”

You didn’t, with Leon having to be secretive about certain details of his job, but you didn’t want to pry into it. You knew he was a hard worker, and that’s all you needed to know. Though you would’ve been lying to yourself if you said you enjoyed the fact he came home with bruises or broken bones. At least now, as you looked at him, observed his face, you couldn’t find any noticeable injuries.

“If you wanna talk about it, I'm here, you know."

“I’m just happy to see you, that’s enough for me.” Leon mumbled into your hair, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Don’t wanna talk about it anyway.”

“If you insist,” you said to him, a hint of teasing in your tone. You slipped from his arms–a noise of protest coming from Leon in the process–to open the fridge. “Are you hungry?”

“I practically slept half the day, so, yeah,”

“Well,” you said, scanning the contents of the shelves. “We have two options: Takeout or–Leon,” you grumbled, watching as his arm came into view. He grabbed the milk carton, but he didn’t have it long since you swiped it from him.

“What?” He looked slightly startled.

“I know what you’re gonna do,” you pointed an accusing finger. “you’re gonna drink it straight from the carton–what are you, a heathen?”

“How did you know that's what I was going to do?” He pouted a little, and you had to fight the urge to kiss him. You were supposed to be irritated at him. You couldn’t let his stupid, handsome face win this time. "I could've been on my way to grab a cup."

You sighed. “You’re not very sneaky. You left the cap sitting on the counter last time."

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.” He tried to nab it from you, but you were quicker than him. You knew his tricks.

“You have germs, Mr. Kennedy, don’t contaminate the milk.” You smiled at him.

“I have germs, huh?” There was a glint of mischief in his eye, and it made your stomach flip. You knew what that look meant. Leon stepped a foot closer to you, and you suddenly felt nervous.

“Leon,” you warned, unable to contain yourself from letting out a small laugh. “Don’t you dare–”

He was fast, too, proving so by catching you by your waist when you attempted to flee. You squealed. His warm breath tickled against your cheek as he let out a chuckle, clearly amused with himself. When he started to place kisses all across your face, you jabbed him in the abdomen. It didn't phase him.

"Hey, that could have hurt, you know," he said, cupping your face to plant an actual kiss to your lips. "I could've been bruised there."

You grinned at his taunting tone. "You would've said something." God, you loved him. More than anything.

He kissed you again, bringing you closer before picking you up bridal style. You let out a squeak at suddenly being off the ground. "Hey!"

He gently plopped you on the couch, hovering over you, love now clear in his azul eyes. Your heart melted. "God, I missed you." He admitted. "Promise me you won't ever change, sweetheart."

"Not even with a gun pointed to my head," you told him.

He kissed you again, harder. You swore he knew exactly what to do to everytime to bring you to your knees, to make your legs feel as if they were made of jelly.

Welcome home, Leon.

—

III.

You forced him to shower after your excursion. At first, he grumbled, mentioning his aching muscles, and getting up was not in his itinerary.

"If your muscles were aching," you commented, "You certainly didn't show it earlier."

"Well, that was different."

"Leon, you should shower, you stink."

"You certainly didn't say anything earlier." Leon used your own words against you. You felt him smirk, and you lightly smacked him. He was currently laying his head on your chest, your fingers fiddling with his hair–he loved when you did that.

Eventually, he did remove himself from you begrudgingly. It gave you a view of his body; the scars on his legs, arms, back. It painted a picture of what he went through, of what he had done, had sacrificed. It hurt to look at him sometimes because it reminded you that there were some scars you couldn't help him with.

III.5

That night, you swore he held onto you just a little bit tighter. Perhaps hoping you wouldn't be awake to notice.

Something happened during the last week of work, but he was trying so hard not to show it.

IV.

A few days of serenity passed. Leon had offered to actually try cooking for once, but you didn't let him. The last time he tried it was on your one year anniversary and he wanted to make pancakes. The ending result being black, hardened pieces of charcoal. You remembered the smell lasting for a week, and he apologized for causing trouble.

You had done the cooking, much to his dismay.

("I wanted to at least do something while I can. I don't know when they'll call me in."

