#Listen if i was hardcore fan and saw that other shows got new seasons-

[yourwolfmuzzle]

I kinda in the "recovery mood" so im not that active rn on internet, but this fucking cut-part storyboard (and Yang buff arms...for getting a little bit meat on Yang's arms and ponytail back i need to also get her extra tits size and ugly outfit...i cant have shit in this house without sacrificing something or make something already bad even MORE bad) got into my recommendations on yt and make me feel soooo much emotions that i need to rant into a wall.

LONG POST WARNING?

Before to start it i will honestly trying to tell what i kinda like.

+ Outside of making R/WBY feels like a fucking savers of this world, i kinda dig how sad and kinda depress this all feel at the start. This kinda stuff i want to see after vol8 - how everyone who survive is trying to live they new live and how second characters trying to hold everything together, but having a hard time. A grimm reality with almost no hope.

+ I kinda like how Winter VA was able to pull up her action? Like...i can hear that she was "grieving" a lost of her sister and that she dont feel like everything will going to be better.

+ WE STAN THIS ONE WOMAN WHO WAS TRYING TO DRAG SCHNEE. GOOD FOR HER, LET HER SPEAK!

+At least Winter remember about Penny...

And now EVERYTHING ELSE.

There is a thing - im fine with Winter and Qrow talking about in positive ways about R/WBY that they was trying to to everything that they can to save people. That they was a good huntress or something like that. They in grieving processe, "dont talk about the dead one in negative way", all that jazz. But everything that they talking about sounds like they was a new gods in this world. Like they the new savers of this world when...its not exactly true. The idea is there and this whole "you send the message to the world" can maybe works, but everything sound like they perfect people who save a whole world.

Hey guys! Are we going to...just ignore the fact that Salem now have a staff? Winter mention this but thats it. I dont know how many days its was, how hardcore we timeskip, but you telling me that Salem was just chilling in situation, when her enemy in the most vulnerable position and one of the main problem is no where to be found? Like...okay sure.

Even if i like this one lady who was calling out Schnees (again good for her, she have all right to talk like this with Willow)...i wish there was much more people who was disappointed or angry about Schnee or even angry about R/WBY. Just in general showing that people not only angry about that fact how hard they lives now but also trying to find the one who done this. Not everyone will be buss with trying to fix in what situation they are, somebody will trying to find who guilty. Its cant be the only one woman.

Okay...im maybe have a hard time to remember about vol8 and maybe i didnt rewatch vol7-8 in general that much and maybe its just me remembering things not correctly, but...is there was a whole problem to tell people the true about Salem? This whole "panic will bring grimm" thing? This was also a problem in the end of vol8 if i remember this correctly? Well, right now people not only know about Salem, but they also in extream situation with no homes, living in tents. There is no coming back to home, this is they lifes now. But no grimm problem in this epilogue. I dont even remember if Winter or Qrow mention about grimm?

Also about ignoring stuff - there is still some dead people outside of "dead R/WBY". I maybe miss something or didnt saw some detail but i dont remember some memorials for people who got kill by Cinder or solders who die protecting Atlas. I know Atlas in big mean place and "fuck military", but...they still trying to help?

There is this one moment with gravestone with "Dont Come Back", that Winter write on it. I know there is already two side of this thing (i dont believe anyone and AGAIN this whole miscommunication problem in team + both points is really fucking bad in different ways), but i just want to say that before jump into reading comments or what theory people have about this - i was having no clue what is this and for what was that. I know its storyboard and storyboards not always look with a lot of details, but i was so confuse for what this was done. Anyway, both points is bad and if Ironwood one thing is the real one - my fucking god can you stop having a beef with your own characters and remember that before Ironwood start to be cartoon man-man Winter was working with him for pretty long time?

Do you remember me talking about "both Winter and Qrow in grieving process"? Yeah i fucking lied, its only Winter. For some reasons they decide that the most depress man in this world, the most "I Am Shadow The Hedgehog" guy in the team (according to vol8) after loosing both his only nieces and a guy who was his kinda friend who help him in vol7 and the guy that YES was a antagonist for vol8, but from what i remember was also his kinda friend - absolutely positive! And not in the way that he trying to hold himself together mentally after loosing so many people all in short time, but just positive. Listen, i hate this whole "i wish Qrow was back to drinking", but this is the last guy who have to be THIS positive about everything. My guy can maybe not go into drinking speedrun for good reasons (like he dont want to drink anymore at least for his nieces or he just know that he will feel even worst if he will go drinking again, when he already have a hard time to hold himself together?), but this all feel so wrong and feel like he dont care about losing such a important people. (MY BIRDMAN YOU DESERVE BETTER ONES AGAIN)

YOU DO NOT BRING UP FAIRGAME INTO THIS. THIS IS NOT REAL. "The controversity is good" shit, can you leave FairGame shippers alone?

RAVEN IS THERE. I already knew that they will trying to redem her ass because she is a female villain in R/WBY and that scene from vol9, but...i have other questions. How...Yang is chill that Raven just...transporting them? How Ruby, who only a couple hours ago find out that her mother go on her last mission and that Raven is the one who was the last with her, is absolutely dont trying to do with her anything? How anyone is soooo chill that a bandit and maiden is there? If this was done only so RW/BY can got right to Qrow so we can have this whole...reuniting scene then WOW. There is a chance that this scene was done before they start to cut out two episode and start to working on crossover movie, but im not sure how those two episodes can fix this whole situation.

You know i maybe really touch-hungry person who love hugging, but...why nobody was trying to hug JR/WBY team after they got there? Like...Qrow is just looking at them like its norman friday after mission and the only one who at least react in some way was Nora (With a little bit Ren, Oscar have a strange reaction?). Like...you all was thinking for some time that those people is dead. You didnt know where are they, why nobody hug them or hold they hands or just in general dont trying to have a contact with them, like nobody have a "ARE YOU A REAL?" moments?

Just in general JR/WBY getting there feel...wrong? Like they teleport there and just...walk to look how this whole situation looking. Again, no hugs to Qrow or ORN, no bright reaction toward them? (i know, for R/WBY team its was maybe a couple days, you all was not sure if you even will get back to them. Also Jaune was in EA for 10-20 years. He didnt saw his team for 10-20 YEARS. Listen, im not the most biggest fan of him, but like...let at least him hug his team?). I get it when they didnt react at first, from what i can tell they didnt saw Qrow at first. But after they look at him or when ORN saw them? No? You can still end up this scene with Ruby face, i just feel like after Winter and Qrow speech such a emotions reaction can work pretty well as a ending. Like..."there is a struggle and hurt, but we dont give up" with "hope" coming back to them?

Im worry about Oscar that we ones again skip his character development off screen, but its hard to tell in 6 min long epilogue storyboard.

Still no moments with Maria and Pietro. I mix up this one old man (this one from vol8 that is also a faunus) with him and was question "why he is not in his spider-wheelchair?" but after re watching - there is just no Maria and Pietro. They still cant remember about them. They remember about Ace-Ops, Happy Huntresses (ALSO MAY IS THERE OOPS-), but fuck Pietro and Maria.

This whole thing in general didnt anser the most biggest question - how long its been after JR/WBY+Neo fell? This whole thing is not helping at all and no matter what time is canon - its will not save this moment. Its been a week/s? Qrow got from this really fucking fast and even this whole situations with people looking really too good actually. Its been a months (around 6+) or even a year? This is really bad.

ALSO something i find out only right now - MOTHERFUCKERS IS THERE. This is not...a bad thing, but now i knew that if vol10 will be a thing - they remember about both "sea boys" team and "READ A BOOK" team. Happy to see that they remember about the first one, but after finding our how "in book" team was written - im not ready to see Coco team AT ALL.

In term of fanservise, if we going to look at this from perspective of how a fan will react on this if its was a really epilogue that they didnt cut out - oh boy its working pretty fucking good and probably if this was the ending for vol9 - i feel like people would talk about this season a lot more because after the ending of vol9 even some of hardcore fans was not talking about this whole vol that much.

But in term of writing - THANK GOD THIS WAS DELETED. Sure its kinda emotional epilogue, that hitting fans in right place, but giving us pretty much moments thats dont need to be there or working not that great. I heard that they will try to make this into volume 10, which is....knowing how they dont like "kill they darling" or deleting content that they think is really cool or prioritise moments that have to be cut over moments that needed to be on screen...i have zero hopes that they will re-write this scene. Maybe they will delete Raven because right now with episodes that we got in vol9 she just...out of place there.

But we will see. There is still no greenlight info...

[thexfridax]

Wynonna Earp Boss Hopes Syfy Finale Made You Feel 'All the Things' — Plus, Scoop on One Happy Wedding Accident

By Matt Webb Mitovich, tvline.com / April 9 2021, 8:02 PM PDT

The following contains spoilers from the Syfy finale of Wynonna Earp.

After four years of protecting Purgatory with her Peacemaker, Wynonna Earp got to quite literally ride off into the sunset. And she did so while straddling a motorcycle, with Doc Holliday seated behind her.

Mind you, the two almost didn’t wind up together. Following the simply beautiful “WayHaught” wedding, Doc (played by Tim Rozon) was determined to put Purgatory in Charlene’s rear view mirror and get to living life as “just a man,” and Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) felt compelled to stay put as Purgatory’s protector. But with an empowering nudge from li’l sis Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley), Wynonna caught up to her man and professed her love, after which they decided to travel light, for the first time in a long time, and pay their daughter Alice a visit in MIracles, Montana.

TVLine spoke with series creator Emily Andras about crafting this very fine finale, at least one “happy accident” that wound up stirring many emotions, and more.

TVLINE | The finale has just aired…. What emotions do you hope the fans are feeling at this moment?

Just head-to-toe body warmth, and love, and affection, and wistfulness…. And a little bit of bittersweetness. I feel like joy has to be paired with nostalgia, so I hope they’re feeling all the things. But hopefully not hungover!

TVLINE | At what point over the years did you ever envision Wynonna and Doc riding off into the sunset?

Ahhh! I almost never even let myself envision it, you know? It’s so funny — when you start doing a show, you have all sorts of ideas about what pairings are going to rise to the top, who’s going to end up with whom, and one of the joys of Earp is that so many different things have happened. But those two characters have certainly earned the chance to try to be happy, whatever that means to them. I never knew that I would be allowed to end such a romantic pairing with the woman driving the motorcycle and the guy on the back.

TVLINE | I’m watching that final sequence and it almost feels alien, seeing the two of them head off into what I think of as “the real world.” But I also found that viscerally exciting, to see so much ahead for them.

That’s so lovely, thank you for saying that. I feel like having the world ahead of them and being such an unusual couple, I would love to see what happens next for them. I’m sure there will be lots of crazy sex and crazy arguments and crazy laughter. So, godspeed! Godspeed.

TVLINE | When throwing a season-ending wedding, what is Emily Andras’ marching order? “Above all else, this wedding has to be…”?

It has to honor to all of the characters — and by that, I mean it has to try to find a moment for every special pairing on the show, not just WayHaught. I think it’s important to pay due respect to how far Waverly and Doc have come; she never gave up on him, she always saw a better man in him — and now he gets to be the best man! Nedley (Greg Lawson) and Nicole’s (Kat Barrell) relationship, that paternal/daughter bond is so special, so honoring that was very important.

And at the end of the day, I still think the real love affair of the show is the Earp sisters, so I ended to make sure that that was honored. I really love the parallel with the pilot, where Wynonna came into town against her will and was so hungry to leave but was forced to stay. And now you have Waverly secure enough in how their relationship has evolved, that she knows Wynonna deserves to leave again — because she’ll come back.

More than anything, it was about giving every character a moment of happiness. Even Jeremy (Varun Saranga) becoming deputy chief of Black Badge and maybe finding a new date…. It was all about finding everyone a moment of potential joy, after they’ve gone through so much after four seasons.

TVLINE | Talk about the decision to have empty guest chairs laid out with the names of those who are no longer with us or didn’t make it to the wedding.

That was such a happy accident. We were on-set, it was very much in the middle of the pandemic, and we knew we were going to have a limited number of people for the wedding. But then we put out chairs so you could understand where the aisle was, and they looked really empty. So my incredible director, Paolo Barzman, who also did the pilot, and my art director Trevor Smith, pitched this idea to me. I had sort of joked about, “Wouldn’t it be cool if you had the ghosts of characters past?” In the moment, they said, “What if we hung names on the chairs?” and it was just one of those goosebump moments, like, “That’s brilliant.” So then we have people writing up these cards, rushing them out, and it’s honestly one of my favorite things. Whenever I see that Dolls chair, I just can’t help but feel things.

