Hai

Want some fun on whiteboard?

@blu-ish , @fuzzypuppybuddie , @divinki , @glitterbombedshadow , @thesonicsideblog , @impulseowlll , @kazerflame , @measlyfurball13 , @spazzmatik , @cattyanon , @alvisthefox

(Edit: I had to reload the link)

Edit 2: ANYONE interested can join!

TF2 nationality headcanons

(I think of RED and BLU as separate characters, who might just happen to look/act alike)

RED Scout - american (Boston, MA) (his ma has irish ancestry, from Galway - I saw this headcanon somewhere and I love it)

BLU Scout - filipino-american (NYC)

RED Soldier - american obv (Atkins, AR) (I know that he's supposed to be from the midwest but I don't care. I headcanon that his dad is from Idaho and his mom is from Ohio. Also I think he's like 25% native or something because I think it'd be funny/interesting if he's not 100% White American™)

BLU Soldier - american obv (somewhere in Virginia) (he was raised by eagles in the Appalachian wilderness, so he barely speaks coherent english)

RED Pyro - chinese (somewhere in the south, but spent most of their childhood homeless in Shanghai) (they never told anyone and it's unlikely they ever will. The only people who know are Pauling and the Spies, but none of them will tell) (I know it's a popular headcanon but I never really saw them as mexican, sorry)

BLU Pyro - irish (Dublin) (their muffled voice is made harder to decipher due to their hardcore irish accent. BLU Demo can understand it best)

RED Demoman - scottish (Ullapool) (literally canon)

BLU Demoman - scottish (Glasgow)

RED Heavy - russian (somewhere in far eastern Siberia) (his family doesn't look white, especially Zhanna, so I think they're probably some kind of siberian people)

BLU Heavy - ??? (swedish? belarusian? idk man)

RED Engie - american (Bee Cave, TX) (I hc the Conaghers as a whole to be a mix of white & latino, so the Engies speak spanish as a second language and often just switch to it to exchange praise/insults/advice without others noticing)

BLU Engie - american (Bee Cave, TX) (RED Engie's cousin although doesn't have the Conagher surname actually)

RED Medic - german obv (Stuttgart) (jewish, although his family probably converted to christianity many years ago and either way they're not particularly religious, Medic is actually the "most religious" of his immediate family but that's just because he knows Satan exists)

BLU Medic - british-greek

RED Sniper - new zealander, half-māori (born in Auckland, raised near-ish to Perth)

BLU Sniper - australian, half-aboriginal (somewhere in the outback in Queensland) (the half-aboriginal thing is also a headcanon I saw somewhere and happily adopted)

RED Spy & BLU Spy - french (Paris) (they're twins)

Edit: Dang it I forgot the tags

Jenna Coleman on DVD/Blu-ray: a quick reference

I last did this list a couple years ago, which sadly is an indication of the move away from permanent physical media releases, making collecting a Jenna Coleman library a bit of a challenge (though there's more out there than you may think!)

So time to update for September 2023. Courtesy spoiler break first...

As I am in Canada this list is primarily for North American releases but I acknowledge the UK where known to differ. As of September these are Jenna's shows known to be on DVD, either currently or out of print. Corrections welcome. List does not include bootleg/unofficial releases.

Waterloo Road Series 5: UK only DVD; Jenna's episodes were officially put on Youtube internationally. Season 1 came out on DVD in North America back in 2012, but no sign of the others.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Titanic (TV miniseries)

Dancing on the Edge

Doctor Who: Obviously, though with Disney+ now distributing nuWho it remains to be seen if this continues. Some of the shorts featuring Clara/Jenna, such as Five(ish) Doctors Reboot and Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide, are only in special sets like The Matt Smith Years as far as I know. I can't recall if the 2013 Proms (including the golden ticket sketch) has appeared on North American DVD or Blu-ray.

Death Comes to Pemberley: North American DVD is reportedly the PBS edit, which may differ from UK version. I haven't seen any comparison done with the UK version.

Me Before You: sadly, I see this one a lot in Wal-Mart remainder bins

Victoria: Series 3 is difficult to find and might only be on DVD in North America, but Series 1 and 2 are widely available on DVD and Blu-ray and I've seen DVD box sets of all 3. The North American DVD/Blu-rays have the episodes as they aired on ITV and so do not include the extra scenes added for the PBS broadcast and also lack many of the bonus features of the UK releases; on the other hand, the DVD of Series 3 has the unedited Christmas special, which was edited down quite a bit by PBS (eliminating the entire "Victoria's sexy painting" subplot). I believe in the UK the special was released on its own DVD. I've heard the PBS edits are, or were, available for streaming in the US on the PBS website, but I haven't been able to confirm (which is a shame as there are some cute Jenna moments in the "bonus scenes").

Thunderbirds Are Go: Jenna did a guest voice in Season 2. It's had a DVD issue in the UK, but in North America it's only available on streaming.

The Cry: Only got a DVD release here (UK got a blu-ray too)

Inside No. 9: Jenna's guest appearance in series 5 is available on DVD (and maybe blu-ray) in the UK; it's only on streaming over here.

