#& i can't... seem to be able to find the dvd anywhere

[shijiujun]

jitd jp broadcast notes eps 1-2

i had a friend who was livestreaming the eps for me bless her but otherwise...

ww is 100% region locked, you can't even bypass the geo restriction even with a vpn because ww knows you're on vpn, they will tell you that sir/ma'am you cannot access with a vpn on :D

technically the process is (1) sign up for an account (2) pay for the monthly subscription which is about 20 bucks a month (3) make sure your laptop timezone matches the japan timezone (4) be in japan > the last part is the difficulty and most of us can't bypass or cheat the system so it's a moot point - i did pay for everything up incl the subscription till the region part ;-; i knew it was going to be probably impossible, but i tried it anyway

EDIT: just saw someone say that it doesn't work on the website but it works on the wowow app on phone with the VPN so i shall try that next week since i already have a subscription

the timings of both the old ep. 1 and current ep. 1 are actually almost the same despite the seeming number differences; within the allotted time period like 15 min is dedicated at the end of the ep to a long round of advertisements - first ads to pop up after ep 1 was shl and cql lol

the only major differences are: (1) ending and opening sequences have new content; priest was credited up front in the opening sequence rather than not mentioned at all as with the youku version and they changed the art piece to the last supper in one of the art graphics (2) they lengthened some scenes by some milliseconds, very negligible (3) colour grading and filtering - the colouring is much better on the ww version and users did mention that they can actually see what's happening in the dark corners of some scenes finally as it was q dark previously

it is 100% hard-subbed; subbing and other teams/accounts on weibo are working real hard to erase the hard subs and provide chinese subs etc. - can't share which accounts or direct links lol but if you search you'll be able to find resources - the jp subs are really huge af like if it's two lines that's half the width of the frame gone (ok i exaggerate but it's at least 1/3 nonetheless)

yes fans will come down hard on you if you so much as share a pixelated screencap for example, as is the usual case (even with other bl shows) because ww apparently will come down hard on you too and their older notice says that illegally uploading will lead to cancellation of the show (as is the usual case with other several jp broadcast platforms), so don't even think about sharing a visual on twitter/x - but just that side of things i think.

there's no stopping cn fans on weibo or intl fans anywhere else they usually get content from, if they can get it, no idea honestly, it's really the community delivering for the community and it's tough work > not endorsing, but i uds it's a resource for many ppl - in any case can still try to get the subscription on ww

some fans say that it’ll eventually be available internationally :/ no idea, it could mean maybe they’ll work with another platform? but if it’s just ww alone I haven’t seen any evidence that ww will provide for intl fans so fingers crossed there's a plan

technically also if they do dvd for jitd that's great too, but still also quite challenging to get and also comes like months later

idk if that means we can actually still post from the old youku footage eps 1-8 though LOL

[cyclogenesis]

For the DVD commentary ask game, I don't know if it's ok to go so much back in time, but ever since I read your ''Missing Scene'' I can't stop thinking about it or going back to it. There was a reason why I had chosen to distance myself from SamBucky, they make me too weak and vulnerable, and the way you write their codependency and intimacy, is....intense.

So, here it is, if you want....

It wasn’t even like Sam had let himself hope in any concrete way, it was just too impossible to envision the specifics of his life going forward. He doesn’t have anywhere to go but Louisiana, back with Sarah and his nephews. He thought he could count on Steve being there, navigating this with him the same way they’d worked together as partners: fighting the good fight, finding Bucky, being on the run with each other for two goddamn years because Sam chose to stick with Steve. It had seemed doable, if still challenging, to try and figure out this thing with Bucky with Steve between them as a reason to come together.

It felt like he could build something new, until the foundation of it all crumbled beneath him.

“Why did you leave, that morning,” Sam asks quietly. “In Paris.”

“I shouldn’t have,” Bucky says, his voice terribly, terribly soft. Sam’s heart trips in his chest, free-fall in his ribcage until Bucky finishes, “ever let it happen.”

“Bucky,” he says.

“I wanted you. I wanted something for myself. I’d been watching you, you know.” Bucky smiles a little, like it hurts to do it. “The whole time, keeping track of where you were. I was still trying to figure out who I was, but it made sense to me, what you were doing for Steve. Trying to find me. I understood why you’d do it for him. I guess I wanted to know if you were doing it for me too. I wanted to know who you were. I didn’t want to go back to Steve yet, I just wanted you.”

“So you had me,” Sam says, trying not to feel - anything. Trying not to feel anything. “And then what, you were done? You got what you wanted?”

“No.” Bucky shakes his head. “No. I was reckless, I thought if I could just talk to you, satisfy my curiosity, that I’d be able to move on. Get my head on straight, wait for the brainwashing to magically wear off, and come back to you both once I was a real fucking person again. I thought if I just convinced you to give me a little more time, that I could handle it all myself. And then I talked to you, and I just wanted to keep talking to you. I didn’t,” he says, looking down like he’s embarrassed, “It wasn’t like I didn’t know I was attracted to you.”

“Thanks,” Sam says faintly.

“But I could have hurt you. Anything could have happened, could have gone wrong. It was selfish of me. I put you in danger because I couldn’t stop myself from wanting you, and I left before you woke up because you weren’t safe with me. You never were.”

DVD commentary on this bit of Missing Scene below and it is always okay to ask me about anything!! Like no kidding I have your comment on that fic open in a tab to respond to because reading it genuinely made ME a little verklempt bc I also love them VERY MUCH and really put my heart and soul into this fic man. 😭

It wasn’t even like Sam had let himself hope in any concrete way, it was just too impossible to envision the specifics of his life going forward. He doesn’t have anywhere to go but Louisiana, back with Sarah and his nephews. He thought he could count on Steve being there, navigating this with him the same way they’d worked together as partners: fighting the good fight, finding Bucky, being on the run with each other for two goddamn years because Sam chose to stick with Steve. It had seemed doable, if still challenging, to try and figure out this thing with Bucky with Steve between them as a reason to come together. It felt like he could build something new, until the foundation of it all crumbled beneath him.

So the most interesting part of writing this fic for me was just basically meeting the canon on its own terms. You brought up another part just before this excerpt in your (very nice, thank you!!) comment that I was going to expound upon in my reply but I'm going to go ahead and do that here - actually just gonna paste it in for the sake of coherency:

Of course, he’s happy for Steve. He has to be, because in order to have literally gone back in time to get away from his life here Steve must have been truly miserable in a way that Sam never even saw. Sam can’t fathom how painful it must have been to have lost so much, to have suffered for five years with half the world gone. He can’t imagine the weight of that sorrow, so deeply affecting that even getting them all back wasn’t enough to make this world worth staying in. That Sam wasn’t enough to stay for. That Bucky wasn’t enough to stay for, even after all Steve did - after all they both did - to get him back. And Bucky must have known.

I've never been like, a fix-it fic writer, I've never approached canon in a way that's like and THIS is what it did wrong 🙄; if I'm writing a pairing more than once it's because the canon showed me a dynamic that should obviously lead to kissing, and the fact that they haven't kissed yet is merely a narrative oversight, which is fine because that means I get to tell you how they kiss, yay!! I love doing that!!!

Which is to say: I'm pretty much always accepting canon as it is and using what's there as a jumping-off point. And for this pairing that means accepting what Steve Rogers did and taking it seriously and exploring the ramifications of this seemingly dick move without resorting to character bashing, basically.

So I thought a whole fucking lot about it, because the canon doesn't really directly address the emotional fallout this would have had on Sam and Bucky, i.e. no one ever directly talks shit about Steve. You can extrapolate that had Steve not left we would not be seeing Bucky sleeping on the fucking floor in his little sad bitch apartment. And as much of--I suppose--an honor it was for Steve to pass the shield to Sam, it still was not something that Sam wanted. He tossed that big ol' frisbee straight back to the Smithsonian. Nobody's talking about it, but clearly nobody's feeling great about Steve GingTFO either.

