#episode 1 of the new Witcher season

[skoulsons]

“Come back?”

The question never failed to fall from her lips every morning, always needing the reassurance that he would.

After Silver Lake, she needed it.

He pulled away, his hands cupping her face. “Promise I’m comin’ back,” he said, a smile on his face. One that’s not seen often. One that’s reserved.

She smiled back at him, her grin reaching his palms. She breathed in and exhaled, Joel leaning forward to quickly kiss her forehead. He did, immediately pulling away and placing the tip of his forehead against hers.

They waited there a moment, the gates of Jackson opening to let the patrol crew out. “Better get going. Tommy looks like he’s in a rush,” Ellie whispered, Joel chuckling at the comment.

“He’s always in a damn rush,” Joel remarked, bringing his left hand down to her forearm, keeping his right still on her cheek. He pulled his forehead away from hers and brought it beside her head, pressing his cheek into the hair above her ear.

“I’ll come back,” he reassured as he pulled back, catching her gaze again. He brought his right hand down to her other forearm and squeezed both her arms tightly before meeting up with Tommy at the gate.

[terresdebrume]

I think I want to point at the elephant in the room today

The problem when we have the ever more frequent conversation of how to keep a fandom alive after the show it's based on stops airing is that we tend talk about it in a way that ignores the very real differences between the juggernauts of old fandoms like Star Trek and newer shows like Dead Boy Detectives, namely:

1. The difference in amount of material

2. The accessibility of said material

Part of the reason why Star Trek or The X-Files still have active fans so long after they aired is because those shows had multiple seasons with an average of 20 episodes each. For the X-Files' 11 seasons that's about 200 episodes each with their own storylines, themes, interesting ideas and frustrating mistakes right there to inspire Fanart, fic, meta, and any number of fanwork. I'm not even going to do the math on Star Trek: this show got about a bazillion shows

Dead Boy Detectives, and a lot of genre shows nowadays have like... Eight episodes. Ten, if we're lucky. Fandoms for procedurals or more broadly appealing shows fare better (Lone Star comes to mind, or sitcoms for example) because networks tend to keep them online longer, but genre series get ever shorter with ever fewer opportunities to really grow an audience... Think of all the shows that got popular on Tumblr in the past few years and tell me how many got a proper season? Shadow and Bones was cancelled. My Lady Jane: one season. Gentleman Jack, two (three?). Good Omens: maybe 3, depending on how the network handle the Gaiman situation. The Umbrella Academy got four seasons. Stranger Things, with 5 seasons and 42 episodes managed to equate roughly 2 seasons of the X-Files (probably not even that if you account for episode length). The Witcher currently has 3 seasons for 24 episodes.

Contrast this to shows like Dead Boy Detectives with, again, eight episodes. Maybe 16 if we get really lucky, but I'm not holding my breath. This is just materially WAY LESS soil for a fandom to grow in. It's not that people aren't motivated, it's that as much as you want to keep it going, there's only so much to say about 8 episodes! George Rexstrew, who plays one of the leads, even recently admitted that he's running out of things to say about his performance, and who can blame him? So after a while, you gotta turn to AU which by definition are always going to be potential hits and misses, since they diverge from what brought people to the show in the first place.

I know we're all real good at spinning yarn but sometimes it gets really hard not to run out of fiber.

As for accessibility: the Big Olds benefitted from two things. One, they were broadcast on much wider-reaching channels, if not from the start, then when they eventually made it on public networks. They had a regular play time, and you could stumble onto them by accident, this getting interested and picking it up. And two: the popular shows had a decent chance of getting tape or DVD sets, which made them easier to own and show to your friends so they could binge the story and join you in the fandom

By comparison, look at the barrier of access for Dead Boy Detectives:

Need to have a Netflix account

Need to see it somewhere in your recommendation (good luck if you come in more than a month after it released)

Need to see people talk about it as they binge (need to be in the right place at the right time, and by that I mean where fandom happens since Netflix has a habit of doing zero advertising for new shows)

Need to keep paying for a Netflix account if you wanna rewatch, or figure out how to do a piracy, which is getting more difficult and riskier every year

Need to be willing to get invested in a forever unfinished story

And when on top of that the writing in the first episode is, let's say it frankly, far from the best, that is a LOT of obstacle to overcome for a pretty small sandbox

So like, yeah, sure, we should be willing to keep making a fandom happen after a show ends, but at some point we can't ignore that the effort it takes to keep fandoms alive is getting way more intense than it used to be

[doamarierose-honoka]

Batman is back with a vengeance. Three years after HBO Max and Cartoon Network first announced Batman: Caped Crusader — the adult-oriented animated series that was eventually canceled by the since-renamed Max streaming service, only to then be picked up at Prime Video — the new Batman TV show is about to hit the small screen. Set in 1940s Gotham City, Caped Crusader is described as "a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens" of executive producers Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond), Matt Reeves (The Batman and The Penguin), and J.J. Abrams (Alias and Lost).

"We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City," Timm, Reeves, and Abrams said when announcing the series in 2021. "The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman's noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world."

Below, ComicBook is shining the Bat-Signal on everything we know so far about Batman: Caped Crusader, including the voice cast, release date, and the rogues who will populate the first solo Batman animated series in more than a decade.

Where Can I Watch Batman: Caped Crusader?

To watch Batman: Caped Crusader on Amazon's Prime Video, you'll need either a Prime Video subscription ($8.99 per month with ads, or $11.98/mo for ad-free) or an Amazon Prime membership ($14.99 per month with Prime Video ads, or $17.98/mo with ad-free Prime Video).

Batman: Caped Crusader Release Date

All episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader will premiere Thursday, August 1st, on Amazon Prime Video.

How Many Episodes Is Batman: Caped Crusader?

Batman: Caped Crusader season 1 consists of 10 episodes. In 2023, Prime Video announced a two-season order for the new series.

What Is Batman: Caped Crusader About?

The official description: "Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human — the Batman. His one-man crusade attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications."

Who Voices Batman in the Batman: Caped Crusader Cast?

The Batman: Caped Crusader voice cast includes Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass) in the title role as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets) as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, Jamie Chung (Gotham) as Harley Quinn/Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and Diedrich Bader — a DC veteran whose credits include episodes of Batman Beyond, 2006's The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and the Max adult animated series Harley Quinn — as Two-Face/Harvey Dent.

Announced cast members in as-yet-unrevealed roles include Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Toby Stephens (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Reid Scott (Venom), Dan Donohue (For All Mankind), Gary Anthony Williams (Hailey's on It!), Jason Watkins (The Crown), John DiMaggio (Futurama), Krystal Joy Brown (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Michelle C. Bonilla (9-1-1: Lone Star), Eric Morgan Stuart (Fallout 4), Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), and Minnie Driver (The Witcher: Blood Origin).

Batman: Caped Crusader Villains

A cast announcement video revealed Linklater's Batman voice and the Dark Knight's rogue's gallery: The Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, the pyromaniac Firebug, Natalia Knight (in the comics, a reformed career criminal with photosensitive skin known as Nocturna, the mistress of the night), the phantom criminal called Gentleman Ghost, and Clayface (the Golden Age Clayface of the 1940s was Basil Karlo, a once-famous character actor and makeup expert turned costumed killer). Caped Crusader reimagines Dr. Harleen Quinzel as Asian American — and Bruce Wayne's psychologist. Here, her alter-ego as the jester-costumed Harley Quinn is independent from the Joker, who is noticeably absent from the roundup of Batman characters.

Batman: Caped Crusader Characters

Batman – A cold, remorseless avenger of evil, seemingly more machine than man. Forged in the fire of tragedy, every fiber of his being is dedicated to the eradication of crime. (The Batman suit is influenced by the character's earliest appearances in Detective Comics, by creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger, with longer, narrow ears, a collared cape, and with black gloves rather than the original purple.)