The Serpent: as it was a BBC broadcast in the UK, they got a DVD release back in 2021. Over here it was a Netflix exclusive, so at least so far, no physical release.

The Sandman: despite being a Netflix series, Season 1, which has Jenna in three episodes as Johanna Constantine, is getting a North American blu-ray in November 2023. According to Amazon UK, the release will be region-free and therefore should be playable in the UK.

---

At the present time, there is no indication of any releases for Emmerdale (given she was in hundreds of episodes, not a surprise. With the sole exception of Dark Shadows "soap operas" never get home video releases); Room at the Top (it's on streaming but given the licensing issues that nearly prevented it from being shown at all, it's unlikely to get a DVD issue anywhere); All My Sons (National Theatre Live has allowed home and school streaming but they don't do DVDs); and Corporate Monster (a short film likely only to be found on Youtube). Too early to say if Klokkenluider and Jackdaw, or the Amazon Prime-streamed Wilderness, will see DVD or Blu-ray release. The Jetty, being a BBC series, will likely get a DVD in the UK, but whether North America gets it will depend if it goes to streaming or gets picked up by the likes of PBS.

Further FOX AND THE HOUND Observations

I watch THE FOX AND THE HOUND... Like, a lot...

Not too long ago, while scoping around Goodwill... Even though I have largely halted collecting Disney VHS tapes (something I regularly did from the early 2000s up until the late 2010s, with some additions every now and then afterwards), I couldn't help but pick up some Disney VHS tapes that I saw there...

One of them was the 2000 release of THE FOX AND THE HOUND, which was in the Gold Classic Collection. This release came in both VHS and DVD formats, but I scooped up the tape, largely for the front artwork. I never really collected the Gold Classic Collection editions, even though they were the newest releases of several Disney films when I was in my late single-digits. I had gotten a couple of them, too, back in the day, as previous editions were no longer available. I had FUN & FANCY FREE, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER circa 2000-2002. I had also gotten the GCC DVDs of THE SWORD IN THE STONE and THE BLACK CAULDRON. Many years later, when I started collecting Disney VHS tapes, I did eventually throw in at least one more GCC release. I remember being given the 2000 release of TOY STORY from a relative, and... I didn't really pick up any after that, until I got the FOX AND THE HOUND VHS the other day.

I tend to watch the movie a lot, and I wanted an excuse to the other day, so I popped in the VHS. I had never seen what this transfer of the movie looked like, I was only familiar with how it looked on the original 1994 VHS release (from "The Classics" line) and the 2011 Blu-ray... But, THE FOX AND THE HOUND fascinates me, even if it's not among my personal favorite Disney animated features...

There was a period in my life where I watched it frequently, too. Circa early 2002, I want to say? And another time around mid-to-late 2005-ish, when I was nonstop watching many of the animated classics. Studying them like the obsessed 12 3/4-year old that I was at the time! These films are like my sun and moon, even the ones that aren't regarded as the greatest, or even considered below par.

Anyways... Where was I? Yeah, THE FOX AND THE HOUND. Well-known amongst the average animation (and/or Disney) historian as the smack-dab-in-the-middle of the transitional era picture of the Disney animated feature library. The film whose production was fraught by Don Bluth's mass exodus from the studio, resulting in a half-year delay and the enterprise scrambling to hire many new animators to work on the picture, getting it to its summer 1981 release date. A film worked on by many future giants in the animation and cinema landscape, from John Musker to Chris Buck to Glen Keane to Brad Bird to Tim Burton!

Wow-wee!

THE FOX AND THE HOUND wasn't quite a beloved picture upon release in 1981, with some brushing it off as yet another Disney cartoon in the age of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. In fact, this dog picture shared the same summer with RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. It is a very compromised picture, as it is well-known that the young artists and the veterans were both at odds- not so much with each other, but with a very strict management that feared the wrath of angry letters from parents and the Bible Belt. This middle-management wouldn't allow the animated features in the works at the time (THE RESCUERS, this film) to be more in line with the films overseen by Walt Disney, films that weren't afraid to frighten young children and commit to their visual drama. Thus, you had Chief surviving a fall from a railroad bridge that was *supposed* to result in his death (thus fueling Copper with vengeance and hate for his best friend), and a general lack of oomph in other scenes. Jerry Rees, one of the animators of the film, recently revealed in an interview that the directors and executives didn't want the death of Tod's mother in the opening sequence to be explicit! They had to fight, tooth and nail, to get that gunshot sound effect in the movie!

That tells you everything you need to know...

THE FOX AND THE HOUND was in full production by the end of 1978. An inked and painted image of Tod and Copper meeting each other in the fallen log appeared in a November issue of LIFE Magazine that year, in celebration of Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday. In this issue was also some concept art done up by Mel Shaw for THE BLACK CAULDRON, which ended up being the feature film to be completed after FOX/HOUND. Not too long ago, I had read that one of the remaining bits of Don Bluth's work on the film was in the scene where Tod causes trouble in the barn while Widow Tweed is tending to Abigail the cow... and yeah, it does look like a Bluth scene!

