#I’m not a big watcher of the charts and don’t really care/place a lot of emphasis on them but I think seeing these stats are cool

[kingofmyborrowedheart]

The fact that Taylor has surpassed a billion streams this month alone and is #2 in the world on Spotify is absolutely insane.

[hatchetfieldtheories]

Return to Hatchetfield-Town - TGWDLM Part 3

Have I been putting off this part because of sad Bill? Maybe.  Or is it because of all your amazing Ridiculous Hatchetfield Theory submissions? Yeah, you were right the first time.  I just can’t deal with sad Bill.

We left part 2 of the TGWDLM rewatch where the Scooby Gang had turned up at the spooky mansion, which can only go well, and we come back in part 3 as they’ve left the tied up resident bad guy alone with the one person who has a weakness for said bad guy.

Links to previous parts

It’s Ted loving time and I make no apologies for it.

Am I the only one who saw the scene with Ted and Charlotte and immediately got sent back to MAMD’s Joey and Sally?  It’s so good seeing Joey and Jaime acting opposite each other like this again, they both bring the same amount of chaotic brilliance.  

I have no jokes to make for this, I just needed a gif of the “slap” here.  Beautiful.  Iconic.

Here we see a bit of the true Ted, the Ted we see in Time Bastard.  He’s an idiot sure, but its obvious he is actually a hopeless romantic who really cares for Charlotte, underneath an exterior of “sleazeball”. 

When I originally read what happens in Time Bastard I will admit it didn’t really fit with the image I had in my head of Ted.  Ted is first and foremost played for laughs.  He’s selfish and arrogant and funny.  But rewatching TGWDLM, especially with Time Bastard in mind, you do see where Joey let’s Ted’s façade drop.  You see it at a greater extent later when Charlotte dies and Ted goes off on one to Bill.  But you also see it here (I’m sorry Ted fans):

Serious gifs, who is she?

Now. What’s happening in this next little scene? Are we ready for some tin foil hatting?

What do you want Charlotte?

Continuing our theme of characters explaining what they want in clear and certain terms, Charlotte starts praying to God, then Sam wakes up.  Was Sam waiting for everyone else to leave before “waking up” in order to target Charlotte?  Or were Charlotte’s prayers answered by an Eldritch being with the capability to control the Creedy Chorus?  Later Sam says that he “saw god”.  

In Black Friday, Linda attempts to issue in the “birth of a god.”  God is certainly a word the Devil Dolls are happy to attribute to themselves.  Somehow I don’t think it would have mattered if they had gone to a Methodist or Presbyterian church.

Opinion time: Tied Up My Heart is a full on rock bop and deserves way more praise and acclaim. You could have told me this song was from Rock of Ages and I would believed you.

“Don’t you twust me” – serious Wiggly vibes there Sam.

This is kinda catchy Sam!

In part two we briefly discussed when Hidgens became infected, and there is some theories that believe he was infected from the moment he touched the blue brain goo, leading to Show Stopping Number happening.

Charlotte was infected the minute she touched Sam’s brains.  Like Hidgens, it happened slowly, but its very clear it had begun to take root in this song.  Tied Up My Heart is to Charlotte, what Let It Out is to Paul.  They both find themselves dancing without meaning to, they both begin to hear the music.  I’ve mentioned previously that Tied Up My Heart is the only song in which there is an offstage chorus, which would be strange unless for the first time we’re hearing the show as Charlotte is hearing it – she’s beginning to hear the rest of the Hive.

 The only difference between Charlotte and Paul is their wants during these pivotal numbers.  Paul is trying harder to fight the song because his want is to destroy the meteor.  Charlotte isn’t able to fight the song because her want is Sam… and the song is giving her that. 

I think this is the part of the musical where most people pause and proclaim… what the hell am I watching. Which, you know… valid.

Can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is?

Ted just casually predicting the ending of the show.  Take out the head and the whole thing falls down – an historically inaccurate statement in the proceedings of Hatchetfield’s apocalypses.

Exhibit A – Taking out the meteor does not stop the hive.

Exhibit B – Sending a Nuke into the Black and White does not stop Wiggly.

I don’t know what Nerdy Prudes will be about but heads up to the characters – maybe don’t try and destroy the root of the issue as your solution.

Obviously there is a lot of story in Emma and Paul’s discussion here, a lot of which gets unpacked and revisited in Forever and Always, but I’m not really going to delve into the specifics of it here.  My biggest take away from this conversation is that Emma explains her past, and her intentions for the future, but at no point is it ever clear what her want is. 

In a musical where character’s are killed because they want something, is it any wonder Emma is the one who survives at the end?  She doesn’t have any big, ultimate want.  She’s jaded and tired, until the end… when what she wants is for Paul to have survived.

This shows a clear distinction between how Pokey and Wiggly operate (and the others, but we’ll discuss them when we get to Nightmare Time.)  Both of these Bothersome Brothers use wanting as their tool of chaos but in very different ways.

Pokey wants you to want something, in order to tempt you with that in order to destroy you.

Wiggly wants to find holes to fill with exaggerated, artificial echoes of a want.

The new game at Toy Zone – Bop Ted

Does anyone else forget for a bit how amazing Jaime’s voice is and then finds themselves entranced when Join Us and Die happens?  I’m sure there is some lore in this song but I’m far too distracted.

If we refer back to our Violence over Time chart from part two of the rewatch you will see we have now fully arrived at the point where the Hive has stopped trying to just entice everyone with fluffy feelings before murdering them, and are now just resorting to “we’re gonna kill you and it’ll hurt a lot.”

I know there is plenty of discussion regarding whether Hidgens is good or bad, infected or not infected etc – but none of that matters.  What matters is he makes the same crappy puns I make in inappropriate situations and I think that’s beautiful.

“The Charlotte you knew and loved was gone the minute a note came out her mouth.” – Snape’s back with the foreshadowing again.

Hidgens then proceeds to subject our heroes to a very intricate test to find out who is human, and who is the musical Doppleganger (one of the AJ Holmes fans there).  I’ve seen Moana once, and I became obsessed with the bioluminescent crab so I don’t remember any of the other songs apart from Shiny.  This is a problem because the only other song I know from Moana has now become Paul’s version of whatever it is he is singing. I refuse to believe there is any other version of that song.

“Their tactic is to hide amongst us, and as their numbers grow, they become more bold.” – yes Hidgens – we’ve all seen the chart.

Acting Masterclass with Corey Dorris

Bill gets a phone call from Alice, she’s stuck at Hatchetfield High and her girlfriend and the other kids have become singing and dancing zombies.  Is this a prequel to High School Musical?

Its worth noting that Alice has locked herself in the Choir room – Hatchetfield High’s number one place to hide when things are going badly - x

Look what happened Nightmare Time.  