Bruce Wayne - To the public at large, Bruce Wayne is a shallow dilettante, apparently wasting his parents' vast fortune on frivolous pursuits and hedonistic pleasures. In fact, he's an elaborate facade, carefully constructed to divert attention from his activities as Batman.

Selina Kyle / "Catwoman" – Selena Kyle is a blithe and pampered heiress whose family lost their fortune after her father was imprisoned for embezzlement. Despite having the silver spoon yanked from her mouth, Selina refuses to quit living in the lap of luxury and becomes Catwoman as a "fun" way to maintain her lavish lifestyle.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel / "Harley Quinn" – Despite a personable and bubbly demeanor, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is a brilliant psychiatrist who treats some of Gotham's elite. However, as Harley Quinn, she is a different person, entirely. A creepy, quiet, calculating menace who secretly dispenses her twisted justice to the truly despicable among her elite clientele.

Commissioner Jim Gordon – Former beat cop close to retirement, Gordon was hired to play along with the corrupt system and run out the clock till he can draw a pension. But they've sorely underestimated Jim Gordon. His unassailable character brings him into conflict with dirty cops and crooked politicians, alike. Not to mention, he has to reckon with a deranged vigilante beating up Gotham's criminals.

Clayface – Thanks to his "unique" facial features, screen actor Basil Karlo has been forever typecast as a B-movie heavy. Frustrated by the limitations his appearance put on both his career and personal life (he fell hopelessly in love with his co-star), Karlo turned to an experimental serum that promised to change his face. However, not only does this serum ultimately disfigure his face, but it ruptures the last of his sanity – creating the tragic, vengeance seeking villain, Clayface.

Batman: Caped Crusader Creators

Batman: Caped Crusader comes from Warner Bros. Animation (My Adventures with Superman, Bat-Family), Abrams' Bad Robot Productions (Lovecraft Country, the Star Trek films) and Reeves' 6th & Idaho (2022's The Batman, The Batman – Part II). Along with Abrams, Reeves and Timm, Batman: Caped Crusader executive producers include head writer Ed Brubaker (DC's Batman comic, Gotham Central), James Tucker (Justice League Unlimited), Daniel Pipski (The Penguin), Rachel Rusch Rich (Castle Rock), and Sam Register (Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One and Part Two).

[chaosandorder46]

Master fic list

I decided it was time to make a master list. 🤷‍♀️

Witcher

Tissaia/Yennefer centric

1. I’m OK, You’re OK (6108 words; uni AU)- Tissaia's anxiety is not under control. Yennefer totally gets it, and Triss is a therapist, because of course, she is.

2. And Then There Were Three (26,290 words; domestic fluff)-Tissaia and Yennefer are happily married, and want a child to complete their family. The process won't be easy, but they have each other and their ride or die friend group. Some fluff, some angst, and shenanigans arise on their journey.

3. Self Control (1,149 words; fluff and smut)- Dr. Tissaia de Vries has legendary self control. Unless Yennefer of Vengerberg is in the room.

4. Come to my Office, Please (3,123 words; Eventual smut)-A private message gets sent to the entire group and puts a series of events into action.

5. Stars Fell on Aretuza (1,210 words; hurt/comfort)-It's the first Ascension Ball since the Thanedd Coup, and the first in decades not coordinated by Tissaia de Vries.

6. You Mistake the Stars (31,647 words; whump)- Yennefer saw Vilgefortz as a way to get off of the pig farm, but ended up in a worse situation. When she casts an errant portal and ends up on the Isle of Thanedd, she meets a cast of characters that will change her life.

7. Such a Good Turkey (2,606 words, crack fic)- It's close to Thanksiving on The Continent and no one has any chill.

8. I Might Love You More than Coffee (46,484 words; fluff)- Yennefer is intrigued by a mysterious new regular at her coffee shop, The Lodge. I'm no barista, so I'm relying on my extensive coffee consumption experience for the details on this one.

9. Le Tits Now! (3,939 words; crack fic)-It's the holiday season and everyone is in various states of festiveness. Shenanigans to follow...

10. And I Swear My Breath Turned Silver the Day Your Hair Did (4,942 words; angst with a happy ending)-I've never really written a real fix it for the Thanedd Coup before. I pretty much just ignore it by writing modern AUs or insinuate that everything turned out ok.

This is a somewhat canon compliant (until it's not) fix it for the Thanedd Coup fall out. I've had it in progress for a while and seem to be having trouble working on my other fic until this one is done.

11. What’s Lost is not Lost…Keep Looking! (1,380 words; crack fic)-Ciri's beloved stuffy is missing. Tissaia and Yen are ready to go all Liam Neeson from Taken, but the answer may be closer than they think.

12. Now the Air I Tasted and Breathed (Has Taken a Turn) (WIP; angst with a happy ending)-Ok, so....remember the musical episode of Grey's Anatomy (Song beneath the song)? Um...this is the Witcher version of that. Kind of, though (in my imagination) the characters aren't singing, it's just a montage of scenes with the song playing. If you aren't familiar with Black by Pearl Jam, listening is a good pre-reading activity. :)

13. How did we get THIS way? (3,933 words; crack treated seriously) - An alternate version of Rinde if Tissaia had shown up a bit later. OR...Tissaia de Vries accidentally crashes an orgy.

14. Nothing Sweeter Than a Bitter Cup of Coffee (13,681 words; light angst and crack)-More coffee shop shenanigans ensue when Rita shares some news with Tissaia.

15. More Indelible than Ink (WIP, fluff)- Tissaia is the proprietor of deVries Ink and Paper Shop and leads a very quiet, normal life...that is until a stunning raven-haired tattoo artist walks into her store.

Sabrina/Triss centric

1. The Kids are Alright (5,399 words; mutual pining)-Sabrina breaks her arm badly teaching novices non-magical self defense. Rita and Triss help her and Triss uses her chaos. The healer becomes the patient and Rita is sick of their shit.

2. Downtime (1,034 words, PWP?)- Sabrina's office has a network downtime and she needs something (or someone) to do.

3. What We Lost at Sodden (8,858 words; hurt/comfort)- This is another Sodden Hill story with a focus on Sabrina and Rita's experiences. I feel like Sabrina was too OK, too soon after Sodden, and I would love to have seen more of Rita's experience being charged with holding down the fort, knowing her friends were fighting for, and losing their lives.

4. The Things I Regret (2,036 words; hurt/comfort)- Written on the the one year anniversary of my mom's death. We had a very complicated relationship and I've been surprised at how I've felt since she died, vs. how I thought I would feel. I also had lunch recently with a friend who has gone no-contact with her mother due to her refusal to acknowledge her childhood trauma. These human experiences are always so interesting to me...if a bit painful. So, why not write about it? 😁

So, once again poor Sabrina gets to be a stand in for therapy. I mainly chose her because of her conduit moment, we know she has some issues there. 😁

5. Put Out the Fire in Your Head and Lay With Me Tonight (2,226 words; fluff and smut)-Sabrina is exhausted and stressed. Triss helps her relax. This is all fluff with a little bit of smut and nearly no plot. Just like I like to write. 😈😍

6. Burnout (10,501 words; hurt/comfort)-Sabrina is burnt out and coping as only Sabrina can, which is to say, not at all.

7. Aretuza (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) (1,465 words; tooth rotting fluff)- This is a snapshot of an Aretuza where they all live happily ever after, even if the novices are a bit ...incapable.

8. The world was on fire (and no one could save me but you) (22,760 words; angst with a happy ending)-IMO, this is the angstiest thing I've written, so be warned. None of the major characters die (I could never) but there is some death.

9. The 14th on the Hill (8,985 words; angst with a happy ending)-Another spin on Sodden, but this one pulls from book lore as well as Netflix lore and HCs.