All of my Sam/Bucky stories basically have at least a tiny what the fuck, Steve narrative moment, but due to POV reasons I never really got into one of my main conclusions, which is that I think a fairly large part of his decision had to do with Natasha's death. Sam brings up their years on the run together with her, but it's clear from Endgame that Steve and Natasha stayed very, very close for that five years with half the world lost, more so than any of the other characters. And with that relationship stretching back to The Avengers and CATWS you have what, a decade or so of working together, of friendship, of then leaning on each other after this unimaginable loss--and then she's just fucking gone.

I keep thinking about how this gifset highlights his tendency to check in with her/get her permission and it's adorable and everything but when you lose a relationship, a friendship, a person who anchors you like that, I mean. No wonder he was set adrift. Here he was having gotten Bucky back, having saved him insofar as he could have, having been a part of saving so many people, saving the world time and time again. He's gotten Sam back, Sam who he trusted and believed in so much that it felt like the right decision to pass along this enormously important symbol of the person that Steve himself had to become, the mantle of Captain fucking America!!

It's not a stretch for me to think that Steve really believed that they would be fine without him. And it's kinda funny because I don't even directly cover it in the fic--bc the fic is in part me trying to explain it!!!--but the little moment at Tony's funeral where Sam comforts Bucky still makes me SO insane. Because that is based on WHAT?? Like, what had we seen canonically up until that point that would have it make any sense that they would gravitate toward each other in this moment, that Sam would be thinking to offer him comfort or to take comfort in Bucky himself?? Well maybe they had a secret ongoing relationship before this that I should write twenty-three thousand words about!!

But however you answer that question, you can take away that there is some kind of pre-existing bond between Sam and Bucky, or the very strong potential to be if Sam feels that comfortable reaching out. And I think, whatever it was, Steve would have been aware of it, so it's easy to believe that Steve genuinely thought Sam and Bucky would have each other. That they maybe wouldn't even need him. Natasha might have needed him to stay the way that he needed her, but--well, she's gone, and he'll never get to talk it over with her, or see what she thought about it, or get her approval or potential lack thereof. And he's tired. So yeah, it was selfish, but I can't believe it was thoughtless. You know?

And so what Sam was feeling here was a direct echo of that for me, of feeling unmoored in Steve's absence the same way that Steve did without Natasha, but still trying to understand the choice that Steve made, to explain it and find it in himself to forgive it. I don't think Sam or Bucky could bring themselves to stay truly angry with him if they ever were. Hurt, sure. But that's their own thing to deal with. (I wonder what Bucky had to say about it in therapy. Honestly probably making excuses for him, like he does here.)

It means, though, that without the implied time they would have had to figure it out with Steve helping them get back into the world, this conversation has to happen now. No easing their way into it, no letting things play out while they readjusted. And that also means asking the big fucking question: Why didn't Bucky stay with Sam when he could have? Why the hell did he walk away?

“Why did you leave, that morning,” Sam asks quietly. “In Paris.” “I shouldn’t have,” Bucky says, his voice terribly, terribly soft. Sam’s heart trips in his chest, free-fall in his ribcage until Bucky finishes, “ever let it happen.” “Bucky,” he says. “I wanted you. I wanted something for myself. I’d been watching you, you know.” Bucky smiles a little, like it hurts to do it. “The whole time, keeping track of where you were. I was still trying to figure out who I was, but it made sense to me, what you were doing for Steve. Trying to find me. I understood why you’d do it for him. I guess I wanted to know if you were doing it for me too. I wanted to know who you were. I didn’t want to go back to Steve yet, I just wanted you.”

I am a romcom writer. My usual idea of a conflict is "they want to fuck but they aren't fucking yet". Jesus H, the work I had to do to create and justify conflicts on this level, that would make it believable for them to start out where they do at the beginning of this story and then maintain a narrative through-line that doesn't contradict anything we've seen onscreen and still have them end up where I wanted them to end up. Holy shit I asked a lot of myself with this story. I thought so much and so hard about all of this. I never write people seriously fighting! I never write break-ups!! You might notice that I haven't written anything like this since! I in fact probably will not again! 😭

Anyway, so I made the conflict be that Bucky wanted to fuck Sam in the first place, and the next conflict that they fucked and it was a bad idea for a variety of reasons, and the next conflict was Bucky being like okay that was my bad I should not have done that. 😬

“So you had me,” Sam says, trying not to feel - anything. Trying not to feel anything. “And then what, you were done? You got what you wanted?” “No.” Bucky shakes his head. “No. I was reckless, I thought if I could just talk to you, satisfy my curiosity, that I’d be able to move on. Get my head on straight, wait for the brainwashing to magically wear off, and come back to you both once I was a real fucking person again. I thought if I just convinced you to give me a little more time, that I could handle it all myself. And then I talked to you, and I just wanted to keep talking to you. I didn’t,” he says, looking down like he’s embarrassed, “It wasn’t like I didn’t know I was attracted to you.” “Thanks,” Sam says faintly. “But I could have hurt you. Anything could have happened, could have gone wrong. It was selfish of me. I put you in danger because I couldn’t stop myself from wanting you, and I left before you woke up because you weren’t safe with me. You never were.”

Me getting away with having a man acknowledge his flaws bc acknowledging them is in service of the bigger flaw of being a sad self-sacrificing little fuck...

But also, well, he's not wrong. He did put Sam in danger, Sam wasn't safe with him. The next time Sam sees him Bucky's a reactivated bad boy getting face-punchy in this MF.

But it's also fair imo that Sam just cannot with this guy right now. Again, you know, taking canon at face value, something I struggled with when plotting this out was explaining how we went from genuine concern at Tony's funeral to Bucky ignoring Sam trying to get in touch with him. Because that truly had me personally like, hands on hips, frowny face, what's your fucking problem, Barnes.

So they have this fight, tensions are high, everyone's stressed the fuck out, Sam needs a break. It's too much. He gets a break, fine, he settles back into his life, he reaches back out. Bucky's deeply depressed in his sad bitch apartment and thus avoidant to the point that even his terrible therapist is like damn ignoring his texts?? crazy work bc Bucky's apparently talking about getting texts but not answering them.

I swear I'm almost done with this ask, fuck. But when this is addressed later, Bucky on his knees saying "I thought if I just didn’t need anything, that nothing I needed could be taken away from me again" that is the direct consequence of Sam's choice in the above moment to walk away. It wasn't unfair of Sam, and he certainly didn't mean for it to be permanently or even for that long, but for Bucky it was Sam leaving him too right fucking after Steve abandoned him so completely. They both left Bucky and they left him with nothing. He walked away the first time because he was afraid to hurt Sam, but he walked away by default this time because he was afraid Sam would hurt him. Sam already had.

Goddddd this pairing!! You know!!!

I love this fic so much and it's the last one I posted for this pairing and it got like, significantly less attention hits-wise than the other three (sambucky fandom flamed out QUICK in a way that still kinda surprises me, most people wandered away after literally just a couple of months) which is still such a bummer because I spent basically my whole fannish life wanting to write a canon-spanning epic for every OTP I've ever had and I finally managed it with this pairing and I wanted to like, print this thing out and wallpaper the fannish halls with it like look you guys I did it!! I did it I did it I did it!!! So thank you for asking about it because nobody ever has and I still think it's one of the best things I've ever written (it's also the longest!). 😭 MISSING SCENE MY BELOVED!!

xoxoxoxo always appreciate you Kiki!!!!!

