#SOMETHING WENT DOWN ON THAT TRAIN

[dianasprnce]

i’m losing my mind

[zabiume]

in fact, academy!rukia and HM!orihime are so similar, no wonder rukia took to her so quickly - to the point where ukitake even remarked about it. the obvious choice for that scene would have been ichigo, her established protégé, but it's orihime that kubo singles out as a way to show rukia's own maturity and development. she's not that girl anymore, and her mentoring orihime is a sign of her growth! rukia understands orihime, and she has such a tenderness for orihime that's very similar to rangiku's own attitude. there's this very "gosh, you're so silly (affectionate)" vibe both rangiku and rukia give off around orihime - not in a patronizing way, but in a "this is what growing pain feels like, trust me, i've been there and you'll laugh at yourself in a few years" way. i imagine that, as a teenager, orihime feels very embarrassed about feeling the things she feels (and all her feelings are so Big and Out There in a way that feels so difficult to hide), but having the wisdom of older women guiding her must have felt so comforting.

and this is especially fun to see with rukia, because while rukia's yell-and-motivate approach works with ichigo, it notably...doesn't with orihime. she has to use a more empathetic, gentle approach. and while rukia did "train" ichigo, the extent of her training was pretty much the equivalent of reading off the training manual. ichigo's journey as a shinigami was so wild and unexpected that there really was very little rukia could have prepared him for. but, even if we don't get a detailed look at her training with orihime, you get the sense that it's more formal, more serious. rukia is doing actual combat training with orihime, something she's never done with ichigo (and maybe never had to, considering his crazy growth spurt and learning-as-he-goes approach). and, unlike ichigo, you get the sense that rukia and orihime's methodology is more precise, practiced. ichigo is all energy, burst burst burst, straight-to-bankai (which is funnily/ironically more similar to renji's approach). but kido-user rukia, whose zanpakuto involves meticulous technique and even choreography, seems like a better fit as a mentor for someone like orihime, who is just as contained (see: other characters comparing her technique to kido; that one time she created a perfect sphere at kukaku's house – and was praised for her control). rukia not only supports her emotionally, she trains her in combat, which is not something we've ever seen her do. for her to take orihime to her own home, invest that much time and energy into orihime's learning...no wonder ukitake was surprised. it's the first time we've REALLY seen what rukia can be as a slow and patient Mentor and not just the girl who stuck a sword in a boy's chest and has to stick around to ensure he doesn't fuck things up because he accidentally "absorbed" all her powers. this is not to diminish ichigo and rukia's importance to each other, but neither of them chose or intended for things to be that way at the start. orihime and rukia's friendship is more intentional, more kind, because orihime isn't a stranger to rukia anymore and rukia isn't a stranger to orihime. i always think about that one scene where, after ichigo promises to protect orihime, orihime accepts ichigo's feelings, but she also turns around and thanks rukia/welcomes rukia back, as if rukia is just as essential to that moment, in orihime's head. as if rukia is just as essential to her as ichigo is.

[puppppppppy]

is this your card? ♦️♣️♥️♠️ it isnt but you dont wanna hurt his feelings

[mintjeru]

the rendering here accurately reflects my post-round 7 mental state: a mess

open for better quality | no reposts

[llamasofchaos]

So one thing they did in season three that I find so interesting is how they set up parallels between Mrs Jones and Julia Rothman. Because when you actually pay attention to their interactions with Alex you realize that it's actually Blunt that is similar to Julia and Yassen that is similar to Mrs Jones.

Rothman and Blunt were both so caught up in their own egos and obsessions that they didn't recognize how reckless their actions were when it came to how they ran their organizations and how they used Alex.

They both saw Alex as a piece on the board. Something they could use to get what they wanted, they both let their anger and pride get in the way of rational decisions when it came to certain decisions.

Then on the flip side you have Yassen and Mrs Jones. Mrs Jones was always concerned about Alex but until season three never really fought back for him or herself until she saw how easily Scorpia was able to get to Alex. Yassen tried to keep himself separated from Alex, he didn't want to help or see him, and then in season three he has no choice so he tries to teach Alex how to be like him.

It is so interesting because Mrs Jones is supposed to be the deputy of the department but we see in season one and two that Blunt keeps things from her that he doesn't from Crowley or Smithers because he knows she will question him about it.

This is similar to Yassen because when watching season three, at first it seems like Yassen is Julia's deputy but it becomes clear he isn't because he doesn't just follow blindly.

Season three was the turning point for three of these characters, both Yassen and Mrs Jones had to decide where they stood when it came to Alex and their respective bosses. In the end Mrs Jones chose to defend and support Alex and Yassen chose to hide in the shadows and offer protection.