Group shenanigans

1. Icks (1,116 words; crack fic)-Tissaia learns a new term. Everyone shares an ick in their relationship.

2. Triss’s Greenhouse (429 words; crack fic) -Tissaia needs to relax and Triss has something for that.

3. Beige Flags (770 words; crack fic)-Tissaia is slowly learning tik tok. She needs an explanation of beige flags.

4. Another Fic Where Triss is Stoned, but with Pokemon (965 words; crack fic)- This is a crack fic, but based on a real life conversation. No need to take this seriously. :) This is based on a video game called pal world That is essentially a rip off of pokémon... And they have guns.

5. Hanging Around (5,593 words, crack treated seriously)- Ok. I was inadvertently sent on a side quest to tell an important, and very serious story. It is based on the delightful video below which gave me several much needed laughs. This is set in the AUMC universe where Tissaia is a pathologist, Yennefer and Rita work in the hospitals PR department, Triss is a nurse and married to Sabrina, who manages the lab. The slides in question are stained blood and bone marrow which are used to microscopically diagnose blood disorders, such as leukemia. I think that is all the pre-reading needed.🤭

6. After Sodden (29,044 words; modern AU; slow burn?)- Ciri is an environmental activist, but accidentally commits a bit of eco-terrorism. She's now a fugitive and turns to Yennefer for help.This was inspired by a Tumblr prompt...I have taken a LOT of creative liberties here. (Read: I don't follow instructions well).

Wheel of Time

• I (Critically) Care A Lot (7,677 words; Hospital AU)- Moraine and Siuan have a tense working relationship. Or do they?

• You’re Going to Make Me…Late (8,493 words; hospital AU)-Siuan applies for a new job.

• I’d walk to the depths of a world down below (and demand to get back what some circumstance stole) (1,867 words; crack)-Siuan is dead, like...dead dead. And Moiraine has to go to The Underworld to get her back.

[impossiblepackage]

say, i heard you reblog a post about role playing games. do you happen to know of any ones that i, a beginner, could feasibly get into in this day and age? i tried DnD but a combination of not having anybody to play with (whether irl or online) and a dissatisfaction with low level boringness kind of made it fizzle out for me

oh hey an ask from 3 months ago that I didn't even see. hi.

ANYWAY. First things first, i cannot recommend @theresattrpgforthat enough. Ain't nobody better at recommending rpgs than that blog right there. Now, on to my thoughts.

If you want a DnD-like rpg, Pathfinder 2nd Edition is gonna be my first recommendation. It's harder to find games for on account of being significantly less popular than dnd5e but it's probably the 2nd most popular game. It's also completely free, with everything being hosted on https://2e.aonprd.com/. It's got everything except adventures, those ya gotta buy. For the next 10 days, there's a humble bundle that includes PDFs of lots of the pre-remaster legacy books, and includes a couple adventures, including a whole adventure path going from level 1 to 20. As a whole, the game is different to dnd but it's recognizable. Big fan myself, and paizo isn't a bunch of pricks. The setting is also super gay. There's a potion of trans your gender, and one of the main religions in the world is the worship of 3 gods in lesbian polycule.

Ironsworn: probably my favorite RPG, period. (also has a space version, that works the same way). It is narrative focused, and designed for solo play or in groups with no GM. Works just as well by yourself, as a duo, in a small group, or in a traditional way with a few players and a GM. It's structured around it's vow system. Your character makes a vow, you decide how difficult that vow should be to accomplish, and as you do things that advance it, you mark progress. Eventually, you make a roll to try and fulfill the vow, with the difficulty determined by how much progress you've made. If you fail that roll, it's bad. Cool thing is that just about everything works that way. Undertaking a journey, delving a dungeon, fighting a dude, it's all handled with the same system. It's a game about perseverance and struggle and relationships, both with people and with places. also very fun to play for writing practice. It's mechanics are rooted in it's setting, but there's no reason you couldn't play it in basically any setting. the youtube channel Me, Myself, And Die is, essentially, Critical Role But It's Solo RPGs, and he did a great season where he played Ironsworn, check it out. Also, Basement Fort on youtube did a duo playthrough. I've only seen the first episode but it seems like a fun watch, as well as showing off duo gameplay.

the Witcher RPG: i haven't played this myself or even looked at the books yet, but everything I've heard about this game has me super excited about it. the general consesus seems to be "yo this is wayyyy better than I thought it would be, why aren't more people playing this, what the fuck". If somebody more familiar wants to talk about it, that'd be dope.

gonna ramble about the rest much less, LIGHTNING ROUND OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Dungeon World: same genre as dnd, but much less crunchy gameplay. Much easier to learn.

Kids On Bikes: it's Stranger Things but as a ttrpg.

Call of Cthulhu: get spooky, idiot. The players are investigators unraveling some mystery or another, and trying to keep their sanity in the face of some cosmic bullshit.

Lancer: it's about mechs! closer to anime-style mechs than battletech style, from what I can tell. I've heard good things.

Vampire: The Masquerade: you will NEVER guess what this is about. It's a classic, it's great, it pretty much redefined the way I think vampires should work. The new version of Werewolf: The Apocalypse is coming soon, and I'm real hyped for that, too.

Shadow Of The Demon Lord: my understanding is that this game is basically "DnD 5e, but good".

[fromtheboundlesssea]

HOTD Season 2 Episode 4 Live Watch Thoughts

I would love if they redid the opening credits of Game of Thrones in this tapestry style of HotD. Love it so much.

Wish Laena and Rhea would haunt Daemon too. They deserve to haunt him.

Oooo Milly should have been wearing dresses like this instead of that awful yellow dress.

Young Alicent should have haunted Viserys.

OH MY GOSH!!!!! He just beheaded her!!!!! I AM IN SHOCK

BLOOD ON HIS HANDS!

“Sad news about the usurper’s son” HE WAS MURDERED

Black goat was ominous.

Oscar! Baby!

King consort? Don’t think that’s the right title.

Aw! Little Oscar looks a little like Rickon’s actor.

Daemon asking a child to kinslay his grandfather. Good lord.

Why is House Tully heads always sickly during a time of war.

DOGS! I think those are Scottish dogs.

Oooooo Alyn and Rhaenys are going to talk!

OH SHE KNOWS?!?!?? She knows now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

“Your mother must have been very beautiful.” 🫥

WASN’T RELEVANT!!!!!!??????

Let women be more angry!!!!!!!!

No! I wanted Alicent to break it purposefully!

Oh? So Alicent is going to have moontea?

Grand maester is hot, not gonna lie.

Man this is probably the first time Alicent has had autonomy over her womb for the entirety of the show.

Note how the women of color are the only ones who are allowed to want violence for more than a single scene.

Why could you not have at least focused on Jace’s hand on Baela’s that would have been nice.

Why isn’t Jace placed more in charge? He is the crown prince?

How fast are these ships or did Corlys ride with Rhaenys?

Rhaenyra’s council is honestly doing pretty much the exact thing Viserys’ did.

Asking for people to bend the knee without a dragon really does feel less threatening.

And ooooooo Criston being called Kingmaker.

And Criston listening to the man’s last words while taking the head himself. Very Northern of him.

“That castle is more crippled than I am” is kind of funny tbh.

I hate that the Greens can’t be united. Why can’t they be united after the death of Jaehaerys.

Ooooo does Aegon not speak Valyrian?

Also, not Aemond saying something similar to Daemon in the first episode of season 1

So he can speak a little? Just not well?

STAY AWAY FROM HER LARYS!

OH HE NOTICED! STAY AWAY FROM HER!

I am going to reach through the screen and strangle Larys myself.

No you may not be bold, Larys!

Oh, interesting, she’s saying this to Larys. The trailers made it seem she was talking to Otto.

Is Rhaenyra suited? Literally neither of his children showed any suitability for the throne.

