#i was rewatching the recap of that game and then i was trying to see if anyone made this and idk i didnt find anything. so.

[seaquestions]

tyler myers ballsack 1.000% save percentage

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

rewatching sonic twittok takeover #7 and there were some fucking GEMS of moments in here that i just kinda forgot about so recap

the boys were being SUCH boys in this one. making fart jokes and getting knuckles to hit himself was SO funny

shadow says his favorite flowers are lantanas

knuckles says she wants to see a version of sonic with laser eyes. nobody tell him about fleetway

tails "i hope there's a sonic that's my best friend <3 oH WAIT <3 THAT'S YOU!!! :D"

knuckles's answer to "what's under your gloves" is "what are you, a cop?" he implies this question is invasive

tails describes his own fur as "yellow-orange"

in the "sonic's dream" question, it's implied that sonic is a lil bit needy for attention. also knuckles mentioned he had a dream that the master emerald was talking to him

eggman has seen the incredibles

knuckles also made a ref to "so you're saying there's a chance" which implies he might've seen dumb and dumber. it's also a jim carrey reference

the team makes fun of knuckles for having a crush on rouge (whether or not he actually has a crush or if they're just annoying him on purpose is never stated, but tails did say knuckles bought her daisies. which is funny bc where the hell did knuckles get that money. tails also says he knows bc "he's a gossip")

knuckles refers to himself as "knuckles echidna", which probably wasn't an intentional reference to satam/underground sonic being "sonic hedgehog" but i appreciated it

knuckles once found shadow standing and staring silently at the trees of luminous forest and immediately, without question, started standing there staring with him

tails tries to suck up to razer gaming computers' official account which is really cute

tails gets dizzy during spin-dashing. amy used to but got used to it. sonic was really surprised to hear this

IF WE ALL DON'T REMEMBER THE TAILS "FEAR OF THUNDER" QUESTION WHAT EVEN ARE WE. tails homeless canon

tails says he admires eggman's work ethic and that made eggman emotional bc he doesn't get complimented much

when asked what eggman's fursona would be, amy suggested a fox or a wolf, sonic suggested a sloth or a baby flicky, which made me think of that one @neurotypical-sonic post

knuckles immediately tells a knuckles fan that he's a "terrible role-model" and he shouldn't have fans. then says of his personality: "everything sucks."

amy calls her fortune cards a hyperfixation, which implies that she's canonically neurodivergent

knuckles tries to steal amy's fortune card that has the master emerald on it

amy confirms that her bracelets aren't inhibitor rings which is funny cause that's like, an old 2020 post of mine lmao

amy claims shadow had fun at the hot honey concert and then asks sonic if he was jealous. sonic then proceeded to say that he's great company at a concert. amy invites everyone to a concert and knuckles says he wants to be in the mosh pit. tails says he wants to practice his line dance

when asked how he feels about shadow, tails calls him a misunderstood tragic hero and immediately points out that he's lost someone close to him and been "grappling with that for years."

HYSTERICAL moment when someone asks for rings and knuckles immediately punches sonic and steals his rings

eggman can't even remember starline's name. like bro you killed him

when asked about winter activities, knuckles likes snowball fights, sonic likes snowboarding, amy likes holiday decorating (and is one of the bitches who starts November 1), eggman says seasonal depression gives him great ideas, and tails didn't say anyth

sonic likes trains and supporting public transportation

sonic says he loves sleeping. eggman's been trying "intermittent sleep" which isnt going well

"would you guys like sonic if he was a worm" amy and tails say they would, knuckles says he wouldn't. sonic then quips that amy is a lil scared of bugs

vanilla apparently is constantly inviting the entire sonic squad for dinner. they seem to go over regularly

eggman eats paint

knuckles isn't allowed on the internet without supervision since the "incident."

amy and tails want to be more independent, knuckles wants to be less so.

"if you could swap roles with someone for an entire day, who would you choose" tails wanted eggman in order to get a hold with his tech

"is it painful to give knuckles a fist bump or a handshake" yes

eggman did indeed dissolve GUN during forces

it's implied tails knows what five nights at freddy's is. sonic freddy fazbear will be AT the fridge

sonic liked fighting fang and the end (which he referred to as a narcissistic planet), tails liked fighting chaos cause he "came into his own" during that game, amy says neo metal sonic gave her a headache, and knuckles says he has fought a lot of ghosts

eggman's goggles are for wind protection and style

tails's tails don't get tangled bc he's careful

trip has still been on the northstar islands this whole time. girl really looked out at the planet broken into shards and said "not my fucking problem"

[starlightwayfinder]

I decided to watch some old KH trailers in honor of the anniversary today, and I have to admit, I don’t think I ever rewatched this one after the release of Melody of Memory. When it was first revealed, we were under the assumption that the Master of Masters was the opponent Kairi was facing, but as we now know, it was actually Master Xehanort. While we were aware that the Master of Masters has more plans and tricks up his sleeve, to think of this line in the context of Xehanort is a little different. It brought to mind an old theory of mine, so I decided to go back to KH3, Re:Mind, KHDR, and MoM to compile as much evidence as possible for it.

(As a disclaimer, it slightly undermines the authenticity of his ‘conclusion’ in KH3, so if you’re a big fan of that scene, feel free to skip this one.)

This line in KH3 is a good place to start. From the get go, it was established that Xehanort planned for nearly every possible outcome of the Keyblade War. I also think it’s safe to say that every action he made was an intentional choice based on these plans. So the question is, what is the “final plan” referenced in Melody of Memory’s trailer? I think the game gave us the answer:

It may be easy to jump to the conclusion that this was just a plan for revenge, since Sora is the one who stopped Xehanort to begin with. However, I want to reaffirm that every action he takes is for a reason that serves his goals. It wasn’t just a plan to make Sora disappear, but likely to make him disappear to Quadratum specifically.

This was even foreshadowed in KH3’s Toy Box world. Young Xehanort sends Sora to the world of Verum Rex—though it’s probably closer to a “data” version in this instance:

YX in particular is very confident that Sora’s overuse of the Power of Waking will lead to his disappearance:

And MX has a similar line in Re:Mind:

Except this is where things get interesting. The Sora in Re:Mind is time-traveling from a point in time after he defeated Xehanort.

Xehanort must know this, because he sees the real Sora (from this point in time) about to begin the final battle in the distance. He then acknowledges that the Sora he’s speaking to is from the future. Unless he witnesses the present Sora time travel during their final confrontation, he can conclude that Sora survives their fight to time travel later on—meaning his plan doesn’t come to fruition. Sora unknowingly reveals his hand in Re:Mind this way, and opens the door for Xehanort to plan accordingly—which is kind of mind-breaking to think about…

It gets even better here, during Sora’s fight with Terra-Xehanort:

Sora brags that, like Xehanort, he can also time travel. To which Xehanort responds that Sora will then also need to make the “ultimate sacrifice”, or in other words, “pay the ultimate price”, as MX said. “Also”—as in, Xehanort has made this sacrifice as well by time traveling. As in, Xehanort will also disappear to Quadratum.

We have evidence to believe that as well. I also like the interpretation that he intentionally planned this to survive the world being purged, but that’s kind of a separate theory.

So to recap, Xehanort was probably aware that Sora would survive their final confrontation in order to time travel afterwards. He correctly predicts that the consequence for time traveling would be to disappear… specifically to Quadratum—something that Melody of Memory considers his “final plan”.

So… why? Why would he want Sora to also disappear to Quadratum? Trying to answer that question leads to the most controversial part of this theory:

It’s really nice to believe that Xehanort gave Sora the X-blade as an admission of his defeat, and I’m definitely not against that interpretation. But it is a little strange that before—and after—this scene, in Melody of Memory, he continues to act like making Sora disappear was his big plan. It doesn’t feel right, if he was supposed to be letting Sora “win” here.

I’ll be very curious to see if Xehanort has a role in Quadratum, and why exactly he “paved the way” for Sora to be there as well. Either way, I am holding out for a geniune change of heart from him, especially if what we saw in KH3 was more of a manipulation.

[ikamigami]

I rewatched Sun's therapy with Earth.. and Sun really sounded as if he tried to detached himself from emotions.. cause you can't say that this is the usual way Sun is talking..

He was looking anywhere else but at Earth - I'm doing exactly the same thing whenever I'm extremely nervous to talk about something.. He also tried not to shake - again I'm also always shaking whenever I'm extremely nervous to talk about something.. He was holding his hand to stop himself from shaking - I also do the same thing xD

He seemed so unfocused.. his thoughts were definitely running miles per minute..

And yeah he was lying that everything was fine before Eclipse returned.. :c Like he definitely had better days when his mood was better.. but it ain't that mate.. 😔

Also the cleaning.. yeah cleaning makes Sun calm down.. but I think he should have more ways to cope.. The other ways to cope are only watching YT and playing games QwQ.. It's not good...

And when he said that he needs to clean up the Daycare constantly.. I'm pretty sure it's because he really still see the blood from all those killings.. QwQ

I really think that Earth just doesn't know what else she could ask Sun to not to cause him to shut in himself.. cause when she was repeating that she cares about him.. I really think that she wanted to assure him that he can tell her what bothers him cause she even said that she knows that he doesn't want to burden her with anything 😭

I also rewatched the hunt for Eclipse.. and I really think that Sun will do something to himself.. cause at the end when he was saying that they need to kill Eclipse and creator.. and he looked at his hand.. and at the end end he said that he's really an idiot.. I'm sure that he won't kill anyone.. I'm more scared that he'll harm himself.. maybe he'll try to go down while trying to get rid of Eclipse or creator...

And when in recap video Sun said that he thought that his magic explosion would kill Eclipse I was like "no Sun, you didn't think about that.. you acted on your emotions.. you were scared and you tried to defend yourself.. you weren't mentally stable and you weren't thinking clearly.." QwQ

[m-rod-unofficial]

this is not the ask i was trying to send you earlier! this is a lot of thoughts about bloodrayne i suddenly had while trying to remember the point of that ask, lol. frank kitchen ramblings incoming if this one goes through

i thought for sure there had to be a katarin/rayne fic -somewhere- out there, probably floating around in the depths of livejournal. no luck, though. unbelievable 'cause to me it's so slashy. don't people like vampires?? i did learn in the course of that search that the original tv guide listing when the movie aired was "ludicrous adaptation of the gory video game" and see a couple of people agreeing with me that the best performance by far is katarin's very campy dad, so i guess that's something

escritoireazul wrote in her recap, "i'd say katarin eating that apple was a nice sign of the temptation and a fall to come, but that's probably too subtle." i feel like she could be onto something there. i wish she'd written for them. any katarayne (still trying to get that one off the ground) fic is probably gonna have to have a strong tooth focus anyway. you know every time she catches a glimpse of rayne's fangs she suddenly remembers she's not dealing with a human and feels a hot shuddering wave of…revulsion. yeah, that. nothing else. she's not pressing the pad of her thumb to the point of her sword and wondering or anything

…i don't think this is even a question, lol. i just remember you saying you were maybe gonna write something for them. i would be all over it. i can't decide whether to give it a stab (ha) considering that would involve actually rewatching that movie. my other idea for bloodrayne fic would be the adventures of the stronghold's tailor and his ongoing quest to outfit the ladies of the medieval anti-vampire resistance in the sluttiest capri pants imaginable. obviously he is either a time traveler from the year 2004 or periodically seized by prophetic visions of the limited

Actually unbelievable that's there's nothing about them out there. I think the most I've ever seen is a few people bringing it in the tags on posts here, but that's not really anything. Hard not to love Rin's campy father, honestly.

I still wanna write something for Katarin and Rayne!! That was my first thought when I watched the movie back in like... March I think? I drew some fanart and everything, which I'm not gonna share 'cause I don't like either drawing haha. One was just Katarin telling Rayna she had no place in Brimstone. Edited over it was that tweet that reads something along the lines of "I had a crush on a girl and didn't know how to deal with it, so I wrote her note telling her to get out of my school."

I have a roleplay blog where Katarin is one of my muses and that's about the extent of BloodRayne-related writing I've done so far, unfortunately :P

My main thought for a Katarayne fic is centered around the dueling scene, but I'm also generally into the concept of Katarin getting badly injured and being unable to fathom it when Rayne helps her, but having to suck it up and accept it because she can hardly stand, let alone mount her horse and get back to Brimstone's fortress.

I've rewatched the movie maybe four or five times at this point, which is probably more times than anybody else had made the active decision to sit down and dedicate their time to it. I love it, yet I would never recommend it to another human being because it's awful <3

I have a deep love for how much their outfits stick out. I mean, Rayne has the excuse of it being based off her outfit from the games. And also being in a circus, I guess? But her friend that she accidentally bites has a pretty normal dress on, so...

Katarin has no excuse. Obsessed with when she's about to go in the water and she's standing next to dudes in the most like, bland medieval attire imaginable. Shapeless tunics, plain belts, boots, and trousers in brown and beige... And Katarin is wearing a lavender jacket and 00s capris. Vaguely unrelated, but also love how she cleans her sword off with the end of her cape.

I read fanfic at a snail's pace, so I haven't finished your Tomboy rewrite yet, but it's really good so far! I also have a few of your F&F and Blue Crush fics in my bookmarks and didn't even realize until I was trying to find something the other day lol. Anyway, I'd definitely read a katarayne fic from you. Or about whatever the hell is going on with the tailor

[shihalyfie]

Hi. I'm someone who has come back to Digimon after enjoying it from my childhood and now watching through Ghost Game as well as watching episodes of Digimon: App Monsters. Something I'm wondering about is how the experience of binge watching may or may not be compatible with the various Digimon seasons. I realized that I enjoyed binging App Monsters more than I am Ghost Game even though I do enjoy watching Ghost Game more as it fits a lot more of my tastes.