TVLINE | But Mercedes (Dani Kind), to be clear, is still with us.

She’s just out, like, being her best vampire self. She’s out being an amazing vampire, yeah. I still have that spinoff if you want to help me sell that!

TVLINE | If anything caught me a bit off-guard, it was us getting a song from Rachel (played by Martina Ortiz-Luis).

The thing about Martina is that she is a phenomenal singer. She is the anthem singer for the Toronto Maple Leafs — so she’s quite a star here! — and she was on Pilipinas Got Talent back in the day…. It seemed like a waste to not have someone with such an exceptional voice perform! And what better song to lay over the necessary wedding montage than a WayHaught classic (Fleurie’s “Wildwood”), the song that was playing the first time WayHaught kissed. It’s a bit of an Easter egg for those hardcore WayHaughters!

TVLINE | I don’t think anyone would have ever felt like a “Dark Angel Waverly” detour was missing, if you hadn’t spent time on it the episode prior. Why did you feel it was important to go there during one of the final hours?

The truth of it is that honestly we’ve been balancing the spectre of whether we were going to have a Season 5 or not. When we started breaking Season 4 two years ago, we were looking down the barrel of about 24 episodes, so [when you get half that] you’re like, “What are we going to keep, and what are we going to pitch overboard? What can we live without learning about?” I would argue that this idea of Waverly having a darkness inside of her did have to be highlighted after four seasons. I completely agree that in a perfect world I could have done eight episodes of Dark Angel Waverly, exploring that and seeing it come to pass. But if we ever get more story, I don’t know if Waverly has complete control over that part of herself. I dont think it’s “gone.” If Nicole puts mayo instead of mustard on her sandwich, who knows what’s going to sprout out!

TVLINE | I mean, if only to see what other outfits Dark Waverly has.

As long as she keeps her thigh holster, she’s ready to go.

TVLINE | Looking back at these last few episodes, what are you most proud of?

‘m so proud of this cast. It’s so boring, but God, just to see them grow and thrive and shine…. performing comedy and emotion, seeing their commitment to the show, and the feelings…. It’s just been such a joy to see such an amazing group of people get their due. They really are that wonderful, off-screen as well.

I’m also pretty happy — in this day and age, and despite all the fights the show has been through — that if this is the end, I feel like that’s a pretty nice finale, a pretty good topper on the cake. I feel like the fans will feel like they went on a journey, and they left the characters in an interesting, good place. And look, that’s really rare in TV, to end your story the way you want. How can I be anything but grateful, at the end of the day?

TVLINE | When I was writing my tweet the other morning, I wanted to call it a “very fine finale,” but I worried you’d think I was saying it was only “fine.” But it was a very fine finale!

No, you have to keep me hungry! You get to challenge me, Matt. Listen, I just didn’t want to risk…. I’m the queen of 75 cliffhangers, but I feel like the fans have worked so hard for us, for so many years, that it was more important that they got closure, just in case. But there’s always another demon, there’s always another thing to trigger Dark Angel Waverly. There’s always more story, but at least you have this, no matter what.

TVLINE | And if some network or streamer does ride to the rescue, would there be something that brings Wynonna and Doc back to Purgatory? Or might a Season 5 be without the two of them?

Look, the show is called Wynonna Earp, so you need Wynonna Earp. She’s still the champion, she’s still got the magic gun and the best hair on the show — sorry, everyone else!

There are a couple of unresolved issues. We still have Eve, who we kicked out the the Garden very early in the season, and who can kind of shapeshift; she could take on the appearance of any one of our characters! That would certainly throw a wrench in the works in Purgatory. There are a million different reasons to bring Wynonna back, to help out her sister.

TVLINE | And lastly, was there anything you had to cut or just didn’t have room for, or any returning cast you couldn’t fit in?

Oh, tons. But look, you kind of hit the nail on the head earlier. I’m always striving to be better, and some stuff at the end felt a little rushed, with Dark Angel Waverly. I think if it hadn’t been a pandemic, there would have been more people at that wedding. I would have loved four more episodes to round the bend there. But look, that’s Wynonna Earp, man — perfectly imperfect! So that’s what we did, and what a ride it’s been. The ride of a lifetime for me.

[lovemesomesurveys]

“The rest of your life” Are you independent or dependent? Both, but definitely more dependent. Even more so these past few years.

If you could put your life into a category, where would it go? I feel like this would be easier to answer if you gave a list of categories. I don’t know what kind of insight you’re looking for. <<< Yeah, I have no idea how to answer this.

How many animals do you have? I have one doggo. <3

Are you popular? Nope. Never was and that’s perfectly fine.

What time were you born? Around 430PM.

Have you had any candy this week? Nope.

Are you more afraid of tornadoes or hurricanes? I’ve never experienced either one, but they both sound terrifying.

Do you like those nerd glasses? I don’t know what “nerd glasses” you’re referring to.

Have you ever been in a fist fight? Nope. Or any kind of physical fight.

What color is your house? Beige.

When was the last time you saw a rainbow? Hmm. I don’t remember.

Have you ever ate a crayon? Nope.

Ever rode in a helicopter? Yes, after my accident I had to be flown to another hospital.

Do you like rabbits? Sure.

Do you like mushrooms? Nope.

“It’s like you step into the room and just press play” What was the last movie you cried at? On Halloween I rewatched It Chapter 2 and the ending always gets me in the feels with what happens to Eddie, when it shows the loser’s club as kids and then adults, and the letter from Stanley.

What ice cream flavor best describes your personality? Vanilla cause I’m plain and simple and “innocent”, ha.

Would you rather work for a small or large company? I don’t know.

Where's your favorite place to buy clothes? Boxlunch and Hot Topic.

How many languages do you speak? Just one fluently. I can speak some Spanish, though. 

What was the worst movie you've ever seen? Hm. There’s been several wtf movies, but I don’t know what I’d say was the worst. I don’t feel like thinking much about it.

What video game have you played the most? Mario bro games and most recently Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I’ve been playing that just about everyday for a lot of this year.

What was your favorite TV show as a child? Nick Jr shows, Playhouse Disney shows, Arthur, The Big Comfy Couch, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Bobby’s World, some Cartoon Network cartoons, and Saturday morning cartoons like Recess and Pepperann.

What's your favorite sport? None.

If you were given a brand new yacht, what would you name it? I have no idea. 

Do you believe there’s life on other planets? Not in the form of ugly green creatures with odd shaped heads.

What was the worst place you ever traveled to? Hm. I haven’t been anywhere I didn’t really like.

What is one thing you’re really bad at? Life.

Do you believe in angels? Yes.

Would you rather be a famous actor or musician? Neither.

“where have you been all my life?” If you could have invented one thing, what would it have been? I don’t know.

What's your favorite exercise workout? I don’t have one. I don’t exercise :X

What's your favorite thing to do? Some things I like to do include surveys, reading, watching YouTube, scrolling through Tumblr, and checking my social medias.

What did you do for your 17th birthday? I’m sure dinner with family. Probably invited my aunts and cousins over.

Does your local Wal Mart have benches in them to rest? Yeah.

Was your favorite stuffed animal really a teddy bear growing up? I got more into stuffed animals as I got older to be honest when I started collecting giraffe stuffed animals.

If your house was haunted, what would you do? Uhh I don’t know.

Are you crazy in love currently? No.

Are you good at swimming? No, I can’t swim.

What's worse: Slow internet or slow walkers? Slow internet is suuuuper frustrating.

What is the rudest thing a guy has ever done to you? Use me and play me.

Do you sleep with the sheets tucked in or out? Out.

What do you do to fall asleep faster? I don’t have much say when I fall asleep, but to try and help with that I listen to ASMR.

Do you carry a bottle of water wherever you go? No.

Ae you afraid that one day you might get cancer? It is something I’m afraid of. I’m someone who tends to think it’s always a possibility whenever something is wrong or I’m really sick.

“Letters to Juliet” Are you a fast or slow walker? I’m a fast wheeler.

Do you usually have to wear a belt with your pants? I never wear a belt.

Does it bother you when people's underwear hangs out? Kinda cause as someone in a wheelchair I’m at the level of a lot of people’s behinds lol and yeah, I don’t particularly want to see their underwear. Even worse if their ass is hanging out.

Are you usually the person to try new things with your hair? No.

When's your birthday? July 28th.

Do you own a bobble-head toy? Yes.

What color was the towel you used to dry off with today after a shower? I haven’t showered yet today.

Has anyone ever walked you home? Yeah.

Have you ever liked someone and they were taken? Yes.

When was the last time you went fishing? I’ve only tried it once, briefly. It wasn’t my thing.

True or false: You've read the book Lord of the Flies? True.

Have you heard of the band Yellowcard? Yep. 

Have you ever seen the show Teen Wolf? I never got into it.

Do you have any quotes, lyrics etc on your walls? No. Are you a fan of Star Wars? Yes. I finally caught up on season 2 of The Mandalorian so far last night.

“Our parents never let us cross the street, but we did it anyway” Has anyone ever told you that you have nice hair? Yes.

What brand of camera do you own? I use my iPhone XR.

Is there something you're not looking forward to? My next doctor appointment.

Have you ever read the book Thirteen Reasons Why? Yep, back when I was in high school.

Do you wear white pants? No. I avoid wearing white cause I’m a slob haha.

When was the last time you were really angry? My doctor pisses me off. I don’t know why it’s so hard to get a call back regarding some lab results. I call and they say they’re waiting for the doctor to look over them and they’ll call me back to let me know but ugh it’s been taking days.

Have you ever made a 3 pointer in a basketball game? I’ve never participated in a basketball game.

Do you think you look better with your hair up or down? Down, but I always throw it up because it’s easier to deal with. I don’t have the energy or motivation to style or do anything with it.

Do you warm up before you hardcore exercise? I don’t hardcore exercise. Or exercise at all.

Do you want a pair of Converse shoes? Not currently.

Are you more of a studs or hoops type of person when it comes to earrings? Studs.

How many shirts do you have of your favorite band? Two.

Turn on the TV. What channel are you on? It’s already on, it’s currently on The Hallmark Channel. 

Have you ever wore a tie before? No.

What did you have for breakfast this morning? I haven’t ate anything yet today, it’s only 5:28AM.

“For the Krusty Krab” Are you good at art? Nope, not at all.

How many times have you read your favorite book? I don’t reread books, actually. 

Name one thing that you really hate. My health.

Have you ever tried walking on stilts? No. That would be impossible for me.

Is there a war that you find interesting? I’ve read the most about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. Especially for one of my community college history classes because the professor was a big Lincoln buff and I did a paper on Lincoln and the war.

Would you rather live in the city or country? City.

Do you think $7 is too much for a movie ticket? $7 is okay, but our movie tickets are more than that.

Would you like to be a newscast person? No. Fun fact: I was one of the newscasters on my elementary school’s news program when I was in the 7th grade, though. I enjoyed it, it was fun. It was nerve wracking, too, cause I went to a k-8th grade school and the news program played in every single grade/classroom. 

Do you like word searches, coloring or crosswords better? I enjoy word searches and coloring.

Close your eyes and press a random key on the keyboard. j

How many William’s do you know? I don’t know any.

What time did you wake up this morning? It’s 5:34AM, I haven’t gone to bed yet.

Do you enjoy crutches? I’ve never used them, but does anyone actually enjoy them? They’re beneficial and necessary for some, so it’s great that they exist, but I don’t know if anyone actually enjoys them.

What's better: Snapple or Arizona tea? I used to love Arizona teas when I was a teenager. The green tea and the watermelon flavors were my favorite.

Make a word out of the word: Dinosaur. Sound.

“she said I love this song, I’ve heard it before” When you were younger, did you play with legos? Yeah.

Do you like Trix cereal? Yes. I haven’t had it in several years, though.

Do you get nervous easily? Yesss.

How long is your Facebook password? Uh, I’m not sharing that.

Do you like the movie Mean Girls? Yes.

How do you want your wedding to be? I don’t plan on getting married.

Have you seen the movie or show Catfish? Both. I love the tv show.

Do you hate it when you arrive to something early? No, I hate when I arrive to something late.

Have you ever been on Omegle? Yes.

Are you still in love with one of your exes? Nope. I moved on years ago.

Do you think it's attractive when guys wear beanies? It can be, sure.

What's something that makes you feel shy in public? Being in crowded places is one.

Do you like the shows on MTV? I like Catfish and the Teen Mom shows.

If you could go back and relive one day, what day? Hm. I’d have to really think about that if it was just one day.