[whatudowhennooneseesyou]

I've been to Korea a few times and lived there for a few months at one time. That country does have a special place in my heart and I love many aspects of it. Outside of the big cities, the nature is beautiful, people are a bit blunt but they're kind and they help you if you need it. They don't expect you as a foreigner to get there and know all their norms and their language (I had the opposite experience in Japan 👀) and they're usually excited as long as you're respectful. However. A lot of guys are extremely aggressive in their advances, they think every non Asian woman who ends up there wants to fuck and they have a hard time understanding NO. If you do go out to the bar/club, you absolutely need to be careful with men (as you would anywhere else bc the world is a nightmare but I find men in SK more aggressive than some other places). The body shaming is very real too nejdiwiw. I'm not fat nor skinny but over there I felt like a whale the whole time 💀 you do need to have thick skin over there and not expect the perfect paradise many k pop fans seem to think they're about to find. Depending on how you approach it, it can be a wonderful time or hell on earth. I wouldn't go live there permanently but I go back every couple of years and I always love my time there.

Hello @escapetheshark and thank you for providing your insights, it is expensive to travel anywhere outside of Australia so I wouldn't be going to South Korea for awhile but my high school had a 'sister school' with South Korea and 5 of our students would go over there.

This was in 2016 and it cost 10K for them to go for 9 days so Idk how much the price would be now.

You seem very worldly lived and are you European? How did you afford to go these places? I suppose airfare might be different if you live closer haha.

I have heard that A LOT online about issues of consent and I don't know if this true, I hope but but I remember reading an article about how if a guy offers to buy you a drink in Japan and you accept, then you're technically giving consent???

I see so many Tiktoks about the experiences women have in Hongdae and Gangnam and the DVD rooms and love hotels.

I've heard SO much about the body shaming and it's kinda scared me not gonna lie, I'm 5'7 and 108 kgs so I just know that none of the clothes would fit me and I'd stand out.

Sorry, I lost focused because I'm rewatching one of Channie's Room lives on Youtube and he was talking about how Aussies barely pronounce anything properly and I was like- He has a point.

I've always wondered how Chris was able to balance the EXTREME differences of South Korean and Australian cultural norms in his life.

The age thing still confuses me because in Australia, if you're a year younger than someone, you are treated the same age and people will say '1 year? That's nothing'.

Whereas in South Korea, you can't be 'friends' with anyone that's not born in the same year as you and that's such a confusing concept for me because even though I was born in '98 and Chris was born in '97, I view both of us as being the same age.

So, it's interesting. I've learnt a lot and It's nice to be expanding my knowledge on different ways of living.

Thank you for sending in your insight!

[perplexingluciddreams]

I tried to watch The 100 years ago, but I stopped. I don't remember how far I got exactly, but it was actually quite far, at least into Season 2! That is further than I often get with new things on a first try.

I really liked it and wanted to watch but it was very hard at the time. New things are hard. I want to try again!

Unfortunately, Netflix no longer lets me use a VPN to watch. And it is only on US Netflix, not available anywhere free in UK.

I might have to buy DVDs.

I remember I enjoyed some parts of it. But don't have clear memory of most characters. I think I binge-watched it way too fast without time to process anything... so I really have no idea of what was actually happening!

I was very fixated on Clarke and Lexa at the first time I watched (especially Lexa). I have watched all of their scenes together on YouTube, many times. I have also watched other small clips and "edits" of some characters, mostly Clarke and Lexa, with some Octavia.

Maybe (if I can find a way to watch) this time, I will be able to take my time more, and understand what is happening better. I won't rush into it this time.

I hope I can have more focus on more of the characters and do the hard work to understand the different people and their points of view and reasons for their actions. It is extremely hard for me to do that, takes a lot of time and effort (and a lot of rewinding and rewatching and pausing and reading fanfiction, etc. etc.). But I really want to be able to. I so much want to have a deep understanding of all the different characters.

I try very hard, with most things I watch. It is such a long and complicated and effortful process, to try and create an understanding of a fictional character and/or world. Sometimes it is easier, sometimes harder. Often there is brain barriers in the way - some I can get past eventually, some I can't, even if I so much want to.

I wish I could explain the things that I can and can't comprehend to do with fictional worlds and characters. And the process I go through to try and expand that. And how my ability to understand/my awareness of fictional stuff has changed and grown over time. I wish I had to the words to express it, and the awareness of myself to know - unfortunately, I don't.

Sometimes I get upset that I can't seem to comprehend or analyse things on anywhere near the same level as other people do. I can't even form my own opinions about things beyond "I like/dislike this" (and sometimes can't even do that! So often I don't know what my thoughts/feelings/opinions are).

Anyway, the 100 seems like a series that, in theory, I would really enjoy. I hope my brain allows me to watch it (IF I can even find a way to watch it to begin with!).

[chernobog13]

ZATOICHI'S PILGRIMAGE (1966)

This was the second Zatoichi film released in 1966, and the fourteenth in the series over all.

Zatoichi, tired of killing, has traveled to Shikoku, smallest of Japan's four main islands, to visit the 88 temples there in an effort to atone for his sins. However, his entreaties to God/Buddha go unheard, as he is soon attacked by a sword-wielding man, forcing Ichi to kill the man in order to save himself.

Ichi then travels to the man's hometown and meets his sister, Okichi. She initially attacks Ichi when she learns he killed her brother, but her resolve melts when she sees how repentant Ichi is.

Okichi tells Ichi that her brother was sent to kill him by Boss Tohachi, one of the more despicable villains in the series, who loves to torment people with his bow and arrows. Tohachi has his eyes on Okichi and her property, as well as taking over the entire town. Surprisingly, the townspeople don't seem to care, and are unwilling to help Ichi and Okichi's efforts to stop Tohachi.

This film, based on the opening scenes, seemed to be going in a different, more risk-taking direction than preceding entries in the series. Several reports state that the studio, Daiei Film, insisted on a more conventional Zatoichi film and intervened to ensure they got one. That doesn't negate the fact that this is one of the better entries of the middle period of the series. The final fight, especially, is extremely well executed, with Zatoichi not only overwhelmingly outnumbered, but harassed by Tohachi's arrows at the same time.

This title was not available commercially on DVD in the States for the longest time. When Home Vision Entertainment first released the series (or at least the first two-thirds), Zatoichi's Pilgrimage was missing. AnimEigo, which then released the remaining films of the initial 25, did not release Pilgrimage either. In order to see the film, I ended up purchasing a DVD of it from Britain (luckily I had an all-region player).

I later found out that the Weinstein's, through (what was then) their company, Miramar, had bought the rights to Zatoichi's Pilgrimage for Quentin Tarantino. Apparently, Tarantino had expressed the desire to do a remake of the film. As I am no Tarantino fan I am extremely pleased that project never came to fruition.

Criterion was able to include Pilgrimage with its Zatoichi box set released several years ago, so it is readily available for view if you can't find the film streaming anywhere.

[luesmainblog]

And remember to buy what physical media you CAN get if copies of your shows/movies literally are not available. Every single time this kind of thing happens, I go to check of Bo Burnham's "Inside" is on dvd yet. Every time, it isn't. He can put his songs up on youtube for free, and on CD, and Vinyl, and even a damn Cassette tape. He can put an entire "outtakes" sequel up on youtube for free. But for some reason, if you want to watch the actual Inside special, you HAVE to buy a netflix subscription and watch it there. Attempts to pirate are also highly difficult due to the nature of how netflix videos imbed. Now, i'm not naive; it's entirely possible that he simply didn't want to put it out on video. But given the merchandising that DOES exist, I find it much more likely that whatever deal was struck with netflix to make the special ensured that it CAN'T be release on dvd, or it would have been by now. It would not be the first time this has been the case, especially with netflix. A similar issue exists with Adam Ruins Everything; i literally do not have any way to watch it except for a digital copy. Purchasing dvds/bluerays of that which you enjoy and demanding them when they don't exist is how we prevent that from happening to EVERYTHING that is made. Yes, it may be more convenient in that moment to just access it on your streaming platform where you can see it on your phone or computer or smart tv wherever you want, and finding it on streaming is always going to be a little faster than loading a disc into a machine, but you want to be thinking in the long term here. If you love this piece of media, how do you ensure it will still be watchable 10 years from now? How do you keep it from becoming Lost?