“The significance of Viserys’ intentions died with him.” YES IT DID

Man, Daemon is not having a good time right now.

Oh? Aemond?

Oh? Daemon as Aemond? The heck?

Oh, so it wasn’t an American accent?

“Do you now try to make your own claim?” Yes he is.

“A girl child you bounced on your knee.” 🫥

Oh? Is Alys going for him because he looks like Aemond and isn’t sure who she is supposed to be projecting into?

Daemon really is not having a good time. Good lord. This man is getting drugged.

OH THIS IS THE GUY THAT MURDERED SOMEONE ON THE TOUR!

LAENA!!!!!!!

Laena serving as a cupbearer!!!!! I AM SCREAMING!!!

What were the dragons doing before to be fed?

Why isn’t Aemond on the council?

Why isn’t Alicent and Helaena on the council? Didn’t the book say Aegon listened to them?

Is this the same day?

Also, again, this is how Viserys was treated. He didn’t really do much either.

VISERYS WAS HARDLY A KING

RAT CATCHERS THAT KILLED YOUR GRANDSON!

I like that Aegon still called Alicent his mother. I noticed that Jace seemed to stop calling Rhaenyra that.

Why have I seen Gwayne’s actor? Was he in Witcher? He looks so familiar. I’ll have to look it up later.

And now Rhaenyra is back. That took forever.

And yep, Jace is no longer calling her “mother”

Jace is really channeling his inner Daemon.

Was it necessary?

Alicent isn’t queen anymore? She’s the queen mother? Helaena is the queen?

Your caution isn’t weakness, you have literally just not been doing anything.

JACE LACKS THE EXPERIENCE????? SO DO YOU RHAENYRA!

Emma channeling their inner Elsa with that braid though.

Ooooo it’s rather symbolic of Aegon pushing aside his wine thing. Honestly Rhaenyra and Aegon should have been better parallels.

Oh? So Rhaenyra is going to tell Jace the stupid prophecy.

SUNFYRE! Aw, Sundyre loves his rider! That’s so cute!

Jace learning the prophecy (which is about an enemy to the NORTH) would have been great to know before he went there.

The prophecy really is stupid.

Like, it’s stupid. It’s pointless. It’s lazy storytelling at its finest. And we know that it went nowhere because in the show Arya, without a drop of Targ blood, is what destroys the enemy to the North.

Did Meleys’ design change?

Old lady Vhagar about to wake! She is so done with people waking her from her nap.

And I hate that that Aegon going to fight wasn’t planned. Rather him acting on his own decision.

Dang Sunfyre is a sure shot with fire.

I hate that this is the one and only time we will get a Sunfyre. I know that Sunfyre was Martin’s favorite.

And ah, Aemond is doing this so that he gets glory and proves himself more worthy than Aegon. *sigh*

Also, props to Aegon for holding on.

Ugh. So they’re having Aemond be the reason his brother is scarred. *sigh*

This is the battle that was being hyped up? This is the battle? Didn’t people say it was going to be like Battle of the Bastards level? Because…. Yeah no. No it’s not. This is our second “battle” with dragons fighting and it’s not great.

The Field of Fire was also better.

They were hyping up this battle far too much.

I feel sad that Rhaenys died, do not get me wrong, but the whole battle just didn’t feel climactic. I didn’t feel like I was on the edge of my seat in the way I was for GoT battles.

That was a cool shot though, of Criston tapping the soldier on the shoulder and him crumbling.

How they are treating the Greens is what they did with “Dark” Sansa and the stupid Starkbowl, pointless. Utterly pointless.

That was another disappointing episode.

Promo Thoughts

I don’t even know.

I don’t understand what they are doing. And I feel like a lot of people will be leaving after this season. Half of it is over and I feel like we’ve covered very little time at all despite covering so much time last season. It all feels disjointed.

[endiness]

If anyone is interested, here are all of the spoilers and rumors so far about Radovid and Jaskier x Radovid and just everything relating to that. And also book!Radovid.

"Royal playboy and younger brother to King Vizimir, Radovid finds himself suddenly a man on the inside of the Redanian Intelligence. With his good looks and drunken charm, Radovid amazes with how incisive he can be in political affairs, but it’s all games until someone gets hurt."

Source: https://twitter.com/witchernetflix/status/1514605669667663872

~

Source: https://twitter.com/RedanianIntel/status/1669074435586834433

~

Episode 1: “Shaerrawedd” Meanwhile at the Redanian court, our bard Jaskier is involved in political plots and schemes, which leads him to his fateful meeting with Prince Radovid of Redania.

Episode 2: “Unbound” Back at the Redanian court, there’s still plotting, scheming and the development of Jaskier’s romance with Prince Radovid. The bard even sings a song to the prince.

Source: https://redanianintelligence.com/2023/06/15/spoilers-the-witcher-season-3-vol-1-episode-guide/

~

Transcript of Radovid's audition scene with Jaskier:

Jaskier: It’s been years since I’ve seen the princess. Also, ……. If I could help… Radovid: It’s nice, but nothing like you chose. What I wouldn’t give to hear you play halfway as … on that one. Jaskier: Oh, a fan? And someone who understands true artistry? How the instrument and the artist can elevate each other. Radovid: Yes, two things of beauty, made to be together. Jaskier: Precisely! Radovid: So here’s a thought: this poor princess has enemies everywhere and truth be told our kingdom’s not a bad place. It’s cold in winter and humid in summer. The cuisine, however, spectacular. And my brother’s not bad as far as my likes are concerned. Redania may not be perfect, but it’s her least bad option. And if you came to Redania, you could be our royal troubadour. Otherwise we might have to listen to that reedy voice of Valdo Marx. Just think about it, would you? Jaskier: I would. Radovid: We should be going. [Suggestive] Unless you’d like to show me how you play your instrument.

* Note: I've changed the names to reflect the proper characters/locations.

Source: https://redanianintelligence.com/2021/12/02/the-witcher-season-3-audition-tape-suggests-more-political-intrigue-involving-jaskier/

~

We know that this [audition] scene or a very close version of it made it into the show and that there are more moments of flirtation and chemistry between Radovid and Jaskier later on. The two men develop a romantic relationship over the course of the season. And later, Jaskier and Radovid finally kiss.

Source: https://redanianintelligence.com/2023/05/24/yes-what-many-thought-about-the-witcher-jaskier-is-true/

~

“Jaskier falls in love,” Schmidt Hissrich reveals. “And it’s with a character who fans will know [and] continues showing up in the books. So what happens this season between them will have ripple effects for a very long time.”

Batey relished digging into Jaskier’s new love story. “He’s having his hot girl summer,” Batey jokes. “It’s been really rewarding to see [his love life] told in a very visual way. [We] ensured that these romances are told truthfully — and sensitively and carefully, without resorting to stereotypes… Hopefully we’ve created something that is special, a sapioromantic and sapiosexual [connection] that is as flawed as any other relationship in this show.”

One other element in Jaskier’s life may just complicate his newfound love. As he’s “falling into an uncle role” for Ciri alongside parental figures Geralt and Yennefer, Jaskier is also pulled into the political machinations of the Continent.  

“He’s certainly a man of many trades, but I’m not sure he’s inherently built to be a spy,” Batey says. “Yet he’s found himself in a time of war, in turmoil, and is trying to do his best to do something good.”

Source: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/witcher-season-3-henry-cavill-interview

~

Joey Batey finally verified that his poet will indeed end up in a romantic entanglement with the new character. "Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich came to me long before we even saw some scripts and said, 'This is the direction we'd like to take Jaskier,'" Batey told SFX, calling the romance subplot "a more modern interpretation of the books." In a previous interview with Netflix's Tudum, Batey declared season 3 Jaskier's "hot girl summer," calling the romance "sapioromantic" (a term that refers to falling for someone's intellect regardless of gender) without actually citing the love interest character by name.