What's one word you hate to be called? Sensitive. I know I am, but I hate being told “I’m too sensitive.” Plus sometimes it’s like, “no, maybe you’re just mean?” 

[purplerose244]

THOUGHTS ON EPISODE 95!!!

SPOILERS ALERT!!!

Okay, exactly how many fans are in New Zeland? I REALLY wanna know, because apparently enough to let the new season air there 😅

No way to tell, Possession aired in Italy and apart from me there aren't a lot of fans

But since some good heart from the other side of the world still uploaded the episode, here I am! SO excited for the new season!! 😍😍

HERE WE GO!!

First of all

I know I should be happy, but after seeing the trailer I'm terrified 😰 But yeah, Cole telling the title was pretty cool 👍

It always makes me laugh seeing people rebuild Ninjago everytime for some reason, I don't know, maybe it's because they're gonna have to start all over again after next season? 😂

But good work citizens

I can't deal with these two, it's too much for my heart 😭 I wish there was a way to turn him back good, but maybe Garmy would go nuts over the horrible things he has done...

BACK TO NICE THINGS!!

I love Pixal, she has gotten so strong and confident! And honestly, getting all parkour style while there's traffic? MOOD

Cole having sleepy feet? ALSO MOOD

I missed clumsy Cole 😂

And I missed Mother Doomsday! (who apparently has a full name, holy Garmadon)

I always get chills when the bounty is shown, it feels like so much time has passed since Zane found it in the desert! Memories 😭

The officer complaining about the mayor 🤣 Who is a she, apparently? Monarchy didn't last long at Ninjago, not after our last princess...

Also spotting randomly the postman is a good sign, the truest ruler of Ninjago 😎

Back at the monastery(SO HAPPY TO HAVE IT AGAIN, SO MANY MEMORIES, AND THAT'S BESIDES THE MURALS 💜), the scene we already saw at SDCC, which is still super cute and definitely made many plasma shippers go wild

THEN THERE'S HER

Am I the only one that heard that lovely music that played back when Kai looked at Skylor at the balcony scene?... just me?

WHATEVS, WE STAN A QUEEN ❤💙❤💙

Dareth should've been in the mural of season 2 honestly, poor dear 😅 Keep it up brown ninja, we know you are valid! 👍

The Firstborne caught me off guard, I knew we were gonna see it again, just not in this realm. Poor Faith, just got free from a tyrant in her realm, and now troubles are back ☹

Now... let me just say this

I know it's about darkness, I know the oni are super duper evil, I know Tommy gave us a lot of hints for a pretty hardcore season

BUT

WHAT IS THIS NIGHTMARE??? 😱😱😱

That's some level of trauma for a Lego show, I gotta say 😅 Now I'm really curious about the oni behind this, because all the villains we had came with a defined backstory. All we know about this is that it's dark and cold 😨

Also having it coming out of the Realm Crystal, that's a really nice touch 👌

Moving forward, the city in troubles AGAIN, citizens running and screaming in terror AGAIN, the police doesn't have real weapons because it's a kid show

We can traumatize, we can try to stab, we can sing creepy lullabies, but NO GUNS 😶

AND GASP

THE REAL VILLAIN! THE LADDER!

... I'm scared for Cole okay? Especially after seeing what really happens when the darkness gets you! I swear I'm gonna have a heart attack if they show us his cold gray body 😰😰😰

So yeah, I almost lost it here

THANKS LLOYD YOU'RE DOING GREAT SWEETIE KEEP PROTECTING YOUR FRIENDS AND YOURSELF 💚💚💚

Aaaaand Garmy is back in business! I can see how long this alliance will last 😅 Besides, only an oni can defeat another oni? Wu is part oni (even if he's more dragon I think), and so is Lloyd... epic Garmadons showdown part 2?

Last but definitely not least, Jay being unnecessary

If he wasn't here, I could barely take all the drama of this show 😂 Love ya Bluebell

That was it! Pretty good start, I just really don't know where we're heading. This oni must be important somehow, otherwise we wouldn't have much story to begin with

I'm really curious about what's coming!

JAY YOU CAN DO IT, GO ASK YOUR QUEEN, I BELIEVE IN YOU! POSITIVE THINKING!!! 💙💙💙

Thanks for listening to my blabbering, I really need this to chill out 😅 So you'll see me again next time!!

Bye everyoneeee!! 💜

[technicolorfamiliar]

Global Spirit Tour: 2017 - 2018

Prologue:

Something weird happened early in 2017.

I was looking for a song to lip synch to. In drag.

This was for a one-off performance with the improv group I was part of at the time. We had a string of a few LGBTQ events, and drag lip synchs were becoming a regular part of our season. I needed a song, and I needed to pick something I knew no one else in the group would choose. As someone who is secretly very competitive (and someone who knows I perform on stage better as a man anyway), finding the perfect song and perfect character to fit the song was stressing me out. So I turned to my beloved 80's New Wave station on Pandora for inspiration.

Eventually, the inspiration I desperately needed presented itself (this is the Weird Thing). It was, of all things, Depeche Mode's "Stories of Old" from Some Great Reward, a song I knew and loved deeply as a teenager but hadn't actually heard or really listened to in years. And with the inspiration from the song came the core inspiration for my character. Suddenly, everything locked into place - the look, the hair, the clothes, the physicality (read: how provocative I could get away with being at what was technically a family friendly event). And with that perfect vision for my character, all thing things I loved about Depeche Mode when I was in high school came flooding back to me. Wave after wave of nostalgia, the kind that makes you realize, "this is why I am the way I am."

And so I was forcibly dragged back into all things Depeche Mode by one song, one incredibly underrated song stuck somewhere in the middle of what isn't even my favorite DM album.

(I ended up using a different song by a different band for the drag improv thing, at the directors' request, they thought something more well-known would be more appropriate, and at the time I agreed. But my character mood board was still very much focused on DM in the mid-80s.)

Funnily enough, at that same time, DM were about to release a new album and announce dates for their Global Spirit Tour. So the timing on my part worked out perfectly. I have a habit of rediscovering the music I loved in high school just as a bunch of new content is about to hit the internet (one day I'll write about how Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo saved my life more than once).

For a little background, when I say I loved DM in high school, I mean that's when I first heard of them. I didn't grow up on Depeche Mode, as my parents - who were my major source of music recs until I was 15 - absolutely hated anything that had to do with 1980s synthpop, post-punk, or any other new wave music. But someone much older and much cooler than me gave me a mix tape with "In Your Room" on it and I was intrigued. That wasn't the DM song that sealed my fate as a fan. That was 100% "Never Let Me Down Again", but a nudge in the right direction was all I needed, and for that honest to god actual mix tape cassette, I am eternally grateful.

I was a teenager during the era of Playing The Angel, and I was lucky enough to see them on that tour with my best friend at the time. The tickets were my high school graduation present. Our seats were at the very back of what used to be the Nissan Pavilion in VA. I hardly remember anything about the show itself, and any pictures I must have taken on my old pocket digital camera are sadly lost.

Washington, DC:

It was 2017 before I managed to see another DM tour. For whatever reason, whether it was my busy work schedule, being broke, or waiting until shows were already sold out to look for tickets, I missed both the Sounds of the Universe and Delta Machine tours. So when the Spirit tour was announced, I was poised and ready to make what some people might consider irrational financial choices in order to see three separate shows between September 2017 and June 2018.

The lead-up to the September 7th show in DC was a lot of fun. I was going with my two close friends, so we enjoyed some additional bonding as we eagerly anticipated the show together. This was the only gig on the tour I saw with people I knew, and I have nothing against going to concerts by myself -- and sometimes traveling great distances to do so. But getting to share the excitement leading up to the actual day and at the event itself with two of my very good friends was really special. I'm really glad I got to share that experience with them, and have their positive, enthusiastic energy to draw on.

This is the part of the post where I go on a brief tangent about superfan elitism, bear with me: The hardcore DM fans would say, "Three shows? That's nothing." And I would say they're right, but that doesn’t make me any less of a fan. I could have gone to more shows, probably, but my bank account, my job security, and my sanity required that three be the maximum amount of shows I got to see on this specific tour. There are numerous ways a person can express their love of a band, a tv show, a piece of immersive theatre, or whatever. The level of insane superfan I am or am not does not mean that their music is any less important to me as an artist and as person. HOWEVER, the people who I encountered at these three DM shows who were on their phones the entire concert, people who had better seats than me who sat down completely unengaged the whole time, and the people making disrespectful and unrelated comments about the audience and the band themselves can go fuck themselves. That negative, attention seeking, distracting bullshit has no place down in the floor seats in front of the stage, they can go be terrible up in the mezzanine levels.

Which is exactly where my first show was spent.

Second or third tier seats for big arena shows are 1000% not worth whatever money you spend on them. They're too far away, and you're surrounded by people who act like they've never heard of the band they paid actual money to see. The only reason my friends and I were up there in the first place was because of how absurd the US ticket queueing system was for the first North American leg of the GST. I, like many others, have a lot of issues with how that was handled and am glad they scrapped it for the second round of US shows.

I'm glad I had my two friends with me at the DC show, though. The three of us were maybe the only people having a genuinely fun time in our section. This first show for me was the only one where I cried. I wasn't expecting to, but hearing and seeing Martin sing "Home" struck something in me. And then "Heroes". I knew it was coming, but it still managed to really resonate on a deep emotional level. I love David Bowie as much as they do, but knowing that "Heroes" was how Dave was initially asked to be in the band, and my own personal feelings and connections to Bowie, hearing Dave sing it as well as he did was everything in that moment.

I have a number of issues with that show in DC, but none of them have anything to do with DM or the show itself. They played more songs from Spirit at this show than at any of the others I attended, but there was also "Corrupt" and "Wrong", "A Question of Lust" and "Somebody". It was also the longest set list of out of the three shows, with 22 songs total, which is rare for them, from what I understand, because of how intense their live shows are, especially for Dave (which I got to experience more closely at the other two shows). His presence on stage radiates to the rafters of huge venues like the Capital One Arena -- but more about Dave in a minute. I can talk about how good they sounded in DC, and how much hearing those songs live meant to me on that night during that time in my life, how I felt the synths and bass and percussion in my bone marrow and in my soul, but I can't really talk about the all-consuming, sweaty frenzy of experiencing a show like theirs from the floor. For that, I need to talk about Berlin and Philadelphia.

Berlin:

So DM announced more dates in Europe. And, because I'm insane I guess, was online at some ungodly hour when tickets went on sale for the two shows in Berlin, Germany in January. I was able to get an early entry ticket for the January 19th show in BERLIN where I would be surrounded by other people who were actually genuinely excited to be there, which would be a huge improvement after the lackluster crowds in DC.

Am I glad I did it? Yes. Would I do it exactly the same way ever again? Probably not. Because queueing overnight outside the arena was worth it for the concert experience itself, but it's not necessarily something I need to do again any time soon. I'm a weak, American fan, and I own that. The German DM fans go so fucking hard and I am absolutely terrified of them.

Somehow, I managed to get a spot on the barrier without any pushing or shoving. I wound up in the pocket where the main stage becomes turns into the catwalk, right in front of where Andy Fletcher has his set-up. On either side of me were two other women who also were there by themselves. They were nice enough to talk to me and keep me company while we waited.

The show, though.

My consciousness went… somewhere else. I can’t really compare the feeling to anything else I've experienced. I've been to some other really singularly wonderful concerts, to see bands and musicians that I have deep emotional ties to, but none of them have been like this. It's the combination of being part of the masses down on the floor, on the barrier, exhausted and sweating and euphoric, with the power and intensity of hearing and seeing Depeche Mode perform live. I was hyper-aware of everything happening in front of me. Time did something strange, it crawled by so slowly and yet it was over before I could register what happened. I was an outsider there, but I felt like I was part of this massive collective, all connected by our desire to be there, our love of the music, united for a few hours, and I was so aware that everything that was happening on stage and around us was happening to eary one of the people in that arena at once.

The sound of the ignition at the beginning of "Stripped" reverberating in your rib cage, the driving, head-banging riffs in "I Feel You," the cosmic outro of "Cover Me," the field of wheat arm-waving during "Never Let Me Down Again" -- having it all happen to you, at that volume, at that frequency and intensity, is like having your soul yanked from your body and cast into decadent oblivion.

Honestly, it was a blur. But as far as I can remember, highlights included:

The additional songs from Ultra! Unexpected, but very much appreciated.

Experiencing Andy Fletcher's ridiculous awkward dad dancing up close and in person. There's a lot of hype about Fletch's moves, but let me tell you, they exceed any expectation.