There's a particular way Bluth does eyes, and I feel like you can see that with both Tod and the cow. Also, Tod doesn't keep his tongue in his mouth (before he takes a drink), another Bluth staple. You can see where his work is, using the tongues as your guide, in THE RESCUERS and WINNIE THE POOH AND TIGGER TOO. He has a thing for characters' tongues flopping out of their mouths.

But I definitely think that Bluth-ness can be felt in other scenes during the film's first 10 or so minutes, such as Big Mama comforting Tod after losing his mother, and Widow Tweed feeding Tod milk. And then about 20 minutes or so into the picture, once Amos, Copper, and Chief go on their lengthy hunting trip, you can see where things resumed following Bluth's September 1979 exit from the animation wing. You can see the work of the Cal-Art animators, and the vibe of the picture is slightly different. The first 10-20min of the movie have that '70s slow quietness to it, the veterans and the animators who already had ROBIN HOOD, TIGGER TOO, and THE RESCUERS under their collective belts... And then the rest of the picture, the new animators. There's a looseness to the animation and structuring of that half of the film, I feel.

I find that very, very fascinating. We have roughly a quarter of the movie that was made in 1978-79, and then the rest resumed in - presumably - early 1980. Of course, the story itself was probably locked by the end of 1978 with few major changes made afterwards (for example, the earliest iterations of THE FOX AND THE HOUND had some crow characters instead of woodpecker Boomer and the Brooklyn-accented sparrow Dinky), it's the execution of what was laid down. One team handling the first 10-20min, the other handling the rest. There's at least two schools of thought at play here, maybe a third, because Glen Keane's bear sequence feels - from a visual and staging standpoint - like it's from a completely different movie. The powerhouse sequence showcases a kind of intensity and raw pencil-drawn power that did the early Walt-era films proud, that the rest of the movie could've lived up to if the filmmakers had been allowed to just make a great family movie without the fear of upsetting someone.

Then you look at MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1983) and THE BLACK CAULDRON (1985), it's the new team's work through and through... THE FOX AND THE HOUND is the full bridge from the end of the Nine Old Men's lengthy careers to the "Young Turks" who would eventually be at the forefront of Disney Animation's "Renaissance"... You have a little bit of everything in it, really... Nine Old Men stuff that feels like it's from the late 1970s, Don Bluth stuff that's in line with his work on THE RESCUERS and his first feature THE SECRET OF NIMH (and also his part-time short BANJO THE WOODPILE CAT), the new animators' work that rings more CAROL and CAULDRON, and Glen Keane just absolutely going off with a scene that looks like it could've come right out of one of the '90s movies.

Kind of an eclectic collection of filmmaking choices, if you think about it, all rolled into this often-overlooked 83-minute movie.

Things That Aren't There: Music Films Book Blog 21 (June 2022)

Whisper it.

I might get this typescript delivered on time.

After months and months of grind and walking through molasses-like progress, June was a good month where I got lots of editing done and got into a good rhythm that made me think I will hit that late July hand-in. My deadline is actually August 2nd but we are away from July 25th on a much-needed and anticipated family holiday so I want this gone by July 22, and I think, I think, I can get it there. Barring disaster.

June was a good month of working through edits on chapters, putting in quotes, rewriting for clarity and adding in colour and flavour, context and links back and forth between films and ideas. It felt good. I enjoyed it.

I finished editing the ‘Making Music’ chapter on 7th June, the ‘Black Music’ chapter on 19th June and the chapter on ‘Place’ on 27th June. Following that last chapter I reached out to my number one choice to write a foreword for the book, Gruff Rhys, as it’s the chapter where I cover his work and wanted to send a decent-ish version to him. He got back straight away saying he’d be honoured to do it and I am elated. I love him and his work and think a foreword from him will set the tone for the book beautifully. It was a moment of great uplift during an exhausting time for me.

I’ve tried to write this book as though I’m not the first person to write about music films and the more I read the more I realise that one of the things I’m contributing is shining a spotlight on so many films that are overlooked and not considered. The same titles crop up again and again and I’ve tried to broaden the scope for readers, in what I’m saying and in the films I’ve chosen. Gruff Rhys and Dylan Goch’s films are in that category. Beautiful cinematic works that deserve attention.

On the 30th June I finished the ‘Punk’ chapter. And on that note, I also published my first review in ages, on the lovely new Blu-ray release of the Ramones cult classic Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, for the Big Picture. Read it here.

So hopefully, when I next write a missive like this, it will contain confirmation of typescript submission and I’ll be nervously awaiting a response and making my way slowly through this ‘reading for pleasure’ pile -

In the meantime, don’t forget you can listen in to my book themed playlist here.

Here’s what I was listening to while writing in June:

You can follow what I am watching and re-watching for the book via my Letterboxd here

Finally, a bit of fun. Here are my favourite notes from this month’s viewing sessions:

“Are you ready Paul?”

“When you delve too deep you can sometimes spoil the beauty of things”

Ambient band - sound of the environment

“I don’t think I saw a tree until I was about 9”

Wings?