Corey Dorris’ face pulls on every heart string I possess.  Not Your Seed is a fantastic song, with some superb singing by Mariah, but the heart of this song is Corey.  Bill is a broken man from the moment he echoes Alice’s words that Grace Chastity is a Nerdy Prude. And the voice crack!

Small warning here for a very brief discussion about suicide. If you want to skip past scroll to the next gif.

The song is an attempt to bring Bill to the Hive, but I think the plan from the start was to push him to shoot himself. Bill wants his daughter back, he wants her to be a part of his life, but unlike with Charlotte, where Hive!Sam attempts to convince her he’s not really dead and wants her, Hive!Alice uses Bill’s want to break him further and further, swinging between Alice’s love and disdain for her father.  This isn’t an attempt to lay a trap and kill him when he falls in it, it’s a blatant push towards him killing himself.  The Hive only picked up the gun because Paul was there to stop him.

I also find the mirror of this moment to later in Watcher World very fascinating.  We obviously know Pokey and Blinky are brothers, and I wonder if the set up leading Alice to point a gun at Bill in Watcher World is Blinky’s twisted humour, echoing what he knows happened in another timeline.  A horrible joke that would be lost on Bill and Alice in that timeline, but very recognisable to all of us Watchers.

Once again the Hive could have easily killed Paul, but they don’t.  They make a big song and dance (get it?) out of how the guns not good enough to kill him with and then they start singing at him just in time for the army to turn up.  The Hive had no intention of killing Paul yet, though obviously they can’t let him know that.  Paul has been chosen as their Hero.  He’s got work to do.

Hatchetfield High Homework

Just the one this week, I’m currently doing an Ask series where I attempt to make ridiculous sounding Hatchetfield Theories make sense.  You can find them by searching Ridiculous Hatchetfield Theories.  Go and have a look and follow the wonderful people sending them in.

When the rewatch returns, we get our first peep into the world of PEIP.

[ifeveristoday]

I got out my DVDs for this rewatch (that’s not actually a big deal. I only have season 3 on DVD. 😂) so let’s get to it.

I forgot they did a cold open for this episode!

I know it’s for ambiance but man does Angel have a lot of candles displayed. Probably too ‘mainstream’ for his taste but the thought of Angel furtively going to a Bath and Bodyworks in the mall during their semi-annual sale and just buying out their whole candle selection gives me the purest joy. Let’s be real though, Angel would shop at some boutique/hole in the wall owned by a wizened old character with a twinkle in their eye and everything marked up 20%. Or it would be a steel and glass monstrosity with a collection labeled Candles for Men. That’s the range.

Back to the enormous fire hazard that this scene is -

Wait. Does fire burn on stone?

Shout out to the stunt doubles.

I think that Angel getting food for Buffy for a sort of alfresco picnic while training is really sweet, actually. Also, can't miss the opportunity for both carbs and phallic symbolism ala bread.

Everyone is so embarrassingly horny in this moment. I'd say get a room except they're in a whole giant mansion.

Always remember the bread! What did Angel do with the food after Buffy fled? Fed the no-doubt cursed pigeons that live in Sunnydale.

Thanks for the workout (insert stereotypical dirty laugh).

Oh yes, the awkward 'let's talk about your birthday without mentioning the last birthday you had at all because it's horrifying' chitchat. God, the anxiety Angel is radiating here and Buffy trying to smooth it over. You can't unfrost that trauma cake!

Angel, you utter dork. You're lucky Buffy finds you pretty. Very powerful himbo energy here. And it's nice to see some light-hearted flirting/banter between them.

How do you know when someone's aura's dirty? Buffy is only asking the reasonable questions everyone has.

Do you hear yourself, Giles. "I'm aware of your distaste in studying vibratory stones..." I can't imagine what that section of the Slayer handbook looks like. Are there pull-out charts?

Faith being conveniently gone for this episode. Boo, hiss.

That workout really did a number on Buffy. I see what you're doing with those crystals.

One of the sad parts of rewatching Buffy is that you just don't have the first time discovery feels of watching it - that magic is gone, but even though I know why Buffy's wobbling in her fight, the reveal is still upsetting. Thinking about how in Season 5, when she does get staked, just as she's questioning her powers - and here, where she's losing them.

Also, obvious observation is obvious - the sexual violence imagery is really, really blatant here - with the vampire crouched over her with the stake aimed toward her heart, just as she playfully staked Angel earlier in a more romantically set scene.

AND THEN THE THEME KICKS IN. Like, damn! Three minutes and you can pretty much tell what the plot is going to be - Buffy and Angel's UST is getting out of hand, Buffy's lone Rangering it, and something is wrong with her. And it's her birthday.

And Buffy's resourcefulness saves the day.

Perhaps you shouldn't be throwing knives in the library, Buffy.

Did they do a geography lesson on Cuernavaca? It's also just fun to say. Like La Cienega. Brief moment to ponder yet again about a show set in Southern California, actually shot in Southern California, with the huge Latine population we have and the Spanish-influenced names and culture and - getting sidetracked by all this casual 90s racism.

"We do it every year for my birthday," except your seventeenth, presumably because of the murderous ex-boyfriend stalking the town you live in and all your loved ones. [Or, he did take her and it was not shown on screen!] Sometimes I wonder if the continuity editors just go, you know, I'm going to let this one go for the 'emotion' and not just so years later, a Virgo with a deep-seated need to obsess over throwaway details will go into a thought spiral to make it make sense.

I think this is also the last time Hank Summers was spoken of with any real affection because then he was Deadbeat Dad for the remainder of the show. Oh, look. The Scoobies are surprised about the traditional birthday ice show that I'm going to nitpick about forever.

Oz is so supportive, and then the clunker of a 'deep' line of ice being cool because it's water then it's not. I do like the Whedonesque school of dialogue, but sometimes you gotta reel it back. I remember the dialogue on Dawson's Creek was getting pinged for the teenagers talking like grad students.

Quiet reflection. Oh you poor girl, you have no idea.

Quarterly projections - is a convincing filler phrase for when you don't need to know what the job is, because it's boring but sounds vaguely official. What does Hank actually do? Who cares! He's an asshole.

Sunnydale Arms, because of course, Sunnydale has a broken down abandoned murder hotel.

Quentin Travers. Boo. Hiss.

The scary music is very scary. Also one of the Council flunkies looks like a very young Vincent D'Onofrio.

This scene with them in the library is so bittersweet because Buffy is fishing for Giles's attention as a father figure substitute ("very sophisticated people go!" breaks my heart) and he pointedly is rejecting this for training talk.

Look for the flaw at its center. THE FLAW IS YOU GILES. YOU YOU YOU.

it's just so terrible, this scene because of how methodical and clinical it plays out. And Buffy is just not there, and then Giles smiles like nothing has happened.

Buffy makes it through another night - next day (another reason why this trial is so horrifying is that it takes place over several days - it's not on Buffy's birthday but leading up to it, so the idea of her getting weaker and weaker and unable to fight to make it to 18 in the first place) and it's time for the Cordelia has had enough of toxic masculinity scene!