Martin. Martin sang "Sister of Night" AND "Judas". I was overcome. People talk about singers sounding like an angel, but Martin L. Gore is the only person in the history of music that saying actually applies to in full.

And Dave. If he was anything like he was at this show when they were at the DC show, I missed the fuck out. Because yes, he performs to the whole arena, even to the people in the very back, but it's altogether something else to watch someone that animated up close. He's tapping into some energy and fire to fuel his work that I've only rarely seen in other artists. Dave Gahan never phones it in, he always performs like he's got jet fuel for blood and like every show really means something. He is outrageous on stage, in every sense of the word. He is endlessly inspiring, and deserves so much recognition and respect.

Philadelphia:

That said… to me, it seemed like the band as a whole was having way more fun at the Philly show than they did in Berlin. I can't put my finger on the specific differences, but they seemed lighter, more pleased with their work, and maybe genuinely surprised at the warmth of their audience in Philly. Martin smiled a lot more at the Philadelphia show, and Dave seemed looser, maybe less tired after a double in Germany.

The Philly gig on June 3rd was the best, by far, out of the three. The second US leg of the GST was announced and I, of course, being the way that I am, thought, "FUCK IT WHY NOT" and magically got a floor seat ticket right in front of Martin's side of the stage after the general tickets went on sale. And it was worth every penny and a short train ride from Baltimore.

I met a few more very nice people, a couple from Florida (whose first show had been cancelled due to the major hurricane last year) and a solo lady sitting behind me who let me join their conversation. And the man sitting to my left was British? European? So he also knew all the things the audience is supposed to do during specific songs that I learned when I was in Berlin. There were definitely some bastard people in the crowd, even down on the floor, terrible people who clearly weren't enjoying themselves, but the high energy of everyone else made it easy to shift focus to the band.

The set list was very similar to the one I heard in Germany, with the exception of two of Martin's songs from Music For The Masses and "A Question of Time" right before their closer -- "Personal Jesus." But again, the performances and mood behind most of the songs at the Philly show seemed lighter, more playful and mischievous (on Dave's part). And the time really flew by. I missed "I Feel You" in the set list, but that's a very minor criticism of what was, over all, a miraculous third show out of three very powerful concerts.

Epilogue:

The general consensus among fans is that this may have been the last big tour Depeche Mode have. They may keep recording together and separately, but another tour on this massive scale is unlikely. If that's the case, I'm so glad I found a way to see three very different shows on the Global Spirit Tour. I can’t imagine experiencing the same exact feeling these shows gave me; I certainly didn't feel the same at David Byrne's awesome American Utopia tour show this summer, and I don't expect the feel the same when I see Nick Cave in October.

Depeche Mode, especially now, at this stage in their careers, during this time in American and world history, and for me personally at this specific point in my life as I age out of my 20s, have been a source of sanity and compassion, of deep feeling and social commentary. Their music touches maybe the parts of myself I'm too scared to look at head on. After going through some of the things that have happened to me as an adult, and as I figure out the kind of person I want to be in the coming decade, obviously there are certain themes resonate with me more than they did when I first discovered DM as a teen. I am grateful to have had circumstances happen the way they did to lead me back to Depeche Mode, to delve deep into their music and history.

Those three shows changed the my standards for seeing live music. After being front row for the Berlin concert, how could I ever go back to being content sitting up in the second or third tier for any arena show? I've been spoiled.

And after a few months have passed, when I think about my experiences over the course of the Global Spirit Tour, it doesn't quite feel real. There are a few other concerts I've been to where when I think about it, I think, "Did that actually happen??" (Namely seeing Danny Elfman in Los Angeles on Halloween, 2014. Absolutely bonkers.) Seeing DM in Berlin is definitely one of those moments already, not even a year later.

I look forward to the future of their music. If Depeche Mode tour again, and that's a big if, the furthest I would travel to see them is maybe the UK, but hopefully that won’t be necessary! However, I absolutely would go see a solo show, if Martin or Dave ever had shows anywhere even remotely close by. I would absolutely travel to New York or LA to see a solo Martin show or Dave with Soulsavers. From what I can tell those venues are usually smaller, so it would be easier to have a more enjoyable, intimate experience.

But that's all there is. Nothing more than you can feel now, that's all there is.

Until next time.

Photo by me, Jan 19, 2018

[heathercat56]

On the X-Files finale

WARNING: AHEAD THERE BE SPOILERS

I deliberately waited to watch what will likely be not just the season finale of The X-Files, but the final series finale. 

I was anxious to find out how the chips would fall in the end, anxious to see what would become of William, etc. etc. and unfortunately, I didn’t listen to my instincts and stay off of Tumblr to be able to remain spoiler-free. As such, I saw a graphic of a bingo card essentially telling me ahead of time what all the big plot points were and character death(s). 

I have no one to blame but myself. 

Spoilers under the cut. 

First let me start off with what I consider to be a not-so-humble-brag that I’ve been a fan of The X-Files since episode 2 of the 1st season (the first one I watched). September 17, 1993 to be exact.  That would have made me 12 years old at the time. 

Friday nights were a common date night for my parents and my older brother being 16 was perpetually out with friends; so, I was home alone a lot on Friday nights, flipping through channels. I was also in an odd in-between stage as a preteen where I had grown up into musicals, show choir, classical, etc., but had just been introduced to the local Bay Area punk scene with pre-”Dookie” Green Day, Operation Ivy, and others and Nirvana and RHCP were blowing up our local alt radio station.  

In short, I was searching. Literally and figuratively. Then Mr. Hot, Disheveled and Sarcastic Mulder shows up on my screen ranting about little green men and I had officially found my type. That and brainy redheads.... But all that’s another story. 

I missed a few episodes here and there on 1st season, but by the time “EBE” aired the following February, I had figured out how to program our VCR to tape them automatically. And my VHS collection grew. 

I watched and rewatched. 

I shipped (MY FIRST SHIP!!). 

I got brave and started stealing computer time from Dad so I could go on the internet and talk to fellow fans on these new forum thingies. 

I wrote fan fiction for the first time ever. 

I joined the official fan club. 

All before the 2nd season had aired. I was all in. 

Anyway, TL;DR: I grew up with the show and was hardcore obsessed. 

What the fuck does all this nostalgia have to do with the finale?? 

Pardon me while I get out the shouty caps...

FOR A TV SHOW THAT: 

1) HAS BEEN AIRING OFF AND ON FOR ALMOST 25 YEARS

2) HAS 2 WIDE-RELEASE MOVIES

3) HAS LEGIONS OF DEDICATED FANS THAT HAVE GROWN UP WITH THIS SHOW

4) WITH THE SUBJECT MATTER BEING INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACIES AND GOING ALL OVER THE WORLD (COSTA RICA, THE IVORY COAST AND ANTARCTICA!) IN THE SHOW 

4) ONLY TO HAVE THE FINAL EPISODE TAKE PLACE ALL IN FUCKING NORFOLK, VIRGINIA 

*IS INHERENTLY FUCKING ANTI-CLIMACTIC.*

Previous finales of the show and the movies included fires, explosions, tense scenes of danger, “are they gonna make it?” nailbiter moments, international locations, high-stakes emotional scenes between Mulder and Scully, tears, yelling and not a small amount of badassery.

This was an epic show that asked big questions. And now? The entire cast comes across as just. plain. tired... 

Yes, I get it. 

They’re all older. 

So am I. 

Scully being spontaneously pregnant at 54 when all her ovum were previously harvested... Sorry - that’s beyond me. It’s not that I don’t think it’s possible. But it’s a more than a little too close to the exact same level of possible impossibility that produces sewer flukemen and paramedics who eat cancer to survive. Scully has said she doesn’t want to herself be an X-File, and this just furthers the fact that despite being about to be kicked out of the bureau once and for all and pregnant that the unexpected suddenness of it will continue to loom over her for the rest of her life. She’ll never be free of it. 

The totally unnecessary death of Skinner alongside the still-no-explanation-why-she-went-to-the-dark-side Monica Reyes, and the looooong-overdue “final” death of CSM all seem to cancel each other out for some reason. Perhaps it’s the too-perfect 1-2-3 trifecta of a Neutral Good, a Chaotic Neutral and a Chaotic Evil that made me not care as much for any of them. If Skinner had been a little less neutral and a little more “fuck you” to CSM in seasons 10 and 11, then I might think a bit more highly of him. 

Yes, they tied up pretty much all the loose ends. But they figuratively grew a big beautiful tree for 25 years only to coldly chop off whole limbs of plot rather than trim off dead branches. 

And they did it like a tired parent at 3am who’s child just won’t fucking go to sleep. 

And if that’s how the writers and cast regard the fans, then they should have just not bothered with seasons 10 and 11 in the first place. 

Except for “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-monster” and “Rm9sbG93ZXJz“. That was some good shit. 

/rant

[vicetaes]

okay sooo everyone always asks questions about the au (which makes sense lol) but im gonna switch things up a bit and ask you a really hard question: why do you ship yoonmin? and like, when did you get into bts and after how long you started shipping ym? 👀 i’m sorry i ended up asking you three things, hope you don’t mind! and thank you so much for everything, i love your au and your personality xx

hello! okay so +here’s how I got into shipping yoonmin and becoming a hardcore yoonmin enthusiast! also surprisingly, I started stanning bts like after the BBMAs! I have a friend who’s really into kpop and stuff so I was kind of aware of groups but didn’t know who and honestly I remember being so gobsmacked that seventeen had thirteen members cause I used to struggle with one direction’s 5 members at one point. so I had a general gist and a few years ago I heard snsd’s oh and 2ne1 try to follow me which I really liked but you know how you sometimes you just listen to music and that’s it, that’s how it was. never got into kpop but I was interested by it and knew some familiar faces.

then came the bbma’s and obviously they were trending on twitter and it was during exam season and instead of studying and revising for my exams, I was on twitter and saw one of the viral tweets about jin. everyone was like who’s the third guy from the left and I was like hold up, who is the third guy from the left? so I searched them on youtube and listened to blood sweat and tears. I was hooked. I listened to that same song like 50 times in the course of 2 weeks. fast forward half way through my exams, I was over at one of my friends and we were all drunk and browsing youtube. one of my friends is like guys have you heard of this kpop group and my drunken self is like UM YES? but she actually meant super junior and she showed us this video and we were all too smashed to know what we were doing so I was like ladies settle down, let me introduce you to my some amaing guys BTS. so I play blood sweat and tears and someone falls asleep, someone’s arguing with dominoes on the phone, another in the bathroom puking everywhere, but I was still dancing to bst alone. maybe its cause I was drunk, but I remember watching the music video and crying cause I was so into them?? I was like I’m going to protect you boys!!!!!!

you know when you should be revising for your very important exams but instead you go to extreme lengths and procrastinate instead? that was me. I realised I’d listened to bst 1000 times already so I clicked on the suggestions and heard save me, fire (which sounded so familiar like I had heard it before which looking back, I probably had), not today, I even went way back and listened to we are bulletproof part 2. I loved the lyrics to their songs so much. then I watched their dance practice for bst then watched people reacting to it and cause I wanted to see my friends reacting to it, I played it at breakfast the next day literally to my entire hall just to see their reactions. I think I really got into it when I watched the fanmade english speaking compilations and taehyung was so freaking cute. then I obviously had to find out where each video in the compilation was from and then I was watching hustle life and rookie king and all their appearances on variety shows. then I discovered bangtan bombs and vlive. that was it for me. I had an exam the next day but instead I was going to watch RM’s recent vlive.

exams finish but my obsession had only just began. I did some research and found out that their festa was soon then I set an alarm and watched it. live. that’s when I realised I was in too deep. cause I was watching 7 men who I still didn’t know 100% who was who speaking a language I didn’t have experience with. during the summer, my obsession with them tripled. I had more time to waste so even when I was on holiday, my mind was still on bts. I think the fact that there was so much content of them online is what ultimately did it. you’re like okay let me just watch this bangtan bomb, then you’re on a random compilation, a shipping video, on vlive, watching their dance practices. it’s neverending. the good news is that a year ago, I didn’t know who these guys were and neither did my friends but now, every single one of my friend is a fan. I have successfully converted several dozen people and that might be my proudest achievement. every time we do pre drinks, someone willingly puts bts on (mic drop remixis the most played noawdays). my housemates love them and even my mum thinks RM is attractive. AND ALL because someone retweeted a tweet about jin onto my timeline. 