Blunt had to choose to trust Alex and stop using his people like chess pieces in a game he didn't understand. This is why he is the actual parallel to Julia, because when it came down to it Julia chose to use Alex to get her own petty revenge and Blunt chose to put his revenge aside to help Alex and save innocent people.

[hanzajesthanza]

i feel like i just got so used to ciri and how natural ciri and geralt’s relationship left, via being introduced to the witcher via witcher 3, and then reading the middle of the saga before i finished the short stories…

that i never really innately picked up on the fact that ciri turning out to be geralt’s daughter and not his son was… uhm, part of the entire surprise, let’s put it that way :’)

geralt and ciri are just soooo natural as a father and daughter duo that i can’t imagine it any other way, if ciri had been a boy this would have been way less remarkable as a series, there would be no witcher series as we know it. so to me ciri being a girl was the normal and default, expected way things were supposed to go.

even when i read a question of price-sword of destiny-something more for the first times, i was like “ok” when ciri being a girl was a switch of expectations: geralt (and, supposedly, the reader) having expected pavetta to have a son. like… “alright, it’s a girl, so what.”

i had to be informed about how this was an intentional shock… not only because i’m not a parent, but i mean, well, ultrasounds get mixed up all the time, right… it’s not so uncommon to have a kid and be surprised by the gender…

and because of this, i was more inclined to eyeroll at blood of elves being preachy with going over ciri’s biological sex what seemed like ten million times in chapters two and three… what with the whole “daughter has her first period” subplot, ciri upset over her lack of potential strongmanship, and the witchers mostly relying on triss for guidance in raising a girl. the moral being both “just raise her like any other child” and “be sensitive to her needs that you’re blind to…”

although i still think these segments have visibly aged and date the series (not inherently a bad thing, just a quality of it)… they do make more sense when i try to empathize more with the perspective of a new father… who didn’t know he was receiving a girl… who thought she died… who only got her back through a miracle… and having to raise a girl… that’s not a young child anymore, not yet a teen, but is very shortly going to start going through puberty?! it’s like growing up in the desert, just learning what water is, and then getting thrown into the ocean.

because “having to raise a girl” still doesn’t seem that strange to me, but then i remember geralt didn’t see a woman and only had heard about them as a concept until he was an adult (because “warrior-monk” realness), he grew up with a hole in his heart that his absent mother bore, he lives in a highly gendered society, he experiences hostility from everybody of course but especially from women and girls, who take fright at him for… specific reasons explained by the old women in edge of the world…

no, geralt’s not helpless, but i forget, because he acts normal, but… (i mean, although he has issues, he could have really gone off his rocker with regards to women, a little sacrifice confirms this and vilgefortz embodies this) i forget that geralt’s inexperience with women… mostly manifesting in anxiety and both uncertain and impulsive behavior… like ghosting with a nosegay of flowers, the “dear friend” and all… would affect his view of the gender as a whole, including how he sees ciri. and it does.

in his situation, yes, having to raise a girl does intensify the element of “what the fuck am i doing”. especially as a single dad.

and although i do like it when the pov shifts from geralt in the saga but just to another person in the room, for how he becomes more of a distant and enigmatic figure, seeing him through others’ eyes always makes fills me with this uncertainty. buuuut, i would fucking adore blood of elves chapters two and three through geralt’s eyes just for how much of an emotional wreck he must have been… and trying not to show it to her :(

[ley-med]

Working in healthcare be like, I didn't really have time to pee during the shift because I had to see patients, so when I finally got there I realised my pee is pure blood red, but no time to panic about it because the med students are already waiting for me to start their lecture...

[felicitybrood]

OOOOUGH I just got to hecates third to last heart and man. I love her 🥺

[tortademaracuya]

I think im doing so good and then BAM sudden crying episode

[cheeses-degree]

I LOVE COLLEGE. I want to go home though 😭

[ilkkawhat]

Heya! Hope you’re doing okay ❤️

well, i didn't cry today (and more importantly didn't cry at work in front of everybody) so I'm taking that as a sign that things are getting better...I hope 😅

[gaiaxygang]

not sure if anyone else picked up on it but kanghan calls himself phi and sailom nong in the last scene (it makes me want to walk into the ocean and never return)

[beeapocalypse]

hey what do you mean pocketcat had daans soul

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[sysig]

Those quick-jumps out of prison leave something to be desired... (P1 | P2 | P3) (Patreon)

[rosicheeks]

i do not know if i ever sent this to you. i have posted it. i hope you like it Princess.