“I don’t wanna have fun, I wanna be with you”

Digital explicit

TV doc stylings of The Rutles

Thunders?

“Only unhappy people are bad dancers”

Tried to create Farah and Silva with artbreeder and that's the current result-

Days 15-17 because omg my life is chaos

APRIL 21: Favorite detail from the Blu-Ray Drama CD (“A Train Named Hope”)

Honestly I didn't listen to it/read the translation in depth, but if i’m recalling correctly, Agnimon performs Kabuki theater so that’s neat.

Slight edit- Agnimon claims to have been a Digimon called Okunimon, named for Okuni no Izumo, the woman credited as the creator of Kabuki theater. Okunimon was a shrine maiden, or Miko, and during this Agnimon uses a more feminine voice. I need to find this to listen to.

APRIL 22: Favorite relationship in the series

Kouji and Takuya. While I hate that the show decides to focus so much on them, I love their relationship going from “I can’t stand your presence” to “I'll be a human shield for you.” Watching them grow to respect and lean on each other is just so amazing.

APRIL 23: Any (romantic) ships?

I have a weird stance on the ships in this fandom particularly. Canonically, there’s WAY too much pushing Zoe towards all the boys for some reason or another. Makes me uncomfortable. Especially the wedding scene, that’s borderline creepy. They’re all 9-12 ish depending on the version.

That being said, I support almost all ships within the fandom. They all mesh nicely with each other for one reason or another. No hate here, love is love, especially in fandom spaces.

In no particular order, I personally love Takuya/Kouji, Takuya/Zoe, Kouichi/Zoe (my rarepair), JP/Zoe and Takuya/JP (my other rarepair). That last one is super hard to find but I have found some great fics over the years. Jealously breeds all sorts of things, sometimes romantic feelings blossom.

Re: the new chapter.

It was fantastic and I WILL be commenting, I just don't have enough time to dedicate right now (or rather, I have the time management skills of toddler).

Re: miscellaneous

I've now listened to the Camp Camp theme about 40 times because I love the fact that it's technically Jaune singing it.

I was also very guiltily watching rwby amv's like the shameless 2000's fanfic reader I am, and you know what I found? There's like, ONE single Knightfall amv, of unknown quality since I haven't yet seen it. And since you're the Designated Knightfall Person... guess who it falls to to Deliver us from hopelessness.

If you feel like it, that is XD, but I certainly couldn't do it and you are, as I've said, the #1 knightfall content creator.

Hope you're having a nice day:)

Re: the new chapter.

No worries about commenting, I appreciate the ones you've left on previous chapters. Thank you for reading. (: These past few chapters have been pretty hard for me to get through mentally, I mean I've enjoyed writing them but I get the sense they're not very good. At least next chapter might prove interesting. I hope everything is going well for you; if your time management skills are as good as a baby, then make sure you're getting those afternoon naps in. :D

Re: miscellaneous

Have you seen Red vs. Blue? I think I've mentioned to you I was a fan of it and that's how I got into R/WBY, but um. Jaune's voice actor (and writer for seasons 11-13, though he also wrote one episode in season 10 which at the time had me confused when he said he couldn't write romance, because it had the only and most romantic scene for that couple in the show) also voices another character in RVB and it's. Very funny. He has a lot of range, let me put it that way. (I actually really like Miles' voice acting lol).

EDIT: Lol and Cinder's letter X-ish shaped scar even reminded me way back when of Locus' visor, she matches with her boyfriend's voice actor's character in RVB. Incredible.

I like fanvids conceptually but there are very few I actually really like. I generally prefer the ones without lyrics, like instrumental scores. The ones I do like I go back and rewatch frequently though. I really love how fanvids themselves can be so convincing of an idea and string together different scenes, it's argumentative like an essay.

And since you're the Designated Knightfall Person

This is a very high honour, thank you.

guess who it falls to to Deliver us from hopelessness.

I have one plotted out in my head already. :( I would really like to get Skimming Eye done as soon as possible and on time according to my schedule so other stuff I want to do keeps falling to the wayside. The fanvid living in my head is really awesome though. I put together the music already.

The one thing I can't find is a source for downloading R/WBY episodes. I'd prefer to buy them so I actually want to OWN them and load them up in VLC media player etc.

It's such a pain in the arse always going to the website, for that matter I can't make a fanvid without actually having the episodes. I've surched in all of the requisite places.

I guess there are only the DVD versions? Is it blu-ray now? Sucks to be me without a disk drive. This is when I really want to get a desktop again.

and you are, as I've said, the #1 knightfall content creator.

An extremely high honour lol. There are lots of other talented fic authors and people into the pairing, I'm very sure. I'm just doing my thing. I've parked myself here and I'm not moving. I suppose also I really like R/WBY and I'm very much into the show, V8 was my favourite volume etc., so that influences my reading and my output/interest. But trust me I have absolutely no conceited ideas about myself, I know I'm a weirdo.