when it was revealed that they would perform at the amas, do you know how many texts and calls I got that day? my friends who didn’t know their names were letting me know about the news. and when they were doing their interviews? every single groupchat I was in during the AMA promotion period was 90% bangtan. ‘the blonde one is so precious’ ‘whichever one fell when the fruit hit the glass is my new favourite’ ‘THEY’RE EVERYWHERE’ and my favourite ever, when one of my housemates sent me a random text at 4am, even though her room is right next to mine, saying ‘V is my bias but RM can get whatever he wants’

it’s really weird that I became a fan literally earlier this year because it feels everyone I meet has been a fan since debut. so there’s so much I missed and honestly getting into bts and just kpop was such a trip. I would watch bts performances and it would always say ‘comeback special’ or something and I was like ‘WHERE DID THEY GO?’ so many terms I had to learn. I also tried to listen to other groups too cause I assumed they’d all be like bts but I couldn’t get into any as hard as I did for bts. nowadays there are other groups I listen to and  really like but these guys have a special place in my heart.

this was really long omg I’m so sorry I’m lowkey making this long cause I know my inbox is filled with angry readers right now sjlkjdsksj

[ohifonlyx33]

I'd love to hear more about why you dislike Clois! I've never been a fan either and was one of three or four people on the planet who preferred Clana or even Chlark when I watched Smallville :)

Listen, because this is very important to know about me: I’m the biggest Clana Shipper you will ever meet.I’ve been hardcore ride-or-die shipping Clana since October 16, 2001 when the Pilot aired. I was barely 7. I still recall my mom seeing the trailer for Nicodemus in season 1 (Lana takes a dip in the pool) and saying that we had to skip that episode. I had no idea what shipping was. I wasn’t even allowed on the internet. But a week later I sneaked into my mom’s room to watch it anyway because I wanted to see them to kiss. I mean Clana changed my tastes in music and expanded my tastes when all I used to listen to was country (yikes.exe). But if I hear “You & Me” I immediately flashback to the first time I saw Clana at the school dance in s4, which is imprinted on my mind because it literally set my expectations for how a guy in love should look at me... And to this day I cry at the Climax of Lifehouse’s “Everything”. They are the reason I got into editing multimedia (photos and “wallies” first, but now mostly just vidding). Clana was my first experience with reading and dabbling in writing fan fic when I was a teen. I was part of the Sweet Forums (a whole community of clana shippers) and eventually they were the reason I initially joined tumblr. So much of who I am as a fangirl and a person comes from Clana. They are precious to me.  

Because I was so young, I’d never seen Superman or even heard of l0is lame when she was introduced in season 4. I didn’t even think she was a love interest until a family member told me about the comics (which quite frankly seemed irrelevant). Before that I just thought she was a poorly written attempt at comedic relief. Because from the beginning Clana was the show’s staple ship. They were first loves, but true loves... terribly star-crossed, but inevitable. They were made to be endgame. They were written in a way that I recognized them as soulmates. despite every reason they couldn’t be together, there was some unspeakable, powerful magnetic force between them. I swear to this DAY, I’ve never seen anything comparable in my life (and I have a METRIC TON^2 OF SHIPS). So who is l0is to come on the show like she owns it? to me she’s nothing more than the grating new recurring character that would usually get written off after a season of being a thorn in the fandom’s side. Except they kept her around. and she wouldn’t leave. Even though Clark never looked at her that way, and most of the time she wrote him off as an annoying little brother... somehow the “other woman” took over the show because Lana left the show with a tragic, permanent ending. Like, can you imagine if Juliet faked her death so Romeo decided to date the annoying girl down the street... and then Shakespeare tried to sell THAT as the real romance. Basically, if Lana had never left, l0is would have been the Rosalind chick that no one remembers.

Is Clana the healthiest, simplest, cutest ship? Not always. And I kinda knew that even when I was young and as I grew. But they always found each other. It was always some uncontrollable reason. But  I stopped watching the show when Kristin Kreuk (and Michael Rosenbaum) left.And the notion that this strange obnoxious lady can come to smallville and 

[aion-rsa]

What Comes Next for The Flash?

https://ift.tt/2yncGbY

With Year One now complete, Joshua Williamson tells us about what's next for Barry Allen and The Flash.

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This article contains spoilers for The Flash up to issue #75.

Ever since DC kicked off their Rebirth initiative in 2016, The Flash has been one of the best superhero comics on the market. Writer Joshua Williamson and an assortment of brilliant artists have steered Barry Allen's adventures for the last three years, mixing "traditional" Flash villains with new creations, introducing new and wild elements to the very nature of Barry's powers and his relationship to the Speed Force, and exploring his origin in more detail than ever before. And from the sound of it, that's only the beginning.

We caught up with Joshua Williamson at San Diego Comic-Con, where he revealed some of the secrets of the recently concluded Flash: Year One story, and told us what's next for Barry Allen, his friends, and (perhaps most importantly) his foes in the book's future. There might even be a Crisis on the way...

Den of Geek: So what's been the feedback on Flash: Year One?

Joshua Williamson: Oh, it's been great. It's been really awesome. A lot of positivity about it. I mean, I was never worried about stuff, but when you're trying something different, you get out there and it's interesting because when you say, "I'm going to do a Flash: Year One" everyone kind of in their head, even with the TV show or the comics, like "I know what that is. I know what that is." And we were doing something different because we were doing something that was Flash: Year One mixed with Dark Knight Returns.

In the original Showcase #4, which is the first appearance of Barry Allen, there's two stories in there. There's one story about how he got his powers and he goes up against the Turtle, the first villain he ever fought. But then there's a backup story about him traveling to the future for the first time. I knew there were some people who were hardcore Flash fans that were going to be like, "I see what you're doing." And it was interesting. I was at a panel once and somebody came up and I was keeping the future stuff super secret. It wasn't ever on the covers. We weren't going to talk about it. And then somebody went up there and said "You know, in Showcase #4 he travels to the future for the first time," and I was like, "Shush. Stop talking. Shush." 

But the feedback has been really great. I think once people saw that it was going to be a little different than they expected, I think it caught their attention. They could see that it really is a love letter to the Flash mythology, to Barry Allen and the history of the Flash. If somebody is coming in and they want to know about the Flash from the TV show or the movie and they've never read anything, we've been able to create something that is easily accessible for them. It starts at the beginning and you can dive right in with that character.

read more - The Secret Origin of The Flash: Year One

The feedback's been really good. It's been really awesome. And I think a lot of it has to do with how import the art is. I think this is the best work of Howard Porter’s life. I think he's the best Flash artist of all time and the stuff he's doing is just amazing.

So let's talk spoilers about the end of The Flash #75…

There's all kinds of teasers in there. You know that part where we cut back to the present day stuff drawn by Scott Kolins and there's that one page where it's Barry running and talking about positivity, but also talking about how he recognizes that there is a lot of challenges ahead of him, but he's not afraid of running to them. And then we present all these little teases, all these things that are coming. And yeah, I'm really excited about all that stuff. There's all kinds of little stuff in there that is, if you're paying attention, you can see all the clues of what's coming in the book.

Let's talk about those six panels in Flash #75. How far into the future of your run do those six panels take us?

I would say to the end. I think there's a couple of little things that will happen throughout, but really there was enough in there. I was trying to say I have a lot more stories to tell. I have a lot more things I want to do with this character. There's been things we set up in the first arc that haven't paid off yet. Little things we've been seeding throughout. But really that was me showing you there is a lot of stuff coming.

read more: Everything You Need to Know About The Flash Season 6

I have an idea of where I want to be at in the story when I get to the end. I know what I want the closing pages, the last pages, to be when I eventually get there. I don't have an issue number. Because really it's always ... we shouldn't think about the numbers. It's about the story. And it's very much about what is best for the story. And so I know the story, I know the beats, I know the things I want to build to get there and I tease pretty much all of it. There's a couple of things, but pretty much all of it is in that page.

Is this a situation like Tom King had with Batman who had always said he had roughly 100 Batman issues to tell his story? We're at Flash #75…

Yeah, I've written up to #82. I'm pretty far out and I know what's happening for a while in the book. So it depends. It has a lot of factors, but it always comes down to do I have the stories to tell. And I think if I ever hit a moment where I'm like, "I'm out. I'm out of stories." That's the time to leave. So we'll see. And  DC really responds well to that. They respond well when you come and say, "I have a story to tell."

Within that story, we know that at some point in the middle of all that there's going to be a Crisis.

Maybe.

Okay. But we're a year after, when we were here last year, we were talking about the last page of “Flash War.” Which said the magic word.

Yeah. It did. Hey man, listen, I play the long game.

Yeah. Clearly!

I'm all about the long con. So you just got to see. It'll all add up eventually. That villain in particular, he's also in that issue. There's a tease of him with Godspeed in #75. We're slowly getting there. I am really building this gigantic story. I just don't like to talk about it like that as much. But yeah, there's a lot of fun stuff coming. 

So I guess we should just start then for what we know is coming next, which is “Death of the Speed Force.”

That starts in The Flash #76. It's immediately after, and that is a big part of my plan for the next year. I think what will happen is you'll see it kind of breaks up, because it's going to be a roller coaster ride of a story. The beginning part, you're going to think it's one thing and then it kind of quickly turns into something else. It's very tied into Year of the Villain. 

Barry is dealing with the idea of the Speed Force dying and he has to make a decision. Does he save the new Speed Force users  or does he save the Speed Force? He's Barry so of course he's going to save the new Speed Force users, but there's a problem and there's conflicts there. How do you save these people as you feel you’re losing your powers? It's like do I go save my powers then save them? There's all kinds of other things brewing that are coming at the same time and one of the biggest problems is the Rogues. Now Captain Cold has help from Lex Luthor with the Year of the Villain stuff. So you have the subplot of Captain Cold and the Rogues running through “Death of  the Speed Force.” 

“Death of the Speed Force” is a six part arc, but it's really the beginning of a major story that's going to carry over the next year. This is the first chapter of it. And the ramifications of that story will impact not only Barry but a lot of other speedsters. And once we get to the end of that then you know you've got the Rogues. So there's a lot coming. 

“Death of the Speed Force” is something I wanted to do for a while and I'm really excited about it. I mean Rafael Sandoval is doing most of the issues and he's doing amazing work. We actually just sent the first issue to press and it looks awesome. It's really exciting. We've actually been able to hide the fact that a major character is returning in that arc and hasn't been seen in The Flash book in, I don't know, maybe 10 plus years. He's in that arc and he's not on any of the covers. He's not on any of the solicits. Somehow we were able to hide it so when people read this arc there's going to be some surprises in there. You're going to see some stuff that I think people will be surprised by. 

Is he one of the speedsters that we see in that one panel in Flash #75?

No comment.

Okay.

I'll tell you a little thing if you didn't notice it, but in #75 you have all those Speedsters, right in the forefront. If you look close there are three silhouettes in the box. You see him? That was on purpose. That's part of the story. I was curious if people are going to notice that it they're going to be like, "Oh man, this is really awesome. Who are these three silhouettes?" 

It's interesting that you’ve chosen Captain Cold as your focal point of Year of the Villain. I feel like it's been a while since Snart has been kind of a traditional villain in the DC Universe.

One of my goals from the outset when I got the job was to bring the Rogues back to being villains. Because for a long time they were anti-heroes and I don't see them as that. They're the Rogues. All they care about are themselves and each other. I've been building this story for a while of this dynamic of them recognizing that they need each other and that they're better together. 

We've been building to this and I feel like this is going to be the biggest Rogues story that anyone has ever done. When we eventually get to that story, the big Captain Cold and the Rogues story that will be after “Death of the Speed Force,” I feel like that's the biggest Rogues thing that anyone has ever done. It gets pretty crazy. It won't be my last year on the Rogues, but it'll probably be the last big Rogues story that I get to do. There's other things that I'm going to do with some of them, but for the most part that'll be like the really big Rogues story and it'll be part of the “Year of the Villain” stuff that we've been building to.

For so long, Thawne and any Reverse-Flash, has  really taken over as just the ultimate Flash villain. But I feel like there's almost more to be said with Snart in some ways.

There is a lot to say with Snart. There's a lot of things about his character I found very interesting because if you want to get deep into Snart, it's the idea that Snart is a family man, right? Just a different version of it. And Barry is a family man, right? Different version of it. And if you look at how Barry looks up to his parents and to the values that his mom and dad had and he wants to be like them. He looks up to the advice they gave him. Whereas in Leonard looks up to his father and is like, "My father is a loser and I never want to be him." So it's this interesting contrast.

read more - The Flash Season 6 Villain Explained: Who is Bloodwork?