If you don't own a DVD player, get one. same with CDs. they can be found cheap, there are portable options, and they are not terribly difficult to install if you can read an instruction manual. Hell, if you currently own a PS2-PS5, or an XBOX (any of them if memory serves right), you already own one. check the specific model to see which discs are compatible, but most of them serve as both a DVD player and a CD player, not just a game console. Getting a new PC? have it built with a disc drive! or buy one separately and have it installed! hell, you can get plug-in disc drives so even your dinky little laptop can read them! and bonus points, having a disc drive(assuming you got the right kind and have the right programs) will grant the ability to burn your own discs. (you know how you can take files and put them on a flash drive? that, but with dvds and cds.)

and if your ONLY way to watch videos is touch screen devices like phones and tablets... i honestly can't express to you how much you are missing out. bigger screens, more precise control, dedicated menu screens themed around your movies, the ability to take your OWN video or playlist anywhere without needing wifi or data or taking up precious space... it might seem a little clunky at first, but there is a world of difference waiting for you. even just being able to look at your full collection and know that everything here is something you will like, that you can watch any time you please, no commercials, no pressure, bought and payed for with no further money needed from you... it may not be very Minimalist, but it helps a place feel like home. like it's your space, for you.

Crunchyroll buying out and shutting down Funimaton, deleting everyone’s purchased copies, and then hiking up their prices by 200% is just another example of why you should buy physical media. If you want to buy things you actually own, don’t look to streaming.

[explicitinformaticn]

all i wanna be able to do is gif assemble is that so much to ask

[rhysdarbyarchive]

Rhys Darby Lost(?) Media(??): Trails of Napier

I love how expansive the BNCU (Bill Napier Cinematic Universe) is. Rhys clearly loves this character since he has been incorporating him into his television series, live shows, web videos, and more since (at least) 2006. I want to write a huge post that encompasses as much of this history as possible, but that requires a lot more research and spoons (and DVDs I'm waiting on in the mail) than I can handle right now.

For now, I want to talk about a less-discussed chapter of Bill Napier history: Trails of Napier, the 2010 television pilot featuring Bill.

Trails of Napier was directed by Jonathan Brough (not sure if he worked with Rhys before but he did direct the episode of It's a Date Rhys appeared on in 2014) and produced by Rachel Gardner and MRC Studios (and Dan Schreiber as well? he's credited as co-creator and executive producer on his CV). Here is the description from Jonathan's website:

Fresh from his success as Murray (Band Meeting!) in Flight of the Conchords, Rhys Darby approached me about directing a TV show based on his standup character, gamepark keeper and cryptozoologist Bill Napier. The result was a 12 minute pilot shot in the wilds of New Zealand and Mongolia (that part may not be entirely true), produced by Rachel Gardner and MRC Studios. Watch this space!

The pilot also starred Josh Thomson as Jason and Rachael Blampied as Hayley, roles that they later reprised in the Bill Napier episode of Short Poppies.

I've lost count of the number of interviews from Rhys I've read during this time period where he or the author alluded to a television pilot he was working on, but I'll include two of the more detailed quotes I can find (both from October 2010):

Apparently, he's tipped to replace Steve Carell in the US version of The Office. Darby smirks, but won't be drawn. "Besides the thing you can't ask about, I have created my own show for TV - a cool action adventure comedy show based on the Bill Napier character. There's a bit of adventure in it, a seaplane …'" With his dry, deadpan delivery, it is often hard to tell when Darby is joking and when he's being serious. "I'm always being serious," he says, laughing. "What - you think it's too big, too amazing because I said there's a seaplane in it? Just unbelievable? Surprised we got the budget for that? There's a seaplane in New Zealand, we tracked one down." Compared to a starring role in The Office, it may not sound flashy, but with a wife and two young sons, Darby is keen to stay put in Auckland. "And I can use my own accent there. That's an important thing for me - I don't fancy doing American accents … I want to be myself. And variations of. I don't want to lose the essence of … me," he says. (x)

However, when asked where he’d like to be in a year’s time, he speaks enthusiastically about his own project, based on one of his new stand-up characters, park ranger Bill Napier. "We’ve just shot the pilot," he says proudly. "It’s set in New Zealand, about a ranger who goes around the world on adventures, so it’s a bit of an Indiana Jones kind of thing, but it’s a sitcom. It’s the world’s first action-adventure sitcom." It sounds just about crazy enough to work, and Darby, who would prefer to remain based in New Zealand with his young family, is crossing his fingers. "My dream is for that to come about, to be able to film it here, and to sell it to the Americans – then the whole world can see it.” (x)

Based on this and other interviews, he seemed to want to shoot the show in New Zealand and then pitch it to American networks. But unfortunately it looks like it wasn't picked up by a network.

I'll include two other things that aren't really sourced anywhere else (meaning I don't know how legit they are) but are still interesting to consider in this timeline of Bill Napier-related programming.

Here's a tweet from 2014:

And then in 2017, Rhys did an AMA-type thing on Backstage.com's forum where aspiring screen and voice actors asked questions about getting into the industry. This was in the description about Rhys the website provided:

On the animation side, Rhys is currently producing a pilot presentation for TBS called TRAILS OF NAPIER in which he co-wrote and will voice the lead role of “Bill Napier” alongside Jemaine Clement, Ken Jeong, Linda Cardellini, Glenn Wool and Rich Fulcher. 

He was on Wrecked at the same time so presumably that's related to why he was pitching it to TBS.

And here are a couple more stills from the 2010 pilot pulled from Jonathan Brough's website:

Trails of Napier sounded really cool! I love the cryptozoology angle* (I'm curious why this is only mentioned on the director's website and not in interviews, whether that was an omission on Rhys's or the article writers' part), and I love how excited Rhys seemed to be about this project. I would love to see the pilot and the ideas for where Rhys wanted to go with this series. It also makes me really want for him to write a book based on Bill Napier! Either way, I'm glad he was able to use shows like Short Poppies and Alone Rangers to further utilize this character.

*fun fact: there was a prominent Bigfoot researcher named John Napier. This association may or may not have been intentional but I'm still working my way through Cryptid Factor episodes and don't know if Rhys addressed this there. Napier is also just the name of a city in New Zealand, which probably is even less related but still felt related enough to mention

[writing-good-vibes]

I saw the DVD commentary ask, and i'd like to ask about this part from the "we’re on a road to nowhere, would you like to come along" fic. Something about it just really hurts (in a good way). How Bo sometimes does stick up for his brother in such a major way. idk. This part in particular had me in all sorts of feels:

"Their parents wouldn’t let him anywhere near their car, wouldn’t let him take drivers ed classes at school, told him it was too dangerous for him to drive when he was half blind. That, of course, was probably true, but it didn’t stop Bo driving them far enough from the house that they could practice unseen.

“A man needs to know how to get around on his own,” Bo insisted, hopping out of the truck when they were far enough away from the house. He walked around to the passengers side and opened the door, shooing Vince across to the drivers seat.

Tentatively, Vincent moved over, keeping his hands away from anything that seemed important.

Bo jumped back in the truck, with Vincent eyeing him warily.

Are you sure about this? Vincent asks. As much as he resented his parents not allowing him to learn like Bo did, there was a deep worry in his chest that perhaps they were right, and they’d be proven right by him totalling Bo’s truck in an irrigation ditch.

