#aaaaaand!! he doesn't have eyes XD

[kandadze]

FoF rewatch ep 3: or, Gone sleuthing (gifs and loose thoughts)

Before we begin, let's take a second to appreciate our beautiful elven boy and his (absolutely adorable) tiny bright blue horns hair clips (while he's roasting ZYZ for being sarcastic at the prospect of the rest of the squad losing their heads in 5 days' time... that's why you never sign a binding document in blanco, folks!):

Speaking of signing binding documents, let's look at the Great Demon acting all cool while literally at the feet of our archivist:

This moment, the way it was lit and the angle at which it was shot, is just everything:

(Look at him, so pleased with himself:)

And now let's take a second to appreciate ZYZ's slow blink at ZYC after telling him about the life contract with WX:

Overall, knowing how the story progressed, ep 3 is the last one where humor definitely outweighed the angst, and any hints for our characters' backstories were merely sketches. We get a lot of running around collecting clues, with Bai Jiu being the main comic relief, the girls not far behind, and everyone roasting the hell out of ZYZ while he only sometimes nips back, pretty jovially, and mainly at ZYC.

(Damsel Bai Jiu, desperately in need of smelling salts)

The girls:

The boys doing their sleuthing in their own ways:

Also, this is the first ep with our characters shown outside of the city, in nature, and it's so beautiful:

"All demons are ugly." "Nonsense!"

(Reader, it was indeed nonsense.)

ZYZ: talks about white hair being beautiful to demons

ZYC's Petty Little Bitch mode: activated

(But soft, reader, here's proof that our lovely ZYC has since matured lol)

Right in the middle of the sleuthing shenanigans, we have a beautiful conversation about dreams, human nature, how everyone wishes for something, how everyone has something they want to escape from. We get a mention of the Truth Eye, together with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it wistful look from ZYZ that makes so much sense later.

We find out that ZYC doesn't dream; in WX's memory, we hear ZYC's explanation of why he fears to dream, and for the umpteenth time on this rewatch, I went (say it with me), foreshadowingggg!

Aaaaaand we get introduced to our sexy possessive demon, though we have no clue who the heck he is at this point, only that he knows ZYZ and is clearly uhhhh conflicted about him.

Also holy shit but only now on the rewatch did I realize what the illusion Ran Yi tried to use on ZYZ was - and why ZYZ was so freaked out... (all together now: foreshadowing!!!! I swear if I took a shot each time I say it while rewatching I'd put myself in a goddamn coma.)

Huh, Ran Yi thought ZYZ had the Truth Eye... on the first watch we still don't quite know what that is, only that it helps to see through the illusions, so it would make sense that ZYZ has it. Rewatching, and knowing that he doesn't, *and* what happened to it... makes for a nice little circle going back to LL's introduction.

Speaking of the devil, the possessive demon is gonna possess (*and* also look good while at it):

And our demon hunter now knows that there's definitely something... fishy going on in the Qi manor:

Ahhhh I forgot about the low maintenance pets exchange! XD All the kinks unlocked in this drama istg...

Huh, I also completely forgot about him catching the arrow!

ZYZ flashing back to the younger, softer LL just as he half shields WX from what he knows is a completely different animal *now*, is absolutely not hitting me in any feels, nope:

(There's also something to be said about the fact that ZYZ is not surprised by LL possessing some (not so) random dude, so even on the first watch we're bound to assume that it happened before and ZYZ is not a fan. We don't get to see any of those instances, but one sentence from ZYZ is enough.)

WX immediately recognizes LL's name but still thinks it was him who killed her shifu, simply because being tossed aside like a rag doll by him is the last thing she remembers from that day...

I was close to screeching at my screen when he activated the true seeing in her, and not only is he ::gestures at the whole of him:: but then she looks to the side and ZYZ looks like *that*, and the effect is still not lost on me on the second viewing:

They made sure to end almost every ep with a well timed cliffhanger, but since we don't have to worry about that anymore, on to ep 4!

I'll just leave this pretty shot here before I go, because those swirly things are so cool (and so unsettling when put in context):

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Imperial Supercommandos"

AKA the episode that dragged me into the Sabezra hellspiral and sunk me for them good. XD

Just gonna go ahead and preemptively apologize for how obnoxious a shipper I'm probably going to be in this one, can't help it, I already liked them before this episode but then they showed all the canyon chase clips at Celebration and my brain went, "Battle Couple!" and it was aaaaaaaallllll downhill from there, lol.

Something interesting that @seleneisrising pointed out is that Sabine is attempting diplomacy with Rau, with her repeated visits to him to play cubikahd and talk. She's let go of whatever desire for revenge she might have had against him back in "The Protector Of Concord Dawn" and is now following Kanan's example in trying to persuade him to the cause through mutual respect.

Which Fenn Rau doesn't seem to want to give her just yet lol.

Zeb calls both of them to the briefing room, whereupon it's revealed that the Rebels had been in regular contact with the Protectors but they've suddenly now gone silent. Rau insists they wouldn't go against his orders to harm the Rebels and Sabine volunteers to check things out. Hera makes her take Ezra and Chopper along with.