Also, Willow blithely ignoring a person's feelings and treating Amy as just a rat is played for laughs and cuteness, but yeah...you can't treat people like puppets or rats [law and order sound]

I love Cordelia's coat. And also, while it does suck that she stood him up, he's not entitled to her time or attention and certainly not to threaten her. Go, Cordy! Fight like a girl! Yes! Pummel him into the hallway.

I also love Willow's outfit here because I think the colors are so complementary and warm and it's a cute outfit. Okay, the knit wooly hat is a bit too Blossom-esque, but whatever.

Buffy is tiny, we all know this, but I do think they purposefully dressed her in larger than her size coats in this episode to make her look even more tiny and vulnerable.

Giles is TOO BLASE for this scene also shut your mouth about throwing knives like a girl

"It's an archaic exercise in cruelty." SO WHY DID YOU GO ALONG WITH IT, BRAIN TRUST. (I am going to be very mean to Giles this whole rewatch, deal with it.)

"But I'm the one in the thick of it." No, you're not. You are going to be adjacent to it, at best.

Hey it's that guy!

Okay, in better lighting, flunkie does not look like Vincent D'Onofrio.

It's impossible to pin down one type of Vampire in the Whedonverse, except for the delineation between Grunt Bait Vampires, and Special Guest Star/Master vampires, but Kralik is the only other example of a vampire with mental illness besides Drusilla, yet he's medicated. Makes me wonder how exactly they got Kralik...he was a monster before he was a vampire, but who vamped him? I don't put it past the Watchers to have vampires created for this purpose.

Curse against lawyers!

Xander and Oz bonding over comic books is so fun. I regret they didn't really get closer until after Xander and Willow cheated because Oz was the one male friend Xander had.

They mentioned her birthday! Thinking about Buffy's love of poetry later on, this is a nice little detail, and it *is* a thoughtful, sweet gift. Also those poems: horny. Oh yes, maybe in a restrained way, but Elizabeth Barrett Browning knew what was up.

The Buffy and Angel relationship in season three is full of these starts and stops that I can see why and agree with others about how it's frustrating on a number of levels. They know why they can't be together, but they still try to find a common ground because they want to need the other one. They still have their identities to figure out - Buffy as the slayer and a young adult, Angel as a person, separate from Buffy and being Buffy's ex sort of maybe.

But this conversation in Helpless is genuinely sweet and a glimpse at what a normal couple at the crossroads would talk about - I think I'm also being soft on this because the other Important Male Figure in Buffy's life in this episode lets her down so spectacularly bad, that Angel being supportive and kind in his awkward way is a nice respite. It's good to be away from the angst and the horror that their relationship has had.

And the self-aware puncturing of the Moment between them is something Buffy does very well. "Taken literally, incredibly gross - I was just thinking that too". Look, it's cute and soft and I will allow it.

The horror of this episode (and there are so many) is that we have to watch Buffy become the helpless blonde in a slasher flick who is being chased by the monsters and she can't do anything about it - that she has to be rescued or die. That the real world with men catcalling and bystanders who ignore women's cries of distress is far scarier than the literal demons that inhabit the town - and Buffy brokenly saying she can't just be a person, she can't be helpless like that [like women are, still, today] is a gut punch. It's uncomfortable and unhappy because Buffy is supposed to be the hero, the [sigh] strong female lead who can kick ass and take names, and this episode is all about finding who Buffy is, separate from her super powers. Also an exercise in emotional torture, but must be Tuesday.

The physicality - the weakness that both Buffy and Giles display in this scene is so, so good. The way Buffy's hand trembles toward the needle in the case and the dawning realization of what Giles has done, has chosen to do - and he bloodlessly tells her what the Cruciamentum is.

Her tiny little "Liar."

GOD WHY DIDN'T SHE GET AN EMMY (rhetorical we all know genre tv only matters if it was Game of Rapey Thrones)

"You will be safe now, I promise you." LIAR.

Another puncturing a heavy moment - Cordelia as cavalry - I love it. Cordelia taking the most obvious approach to the situation - 'oh Buffy might have lost her memory, well he's Giles,'

I can't believe they robbed us of a conversation in the car scene with Cordy and Buffy.

Kralik had to have found a polaroid camera and a metallic sharpie for this whole scenario -- OH I KNOW WHO HE REMINDS ME OF. The Night Stalker and any number of serial killers that terrorized SoCal. Is the show being self-aware of the problem with mothers and parents in general?

Probably a glib accident.

I don't have much to say about the part where Buffy hunts Kralik because it's so masterfully done with the atmosphere and music.

Nice of Giles's backbone to enter the chat now.

This is not business. Ooo.

Buffy's "I thought I killed a man" emo overalls!

Like it's shadowy, but there's still enough light to see facial expressions. Lighting guy, I salute you.

Little red riding hood metaphor. Oh, that's so her stunt double.

CREEPY SEXUAL VIOLENCE REARS ITS DEFORMED HEAD AGAIN

Jump stair scare. I remember the first time I saw it, I jolted in the living room.

Serial Killer Shit. Why are vampires such drama queens?

THAT'S RIGHT, BUFFY DID THAT

The ending scene in the library is cathartic in that Buffy gets to stand up for herself finally, and recognizes what Giles gives up by helping her, delayed as it was, also there's the feeling of hate punching Quentin Travers via your eyes.

Still don't think she should have forgiven Giles so easily, but we don't get to see a lot of aftercare for Buffy when she gets hurt, and it is a very tender scene.

The Scoobies are being way too upbeat if they knew about the fact that Giles poisoned Buffy, which is why I'm assuming she told a very abbreviated version of events ending with Buffy killed the bad guy and Giles got fired, oops.

Xander's big strong man comment and then looking immediately to Willow to open the jar and not Oz...

I could watch this episode again with episode commentary from David Fury, but another day.

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 62 Poll Results (for Anime Only Watchers)

The poll closed with 73 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Manga Readers’ poll, click here.

Anime only watchers, beware of spoilers if you venture over to the manga readers’ poll results.

--

RATE THE EPISODE 68 Responses

Again, the response to last week’s episode was notably positive, with 98.5% of responses giving it a score of 3 or higher. Marley and Me is still going strong! 

Gave a 3 because while I don't give a rats ass about the Warriors or their "tragic" sob story, the animation and voice acting was on par

It was way better than the first two of the season I liked it a lot!!

I think it was one of the best episodes not only in this season, but in the entire show. It shows deepness of the characters in Attack on Titan and shows as the other side in such an amazing way. It was brilliant. 

I think the episode was pretty good

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 68 Responses

Eren’s formal reveal as the amputee soldier took the biggest piece of the pie, with 45.6% of respondents enjoying that scene the most. Trailing behind that is Reiner’s tragic suicide attempt with 10.3% of the vote, followed closely behind by RBA’s side of Shiganshina at 8.8%.