“You ain’t backing out of this one, Vince. You gotta learn, can’t have you bein’ the only kid at school who can’t drive, even the goddamn Johnson boy takes driver ed and he’s been in junior year as long as Ah’ve known him,” he says firmly. He doesn’t wait for Vincent’s response before beginning to explain which peddle was which and pointing out the blinker and gear shift and parking brake."

thank you for sending an ask !! gives me the perfect reason to talk about my favourites and i will never turn that down. and this did turn into a long one below the cut.

just for context, i talk about this a lot but i find it so interesting so it's happening again: bo needs vincent more than vincent needs bo.

bo can be an asshole. he can be selfish and mean and controlling. he's like this because i honestly think he's scared to be on his own and he needs vincent to stay with him, no matter what. their conversation in the movie is very much bo on the defensive, he's scared and hurt and he lashes out because he doesn't know what else to do. and tbh, he knows vincent can take it.

in we're on the road to nowhere, they're relaxed. they're still kids, 17 years old and they're probably each others best friend. they grew up in an environment that was hostile at worst, tense at best and despite the competition that was fostered between them by trudy's favouritism, their behaviour in the movie makes me think they were still very much in a " us vs. everyone else" mindset.

bo, i think, doesn't have very good social skills, but he is very good at pretending he does, based on his environment ( @/aggravatetheaxe has talked about bo masking by mirroring the people around him, which i totally agree with). other people know how to drive, bo knows how to drive, so vincent needs to know how to drive. bo wants to be able to do what everyone else does (to an extent, that is how he survives out in the world, by copying) so it only makes sense that vincent be able to do the same. bo has a lot of guilt, he disappoints his parents enough but by 17 i think he's happy to disappoint them a bit more if it means helping vince.

fic commentary:

okay so like i said, bo and vincent very much think of the world as an "us vs. them" situation. they stick together no matter what. breaking the rules to teach vince how to drive is the least of their worries

i dont think bo is super comfortable driving either but he makes do because now he has his permit he's taken over driving him and vincent to school and tbh just keeping them out of the house for as long as possible every day

vincent is pissed at his parents because he's 17 and can't drive but he also doesnt want to go against what they've said necessarily. he survives by being trudy's favourite, he isnt totally up for doing something which could compromise that.

apparently, if someone is born with monocular vision (vision in only one eye) they adapt very well, and their depth perception, although not as good as someone with full vision, isn't too badly compromised because they've never known anything else.

legally, vincent would still be allowed to drive if he passes all the examinations

but i have a feeling the sinclairs wouldnt want anything to happen to him, so deprive him of it in "best interest"

even as adults i genuinely believe bo and vincent see the other as their best friend

i find it very interesting to think about who bo and vincent were before what we see in the movie. at this point in my hc timeline, they're still just kids and they talk and act like 17 year olds.

bo cares for vincent in the best way he can, by trying to provide him with the things you "need" to pass through society without incident. he really does. i think because he sees it as though they are one person who is split in two, he got the looks and vincent got the brains, they had an equal distribution attributes between them

bo feels a sense of responsibility towards vincent, even if he doesnt often manage to fulfil the caretaker role

when he does though, it is with mundane or even trivial things because its easier than doing grand gestures

he has the pretence of not wanting vincent to "look stupid" so he has to learn to drive, but i think it kind of symbolises more to bo than that. if vincent can drive, he's self sufficient (obviously it takes more than that but when you're 17, all you want to do is drive far away) and they can dream about moving far away from ambrose. though bo never brings this up.

by this point they are becoming more independent anyway so i think they both like having time away from the house to just like, be normal

when its just the two of them they dont feel the pressure of living up to other peoples expectations and tbh they're the only people they fully let themselves be natural around

i wish i'd developed this scene a little more just because i am bad at dialogue and i feel i gloss over scenes to quickly because i cant find the right dialogue.

thank you again for sending an ask, i genuinely love talking about their dynamic because their are so many facets to explore and so many angles to come at it from. i do go a bit soft on it usually, but i do in my heart believe that they have an understanding, even if they never talk about it out loud. thanks again for being interested enough in my work, knowing that it hits even a little bit hard ?? i will pass away now (positive) 💖

[waywardfangirl]

For the fantastic @fight-surrender: You are a wonderful person with a brilliant mind and a kind heart, and I am so happy to know you! I really enjoyed the prompts you suggested for the Secret Snowflake exchange this year, so to give you something fluffy and happy for your birthday I combined a few of them into one sweet and silly fic - I hope that you like it! 🖤

A big thank you goes out to @carryonvisinata for her wonderful beta work and for making this fic even better for such an incredible friend 🖤 Purr-fect Strangers

Rated: General Audiences Word Count: 3208 Chapters: 1/1 Simon

"Die Hard? Really?"

I'm struggling to make the Redbox give me my DVD. Video vending machines sounded like a good idea when I couldn't find anywhere to stream my favorite movie, but the obstinate thing in front of me and the condescending voice behind me are now making me reconsider my choices.

"What's wrong with Die Hard?" I demand, momentarily giving up on retrieving my video to take some of my frustration out on the prick watching me.

Unfortunately, when I turn around to scowl at him, I make eye contact with one of the most attractive people I've ever seen. He's tall, with dark hair escaping the bun on top of his head and falling around his face, and a perfectly tailored suit hugging every inch of his body right on down to his shiny Chelsea boots. My brain shorts out, and he sneers at me.

"There’s nothing wrong with it, per se. But you have a near unlimited assortment of cinema to choose from, and you've selected Die Hard?"

(Read the rest on ao3, or keep reading here)

I scoff.

"Look, mate, some of us don't feel the need to watch pretentious films just to feel better than other people. I like Die Hard. I'm going to watch it while eating pizza and relaxing in joggers, and I refuse to feel bad about enjoying that."

He looks a bit startled, and his cheeks take on a slightly pink tinge, but he just arches an eyebrow at me. (And manages to make that look unfairly hot too, the prat.)

"What movie are you renting?" I say it like a challenge, and he pushes past me.

He deftly removes my DVD from the stubborn machine and thrusts it at me, before turning back around to get his own. I loiter behind him, just like he did to me, ready to see what movie he thinks is better than Die Hard.

"Two Weeks Notice?" I exclaim, when I see the poster pop up on the screen. "You're ridiculing Die Hard, but getting a rom-com for yourself? Unbelievable."

He pushes past me and turns up his nose. My blood boils for so many different reasons, and it's work to hold myself still.

"This has Hugh Grant in it. My tastes are superior."

Then he swans off, and I'm left standing on the kerb.

Baz

A year into my time at university, I started treating myself to a monthly visit to Sephora. It was easily excusable then, with parties every weekend to justify each new purchase, but I've kept up the tradition since graduating. (Retail therapy and good skin care never hurt anyone. And a little eyeliner does wonders for one's self esteem.)

This month, I'm browsing for something sparkly. My eyes are grey, but with a dark, glittery liner I think they might stand out a little more. I'm just testing one of the pencils on the back of my hand when I see him.

Blond hair, plain blue eyes, and a constellation of freckles and moles across his skin. The most lovely man I have ever seen, with the worst taste in movies, and (I'm sure) a well-deserved hatred for me.

For all that I try to appear cool and confident, my facade sometimes fails me. When I get flustered, I become cruel. The man renting Die Hard was so pretty that all I could do was insult him and then curse myself for it the entire way home. I couldn't even properly enjoy Hugh Grant, as mired as I was in self-loathing. And now, whatever second chance to impress him I've been granted with has surely been ruined by my actions last time.

I keep my head down and steal glances at him through my eyelashes.

He is entirely out of his element, that much is obvious right away. I watch him ask one of the shop assistants for help, and she points him in the direction of a display. His brow furrows as he picks up different containers, and he’s ridiculously precious and hopeless as he holds a lipstick tube next to a garish eyeshadow palette and closes one eye to look at them. (What is he even doing?)