Thanks for your ask and hope you have a good night. (:

I’ve spent the last year-ish collecting Detective Conan/Case Closed on DVD and Blu-ray, and it’s certainly been a Process. I made my bank account cry with the outrageous and ultimately avoidable shipping and service fees attached to the first volumes I imported from Japan, my English-language copy of Countdown to Heaven splutters and glitches out seemingly only on my go-to Region 1 DVD player that’s easily accessible and not attached to my dying laptop from 2012, the S.A.V.E. Case Closed seasonal sets I’d placed lovingly on my shelf turned out to be bootlegs, and my initial replacement for Season 4 held Season 5 discs in Season 4 packaging, which maybe wouldn’t have been so bad, but I thought I’d already purchased a solid, genuine Season 5 replacement, except I found out later that it actually wasn’t because it was disc rotted to heck and wouldn’t play properly, and so I sent back the Season 5 that I thought was Season 4 and sent back the Season 5 that was actually Season 5 but was broken, and I wound up scouring even more listings to buy replacements for the replacements.

And there were also more minor boo-hoos, like how the cute CoAi cover (Part 7, Volume 5) is one of the most crinkled, beat-up rental-drop artworks in my collection, or how the special-edition DVD for The Private Eyes’ Requiem I won in an auction was seemingly supposed to come paired with a storage box for the first 10 films but actually didn’t so I bought the box separately because gosh dang I wanted that box, or how Part 10, Volume 4 is the only non-rental-drop Japanese volume I own and so is fancier but contains a 2-hour special (263) that hurt my heart so much I have half an essay drafted about why.

And that’s not even getting into the subtitle struggles....

But besides the whole bootleg situation, I think my biggest disappointment with the buying process is how I got an old rental-drop copy of Part 14, Volume 8 that was supposed to come with just the jacket and disc... but came with the disc only.

And it’s not like I’m displaying every jacket, anyway (do not have room for 150+ DVDs!), and 14-8 isn’t one I even intended to display, but I do stick all the cover arts I’m not using in a binder, kinda like an anime-obsessed middle schooler I swear I remember reading about in a Tumblr post or something.

[Image description: A photograph of the binder where I keep Detective Conan jacket art that’s not in use. Pictured are the covers for Part 12, Volume 5, depicting Conan and his mother, and Part 12, Volume 6, depicting Conan running. End image description.]

And I left a space for 14-8!

[Image description: A photograph showing that next to the cover art from Part 14, Volume 9, depicting Conan and Dr. Agasa, there is a blank space. End image description.]

And it’s empty!

[Image description: A screenshot of the “If I Had One” meme, where Timmy Turner’s dad from the Fairly Oddparents screams in anguish about how he’d put a trophy in the spot behind him, if he had a trophy. End image description.]

And, like, yeah, I could just buy another one for like 100-300 yen, but I didn’t account for having an extra 14-8. And I have a system!

[Image description: A screenshot of the Word document for my DetCo DVD organizing system. Case 14, with the art of Part 14, Volume 2 (showing Conan looking unamused at a cellphone), contains six DVDs: 14-7, 14-8, 14-9, 15-1, 15-2, and 15-3. 15-3 is highlighted to indicate that this volume’s cover art (showing Conan leaning against a Poirot Café sign advertising coffee) is displayed on the next case, Case 15. End image description.]

And the art for 14-8 is cute!!

[Image description: Cover art for Part 14, Volume 8, image courtesy of the Detective Conan wiki. Conan and Shinichi read books together, looking tired. Conan yawns, while Shinichi drinks from a mug. End image description.]

Sigh.....

A Longsword, early XVth century-ish

Commission work.

Spring steel blade of type XVII, and blued mild steel fittings. At the base of the blade there's a rather long ricasso, with two shallow fullers running on each side of the blacked central flat. The latter is also inlaid with the motto "Droit" in early XVth century letters, and in fine silver. The pommel also sports a coat of arms of sable, three combs argent - both this one here and on the scabbard throat were hand-made by the talented Steeve Mauclert in silver and enamel. A recess was hand-forged in the pommel to accommodate it smugly. The grip is flax thread over wooden core, wrapped in leather, and a certain amount of hide glue.

The scabbard is leather over wooden core, and was given fine silver throat and chape consistant with an English style of the very early XVth century - some time about 1415, go figure...

The general silhouette of the sword is itself a combination of several models that the customer fancied, mostly IX.16 from the Royal Armouries, but also the one on the previous page in Oakeshott's "records", and the pommel comes from Oakeshott's XVII.11 ; while the grip was inspired by sword A.89 of the Viennese Imperial Armouries.

OAL 1184 mm, blade is 918 mm.Weight is 1370 g, PoB is 1 cm after the inlay. Sword and scabbard are 1635 g total.I learned a lot making this sword. I hope you will find it satisfying,  and that it will serve well the purpose it was given. Stay safe, fiends !Edited : added some details and dimensions.