Flashbacks were important. And eren intro was epic

Reiner standing up looking like an undead zombie after getting clobbered by Annie and then stating "Reiner is dead...I will be Marcel" was just...Wow. Just loved seeing the wall breach from RBA's perspective. Reiner gains more dimensions and complexity with each episode and I'm here for it! Bless MAPPA :-)

WE GOT THE FULL ED LAST WEEK. AFTER SEEING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT NOW? 66 Responses

Although just over 59% of responses gave the ED a decidedly positive grade (with praise going towards both imagery and the song), almost 20% of responses simply thought it was “okay”. A relatively equal amount of responses alternated between liking the animation and disliking the song and vice versa. Only a few seemed to dislike both. 

Didn't watch/care

ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5, HOW MUCH DID YOU ENJOY THE SEQUENCE INTRODUCING ALL OF MARLEY’S TITANS? 67 Responses

The sequence introducing all of Marley’s Titans has gotten rave reviews, with 97% of responses rating it positively. Truth be told, I’d given it a 5 myself, if I could… But I can’t, I’m just a mysterious voice, detailing the results of this poll.

OUT OF ALL THE TITANS THE MARLEY MILITARY HAD 9 YEARS AGO, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE? 67 Responses

For the question regarding possible inheritance of the Titans, we’ve gotten a rather colorful pie chart! Annie’s Female Titan is clearly leading with just under a third of those who took the poll picking it out as their favorite option. Reiner’s Armored is taking second place with almost 21%, followed by Zeke’s Beast at almost 18%. Bertholdt’s Colossal and the Series Mascot is, surprisingly, at just under 12%, with Pieck, unsurprisingly, bringing up the rear.

WHICH OG WARRIOR CANDIDATE WOULD YOU WANT TO ADOPT? 64 Responses

When it comes to possibly adopting a warrior candidate, we’ve gotten even more pie flavors! Reiner is at number one with just over 20%, with Pieck and Annie going into second place, both with just under 19%. Bertholdt’s in third place, with a little over 14%. Marcel and Zeke bring up the rear and it seems like no one wants to adopt poor little Porco. Just over 20% seem to not want to participate in this little scheme for various reasons.

A LOT OF THE SHIGANSHINA BREACH HAS REUSED QIT ANIMATION FROM PAST EPISODE - THOUGHTS? 67 Responses

When it came to the fact that a lot of the Shiganshina Breach Animation was reused for the episode, most seemed to respond either positively or indifferently. Just over 58% thought just that the old animation flowed decently with MAPPA’s new style, while 16.4% didn’t really care. Almost 12% expressed nostalgia for WIT’s style of animation and 9% noted that while they weren’t fans of this move, they understood the reason for it. Whoever was left noted that they either really preferred MAPPA’s new style or really didn’t like this move from MAPPA, as a whole.

KAJI YUKI HAS LOWERED HIS VOICE A BIT TO DEPICT AN OLDER EREN. THOUGHTS? 67 Responses

A bit of a lopsided result for this one. 71.6% of all responses noted that they enjoyed Yuki Kaji’s move of lowering his voice to depict an older Eren. 16.4% states that they didn’t care and the rest either expressed further “enthusiasm” for this move with one person noting that they preferred younger Eren’s voice range. 

:c

I didn’t even notice

WE’VE LOST COUNT ON HOW MANY TIMES WE’VE SEEN MARCEL GET EATEN. BUT OF THE OPTIONS BELOW, WHO DID IT BEST? 67 Responses

When it came to seeing Marcel biting the dust numerous times, it turned out that we have plenty of options and styles to choose from. 37.3% said that they preferred MAPPA’s depiction of the event, with just under a third preferring Isayama’s newer depiction. Bringing up the rear with 22.4% were those who preferred WIT’s depiction and 7.5% who like Isayama’s older depiction the best.

DO YOU THINK THAT REINER WAS CORRECT, THAT MARLEY WOULD HAVE HAD ALL OF RBA EATEN IF THEY HAD FOUND YMIR AND RETURNED HOME IMMEDIATELY? 65 Responses

In what is perhaps the most divisive question of the poll, it would seem like those who thought Marley wouldn’t have had all of RBA eaten if they had found Ymir and returned home immediately came out on top, with almost 57% arguing they would have either threatened the kids before keeping them around or became understanding from the get-go. 43.1% dissented and thought Marley would have, in fact, done so. 

Don't think so because we only saw 1 other warrior candidate and when the warriors failed in the Shinganshina arc they didn't pass on Reiner or Zeke's powers.

Marley = maybe. Zeke = would have been understanding

Maybe just eat Ymir

WHAT’S THE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT? 66 Responses

For the question about tonight’s (or rather, the night when the fanbase took the poll) weather, we’ve received a multitude of responses. From the most popular to the least, we’ve had people predicting a cloudy night, a snowy night, clear skies, a rainy night and finally, a stormy night. On the other hand, just over 18% didn’t seem to care. 

Call if hail at you’ll be late for muster

freckled Jesus getting crucified, RIP Marco

Fuckkkkk Berttttt

Hangman

it's gonna rain titans

Meh, don't care about Bertolt

REINER GRADUATED 2ND FROM THE TOP IN THE 104TH, BUT DID YOU EXPECT HIM TO BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SELECTED WARRIOR CANDIDATES? 65 Responses

Reiner’s surprisingly poor performance during his years as a Warrior candidate surprised most of those who took our poll, with 40% expressing just that. Almost 37% thought this development made him more relatable as a character, with the rest either noting that they either didn’t care or that this portrayed the 104th in a somewhat poorer light (lol). 

I feel like his traumatic experience of watching someone he grew up with die and his resolve to become more reliable and strong pushed him to reach the point that he did considering he also outranked both Annie and Bertolt.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT REINER IS HALF-MARLEYAN? 66 Responses

When it came to the fact that Reiner turned out to be half-Marleyan, almost 38% thought the said fact gave more depth to Reiner’s character. Just over 24% thought it made him even more tragic and 18.2% hope that said detail will have more significance in the future. The rest stated that they didn’t care. 

I think it's sad for Reiner, but a nice twist. I was wondering what happens to half Eldian/Marleyans so it was nice to see the result from a more cultural and political standpoint.

GALLIARD’S FIRST NAME IS ACTUALLY “PORCO.” THOUGHTS? 66 Responses

For the reveal of Galliard’s first name actually being “Porco”, we’ve had 45.5% of responses understanding why the big man himself decided to go by his last name instead. 13.6% asked what Isayama was thinking when giving him that name. The rest either expressed further sympathy for the boy or thought it was a decent name for character. 