Finally, his confusion seems to win out, and he turns to look around for help, when he suddenly spots me. I've been caught out; I can't pretend now like I haven't been staring, and he scowls a little as we make eye contact. I arch an eyebrow, watch as his face grows pink in anger, and decide I hate myself enough to try talking to him again.

"That's really not your shade."

"What?" It's a simple word, horribly enunciated, and does nothing to quell the wrinkle between his eyes.

"The purple. I don't think it would flatter you. Furthermore, that lipstick clashes horribly with every color in that palette."

He turns a bright red and starts to splutter. I am hopelessly endeared.

"That's not- I, I don't- it isn't-"

"Oh, calm down, there's nothing wrong with wearing makeup," I say, flashing him the back of my hand with the eyeliner tests on it. "You just need to pick a better shade." I pluck a different palette (for blue eyes) and a lipstick in a true red from the display and hand them over. "Something like this."

He stares at them dumbly for a moment, his mouth hanging open. (Mouth breather.)

"You think I should wear this?"

"I think it would flatter you if you chose to wear makeup. That purple will do you no favors." I sneer at the garish eyeshadow still in his hand.

"It's for my friend!" he finally bursts out.

"Are you mad at her?" It's a reasonable question, that eyeshadow is truly appalling.

"No? It's her birthday next week, and she said that she wanted to have some makeup for date nights and things."

"Are you in love with her?"

"No!" No hesitation at all. "No, no way. Penny is like my sister. She's my best friend. We're not…" he trails off, and I'm strangely reassured. He still probably hates me, but at least there is one woman in the world that he’s not dating, so my odds have improved marginally.

"Don't get your pants in a twist. I just thought you might be, since that eyeshadow would certainly drive away her current boyfriend."

He sticks out his chin and seems to decide something.

"Fine. What should I get for her, then?" The “if you know so much” is left unsaid.

I'm not really an expert, despite my monthly purchases, but I'll take any excuse I can get to linger around this starburst of a boy for a few moments more.

"Does she wear makeup normally?" He shakes his head no. "Then perhaps start with something more subtle for her." I take the offending palette away and hand him a more subdued one, with a faint shimmer. "Do you think this would look nice on her?"

He thinks hard for a moment, then pulls out his phone, swiping at the lock screen and turning it to face me.

"This is her."

His home screen background is a picture of the two of them, cheeks pressed together and grinning like crazy under the summer sun. His curls are being tossed by the wind, and he looks like a bronze Adonis. I think my heart actually skips a beat at the sight.

"That palette will be fine then. This lipstick, too," I add, handing him a plum shade. "Do you need anything else?" I ask, and then cringe when I sound like I'm working instead of flirting.

He shakes his head.

"No, this is brilliant, thanks."

He still looks a bit confused, and he bites his lip as he looks down at the makeup in his hand - the makeup for his friend, and the things I picked out for him.

I don't want to go, but I can't figure out any way to prolong our conversation.

"You should get that one," he says, pointing to one of the lines on my hand. I raise an eyebrow in question. He's right, but what does this mean? Is he flirting? Does he want me to wear eyeliner? Is he just trying to repay me for helping him? "Yeah. Definitely that one."

He raps his knuckles on the counter beside us twice, and then wanders towards the check out.

It's not until I'm trying to fall asleep that I realize - he bought the makeup for himself too.

Simon

One of my foster fathers had a workshop, and I spent a happy summer watching him build a table and matching chairs for the dining room. I didn't get to stay to see it completed, because one of his biological children kept stealing money out of his mom's purse and blaming me, but I still enjoyed the time I had spent watching woodworking. I liked it so much that when Penny and I graduated and got a flat together, I saved up to buy a few tools. I don't make anything major, but I've built small shelves and a side table and a pan organizer for the flat, and I really like it.

Recently, Penny has been complaining about not being able to reach everything in the kitchen, so while she's still at work I stop by the B&Q to pick up some wood for a step stool. I'm heading to the check out when I see him - the mean makeup guy. (Although he was actually quite nice when we were talking about makeup. He was just rude when we were getting our movies.)

He's dressed casually today, in tight dark jeans and a warm grey sweater, with his hair falling in loose waves around his face. He's glaring down at two wrenches, and I hate that he still looks so good when he's glowering.

Before I even register what's happening, my feet have carried me over to him.

"D'ya need help?"

He startles, and turns lovely grey eyes up to look at me. It's work not to gasp. He’s wearing eyeliner. I'm not entirely sure, but I think it may even be the eyeliner I told him to buy.

"The sink in my kitchen is leaking. I watched a tutorial on YouTube, and it should be easy enough to fix, but I don't have the proper tools."

He goes back to glaring at the wrenches, and I lean over to take a look.

“You want that one.”

“Why? How do you know?”

“Well, it’s adjustable. You can change it within reason, so as long as your plumbing isn’t something incredibly out of the ordinary it should fit just fine.”

He looks surprised (and maybe a bit like he wants to attack me, although I try to ignore that).

“How do you know that?”

I laugh.

“Basic home maintenance, mate, I’ve had to fix a leaky sink before too, believe it or not.”

I grin at him until one corner of his mouth tips upward in response.

“Thanks,” he says, his cheeks flushing a little. “I’ll get this one then. Yes. Thank you. Have a nice evening.”

He strides off, once again leaving me feeling a bit dazed.

He looks really good in eyeliner.

Baz

When Fiona discovered I hadn’t left the apartment in a week, she called in the cavalry. Daphne showed up at my door with a casserole and some flowers, and within minutes she had the kitchen feeling like a place that was less utility space and more home.

“Basil, Fiona is worried about you.” I rolled my eyes, despite knowing it wouldn’t get me anywhere. “I’m worried about you, too. You spend so much time by yourself, and you hardly ever go out to see your friends or enjoy the city.”

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“Basil,” she had said, and that time it was a warning. “It’s not healthy for anyone to spend this much time alone.”

“What, do you expect me to get a cat?”

Daphne smiled, and I knew that I had said the wrong thing.

“Yes, actually. And,” she said, before I could object, “Fiona thought you should too. In fact, she made it a condition of your continued occupancy of this flat. We both think it might be nice for you to have someone else around to talk to.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“And you want me to talk to a cat?”

Daphne just gave me a Mona Lisa smile, handed me a plate filled with food, and told me when she left later that evening that I had forty-eight hours to send her a picture of a cat. (I asked what I should do if I didn’t like any of the cats I saw. Or if they didn’t like me. She said I had to at least prove that I tried.)

So, this morning, I made my way to the nearest RSPCA and talked to strangers for the first time in over a week. I told them that I was looking to adopt a cat, and they immediately led me to a room filled with individual cages and an assortment of felines. They said I could play with any of the cats that I wanted, and now I’m staring into the eyes of a fluffy orange tabby.

The tabby meows at me, and I swear that she’s telling me to get lost. I guess cats can tell when you’re out of your depth.

I stroll down the aisle and read the names given to each cat. It’s been years since I last had a pet and even then, the husky my family had wasn’t my sole responsibility. I was in charge of feeding him, but there was always someone else making sure that I did. And really, we only adopted him when my pediatrician suggested that an animal might help me after my mother died. Daphne is probably trying to do the same thing again now. (Is this how one becomes a crazy cat lady? Depression, anxiety, OCD, and an unwillingness to tolerate therapy?)

I keep walking slowly until I feel a tug on my sleeve. I look down, and a little orange paw ending in one very sharp claw has latched on to me. I unhook it before my sweater can snag, and then look into the kennel. There are two kittens, each only about ten weeks old according to their cards, and the orange one is peering up at me with big blue eyes. Its littermate is asleep in the corner, curled into a fluffy black puffball, but the tabby is ready to play. His tail twitches, and he pounces immediately when I wiggle a finger between the bars. He catches my fingertip in a far more gentle grasp than I would have imagined, then looks at me with what can only be described as pure adoration.