Speaking to SFX, Batey explained that he doesn't "think Jaskier really sees gender," but also implied that meeting Radovid throws the character for a loop from their very first encounter. "We see Radovid arriving," Batey said, and, "for the first time in a while, Jaskier can't work him out. That to him is the most intriguing prospect." He describes a moment of recognition between the pair: "You wear just as much of a mask as I do. I want to see who is going to lower their mask first."

Hissrich also spoke with the outlet, and explained that Jaskier's relationship with Radovid will be completely different than his connection with a character video game players will know, Vespula. "When we started in the writers' room this season, we had a question about Jaskier that was really fun to explore: Who is Jaskier when he is on his own, away from Geralt, Yen and Ciri?" Hissrich asked. "What that brought us to is Jaskier's first really serious relationship."

Hissrich continued: "We introduced a character from the books, Vespula — Jaskier's on-again-off-again lover, but then we used that dynamic to provide a contrast to what happens when Jaskier actually starts to have deeper feelings toward someone." That someone seems poised to be Radovid.

"My priority was ensuring it was done in a sensitive, caring way that avoided all kinds of stereotypes," he told SFX. "I was heavily involved in some of the script revisions in order to ensure a very safe, sexual, romantic connection with this person."

Source: https://www.slashfilm.com/1309204/the-witcher-joey-batey-confirms-jaskiers-romance-season-3/

~

Jaskier will be singing tunes here and there throughout the season. One of his sad love songs he will be singing to none other than his new love interest, Prince Radovid of Redania.

Source: https://redanianintelligence.com/2023/06/12/jaskier-song-lover-radovid-and-other-tunes-in-the-witcher-season-3/

~

Mentions of Radovid in the books:

Prince Radovid was a minor, Queen Hedwig had been devastated by the tragic death of her husband - the aristocracy, terrified, had become stupid, and was disunited and divided into factions.

— Baptism of Fire

“I know [Calante] had wedding plans for Ciri, to join her with young Tancred Thyssen of Kovir or perhaps to the Redanian prince, Radovid, I don’t know exactly.”

— The Tower of Swallows

'Long live His Holiness!' A few voices came from the crowd, obviously bribes. Novigrad's hierarch Cyrus Englekind Hemmelfart rose and blessed the people and the army with his outstretched hands, while irreverently covering Queen Hedwig and young Radovid with the skirts of his robe.

Nobody shouts, "Long live Radovid", thought the prince covered by the hierarch's fat ass. No one even looks at me. No one is screaming in honour of my mother. No one remembers my poor father. Even today, at a day of triumph, which he so richly deserved. After all, that's why he was murdered.

He felt a gaze on his neck. Delicate like someone he did not know - or knew, but only in his dreams. Something that was soft like a brush of a woman's warm lips. He turned his head. He discovered the dark unfathomable eyes of Philippa Eilhart fixed on him.

Wait, thought the prince, looking away. Just wait.

No one could predict or guess then that this boy of thirteen years, which at that time was a person without any relevance in a country ruled by the Regency Council and by Dijkstra, would become king. A king who, after he paid all the insults that had been given to his mother and him, would go down in history with the name Radovid the Stern.

— Lady of the Lake

[alwida10]

What's your opinion on the new Loki powers from the second episode? (Energy blasts and moving shadows, as I know you don't wanna watch it -- completely understand, it's really out of sync and tries its main character like shit)

Hi dear anon! 🤗

First of all - I’m so honored by this question!! I kinda considered myself an outdated part of the fandom since I don’t watch the show anymore, and getting this ask gave me such a warm feeling!! 💚

Before I start: I said I wouldn’t watch the show, and I did not, so all I answer here is probably a bit awkward, as half-knowledge tends to be. I did. see the scene in question in the trailers and base my answer on that. If I forget anything or don’t know I’m happy to get corrected or supplemented.

I assume this is the magic we’re talking about:

I saw four types of magic: the green blast, the illusionary doubles, ripping the temped from Brad’s hand, and the shadows grabbing Brad.

In the movies, Loki has often used illusionary doubles. To me, his powers in phases 1-2 have been an integral part of his characterization. A mirror so to say. Or like a curse turned to advantage.

Loki had been stolen from Jotunheim and made something he wasn’t? -> he can appear to be someone else to a degree not even the whole population of Asgard realizes it’s him when he poses as Odin.

Loki was ignored, shut up, and silenced by his family? -> he learns to hide himself from Heimdall’s eyes, and even turn invisible to the shield agents in Thor 1.

Loki was lied to about his heritage, how people treat him, and even his future? -> he learns to forge lies so well that they become illusions that make people believe the wine turned into snakes, Loki was standing in front of them, and many more.

Loki’s rage on him being locked away and forgotten to the point only a guard lets him know Frigga died? -> his rage manifests in a shockwave that destroys everything in his cell.

There are more examples, but my point is Loki’s magic was mirroring what was done to him. It’s adaptive, and telling.

Now, regarding season 2.

Many people criticized season 1 for having Loki work too little magic. Season 2 seems to be “improved” in that regard, but my personal opinion was always a bit more complex. I do agree Season 1 had too little magic, but at the same time, I don’t think any magic is an improvement. If they introduce him doing powerful magic we haven’t seen before it will always lead to the question of why Loki didn’t use that magic against Thanos or the minutemen that arrested him in season 1.

Why didn’t he use the green energy blasts and go for a knife? Why didn’t he magically rip the prune sticks from the hands of the TVA agents and instead talk down to them from a stone? Loki’s journey in the MCU has been long and that makes adding magic incredibly complicated.

But even when we look past this, his new powers imo lack the elegance of his former powers. What does the blast connect to? It’s a push, I guess. Loki was pushed around so now he can push as well? Okay, I guess, but it’s also a very stereotypical way to use magic. The Jedi do it, the Dragonborn does it, the Witcher does it. It’s standard. I don’t think the writers put much thought into it. The same goes for the telekinesis. No worldbuilding or characterization-based explanation. Just some power many fictional characters have.

So, last but not least the shadows. I must say, the visual of the horns growing was … distracting for me. It reminded me of a snail stretching its eyes. 🙈 but of all his new powers I do like this one the best. The connection to the character is shady at best (see what I did here? Bwahaha) but at least I could see Loki trying to get out of Thor’s and Odin’s shadows by learning how to control his own.

Did this answer your question? 😊 if not, do not hesitate to put a follow-up one in my inbox!

[little-red-fool]

Reasons why I think Geralt is autistic (as an autistic person)

(Disclaimer, I know every autistic person experiences things differently but I’ll be mainly using specific examples for Geralt)(Also this might not be very well put together since I’m not used to making things like this so hopefully it’s at least semi-coherent)

Differences in communication and expression

Although he does talk sometimes, throughout the series Geralt’a verbal communication is generally limited and he keeps his sentences short and to the point.

Also since he often goes straight to the point he can come across as “blunt” or “rude” to other people, which is hinted at sometimes throughout the series.

He’s generally quite honest which is a trait found in a lot of autistic people.

He makes minimal facial expressions/his facial expressions are mostly very subtle (there are some exceptions such as when he seems angry).

Monotonous voice.

^^^ This paired with his minimal facial expressions makes him seem to have a flat effect which is common in people with autism.

The myth that Witchers supposedly don’t feel any emotions is similar to the myth that autistic people also supposedly don’t feel emotions.

Sensory differences

Geralt has a heightened sense of smell and hearing.

Social aspects

He prefers the company of animals to people, which is especially noticeable with his attachment to Roach and his reluctance to let anyone else touch her.

He struggles to make friends and become attached to people.

Geralt is often ostracised by others, partly due to their lack of understanding about Witchers which in turn makes them frightened of them or verbally/physically attack and shun them (a lot of autistic people are ostracised by neurotypicals, partly due to them having a misunderstanding of autism which can lead to a fear of autistic people, bullying, and ableism).