I can't stop thinking of him as Porky Pig now. He had such a cool surname too xD

DO YOU THINK THAT THE RIFT BETWEEN REINER AND PORCO CAN BE RESOLVED? 66 Responses

When it came to deciphering the rift between Reiner and Porco, a bit over 40% thought that the rift would never be able to “go away”, with Porco disliking Reiner for various reasons. Almost a third dissented and thought that it would be possible, provided Porco either learned of Marcel’s actions or kept working with Reiner for longer periods of time. The rest weren’t sure exactly. 

It seemed like the rift wasn't really prominent in episode 2, so maybe it's already resolved.

IN THAT SAME VEIN, DO YOU BELIEVE PORCO’S COLD FEELINGS TOWARD REINER ARE UNDERSTANDABLE AND/OR JUSTIFIED? REMEMBER: HE DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT MARCEL’S ACTIONS. 65 Responses

When it came to a similar question, most (67.7%) thought Porco’s cold feelings towards Reiner were understandable, but not justified. 20% thought they were, in fact, both understandable and justifiable. 10.8% thought they were neither and there was one sole person who stated that they didn’t care.

REINER AND ANNIE WERE REALLY ROUGH ON EACH OTHER. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT? 66 Responses

Reiner seems to have even poorer relations with Annie and this episode surely confirms it. Almost 50% were surprised to find out just how poor said relations were. A third stated that they believed the two still cared about each other, just well, “deep down”. A little over 15% predicted this hatred, on the other hand. 

Annie went full "Levi on Eren" on Reiner. I knew they had a tense relationship, this just confirmed my suspicions. I don't think they hate each other.

HOW DID YOU FEEL GETTING TO SEE MORE BERTOLT AFTER HIS UNTIMELY DEATH LAST SEASON? 66 Responses

Seeing Bertolt again in the story was generally treated positively by most, with almost 44% stating that they enjoyed his extra screen time. A bit over 20% stated that they really missed him and were sad to see him, knowing what happens in the future. On the other hand, a little over 21% openly expressed their dislike for the character. Just over 12% simply stated that they didn’t care. 

Dude had it rough, at least the suffering is over now.

i barely care about him... he's just there. he adds nothing to the show compared to other warriors. his personality is way too boring and bland. 

This doesn't make me sympathize with him in any way shape or form

I'm so glad to see Bertholdt... Mappa did him cute as a kid and hot all grown up.

ANNIE AND KENNY: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER? 66 Responses

When it came to seeing Kenny and Annie’s unlikely encounter, the responses were rather distinctive. A little under a third thought it was random, but enjoyable. Others stated that they were just happy to see more Kenny or Annie. Some noted that Annie’s survival rate when taking on the Ackermans is impressive. Finally, just under 11% noted that they didn’t care for it. 

I thought they did it as fan-service bc Kenny = popular

It was a bit too short to be impactful in my opinion.

I wish we saw more Kenny

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AFTER LEARNING THAT REINER IS THE ONE WHO PUSHED FOR THE ASSAULT ON WALL ROSE AFTER TRAINING WITH THE 104TH FOR 3 YEARS? 66 Responses

Upon learning about Reiner’s push for attacking Wall Rose after 3 years of living with the 104th, the fanbase came out to be rather divided. Whereas a bit over a half expressed at least some sympathy for him, the rest were sharp in their critique. A few stated that they didn’t care, however.

HOW DID YOU FEEL SEEING REINER ON THE EDGE OF SUICIDE? 66 Responses

Seeing Reiner on the verge of suicide brought out a lot of sympathy for the man himself, with people expressing degrees of sympathy for him. A little under a third simply noted that this is a dark story. However, a few also stated that they didn’t feel much sympathy for him due to his previous actions. 

besides the fact that this whole episode was dark, this particular scene made the episode more and more uncomfortable and depressing :( can someone please hug him and tell him that everything is gonna be fine?

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THE REVEAL THAT EREN WAS THE AMPUTEE SOLDIER FROM THE LAST EPISODE? 66 Responses

The reveal that Eren was the amputee soldier from the previous episode is another one of this series’ twists and turns. Sadly, a third of the responses had already been spoiled about it. On the other hand, another third or so seemed to have an inkling and were happy to see a confirmation in this one. Just over 21% were simply in shock. 

I knew from his voice 

He's learnt to control his regeneration o.0 I wonder what else he has learnt. Also guessed last episode.

EREN OBSERVES THAT FALCO MAY BE TRYING TO PROTECT “A GIRL” FROM INHERITING THE ARMOR - IMPLYING FALCO MAY HAVE FEELINGS FOR GABI. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? 66 Responses

When it came to Love Doctor Eren Yeager, more than 50% thought that this development showed his maturation over the course of the story (and 4 years, specifically). Some thought that it didn’t really mean anything, while others looked to a bit more romantic answer. Finally, some thought he was being influenced by the memories of his father or his father’s Attack Titan predecessor.

Don't know if Eren was implying that or if he was trying to gain intel.

BE HONEST - DOES EREN WORK THE HOBO LOOK? 66 Responses

When it came down to seeing Eren’s new design, the majority actually seemed to be more interested in seeing his “manbun” one, as seen in the trailer. Almost 20% thought it was his coolest design to date! The rest either seemed to prefer one of his earlier designs or thought that he looked kinda gross. And some people were just thirsty. 

Cool change. Doesn't look "better", but does make him look more serious/battle-scarred.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

i was super confused at first, but after a lot more research im completely caught up w the story and very excited for whats to come!

Would've enjoyed even more REINER

Definitely ready for more. I always assumed our old team has been lurking on this side of the wall ever since ep 1 (call me crazy, but was that my mans Jean who bought the newspaper??) anywaY, I can’t wait for the reveal/ambush WhatevEr it is they got planned. You know Armin’s behind this shit. Let’s get ittttt

I need to see Levi already!! I feel like I’m going through withdrawal

The artwork was really nice, same with the animation. I thought the bit with Annie and Reiner was too intense though I felt kinda sick watching it. Also, they showed the scene in the trailer where Reiner is talking to Eren when they were in training and also when he was trying to commit suicide but the audio was different from the visual so I'm curious now if Reiner like tries to have Eren kill him but Eren and co want to interrogate him??? So he's like "why won't you let me die?". Also, I like Falco even more now, seems like a great and important character.

Seeing the Titans normally animated makes the cgi hurt more :(

it gave a lot of clarity cant lie

Reiner's backstory with his dad broke my heart. I thought he took it well. For Marcel to die afterwards and the warriors to be pushed down that path was terrible. I also love how Annie was really against attacking the Eldians, and voiced her disgust, and it felt organic. It didn't feel like it was forced in to show viewer thoughts. The episode made me appreciate Annie's maturity from a young age and emotional depth, and the fact that this was achieved with Reiner as the main focus makes it amore impressive.

mappa > wit. no doubt. the cinematography was a m a z i n g. it was very aesthetically pleasing to watch. 

Why did the smiling titan ignore Bertholt?

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 65 Responses

Thank you again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again after next episode. 