"Well, if you're so inclined, you could always do the dishes afterwards, Lee."

"I meant something for you."

"That would be doing something for me!")

You had been working in your office, Leon catching up on the news, as you heard a phone ring from across the hall. Your heart dropped, knowing it was his work phone.

You tried to ignore his voice answering it with business, grasping onto the last bit of time you'd hear it echo throughout the apartment.

He leaned against the doorway moments later. He sighed, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, they uh–they need me back."

You shrugged. "It's okay. I already figured anyway."

"It's really not okay, but duty calls." He had the same look of dread in his eyes whenever he was called back into work. You had told him maybe it was best to leave, to possibly find something that would be better than what he had. He only shook his head, not elaborating why. "I'll try to come back as soon as I can."

You wanted to put on a brave face, to simply smile at him and tell him to go ahead without any worries in your heart. You couldn't.

You got up from your seat and wrapped your arms around him. He returned the gesture greatly, once again kissing your temple as he buried his nose into your hair. "Just come back in one piece, yeah?" You said, voice cracking to your displeasure.

"I'll always come back to you." He affirmed, tilting your chin up. "I'd fight through hell if I had to."

"Don't forget I love you."

"How could I?"

–

You watched as he grabbed the boots he had flopped on the floor, grabbed his keys, and grabbed that stupid phone that filled him with dread. And you watched him as he kissed you a gentle goodbye.

As he was about to leave, you called him. "Leon,"

He turned to you without a second thought.

"I love you."

His face melted from serious to bittersweet. "I love you, too. More than you know."

He left soon after, taking your heart with him.

The house felt empty again.

--

@amatxs , @boundinparchment , @inaflashimagine , @izuniias , @airanke , @itoshisoup , @fugufishie , @spookluckpuck

[eddies-house]

1989 (Eddie’s Version)

Coming Soon

“Eddie Munson, rock’s most eligible bachelor takes on New York. The rockstar was spotted leaving his new penthouse with his most recent conquest. A change seems to be in the cards as Munson’s new flame appears to be sporting baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt, a stark contrast to the glitz and glamour previous girlfriends have shown off. Sources say the mystery woman is Munson’s personal assistant but could this blossoming relationship be a product of the rocker’s womanizing reputation? The general public seems to agree that Eddie Munson is downgrading as recent rumors of his career being endangered are forcing him to settle down.”

“I don’t believe this shit.” Nancy chewed at her manicured fingernail, remote in her tight grasp as she glared at the TV.

“I’m gonna—I-I-you know what-I’m gonna go down to that motherfucker’s apartment and I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind—“

“It’s not his fault, Robin.” You gritted your teeth. “It’s actually…” You pondered, “-it’s actually my fault.” Tears welled up, a sting so undeniable in your nose that everything was becoming too real.

“Then I’m gonna kill that fucking bootlicking manager of his!” Robin threw her hands up in anguish. “Steve Harrington is not above an ass kicking, this is the real world now, not high school!”

“Robin, stop.”

“No, and you know—“

The TV blared yet again, Eddie’s stupid face on the screen, he was at the club again. No doubt coked out of his mind, sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose to hide his dilated pupils.

”Tell us about this mystery girl.” The reporter prodded.

This had Steve Harrington written all over it.

“She’s the light of my life man.” Eddie giggles, his voice hoarse. “You know, we might get married soon? Quiet little wedding in Italy, somethin’ like that.” The grin on Eddie’s face was nothing if not shit-eating. “Might have a couple of kids, who knows?”

-

*the order is subject to change, these are the planned parts for now*

Welcome to New York

New Romantics

Now That We Don’t Talk

All You Had to do Was Stay

Blank Space

Clean

Style

I Wish You Would

Bad Blood

I Know Places

Suburban Legends

Is It Over Now

Shake it off

Wonderland

Out of the Woods

Wildest Dreams

Say Don’t Go

This Love

How You Get the Girl

“Slut!”