I define the binge format as involving frequent use of cliffhangers, a larger overarching conflict those cliffhangers tie into, and a three act structure that stretches throughout the season instead of just one episode. I do recognize that both Ghost Game and App Monsters share at least some similarities with this structure, but the main difference seems to be that there isn't a bigger overarching conflict in Ghost Game. However, I see myself going back and rewatching episodes of Ghost Game more than I do App Monsters. To what extent were these seasons built with binge watching in mind? I live in the US by the way, so I imagine that cultural lens might be playing into the questions.

Hi! Welcome back, hope you're enjoying your watch! Also, glad you're enjoying Appmon; that's a series that's especially close to my heart.

Well, as you alluded to at the end of the question here, cultural stuff does play a role here, or more specifically, the fact that Digimon TV series generally use a format that Toei has refined and perfected over the years via their long-running shows, especially Super Sentai and Kamen Rider (tokusatsu and not anime, but with a lot of important factors in common). While it is true that the majority of these series are serialized, they are ultimately still made first and foremost to be watched by kids once a week. That's why there's still a loose monster-of-the-week format for even the more serialized Digimon series, because there has to be a certain self-contained nature to it, and that's why you get those recaps at the beginning of each episode (or sometimes even full recap episodes, like Appmon episode 26, which was released after the series went through a timeslot change). It's not that they think the kids have a terrible attention span or anything, but that even an adult would probably need to be reminded of what was going on after having been out for a week or longer.

If a series is hard to follow when watched this way, that's considered a failure of the writing, especially since the series has a goal of selling toys during the duration of its run and would probably not accomplish this if it's hard to follow. The majority of Toei shows using this format run for exactly a year (with Adventure: and Ghost Game being exceptions due to what I suspect are pandemic delay related issues), so that means they basically have a year to sell as many toys during that period as possible before they pass the baton to whatever occupies the timeslot next. But of course, that doesn't mean people in the writer's room don't also care deeply about what they make, so they'll still try to make works that leave a lasting impression for adults who binge watch later. So that means striking a balancing act between making it possible to follow weekly or when binge watches, and how well they accomplish that depends on the series.

For what it's worth, Ghost Game's extreme episodic nature is an outlier not only for Digimon but also for this kind of Toei show in general; while "resolved in one episode" format is used elsewhere, Ghost Game not calling back to a huge overarching plot often is not often seen. (Although it has been quite successful in certain areas; one famous series I can think of off of the top of my head is Kamen Rider W, which recently got an anime adaptation of its manga sequel -- long story -- and is known for being pretty much entirely presented in two-parters.) That said, Ghost Game's lead writer did infamously say at one point that it was as episodic as it was because of the idea that kids are more into shorter content like TikTok and all that, which got ridiculed as hilariously out of touch, especially since the aforementioned Kamen Rider and Super Sentai are still doing fine without that. I'll let the Sentai experts weigh in more, but the one running right now (Kingohger) is so unusually serialized that it even just had a timeskip!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, February 16

FAITH: You gonna shrink me now? Is that it? ANGEL: No, I just wanna talk to you. FAITH: That's what they all say. And then it's just, 'Lemme stay the night. Won't try anything.'

~~Consequences~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Weekly Drabbles #83 — Circumstances by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

A job offer by FPBarbieri (Gwen Post, Teraverse xover, G)

Coffee Date by MadeInGold (Giles/Maggie, G)

Arts and Crafts by MadeInGold (Angel/Drusilla, T)

My Dark Savior by CelestialStorm (Willow/Faith, G)

sea glass hearts by The_Eclectic_Bookworm (Giles/Jenny, T)

Not Just Nice by Pinkperson (Angel/Spike, T)

Yummy Sushi Pyjamas by firemanwhenthefloodsrollback (Buffy/Spike, T)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion - Ch. 412 by madimpossibledreamer (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure xover, T)

Control - Ch. 1 by ThatShipper13 (Buffy/Faith, E)

We're in this together - Ch.1 by AnkiKind (Buffy, Scoobies, Spike, M)

Adaptations - Ch. 56 by Echo126 (Buffy/Faith, E)

Straight to the Heart - Ch. 5 by Quillbard (Buffy/Faith, M)

The Neighbor's Point of View - Ch. 84 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Goodbye to Everything That I Knew - Ch. 21 by fortes775 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Early One Morning - Ch. 16 by all choseny (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Spuffy Fairytales and Legends: Volume Three, Atropos - Ch. 1 - 4 by ClowniestLivEver, all choseny, DeamonQueen, temporarytitle, VoronaFiernan (Buffy/Spike, R)

What the Drabble? - Ch. 83 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Valentine Games by CoffeeHunt (Darla/Drusilla, NSFW)

Artwork: What's My Line by MamaBewear (Spike/Drusilla, worksafe)

Video link: Ev'rything I've Got by Andraste (Giles/Ethan, rated T)

Artwork: she who hangs out a lot at cemeteries by maloops (Buffy, Kendra, Faith, worksafe)

Artwork: rewatching buffy by macaronniart (Ensemble, worksafe)

Gifest: BTVS (3.19) & ATS (4.13) by whatisyourchildhoodtrauma (Faith, Wesley, worksafe)

Gifset: So let this painful year go by... by andremichaux (Willow/Tara, worksafe)

Vidlet: woe spike be upon ye by baltears (Spike, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

February 16, 1999 Consequences by on-this-day-btvs

I honestly think The First is the worst big bad... [in S7] by kat--writes

Just finished season 1 first time and oh my... [first time watcher] by Jarethjr

PODCAST: 1.7 Angel by Once More: A Rewatch Podcast

[Community Announcements]

[BTVS] Harlow's Valentines Gift Box by harlow_turner_chaotic_ace

[Fandom Discussions]

Watched Consequences and oh my god... by yarboyandy

... in a new season of buffy she inexpicably has a sister now... by cleromancy

The bathroom scene... still stands out objectively as just one of the worst things... [Seeing Red] by forgiveness-in-the-misery and others (also see tags and replies)

Do you think Dawn's friend Janice survived to the end of the series? by coraniaid

[why is Spike so awful in ATS S5?] by mybloodyvampire and justafriendofxanders and others (also see tags and replies)

reaction to article on "Warren Mears and the Slaying of Incel Culture" updated by famicommander

From the episode; Out of sight, Out of mind [goofs but also Joss Whedon's career] updated by NoShip

just finished season 4 and man I just want to give Connor a hug by b3_k1nd_rw1nd

Tabula Rasa by Traditional_Most8847

Anybody heard of this theory? [writers punishing actors] by PristineSituation498

Why is every episode of season three of Angel suddenly in the dark by goodandpure

Riley (Marc Blucas) in First Daughter with Katie Holmes. by Ravenclaw54321

Freshman year vs senior year [Wesley] by Eagles56

D'Hoffryn says the sweetest things by alrtight

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

FLASHBACK: 2006 ‘Buffy’ Fight May Have Slain Two Networks on the Edge via primal_slayer

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[roxy206]

Artificial Phallus Safety In The Shower & Beyond — 03/21/2023

watch here | listen here

Stopppp these coordinated outfits

Old maiden type of adaptations?

What is that about? It’s about racism. It’s just racism

Racists are stupid. You can’t be racist without a good healthy dose of just plain old fashioned stupidity

When the villains hate racism you should look inward

Omg Katya leading up to make a recommendation to Trixie. But like, she so knows how to pitch this to her & I love that so much

I think you will gobble it up like a turkey dinner you fucking bitch

Katya trying to get Trixie to make this book Rec her top priority 😭

It’s probably going to be made into a tv series & then we can complain about how it’s different than the book

Mary, you have got to read this book — Trixie for the love of god please read the book for Katya

I love it, but you’re yelling at me because I found something I like that you’re not a part of & now you’re like, well what about me?

The Hunger Games reference pleaaase. We truly are in a Hunger Games renaissance

We were overdue really for a Dune mention

👀 I’m just going to leave that there & if you know me you’ll know why

That’s the whole story

I think it’s about you being a hospitable presence in a new cohabitation scenario

I look great today though I was just going to say you haven’t complimented me on my outfit, hair, or makeup Yep. I sure didn’t Oh we have fun

What are you doing in a couple weeks?

Episode eight. Two days — she’s so real for that

I LOVE when the two of them talk about media

You wanna burn up this pussy?

Petition for these two to actually consume the media they recommend to each other & then talk about it. You know once they go back to weekly pods they’re going to start saying again how they don’t have anything to talk about because they see each other all the time for work. Like honestly I would like them to do their own out of drag version of ILTW but I’ll take the recap convo version on the pod 100%

I’m trying to watch more things

😭 it’s the way it’s SO clear Katya wants to talk to Trixie in depth about these shows / books / etc

Anything else you hate about my drag today? Anything else you’ve been harboring?

Can I just say how much I love when we’re getting the pod, ILTW, & UNHhhh all at the same time? It feels correct

What even is this ad for 😂😂😂

And the fact that they decided to record that ad together?

Shut up

✨ Psychic ✨ Was that psychic or was that just talking?

The leg touch though

The leg caress thoughhh

CADET KELLY omg

I forgot what I was gonna say Thank god

When you can’t even understand Katya through her wheeze laugh 😂😂😂

🥺 Katya rewatching Weather

I’m laughing so hard I’m about to cry at Trixie’s reaction to Katya blurting out I stuck a huge dildo up my ass oh my god

Are you sure you’re not rinsing yourself off in a fish tank?

What if it goes like this: I’m tired, can we stop? And I say, yes, let’s go to bed — together. And have sex — they are such assholes

I’m just trying to stay prepared

I honestly don’t know if I could explain to someone why I love these two so much but the girls who get it get it

[askhisuianzorua]

Munday Shiny Showcase #4

<<first <previous - next>

Heyo. After taking an impromptu break from the internet due to personal reasons, I'm finally gonna be coming slowly back to this blog and what better way then to continue with my shiny showcase! We got A LOT to catch up on so buckle up!

Quick Recap: The munday shiny showcase is where I show off some of my most recent captures throughout the week. Whether I get them through shiny hunting, breeding, or just by random chance! They will be listed every Monday under the #MundayShinyShowcase tag

----------------------------------------------------

#1: Noivern:

Caught this one some time just after my break as a noibat. I hadn't been playing the game for awhile since dex completion so I figured a shiny hunt would be a good way to get back into it and noibat was my choice. Got them first run I believe.

#2: Pawmi

This one was kinda random. I was trying to catch a shiny Sandy Shocks a day or so after the noibat I mentioned, but I was super unlucky and wasn't able to get one. However since I was using electric meal powers, I ended up with this little pikaclone instead. Need to get around to evolving her, but we all know the evo for this dude can be tedious XD

#3: Snorunt

This was another random catch that I got during a shiny hunt for a different mon. I was out trying to catch a shiny frigibax. It was my first run and right after my meal powers ran out and I was about to reset, this cutie showed up so not a total loss of sandwich ingredients XD Got a female too so ya'll know what she's gonna evo into lol

#4: Frigibax

As I mentioned in the last section, I was shiny hunting Frigibax. I was able to nab one after I caught the snorunt. I even got lucky with a very fitting title!

#5: Magikarp

Can you ever say you've caught a shiny until you catch a wild shiny magikarp? I mean come on... a literal GOLDFISH. XD I caught this after the DLC came out(Gonna shamelessly plug my almost 6 hour long live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8l2RMHVjVw&t=1s ) I was just looking for pokemon to catch and fill the kitakami dex and boom there it was.

#6: Spinarak & Ariados

A little while after I did my livestream of the new DLC I did another livestream were I, you guessed it, did some shiny hunting! The first one I went after was spinarak and not only did I catch one, I caught it's evo too! I'll be adding the spinarak to my eventual shiny raffle when I get around to it. (Another shameless stream plug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64939UPuul4 )

#7: Dipplin

The second pokemon I shiny hunted on the stream was applin who I evolved into Dipplin just so I can see it's shiny and boi is it cool. A golden candy apple is great and I love it. This one was a pain to get because of where it spawns so I had to rerun the hunt after the first attempt failed.

#8: Marcargo

Slugma was the last one I shiny hunted on stream and was kind of a spur-of-the-moment kinda deal. After I got the applin, I was wondering who to shiny hunt and I was passing by the mountain top when I saw some Slugma and boom started to shiny hunt it(I think. I have to rewatch the stream at some point because I can't remember lol)

#9: Jangmo-o

I can't remember if I catch her before and after I did the stream, but I saw some jangmo-o and just said "Imma find your shiny" because I remember it having a pink lemonade look that I loved. I think this was another one I had to reset for.

And that's it for all the shinies I caught since the last showcase. I think this is all of them. I has been a long while since the last showcase.

--------------------------------

Shiny Stats

Total shinines caught: 27

Shinies hunted: 17

Random shinies: 9

Most Shinies Caught within 30 Min: 3

Most Shinies of Same Pokemon within 30 min: 3

Shinies hatched: 1

Current Egg Run: N/A

Quickest Shiny Hatch: 350 - 450(I had lost track)

———————————————-

List of Shinies I am currently hunting or plan to hunt in the future:

Rowlett(Have yet to start)

The rest of the starters currently available

Hisuian Zorua

Paradox Pokemon

[mothman-rewatches]

Rewatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Nightmares" (S1Ep10)

Summary: Everyone’s nightmares start becoming reality when a local boy ends up in a coma. The gang must face their fears and wake him up before it’s too late.

Written by: Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, Matt Kiene

Directed by: Bruce Seth Green

Aired: May 12th, 1997

WARNING: This post contains spoilers, and mentions of child abuse.