He finds it easier to connect with others who are “outcast” by wider society, such as Renfri and Yennefer.

Other notes

In the first episode of Season 1 several people comment that Geralt should buy new clothes since his seem somewhat worn-out—this could be because they’re his comfort clothes which would wear-out if he wears them a lot (although I may be looking too deep into it).

He hesitates to do things that he’s been told if he hasn’t been given a good reason as to why he should do it, and he’s reluctant to do things that he sees as unjust.

When it comes to morality he’s generally shown to think in black and white—a lot of people make reference to the “lesser” and “greater” evil and encourage Geralt to pick what they think is the “lesser” evil, however he sees them all as just evil and refuses to pick something he deems immoral.

This list isn’t finished but I couldn’t focus on rewatching the show because my attention span is too short to complete it but I might add some stuff in the future.

[murfeelee]

IWTV 2022 INSP - EP2: After the Phantoms of Your Former Self

Lestat: “You are a challenge every sunset, Saint Louis. And I would have it no other way.”

-- Interview with the Vampire (AMC 2022, S01E02)

MY THOUGHTS & CC CREDITS

MY THOUGHTS

It is downright CRIMINAL how short Season 1 was. I was already mad at shows like GoT and The Witcher for having 8-episode seasons, but 7 is a new low for me, as I’m a sucker for long-form content. But it just goes to show just how dang GOOD AMC’s IWTV is, that it had me foaming at the mouth for more. I know S2′s gonna be just as short, but 20 episodes for Season 3 or I’m burning their HQ down!

I just wish we could’ve spent a bit more time with Loustat in the honeymoon phase, before their relationship spiraled. U_U Considering the movie gave us literally NOTHING BUT the bad parts of them living together, as if they hated each other the whole time.

I cannot WAIT to get Lestat’s perspective in S3, cuz no matter which version you go by (book, film, or show), Louis is just canonically too deep in his feelings to admit that he was in love with Lestat the whole time, and was happy to just be with him, even though he was never happy being a vampire/murderer.

CC CREDITS

- decor coffins (open & closed) by @aroundthesims​

- Poses X X X X X X

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

Loki Episode 1 Reactions (Less Coherent Edition)

It's been two and a half years, y'all, and what a start to the new season it was. (I've seen mixed reviews in the tag, but personally the initial reaction is I loved it.) What I apparently forgot in those two years, however, is that my in-the-moment reactions notes are not very coherent. So I apologize in advance if you aren't sure what part the note refers to. I'm going to make another post tomorrow with some more coherent thoughts around the episode and some predictions about the season in general (I'm also going to be rewatching the episode later so that might lend more clarity to the next post as well). I also cut out a chunk of my reactions that were just me screaming a character's name when they showed up, unless it makes sense for the next note to leave it in (and there were a lot of these, since it's been two and a half years since I've seen my friends).

Obligatory spoiler warning if you weren't already expecting them. Prepare for some wildness. I've bracketed [ ] some brief clarifying post-ep notes (not everywhere though).

I'm obnoxious, I'm watching the entire recap.

The editing of this recap is interesting.

The bleak theme is worrying. I don't like it. But I do love the color scheme of the logo.

SYLVIE???!!!

CASEY!!!

Okay hopefully that wasn't Sylvie.

Someone give this boi [Loki] a nap. He's had a very very very long day and it's only getting longer.

What the fuck is happening.

X-5 you've got the haircut of a cop, I've decided I don't like you.

Man, I hope we fix this time-slipping in this episode, it's stressing me out too fucking much.

Oh motherfuck. This is driving me insane. This is Sisyphean torture. [I don't remember what specifically I was referring to, so I don't remember if this is an accurate description.]

OH MY GOD I LOVE LIZ CARR I HOPE SHE STICKS AROUND [Man, Liz Carr is just hopping from franchise to franchise this summer. She's in Loki, Good Omens, The Witcher)

OH SHIT. Renslayer and Kang. If they kiss on tape I'm marking it on the Bingo.

I DESPERATELY want to know what B-15's backstory is. She's a fantastic character and I want to know how she used this personality on the timeline.

Keep that Hitler youth-looking fuck away from my girl!

Oh my god, I'm going to be watching this conversation in the hall between Loki and Mobius over and over, because I love every part of it. The panicking, the teasing, the touching, the making each other feel better. Just the entire debriefing, reuniting conversation is EVERYTHING to me right now.

"In order to do that I need a Loki Who Remains." I love this

"I have no memory of having my memory wiped." Mobius. This is Catherine Tate on Nevermind the Buzzcocks telling David Tennant "I don't know songs I've never heard of" solidarity [I understand I'm making obscure 13+ year old references but this quote lives in my head rent free]

Ugh I HATE time travel. But it makes sense why his name is OB now. Also his door is a circle.

OB IF YOU KILL LOKI I WILL END YOUR CUTE BESPECTACLED FACE FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY "No...wait."

OB IF YOU KILL MOBIUS I WILL PERSONALLY FLAY THE SKIN FROM YOUR OWN BONES

Mobius writing "skin" into the dust on the computer lololololol

WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING JUST LET LOKI CONFESS

OB I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS IF ONE OF THESE BOYS EVEN SEEMS TO DIE AT THE END OF THIS EP

HOW IS HE GONNA HOOF IT BACK IF HE CAN BARELY CRAWL [I started getting really stressed at this point. It's pretty much caps lock from here on out.]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WE'RE GONNA END THIS EPISODE WITH MO BITING IT AND THEN LOKI FIXES IT IN EP TWO AND BRINGS HIM BACK

OR LOKI BITES IT AND THE OTHER WAY HAPPENS

THERE'S ELEVEN MINUTES LEFT BUT I DON'T TRUST MARVEL NOT TO MAKE ELEVEN MINUTES OF CREDITS

MARVEL DON'T MAKE ME CHECK OFF THE CRYING BOX [on the Bingo Card] ON EPISODE ONE

MARVEL

I WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP

MARVEL

LOKI

MOBIUS

LOKI

MOBIUS

SYLVIE MY DARLING MY PERFECT LOVE THANK YOU OH MY GOD

How wild is it that Loki comes flying back from the jaws of death itself and saves Mobius from getting his skin ripped off and they land on the floor of the TVA in each other's arms, and the first thing Loki does is bring up his ex-girlfriend [I wouldn't classify Sylvie as this, but I'm being tongue-in-cheek, and Mobius did accuse Loki of falling for himself in season 1, so]

OKAY BUT I WAS RIGHT THAT WAS SYLVIE AT THE BEGINNING [Before you reply, remember I can't respond to those, and also I forgot that was the past and at the end Loki's in the future. HOWEVER, I do still think that was Sylvie at the beginning.]

SHE IS IN BROXTON HELL YEAH WHOEVER FIGURED THAT OUT (I don't remember who that was) FOUR FOR YOU HOLY SHIT

Oh Sylvie :(((

[agentnico]

Fallout - season 1 (2024) review

The evolution of the phrase “okey dokey” throughout this show says so much for the good old fashioned writing of this season.

Plot: Over 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse devastates America, a violent raid by bandits on an underground fallout shelter forces one of its residents to set out into a barren wasteland filled with radiation, mutated monsters, and a lawless society of those who remained on the surface.