But they both had the same end game without the same end result. They both became very concerned about family, they have just different versions of it. I like playing with that contrast with both of them. They're both family men, but just have very different ideas of it.

There might be some Captain Cold fans out there that are like, "He's the number one villain! " I almost feel like it's different. There's something about him that kind of puts him to the side. He's still a major villain but he's not Thawne. Thawne is definitely the main one. Eobard is easily the arch-nemesis. 

Are we any closer to seeing Jay Garrick?

I knew you were going to ask me! It's in that spread.

I know, but that's not what I'm talking about!

I have a plan. You know Scott and James are going to be using him in Justice League. There’s more stuff that's coming up and I have a plan. So my answer to you is: soon. I can't say exactly when, but soon.

We'll have more from Josh Williamson on The Flash, Batman/Superman, and the rest of the DC Universe soon!

Read and download the Den of Geek SDCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.

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Interview Mike Cecchini

Jul 31, 2019

DC Entertainment

The Flash

SDCC

SDCC 2019

from Books https://ift.tt/2Yv6wVP

[kunalkarankapoor]

The character study of Mohan Bhatnagar.

This is the final part of the character study of Mohan Bhatnagar. Thank you to everyone who read and/or commented on the study. I appreciate it.

18) The Becoming of Vasu

Video Link: The Introduction

The proof of Kunal’s brilliance as an actor lies not only in his portrayal of Mohan, but in his personification of Vasu. There was no time for him to ponder about the character between the “death” of Mohan and his resurrection. Kunal practically created Vasu in flesh and blood, moulding him from scene to scene. There was no doubt about the popularity of Vasu, how he gained a brand new fan following independent of the show pre-leap, and that he held immeasurable untapped potential (which Kunal was quick to tap into — though he could only do so much in such a short time frame). It must have been both an exciting and unnerving experience, experimenting with an underdeveloped character, slipping into the skin of one that was his to form. Of course, he did a mind-blasting job.

Post-leap it became more of Vasu’s show. Megha was still around, but Vasu as a male character with his own story was in focus for a while. I do not have an issue with female-oriented shows (hello, female here), but I do have an issue with male characters designed as accessories rather than actual people with actual stories to tell. Kunal’s character was still oppressed, but it seemed as if it had become more of a male-oriented show post-leap, and I enjoyed that.

Kunal’s embodiment of Vasu struck a chord in me from the very second that he was shown standing on the hood of his car, stretching like an awakening panther. He was a raw character. There was nothing polished or idealistic about him. There was nothing warm and soft. There was nothing safe. Watching him break a man’s arm in cold blood, shoving his uncle around, and stalking around the chawl with a possessiveness and unpredictability about him that basically instilled fear in people, I thought of him as a dangerous man that no one should cross paths with. You would want to stay offhis radar.

There was something untouchable about him; something hard and cold. There was ice in his eyes, and a recklessness. You did not want to push him too far. In fact, he seemed a bit psychotic, especially once I met his mother. But Kunal has a way of performing that never leaves you with just one impression of his character. When I saw Vasu with his mother and Bala, I realised that underneath his unfeeling shell there was a soundly pounding heart. Even around his people in the chawl, it showed every now and then. There was a short scene in which he bought an apple from a stand, handing the man a couple of bucks for it. However, the man refused to accept his money out of respect for him. Vasu insisted. And it was the way that he insisted by roughly telling him to keep it, and then tossing the money in his bowl that revealed his fairness while at the same time staying true to Vasu’s rough characterisation.

Yes, he was most definitely a bit twisted. Sometimes the look in his eyes could creep me out, e.g. during the mud-fight when Rukku stroked his face and he stared back at her. That was scary. But Kunal’s attention to details showed nuances in his character, e.g. it might appear as if he was incredibly dispassionate, but there was always a focus in his eyes, sharpness, revealing that he was, in fact, listening — aware of people around him. In the end, to those that really knew him, he was not someone to fear – on the contrary.

There was a drastic change in settings and characters post-leap. I enjoyed being in the busy streets of Indore with the warm houses (e.g. in the second season, Mohan lived in a house with a staircase that would have made a Disney princess squeal), corner-street chaiwala, and more or less modern cafés here and there. But I loved being dumped in the middle of a dusty chawl where everyone knew everyone and where bhau-politics dominated. It could have been a fresh show with a new title. There was no need to connect Vasu to Mohan, or NBT, as Vasu was a power-packed character with a completely distinctive story to tell and completely distinctive relationships.

The cast was dynamic. There was Aayi with her frightening and twisted personality that radiated incredible warmth when around her son; Bala with his energetic and loyal personality, following Vasu around like a protective brother; Rukku with her fearless personality, challenging Vasu as well as swooning over him. There were peaceful characters such as Sridhar, a quiet and observant human mind that saw past disguises. There were deceptive characters such as Aayi’s brother, a serpent that hissed in people’s ears, spreading venom. There were even the occasional stereotypes such as Rukku’s mother that provided their own form of entertainment.

Returning to Vasu, he was a character that had his very own behavioural pattern. It was a pleasure to observe him. His mannerisms; the way that he would sit, pulling up one leg and resting his elbow on his knee; the way that he would walk (with swag); the way that he would cock his head to the side, or turn it oh-so-slowly. There was also his speech pattern; his Marathi dialect and slang and choppy sentences; his imperative speech form (“bol na”); and how his voice was always a notch lower (in the throat), adding another drop of masculinity and intensity to it; it could be incredibly lazy or suddenly forceful. I actually wanted Kunal to speak in Marathi more often. It held a different charm when he spoke it.

Furthermore, Vasu always had a heavy-lidded look that chilled my bones one moment, promising trouble, and put a stupid grin on my face the next. He would look at his mother and the edges would soften. He would stare at Rukku in a way that basically made his eyes seem like molten lava. Another distinctive trait about Vasu was his facial expressions. Usually, he carried a dispassionate look on his face that betrayed no emotion but boredom. But then he would frown, or his mouth would twitch at Bala’s humour, or he would cock his eyebrows (and head) in question. Every one of his movements were calculated and composed. He could seem entirely calm, and then suddenly reach for someone, e.g. when he suddenly got up and shoved food into his uncle’s mouth, or when he grabbed hold of Bala to embrace him (or to punch him).

It was also interesting how Vasu loved differently than Mohan, e.g. in relation to Rimjhim. Mohan was usually gentle with her, although he could grab her at times and pull her to him. But Vasu was much more of a tough love kind of a guy. He would pull her, lift her, and show his affection in a more forceful manner, perhaps not as aware of his own strength. However, Rimjhim was never bothered with it, and it was incredibly heartwarming to see her accept her father as Vasu without any complaints over his changed behaviour. Kunal and Reem’s scenes held the exact same chemistry as pre-leap, but their interaction was surprisingly refreshing. There was a scene that really cracked me up because of Kunal’s splendid performance and Reem’s complementing reaction. Vasu and Rimjhim were at the warehouse and some of Vasu’s guys were beating up a man. When Rimjhim turned her head to stare, Vasu cupped the top of her head and swivelled it the other way, shouting at the guys to “take it easy” because there was “a child here”, as if their beating the shit out of the man more quietly might avoid traumatising Rimjhim.

Kunal’s emotional performances as Vasu were vastly distinctive as well. It was most evident in one of his confrontations with Megha when he dared her to put words on his confusion and doubt, even though he was not prepared for the truth. Walking away from her, he shed a few tears, and there was surprise on his face; bemusement and fright at what was happening to him. It was wonderfully portrayed by Kunal. The entire scene was intense because of how frustrated Vasu was. There was a part of him that questioned the very foundation of his own existence and his relation to the people that he loved. And in that scene, he was vulnerable.

There was another emotional scene in which Vasu did not actually shed any tears, but his eyes were simply glassy orbs that reflected his inner turmoil; his pain and helplessness. It was when he realised that he was, in fact, Megha’s husband and stopped one of Aayi’s men from running her over with a car. There was a beautiful moment of him shoving his hand through his hair, kneading his head, as he processed everything. Kunal’s expression was dynamic – rippling emotions, everything in motion; his eyes, his facial muscles, his mouth, and even his tongue. I was grateful to the director for allowing him to play it out without being interrupted.

Vasu had a good heart. But he was a hardcore character. There were very few similarities between him and Mohan. Vasu still helped people (the needy) and still selflessly cared for his loved ones. But he was not as self-sacrificing as Mohan. He was not as kind and considerate. He did not chase people for their recognition, acceptance, or adoration. People chased him. People followed him. People loved him. It seemed so ironic that he would be loved and respected now when he was a criminal, while his own family used to disown him when he was a crime reporter. In the end, I personally felt that Mohan was given the place and love and family that he deserved as Vasu.

You know, if I pondered about Vasu in relation to Mohan, I could easily find a link. I could say that Vasu was a suppressed side of Mohan; a part of him that he kept locked down because he wanted to be what the Vyas clan (including Megha, Nanhi, and Addu) wanted him to be. I could say that Vasu was Mohan’s darker side, or that he was a side of him that expressed freedom; a part that did not have to hunt for love and acceptance. People loved him as he was. Bala and Rukku adored him, following him to the end of the world, if necessary. Aayi loved him to the point that if anyone touched a hair on his head, she saw red. Vasu – unlike Mohan – did not have to make self-sacrifices in order for people to value him. In fact, he lived like a king despite being a criminal.

Because Vasu was another character entirely – inside out – it did not make sense for him to fall in love with Megha so quickly and so deeply that it turned him into Romeo overnight. Furthermore, it was irksome to watch him chase her (again) when it should have been Megha’s turn to fight for her love. Her character should have been brought down from its untouchable pedestal and grounded. Considering the fact that she believed that she lost Mohan; that they never found his body, and that she saw his exact lookalike in the chawl – she did not make much of an effort to investigate, nor did she react very strongly to his presence, e.g. she could have been shown taking hold of his arm when he shoved past her rather than just stand and stare – only to return to her rented room and cry over his picture.

For once, they could have shown her passionate; passionate about finding out the truth, regardless of what it would take; passionate about testing Vasu to see if he was Mohan; passionate about being near him, talking to him – only to be pushed away by a freaked out Vasu because, in his eyes, some crazy woman was stalking him. Regardless of whether he was or was not Mohan, if she had loved Mohan half as much as she claimed to, then she would have wanted him to be Mohan and tried to convince herself of it rather than out of it. It should not have mattered that his mannerisms were not similar to Mohan’s. She should have been hell-bound on proving that he was Mohan.

Instead, she was cool as a cucumber. It was Vasu that chased her. It was Vasu that wanted her. It was Vasu that tried to change for her – and she never once indicated that he was perfect as he was; that she did not care for his changes; that she only cared for him. There was one scene that really frustrated me. It was when she dressed him up as Mohan. First, he put on clothes, put on a face that he was not comfortable in (for her). Second, it was even worse when he tried to sustain some part of himself by rolling his sleeves up (as Vasu) – only to have Megha roll them back down, basically telling him that she wanted him that way. When did she ever learn her lesson? That she should have valued Mohan for Mohan. That she should value him now simply because he existed, survived, and not attempt to change him. When did she ever accept him? I would have respected her more if Vasu had seen Mohan’s clothes and wanted to try them on, but Megha had told him that it did not matter to her; only the fact that he was alive, and with her, mattered.

Instead, (like Mohan) Vasu tried to be what Megha wanted him to be. That change in his character was uncalled for and not realistic, because Vasu was not Mohan anymore. He was Vasu now. Megha trying to erase Vasu was no different from Aayi trying to erase Mohan. In the end, both Mohan and Vasu were real. His love for Aayi, his friendship with Bala, his memories from the past two years, it was all all real, not a fabrication of his imagination. That should have been honoured. Not measured and condemned. That is what I felt it was when Vasu left the chawl for Megha, even though Indore was no longer his home. Why did Megha not make a sacrifice and stay in the chawl with him and his new family?

Part of living is adapting to changes. When Mohan fell, everything changed. He changed. There was no turning back now. There was only moving forward in his new life which included Bala and Rukku and the chawl’s people — especially because he did not remember Mohan, his past as Mohan, nor the people that Megha called his family.

19) Vasu and Bala

Vasu’s relationship with Bala was incredibly entertaining. The chemistry between Kunal and Jatin was so fierce — it made the camaraderie between Vasu and Bala stand out. Bala was not a caretaker. No, he was Vasu’s wingman and his brother. Their interaction between them was a pleasure to watch because of their camaraderie conveying years of friendship, even though they had supposedly only known each other for about two years. Bala’s loyalty toward Vasu was awe-inspiring. He would follow him around like his shadow, and even when Vasu was marrying Rukku and it hurt him, Bala was more concerned about Vasu’s future than his own.