I have been super excited for this episode since beginning this watch-through. It is one of the most memorable episodes from my childhood, second only to Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Let’s jump in.

Recap: Buffy has a nightmare in which the Master kills her. That day during class, a boy opens his textbook and lets loose hundreds of tarantulas. Buffy sees a strange boy watching on. Later, a girl is brutally beaten. Giles and Buffy go visit her in the hospital, where the girl tells them she has never seen anything like her attacker. They learn this is the second victim in a week, the other being a little boy who was beaten into a coma after his little league game. Strange things begin happening -- Giles loses his ability to read and keeps getting lost in the stacks, Xander goes to class naked, and Buffy takes a surprise history test that she fails. Willow and Xander talk to Wendell, who tells them that the spiders in the textbook are one of his recurring nightmares. Buffy realizes that the boy she has been seeing is the same boy from the hospital, and the gang decides that Sunnydale must have been sucked into the same nightmare world that he is in. Buffy tries to protect the boy from his nightmare attacker, while the rest of the gang faces their fears. At the hospital, Buffy defeats the nightmare attacker, and the little boy wakes up. 

Overall Thoughts: This was such an interesting episode to watch. It’s a filler episode in the best way -- one that layers in the ongoing plotline rather than totally abandoning it for the sake of the episode. Personally, it feels like the episode balances this perfectly.

At the top of the episode, one thing that stuck out to me was the cinematography during Buffy’s nightmare. There’s a part where we see Buffy’s shadow before we see her, and the silhouette is just such a cool thing to see. It perfectly takes the idea of the trope that Buffy is based on and executes it in a single frame. 

Notably, this is the first episode to acknowledge that the Hellmouth can make strange, impossible things happen. In previous episodes, there was always something behind what was happening in the episode, and while technically yes this episode is the result of Billy’s coma, it was the Hellmouth that put things into fruition. I look forward to the show playing around with the possibilities in the future. 

Overall, the theme of the episode is fear, and facing that fear so it no longer holds power of you. It is something very profound to cover in a show about a teenage girl, but this episode holds its water. While everyone’s fears can veer on the silly side in this episode, there’s a few genuine fears that are honestly kind of heartbreaking. 

In the second half of the episode, we learn that one of Giles’s nightmares is that he will fail Buffy, resulting in her death. Adding insult to injury, Buffy rises from the dead as a vampire, one of her biggest fears. The two go hand in hand in a way, and the idea of Giles’s presumed failure amounting into Buffy’s transformation as the thing she is destined to kill is awful in the best way. 

Additionally, there’s an underlying theme that we’ve discussed a bit, but not wholly. Buffy, this season, has been focused on trying to be the normal girl she was before she became the Slayer, not solely for herself but her mother, who puts a lot of pressure on her at the beginning of the series. We find out this episode what is driving that: Buffy is afraid that she is responsible for her parents divorce. The nightmare world confirms this with a vision of Hank Summers telling Buffy he dislikes her and doesn’t want to see her again. It’s hard, knowing that, especially with the knowledge that eventually Hank leaves the picture entirely. 

Lastly, I want to make note of one particular thing that stuck with me. There’s a scene towards the very end in which Buffy has defeated Billy’s nightmare attacker, but the one who delivers the final blow is Billy. It’s something that ties directly into the narritve, facing your fears so that they no longer hold power over you. This scene, paired with the reveal that Billy’s attacker was a trusted adult -- who he’s clearly afraid of -- makes the whole thing so much more powerful. 

Fashion Corner/Costuming: While there’s nothing fashion-wise to write home about in this episode, I have to take a minute to point out that costuming put Xander in a patterned button up and plaid pants and it is atrocious. 

Characterization: We have to talk about Cordelia. I love Cordelia, I know she has potential, but I cannot stand her this season. I get that is kinda the point, but my annoyance actually comes from how one dimensional she is. There is no depth, nothing just beneath the surface, and it goes to show how much early on Cordelia was meant to only act as the “mean girl” of the series. I think Cordy being the mean girl is fine, especially knowing how she grows, but the writers make no effort to give her any real substance. 

All of Cordelia’s nightmares are vanity based, which doesn’t sit right. There should be more to her than what we have been given, and while I can’t find the right word for it, the whole thing feels…iffy. 

Facts: Willow has a Nerf Herder banner in her locker, which is a nod to the composers of the show’s themesong. 

Quotes: “We are defined by the things we fear. This symbol, these two planks of wood, it cofounds me. Suffuses me with mortal dread. But fear is in the mind. Like pain. It can be controlled. If I can face my fear, it cannot master me.” -The Master

Apocalypse Count: 1

Final Notes: We’re back! I’m sorry for the delay, I’ve had a lot going on the last two weeks. But I’m back! Feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, or questions in the ask box!

[afan1]

The Wilds: Season 1 Rewatch

Hey, everyone! With Season 2 of The Wilds premiering on May 6, 2022, I thought I’d go back and rewatch season 1 again after the long hiatus.

I’m going to be posting my thoughts on the episodes as I watch them, so hopefully y’all will join me in getting excited about the upcoming season! I can’t wait so let’s dive right in!

SPOILER WARNINGS — While it is an episode recap, there may be spoilers for the entirety of season 1 of The Wilds. Continue reading at your own risk if you haven’t seen all of it yet.

1x01 Recap

1x02 Recap

The Wilds | 1x03: Day Three

Favorite Quote

"I mean, I'm ready to bring a game. I have no idea what kind." — Leah Rilke

Personal Highlights of the Episode

Dot jamming to Fallen Angel. Don't lie — this is all of us when we think we're alone. I will admit to taking it a step further and performing a whole concert with choreography when I take a shower.

Leah during the storm... honestly, everyone during the storm just sitting in misery with no intention of trying to find cover or collect water, except for Dot.

Shelby taking offense to the whole "mall person" label. Honey, it's cause you are a mall person.

Things I Didn't Catch the First Time

Dot wearing a hospital bracelet during the interview. Are all the girls wearing those?

I never saw the fly go into Shelby's mouth. I always thought that she was choking on something from the alcove that she was inside of.

The motorcycle in the garage while Dot's doing laundry. I can 100% see her rolling up to a place on that bike (with one of those old-school helmets too) while smoking a cigarette. Badass. (Also, if she wants to roll Gretchen over with it, I wouldn't be opposed.)

Dot's dad's honorable discharge certificate from the U.S. Army hanging on the wall.

Observations / Theories / Questions

I think the girls have these agents played. Dot being that apprehensive and casual with the agents in the beginning? Not buying it. That's not our Dot.

Dot ordered french fries, 2 bagels, 2 subs, a sandwich, fried chicken, chicken wings, chips, 12 sushi rolls, 2 milkshakes (or just milk?), some kind of fruity drink and candy bars for her interview. You go, girl. Make those agents pay. Literally and figuratively.

Do we know what happened with Dot's mom? Did she die? Did she just up and leave? Until told otherwise, my headcannon is that Dot's dad was discharged from the Army and had a hard time re-acclimating to normal life either from PTSD, trouble getting/keeping a job, etc. and Dot's mom left him. Dot doesn't talk about her mom, so I think she left very early in Dot's youth and she just doesn't remember her anymore.

Dot selling drugs to pay for the medicine that her dad needs and can actually take without having bad side effects. Selling drugs is bad, kids, but Dot should be nominated for "Daughter of the Year" imo

Nobody remembers getting to shore, except for Nora when Leah questions what they recall from the crash. This may have been the first hint towards Nora being the other confederate.

Some of Jeff's annotations in Leah's copy of the book — "My grandfather grew up in Cheyenne. His favorite expression was 'Ain't that a pisser.'" ... "I would watch a snowy television (?) with you and be perfectly content." ... "Dear Leah, I dreamed about you last night. You wore a dress like this only it was red and you were also wearing roller(?). A person only gets a handful of perfect dreams in one's life. For me, this was one." ... "Shetland ponies forever."

Toni ranting and Fatin not caring in the slightest, then Fatin questioning Toni's sign and Toni raging will always make me laugh.

Does anyone know if they wrote Toni to not shave or if it was something Erana decided to do for Toni's character? It varies throughout the season (sometimes she shaves, most of the time she doesn't) and honestly, I love it. It just feels authentic to Toni.

Dot's itinerary only has three days planned out. So, all these girls (barring Fatin, I think she knew it would be longer from her dad's slipup?) were under the assumption that it was going to be a weekend getaway. I'm surprised no one else has friends questioning their whereabouts like Ian did with Leah.

I have the hardest time gauging timelines with shows that are based in the south or in warm climates. Like, my mind works this way: spring — warmish and rain; summer = shorts and hot af; fall = boots and jackets; winter = snow. Then, I remember Dot is in Texas, everything gets fucked up, and I give up on figuring out how long her flashback spans. Northeast problems. Sorry.

Dads teasing their daughters about boys crushing on them is always cute to me. Probably cause #NeverHappenedToMe

If a rattlesnake was that close to me, I'd have already fucking died. Hell to the no. Last summer, I saw a garter snake (it was already dead) and screamed for a solid two minutes. Speaking of — why did they not eat the snake?

Rachel not grabbing the suitcase that was in the plane wreckage? WTF was even in it to keep it sunken like that? Also, how did the plane even get there? Did Gretchen's people fly it over and drop it in? Was it already there, and they found it while scouting deserted islands for the experiment?

Dot not admitting she saw Andrew cheating on Shelby, but also telling her she deserves better is one of those moments that we see Dot forgo her usual bluntness and spare feelings.

I relate so hard to Dot awkwardly and uncomfortably accepting comfort or giving it.

Gretchen implies that Milestone #8 is the girls finding/opening the black box to see the plane crash recording. Anyone have ideas on what the other milestones were?

Gretchen was fired "last fall," so the whole experiment from start to currently has been less than a year.

Shelby coming in clutch. She saw Dot's hesitance to say what she thought they should do with the black box and swooped in to make sure that Dot didn't have to carry the weight of that decision by herself. Then, Dot's sigh of relief. Ughhhh. Shelby and Dot rival Fatin and Dot as my BROTP.

Would people losing consciousness during a plane crash be a normal thing?

You cannot tell me that Leah and Fatin's interaction while packing up the suitcase was not like, lowkey flirting. Before Fatin fucks it up ofc by admitting she read Jeff's annotations. If you can tell me otherwise, don't. Let me live in my Leatin daydreams, please.

"Between you and the book, I get the sense this guy likes recent vintage." YES, Fatin. Call out Jeff on his perv-ness. He's a fucking creep.

The whole scene of Dot and her dad's last moments wrecks me. Jesus, and the song? End me.

Dot is the only one from the group of girls to have met Gretchen in person, correct? Aside from Nora, of course. The ending scene of this episode when I first saw it had me convinced that Dot was the other confederate.

Field Notes

Field Note #025 – Of course Dot would know the lyrics to Poison’s “Fallen Angel”… and just about every other metal hit out there. She inherited her love for hard rock from her father, a real metalhead. One night when she was 11, Dot stayed up late rocking out to a compilation her dad had made especially for her. The next morning, she had her first “bangover” – that’s metalhead slang for the headache you get after a night of serious handbanging.

Field Note #026 — Dot is collecting rainfall, a good source of drinking water if you're stranded in the wilderness. Consuming rainwater is safer than consuming water from a lake or river, but experts still recommend that you filter and boil the rain before drinking it. Let's hope Dot knows that.

Dot is one of those annoying people who doesn't get brain freeze. She discovered this superpower in elementary school, and more than once has won money by challenging dudes to milkshake-drinking contests.

Field Note #028 – Welcome to Fort Travis High School, approximately 2,900 students enrolled. Something to note: Dot, Shelby, Toni, and Martha attend public schools, whereas Leah, Fatin, Nora, and Rachel attend private schools. An even fifty-fifty split, representing both sides of the educational divide. 

Field Note #029 – Dot’s on a budget, so when it comes to hair dye, it’s DIY all the way. Lately she’s been using washable markers, which she steals from the art room at school. It’s a messy process but they get the job done.

Field Note #031 – Shelby’s family is suuuuuper into pranks. (Like you should probably check the toilet for Saran Wrap if you piss at the Goodkind household.) It’s an eat-or-be-eaten environment over there, so yeah… Shelby’s gotten pretty good at pulling off stunts of her own.

Field Note #032 – If you take a close look at the Dawn of Even itinerary, you’ll notice the times are listed in military time. Which, for a teen girls’ retreat, is… weird. Military time, or the 24-hour clock, is usually used in situations where confusing AM and PM could have severe consequences, or when you don’t have reliable visual access to the sun.

Field Note #034 – Fatin didn’t have to read Jeff’s book for school because she decided against taking Contemporary American Lit, an elective she likes to call “Boring Bearded White Dudes 101.”