You Are in Love

[cupidlovesastro]

aries moon

aries is ruled by mars, the planet of aggression, anger, competition, passion, desire, sex, and action. the aries personality is leadership, aggressive, passionate, go getting, creative, impulsive, bold, and hot headed. aries is also a fire sign which shows passion, being daring, risk taking, creative, optimistic and opportunist.

moon represents emotions, intuitions, comforts, unconscious mind, instincts, spirituality, motherhood, fertility, femininity, and your home.

so what does it mean when these two interlink?

♈︎ aries is a passionate sign, and the moon is emotional, so when these two qualities clash it can make an explosion. your emotions are bold and unafraid to be expressed. they are strong and want to be heard. your emotions are likely not easy to deal with. you could feel anger the most, as if it’s your default emotion. you don’t like when you have to hold yourself back. you have have a drive within you that others may not understand as well. your emotions could lead you into doing reckless and impulsive behaviors. you act on your instincts fast and once your in the motions, it could be hard to stop you. it may also take little to no effort to make you snap at someone if you're already in a mood. with aries being represented as a masculine sign and moon representing femininity, this could be another clash that is presented by this placement. you could have a hard time choosing between logical and calculated or emotional and intuition.

♈︎ if you are a creative person, your inspiration comes from within. the reason you got into art to begin with could’ve been because your emotions are hard to cope with. aries is an expressive personality and the moon is instinctual, so expressing your inner artist is no hard task. your style of art could have loud colors, messiness, and things that clash together.

♈︎ one of the things the moon represents your mother, or a mother figure in your life. your mother could’ve been an angry person or a aggressive. your mother may not have been the fanciest or richest, but they were go getters. she could've kept you in sports or encouraged you to stay physically active. your mother could've also had a bold and passionate personality. she spoke her mind and could've been in a line of work that involved physical activities, creativity, or a job that many would find "risky".

♈︎ your home life could’ve been somewhat hectic, not necessarily in a bad way. as in hectic i mean there could’ve been many siblings, a baby that was always crying, or just a lot going on all at once. there could’ve been a lot of people with a “leader” personality which could’ve caused arguments and fights in the home. there also could’ve been people that were quick to action, in a good or bad way. there could’ve also been a lot of opportunities presented to you because of your family though, and your family could’ve been encouraging and optimistic.

♈︎ moon also represents things that comfort you and things that bring you peace. you could find comfort through physical activities or trying new things. for example, a new kind of food, traveling somewhere you never been before, etc. having intercourse with someone could also release tension from your stress. you could also enjoy action movies or tv shows.

♈︎ things that could make you sad is when your unmotivated, bored, being pessimistic, and repetitive routines. you don’t like it when you feel unmotivated because you feel as if you could be doing something more productive. you enjoy life when things are lively, and constantly moving. your an opportunistic person, when you see an opportunity, you often take the risk. you dislike when the world is still for too long, or when you haven’t accomplished something in awhile.

[lumiereswig]

One thing I'm not noticing anyone else talking about—the production value thing is not because they think it's what the fans want. It's not. They want to go for higher production value, it's important to them. That's not a bad thing. Ryan has stressed multiple times on podcasts, behind the scenes content, even the live appearance I saw him at that it's important to him their new media is better quality than Unsolved. I think part of that is just anxiety that what they make isn't good enough, but I'm also sure it's a natural artistic yearning to want to expand and grow. Shane and Steven probably feel the same way about their shows. Ryan has also mentioned how taxing it is for so much of the channel to be about him, which he mentions again in the video with the comment about wanting to expand with other creators. And there's nothing weird about that! That's just facing realistic burnout. The vibe in the announcement video from Shane and Ryan is extremely telling of burnout. They're growing the content because (1) it's exhausting for them to make the exact same style of content for the 8+ years they've been doing it, and one of the ways to get past burnout is by pushing your boundaries and growing creatively; and (2) just making the shows, all of the shows, with themselves as the camera-facing element has to be exhausting for them.

I still think this is a bad decision but I think it's one grounded in their own creative impulses and how hard they've been working for several years now, not some urge to suddenly live the high life. They want to make stuff they're personally proud of, and right now that's beyond their means. I'd make an argument that they should opt for scaling back instead of jumping forward right now, but that doesn't mean they're making this choice because they hate their fanbase or are suddenly a big corporation. They've made a mistake, and hopefully they'll be able to tweak the Watcher TV system in the next couple days to make it more affordable for all.