“Excuse me,” I say, moving my finger some more and feeling small claws dig in. Then again, louder, to get the attention of the woman, “Excuse me. Can I see this one?”

The woman comes over and flips the latch, then reaches in and comes out with a handful of fur and knives. The kitten opens its mouth in a fierce imitation of a vampire, then stretches it further as it lapses into a yawn. We spend the better part of an hour in a bright, cheerful room, just the kitten and I. At first it chases a string that I drag along the ground and runs after balls with bells in them, but then it calms down and curls up in my lap to sleep.

I’m petting it and cooing softly to it, trying to ignore the fact that Daphne and Fiona were both right about this whole thing, when the door to the room opens again.

“Oh. It’s you,” says the most beautiful man I have ever seen. My face flushes when I remember our last encounter and I pray he doesn’t remember my ignorance. (Of course he does. I didn’t know how to select a wrench. I am incapable of basic home repair and he knows it.)

“Do you two know each other?” The woman from before is back, this time holding the other kitten from the same cage, and looking between the two of us. “These kittens aren’t technically a bonded pair, but they are siblings, the only two remaining from their litter, and it would be lovely if they could still see each other.”

“Err…” the man says, shifting his weight.

“We’ve met in passing a few times now,” I say, trying to avoid encouraging this line of questioning.

“Great!” she says, clapping her hands brightly after handing the kitten off. “I’ll leave all of you to get better acquainted then!”

For a moment, there’s just awkward silence. Neither of us are looking at each other, both focusing on our respective kittens. Then, his kitten turns into the feline equivalent of a slinky, oozes out of his grasp, and runs over to tap my leg once before running away again. It hides behind his legs, and all I can see is a black tail winding around his ankles.

We both laugh, and the ice is broken.

“I’m Simon,” he says, and smiles at me. It’s the same radiant smile I remember from his lockscreen. It feels like looking into the sun, and I bask in it.

“Basil. Although my friends call me Baz.”

“Are you going to…” he trails off, but gestures to my cat.

“Yes,” I look down and give it a scratch under the chin. “I’m going to adopt it.”

“Same here,” Simon says, and then he blushes. “I mean, unless it rips my face off in the next few minutes, but I think this is the one.”

“Do you know which one you have?” Their names and genders were on the cage, but it didn’t specify who was who.

“No idea. I’m going to rename mine anyway though, I didn’t like either of those names.”

“I was planning on doing the same thing. If I’m going to have a pet, it needs to have a proper name befitting its personality. Not something mundane like Fluffy.” I scowl, and he laughs.

As his kitten comes over to touch its nose to my kitten, Simon clears his throat.

“So, um, like she said, they’d probably be happy to have playdates or whatever. I mean, since we’re getting them. And since we keep running into each other. It might make sense to, you know, exchange numbers?”

“Yes!” I say, far too eagerly. “I mean, that seems reasonable. It would be more convenient than waiting to happen upon you in the Waitrose choosing inferior crisps to set up a future meeting.”

He smiles. “Well, yeah, there’s that. And this way, it’ll be easier for me to ask you out, ”

Then the absolute nightmare sits down beside me and hands me his phone. He texts me immediately once I enter my contact info.

Unknown Number (11:27 AM) This is Simon Snow

Unknown Number (11:27 AM) Your cat is cute.

Unknown Number (11:27 AM) So are you

Unknown Number (11:28 AM) Wanna get dinner sometime? ;)

I blush, and send him a reply.

Baz (11:29 AM) I thought you’d never ask.

[buffysource]

I want to make btvs gifs so bad, but I can't seem to find HD torrents of the show anywhere. Is there anyone who might be able to direct me to somewhere I could find one? I could buy it on dvd and do it that way, but I don't /really/ want to.

I personally don’t use torrents and I’m not sure if my other members use them or not. but if you come off anon or message me directly on my main charismascarpenter I can direct you to a place for some HD downloads.

[digimentals]

do you have any links to watch Last Evolution Kizuna for free? It looks like everything tri was meant to be, and i can't seem to find it anywhere

ENG SUB and ENG DUB ! ( you have to disable adblockers if you have any, but I use this website for other stuff all the time and it’s okay. I don’t really frequent any other anime websites, if anyone has any alternative sites please leave a reply on this post! )

And obviously if you’re able to support to official release (if the DVD/Bluray is available in your region) I’d recommend doing that.

[hetamyumusic]

Hey, do you know where you can buy DVDs or legal downloads of the musicals? I really want to watch them with the english subs you've done (thank you!!) but I can't find them anywhere!

Hello! I received a similar ask a few months ago, which can be found here, but I’ll also restate it here. It is possible to have the DVDs internationally shipped from Amazon Japan and CD Japan, although when I checked the Amazon link just now, it seems as if they’re temporarily out of stock and would need to backorder more copies. There are other Japanese sites that would also have the DVDs on them, but those would require a proxy site to purchase them from as more often than not shipping on those sites is limited to Japan domestic (proxy example that I frequently use: FromJapan).

In terms of legal downloads or streams (these are typically only as temporary rentals btw), the only ones I am aware of are dmm.com and Amazon Japan’s Prime Video (can be found in same Amazon link provided above). DMM would be more difficult to deal with as it requires you to have a VPN that you can set to the Japan region as you wouldn’t be able to watch any of them otherwise. Amazon Japan’s Prime Video I haven’t used before (as I just have a regular account) and so I’m not sure if there would be any difficulties in getting the streams to work there. If there were any problems that would arise, I’d guess they would be either a requirement for a Japanese bank account/card, or a Japan-region only restriction.

I hope this helped you in your DVD endeavors!

[niall-talk]

You wanted everything to be perfect for today. You had planned this day for three weeks. It was hell keeping this news from him, but you wanted to wait for him to be home from tour before you shared the news. You had dropped subtle hints but he would not pick them up.

You had facetimed with his mother to get her Sunday roast recipe that Niall absolutely loved. He asked why you wanted that. “We never fix roast for the two of us.” Your husband of two and a half years questioned your sudden interest in home cooked family meals.

“It's your favorite meal your mother makes. Thought I might need to know it so it will be someone's favorite sometime.” You thought something might click but nope. He was to far into his golf highlights on the TV.

The dvd you had his audiovisual team fix for you was delivered the day before just like they had promised. You had set up a tee time for him and Willie. Niall questioned your reasoning for everything lately. No wine or occasional beer, different food choices “You been on a health kick lately. What's up with ya?”

“Nothing. Just trying to keep us healthy.” You added a little emphasis on the word us and placed a hand on your stomach. You had not started showing any sign of a bump yet. You had been blessed to not have any morning sickness just yet.

“And I love ya for that I do,but kinda miss my wine drunk wife at times.” He moved behind you and slid his bare arms around you sides and pulled your back to his shirtless chest.

You had a spatula in hand that you threatened him with. “If you make me burn these eggs I'm gonna beat you with this.”

“Umm sounds interesting,” he hummed as he kissed below your ear. He didn't play fair; he knew all your weaknesses and he was using two against you. Hugs from behind and the sweet spot behind your ear.

“You're a menace,” you turned your face to his and pecked a kiss to his cheek before you returned to work on the scrambled eggs. “Go on and get the plates please. Oh and a couple bagels for the mini oven.”

He placed one more kiss on your neck before he moved away from you. “Niall do this. Niall do that,” he chuckled as he tried to mimic your tone. “Starting to feel like Cinderella here.”

“Ok Cinderfella,” you were proud of your play on words there, “I think asking for two things is not too much.”

“Is it too much to ask,” he sang out his own lyric. You couldn't help the smile that brought to your lips. You loved to hear him sing anywhere anytime.