Shelby Curse Count: 0 (1 total)

~~~

Tell me what your favorite quotes, moments, theories and observations are for episode two! Let's discuss!

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

My Thoughts on The Witcher S2 (FULL SEASON)

For a number of the episodes, I was live-writing this post, so some of these comments were in real time so I wouldn’t forget anything.

⚠️ WARNING 1: From Episode 4 onwards, this becomes a Jaskier fangirling post and I’m both sorry and NOT sorry for it ⚠️

⚠️ WARNING 2: Under a read more because of spoilers, please don’t read if you don’t want spoilers! ⚠️

Episode 1 - A Grain of Truth

Not really to do with the episode but I love that Netflix gave us a recap because it’s been about a year since i rewatched most of the episodes and I honestly don’t remember much except for Jaskier because I’m a shameless fangirl 🤷🏻

This is the episode I got to see exclusively on Tuesday but I rewatched with my dad and sister so that’s fun!

Tissaia screaming Yennefer’s name was so upsetting oh my god like the scream was so gutteral and pained, truly an amazing performance

I’m not being funny but I can’t help feeling like they kind of… whited Triss up. I don’t know why. It’s not just the way they’ve changed her hair so it’s redder, but… I don’t know.

Not gonna lie, it’s kind of funny that Ciri is trying to hide and keep a low profile, all the meanwhile she’s still wearing relatively royal clothing while travelling with Geralt, who has yellow eyes

I don’t know why but were Geralt’s eyes always that YELLOW??? It could just be me but I was just looking at his eyes like “wow that’s the colour of bright piss”. There’s also a couple of places throughout the series where the contact lenses kind of bothered me, like they just… didn’t look right or something? I don’t know how to explain it but there seemed to be moments where Geralt’s eyes looked like they were going in different directions, all askew?

I’m really enjoying the beginning of the Geralt and Ciri father-daughter relationship

The bruxa is so terrifying, honestly I really loved how they did the bruxa, she was creepy as fuck

Geralt: *tells Ciri to run and not interfere* // Ciri: lol okay whatevs

The way my jaw dropped at Nivellen revealing he was cursed because he had r*ped a priestess… for some reason I wasn’t expecting it. If it’s mentioned in the book, I apologize, it’s been over a year since I read any Witcher books and I’ve only read 1-3, and I’ve only read those once, so I don’t remember Nivellen’s story that well, just the basic idea of it

It’s the way I just knew that it was elves at the end because I was highly reminded of the Scoia’tael stuff from The Witcher 2 game…

The episode was amazing despite no bard, so this episode sits at a 8/10 for me

Episode 2 - Kaer Morhen

The first half of the episode was alright, second half… not so much?

I love seeing the other Witchers and Papa Vesemir, that’s always fun, and to see the relationship between all of the Witchers is nice!

I’ll talk more in a minute about this but… Eskel, my man, they did you so fucking dirty and I’m so sorry to you and also any Eskel fans. How did they get him so wrong?

Like I can kind of get over the fact they made Coen a Witcher of the School of Wolf instead of School of Griffin, I can move past that… but the way they did Eskel was piss poor. Absolutely piss poor.

Tissaia torturing Cahir was fucking BRUTAL GOD DAMN

The Witchers all truly had a massive prostitute party with Ciri in the keep, on her first night… not quite sure i agree with Eskel getting all of these ladies of the night into Kaer Morhen so easily considering it’s supposed to be this hideaway only for Witchers and it’s in the middle of the mountains but… ???

Let me say it again… Eskel was so appallingly done that it honestly sucked out my enjoyment of the rest of the episode, and I had to step away before watching the next one because my feelings about the how took a HUGE dip

First of all, where was the scarring on his face??? It was so minor! The whole point of the huge ugly scar on his face is supposed to be that he looks terrifying to Ciri and she’s afraid of him - only for him to be the nicest guy. The scar on his face in Netflix is not even noticeable?!?

Personality wise, he’s supposed to be mature, polite even when he disagrees, his mature behaviour regarding Ciri is what endured him to Triss compared to the other Witchers in Blood of Elves, he’s reliable etc. Netflix!Eskel was… not it. He was an asshole in the show, and for some reason Netflix thought translating “ugly face” to “ugly personality” was a good idea?! He was just creepy and completely mischaracterised, and I was so mad about it because how do you get it so fucking wrong?!

I keep forgetting that Yen is part-elf 😭

“The lying bard” - HEY, at least we got A mention of him?

The hut thing is… certainly interesting

So the elf lady Francesca is apparently pregnant and it could be the first pure elf born in a very long time?

Yennefer’s lost her magic?!? 😭

Eskel turning into a leshen tree monster was… a thing.

They killed Eskel off in the same episode they introduced him. Just like that. WHY AND HOW IS THAT A GOOD IDEA?!? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!? He’s in pretty much all the books after Blood of Elves (which this season is based on), how the FUCK have they decided killing him off is a remotely good idea?!!

I really hope to god that we get an actual Leshen later on and NOT whatever the fuck Eskel was

Like I said before, I was so mad about Eskel that I couldn’t watch the next episode after for several hours because I was just so angry and it was making me just view the rest of the show/episode negatively

I’m glad that they’re training Ciri but also… come on, at least take her out of the dress before putting her in training! And let her tie her hair back before you start! Like come on, at least give the poor girl a change of clothes before you start working her!

Again, there was no Jaskier that could have salvaged this mess of an episode, so this episode is probably only 5/10 for me?

Episode 3 - What Is Lost

Tissaia and Yennefer’s reunion 😭❤️

Tissaia just loving and caring for Yennefer like a mother is the kind of content I didn’t know I needed

Man the other Witchers are arseholes to Ciri… they’re blaming Eskel’s death on her for some reason like…???

At least she’s not in a dress while training now, and she’s tied her hair back

Stregebor is an absolute asshole, not gonna lie, and an absolute fucking creep to boot

No but the other Witchers are CRUEL to Ciri, mocking her while she’s training and just being dickheads about the fact she’s a Princess

Ciri eventually crushing most of that trail of death like a boss, you go girl!

The scene where Geralt is tending to Ciri’s wounds is so soft to be honest

Istredd kind of giving me weird vibes I won’t lie, like come on my dude, I think she’s over you now

Why do I feel like Yen is going to do something incredibly fucking bad this season? Like the weird flashes and stuff are just giving me a bad vibe. I’m loving her so far though

ESKEL’S LESHY, AN ACTUAL LESHEN

WAIT HOLD ON THE FUCK IS THAT OTHER THING IT KILLED LESHY

At least Ciri ran away this time when he told her to

RUN CIRI FUCKING RUN FASTER BABE

I don’t know what that thing is but it’s absolutely terrifying. Curious as to why it didn’t immediately kill Ciri when it cornered her, but at least Geralt was there to save the day

Yen is serving some damn looks this season, and I’m all for it

Triss is on an assignment? Kaer Morhen… ? 👀

I wasn’t sure if I wanted her to execute Cahir to be honest? Like there was just something very barbaric about all of these people gathering to watch Yen - who they thought was dead until about a day ago - behead him, including two Kings

SHE FREED HIM OH MY GOD

Yennefer and Cahir teaming up was NOT the twist I expected to be honest

“Don’t flatter yourself, I’m saving me” - ASDFGHJKL

While there’s still no bard (god damn it), it was definitely an improvement over last episode so I’ll give it a 7/10

Episode 4 - Redanian Intelligence

Before I start, I’m just praying there’s Jaskier in this episode, let him be important and a spy

Ciri really tripped and face planted the ground 💀

Triss meeting Ciri in the forest, I remember this in the book! When they said last episode that Triss had an assignment, I did wonder if she was going to Kaer Morhen

Mmmm not the Geralt and Triss 😶

“Lambert - I see your wounds have improved but your manners have not” - LMFAO

Is it bad that I kind of want to see Ciri just become “one of the lads” 😂

This show is as political as it should be in regards to the discrimination of elves etc.

Fucking hell that guard really made the elf piss his pants instead of just letting him go in an alley, I’m so mad and upset

Okay but if you’re trying to sneak around and NOT get caught (especially if you’re on Wanted posters), perhaps you shouldn’t wear the vibrant purple and green cloaks? Especially if everyone else is wearing duller coloured clothes?

The second I saw that owl I was like “PHILIPPA?!”

DIJKSTRA!!!

“Aren’t there any herbs or mushrooms for me today?” - Ciri, love, you’re not in a castle as a Princess anymore, I think you should just be happy you’re eating at all

Also now I’m just imagining Geralt going out and attempting to find herbs or mushrooms for her and failing because it’s December 😂

“Helped me with a Princess in trouble” // Geralt to Ciri: nastier than you even - THAT AND THE LITTLE LOOK CIRI GAVE HIM AFTER OH MY GOD I LOVE THEM

Geralt invited Triss to Kaer Morhen to guide Ciri - just like Mousesack did for her mother 😭 I love Geralt and Ciri’s relationship

Coen to Ciri: “Come on you little rat, I’ll play a few rounds of snap with you before bed. Maybe I might even let you win” - THAT WAS SO WEIRDLY UNCLE-Y AND AFFECTIONATE???

Is Dermain (I think that’s his name) using sign language? (I think he is because he definitely did a sign for “pretty” when he said Yen was pretty)

“The Sandpiper is an Angel of refuge for the persecuted” - IS IT JASKIER?! TELL ME ITS HIM

“We get to Oxenfurt, he puts us on a boat” - JASKIER STUDIED AT OXENFURT. IVE CONNECTED THE DOTS! (I haven’t connected shit)

“Oh, outlawed… so definitely not a mage then” LMFAO THE SARCASM GERALT

TRISS PLEASE TELL GERALT YEN IS ALIVE JUST DO IT

Triss really trying to come onto Geralt without telling him Yen is still alive (and let’s be honest she probably knew that he loves Yen) and he’s still grieving -_-

FUCK WAIT NO THE SEWER MONSTER GOT DERMAIN (the mute one using sign language) 😭😭😭 WHAT THE FUCK I LIKED HIM HE WAS SO OPTIMISTIC AND NICE

Deadass thought Cahir and Yen were about to kiss 💀

I HEAR HIM I HEAR JASKIER

“HE PERFORMS HERE EVERY NIGHT” IT HAS TO BE ITS GOT TO BE

IT IS ITS JASKIER MY LOVE ❤️❤️❤️❤️

“Ladies and Gentlemen, you have been the most beautiful audience! Remember to toss a coin” “*groaning*” LMAO

Yennefer smiling when she knows it’s Jaskier 😭

HES BACK AND HES AS INCREDIBLE AND FIERCE AND AMAZING AS EVER FUCK YES

IM DEADASS JEALOUS OF THE WOMAN TAKING HIS HAT OFF AND PUTTING IT ON HER HEAD 😭

BURN BUTCHER BURN IS A TOTAL BREAK UP SONG I CANNOT-

His face and shaky sighing at the end of the number 😭

OH ITS THE ELF WHO HELPED CIRI IN SEASON 1 (Dara I think?)

Ciri looked so beautiful and she obviously dressed up a bit for Triss, and then Lambert and Coen started making fun of her what the actual fuck, Geralt needs to beat the shit out of his friends-

“You should be ashamed of yourselves” - YOU TELL THEM TRISS

Oh damn Triss went OFF on them, talking about cloths when she gets her blood and how the mushrooms they’re feeding Ciri will deprive her of that before too long… like damn she went OFF

“But the truth is you’re choosing to be ignorant arseholes, aren’t you?” - SHOTS FIRED

Geralt: *handing Ciri a bit of food* They felt bad you didn’t finish your breakfast - AWWW

Jaskier truly giving off rockstar vibes this season and I’m living for it

“Bard.” “Witch.” - BESTIES

THE HUG 😭

“I’m not having this conversation unless I’m drinking”

“It did come from the heart… perhaps a broken one” “we’re better off without him” - TELL ME JASKIER WASNT IN LOVE WITH GERALT AND THAT IT WASNT A BREAK UP 😭

“Yennefer, I’m so sorry. I would not wish that fate on my worst enemy, and yes, you are… firmly lodged in that category, it has to be said, but… what they’ve done to you and your people is unspeakable” - HOW CAN YOU HATE HIM 😭 HIS EMPATHY EVEN FOR SOMEONE HE DOESNT LIKE

“But some people are speaking. There are anonymous benefactors working behind the scenes, helping me, helping us, helping us make this right.” - AGAIN, HOW CAN YALL SAY HES SELFISH AND AWFUL 😭

“I was at the great oak Bleobheris when it was raided. The Seat of Friendship, the druids called it. Where every free thinker was welcome, no matter their race, their creed… They come for the elves, Yennefer. They’ll come for the dwarves. And sooner or later, they will come for everyone. Anyone that they deem the ‘other’, so… eventually… no artist is safe.” - I’m crying. I’m crying because this just reminded me of that post-WW2 poem “First they came for”, and how it ends with “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” But also because you could read into this as Jaskier being queer - he’s very queer-coded already, what with the break up one after the mountain scene etc, and so there’s that whole thing of eventually they could come for him I guess? Tell me this isn’t some kind of low-key coming out???

“The man, the myth, the legend” - DAMN RIGHT HE IS ☺️

Jaskier’s smile at her 😭

Can we appreciate how 100% ready Jaskier was to throw that bottle when he thought Cahir coming in was a threat to Yennefer? 😭

“I’ll do what I can” - I LOVE HIM

“You both smell truly awful. I mean, it is like something has crawled up your asses and died” - LMFAO I LOVE HIM

I am so not here for Geralt x Triss like girl please :|

“I’m gonna do what I do best” “what’s that?” “Oh I never really know, that’s why I’m so good at it” - LOL

Jaskier using his famous songs to get out of giving papers 😂

“My niece just loves them!” - I’m that guard’s niece 😂

Jaskier’s “oh that’s lovely” is how Joey Batey reacts to people complimenting his band’s music 😭❤️

“That one, it’s not your strongest” “… oh yeah?” - GOD NO DUDE STOP TALKING + JASKIER PLEASE WALK AWAY HES NOT WORTH IT

“Am I gonna say it? Yeah, I’m gonna say it” - NOOO BUT ALSO IM GONNA DIE LAUGHING OH MY GOD

“If you could write yourself a little song, you could sing yourself whatever you please, but you can’t, can you? Because you are a dockside scapegrace, a qualling feculent, a beef witted, hell hated, addlepated goon…” “… and a waste of your father’s…” “… And maybe, just maybe, you are grateful to be entertained!” - JASKIER LOVE PLEASE NOT NOW I LOVE YOUR DIATRIBE BUT ALSO NOW IS NOT THE BEST TIME