[tomsdingalingtickler]

Change

CHARACTERS: 2010 Tom & f!reader

CONTENT: ANGST + FLUFF + SMUT

WARNINGS: yelling, metions of ass slapping and hair pulling, p in v (doggy style my favorite style)

A/N: i had many feelings writing this also this one's kinda short and I'm mad

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You were never the one to try new things. You liked the things you did and never wanted to try new things. You just wanted to sleep, watch TV, and eat. That's it. While Tom on the other, was the exact opposite. Tom always loved to try new things. Go on walks, work out, and be productive.

One day, you were sat on Tom's lap, trying to learn how to play the guitar. His hand was over yours, guiding it to where it needed to. He was teaching you the C chord.

"Come on, darling. You gotta try." He said, his tone having a bit of impatience in it. You groaned, reluctantly learning.

"Ugh Tom, I don't wanna learn." You said, your hands dropping to your sides.

Tom was on hanging on by a thread. His patience wearing thin but he pushed through for you because he loved you.

After a few hours of trying, you never picked up on it and was being lazy overall. Tom was done with you and your attitude. He threw the guitar on the couch and stood up abruptly, causing you to almost to fall on the floor and hit your head on the table.

"I'm done. I'm done! You don't wanna learn? Then, don't. Fucking. Learn." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. You immediately felt bad. He just wanted you to learn guitar.

"I've had it up to here with you. You are the most fucking laziest girl I've ever met. You never wanna do anything, you never wanna try something new. It's so fucking annoying!" He raised his voice, the irritation clear in his voice. You felt a stinging sensation happen behind your eyes.

"I don't know how I survived so long with you. I am tired of your goddamn whining. I've been trying to seem like I care but I don't know if I do anymore." He was going on on but all you could think about was, is he going to leave?

"I-I'm sorry.." You said, tasting the saltiness of your tears on your tongue. He kept yelling at you as if he didn't hear your apology. Your eyes stung, your lungs hurt, your body was shaking. The thought of him leaving kept running through your head. You didn't want him to leave.

"I'm gonna go take a walk. I need air." He muttered, slamming the door on his way out.

You just sat, still shocked at what happened. You look over to the guitar and gently picked it up with shaky hand. You pressed your fingers on the strings and started gently strumming.

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After about an hour, he came back. He heard the sound of guitar playing and his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. He followed the sound to find that it's coming from y'alls room.

He slowly opened the door to find you on the bed, softly playing the guitar. His face softened watching you. Did you really learn for him?

He slowly walked in front of you watching you play. It only took you a few minutes before realizing he was standing in front of you.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorr-" He cut you off with a kiss, his hands cupping your face. It caught you off guard but you slowly kissed him back, your arms going around his neck.

His hands moved from your face to your waist, lifting you up slowly onto his lap. He broke the kiss, his soft brown eyes looking into yours.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling. I-I.. I just wish you could try new things. But, I understand that you like things just the way they are." He said, guilty of making you cry. He gently wiped away your tears, his thumbs rubbing over your soft cheeks.

"It's okay. I forgive you." You said, looking up at him. He smiled, leaning down and kissing you again, this time a little bit more passionate.

As you guys kissed, his hand slipped under your shirt drifting up towards your bra. Once he unclipped it, he took it off and tossed it on threw it on the floor. He pushed you back on the bed gently, straddling you in the process. His lips never left yours.

He took your bottom lip in between his teeth and tugged. You let out a soft whimper. He took off his shirt, taking yours off soon after. He flipped you over on your stomach, lifting your hips up. You buried your face into the pillow, muffling your moans. Your blood was pounding in your ears but you could still hear the faint rip of foil. You didn't even have a chance to breathe before he entered you with a sharp thrust. You let a cry of pleasure, tears stinging your eyes.

"Holy shit.. Goddamn you're tight.." He groaned, adjusting to your tightness. You bit your lip, stifling the moans that threatened to release. No matter how many times you guys would do this, you would never be able to adjust to his size.