For a very long while in the cinephile and gaming community there has been this shared agreement over the video game adaptation curse. Video games have been plagued with adaptations that end up being met with terrible reception due to a combination of bad writing and poor visuals that don’t live up to the original game. To this day this fact arguably still continues with the likes of Resident Evil and Uncharted. And look, I love Hiroyuki Sanada as much as the next person, but that Mortal Kombat flick from a few years back was not great either. That being said, in recent years there has also been a trend of genuinely successful attempts that have translated surprisingly well. Detective Pikachu banked a lot on Ryan Reynolds sarcastic persona and the Pokémon creatures were utilised well; Netflix’s The Witcher has done pretty well for itself, well until now when they’ve swapped their lead actor for one of the cheaper Hemsworth brothers; Super Mario Bros. Movie and the Sonic flicks I’m not a fan of myself, but evidently from the box office numbers and audience reactions they seemed to have hit the right spot in the fans’ hearts. Then there’s The Last of Us. The original game won people over for its heart-wrenching human drama against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, and the TV show has done a perfect job of capturing that. Every episode has recreated the game down to the last detail, and even when things are changed, the spirit of the source material is still kept alive. All of that makes it a rare adaptation that succeeds in giving people a new version of the original game and then some, giving it plenty to offer for old and new fans alike.

Now it seems that positive trend continues, furthermore underlining that the video game adaptation curse is now a myth. Well maybe, as that upcoming Borderlands movie is a looking suspiciously clunky but we’ll see how that one turns out. As for presently, Prime Video has shocked us all by giving us a truly fantastic show in Fallout. And I say shocked as the last time Prime Video adapted a famous property was The Rings of Power series and they butchered that one hard! I mean I’m sorry, but making an entire over-bloated season about the mystery of who is Sauron, and at the end the reveal is he’s some teen-Twilight-era dude and we’re supposed to all gasp in awe?? Look, I get that it’s not Prime Video themselves to be blamed, but the show runners and writers, but naturally Prime has left a sour taste in my palette. HOWEVER - Fallout is actually genuinely a good time!

I’ve never really played any of the Fallout games. Never appealed to me, and I have always found it difficult to get into any Bethesda games. My fiancée however tried Fallout 4 half a year ago and apparently gave up as she found it too confusing and she got stuck at a monster boss fight early on. I do hope she wasn’t stuck fighting one of those tiny little bugs, surely not. That would be embarrassing. So I went into this show without being a fan of the games, though I was aware of its post-apocalyptic backdrop. One of the best things about Fallout the TV show is that it’s very accessible whether or not you’ve played the games. Yes, fans of the games will notice a lot of fun stuff from the source material, but even if you’re a total newcomer, you can watch and follow along without any issues.

The story revolves around three main characters 200 years after a nuclear war basically destroyed everything, driving some survivors into underground bunkers called Vaults. Ella Purnell (that’s right, one of Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children!) plays Lucy MacLean, a Vault Dweller who, through unfortunate circumstances, leaves the relative safety of Vault 33 and travels to the surface on a life or death mission. She’s joined by Maximus (Aaron Clifton Moten) a squire in the secretive Brotherhood Of Steel - Power Armor-wearing knights who roam the land looking for lost technology. Maximus is almost as green as Lucy, venturing out on a quest he’s not very well prepared to tackle. Finally, rounding out the main trio, we have Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, a gunslinging bounty hunter and mutant who’s managed to live for well over 200 years. We learn more about his past as celebrity Cooper Howard through a number of flashbacks. Naturally more characters pop up along the way. I just want to urge anyone sitting on the fence to give this series a shot. It’s great fun, with plenty of humour, action and mystery and its creators clearly put a lot of effort into making it true to the game universe, while also being inventive with their storytelling.

It’s also really gory. You get to see a lot of human flesh out on display (heck, there are even zombies in this thing!) and it’s all visually looked really well done. Again with Bezos’ Amazon budget, like The Rings of Power show, Fallout looks like an expensive series. It just so happens that unlike Rings of Power this one happens to also have good writing, characters and narrative. There’s some impressive world-building, with every shot filled with various details that I’m sure will please the game fans. The story is really engaging, and I loved getting into the politics of this world and how companies like Vault Tec have more to them that meets the eye.

The primary element that works for Fallout is that’s its easy. As in it’s really enjoyable and straightforward and makes for a solid binge watch. Walton Goggins is superb as the Ghoul. Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus, a squire for the Knights, was a great use of using a comedic actor and making them play things straight by simply trying to survive in this world, so that when the funny lines did come up they hit strong. Oh, and did I mention that Agent Dale Cooper himself, my boy Kyle MacLachlan is in this show?? Honestly, Fallout is a great time! Amazon, I still haven’t forgiven you for Lord of the Rings, but this is a good attempt for an apology.

Overall score: 7/10

[mumblingsage]

Timestamps for Jaskier living his best bisexual life in Season 3

Put together for @bishkebab but really for anyone who wants to enjoy a bard-centric watch or rewatch.

I've tossed in brief descriptions of what happens in each scene while trying to avoid big spoilers (though reading what happens in a later episode could spoil you for previous ones). The * marks a scene important to his romance arc with Prince Radovid.

This is actually the time given on the right-hand side of the screen/completion bar showing the remaining minutes in the episode, because that was the easiest for me to get accurately on Netflix, so smaller numbers are closer to the end of each episode.

Episode 1: Shaerrawedd

32:52 - 28:22* Meeting one love interest while mid-argument with the other one. Rolls right into a short scene with Geralt, Yen, and Ciri.

19:42- 15:16 Fight scene, Jaskier gets a few reaction shots and is even helpful; the best parts for bard-lovers happen from 16:13 on.

10:09 - 8:38* Follow-up with Radovid + another character from the earlier meeting.

Episode 2: Unbound

(Scene starts right after title card) 54:33 - 53:20 Some muppety goodness with Geralt

50:10 - 44:35 There's some plot-relevant exposition here but also Jaskier making friends with a cat (and flirting with Liz Carr's character) and otherwise offering charming reaction shots - and then sadder/scared-er emotions from 45:30 on.

35:08 -33:40* Going to Radovid for a favor, he winds up agreeing to sing for him + a roomful of fans.

24:09 - 20:38* Sings "Extraordinary Things" and has an extremely subtext-laden conversation with Radovid.

14:56 - 13:21 (*) Not Jaskier, but some of Radovid's perspective on events, and this scene has him doing his best to fulfill the favor Jaskier asked.

Episode 3: Reunion

(From beginning of episode runtime) 1:01:32 - 58:08* The Most Important Scene. Bisexuality: confirmed. Tits: out. His girlfriend Vespula: amazing.

58:07 - 53:02 This runs right from the previous scene but is rather different in tone and amount of visible cleavage. Geralt calls on Jaskier to comfort a distressed child (brief reference to the deaths of preteen girls) while they bring her to a druid for help.

38:00 - 33:25 Getting on the same page with Geralt about the conversation with Radovid's people back in Episode 1, winds up giving Geralt an idea how to help the child. Things get more distressing and perilous as this scene continues but Jaskier is helpful again!

23:15 - 20:08 No onscreen Jaskier but Geralt wraps up the druid plotline, makes plans to keep the child safe with her, and announces his destination (and Jaskier's) for the next episode: Aretuza.

Episode 4: The Invitation

44:33-40:56 Meeting Geralt (and Ciri) at the coast. They want to take a ferry to Aretuza but the ferryman's scared of a sea monster. Luckily the passenger list includes a witcher and a half, plus Jaskier. Unfortunately it also includes Jaskier's mortal enemy.

37:29 -35:50 Geralt and Ciri are on monster watch while Jaskier's in a snark battle for his life. You can watch a bit past 35:50 if you want to see Geralt and Ciri continuing their father-daughter chat.

31:35 - 27:40 The monster finally attacks, ending Jaskier's misery. He's kind of helpful in the background of the fight scene, keeping other non-combatants safe.

21:52 -18:41 Reuniting with Yennefer. She gives Jaskier the job of babysitting Ciri and the two of them do some lip-reading with poetic license at Yen and Geralt's expense.

(runs from previous scene, new location) 18:40 - 13:13* Sweet babysitting shenanigans, singing "A Little Sacrifice," and suddenly - enter Radovid. Without spoilers, I'll say that chemistry read between Joey Batey and Hugh Skinner sure proved itself. Wow.