“You’re a hero to my niece. Practically worships you.” “Her favourite bard” - I AM LITERALLY THIS MAN’S NIECE 😂

Also: “practically worships you” “naturally” - JASKIER LMAO

Nooo they beat the shit out of Ba’lian 😭 he really sacrificed himself so everyone else could get on that boat to Cintra, and Jaskier looks so sad as he backed away, so regretful because he knew he couldn’t do anything :(

Those flowers sprouting where Elder blood has been spilt… where Ciri has been injured…

“Destiny has given us a gift… the key to making more Witchers. Ciri.” - UMM, Vesemir I don’t think that’s the takeaway from this you should have?!?

Jaskier helping the elves down the ladder into the boat and softly saying “it’s all right, you’re safe, you’re safe, are you alright?” is just so soft and sweet. I don’t understand how people can watch this show and hate him, he’s such a good person

Jaskier and Dara meeting, Dara says “thank you, we’d all be dead without you”and Jaskier is like “it’s lovely to meet you, Dara, I expect you to do great things” :3

THE EYEBROW RAISES I LOVE HIM 😭❤️

(After finding out Yen’s lost her magic) “Once upon a time, I would have used this opportunity to call you an empty, lonely, power hungry she-demon, but… I’m an artist, Yennefer. It’s my job to put myself in other people’s shoes. Even if they are, in your case, large, clunky, and, I don’t know, probably full of snakes or something. I’m scared too. I’m scared that one day the muses will stop speaking to me… because who are we… when we can no longer do the one thing we were put on this continent to do?” - STOP, JASKIER, YOURE MAKING MY HEART HURT 😭❤️

“Chaos could never be done with the likes of you, Yennefer of Vengerberg” - IM NOT SAYING THIS IS A SHIP BUT HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS JASKIER-YENNEFER CONTENT ❤️

WAIT WHY IS JASKIER SCREAMING “OH NO”?! WHY DID THE SUBTITLES SAY LUTE STRINGS JANGLE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BARD 😩

HIS LUTE JUST LYING ON THE FLOOR YEN PLEASE GO AND SAVE HIM PLEASE

IS THIS LEADING TO HIM BEING TORTURED LIKE IN BLOOD OF ELVES 😭

The full Burn Butcher Burn playing over the credits ❤️🔥 am I going to watch all the credits just to hear him sing? You bet your ass!

FINALLY BARD CONTENT AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, YENNSKIER CONTENT, 8.5/10 just because I’m hoping the coming episodes improve!

Episode 5 - “Turn Your Back”

It’s always fun when an episode opens with distant wailing and screaming 🤡

Oh wait wait wait is this that fire dude? Rience? (It is)

I’m just remembering what happened in Blood of Elves and how it was Rience who tortured Jaskier so I know exactly what direction this is headed :(

EYYY ITS JASKIER SINGING FROM LAST EPISODE

“When I was a lass, me playmate had a little brother that was born with no ears. (…) I’d give anything to switch places with him right now” - 😂😭 stop making him the butt of your jokes, Netflix, he’s amazing!

Noooo not Rience being there when Jaskier was performing 😭 we’re absolutely going towards that torture scene, aren’t we?

Okay so it’s giving us some little flashbacks to last episode but from different POVs: so Rience there while Jaskier was performing, Geralt and Istredd…

“Jaskier, where the fuck are you?” - SAME YEN, SAVE HIM PLEASE

Noooo they’re stringing up that elf from last episode 😭

YEN NO DONT LEAVE THE BARD HE NEEDS YOU

The finger snapping flames are so scary omg and Jaskier’s just sitting there panicking omg I want to help him

“Or if this is about your wife, your mistress, niece, then I- I- I can— I can promise you that wasn’t me” - I don’t know whether to laugh or cry god damn it

The torture scene hasn’t even BEGUN and Joey is already making me want to cry 😭 he’s so talented at the dramatic material, it makes me sad that people just see Jaskier as comedic relief

YEN DIDNT LEAVE OH THANK GOD… she’s gone to a lady of the night for help which is… interesting

“Any little shit-birds under the name of Jaskier” but in an almost affectionate way, no?

Istredd to Geralt: “Are you always this talkative or should I take it personally?” - LMFAO

The sheer force it apparently takes to shatter a monolith… the sheer power Ciri must have then, oh my god!

Geralt patting that horse as he walks past, he really is a horse girl isn’t he

To be fair to Ciri, I would also rather do physical training in the snow with a wooden sword than sit indoors with Triss doing magic practice 😬 no offence to Triss but… yeah

Triss has a point, they don’t know if Elder Blood can make Witcher mutagen and I don’t like that Vesemir is wanting to use Ciri for that purpose

Here’s the thing… I could be wrong but I was under the impression that on some level at least, Vesemir was almost glad that there was no longer any way to create more Witchers due to the mutagen recipe being long lost or whatever. I always thought he must have found it painful to watch all of these boys go through the trials where most of them died, and that there’s a reason he didn’t attempt to find a way to create more over the following years. I could be totally wrong but… yeah. I could be completely wrong though.

^ for this reason, I’m not sure how I feel about this whole “Vesemir wants to use Ciri’s blood to make new Witchers”. If someone with more knowledge of the books can maybe explain or offer more insight then I’d be grateful!

“I liked you better when you were a cynical old codger” - not gonna lie, me too, Triss

Yen wanting to help the elf mother and daughter being separated but not being able to because of her magic being gone 😭

NOOOO WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO MY BARD

The blood spilling from his mouth 😭😭😭

His whimpering and voice breaking are so upsetting to me I can’t take it

NO LEAVE HIS HANDS ALONE HE DOESNT DESERVE THIS

“He does not have friends” - *flashbacks to Geralt telling Jaskier they’re not friends* 😭

Joey Batey really proving his fucking talent with this torture scene, like honestly if I see one more person say he’s a bad actor or only good for songs and comic relief, I will fucking scream

No but Jaskier’s relieved half-laugh when a glass smashed and distracted Rience for a second 😭 it was like a “oh thank the gods thank the gods thank the gods” kind of relieved laugh full of pain

Yennefer pretending to be Jaskier’s wife is content I didn’t know I needed but here we are, they’re really feeding this whole enemies-to-fake-marriage trope

Jaskier saying “leave her out of this” even though he knows she can handle herself and most likely has a plan 😭

The way Jaskier panicked and yelled “no no! No, please! Don’t hurt her! Leave her alone, please! She’s done nothing!” When Rience grabbed Yen and flicked a flame 😭

OH SHIT SHE BLEW HIS OWN FIRE BACK ONTO HIS FACE, EVEN WITHOUT MAGIC YEN IS A BADASS

It’s the way Yen rescued Jaskier for me even though she didn’t need to 😭❤️

“It takes generations of erosion to even make a dent in stellacite.” - CIRI IS ONE POWERFUL CHILD JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THE SIZE OF THAT GAP IN THE GROUND

Not being funny but I’m not sure I trust Vesemir giving Ciri any food or drink right now 😶

“You’re impressing all of us out there” - damn right she is, Ciri is a little badass

Ciri’s going to do it? Use her blood to help try and make new Witchers??? Girl, you serious???

“You have to test it on me first” - I DONT THINK THATS SAFE, THEY ONLY EVER DO IT ON BOYS, NEVER GIRLS… although, I wonder why it’s only on boys? Apparently the Cat school does take girls but…?

Vesemir’s flashback to the boys going through the trials and him saying “forget it” because it’s just not worth it

“I’ll not take that chance with you” “because I’m a girl?” “because you’re Geralt’s child” “I’m not a child” “because we care about you” - okay I’m glad they’re not making Ves semi-evil here and that they’ve said all of them do care about Ciri

“You mages don’t all share an alma mater? You didn’t catch him at the last alumni event?” - JASKIER 😂

“You don’t get to play damsel in distress… that’s my job” 😂 oh Jaskier

Yen: *kicks man in the shins* / Jaskier: Ohhh she’s so scary! - ngl he sounded kind of into it 😂

“Gentlemen, Gentlemen, many men have wanted to punch me in the face. Now is your chance, come on!” - HES SO CHAOTIC I LOVE HIM ❤️ also the fact he was giving Yennefer the chance to escape before him despite the fact he’s been tortured for hours is so lovely, I love that about him

Nooo that prostitute woman sold Yen out and the guards got her >:(

I know she won’t actually go through with it but urhhh Ciri don’t do it, there’s other ways

Okay but the Dol Durza (valley of the soul) sounds pretty dope, I won’t lie - genetic memories, where we come from, not dangerous etc

Okay actually this does seem kind of scary to be honest like it really took a turn and went into babies crying and glitchiness, and even Triss like “this isn’t how it’s supposed to work?”

PAVETTA AND EMHYR DUNY?? BABY CIRI??

Okay this REALLY took a turn and became scary, holy crap

“Yen’s alive?” - OH SHIT HE KNOWS NOW 😭

“Time of Contempt is nigh” - isn’t that the title of the fourth witcher book???

IS THAT THE WILD HUNT OR AM I PROJECTING

THE TREE OF WITCHER MEDALLIONS IS CRACKING AND THAT CHASM GERALT/ISTREDD ARE IN IS CRUMBLING

“Something is ending. It’s because of you. A seed that bursts into flame. It’s you. You will destroy us all” - Jesus Christ, also Triss you could have been nicer about it instead of stopping her from coming closer??? This was your stupid fucking idea???

OH SHIT WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT MONSTER SUPPOSED TO BE

VESEMIR DO NOT DO IT

LITTLE BRIEF FLASHBACKS TO GERALT’S TRIAL I CANNOT

Oh thank fuck Geralt stepped in and stopped it

“You are already enough, Cirilla. You are extraordinary” “I want to be like you, Geralt” - awwww(?)

We need more Geralt and Ciri moments, I’ll be honest

I can’t decide if Fringilla and Francesca teaming up and being partners is a good thing or a bad thing… ?

Jaskier going out of his way to try and save Yennefer and yelling her name when she disappeared 😭

“Fucking, fucky, fuck” - LMAO SAME. Also he heard her saying the hut chant-thing?

“Peeping Toms get the clink” - OH SO THATS HOW HE ENDS UP IN PRISON

This deathless mother thing seems fucking suspect

“Steal what?” “Me” - CIRI??? She has to steal Ciri and deliver her to the shattered black door outside Cintra??? Just so she can get her magic back???

No but is Yen going to do it? -_- I was hoping we’d see her have SOME motherly instinct towards Ciri at least but is she actually going to steal Geralt’s Child of Surprise and sacrifice her just to get her powers back? Yen, come on, there’s better ways surely…

I feel like I’ve got to give this episode 7.8/10. Even though I haven’t read all the books, the stuff onscreen is supposedly based on the books I have read and it’s… not quite matching up. But Jaskier makes it ten times better just by appearing and Joey’s performance is one of the ones absolutely CARRYING this show.

Episode 6 - Dear Friend…

Is… Is Roach okay? She keeps neighing (why yes I’m seriously debating the horse’s health because she’s neighing more than usual)

WHOA THE CHERNOBOG?!? THE FUCK IS THAT

NO NO NO WHAT NO NOT ROACH FUCK OFF FUCK OFF FUCK OFF

RIENCE IN KAER MORHEN FUCK AND HE ATTACKED VESEMIR

NO NO NO NO NOT ROACH I FUCKING HATE THIS SHOW FUCK OFF

Geralt having to slit Roach’s throat 😭

Damn the way Geralt killed the Chernobog was super badass ngl

Okay so Cahir has shaved and cleaned up now, interesting 🤔

Aaaaand now he’s going to hunt down Ciri :/ just when I was starting to warm up to Cahir

Ooh it’s the temple of Melitele… does this mean we’re going to see Nenneke?

“I’m impressed” “I do in fact read” - LMAO CIRI

Mother Nenneke is just about exactly how I envisioned her being I love her already

“Ask him (Geralt) to tell you about the Aard incident. It nearly destroyed the very office you’re sitting in” *pointing to crack in wall* - LMAO I LOVE IT, MORE EMBARRASSING GERALT STORIES FROM NENNEKE PLEASE

“I don’t see any side upon which you are not entirely fucked” - I FUCKING ADORE NENNEKE LMFAO

“And if she has Elder Blood, she’s a fucking tinder box” - SHE IS SO FOUL MOUTHED HOLY SHIT I LOVE HER 😂 literally zero fucks given

“I don’t want to brag but my tool is… bigger. And much more powerful.” “…” “Uh… Knowledge” - THAT WAS NOT CIRI’S FIRST THOUGHT AND IT WAS NOT MINE EITHER, DO BETTER AT PHRASING STUFF MATE

Jarre: *drops book* // Ciri: Your big old tool nearly broke my toe - LMFAO

YENNEFER IS AT THE TEMPLE?!? And she’s seen Ciri??? Don’t do it Yen! Please do NOT

This whole “Yen wanting to sacrifice Ciri” storyline is so dumb and OOC - not just in regards to the books but even just as in the journey of the characters in the show and their development. The whole thing in S1 of Yen not hurting the dragon when she realized it had eggs/was protecting its babies, how in the first half of this season she’s gone on to prove that even without her magic, she’s a badass with huge worth. So for her to be all “lmao I’m definitely considering stealing Geralt’s child of surprise and sacrificing them to some dodgy elf magic just so I can get my powers back” is such sloppy writing

Oh look, Geralt and Yen reuinion… okay, I guess 🤷🏻 NOOO NOT CIRI WALKING IN ON THEM SNOGGING LOL

“And you must be his… Child Surprise” - WHY ARE THEY MAKING YEN LOW-KEY EVIL WHAT THE FUCK NETFLIX

THE BABY IS EARLY HOLY SHIIIIIT OH MY GOD

“I used to own a stuffed one (unicorn)… until it broke under mysterious circumstances” - *flashes back to TW3 with Geralt and Yen and the stuffed unicorn 😬

You know, the three of them sitting at a table and chatting is almost family-like, if only Yen wasn’t planning to do something monumentally OOC like sacrificing Ciri to get her magic back 🥴

Geralt and Yen: *eye sex across table* // Ciri: Umm… I’m going to go to bed - 😂

Not being funny, I don’t trust Yen being within two feet of Ciri on her own at this point

Francesca had the baby and it wasn’t breathing at first but then it started crying when Fringella held it, and I let out this huge breath I didn’t know I was holding 😭

“A new elf was born this night” *IMMEDIATE CHEERING FROM ALL THE ELVES*

Ciri lit a candle of remembrance for Roach and Mousesack 😭 Roach deserved so much better, smh

“How soon should we expect him?” “Any day now.” - ARE WE GOING TO SEE EMHYR/DUNY THIS SEASON

It’s the way Geralt’s mood shifted to concern when Yen said she had run into Jaskier and he’d been in some kind of trouble 😭❤️

I love that Geralt called Yennefer out on her heartbeat racing the whole time and on her real reasons for being at the temple