Jenna Coleman on DVD/Blu-ray in North America (June 2022 edition)

Once in a while for the benefit of my fellow Jenna Coleman fans in North America, I’ll do a quick rundown of what TV shows or movies featuring our favourite actress are available in DVDs and Blu-rays - and what are not. In reverse chronological order (drama productions only). Spoiler break to respect timelines:

The Serpent (2021): Has been out on DVD in the UK for a while, but sadly it seems to be an example of a Netflix series that isn’t getting a physical release over here. Doesn’t bode well for her upcoming series, The Sandman though its predecessor American Gods was released to home media, so who knows. (The upcoming film Klokkenluider? Not even going to try and guess that one. The War Rooms hasn’t even started filming yet as far as we know.)

A Separate Peace (2020): This was an online play by Tom Stoppard Jenna did via Zoom mid-lockdown. A one-time shot, it’s unlikely to get any sort of re-release. I saw a copy of it kicking around Youtube for a while but no longer. A review with clips from it can be found here.

Inside No. 9 (2020): There’s been DVD release of Season 5 (including Jenna’s guest appearance) in the UK, but in North America the show isn’t well known so no release here as yet. When the recently announced American remake comes out, will it spark a Region 1 DVD or Blu-ray of the original?

Corporate Monster (2019): Filmed way back around 2010, but held for nearly a decade, it’s only been made available on Youtube. Sometimes short indie films turn up on DVD, though, especially if the director goes on to bigger and better things, so you never know.

All My Sons (2019): The live stream of Jenna’s West End debut play (see above, with thanks to gifmaker @oswincoleman) was delayed until early 2020 for North American fans and unexpectedly got a streaming rebroadcast during lockdown. But National Theatre Live doesn’t tend to do DVD or Blu-ray releases, so don’t hold your breath to see this in any formal release.

Victoria (2016-19): All 3 seasons are available on DVD in North America (I’ve seen box sets of the combined seasons), but there’s no Blu-ray of S3 over here as far as I know. All are also available in the UK. The PBS edits (which include extra scenes in most regular episodes) have never been released, but may still be viewable online in the US on PBS’s website (which can’t be accessed from Canada so I can’t check).

The Cry (2018): DVD release in NA and the UK. Not overly common, but available. No Blu-ray though.

Thunderbirds Are Go (2017): Jenna did a guest voice for the first episode of Series 2 of the CGI remake series. It’s on DVD in the UK, but so far it’s only available on streaming here.

Me Before You (2016): Widely available in DVD and Blu-ray here. Sadly, I tend to see it in Wal-Mart $5 special bins these days.

Doctor Who (2012-2015; 2017): Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray. Twice Upon a Time was released on its own if you want her cameo. If you want her extra scenes as Clara (things like the Doctor Who Ultimate Guide minisode and her cameo in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, you may need to invest in the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi box sets. Good luck finding her DW audio story “The Time Machine” on CD, but I think you can still order a download of it from places like Big Finish (her only other known audio book, The Secret Garden, is also a rarity on CD but I think Audible has it, along with a 2018 audio drama of A Christmas Carol in which she plays a role; it’s not on CD.

Death Comes to Pemberly (2013): Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray over here, though I think as with Victoria it’s the UK edit that we got in North America, not the PBS version which may or may note have extra scenes (I’ve never been able to verify).

Dancing on the Edge (2013): Again, widely available on DVD and Blu-ray here.

Room at the Top (2012): I won’t rehash the rights issues that delayed its broadcast for a year and make it unlikely to ever get a DVD or Blu-ray release anywhere, but you can stream it on both sides of the Atlantic.

Titanic (2012): Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray. Just don’t mistake it for that little home movie James Cameron made back in the 90s.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): It’s a Marvel movie - you can likely get it in 4K too (possibly the only Jenna release in that format). Just remember - she’s in two scenes but you might need the 4K version to see her in the second one.

Waterloo Road (2009): Jenna was a cast member for Series 5, which is on DVD in the UK. North American fans are able to watch her season on officially sanctioned YouTube uploads (still available but with the series revival I’d search for “Series 5″ specifically to skip recent uploads). DVD release has begun in North America by Acorn, but looks like only Series 1 so far.

Emmerdale (2005-09): Not a chance. You can find clips on Youtube but Jenna appeared in more than 400 episodes of the soap and the only soap opera I know of to be released in entirety on DVD was Dark Shadows.

heyyy! what action/psd you use on your icons, please?? thank u. and your acc is amazing, love itttt!

i don’t use a action/atn or psd!!! normally i just edit the “blu-ish” from the icons of the first movie and that’s it, for the action i just apply the sharpen option from ps! and thank youuu 🧡

i was tagged by the lovely @meliorn​, the only person to tag me in anything on this website

RULES: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works! 

i wasn’t as active this year as last year because last year i made all the rocketman gifsets you could possibly make and it’s a pretty big hassle for me to get footage (i don’t download so i have to rip blu-rays and convert them and it literally makes my laptop sound like it’s a plane taking off even though it cost 2800 euros so that’s fun), so i usually stick to rocketman and i feel like i’ve exhausted any possible gif idea at this point. but i did make some other stuff as well. 

overall i think my gifsets turned out okay over this year, there is some good stuff there and i did manage to push myself creatively at some points. i don’t think my gifsets are very exciting or interesting most of the time, but i’m always happy when i manage to make something special or different.