After a few minutes, he found a good rhythm. The sound of his grunts and your moans filled the air. Now, this wasn't just love making. No. This was pure, rough, fucking. He didn't hold back, he slapped your ass until it matched a fucking strawberry. He pulled and pulled on your hair until you met his gaze, which was filled lust.

He released your hair as you buried your face in the pillow. You saw white as your orgasm washed over you, crying out in the process. He slowly pulled out of you, leaving you a limp on the bed. He got rid of the condom and cleaned himself up before laying next to you on the bed, pulling you onto his chest.

He rubbed your back as you talked about something random until your voice slowly drifted off as you started falling asleep. Tom noticed this and thought it was adorable. Once you fully were asleep, he kissed your forehead and tucked you in.

He wrapped his arms around you and slowly drifted off to sleep well a faint smile on his lips.

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[maplesyrupbloodfeud]

Genuinely enjoying Everyone’s In LA. 80s + 00s Adult Swim vibes. Absolutely adore how they made a point to say ‘murder is bad’ for the neopuritans out there while showing how ridiculous having to do so is in reality. Laughed probably too hard at John saying, “structure is important for me.”

I think it’s a real step forward for Mulaney as an artist and comedian. His commentary and style are becoming more clear and pointed without losing the charm and honesty he laid the groundwork for in his last special. My main criticism of that special was that it wasn’t the set he could make, but the set he had to make. Now, he’s reaping the rewards.

Back to the show at hand:

The live format and callback to late night hosts of old add an authenticity that i think Americans are hungry for. It very much reads as (mostly) unscripted where sometimes jokes don’t hit very well and sometimes technology fails. Also, the guests are obviously free to say whatever so there are some slightly uncomfortable moments that John does an excellent job pivoting from. But I think all of that’s a good thing. The American audience is so used to seeing media that feels made in a lab with all of the research boiled down to exactly what most people will spend money on. Failing something on live tv in an obviously unplanned scenario feels human in a way AI and the current MCU could never obtain.

What’s most impressive is that Mulaney and those involved with the production (including guests!) have somehow figured out the formula of what we’ve missed about earlier media while also being modern, relevant, and actually funny. All without seeming like any board of directors or agent is micromanaging the content.

Only the first episode is out but, based on it, I very much recommend watching the rest. “Something someone just out of rehab would make” indeed (complement).

Note: I say all this as someone who’s been in similar positions with the mental health system as Mulaney, is now becoming a therapist, and understands how fucking hard it is to “get better”. Also, I don’t keep up with celeb drama. I got enough shit to worry about. This is about THE ART (/hot iron giant guy) … also it’s about how I had been in a mental health/rehab facility before Mulaney went public on his own struggles and had never seen a popular celebrity talk about life events similar to mine. So I paid more attention to this than I normally would.

[starfleetshrimps]

i love star trek bc it's actually a high school theater production most of the time. We focus a lot on the over-acting, theatricality of the actors and the directors, and that's all well and amazing, but /I/ want to focus on the /TECH/ bc ASHAijnjsdnbhgaARREghghhuuagjkshdmhbAHJBSSHJHIEJBnkjsdjhbsdhjBmahbsjshsbHkjnswkjshsn yea.

FIRST THE SETS?!? they're so silly and stupid? i know they get a lot of shit but the amount of work (not to mention styrofoam) that went into building individual sets for each planet they went to? like sure about 50% of the away missions take place in the california desert (the arena, *cough cough*, etc) but the rest of them have individually made sets that look PRETTY GOOD MAN. they get the point across, they're FUN, and innovative, and they really don't reuse planet sets all that often as well.

PLUS they used traditionally /theatrical/ cycloramas with painted backgrounds and classical cyc lighting (reminiscent of mariano fortuny's domed cyc! i WILL talk more about lighting) which look really cool and once again get shit for being unrealistic.

it's not supposed to look realistic it's supposed to look cool as shit. and it does. shut up. <3

if you view the sets as being modern TV sets then yeah, they're weird, and they look sorta bad, but THEYRE NOT modern TV sets: they're THEATRICAL SETS FROM THE 60-70S. AND I LOVE THEM.