“They didn’t build a weapon, they built a warrior” - THEY TALKING ABOUT CIRI

It’s so funny anytime someone talks to owl!philippa I won’t lie 😂 it just looks kind of hilarious

Not Rience and the soldiers coming into a fucking temple to take Ciri 😳

“Take Ciri” - Mmmm is that really a good idea, Geralt? 🤔

Okay but this fight scene is fucking AWESOME

I was so happy because I thought “oh yen is teaching Ciri something, awww”… but nope, Yen is stealing Ciri away to sacrifice her! Because of course she is!

I’m not just saying this because no Jaskier, but like… Urgh. I really don’t like how the writers are writing this season, they’re really deviating from the books and it’s not good. I’m giving this one a 6.7/10 because it was alright but I’m not a fan of some of the choices the writers are making.

Episode 7 - Voleth Meir

This better be the Jaskier shirtless episode smh

Nenneke caring for Geralt’s wounds is so soft

“Do you believe Yennefer means to harm the girl?” “I wish Yennefer knew the balance you speak of” - Yeah, no, Yennefer is going to do a bad thing. This is a bad decision on the writers part smh I’m already mad less than two minutes in

Oh nooo Rience burnt those nice people Ciri stayed with at the end of the last season 😭

I am just so angry about this Yennefer storyline with the Deathless Mother and getting her magic back, like come on Yen! You are not stupid! Surely it’s blindly obvious how fucking stupid this idea is? How suspect all of this is?!!

I’m really bad with names but DAMN who is Tissaia’s boy toy?!? Has he been introduced before?

HAKE HUNG THAT WOMAN JUST FOR WANTING FOOD WHAT IN THE FUCKING FUCK

ITS JASKIER’S MICE ITS HIM IN JAIL

Whoreson Prison Blues is a GIFT, especially the spoons!

I won’t lie, first time I heard this song, I thought he was saying “suck me up” and was like 😏

“Guys, your harmonies were a little pitchy. Gordon, you’re amazing, talent recognizes talent” 😂😂😂

*sees fight going on outside his cell* *carries on singing* *fighting continues* “Fucking hell! You know what? We’re trying to rehearse in here! Gentlemen, I am so sorry, give me a moment.” - HES UNHINGED I FUCKING ADORE HIM

“Good sir, you would not know talent if I shoved it up you… Geralt!” - THE TIMING OF THAT DELIVERY WAS SPOT ON IM WEEPING

Also the way his voice changed when he said Geralt’s name 😭 he’s still so upset about what happened on the mountain

The Geraskier reunion 😭❤️ “…Fuck it.” *hugs him* BEAUTIFUL

“Last time we saw each other, you basically told me to fuck off. Remember? And you left me on a mountain. Have you seen these boots? I mean, I pretty much just slid all the way down that hill back to Caingorn!” “Don’t fucking Jaskier me! I’m talking to you.” - WHY HAS HE GOT THE BEST LINES and also YES KING, CALL HIM OUT

Jaskier saying goodbye to his mice and saying Geralt is jealous 😂

Ciri just wants to save Geralt because she thinks he’s in trouble 😭 “he’s the father I never had. When I’m with him, I don’t feel alone anymore” - WE LOVE A FOUND-FATHER-DAUGHTER DUO

Let them sit in peace and name their new elf baby for fuck sake 😤

I have a horrible feeling something awful is gonna happen to that baby…

Stregobor is really that fucking pressed over a little baby, all these mages are fucking dicks :|

Don’t know if I’ve already said it but Lydia gives me weird bad vibes -_- do not trust her at all, given that she’s experimenting with Ciri’s blood

OH OUI OUI OUI ITS THE SHIRTLESS SCENE HOLD ON

FUCKING FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK 🔥🥵💦

THIS IS BLESSED FAN SERVICE

“yOu cOuLd hAnG pOrTrAiTs oFf mY nIpPlEs rIgHt nOw” - GOD FUCKING DAMN IT JASKIER NOW IVE GOT THAT IMAGERY IN MY HEAD (also was that ad-libbed??? That seemed ad-libbed?????)

I… will be honest. I had to rewatch the scene a few times with subtitles because, quite frankly, I was NOT focused on the dialogue at all. I heard not a single word of their conversation the first few times, like not a single word. But can you blame me, I mean honestly?!?

I 1000% watch this show for pLoT… (The plot:

“I trust her about as far as I could wring her stringy weird neck.” - the way he wrung out his shirt… I need Jesus

“She’s got a lot of hair that woman” - LMAO

His “FUCK” thinking she may not have been lying about losing her magic… I felt a stirring I should not have

“She wouldn’t.” “She would. What? Sacrifice your Child Surprise to get her magic back? You bet your bloated biceps she would” - IM GOING TO EXPIRE

*axe hits Jaskier’s shirt* “someone really didn’t like my shirt” - ITS ME. KEEP THE SHIRT OFF BABES

It’s Yarpen! From the mountain episode!

I love Jaskier re-introducing himself with his full name yet again and Yarpen cutting him off with “yeah! I know!” 😂

BEARDED DWARF WOMEN!!!! (Gimli would be proud?!?!) and Jaskier totally wiggling his fingers at her lmao

“Good to see you all again… I have absolutely no recollection of any of these people” - ME AT EVERY SOCIAL GATHERING EVER 😂

NOT SOMEONE CALLING JASKIER A WANKER UNDER THEIR BREATH LMAO

Is that black horse going to be the new Roach??? “You’re not my usual type… but you’ll do” 😭

I really want to enjoy seeing Ciri and Yen together but it’s just tainted by the fact Yen wants to sacrifice Ciri -_- and you want me to root for Geralt/Yennefer??? Really???

THE BLOOD COMING FROM CIRI’S EYES THE ACTUAL FUCKING HELL

Tissaia wanting to protect her girls and not just use them even though her partner wants her to 😭❤️

FRINGILLA PUT NIGHTSHADE IN ALL OF THEIR MEADS OH MY GOD

OH MY GOD SHE PUT THE KNIFE IN THAT DUDE’S EYE HOLY FUCK // SHES JUST STRAIGHT UP KILLING ALL OF THESE PEOPLE AT THE TABLE WHAT THE FUCK (I’m guessing it has to do with the deathless mother shit going on I’m not quite 100% sure what that’s all about anymore)

“Look, I understand that what’s-her-demon wants to eat your Child Surprise and all and I’m happy to help save her” - bless Jaskier ☺️

“And what about Yennefer?” “If she’s hurt Ciri, I may just have to kill her” - PROTECTIVE FATHER MODE ACTIVATED

“That’s what friends do… they come back” - oh Jaskier sweetie 😭

“And I’m sorry, Jaskier” - FUCKING FINALLY

Jaskier’s Geralt impression was so spot on lmfao 😂

Yennefer please don’t fucking deliver her to the black door

Ciri finally realizing Yennefer lied to her and tricked her and she’s rightfully mad

“I was stupid and I was selfish” - DAMN RIGHT

“I don’t trust you” - and I don’t blame Ciri honestly, that was a fucking shitty thing to do, Yen

Oh thank god for Geralt coming to the rescue 😅

JASKIER CATCHING THAT DUDE’S HEAD AND IMMEDIATELY DROPPING IT, SAME BABES

“Jaskier, take her (Ciri) to Kaer Morhen” - GERALT TRUSTS JASKIER TO KEEP CIRI SAFE 😭 FUN UNCLE/GODFATHER JASKIER PLEASE

“Ah, the Child Surprise I’ve heard so much about-… (Ciri blanking him completely) like father like daughter” - awww nooo bless 😭

WAIT WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THE ELF BABY WHAT THE FUCK DID IT DIE WHO MURDERED IT

Okay so the Deathless Mother escaped and I think it’s possessed Ciri or some shit because her eyes glowed vibrant green?

Honestly, Jaskier’s shirtless scene and song aside… hmm. It seems like the show is reverting back to making him the comic relief again, which I’m not a fan of. I liked getting to see the more dramatic stuff for Jaskier that allowed Joey to show off his acting chops, but the writers are leaning back on that crutch again of “lol he’s comic relief haha” which is so sad. I’m glad Yen seems at least somewhat apologetic for what happened but it shouldn’t have been a thing in the first place.

If I had to give this one a rating… maybe 8.5/10? It’s a bit messy but I’m giving it extra points just for that bathing scene alone, and for the mice AND the song.

Episode 8 - Family

Is this a dream? Also hi Mousesack, long time no see! And damn, I always forget how long Ciri’s full name is 😂

“It makes you feel like you’d do anything” “including sacrificing an innocent child” - OOOOH DAMN

The Yenralt fans are really NOT having a good time this season, huh?

I’m sorry, what the fuck??? Ciri’s on some kind of murder rampage? Just straight up actually killing all the Witchers in Kaer Morhen? (I know she’s possessed but still!)

Ciri straight up just slashed Geralt across the face like damn (if she touches the bard I’m quitting this show)

Hold on a second, the subtitle in this episode says “Eskell” and not “Eskel”… can we pretend it’s a different character please 😭 because Netflix butchered the real Eskel so badly

Oh thank the GODS, Jaskier is still okay (and hugging a bottle to sleep 😅)

Also sleepy Jaskier is so soft 🥺

“The last time I woke up next to you, you grabbed me by the balls and then blew up the building so…” - LMAO TRUE

“My head feels like it’s lodged between the buttocks of a fat and sexually rageful goat” - IM WHEEZING

“Golden Oriole.” “Golden what? Areola? Pretty sure that’s got something to do with nipples… then again, if it were up to me, everything would be about nipples” - THATS TWO EPISODES IN A ROW HE’S MENTIONED NIPPLES, JASKIER, ARE YOU OKAY?! Bit of a fetish going on here???

“… Tell me what to do.” - the way his whole mood/demeanour changed completely and was so ready to do whatever he could even though he’s not a mage or Witcher or anything like that 😭 he just wants to help however he can

Okay but WHY is Francesca so important to Fringilla? 👀 no?

Wait, did Fringilla kill the baby?!?! Was this part of her plan???

Jaskier running in and seeing that there’s a full on confrontation about to down and just going, “shhhhhit. You’re busy. Yeah, you’re busy.” And excusing himself lmfao

“What the fuck kinda basilisks are those?!” - me too, honestly; me too. I have not a clue what’s going on anymore.

Jaskier hiding under a table 😭 and I’m just panicking over him omg

“Right the wrongs?! Well, Yennefer, I don’t see how things could get any wronger!” - how is he still cracking jokes when he’s in a ridiculous amount of danger, Jesus Christ

THE AMOUNT OF WITCHER DEATHS FUCK

“Yennefer told me to give you this, it’s balance and heat and… Oh, you can’t hear me!” - GERALT LISTEN TO JASKIER FOR FUCK SAKE

Francesca killing all the Redanian babies like STOP WITH THE BABY DEATHS NETFLIX FUCK SAKE WHAT THE FUCK

Honestly at this point, I would just kill Ciri, she ain’t worth it at this point 😭

Wait I didn’t think Vesemir would actually stab her wtaf 😳 (but she healed herself so she’s okay)

YEN SLITTING HER WRISTS SO THE DEATHLESS MOTHER WENT INTO HER INSTEAD LIKE WHAT

Interesting that Pavetta (her mum) was fading away but Duny (dad) wasn’t I don’t think… 👀

“Oh no not again” - me too Jaskier, me too

WILD HUNT AGAIN?!?

“You’re back. Are you alright?” - and the way he caught Yennefer 😭 Jaskier is the sweetest omg

Am I supposed to be watching all of these Jaskier and Yen moments and NOT shipping them or 👀

And of course Yen has her powers back again. Because of course she does!

“Look at us! Just one big happy family, eh?” “No.” - I chuckled a bit but honestly I’m actually super tired of Jaskier being the butt of every joke now. It’s getting ridiculous -_-

So Tissaia is totally in on this plan to put a bounty on Ciri’s head and anyone who’s with her?

Oh shit, Lydia’s face got fucked uP Jesus Christ

I KNEW IT WAS PHILIPPA EILHART (side note: DAMN, she looks fine as hell!)

Dijkstra: “Bring me the bard, it’s about time he paid back his benefactor” - SPY JASKIER, SPY JASKIER

“I don’t forgive you, Yennefer” - I shouldn’t have snorted like I did. Like yeah, you did sacrifice yourself for her - after you were going to sacrifice her that is!

I would honestly be totally fine if there were no romances in this show and it focused solely on Geralt and Ciri’s father-daughter dynamic

“I’m just tired, geralt” “I’m tired too, Ciri” - BITCH, me too, it’s 5am while I’m watching this 😤

“How do they (Nilfgaard) know the truth about you, Ciri?” - me, who has played the witcher 3 and knows who Emhyr is: 🤷🏻🤔

“It was the best path to helping me find my daughter” Me: *pretends to be shocked*

I am genuinely curious as to how Duny became Emhyr like I really want to know how he went from hedgehog dude to that fucking asshole Emperor dude and I’ve been saying it since I played TW3

I just KNEW they’d end it on that “cliffhanger”. Just knew it.

I’ve rated all the others so it might be an idea to rate this one… ehhh. Well. Honestly, I have to give it 7/10 I think. Again, I’m awarding generous points to Jaskier’s small parts that we should have had more of. The battle scenes were gory and cool to watch, ditto for those monsters, but plot wise I felt it lacked in places or was written badly?

And that is it… season 2 of The Witcher.

So… I’m in two minds about it to be honest. Did I hate it completely? No, it was watchable. I will rewatch it because my dad and sister are watching it, so I’ll end up seeing 3-8 again soon with them. I think if I hadn’t read the books or even played TW3, I’d probably have enjoyed it a bit more but unfortunately there’s the books to compare it to, and it kind of falls flat in places. Episode 1 felt like an incredible start, and I was so excited after watching it to see the rest of the episodes. Episode 2 started okay but went downhill pretty quickly, and the rest of the episodes were kind of all over the place.

I am very biased so of course I’m going to praise the absolute shit out of Jaskier/Joey. But I do honestly feel he’s the highlight of this show and the biggest - if not the only - reason I’m personally watching because he brings so much life and energy to his scenes. As I said earlier, I really do wish that the writers hadn’t reverted back to making him the comic relief, especially after we got to see a more serious side of him in the earlier episodes, plus the torture scene. And while the shirtless lake scene was fucking amazing, I do think they put it in to distract from the fact they were severely underusing him as a character. Yeah, Joey is extremely attractive - but we want to see him singing and acting and having an actual part with real significance as well, not just putting a shirtless scene in and saying “well, that’s enough of him! Moving on!” And I mean, the comedic stuff Joey does with the role is great, don’t get me wrong, but come on… he’s a Shakespeare trained performer. We’ve seen in the show that he can pull of the darker and more intense stuff as well, so give him the chance to show it off!