Episode 6: Everybody Has a Plan 'Til They Get Punched In the Face

45:50 - 44:13* The morning after.

Biphobia is alive and well and as proof, that's all we get of him in this episode, though his fellow members of the Rience Hate Club will enjoy the bits around 31:00 - 30:32.

Episode 7: Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan

(right after title card) 52:00 - 48:15* Looking for Ciri, Geralt, and Yen, Jaskier finds Radovid instead. As a bonus for the Jaskier-cut watchers, Radovid provides him with a summary of major plot developments from Episode 6. (Biphobia is alive and well and as proof the camera omits the hand-holding around 49:28. We all know it's happening! But still!)

Yennefer gets him further up to date (and hugs him!)

The bulk of this episode is Ciri-centric. At some point I can't find the timestamp for, she sings "A Little Sacrifice" for a cute Jaskier-and-his-Pocket-Princess-bonding-moment. In terms of Joey Batey's face being onscreen, he gets to flex his muscles at acting sad and scared from around 11:41 - 11:24 in a hallucinatory scene that reaffirms his and Ciri's love for each other in the cruelest possible way.

9:54 - end of episode. Jaskier wins his way past some distrusting dryads to see Geralt, in part by singing (in Elvish!) "Enchanted Flowers." He catches Geralt up on events that have happened during the Ciri-centric midpart of this episode; unfortunately it's all bad news. Hopefully their hand-holding is comforting, though.

The credits music for this episode is Freya Allen (Ciri's actress) singing a badass dark reprise of "A Little Sacrifice."

Episode 8: The Cost of Chaos

1:03:14 - 1:00:39 (until title card) Geralt's an understandably impatient patient, but at least he has Jaskier to hold his hand again and otherwise enable him.

48:44 - 46:26 Jaskier composes some songs while Geralt continues recovering. And pledges to compose more (plus an epic poem) if Geralt gets himself killed going out to find Ciri prematurely. (The scene continues between Geralt and another character until around 44:33)

(Around 38:30 Yennefer appears to supercharge Geralt's healing, which is a helpful plot event to know if watching the Jaskier Cut)

35:30 - 33:33* No Jaskier, but Radovid's side of the romance nears its conclusion (for this season). You can stop at 33:33 if you want a happy ending, or watch past that til the scene change if you're okay with blood and want to know the rest of what's going on. 28:16 - 26:52 wraps up Radovid's plotline (for this season! I'm holding out hope!)

24:55 - 21:02 Jaskier's composing the credits song for this episode when Dara (Ciri's elf friend from Season 1, who also shows up in Season 2) says hello. Then on to making a Witcher potion. Jaskier cheerleads Geralt through his training sequence, still composing.

13:04 - 7:21 Jaskier fails to dissuade Geralt from a final fight scene of the season (sorry, Jask, Geralt's in the right on this one, they had it coming), but again proves very helpful in a non-combatant way!

Credits music is Joey Batey singing "Ride Witcher Ride"

Let me know if you'd like a rundown for Season 2 as well (it's a less rich tapestry since there's less Jaskier and the bisexuality isn't canon yet, although there are moments it's hard to read heterosexually, and wow is it fun to realize nobody expects me to do that again!)

The first 7 minutes or so of the tie-in miniseries Blood Origin also have some great moments, including Jackier being audibly not not into it when a supernatural creature mimics his face (can't blame him, it's a sexy face, amd Joey Batey is excellent at being ominous) and also canon confirmation that he has good self-esteem, which I like in my bisexuals! (He's also there for like the final 2 minutes of Blood Origin's 4th and final episode if you're a completionist, and Joey Batey sings "Song of the Seven" over the end credits, which is the song Radovid references when he first meets Jaskier.)

[the-empress-7]

We are playing the semantics game again are we?

Why you'll see Wednesday in the rankings but not Harry & Meghan

Shows and movies need sustained popularity in many countries to crack into the all-time most watched charts. That means you can see titles with "Top 10" badges in Netflix's app for days, but they still may not be generating enough hours of viewing to make the all-time rankings.  

For example, Harry & Meghan, a docuseries about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has generated 81.6 million hours in the first four days since its release Thursday. It still has lots more time in its 28-day window to generate watch-time, but TV shows need nearly half a billion hours watched to make it onto the all-time list, and even the most popular shows and movies need multiple weeks and enduring attention to accumulate enough. 

By comparison, Wednesday, the teen supernatural dark comedy series based on the character Wednesday Addams, has accumulated more than 1 billion hours watched in its first 19 days, making it the service No. 3 most popular series yet, with more than a week left to keep adding up more hours. 

Netflix's most watched TV series, ranked

The following are Netflix's most watched series, based on Netflix's own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles' release. Again, if a new season releases its episodes in two volumes on different dates, Netflix counts the watch time of the first volume's episodes for their first 28 days, then it counts the watch time of the second volume's episodes for their first 28 days.  

Any changes in the rankings from the previous week are in bold text.  

Squid Game (season 1), a Korean survival thriller -- 1.65 billion hours.

Stranger Things (season 4), a retro sci-fi series -- 1.35 billion hours. 

Wednesday, a coming-of-age supernatural dark comedy -- 1.02 billion hours

Dahmer, a true-crime serial killer series -- 856.2 million hours.

Money Heist (part 5), a Spanish-language thriller -- 792.2 million hours. 

Bridgerton (season 2), a period romance -- 656.3 million hours.  >

Bridgerton (season 1) -- 625.5 million hours.

Money Heist (part 4) -- 619 million hours.

Stranger Things (season 3), a retro sci-fi series -- 582.1 million hours.

Lucifer (season 5), a fantasy police procedural -- 569.5 million hours. 

All of Us Are Dead, a Korean zombie thriller taking place in a high school -- 560.8 million hours.

The Witcher (season 1), a fantasy show -- 541 million hours.

Inventing Anna, a true-crime limited series about a fake socialite -- 511.9 million hours

13 Reasons Why (season 2), a controversial teen drama -- 496.1 million hours.

[jenneferofjengaberg]

The new season of The Witcher was actually much easier to digest with the way they've split it up. It was a lot easier to watch 5 episodes in a short space of time and actually have time to think about them and enjoy them. I know this is just them wringing everything they can out of Henry's last season on the show, but at least it did have that positive side effect.

It seems like they listened to fans a bit and tried to fix some of the things that went wrong in the last season, especially the way they fucked up Yen and Ciri's and Yen and Geralt's relationships. I'm living all my Yenralt dreams right now, but it's bittersweet because Henry is leaving and I don't know if the chemistry is going to be the same with Liam Hemsworth. Plus, it seems like they actually gave Geralt a chance to do other things this year besides Grunt and Hmm, and Cavill did a fantastic job. Wish we could have seen more of Geralt's emotive and philosophical side in seasons 1 and 2.

[ao3yennaia]

I have no idea what to call this.

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/lv29V1L by Yenevive2rescue rewrite of season 1 episode 3. I really couldn't understand why Tissaia didn't break the news to Yennefer that she was being reassigned to Nilfgaard. Why was Giltine of all people the one to tell Yennefer? also changed the background so Yennefer and Istredd were never a thing. Yennefer never told Istredd of her elven blood, instead she manipulated Anica into getting close to Istredd. why was the events of Yennefer's conduit moment never addressed? from what i could tell they were trying to violate Yennefer, so that would have had an effect on her. Words: 1116, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 1 of changing the scene, Part 1 of changing the scene Fandoms: The Witcher (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F Characters: Tissaia de Vries, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Istredd (The Witcher) Relationships: Tissaia de Vries & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Tissaia de Vries/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg Additional Tags: Witcher season 1 episode 3, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, insomnia strikes, It is literally 5 AM read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/lv29V1L