Furthermore, I loved how they had a couple of moments where they shared a joke that they found hilarious. They would laugh privately, as if there was an underlying meaning that I – as a viewer – was not let in on. There was so much potential in this relationship; so much that could have been explored, but the time and cancellation of the show did not allow it – not to mention that Megha’s love story with Mohan as Vasu occupied most of the content. The funniest part about Vasu and Bala’s interaction would often be the smirk on Bala’s face when he pushed Vasu’s buttons, and Vasu’s stoic expression that further emphasised his unpredictability, making my heart jump when he suddenly lashed out with a smack at the back of Bala’s head or a gun to his forehead.

Their interaction was so powerful purely in performance, e.g. when Bala found out that Vasu was marrying Rukku and confronted him about it. Vasu knew that there was something between Bala and Rukku. And he also knew how badly it would hurt Bala to lose her. There had always been an unspoken promise between them of Vasu not taking Rukku because Bala loved her – even if Rukku followed Vasu around and even if he flirted with her (because he had some kind of feelings for her), Vasu kept his distance for Bala. Thus he knew exactly what he had done and could not look Bala in the eyes for the briefest moment. However, Bala went on and on about Vasu destroying his own future, and he worried for both Vasu and Rukku. The following scene in which Bala went after Vasu and they started shouting at each other in the middle of the chawl – it had me doubling over in laughter. Basically, a large portion of their conversations happened at the top of their lungs, as if screaming would make their point clearer to the other person.

20) Vasu and Rukku

Video Link: Vasu/Rukku Relationship Study

Meanwhile Rukku was full of spunk and dares. There was a friendship between her and Vasu that was most evident post-Aayi confrontation when Vasu was in his room, brooding. She understood him. And he talked to her. That friendship could have been explored on a deeper level as well. There was passion in Rukku and she would speak her mind, regardless of the consequences. She dared challenging Vasu, not fearing him, or his wrath. She would push his boundaries until he cracked, and even then she would not flinch. It seemed almost as if she knew him too well; knew that he would be pissed, but he would never cross a line.

Rukku obviously had a crush on Vasu. Even Vasu had some kind of more-than-just-friendly feelings for her, in the start (until Megha became his obsession again). He enjoyed having her follow him around; he enjoyed provoking her and teasing her; he enjoyed their flirtatious encounters and banters – and even seemed to admire Rukku’s fierceness, her guts, e.g. the scene in Rukku’s room when he pulled her close, and she reacted in equal force by taking hold of his collar, pulling him even closer. Their chemistry was sparkling mad. There was another scene right after the mud-fight when Rukku cleaned her face in his clothes and tried to run off. Vasu seized her hand for a moment, released her, and then he watched her leave. That long and pensive look could have meant anything. Furthermore, I absolutely loved how (during their mud-fight) Rukku touched his face, asking him if he felt anything to which he answered no. The slow and provocative way that Kunal said it was infuriating – and frigging awesome.

Kunal and Aasiya had surprisingly refreshing chemistry; it was bold, intense, fierce, and still pure. Balanced. Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that Aasiya was a head shorter than Kunal. Whenever he would lean down and speak to her, it put a ridiculous grin on my face.

21) Vasu and Aayi

Video Link: Vasu/Aayi Relationship Study

This was one relationship that I frigging loved. Thus when the channel/writers ruined it (toward the end), I simply despised them for it. Let us set the record straight: Aayi did not pretend to love Vasu, nor did she do it because she wanted his wealth. Aayi only wanted Vasu and her love for him was real. I do not care what they tried to sell us at the end of the show – I did not buy it. The relationship between Vasu and Aayi had been built by Kunal and Bharti. Their interaction showed years of history, of love and affection, of respect and trust. However twisted, their relationship was not a fabrication of any sort – not from Aayi’s side and not from Vasu’s side. Aayi would literally feed him, wash him, wake him, dress him – and then the channel/writers wanted the viewers to believe that it was all a charade? Why did they find it necessary to butcher Aayi’s character in order to end the show? Bharti did a brilliant job of layering her character, making it seem twisted rather than sheer evil – and yet in the end, they destroyed Aayi in the blink of an eye. Aayi would never have pulled a gun on Vasu. And Vasu would never have called the cops on his mother. Though Kunal’s performance was flawless, even he did not seem convinced of the confrontation between Vasu and Aayi. There are some scripted sequences that even the most talented actors cannot salvage.

Returning to the characterisation of Aayi and her relationship to Vasu, it was clear from her behaviour that she was not entirely stabile. Not only could she be incredibly manipulative, but she had sudden changes in her mood that made her extremely unpredictable and dangerous. She was overprotective of Vasu. She had a hold over him that he found natural simply because he associated her possessiveness with love. Actually, Aayi’s whole world revolved around Vasu. She wanted him to rule as a king. She wanted him to be loved, to be feared by everyone. But she wanted to be the only woman that he placed on a pedestal. She wanted that special place in his eyes. Their relationship reminded me a lot of Kala’s relationship to Dutta in Laagi Tujhse Lagan. Dutta and Kala were siblings (cousins, to be exact), but she had a hold over him, too. When she spoke, he listened. Even when he knew that she was manipulating him, her words festered in his mind and he remembered them. Furthermore, she had an obsession with being respected and worshipped by him – not because she was in love with him, but because she loved him, and she wanted to be loved by him, equally or more. It was a twisted bond and I sensed the same bond between Vasu and Aayi.

Sometimes Aayi would cup his face in a way that was entirely manipulative, e.g. when he returned from the slap-incident with Megha. Kala would do something along the same lines with Dutta. She would place one hand on his cheek and speak sweetly while her words were poisonous, infecting his mind. Even as Vasu had confidence when he sauntered around, seemingly owning it all, it sometimes appeared as if Aayi was pulling his strings, e.g. when she exercised her manipulative hold over him in his most vulnerable moments. There was a scene in which he could not sleep. Aayi sat down to teach him one or two things about how to throttle snakes (figuratively). There was another scene in which they all teased him about falling for Megha and Aayi cleverly asked “mirchi khayega?”. Interestingly, he tried to prove that he had no feelings whatsoever for Megha in the wake of her words.

Aayi did not “create” Vasu because she wanted power. It was about possessing his love and adoration. There was so much that they could have shown in relation to Vasu’s past and his relationship to his Aayi. However, the channel/writers spoiled it all toward the end. For a show that set out not to stereotype stepfathers, it sure did end up stereotyping stepmothers.

Personally, I was a bit surprised (in a negative sense) when the characters (especially Vasu) met a great deal of resistance from some viewers that were, in fact, fans of the show. I realised that it was not NBT anymore and that the characters had been altered entirely, but it did not make sense to me that people who usually supported Kunal in his work now criticised the character of Vasu – refusing to give him a chance at all. NBT ended with Mohan’s fall. If one took away Megha and Rimjhim from the show, then there would have been nothing to tie Vasu’s story to Mohan’s. I never understood why the channel/writers did not give the show an actual chance, launching it independently afterthoroughly scripting everything. I doubt that the makers even realised what kind of kick-ass content they had, or what the actors were capable of doing with it.

There was so much to show and tell about Vasu. There was so much untapped potential and it could have been a completely fresh (for once) male-oriented show on Indian TV, drawing in younger and male viewers and depicting an entirely different story of a man raised by a psychopathic woman to become a crime king, and the relationships in his life.

22) Finally

The character study of Mohan Bhatnagar (and Vasu) has come to an end. This was the closure that I needed in order to put Mohan and Vasu in my treasure box and leave him behind with the rest of my most favourite and beloved characters. I am not sad, but content. It is a painfully beautiful experience to love and live characters. I loved and lived Mohan/Vasu because Kunal personified him. Thus I know that it is not over. That when Kunal returns in the skin of a new character, I will love and live it again. And there is comfort in that.

Every page that I turned of Mohan’s story was an experience. And though I am nobody, Kunal took me on a journey, letting me inside Mohan’s head and heart, and allowing me to be a part of that journey. That is what the actor has given me as a viewer; what I have taken from him.

So I wanted to give something back.

[365footballorg-blog]

Partizan v Red Star: the derby that unites - and divides - a country

It is the derby that brings a country to a standstill and always creates headlines – sometimes for the wrong reasons.

On Sunday, Partizan Belgrade host Red Star in one of European football’s most bitter rivalries.

BBC Sport looks at the ‘Eternal Derby’ with Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic – a former Partizan Belgrade fan, player and manager – and Darko Nikolic, a journalist for Serbian newspaper Blic.[1]

The game that dominates the whole of Serbia

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Red Star and Partizan Belgrade’s stadiums are only a 12-minute walk apart in the Autokomanda suburb of the capital – but the game is not just the derby of Belgrade, it is the rivalry that unites – and divides – the entire country.

“When it comes to Belgrade rivalry, Serbia has two states of mind,” Nikolic told BBC Sport. “You are either a Red Star or Partizan fan. Maybe 50% of our citizens support Red Star, with about 45% for Partizan. Fans of other clubs, and people who don’t support anyone, account for the other 5%.”

Jokanovic grew up in Novi Grad, 60 miles from Belgrade, but was a Partizan supporter, and won the 1992-93 league during his three years playing for the club before managing them to domestic doubles in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

“It’s not only the city, the whole country is talking about this game,” he told the BBC Euro Leagues Football Show.[2] “It is the derby between the two most famous Serbian teams and in the past the two most famous Yugoslavian football teams. This is a special day for supporters from both clubs. People are talking about this game many days beforehand.

“Red Star is the most famous team – probably 55 or 60% of people are Red Star supporters. I am a Partizan Belgrade supporter. I am very happy with my choice. I was very happy to defend their colours in the good and bad moments, I always stay with my team.”

Belgrade-based Nikolic says: “It’s not strange that the first gift to a baby is something with the Red Star or Partizan emblem on it.”

The rivalry goes beyond football – with both clubs having teams across several sports, something quite common in continental Europe.

“We have fireworks in terms of behaviour when basketball is played, and sometimes even when it’s handball, or a volleyball match betweens those two clubs. Both have at least 20 sports sections, so that’s 20 or more possibilities twice per season for derby day,” Nikolic added.

Is it as violent as it used to be?

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The Belgrade derby has a long association with violence – most notably in 1999 when a teenage Red Star fan was killed by a rocket fired by Partizan fans.

In 2013, 104 arrests were made[3] following clashes before, during and afterwards. And in another derby that year, fans set fire to the seats during the game – pictured at the top of this page.

A 2015 derby was delayed for 45 minutes[4] because of crowd trouble, with fans throwing seats and flares at riot police. When the game got under way, fans threw stun grenades onto the track around the pitch.

Jokanovic says: “It’s difficult. Sometimes this kind of the game goes the wrong way. It can be interesting for people outside the country but we get a bit tired of the situation.

“It’s still one of the biggest derbies around the world. What we want is more quality and better football, and a little bit more quiet in the crowd, without the violence.”

Despite all of this, journalist Nikolic claims “it’s a bit calmer nowadays than it used to be”.

“There is not violence of the magnitude like in 1990s or at the start of the 21st Century any more – mostly because police are more ready than ever, and we have new, pretty harsh laws against those who commit violence at sports events.

“But there is still a high risk that clashes will happen, as people come from all around, not just Serbia, but the Balkans and Europe – Red Star’s fans have strong connections with ‘brothers’ from Spartak Moscow and Olympiakos.”

Of the 104 fans arrested after that 2013 game, 20 were from Bosnia-Herzegovina, four were Russians and one was a Greek national.

“At the stadium, there are no more clashes between rivals, because of police, big fences and stewards, but there can be violence from burning something. It’s scary sometimes, so you can understand why parents won’t take their young children at those games,” added Nikolic.

“Rivalry among hardcore fans is so big that you don’t need derby day for them to clash. Many ordinary supporters, who attend usual games, refuse to go to Red Star v Partizan matches for fear of violence.”

The trouble seems to be cyclical, with Jokanovic saying the derby used to have less violence in his supporting and playing days during communist Yugoslavia in the 1980s and 1990s – but added “I don’t know why, I cannot explain it”.

“There are fewer supporters in the stand than the time I played,” he said. “I played in front of 100,000 or 55,000 in our stadium but now, because of Uefa regulations, the capacity is less.

“I watched many games from the ultra stand. It was a little bit more quiet but with more people in the stand [than now] – without any violence.”