SECONDLY, THE

lighting

while it's true that some shows in the 60s were developing new lighting styles specifically for TV, remember that in the year 1950 less that 10 percent of US homes had a television. this shit was new. COLOR tv was ESPECIALLY new. nobody knew how to light these things! and actually why would you need a new lighting style, we already KNEW how to light dramatic productions, why would we ever need to reinvent the wheel Stanley Mccandles, Mariano Fortuny, and Gene Rosenthall already invented says Gene Roddenberry and Jerry Finnerman (the head lighting designer). and oh my god i am so ridiculously glad. because the lighting. is so good.

i HAVE seen others talking about how good it is in the super early episodes (Charlie X and the conscious of the King, etc.) and i do agree! but i disagree that the quality goes down. i think it just got a tad bit more subtle as the show went on and it gets less in your face, harder to notice. but i noticed. because I'M the WORST (and also a lighting tech)

the impossibility of listing every example of amazing theater lighting choice they made is absolutely horrific and nasty so i'll just lost some my my favorites:

the cyc! i mentioned before but the cyc they used on away missions was only painted when they needed a specific scene in the background, otherwise? that bitch was LIT. and i LOVE IT.

any of the scenes where they light spock's face have green and half pink? or even just washing the walls behind him? i eat that shit UP. the METAPHOR. the CONFLICT. i will acquiesce that green and pink are (and were) pretty goddamn industry standard gels (color-films) to add to lights, for subtle contrast, but this is not subtle. it is LOUD. was it purposefully done from a storytelling perspective? no idea. is it cool as shit and interpret-able as hell? absolutely. also sometimes they do it with just green when they want to emphasize his vulcan-ness and other him a bit. like they do it a lot when he's in his room in amok time. anyway.

whenever they shutter a light so they can emphasize a character's (kirk, we're talking abt kirk here. and *sometimes* spock, and also Charlie in Charlie X but yeah mostly kirk) eyes when they say something #Deep, or just pre-commercial break closure worthy line. it's so SHJSDJBFEJNKN. to add onto this, they'll do a striking half-wash over half of their face sometimes in conjunction and it looks So Good

The GOBOS. sometimes, they'll just throw light through a gobo, or wall screen, or something, for /visual interest/ and it looks so silly i love it sm. does it make sense from a realism pov? nO. but star trek is a theater production actually and they lit everything using mainly naturalistic techniques! amazing!

honorable mentions: the glowing time donut, and the entirely random colors in the hallway.

there are so many other examples but this post is long enough lmao. notice the lights next time you watch tos!!,! please!!! <3

[macravishedbymactavish]

Alex Keller SFW Headcanons

| Blog HQ | Modern Warfare Masterlist | 18+ MDNI |

Headcanons for the man who has me in a literal and metaphorical chokehold

He is a straight up a nerd. Think: Star Wars, lego, Star Wars Lego!

Sitting on the floor, clad only in a pair of baggy plaid pajama pants surrounded by lego pieces. Eyes shining as he scanned over the instructions, soul feeling free and finally alive as he snapped the pieces together.

Soft sounds of the original trilogy playing through the speakers from the TV. Ignoring the nagging pain in his lower back as the child in him squealed in delight.

Another component completed. Now, onto bag 4.

Prefers to clean up while or after you cook, rather than cooking himself

Tending to the food in the pan, he reached around you to grab the discarded utensils. Placing them in either the dishwasher or sink; making soft comments about how many spoons you decided to use for one meal.

"If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to cook for me," you teased, watching as the man froze. A mischievous smirk spread across his face as he pointed a spoon at you.

"If it weren't for me, you'd be out of spoons 5 steps ago"

Horrible (like "reminder on the phone but will still with upmost confidence say the wrong date") with dates. Appointments and anniversaries, he's not very good. He blames it on his brain shutting off from not being in survival mode when at home, but genuinely feels bad

"Ma said they have something for our anniversary and will pop over to drop it off closer to the day. I told her it's on the 18th, so Saturday would work better, " Alex explained mindlessly, leaning back against the counter. Eyebrows raising when you froze.