i’m gonna sort them in chronological order!

first (23 february): i’m obsessed with symmetry and this is one time where everything just fell into place. i love how these colors work together and perfectly contrast each other and i just think it looks so cool.

second (9 march): i remember that i wasn’t planning on making a blue gifset or any kind of coherent set, it just kind of happened, but i think it’s really nice and all works together so well

third (13 march): i’m really proud of this coloring and still use it as a base psd, i also like it because it’s not the typical rocketman gifset and just looks interesting to me in terms of scene choice and composition

fourth (18 june): i’m not very good at color manipulation so i’m always happy when i manage to make a colorful gifset that looks nice. i also really love that i managed to make it fit the pride flag and include that elton quote about being gay

fifth (25 june): this is a gifset that isn’t pretty per se but i’m still happy with it because that section of elton’s book hit me so hard the first time and i loved being able to find those parallels in rocketman. it just feels like something creative and something not everyone would come up with.

sixth (23 september): i like the square format a lot but i also think the composition of all these different colors and shots looks so good together, i’m really happy with it

seventh (28 october): this is just an aesthetically pleasing set to me where all the shots and the composition ended up working so nicely together

eighth (12 november): again this color scheme was not planned but just developed while coloring and i think it looks so nice and unexpected for this movie, very soft blues but contrasted with those deep blacks, i like it a lot

i don’t really have anyone to tag but feel free to do this and say i tagged you!!

PSA... and slight rant

To: Ask Anons

I’ve been on Tumblr for a few years, I joined around 2016-ish, and I’ve never really made personal posts. I use this blog as a fun place to post stuff I like. I understand many people aren’t into what I’m into and that’s fine, but I do this for the 3 people who like it lol.

I never expected to get many followers and I definitely didn’t expect to find actual friends from my random fangirling over seiyuu, sharing parts of my otome collection, translating and making vids. Actually I never expected to do any of those things either! I didn’t even know how to do most of it when I first joined!

I love maintaining this blog, and I truly enjoy everything I’ve done here so far. The amount of time I’ve spent in planning/scheduling posts, translating, editing and timing subs, the amount of money I’ve spent on media to translate..... you all wouldn’t believe. All while working full time and 3 yrs of university (with a study abroad) full time! It’s been crazy!

I’m happy that I can contribute to a small but growing community of people who enjoy my hobbies, but may not understand because of a language barrier. I make sure not to add any type of watermark to content I don’t own (things like manga strips, pics, etc) even tho I’ve translated them. I always provide links to the original material so that posters and artists get the respect, follows, likes and recognition they deserve. Check the hyperlinks. I purchase all cds and vids that I’ve translated and subbed, so far.

Even tho I’m a small blog, I’ve had my gifs used without notice, my vids re-uploaded without asking and my vids and translations used to make gifs, all of which come from Blu-rays I’ve purchased with my own money. I won’t complain, that’s the nature of uploading content on the internet (once it’s uploaded, it’s hard to control where it goes). I just want to make this clear:

If you don’t like what I post: Unfollow and block me

If you feel I’m doing something wrong: Unfollow and block me

I get nothing, NOTHING, for running this blog. No compensation, no contracts, deals or offers. There’s no benefit in this for me. I have my own priorities, I have responsibilities, but what I don’t have is any obligation, moral or otherwise, to obey what a rando says on anon. Each person is an individual. If i make the choice to post something you don’t appreciate, you should make the choice that will remove my posts from your timeline. Please and thanks~

I was gonna disable the anon feature on asks but decided to disable asks altogether. It’s not worth it for me to leave them open. If you’re truly distressed about something, tell a person honestly without hiding. If you do, you may be able to have an actual conversation.

Thanks to all the great people who’ve followed me and like/reblog my posts! I honestly don’t think I would’ve had the motivation to continue this blog without yall!

On Intimacy (Mavis Ang)

In the article, ‘Liquid love? Dating apps, sex, relationships and the digital transformation of intimacy’, Hobbs, Owen and Gerber (2017) contended that some accounts of modern romanticism can be overly pessimistic and at risk of downplaying the positives of ‘networked intimacy’. The authors referred to the internet as a ‘social intermediary’ and stated that it acts as a new channel in replacement of traditional sites for meeting people such as universities and workplaces. The article also discussed how the founders of Tinder designed the dating apps as a type of ‘game’ that required lesser time and emotional investment to ‘play’. Users will be ‘matched’ and offered the opportunity to have a conversation with each other upon mutual interest. The article also explored if such networks of romantic possibility might be ‘eroding traditional ideals of monogamy, commitment and the notion of romantic love’. 

As part of the research method, the authors conducted an online survey and in-depth interviews. One of the respondents also mentioned that “people who are not using the apps are doing themselves a disservice”. She was referring to time savings and convenience arising from the ease of using the app. As mentioned, does this “convenience” and reduction of “unnecessary effort” then also cheapens the idea of building intimate relationships? In the discussion of self-commodification and self-branding, one of the interviewees also raised a form of ‘edited authenticity’ in the curation of profiles. In particular, she mentioned that she deliberately kept her profile brief and excluded details which might subject her to further alienation. 