Football Daily podcast: Hat-tricks, tears and very scary Zlatan[5]

‘It’s just sport, not political’

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Perhaps surprisingly to observers in other countries, considering the complicated political history in the Balkans,[6] there is no real political edge to the Belgrade derby.

Both sides were formed in 1945 after World War Two, with Partizan founded by the military and Red Star set up by some members of the police force.

“People who were in the army and around it – and in communist Yugoslavia that’s a lot of people – were Partizan fans,” said journalist Nikolic. “All others from Serbia – the other five Yugoslav republics had their own giants – were cheering for Red Star.

“But, as decades passed, those kind of partitions ceased to exist. Before the bloody conflict that saw Yugoslavia fall apart in 1991 to 1995, fans of both major Serbian and Croatian clubs [Dimano Zagreb and Hadjuk Split] started to identify their beloved club with their own republic.

“So, it was not Red Star v Dinamo Zagreb any more, it was Serbia v Croatia all over. One of their meetings in 1990 is still known as ‘the game that started the war’.”[7]

That game saw Dinamo captain Zvonimir Boban famously attack a policeman after a riot broke out which highlighted nationalist tensions between Croats and Serbs.

Nikolic continued: “After Yugoslavia broke up, Red Star and Partizan fans were united in some clashes with Slobodan Milosevic’s regime police, but it was their sole united front at that point – after uniting sometimes against Croatian fans – but nothing near that has happened since 2000. It’s just sport now, and a bit more than it. But not politics.”

Jokanovic said: “I cannot find a big relationship with the political situation and the complicated time. I don’t believe this political situation brings any extra violence to the game.

“There are many occasions where people in the same family support the different teams.”

What is derby day like?

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Jokanovic, who won 64 caps for Yugoslavia, has an informed view on the derby – having watched them from the stands, played and managed in them.

“The best moment for Partizan players, supporters, coaches is victory. I won more games than I lost. I lost one game as a player and one as a coach. I worked on about 15 or 16 games,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.

“I remember this derby from my childhood. I was a supporter of Partizan Belgrade. I watched many Belgrade derbies. We both have really hard, strong ultras and this can be sometimes a little bit dangerous.

“I watched, played in and coached this game – I cannot be surprised with anything. But it’s loud. It’s incredible. I remember when we played the game it was impossible to talk to your teams-mates and give instructions. You can move your hands but can’t make conversation.”

The Red Star Stadium – also known as the Marakana – used to hold 100,000 and the Partizan Stadium used to have a 55,000 capacity – but both grounds have been almost halved because of Uefa rules.

“I played against one of the most important Red Star teams – at the start of the 1990s where they were champions of Europe and world champions,” said Jokanovic. “That game in front of 100,000 people with a hot atmosphere – big crowds and big ultras who don’t stop supporting the team. Sometimes it’s impossible to hear what’s happening around you.

“The fans have an important role in the derby. At the end of the game [people see] who wins the game in the stands. It’s not natural for English football but this is the emotion.”

Nikolic added: “You can see ordinary people, even serious ones, coming to offices in Red Star and Partizan jerseys when it’s derby day.”

The BBC’s World Football Show spoke to Red Star defender Milos Degenek. The 24-year-old – who supported the club since childhood – was made a refugee twice as a child and left Serbia with his family in 1999 for Australia.

He joined his boyhood club this summer and is ready to make his derby debut. “When I walk down the street, because of Red Star reaching the Champions League, we only get positive vibes,” he told BBC World Service.

“I don’t think things will change [if they lose the derby]. We want to stamp our authority on this league but it won’t be easy. The derby is always a one-off game. Everyone wants to win and it’s a very difficult game. I’ve heard what it’s like so you want to prepare really well for this game.”

Listen to Degenek’s remarkable story here[8]

A slightly different build-up to usual

The run-up to this game in Belgrade has been slightly muted compared to usual because Red Star made their Champions League return after 26 years away this season.

They drew 0-0 at home with Napoli on Tuesday in front of almost 50,000 fans on their first group game in Europe’s elite competition since 1992.

“This derby is a little bit different because Red Star supporters have been focusing on the Champions League. But people will start thinking about Sunday’s game. It’s a hot derby,” said former Watford boss Jokanovic.

Nikolic said: “Red Star’s enormous emotions must quickly be restored for the ‘biggest game of all’. Even if it happens, is it enough for victory at Partizan’s ground?”

References

^ Serbian newspaper Blic. (www.blic.rs)

^ BBC Euro Leagues Football Show. (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ 104 arrests were made (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ delayed for 45 minutes (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ Football Daily podcast: Hat-tricks, tears and very scary Zlatan (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ complicated political history in the Balkans, (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ ‘the game that started the war’.” (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ Listen to Degenek’s remarkable story here (www.bbc.co.uk)

BBC Sport – Football

Partizan v Red Star: the derby that unites – and divides – a country was originally published on 365 Football

[kuuderekun]

Mithrandir’s Halloween Anime Recommendations.

Mithrandir’s Halloween Anime Recommendations. 

I’m by no means the first Otaku to provide some Halloween season Anime recommendations in October.  So why care about mine?

October 31st happens to be my Birthday.  So even though I’ve defined myself as not a Horror fan in the strictest sense (in that I’m not looking to be scared by any fiction I watch) I have other reasons for enjoying a lot of stuff in the Horror and Gothic genres.  And I have a lot of memories of enjoying such fiction during the Halloween season.  

I love the classic Universal Monster movies, I’ve also enjoyed many Hammer films.  And other more obscure horror movies, like those Public Domain ones you sometimes find in DVD box sets selling 50 for only $10.  Slasher films I’ve tended to not be fond of, but I do enjoy Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.  And some of my favorite episodes of Western live Action television have been Halloween specials, from NCIS episodes like Witch Hunt to Pretty Little Liars‘ epic trilogy of Halloween specials.  Plus I love the first two Ghostbusters movies, and I don’t hate the reboot.

Since I’ve become mainly a Anime watcher over the last couple of years.  It’s overdue that I make some Anime Halloween recommendations.  Though I feel kinda like I haven’t watched enough Horror centric Anime.

I listened to about like an hour of the Podcast that Mother’s Basement did with Digibro, Gigguk and BestGuyEver about their Halloween recommendations.  And really none sound like they fit what I look for this time of year, but they might for others.

One thing Gigguk said that rubbed me the wrong way, was that he doesn’t like how Anime Horror is too “aesthetically pleasing”.  I don’t like how western horror in recent years is so obsessed with being Aesthetically ugly.  I like the first two Saw movies as Mysteries, and that’s about it from the Torture Porn genre.  And I like none of those movies that revolve chicks crawling out of caves all slimy and muddy and dirty.  Classic Horror, like Universal and Hammer gave us, was very Aesthetically pleasing, it was simply a Gothic Aesthetic.

These recommendations are largely for people relatively new to Anime in general, if you have a respectable MAL already you’ve probably at least tasted all or most of these.  If however you consider yourself a hardcore Otaku and you’ve missed any one of these, you need to reconcile that immediately.

Why give Halloween themed recommendations to Newbies?  Maybe Horror or Gothic romance simply is your favorite genre and so Halloween fitting Anime would be the best entry point possible.  Or maybe now simply is the time you decided to finally give Japanimation a shot.  Or maybe you’re already at phase 2 or 3 of burrowing down the Otaku rabbit hole and are looking for new routes to dig into.  Perhaps specifically saving the Horror Route for October.

One more note before I start.  I haven’t watched the Castlevania series on Netflix yet.  I’ve decided to wait till during this Halloween season (and thus after I’ve already posted this) to watch it.  Then I might talk about it somewhere if I feel compelled to.  (Turns out it’s not actually Anime.)  I don’t want to include in this list something that hasn’t already stood the test of time somewhat anyway.  And it gives me something new for the season to enjoy myself.  It annoys me that the Godzilla Anime doesn’t drop till November.

I’ve already declared When They Cry/Higurashi the ideal Horror Anime.  If you haven’t seen it yet, don't read that post past the Spoiler Warning.  In summary what I’ll say here is it has very much the Japanese equivalent of a Gothic Aesthetic.  And it makes an engaging mystery, with well done shocking moments.  And never abuses the Jump Scare.  

But one thing I forgot to mention in that post was the Score, the Music in this show is perfect at setting an eerie mood.  If you can find the music on it’s own, it’d be excellent for a Haunted House.  

Another note before moving on, for the numbered entries here I’m not recommending entire franchises but single series that might be part of larger franchises but still have a distinct entry on MAL or most Streaming sites.  For Higurashi it’s really only season 1 I’m recommending for October viewing.  Season 2 is perhaps better for early November, when you’re kinda still in a Halloween mood, but want to phase yourself out of it before Christmas.  (Don’t expect Christmas recommendations BTW.)

Vampire Princess Miyu, the 4 episode 80s OVA.  This would be best if you want something shorter to get your feet wet.  It’s probably the only pre-2000 Anime I’ll recommend here.  It similarly has the Japanese equivalent to a Gothic Aesthetic.  And I really like it’s use of sound effects.  I also like the 90s TV series, but that’s better watched in the context of how to make a darker Magical Girl show.

School Live I now consider the best Zombie Anime.  Highschool of The Dead still has value, but if you’re gonna watch only one watch School Live.  Don’t let the cuteness fool you, it gets pretty scary.  And isn’t filled with tasteless fanservice.

Witch Hunter Robin.  I can’t believe I haven’t talked about this on this blog more yet, since it’s about as ancient as the BeeTrain trilogy in my development as an Anime Fan.  It’s use of its horror elements is pretty interesting.  It's also got intrigue.  And is one of the best examples of why I love the 26 episode structure.

Hellsing, (the original Anime not Ultimate).  Is a satisfying Anime spin off to the legacy of Bram Stoker’s novel.  While all of the above 4 have Dubs, and the Dub is what I watched, this is the only one I feel confident in calling a top tier Dub, after all Alucard is Crispin Freeman.  Though I will say for Miyu not to write off the OVA’s dub on how the 90s show’s gets called one of the worst of all time, it’s a very different kind of Dub.

The only honorable mention I shall provide is the Fate/ franchise as a whole, it has Horror elements but that is not quite it’s main appeal.   But since the mythology/folklore is a large part of why I’m into Horror in the first place, it does overlap well with part of why I like Fate/ so much.  From the quasi Lovecraftian quality of Fate/Zero’s Caster, to the Fate/Stay Night:Unlimited Blade Works Caster’s berserk button being when she’s called a Witch.   Those are as I’ve explained before the best entry points to Fate/.  

Heck, Rin Tosaka is pretty much always dressed like it’s Halloween.

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, is the worst entry point only appealing at all if you're really into the niche it’s made for.  I am, so I enjoy even it’s much maligned Dub.  But as the ultimately least dark version of the Fate/ universe, it still has some solid Halloween season material.

The Grand Order OVA’s Dub becomes available this October, so I’ll also be watching that before the month is over, I can’t comment on it before then.  But on the subject of single episode OVAs, Fate/Prototype can be a spooky quick Halloween viewing experience.

But another reason I couldn’t leave Fate/ out of this post is that Fate/Apocrypha is a currently airing show that includes the characters of Vlad The Impaler and Frankenstein’s Monster, and also Jack The Ripper.  So if any currently airing TV Anime this October needs to be mentioned it’s that one.  The tone however doesn’t fit Halloween as well as the other shows from what I’ve seen so far, unfortunately.  Maybe they’re saving the scarier bits for the Fall, either way it is again not a good entry point for Fate/.

As of episodes 8 and 9, Vlad and Frank’s characters are finally getting some good exploration.  And as of episode 11 I’m very into it.

Normally a list like this doesn’t end on the honorable mention.  But I organized this from the top down anyway.

It turns out this year’s October 31st will be the last day the legal streaming site www.Daisuki.Net operates, it’s being shut down.  So this month is your last chance to watch any Anime there.  But it has none of what I’ve recommended so that’s not actually helpful here.

Vampire Princess Miyu and Witch Hunter Robin had past legal western releases, but I can’t find them currently legally streaming anywhere.

School Live, Hellsing and Fate/ should be easy enough to find legally, between Crunchyroll, Funimation’s Website and Netflix.

Higurashi I was having trouble finding on any legal site, but then I found HIDIVE.  You can watch stuff free with ads, but need a paying subscription to view the Dubs it has.  For Higurashi the Dub isn’t that well received anyway, I was okay with it mostly but I can see why others wouldn’t be.  School Live is also on that site.  And it has some Fate/ stuff as well.