Smiling softly, you whispered, "Sorry, what day is our anniversary?"

"The 18th. No, the 17th, " his eyebrows scrunched together as he thought. "No, actually 18th. Final answer" 

Leaning over, placing one hand on his cheek as you gave him a soft peck on the lips. "It's the 21st, actually"

Takes FOREVER to get ready for anything (especially fancy date nights and events)

Sitting on the edge of the tub, you watched in awe as Alex continued getting ready. Shirt still unbuttoned, belt not yet threaded through the loops of his pants; and he wasn't even halfway through his hair styling routine.

Multiple bottles and products lined the counters, all of which in use at one point or another as you sat and watched. Your outfit was ready and laying on the bed for when he was done with his hair.

After so long together, you'd become efficient in the timing of when to start getting yourself ready for a night out. Depending on which hair product he reached for next.

He has a super dark sense of humor

"Hey, since you have a ton of tattoos," you started, leaning against the doorframe as he fussed with his hair. "If a shark came and bit your arm off, would you be more upset about losing the arm or the tattoos?"

"The tattoos," he answered immediately. Pausing after to look himself up and down, nodding. "Definitely the tattoos"

Terrified of holding babies (despite being a total natural). He loves interacting with younger kids though.

"Uncle Alex!" The young boy squealed, running over and wrapping himself around the man's legs. "I'm a brother now, too!" 

Smiling down at his nephew, Alex laughed. Hoisting the boy up into his arms as he listened to the excited stories about his new little sister. Nodding along with genuine interest until the baby was brought over to him.

"Be fair. You can't just cuddle your nephew. She'll get jealous, " his sister, Ellie teased. Holding the newborn out. 

Freezing in place, as his nephew squirmed out of his grasp. Loudly encouraging him to hold the baby. Looking over at you, Alex sighed when he realized he was outnumbered.

"What if I drop her?" He whispered, fear flashing behind his eyes as the small bundle was passed over to him. The girl remained asleep as she was cuddled by tense arms.

"The obvious answer is don't." Mrs. Keller walked up behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. Pressing into the tense muscles. "And relax. Things are more likely to go wrong when you're stressed out and stiff like a board"

Appreciates a good horror or FPS game - but nothing beats couch co-op and cuddles.

Snuggled against your side, he yelled nonesense as your characters scrambled around the screen. Grabbing boxes and flinging them onto the truck.

"What?!" You both laughed, watching as his character hoisted an animal into the air. "I have the chicken!" 

"We'll I'm moving an entire sectional by myself, so drop Cluck and help me!" you elbowed him lightly

Absolutley can't fall asleep in silence, no matter how hard he tries

He blames a lot of this on his childhood, the sound of clocks ticking throughout the house driving him mad. Reminding him of the sleep he wasn't getting. 

Even now, years later, as an adult, he tells you that if it's too quiet, he can still hear the distant ticking. He doesn't tell you that the silence also brews night terrors; that's not a side he wants to burden you with.

On the nights when he falls asleep alone, he'll usually have a movie or YouTube video playing in the background. If you can't fall asleep to a lot of noise, he'll opt for a fan or one of those sleep background noise tracks.

Unlike some of the other COD men -- I think he'd be the opposite of a human furnace. He'd be like a reptilian creature looking to sap your warmth at any given moment.

He makes a point to cuddle against you, as much contact between your bodies as possible. Almost like a human backpack.

"You're so warm," he sleepily mumbled, pressing his face into your back. Humming in content at the feeling of your body warming his.

His hair lightens so easily during the summer (In MW2019, he was dirty blonde. MW2022, as an operator he has dark brown hair)

"You're like two totally different people," you laughed, fingers running through the light locks as he rolled his eyes.

"It'll be back to normal by halloween," he half-heartedly grumbled. Adjusting the sunglasses on his face, holding back a smile. 

100% cries during movies, has no shame. Especially since it gets extra cuddles from you (even if you lightly tease him for it)

Your heart aching within your chest, the protagonist grieving their loss. Sighing softly, you silently reached forward, grabbing the box of tissues from your coffee table. Holding the box up to your boyfriend, who was trying (and failing) to hide his soft sniffles.