[thordodaday]

This makes me so incredibly angry. I remember being a child and being ashamed of my body. I was told at 5 years old (by my mother and grandmother) that I was too fat for a bikini. I remember hiding under the table to sneak food. I remember aunts making (negative)comments about my body when I was a kid. I remember already thinking something was wrong with my body at a young age. I remember in high school my so called “best friend “ ( no not Mindy) telling me that guys don’t like girls who are as big as me. I remember trying to make myself throw up because I was ashamed of how much I ate. I remember being told the after school snacks at my grandparents house weren’t for me because I “didn’t need them” I didn’t put a lot of things together about the sexual abuse at the hands of my uncle and my eating together until an adult but even if that wasn’t the case-I still should not have been shamed for my body and should have been allowed to learn to make choices for myself without being shamed by members of my family. (For the record I have a different body type than the family members who were making comments about me-they are all about 5 feet tall as adults and I’m 5′7 and I was a naturally chubby kid to begin with-and their comments only served to make me feel bad about myself-they also made negative comments about my mother-who was “bigger than them-and by “bigger”-she had big boobs and a curvier figure but was hardly the definition of “fat” but since she wasn’t “stick thin” like them-that’s what they called her (actually they called her hippo hips and thunder thighs)-and I heard those comments too and I remember crying about it. I’m not making an excuse for her-but I know my mother took out her insecurities on me so I got a double whammy. And I worry that kids on this new app will have to deal with this too and I know how awful that is.

repost @bodyposipanda

This week in Fucked Up Diet Culture News: @ww launched a weight loss app aimed at children as young as 8-years-old. Nope, not a typo, Weight Watchers are really out here recruiting those lifetime members before they've even left the playground. The app teaches kids to categorise foods into a traffic light system (aka a slightly more colourful way of splitting food into moral categories of "good" and "bad"), & track all the greens, yellows and reds they eat a day. It also shows them progress charts, as well as "inspiring" before/after weight loss photos of other kids - one shows Vanessa, age 8, with a quote from her mother about how impressive her willpower is, she says no to foods she used to love and never breaks a goal! It breaks my fucking heart that WW doesn't know how dangerous it is to praise that kind of all-or-nothing restriction in anyone, let alone a child. But the thing is, they do know. They know that around 95% of diets fail (even when they're packaged as lifestyle changes or traffic light systems). They know dieting is the biggest contributing factor to the development of eating disorders. They know children's bodies are supposed to grow and change. And if they cared about the mental well-being of kids everywhere, they'd know how dangerous apps like this are. But hey, all of that is hard to hold onto when you also know that $69 a month adds the fuck up, am I right?

So what can we do? Speak up. Educate ourselves on diet culture, intuitive eating and how to actually promote size inclusive health for children (@laurathomasphd@chr1styharrison @evelyntriboleare a good place to start). Sign the petition in my stories to have the app shut down. Fiercely protect our kids - teach them that their bodies (and other people's) are worthy of love & respect & nourishment at any size, that food doesn't need to be feared, that movement should be for joy, not repentance, and that they are so much more valuable than anything the outside could ever show. Oh, and for the record @ww, you can go fuck yourself forwards, backwards and sideways. Feel free to categorise the 3 ways into a traffic light system if it helps. 💜💙💚🌈☀️ 

[jennycalendar]

missing (4/6)

“do you know why we might be connected in this way?”

“maybe it’s one of those yearning-for-each-other-across-time-and-space things,” said jenny. “very doctor who.”

this chapter: plans are definitively made & then subsequently screwed up

“Nice chart,” said Jenny, and pressed her fingers to her mouth, trying to hide her smile.

“I saw that,” said Willow. She exchanged another, happier look with Buffy. “So I did some research, and Buffy bullied Wesley into calling in a few resources, and it turns out that there are a few instances of connections like the one you seem to have with Giles.”

“In the 1720s, there was this Slayer who died and left her little sister behind,” Buffy continued, “and then the little sister started getting letters from her. Everyone thought she was crazy—”

“So we’re still going with the idea that Ms. Calendar might not be crazy?” said Cordelia doubtfully. “Seems dicey.”

“Shh,” said Kendra reprovingly.

“—anyway, it turned out that in some weird alternate world, the little sister had died under the exact same circumstances as the Slayer,” Buffy explained, “and the stars were aligned on the days they both died, and a lot of other weird supernatural factors played in and stuff, and basically under a very specific set of conditions, if someone you really love died in the exact same way that you did in a different world, and if you guys both really loved each other in both of those worlds, it’s possible that you two might form some sort of semi-mystical connection.”

“Shouldn’t that happen more often than it does?” Jenny inquired, frowning. “There are infinite parallel worlds.”

“Well, there are, but, um,” Buffy smiled a little sadly, looking down, “one of the conditions is that the two people don’t have any other ways of working through their grief. You missing Giles isn’t what connected you guys—you doing nothing but miss him is what did the trick.”

“Oh,” said Jenny. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the kids thinking of her as so lonely that she could create half of a trans-dimensional connection with a parallel universe, even if it was true in the technical sense. It felt weird to her, thinking of herself that way. Kind of pathetic.

Willow pointed to her chart a little nervously. “What we’re trying to figure out is how to change the connection,” she said. “What might strengthen or weaken it. Whatever you want to do, it won’t work until we understand how the connection works.”

“Do you know what you want to do?” Buffy asked tentatively.

“Well,” said Jenny carefully, “if I could, I’d—I’d like to see him.” She hesitated, thinking, then, “Will you all be able to see him too?”

Willow’s smile faded a little. “Probably not,” she said finally. “The connection’s not that strong—it’s really only between you guys.”

Jenny opened her mouth, already halfway to apologizing, when Buffy said firmly, “This isn’t on you, Ms. Calendar. It’s not like you went out looking for a way that only you would be able to see Giles, right?”

“Right,” said Jenny, surprised.

“Then we’re good,” said Buffy, turning to Willow. “Will, what would we need to do to make the connection strong enough for Giles and Ms. Calendar to see each other?”

“I’m not sure.” Willow glanced back at her chart, scanning the names and dates.

“Wesley, call the Council,” Buffy instructed Wesley. “See if maybe they have some kind of ritual that might—”

“No,” said Wesley.

“What?” said Buffy.

“I have let this—this madness go on for long enough,” said Wesley with almost comical authoritativeness. “Buffy, you are to abandon this project, and your friends shall do the same. This is distracting all of us from the importance of nightly patrolling and keeping this town safe.”

“If Ms. Calendar goes crazy and kills you, that definitely won’t count as keeping this town safe,” commented Xander. “Did you factor that in, or do you just want to remind everyone that you’re the big manly Watcher in the room?”

“Be that as it may—” began Wesley.

“Giles,” said Buffy, “was and is the best Watcher I have ever had, not to mention one of the best people I’ve ever met. I am not letting Ms. Calendar lose the chance to get to talk to him again, whether or not you’re helping us.” She turned to Jenny. “We can do this on our own,” she said. “Without resources or whatever.”