In view of the findings, the authors posited that dating apps and sites are not actually ‘liquefying’ traditional ideals of monogamy and commitment. Participants found that these channels enabled them with greater agency and more relationship possibilities. That said, the study acknowledged that some participants felt that the affordances were rather superficial and limiting in terms of users’ personalities. The apps were also seen by some as a commodification of romantic interests and transactional. Even so, the study concluded that networked intimacy is accepted by the majority of the participants which enhances users’ social capital. 

While it was interesting to read some of the responses from the study’s participants, I find some parts slightly problematic. Upon reading that the founders of Tinder treat it as a type of ‘game’, I wondered if this cheapens the idea of intimacy. While the idea of intimacy is highly subjective, I perceive it as a rather delicate term - one that is unlikely to be associated with ‘game’. That said, I still understand what the founders of Tinder were trying to convey. As for the findings, a majority of the participants felt that the technologies granted them with more agency and relationship possibilities. Some participants also mentioned how these dating apps played a positive impact on their self-esteem. However, I also wonder if these six participants are representative of the majority. 

To expand discussion on user agency and dating apps, S. Wang (2020) conducted an analysis on Blued, a Chinese dating app. In the paper, the author also shared more information from his personal experience. In Blued, users have to key in their body types and personalities. For body type, they will be assigned to ‘monkey’, ‘average’’, bear’, ‘muscular’. For personality types, there are 12 categories ranging from ‘sunshine’, ‘masculine’ to ‘big uncle’, ‘slutty inside decent outside’ and ‘warm guy. According to S. Wang (2020), there is this protocol of introducing one’s ‘condition’ on gay dating apps in China where ‘condition’ refers to a standardised number sequence consisting of age, height, weight and sex roles details. The author gave the example 28-180-70-1. This also highlighted how users quantified themselves and conform to this similar style of self representation. It feels very barcode-ish in my opinion - think mass-manufactured products. While some users might argue that it is more efficient to follow such protocols (as in Hobbs et al. (2017)), I feel that the encoding of the self subjects one to objectification and being discarded easily if one fails to meet the expectations of others. What is more problematic/efficient (depending on how you see it) is that this ‘condition’ is also part of the user profile on Blued. In comparison with Grindr, the author noted that Blued allowed users to see not only their headshot and screen name as in Grindr’s grid view, but also the number sequence of their age, height, weight and sex roles. Users can also filter potential partners easily using the specific data combinations, just like e-commerce applications… 

To be honest, I do see why people claimed that dating apps are an “efficient” process but I cannot deny that I am disturbed by the dehumanising effect brought by the filters. While the generation of user data can help streamline preferences and maybe obtain more compatible matches, it seem to reduce users to those few parameters and personality types. Aside, I feel that it is also very limiting and in a sense, unforgiving, towards users who are deemed undesirable just because they do not fit a certain metric. The paper also highlighted the troubling shift of using the yanzhi algorithm as an algorithmic tool for users to socialise to using them to glorify live streamers with high yanzhi score (Yanzhi refers to the ‘value of a person’s face). While participants in Hobbs et al. (2017) found that dating apps and sites enabled them with greater agency and more relationship possibilities, it is evident that the app configurations can influence our preferences or even reinforce certain unhealthy ideals and biases. Therefore, one should definitely question the user agency when on dating apps much more critically instead of settling for an optimistic view easily. 

Hobbs, M., Owen, S., & Gerber, L. (2017). Liquid love?: Dating apps, sex, relationships and the digital transformation of intimacy. Journal of Sociology, 53(2), 271-284. doi:10.1177/1440783316662718

Wang, S. (2020). Calculating dating goals: data gaming and algorithmic sociality on Blued, a Chinese gay dating app. Information, Communication & Society, 23(2), 181-197.

Hi, I'm the anon from before! Just to make sure - DMM is my best bet for watching these outside of Japan, right? 2000-ish yen a pop adds up, so if there was a cheaper option available... though bless them for making this an option at all. (PS.: I personally don't need the subs, but I'm super impressed with the work you put into subbing these nonetheless, I can imagine how much time and work it must take.)

Hey, Anon.

DMM is probably the best place to go indeed. Compared to the DVD and blu-ray the streams are pretty reasonable priced. If you go for stream-only, it could be as low as 980 yen, but... most of the shows will be around 1600 yen.

Right now, with a premium membership of NicoVideo (550 yen per month), you’ll be able to watch Uta-Awase Ranbu Kyoran 2019 (timeshift), SRS2016 (timeshift), SRS2017 (22 January or timeshift) and SRS2018 (19 February or timeshift) in full. Without the premium membership you can only watch the first half.

If you want to go any cheaper than that, you’ll be looking for illegal downloads.

(Making subtitles is a lot of work, but I think it’s worth it.) EDIT:  You may also want to look into d-anime store, because they seem to have a lot of Toumyu too. And for only 440 yen a month, it sounds like a great deal. Not sure how foreigner friendly they are, but nothing immediately indicates foreigners can’t use the website.