After breakfast was devoured Niall headed to your room to get ready for golf. You were in the closet to find an outfit for the day. He joined you as he dressed in his new Nike golf clothes. A gray pair of golf pants matched with a royal blue Nike top. “So what you got planned for the day?” He asked as you slipped on a burgundy top.

“Just some errands today. Going to the market and other boring things.” You tried to act like you didn't have most of the day planned out up to the minute he found out your secret.

You had left before Willie showed up to collect Niall for their day of golf. You had your list of Maura's ingredients for the roast. You checked it four times to make sure you had everything. Back home you set to work on the meal. You knew it had to cook slow and on low heat nearly all day. You facetimed Maura just to make sure that you were doing it right. She laughed at your intensity of making sure every chop and slice was perfect.

“What is going on dear?” She questioned with that motherly tone.

“Just wanted to make sure it was close to being as good as your roast. You know how much he loves it.” It killed you not to tell her. The only people to know were you, the doctor's office and the audiovisual guys. It was self inflicted torture but it would be worth it at the end of the day.

Niall had text you that he and Willie were going to stop for a couple drinks. You text back ok but don't be too long about it. That you had a surprise for him.

As you added the finishing touches to the meal you heard Niall come in. “Honey I'm home,” he loudly announced.

You couldn't help but laugh at him. “I can hear that Dear. In the kitchen.” You called out so he could find you.

He sniffed at the air a time or two and let out a hum like sound. “Smells good in here. What's in the oven?” He made his way to you and kissed your temple.

“Your mother's Sunday roast recipe.” You opened the oven door to show him. The heat and the aroma hit you both and it made even your mouth water. “Almost ready. You go wash up while i get things ready.”

He came back cleaned up and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Hair a mess from where he had his cap on most of the day. “Looks like someone got a little sun today.” You kissed his nose as you walked past him to set the table.

“Ah maybe a little. It was a nice sunny day. Just right for a round.” He looked at the table and asked what the special occasion was.

“No reason. Just glad to have you home and want to spoil you a little.” You smiled fondly at your husband; soon to be father of your child.

At dinner you asked Niall what he thought about babies and kids. He laughed, “They are loud, very needy, they stink, and they cannot do a lot till they get older. They are slimy and have grubby little hands.” You could feel your stomach start to churn with sickness. He continued, “and I can't wait to have a liter with you.”

You felt the tension release from your body. “A liter? Really Niall? I'm not a dog or a cat. And I don't want to have that many at one time.”

“Where did this come from?” He asked as he finished his plate. “By the way. This was amazing. Thank you my love.” He leaned over and kissed your forehead.

“Thank you and you are welcome.” You were glad he liked it. “I don't know. I just had a check up at the Doctor the other day we we talked about stuff. How I'm not getting any younger ya know.” You lied.

“So you want a baby? Didn't know if we were ready for one yet.” He replied very nonchalantly. “I mean with me still making music and going on tours. I wouldn't be able to be here to help much when you need it.”

“I know Niall. Trust me I know how crazy and hectic our lives are. But like I said we're not getting any younger.” You stood to clear the table. He helped you and followed you to the kitchen.

“Don't be that way,” he stated. “You know I love ya and if you want a baby then we can work on that.” He placed a kiss to your neck.

“Hey I got you a surprise. It's in the dvd player. Why don't you go get it ready and I'll join you in a minute.” You kissed his lips before you pushed him away.

He did as you asked and you heard the beginning of the dvd. You gave it a few seconds and you heard him call for you.

“Yes dear?” You entered the room to see him with a big smile on his face. The tv screen flashed pictures of the two of you or ones you took of each other. Suddenly there was a cut to an old I Love Lucy clip. Niall looked up at you with confusion all over his face. The old black and white tv show didn't seem to fit with what he had been watching. Ricky read off and announcement: “Dear Mister Ricardo my husband and I are going to have a blessed event. I just found about it today, and I haven't told him about it yet. I've heard you sing a song called “We're having a baby. My baby and me.” If you would sing it now it would be my way of breaking it to him.”

Your eyes blur with held back tears as you wait. You watch Niall as it all sinks in. Ricky starts to sing the song and more pictures play over the song. Pictures of you and him then a picture of a positive pregnancy test. Niall sets there speechless and damn near breathless. Just before the song ends the classic I Love Lucy heart appeared on the screen. It filled in slowly with the following words; We Love Baby Horan. Underneath it reads due June 2019.

Without a sound or warning he is off the sofa and wrapped you in his arms. “Is this? Are you? I mean wow.” He was beside himself right now. He didn't know what to do or say. He hugged you closer and tighter. You heard a sniffle or two and that's when your waterworks started to flow. You cried and he looked into you eyes. He tried to wipe away the tears from your eyes but it was no use. “You are telling me that there is a little one in here,” he moved a hand to cover your stomach. You couldn't find your voice so you just nod as a strangled laugh comes out of your body.

He kissed your lips and whispered back, “I love you.” Then let go and got down on a knee and kissed your stomach. “I love you too little one.”

Niall pulled you into him, and you snuggled in as close as you could. You whispered out to him, “I love you.”

[zackmartin]

I do apologise for my lateness in replying. I missed your reply as I wasn't looking for it in amongst my dashboard but in my inbox. (didn't realise you can post them live too! ooopsy! haha) I'm hoping so it would be nice for the fandom to come back at least even a little bit. I still watch the show a lot and love Max so freaking much and his bond with Phoebe is everything to me. ❤️ (I'd like to state that, I do not support incest as I've noticed a lot of the fandom jump on that wagon when people say they love them.)

Yeah it seems to be super hard to find any screencaps for the show which is gutting as I can edit, I just can't GIF the show. Sadly the DVDs were never released here and I don't like doing it the other way to scared would be my luck to get caught. It's so unfair cause a lot of shows I'm obsessed with in the disney and nickelodeon fandoms have never been released over here so I am stuck for any of these shows which is what I am more into than other shows despite as you I have been an adult for quite some time ;) -sigh-

Thank you! We have quite a bit in common so hopefully we will get to know each other better and have some good chats about shows in future!!!

no problem!! if often takes me a a couple days (or even a few weeks) to answer asks/DMs, but it's never personal, I just have a chronic illness that zaps a lot of energy. There is a way for me to answer privately so it shows up in your inbox and not on the dashboard, so just let me know if you'd rather I do that in the future! (the only way I can't do that is if you use the anon feature)

Yeah, the tw*ncest stuff was the entire fandom when I first joined :/ like, I love their dynamic too, but strictly from a sibling/familial perspective

I'm sorry you aren't able to get the shows anywhere :( yeah, the only way I can really get screencaps is to capture them from the show myself, but I just don't always have the time/energy to comb through the whole show lol

Like I said, my inbox/DMs are open, so feel free to message me anytime!! 💕💕💕

[staczak91]

hi! i've been looking for a link of the Elvis '68 comeback special for a while and i just saw one of your posts where you mentioned you had recently watched it. if you don't mind me asking, was it the full version? and if so, where did you find it? i've watched an old dvd my dad has, but it's not the complete programme, it only has about 1 hour and there are a ton of songs missing - it doesn't feature the standing performances, for one :/ sorry to bother you, but it's just that I've been dying to watch it but i can't seem to find it anywhere! oh and yeah, I'm a new fan recently converted from watching the movie hahahah elvis is an icon and a pop culture reference everywhere, but for some reason i had never actually listened to his music and i had no idea he was this fun 😍

Hey! No bother at all. Sorry I took so long to respond. I haven't been near my laptop until now. If you haven't found it already, yes, I did watch the full one that's more than an hour long. I found it to rent on Amazon for a pretty cheap price. I think it was only 5 or 6 bucks in all?? So, if you have Amazon Prime, you should be able to watch the whole thing either buying or renting it! :)

Hope you enjoy!

And glad you enjoyed the movie!