“We don’t have to,” said Jenny slowly.

“What?”

“Hold on.” Jenny hurried over to the phone and dialed Rupert’s apartment, just because it felt more natural to pretend she was calling him and not a mystical connection. He picked up on the third ring. “Hey,” she said. “What do you know about mystical connections? My kids are kickass and they just figured a bunch of stuff out.”

She glanced over her shoulder. Willow was beaming hugely, Buffy was smiling at the floor, and Wesley looked thoroughly angry with everything.

“Well,” said Rupert. Jenny could hear the smile in his voice. “Your kids, then?”

“So not the point,” said Jenny, and found that she was grinning. “Listen, Buffy found this fairy tale about a prince and princess who could see each other through a reflection on water, and I think it was Willow who found out about the Slayer in the 1720s?”

“Xander and Kendra, actually,” said Willow proudly.

“Xander and Kendra,” Jenny corrected herself. “Anyway—”

“Hey,” said Buffy suddenly. “If the prince and princess can see each other through a reflection, why can’t you and Giles?”

“That’s—a really good idea,” said Jenny.

“Did I say something?” said Rupert bemusedly.

“No, honey, just stay on the line, okay?” Jenny glanced over at Willow. “I think the intent to communicate might have to do with it, somehow,” she said. “Like—me getting on the phone and trying to call someone always gets rerouted to Rupert, right? Maybe if I try and pull off a communication spell with a mirror, I’ll reach him.”

“Brilliant,” said Rupert proudly.

“That’s a really good idea!” said Willow with a grin.

“You still have to have a number to call, though,” said Kendra suddenly.

“What?” said Jenny.

“Well,” Kendra stood up, hurrying over to the phone, “you have to call a number before you reach Giles. You can’t just pick up the phone line and have him right there. If you’re casting a spell, you have to be casting it so that you’re going to contact something in this universe, not in the next.”

“Good call,” said Jenny. “Willow, get two mirrors and the grimoire from Rupert’s old office. Rupert, go—set up a mirror on your end.”

“I love you.”

Jenny smiled. “I love you too.”

Willow placed the mirrors at opposite ends of the library table and opened the large grimoire before sitting down in front of one of the mirrors. “I’ll let you know what I see!” she said excitedly, carefully drawing the needed sigils on the mirror with permanent marker.

“If everything works out, you shouldn’t be able to see anything,” Jenny reminded her patiently.

“I know, I’m just excited for you,” said Willow happily.

Jenny thought about getting to really see Rupert again and felt herself smiling almost unconsciously. “Yeah,” she said. “Me too. Is there—anything you guys want me to pass along to him?”

“Tell him I love him,” said Buffy, eyes fixed on a point above Jenny’s head. “And tell him to make sure there’s someone there to take good care of him.”

“Will do,” Jenny agreed, facing the mirror. “Willow?”

“All set,” Willow agreed, sliding the grimoire to Jenny across the table.

Jenny turned the pages to the communication spell. It was really pretty simple, especially over such a short range. “Okay,” she said. “Once I draw on the matching sigils, our mirrors should theoretically sync up. You ready?”

“Mostly,” said Willow a little nervously.

Uncapping her permanent marker, Jenny copied the sigils from the book, drawing them each in a designated place on the mirror. There were ten she needed to replicate, each with their own specific meaning in order to connect the two mirrors.

“Does ink work?” said Xander. “Shouldn’t they be using something like blood? Or sparkle dust?”

“It’s more about the sigils existing than what’s used to create them,” Willow explained. “You almost done, Ms. Calendar?”

Jenny was just about to start work on the last sigil when the mirror started to glow. “Wait,” she said, standing up. “That’s not—”

“Yikes!” said Willow in a high voice, jumping away from her mirror, which was beginning to melt. “Do they normally do that?”

In Jenny’s mirror, she could very faintly see the outline of Rupert’s face, which was sporting a slightly worried frown. His eyes met hers and widened. “Jenny?” he said.

“Okay, I heard something,” said Willow. “Not, like, really clearly, but I shouldn’t be able to hear anything. All the legends say—”

“Ms. Calendar didn’t finish with the last sigil,” Wesley explained smugly. “Something must have gone wrong.”

“Is it possible that maybe you made some sort of portal by accident?” said Buffy uneasily. “Like—you somehow connected directly to Giles’s mirror instead of connecting to Willow’s first?”

“Wrong number,” said Kendra with worry. “Interdimensional portals never go well.”

“Wait,” said Jenny. “That would only work if—” She stopped, then glared. “Rupert, did you draw on the last sigil?”

“Um. One moment.” Rupert fumbled with his mirror. “Well—I was going to, and then it started glowing.”

“Great,” said Jenny dryly. “So, how likely is it that an interdimensional portal could cause serious harm?”

Rupert smiled softly at her. “Not too likely,” he said. “Not if the connection isn’t too strong.”

“Giles?” said Buffy in a small voice. “Is that—can you hear him, Willow?”

“Let’s just hypothetically say that the connection might be getting stronger,” said Jenny a little nervously. “What would happen then?”

“From my research, these sorts of connections aren’t usually strengthened,” Rupert replied. “They’re much like thin bits of string stretching between dimensions. Making the string stronger would pull the dimensions closer until either the dimensions fuse, or—”

The mirror began to glow, painfully brightly.

“We have to smash it!” Willow yelled.

“No!” shouted Jenny. “We break the connection and I never see him again!”

“Ms. Calendar—”

Jenny scooped up the mirror, holding it tightly to her chest in an effort to protect it from any attacks.

This didn’t go exactly as planned.

[jennycalendar]

Imperfections (5/?)

or: finally things start happening in regards to jenny and faith

it’s also on ao3

Faith had just put a stake (or, more accurately, a giant wooden beam) through Kakistos when a disheveled Giles raced in, followed by Ms. Calendar. “Buffy!” he said with utter relief. “We—are you all right?”

“I think we’re good,” said Buffy with a small smile at Faith, who was pretty sure she might be shaking a little but still managed a convincing smile back.

To Faith’s surprise, Ms. Calendar very quietly stepped past Buffy and Giles, coming up to her with a slightly nervous expression. “I—heard about Kakistos,” she said tentatively, and the quiet, worried sympathy in her eyes made Faith suddenly, violently angry. As much as she’d initially liked Ms. Calendar, she still didn’t like it when people looked at her like that. Like they were somehow high enough above her to be concerned for her or some shit like that.

“So?” said Faith coolly.

Ms. Calendar didn’t seem fazed by this, but she did school her expression into something less readable. Faith didn’t want to like her for that, and tried not to. “So I wanted to ask where you were staying,” she said. “I’m guessing it’s at the motel?”

Faith nodded slowly.