I maybe question the wisdom of letting two teenagers and a droid babysit a full-grown adult prisoner lol but I'll be charitable and say it speaks to Hera's confident level of trust in them.

...Though she does get in a jab about not wrecking the new Phantom II. (Which does look pretty spiffy, the roof fin shaved down, splashed with the Rebellion orange, red, and yellow. Sabine's added a stylized tibedee it looks like, for a logo.)

Ezra gets this quietly guilty look at Hera's comment, ouch.

Ezra awkwardly whistling as Fenn Rau stares at him is adorable and hilarious. Just the whole cutting back and forth between their faces makes me lol.

Ezra wanders off from keeping firm eyes on Rau and that's all the distraction he needs to incapacitate both kids and free himself. Whoops.

(Sabine would later make the mistake of letting Rau be the one to secure the Phantom II, which he promptly tries to take off with, so you know, at least she and Ezra are even. XD)

Chopper saw an opportunity to be a menace and took it lol.

Ezra's immediate worry and concern when he sees Sabine unconscious next to him. <3333

(Also, Rau, what exactly did you think handcuffing them together would accomplish? Did you forget about their droid? You forgot about their droid didn't you?)

Trying to reserve most of my limited photos for the canyon chase but couldn't resist this pretty cap. I love the soft lavender lighting Concord Dawn at twilight has. Last time we were here it was full night, eeking into dawn.

Gah, Rau just stands there, almost comatose. Shoulders slumped, doesn't even react when Ezra retrieves his blaster. We already know that something terrible has happened.

Aaaaaand yep, everybody dead. Once again the Y-7 rating is the only thing preventing us from seeing bodies piled everywhere.

"Why would Mandalorians attack Mandalorians?" HA HA HA THAT'S A WHOLE ASS CAN OF WORMS, EZRA. He's so innocent. I love him.

It's because Mandalorians be craaaaaaaaazyyyyyyyyyy.

Rau turns on Sabine to blame her and the Rebel Alliance for what happened to his men and because I've watched this episode probably dozens of times I'm actually focusing on the background starry sky.

My gosh that's gorgeous.

The Supercommandos arriving within minutes of the Imperial probe's signal makes me think they were actually hanging around, waiting to see if Fenn Rau or the Rebels or someone would come back and check. Probably why Saxon was so unamused with Ezra's lying later.

"Flying Stormtroopers?!" Man this would have been the perfect spot to put that dumb, "They fly now?!" joke from Rise of Skywalker C'MON IT'S BETTER TONALLY MATCHED AND IT MAKES MORE SENSE COMING FROM EZRA.

They can't quite escape the compound before the Supercommandos are combing through it so Saxon almost stumbles across Sabine's hiding place. Leading to one of my (many) favorite bits:

No hesitation, less than a second between moving into frame and firing at Saxon to lure him away, first impulse and base instinct to protect Sabine. <3

It gets him captured, naturally.

(A brief moment to say an RIP to Ray Stevenson, who voiced Gar Saxon in addition to playing Baylan Skoll in the upcoming Ahsoka show. He did such a fantastic job with Saxon, made him a very intimidating presence. Godspeed, sir.)

Sabine's first instinct is also to go after Ezra, but Fenn Rau urges her away. It takes her a long moment to move and even when we cut back to her walking behind Rau her body posture is clearly reluctant; she stops dead and gestures behind all, "Come on we gotta." Even when he points out that it's to her advantage that they don't know she's there she brings up that he's still got Ezra's lightsaber--drawing attention to the fact that he's weaponless in enemy hands. Rau argues back that not knowing he's a Jedi will buy Ezra some time for them to observe.

This is what finally gets Sabine moving, though she still pays a glance back.

Ezra apparently decides on being as annoyingly cheerful as possible to bluff his way through this interrogation, lol.

E: "What? Me a Rebel? *offended gasp* I could never!"

He's so cute. ^_^

Like I said before, though, Saxon doesn't buy it and moves right into "threaten your friends to make you talk" mode, aiming at Chopper.

Meanwhile up on the mesa Sabine takes offense to Rau calling Ezra "a pawn meant to be sacrificed [sic]". She's staying very calm in the face of Rau's frankly unnecessary pissiness, good for her.

Saxon taking a couple potshots at Chopper seems to rattle Ezra's composure here a little bit, he's not quite as confident-sounding as he was before here when he spins his second story.

Very slightly starting to panic and worry I think.

Heeeeeey Chekhov's Gun!

HEY, EXCUSE YOU. RUDE.

Leave my son alone you asshole.

Saxon's monologuing about how he totally wanted to murder the Protectors anyway is the reveal that convinces Rau to help Sabine... sort of.

Meanwhile Saxon continues to get rougher with Ezra. This makes the whump gremlin in my brain very happy. :D

Sabine's so excited to finally get a jetpack, aww.

We spend maybe a little longer on the fight between Fenn Rau and this random Supercommando than I would have but it does firmly establish how skilled they are and how much of a threat they pose so I guess there's that.