Head falling against his shoulder, feeling his arm tighten around you. His chest shaking with emotion he was trying (and failing) to hide.

Taglist: @bloodonmyhands-1221 @v1naco @bowtruckleninja

[fernsnailz]

Not sure if you’re familiar with Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time but I feel like Sonic Prime is the animated version of that game like the plot/style doesn’t really fit Sonic games while Crash both stays in that arcade jungle setting AND has the shattered time and space themes which they focus heavily on the recent game. The villains already are a bunch of scientists and I feel like either the team from Crash games or someone specific like Nicholas Cole just slapped Sonic Prime on the script for a Crash Netflix show and edited some characters

okay i understand the point you’re trying to make, but unfortunately you sent this ask to someone who works in animation and i need to set the record straight here: that is not how TV animation works

first, you’re right that Nicholas Kole worked on both Crash 4 and Sonic Prime! he’s also done work for the Spyro series, some Disney projects, and a bunch of other cool stuff. however, he specializes almost entirely in character design and concept art. this means that he helped develop specific parts of the visual look for Prime REALLY early on, such as designing some of the characters like Knuckles the Dread. however, that was likely the extent of his involvement in the show. character designers and concept artists normally do not edit the script, and often these artists draw their concepts before the script is even finished.

this is all stuff that happens VERY early in a show’s development, so Kole’s work on the show is probably multiple years old by now. and yeah, that jungle art DOES look a bit like the stuff that he did on Crash 4… because that’s just what Kole's art style looks like. he uses bright colors and varied shapes in a really distinct way on EVERY project he works on, which is probably why they hired him on Prime!

but even if that concept art was inspired by Crash, the jungle universe doesn’t even look like the concept art in the final version of the show! because it was concept art!! it was meant to be an exploration in styles, not a definitive look at the final product. this jungle below is a COMPLETELY different look than what was explored in the concept art. it sooooorta looks like the style of Crash 4, but it's FAR different from the initial concepts presented earlier.

(any person who modeled and painted this environment would ALSO have to be a dedicated Crash fan if they wanted to just turn Sonic Prime into Crash Prime)

and so far, this is completely ignoring the fact that the jungle concept art included in the ask probably isn't even Kole's. it looks very different from his style to me, and as far as i can find no artist has actually been credited for the leaked Prime concept art floating around. Kole has only mentioned his contributions to the character designs on Prime.

this is all a HUGE tanget from the actual argument you're trying to make in this ask, and i apologize for that - but my main point here is that this is a trend i see a lot in online fandoms, where people really like to place blame for issues in media onto one specific person and say "hey it's THIS guy's fault that this show is bad." what a lot of people don’t seem to understand is that these are collaborative art forms. there are so, so many people who worked on Prime, all the way from the first draft of the script to when it was being exported for Netflix, and a lot of these people probably don’t even show up in the credits! if there’s something you don’t like about this show, it’s unfair to single out a specific person to blame because TV shows are not made by one person. they come from a team of artists all working together to try and make something great, not one of the concept artists trying to turn the new sonic show into Crash 5. Nicholas Kole is a single character designer that worked on Prime. he is not solely responsible for an artstyle that you may dislike, because he is not the only person that developed the artstyle. there is no specific person to blame here.

regardless, i can’t really say much about your main point concerning the similarities between Crash 4 and Prime because i don't know as much about Crash series. my instinct is to just go “yeah of course they’re similar, multiverse stories with brightly colored rocks are the big trend in all franchises right now and they’re both 3D platformers from similar eras of gaming that have always featured cartoon talking animals fighting evil scientists, so of course they’ll seem alike.” but hey i mean what do i know

that's all, please know that this isn't meant to be an attack against you or anything! i'm just really used to seeing people blame individual artists and animators for stuff that isn't their fault, and i'm just. kinda tired of it. i will also spare you from my second ramble/disagreement about a sonic game or show in the crash style. because i think that would look fuckin INCREDIBLE