“Look.” Ms. Calendar twisted her hands, halfway glancing over at Giles and Buffy (who were talking quietly with near-identical exhausted expressions on both their faces) before continuing. “I know you’re a smart, capable Slayer, and I don’t want this offer to seem like I’m trying to patronize you or anything, because I get the sense you’ve been taking care of yourself for a good amount of time. But if you’re staying in Sunnydale—”

“Never said I was,” said Faith, fixing her with her best annoyed stare. She hated herself for it, a little, because she had a feeling Ms. C was just trying to help or whatever, but she didn’t want that kind of help. Or need it.

Ms. Calendar still looked unbothered. This was unusual to Faith. Generally, the kind people she met were always cowed by her indifference or (if it came down to that) her anger, but—it almost looked like Ms. Calendar was giving her a flat, disinterested look right back. Granted, her eyes were still reassuring and soft, but Faith couldn’t all the way tell whether or not Ms. Calendar was just trying to look brash and indifferent or whether a part of her really was.

Despite herself, Faith was intrigued. “If I was,” she said carefully, still keeping her tone neutral, “what would you be offering?”

“My place has a spare room,” said Ms. Calendar. “And I can install a lock on the door, so you’ll have privacy from the rest of the house.”

Faith imagined sleeping somewhere that wasn’t a motel, staying with this woman who seemed a strange mixture of sharpness and softness, and felt a strange ache in her chest at the thought. It took her a moment to realize that it was want, a deeper kind than just wanting a weapon or a leather jacket, and it scared her more than she cared to admit. The question that came to mind was What happens when you get tired of me? but she bit it back, taking a ragged breath.

“You don’t have to answer right now—”

“Okay.”

Ms. Calendar blinked, startled. Faith liked that. She didn’t like conforming to people’s expectations, and if Ms. Calendar was confused by her, she couldn’t reject her. Not that Faith would care, because she could always just go back to the crap motel, but— “I have to pick up some stuff from the motel first,” she said.

“I’ll come with you,” said Ms. Calendar. “Someone’s gotta pay for damages.” She didn’t say it in an accusing way, just matter-of-fact.

“You don’t need to do that,” said Faith sharply.

“Yeah, well, otherwise you get a bunch of calls from the motel guy and he eventually takes someone to court,” said Ms. Calendar with a small, amused smile. “Trust me. When I was sixteen, I broke the window of a lady’s house with a brick when I was trying to steal her cat, and I almost got sued over it.”

“What?”

“Long story. Involves magic. I’ll tell you when we know each other a little better.” Ms. Calendar walked away, falling into step with Giles and saying something quietly to him. He smiled at her and wound an arm around her waist.

Faith watched them for a moment (Ms. Calendar’s soft, unguarded eyes, Giles’s easy smile) and then followed, not entirely sure what she was feeling. Or maybe (and this was the option she was leaning towards) she just didn’t want to think about it.

Faith was quiet during the car ride back. Jenny had Rupert drop them off at the school so she could get her car, and kissed him goodnight in the parking lot.

“Get a new car,” she said as she let go of his hands.

“I love you too, dear,” said Rupert with a small smile. Jenny fixed him with a pointed look. “But yes,” he agreed reluctantly. “I do need a new car.”

Jenny kissed him again, harder this time, mostly because she was really excited about having a boyfriend who didn’t drive a Citroen with the windows still smashed in from that one time zombies had tried to kill them. She pulled away to hug him, said, “We’re going car shopping this weekend,” ignored Rupert’s groan, and hurried across the parking lot to where Faith was waiting by Jenny’s car, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

“Nice car,” said Faith, jerking her head towards the Beetle. It wasn’t clear whether or not she meant it.

“I thought it was the cutest thing back in my twenties,” said Jenny. “It doesn’t really work for driving around the kids, though. I’m thinking of getting an SUV.”

“So you’re like the Scooby mom or something?” said Faith, a derisive laugh in her voice.

Jenny didn’t let it sting. “I like to think of myself as the Scooby cool aunt, but yeah, I’m probably the mom,” she joked, unlocking the car. “You want the radio?”

Faith shrugged.

“Cool.” Jenny got in, starting up the engine. “Buckle your seatbelt,” she reminded Faith, who gave her what was very clearly an are you serious look. Jenny gave Faith the look she’d gotten very used to giving Xander. Faith obliged, but did it somewhat huffily.

It felt strange and natural to drive with Faith in the front seat. Jenny chalked it up to taking care of Willow and Xander over the summer. Somewhere along the line, she had turned into some kind of a mom, which made her want to laugh. She turned on the radio instead.

They drove mostly in silence, although Jenny did catch Faith quietly tapping along to the rhythm of one of the songs out of the corner of her eye. The more she saw of Faith, the more she wanted to help her, but she knew it was going to be an uphill battle. Like trying to help me, Jenny thought, and smiled slightly. She remembered what it was like to want everyone to believe you were strong, and to be angry at anyone who tried to love you too much.

Jenny pulled up next to her house and got out of the car, Faith following. “The spare room has a bed, but not much else,” she said apologetically as she unlocked the front door. “I mostly set it up since Xander and Willow stayed over on occasion last summer, but if you’re planning on staying long-term, I can definitely take you out to buy more furniture.”

“Bed’s fine,” said Faith, breezing past her without looking her in the eye. “Just through that door?”

Jenny nodded, watching her go.

The spare room was small and lit with a yellowy glow from the crappy overhead light. There were a few posters up, charts and lists written in loopy cursive that seemed to fit Ms. Calendar nicely. Faith paused by a moon chart and saw that Ms. Calendar had stuck post-its all over it with notes in various languages. Seemed like Ms. Calendar was just as much of a nerd as her boyfriend.

Faith sat down on the bed. The sheets were soft, and not at all cheap-motel scratchy; they’d been washed recently. Faith wondered for the first time if Ms. Calendar had been planning to ask her to stay earlier than this, but decided against it. She tossed her duffel bag down at the foot of the bed, kicked off her shoes, and changed quietly into a large, worn nightshirt, settling herself under the covers.

She didn’t want to feel safe. She hated that. She’d thought she was safe with her Watcher, and it had gotten taken away, and now she was stupid enough to start thinking that maybe Ms. Calendar could be some kind of help to her. She didn’t want to like Ms. Calendar any more than you’d like some cool teacher who made funny jokes. Ms. Calendar wasn’t like anyone Faith had ever met. She liked Faith, but she wasn’t taken aback when Faith didn’t like her. She didn’t have time for idiots, but she was letting Faith stay in her house. Lots of qualities that made sense by themselves, but definitely not paired together.

Faith refused to let herself be lulled into a false sense of security. Kakistos was dead, sure, but that didn’t mean some other big bad could come after her or (Faith’s stomach clenched) after Ms. Calendar, who for all her calm determination didn’t really seem like the type to face down a master vampire. She closed her eyes, pulled the covers tight around her, and tried to ignore the way it felt to be warm and safe, because she knew that nothing like this ever lasted.