Overall, it’s not the worst I’ve watched, but here’s my issue: if it’s different from the source material, fine - but don’t then advertise the show as being close to the books, don’t keep saying “we went back to books to look this up” and “we really stayed true to the books” if it’s not true. That’s what’s irritating me. If I’d known going in that it wasn’t going to be a accurate to the books as they advertised, then I might have been able to enjoy this series more - but because there were interviews and all sorts of the show runner and cast saying how accurate it is to the books, I went in with a totally different mindset and expectations. I’m not a book purist by any means, I haven’t even READ all the books at the moment, but I had read Blood of Elves and so I had expectations about what we’d be seeing… just say it’s a loose adaptation in the future, save a lot for backlash and negativity!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, January 25th

Faith: Safety words are for wusses. Angel: (crouches before her) I bet you're not big on trust games, now, are you, Faith? Faith: You gonna shrink me now? Is that it? Angel: No, I just wanna talk to you. Faith: That's what they all say. And then it's just, 'Lemme stay the night. Won't try anything.' Angel: You wanna go the long way around, hey, I can do that. (stands up) I'm not getting any older.

~~Consequences~~

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[shayurikarasu]

DARK ROMANCE RECAP (IN HONOUR OF 5TH ANNIVERSARY) ♡

Dark Romance recap in honour of our 5th anniversary (tw: suicidal ideation and mention of rape) – from emails with a friend:

I remember Karasu best from the video games when I was a teen, and only remembered he was in love with Kurama when I was rewatching. I was impressed with his beauty and power when he made his first appearance, then shocked when he talked with Kurama in the hallway, and later traumatized by him in their fight, enough to black most of it out! I ended up wishing for Karasu to kill me one morning when I was suicidal, and he showed up in my brother Micky’s dream (without Micky knowing my wish beforehand from earlier that day), and then in my dreams as well, before I started seeing him in my everyday surroundings. He serenaded me outside my window upon the river day in and day out, and that’s how he won my heart. ♡ It was Micky’s idea for me to befriend Karasu, as he could see I was falling in love despite my deep conflicting feelings (when I asked Karasu what he wanted from me, he said he wanted to be my boyfriend, so I thought about it). I was also involved with Kurama and Touya at that time in my dreams. When Karasu first had “his wicked way” with me, he wanted to know that he “fucked (me) better than HIM” … it took me a few minutes, but then I asked him if he meant Kurama? And he was immensely pleased to hear the Fox’s name. Not a fond memory, but our times after that were more pleasant. This was five years ago. Our anniversary was June 11th.

Karasu helped me get an annulment from my ex in dreams that month with Koenma’s help in Spirit World. Afterwards Karasu performed a Crow’s Courtship Dance for me at the end of June, then asked me what I wanted to be for him – I said I wanted to be his “girlfriend” and “significant other”. Dreamt of our wedding ceremony on Kissing Day (July 6th) that year after moving in together (my new apartment with my brothers), with Koenma as “priest”, and younger Toguro and Sakyo as our two witnesses. Koenma really didn’t want us to be together, though, and scolded me at the end of that dream. There was love triangle BS with Touya involved the first couple of years, with me going back and forth between who I wanted to marry, but me and Karasu would continue to try to get a legal wedding from Spirit World afterwards, with Karasu being successful after my hospital stay the next August in 2018. He proposed again and we renewed our vows in front of our children on Friday the 13th last month after experimenting with an open marriage the past few years, and then deciding we want to be exclusive.

(Art made with Rinmaru Games.)

[lils-in-space]

Notes on The Batman (2022) pt. 3

Here is the link to part one and part two, if you haven’t seen them already! These posts build on each other, so I’d recommend taking a look at them :) Warning, some of these are rambling so, apologies ahead of the time for the lack of clarity, haha. I swear they make sense in my head. 

Just to recap: We left off the last post with Bats jumping off the building in his Bat-suit.

Meeting Back up with Gordon to Interrogating the Penguin:

I love the dry quips that the movie has on the occasion. “You could’ve tried to pull that punch.” “I did.” Kudos to Rob Pat for being able to rasp that out with a straight face. I would’ve burst out laughing. 

I like how Bats finally seems to trust Gordon, although he never says so explicitly. Gordon extends that trust first, “I only trust you,” and we can see Bats doing the same when he agrees to team up with Gordon to track the Penguin. 

Colin Farrell does a splendid job at playing the Penguin. We finally see his mobster side (that he was seemingly hiding the first time Bats sought him) and disregard for his goons when he took off on his own. He also causes massive damage to civvies when he, in essence, blows up a gas-transport truck and rams into multiple cars in an effort to flee from Bats. He is also phenomenal at delivered the “la rata” lines. I think it’s the only part of the movie that made me chuckle out loud. “Am I the only one who knows the difference between el and la?” And the way he spits it out so vehemently. Tasteful. *chef’s kiss* 

 We see Bruce Wayne peek through Bats when he pieces together that the next clue is at the Wayne orphanage. He overshares details about it, I believe I recall it being the point where he mentions that it was “donated by the Wayne’s as a part of the renewal project” or something along those lines. We can also read some of the confusion in his eyes. He’s still trying to piece together his place in the Riddler’s game. 

Wayne Orphanage to Holding Hands with Alfred (what a contrast here):

Going into the mansion that his family used to live at, clearly takes a toll on Bruce. He gets a lot more tense in his movements. 

When we hear the projector audio, with “Ave Maria” playing, and then hear the applause and Thomas Wayne begin to speak, you cannot convince me otherwise, that Bruce recognized what was playing the moment his dad opened his mouth. That’s why, when Gordon asked “What the hell is that?”, Bruce didn’t respond because he knew. I imagine that he’s rewatched these multiple times (just because he’s angsty like that). 

We see the moment Bruce registers that he’s the next target with the close-up to his masked face. His eyes widen imperceptibly (well done, Rob Pat) and the next moment, he’s gone in the blink of an eye. In his rushed actions, and the contrast between the phone ringing/choir bgm and the roar of the Batmobile, his panic and deep-seated urge to save Alfred. I think it was rather tasteful to cut out his audio at a certain point and replace it with the loud growl of the engine, which was a rather stirring noise. It makes us, the audience, feel the urgency and fury, rather than hear it.  

He’s already hanging by a loose thread due to the thought of his father being connected to the corruption, and then, Alfred (his current father-figure, no matter how hard he tries to deny it) gets heavily injured. At this point, Bruce no longer has an ally (or, at least, one who is conscious) who knows both of his identities, someone who he can fully trust. Alfred was the only one. Gordon and, questionably, Selina are his allies but as Batman’s, not Bruce’s. And, naturally, since Bruce is a recluse, there’s no one to help him on that front either. And, then, he gets the call from Selina. He’s vulnerable and it’s a bad time for any wild cards to come into play. 

In the moment he meets with Selina, they’re both in emotionally unstable states. Selina is notably distraught by the murder of Annika and Bruce less apparently so by Alfred’s near-death experience. We see the juxtaposition in their grieving processes. Bruce lashes out and Selina retorts by saying, “Whoever you are, clearly you were born rich.” Unwittingly, his comments on Annika and Selina’s “choice” of work belied the fact that he had never been in a situation where he couldn’t choose what he wanted to do. He chose to become the Batman of his own volition. Annika and Selina did not have that choice, Selina in particular due to the circumstances of her father being Falcone, a detail that she reveals after Bruce pushes too hard. Thankfully, he apologies for his earlier comments which means we have hope for him yet. 

“Will you help me?” This is the first time Selina asks him for his help, which intimates a new level of trust that she has for him. Up until this point, her assumed motto was “I can take care of myself”. 

It’s interesting how their kiss was depicted as a silhouette against a dawning sky. Perhaps this suggests that a new chapter in their relationship is beginning? Or alternatively, it could be a sunset representing the end of one chapter and the start of “night”.

We see Bruce’s last remaining trust in his father crumble after watching the video the Riddler posts. He feels betrayed since, this entire time, he was fighting for Gotham because that is what he thought his family’s legacy was. He thought his father was an advocate of good. That is what Alfred taught him and was basically the only thing keeping him from falling off the edge of morality. But good ol’ Alfred holds him back from careening into that abyss. 

“He was a good man. He just made a mistake.” Although Alfred is referring to Thomas Wayne when he says this, the same could be applied to Bruce. It is almost reassuring. Good people can make bad mistakes. And Bruce still has time to “redeem” himself and become the hero that Gotham truly needs, instead of the violent vigilante he seemed to be leaning towards. 

Not sure if this was intentional but, Alfred doesn’t point fingers at anyone necessarily. “I wish I knew for sure...” As the Wayne’s butler, he has also been trying to avenge Thomas and Martha, but had Bruce to take care of, which helped him escape the consuming circle of revenge. I think that it is at this point that Bruce begins to realize just how much his “campaign” for vengeance has been futile. Bruce mentions at the beginning of the film that the “city is eating itself” but, just the same, his quest for vengeance was also consuming him, leaving him a husk of what he could be, both as Bruce Wayne and as Batman. By taking Alfred’s hand, it’s almost as if he is relinquishing his desperate hold on his identity as Vengeance (which is later made clear when he prevent Selina from shooting the officer and her dad). 

“I thought I had overcome that fear...of losing someone that I care about.” Another recurring theme is Bats overcoming his fear. He fears caring about anything because the things or people he care about might be taken from him. This is the first time he voices this fear aloud in the film, and what better way to do so, than to acknowledge Alfred’s influence in his life. I will touch on the wider “forest” that this touches on, in the fourth post of this notes series. (I’m so glad I drew a limit on this. I could talk about it for hours)

Part One // Part Two // Part Four (to be linked)

[why-this-kolaveri-machi]

it wasn’t power i coveted; it was acceptance.

Titans 3.06

y’know, i was just thinking the other day that 1.06/1.07 and 2.06/2.07 were the best episodes of their respective seasons, so i have great hopes going in to this one. fingers crossed!

as always, typing this up as i see the episode.

SPOILERS AHEAD

1. oh! um... that was a Cold Open, all right. *nudges* get it? cold? because it’s snowing? and two people got murdered in cold blood? eh?

... oh, i’ve just started.

1.5. i wonder if “i want to be sipping pina coladas on a beach with you” is the new “i’m just one day away from retiring.” i was so on edge after that--i kept expecting that car to explode. even so, the way they died wasn’t an anticlimax: brutal, and quick. 

1.75. so i’m assuming that’s the titular lady vic! this show better bring up why this doll was important or why these two cops needed to be killed, and not leave it to the ether like jericho’s little mindscape jaunt in 2.08 (i’m still dying to know what that was about???)

2.

i love how deliberately unappealing wayne manor is. 

(sorry for the pic quality. i don’t have hbo max! ssshhh.)

2.3. i love the many references to “home” and “our house” when they’ve been here for less than a week and saw one of their friends get blown into pieces. i mean, i unironically love it: home is where family is, after all!

2.5. i’d like to say that kom is playing some sort of long game here, especially given the build-up we had last season and some of the more niggling details this season: why did kom choose now to use her bond to lure kory when she’s been on earth for months? why did justin call kory now, just around the time that she started getting kom’s visions? and what about kom’s ability to exactly imitate other people? hmmm.

2.75. the reason i wrote i’d like to say is that i’ve made the mistake of assuming plot complexity where there is none; i was so invested in the jason todd orchestrated his own death theory for instance, when it turns out that oops! ra’s al ghul just happened to leave a little lazarus puddle in gotham, and oh yeah! scarecrow just happens to have a network of henchmen working for him on the outside and a fully functional laboratory and a weapons cache fit for a new supervillain in the basement of the high security psychiatric unit/prison that he’s in! 

(no i’m not bitter, why do you ask)

2.8. iiiii don’t know what to say about the implications of sex slavery being a thing on tamaran, so i’m not going to say anything at all. for now.

3. gotham, six years ago... wasn’t it five years before s2 that jericho died and the titans disbanded? and when was the flashback from 1.06 where dick let zucco die? i think it was after the events of 2.08: jericho? i can’t seem to find any transcripts or reliable information online, so i’m going to have to rewatch 1.06 at some point. 

(i love the old-fashioned batman music in this heist scene)

3.5. “security is a joke... it’s my way of keeping my dad on his toes”. what you’re an ethical thief now, like an ethical hacker? i don’t think that excuse is going to sell, barbara, on the day you do encounter a decent security system and your father is forced to arrest you.

(then again, gotham’s security is piss-poor. did you know that you could just walk into arkham asylum without any official clearance, ply one of its most dangerous inhabitants with contraband, and said inmate could get away with having an entire laboratory and weapons cache--NO I’M NOT GOING TO LET THIS GO)

3.8 so that flashback between dick and barbara was really cute! and also illuminating:

a) dick sounds so light, so... um. look. i have some apologies to tender to mr thwaites, because while i’ve always thought he does a fine job as dick grayson, i’ve never been terribly fond of his cadence as he delivers dialogue. it’s often monotonous, i thought, but then again, he’s usually delivering exposition or dealing with one soul-crushing crisis or the other. so i was pleasantly surprised to hear dick sound so carefree and alive in his conversation with barbara, laughing frequently, his emotions so bare and bubbling to the surface. it’s really a fantastic contrast to the traumatised and world-weary dick grayson that we see now, even more so than the costume department just bunging a backwards-baseball cap on mr thwaites’ head and hoping that will convince us of his relative youth. 

b) and god, when he wakes up from that memory, all alone in his bed, bleeding from bullet holes in his shoulder (bullet holes that are--in a somewhat convoluted way--barbara’s fault)? yikes. it’s great. you have my apologies, mr thwaites!

c) can you imagine dick just... crawling back to wayne manor, trying not to be seen by anybody, shedding his suit and just... collapsing onto his bed without even tending to his wound? the sheer emotional and physical exhaustion of it? 

d) it’s so interesting to see how barbara and dick approach the idea of legacy--a big theme on the show!--in this flashback. barbara is the one bucking the idea that she should follow in her father’s footsteps, while dick seems pretty content with the batman-and-robin setup, and even tries to get barbara to join their team (robin-girl. pfffft). obviously after this several traumatic things happen wherein dick ends up questioning and then resenting his role as robin, his relationship with batman or even returning as a vigilante at all. and barbara... ends up replacing her father as commissioner. it’s tragic, really. 

e) the dynamic between dick and barbara in the flashback reminds me of how it was between dick and donna in 1.08 and even between kory and dick in early s1. it’s like having an older, strong-willed woman by his side means he gives over the steering wheel for a while and lets himself... unspool, a little bit. it’s kinda endearing.

also:

*pinches his cheeks*

3. you know, we talk about dick and Eldest Daughter Syndrome, and that’s definitely valid, but here gar seems to me the embodiment of it, with all the emotional gardening and firefighting that he’s expected to do. he’s kind of the guy expected to keep his shit together and take care of everyone else while they are falling completely to pieces, unable to carve out time to process his own trauma. he’s also picked up dick’s and kory’s tendencies to bottle up their struggles and shun appearing vulnerable, and he’s struggling in the shadow of both dick and kory undergoing acute crises, his best friend (and frequent confidante) on the other side of the world, and seeing hank die, utterly helpless to stop it. 

i’m glad that he got a chance to tell dick even a smidgeon of what he really feels, and i hope this is at least a semblance of a wake up call for dick to actually sit down and work with the people he repeatedly calls family.

3.5. it’s heartening to see that dick immediately makes it his priority to go talk to gar. but don’t blow off kory in the process, man!

4. i’m really loving this dynamic between kom and conner--i get the idea that both of them consider each other as Unknowns, alien two times over. but conner’s only ever known the titans, who embrace being different, and kom’s only ever known... well. 

anyway, kory is Really Stressed, and honestly? #relatable. 

when you’re forced to bring an estranged family member to hang out with your friends...

4.5. i love that the titans are spending so much time in the kitchen. a real family!

5. jonathan crane is a creep and i absolutely cannot stand him.

5.25. how did he get a whole lab setup (in the basement of a hospital...?) with a bunch of whitecoats to work for him? how did he just waltz into the viewing room of an operation theatre when he’s one of the most wanted men in gotham right now? why is jason wandering around maskless when--presumably--as the adopted son of the most famous person in gotham he’d be a tad more recognisable than your average joe?

why do i expect this show to answer anything anymore?

5.5. that’s not necessarily a criticism, mind; i’ve said since season 1 that titans is very comics-like in this aspect, all about the Aesthetic and the splash-page splendour rather than the niggling unimportant details of how or when the characters got to said location. like. the camera gliding over the operation being set-up, lady vic bursting in and doing her murder dance (imagine the luck of the poor intern who chose this day and this surgery to assist) and jason, shocked and slack-jawed, framed by blood.

5.75. it’s a sobering reminder for jason that, though he chose this path in order to gain control over a world that seemed like it was rapidly spinning out of his grip, he’s only succeeded in handing over even more control to a man with an agenda that is very clearly not aligned with his own. he’s in too far to stop now, though.

5.9. i have a lot more thoughts about jason! saving it up for the end of this recap, though.

6. more kitchen time! i better see dick do some cooking soon...

(”our kitchen”! it still delights me! kitchens are So Important)

6.25. so much of dick’s issues have revolved around his relationship with bruce, so it’s completely understandable that in the wake of a huge crisis where bruce literally asks dick to replace him and be a “better” him, dick would default to all the worst things he learned from the man. and i’m glad kory’s having none of it, but come on, guys. the woman’s literally fetched her fratricidal sister out of a hole in the ground with no idea what said sister is going to do next and experiencing a burgeoning sense of guilt far, far beyond her history with the titans, and dick’s too far into his autocolonoscopy that he can’t see that she needs help.

6.5. “he services your urges”--well, as far as we know, kory is the last person he had sex with...

7. “i hope [gar] isn’t angry with me...” SIR! i thought you’d already spoken to him! smh, as the kids say. kory wouldn’t be needing to reassure you if you just took the effort to build two way emotional relationships with the rest of the team. @superohclair​ was taking about dick’s relatively low emotional intelligence? i agree.

7.5. “i got my own problems [...] you and barbara? fix it.” YOU TELL HIM, KORY

8. man i really like this weird, sad tension between dick and barbara--this sense that both of them are approaching the other based on how they remember them and are ultimately disappointed by the truth. barbara thought she could trust dick to... well, be a better batman, but dick has not only failed at that in her eyes, but repeatedly undermined her while exploiting the authority that she gave him. in dick’s eyes, this is nothing like the barbara that he knew, rebellious and ready to do whatever it takes to find something. 

like. this show sometimes really hits me in the chest about the ways it shows kids grow into adults and into caretakers, and the way it’s stop-start, the ways nothing can happen at all for a long time and then it’s Crisis Central all at once and there’s no space to breathe. the weird sort of sadness that comes with nostalgia. 

8.5. oracle name drop! i agree with barbara, any system that can just randomly tap into gotham phonelines is a monster.

8.7. (i don’t know if it’s my imagination, but is dick holding himself... differently in this episode? like that wound is definitely bothering him, and he’s running on fumes)

9. man, that was a really sweet scene between kom and conner. “feeling alien in your own world”... “not quite here nor there”

honestly this team runs on conner and gar’s faith in their value as a family, and it’s a sign of conner’s generous heart that he extends that opportunity to blackfire. this arc of maturation for him, where he’s now able to consciously choose which parts of himself he can use to do the thing he wants to so--save people--has been so fulfilling to recognise. this baby’s grown with the titans! and what he’s learnt is that people can get fucked up, but the titans is a place where they can be fucked up, and grow.

MY MAN CONNER

10. oh man i’m drinking in the gar-dick interaction in this episode like i’m three days into the desert and it’s the only source of water for miles around!

a) gar is absolutely not dealing with dick’s bullshit this episode and I LOVE IT. it’s such a far cry from the man who was idolising dick/robin back in s1 and expecting him to solve all their problems. dick is fallible, dick is fucked up, but he Tries His Best and that’s ok.

b) dick, huffing and puffing through that vent, unable to put any pressure on his left shoulder, trying to have a heart to heart with gar... fuck i love this asshole. 

c) bruce took in a kid who was suffering... “and made him into a weapon”. well. i absolutely agree with dick that it was bruce who put these kids into these horrible situations with him and they came away with a bucketload of trauma to add to the one that they already had. but we know that bruce was really trying with jason, and at the end of s2, dick was coming to acknowledge that bruce had offered him something that wasn’t just darkness. jason’s death and bruce’s reaction to that shattered that fragile progress.

d) “gotham got to me too.” i feel more sympathetic towards dick running off on his own than most, and it’s not just because i’m an unapologetic stan.  we’ve seen before that dick... devolves when overwhelmed, and he lashes out and makes ill thought out decisions and just Does Not Deal. it happened after hearing the news that deathstroke had returned in s2, and it didn’t help that everyone around him was reeling at the news, either. this time, however, he has his salvation in his family, and despite some stupid decisions like running off and kidnapping supervillains without telling his team, he’s been really on the ball this season. thinking clearly and logically, holding it together and working on a plan, thinking two steps ahead of the villains... yes.

e) gar needing to believe that jason isn’t beyond redemption... there’s a lot of blood on his hands, too, from when he was manipulated by cadmus last season. it makes sense why he’d relate to jason’s predicament, and i hope dick picked up on that.

f) my head just added a plaintive ow after dick jumped feet first into the storage room

i need, crave gifs of this scene!

11. *sits on hands* i’m going to talk more about red hood, i promise!

12. more gar and dick! is it my birthday??!!

(actually, according to the tamil calendar, it is my birthday! my “star” birthday)

12.5. excellent. dick using some implausible training that bruce taught him to solve a mystery? passing some of that knowledge onto gar? that proud smile when he sees gar perfectly execute moves that he taught him? MY HEART IS EXPLODING

13. aw, i love flashback!dick and barbara, they’re so cute <3

13.25. why does it not surprise me that the way he proposes a relationship to barbara is by saying “we make sense”? this guy can deduce exactly who was present where and what weapon they were holding from a garbled audio recording but other times he’s utterly clueless, and that’s a consistent character beat right from s1

13.5. so.... that’s why lady vic has it out for... barbara....? i don’t get it. it’s flimsy. but hey! the fun thing about titans is that i don’t have to get it. the payoff has nothing to do with the plot.

14. i can’t believe that barbara fell for that, but at least that wheelchair fight looked awesome, so.

15. oh yeah, i forgot that red hood bullied the mob into helping him and scarecrow... at least that explains the whitecoats and the elaborate set-up.

15.5. honestly i love how this dynamic between kory and kom is developing, though i wish more of the team would pay attention to it. time to call justin, i think!

16. i wonder what happened after that second flashback where barbara got hurt during that heist. did she give up on doing any more (maybe jim caught her)? was it because dick was called away by bruce and then the titans and got caught up in his own issues? maybe barbara froze him out because she wasn’t looking for the relationship that he was looking for? maybe the idea of doing that with someone turning into batman-lite was just... unappealing? scary?

whatever it is, it doesn’t look like dick ever processed the end of that relationship. it’s very intriguing to see where their dynamic goes next.

17. so.... what, did vic deliver some fear toxin to barbara? i... what?

17.5. and i TOLD YOU that they would never explain that doll or why vic attacked those two cops at the beginning! oh, titans. never change. 

18. did jason just randomly have tim’s restaurant burgled? god, i’m feeling a bit nauseous... are they going to kill tim’s father?

18.25. i feel like the rest of the season is going to wrestle with jason’s culpability in the horrible stuff he’s doing and i’m already seeing that prospect divide fans. on one hand, his story is taking a lot of oxygen away from other equally interesting story arcs, and he’s done some truly awful things, like indiscriminate murder, threatening to kill children, blowing up hank, and potentially killing tim’s parents. 

there’s something to be said for the kind of hold that crane has over him, and the so-called ‘anti-fear’ drug that he keeps plying jason with--he’s alone, drugged almost constantly (to the level of dependence), fresh from the trauma of being bludgeoned to death. he hasn’t conquered fear; he’s ruled by it. on the other hand, given that he’s the one character on the show given an obvious and identifiable ‘mental illness’ arc (maaaaybe dick too), one can argue that it’s irresponsible to show this progress into such violence: jason was vulnerable because he was struggling, and that left him vulnerable, but it took only a push before he became a fucking serial killer.

but that could mean we underestimate the degree of that vulnerability, and the mechanics of this universe where he fell into the clutches of the one supervillain perfectly designed to exploit that vulnerability. that helpless spiral into further and further self-destruction is all too real. it’s valuable to know that someone who has sunk that low can still seek help--actual help--and get it. 

18.5. i don’t know. it’s not a question i’m going to resolve at the end of an overlong recap at 1 in the morning. i don’t believe it’s even a question that titans can resolve. but i am interested in where they’re going next with jason.

19. this episode was genuinely great! i’m pumped for the rest of the season!