Oh man they showed the hard cut between Rau punching out the Supercommando and Saxon slamming Ezra into the floor in the early Season Three trailers and I distinctly remember thinking, "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SON?!"

Saxon making good on his threat to shoot Chopper forces Ezra to use the Force to throw off the aim, accidentally revealing himself to Saxon.

It's okay though because Sabine is here! :D

THUS BEGINS THE BATTLE COUPLE PORTION OF THE EPISODE. <3333

It's a little bit hilarious how closely this scene mirrors the first confrontation with Ketsu back in Season Two. We also get way better backstory details.

Lol Ezra's little smile when Sabine shades the Supercommando armor by saying she likes more color.

The Chekhov's Gun gets fired!

IF NO SUPPOSED TO SHIP LITERALLY WHAT EVEN IS THIS? LOL.

Ezra seems awfully surprised by her move, kind of taken aback at the... ahem... intimacy of it. He obediently clings to her when she tells him to hang on, though.

And then this:

...Come on.

Y'all had to know how that would look, right? Right? Which animator was like: "I'm going to have Ezra curling his leg around Sabine here! :D" You're not in trouble, I just wanna talk.

Beyond the obvious my-ship-is-in-very-close-proximity-and-being-Battle-Couple, this setpiece is just really well done. The fast tracking shots give a dynamic sense of movement, the music is frenetic and exciting, Ezra and Sabine work smoothly together to down three-quarters of the squad, even with Ezra's abilities limited by having to hang on to Sabine. If you watch close you see all sorts of fun little subtle details: Sabine gripping Ezra's hand tighter with both of hers, the splashes as Ezra's feet skim the water at the bottom of the gorge...

Also love Ezra's needlessly dramatic yelling Sabine's name when one of Saxon's shots dislodges him from her grip. XD

She reaching back tho.

Curse this photo limit I really want to just post a million caps of the pretty scenery because seriously.

Eeeeyyyy Main Titles theme used for a Big Damn Heroes moment with a ship, we haven't had that in a while. Glad you grew a conscience, Rau.

SABINE SAYS THE CURSED LINE AND GETS IMMEDIATELY TACKLED OUT OF THE AIR BY SAXON. You guys have got to stop promising to be right behind.

Needlessly dramatic yelling of Sabine's name moment number 2, lol.

This is ah... Uncomfy.

Did not feel sorry for him at all when Sabine busted his chops.

<333333

Rau confesses that Sabine's loyalty to Ezra is actually kinda rad and it's what convinced him she's a true Mandalorian.

Ezra's sentiments are still, "You guys are all nuts." lol. And aww this soft look Sabine gives him is just so sweet.

And... that's a wrap! This episode is not filler it's important to the wider Mando arc that centers around Sabine, also Ezra gets to be very cute and in distress, also he and Sabine spend a lot of time this episode being badasses together while Sabine holds him around the hips and waist, also I love it shut up.

It's also super pretty, I'mma have to make a separate post just appreciating all the gorgeous shots.

The conventions heavily spoiled this episode by releasing a LOT of clips before it aired, a mistake they'd later rectify by being stingier with their preview footage. I still enjoyed it though, it's one of my favorites. For obvious reasons, lol.

[shirodraws]

I love how draw my new boyo ;w;

[harumaki03]

Soooooooo~

I've been thinking (RUUUUN, EVERYONE) that I used to read this manwha/webtoon named "Girls of the Wilds" until it ended 2yrs ago (if I'm not mistaken :/)

Aaaaaand Queen (one of our main girls) looks like a loooooot to our Queen Nakiri Erina (both are blondes, amethyst eyes, cold, admired and on and on) BUT, Queen goes to a fighting school, that used to be for girls only until that day, yeah, that day someone decided that it was about time to have things mixed and this guy (only guy, thankyou) was accepted at this school.

I don't know how many of you have read the manwha/webtoon but, ¿don't you think it would be REALLY COOL see our SnS characters in a fighting school? *o*, the idea has been on my mind for the last couple of days, since I've been rereading the manwha.

Well, we have already seen Sōma, Megumi and Hayama with the fighting spirit style, so, it doesn't sound like something impossible, r-right? *sweat*

She's Ingui "Queen" Yoon (please, don't tell me that I'm the only one sensing some kind of resemblance between her and Erina @_@)

This is MY BELOVED CINNAMONROLL😍😍😍 Moonyoung Lee (she's also Queen's best friend, ahemahemHisakoahemahem), president of the Boxing Club :D.

Don't be fooled with this cutie here, she's the captain of the Taekwondo team, DalDal Choi. My relationship with DalDal is love-hate-love. She's so charismatic as Alice but more dreamy(???????) It can be really, just really bothersome sometimes is just that she, ugh, I, just forget it xD.

I won't post about Jaegu (the main character of the Girls of the Wilds) bcs he's nothing like Sōma or any Shokugeki character that we could really compare :/. I even hated Jaegu during most of half of the series bcs... AAAAARRRHHG! okcalmdown.

And I just want to share this small thoughts about our SnS characters into Girls of the Wilds or something like that :)

A photo of the holy trinity of the Wilds School just because :')