#s2 ep1 first watch

[fulcrum-art-fox]

Mel trying REALLY hard to hold the line about not using Hextech as a weapon to protect the dream that Jayce promised Viktor: I will ONLY support this if Hextech weapons are NOT used

Jayce’s reactive ass one event and not twenty minutes later: Hextech weapons for everyone!

[bluebellhairpin]

Ik I watch these shows on an illegal site, but it'd be so nice if I didn't have to skip every ten seconds of every minutes just so the video doesn't buffer after I watch more than 1 season.

[dulcewrites]

With the talk about Alys and Aemond I see them as two people that understood each other and actually felt something for one on another. I don’t think she would’ve sent him to his death either. I mean even in the story it’s kind of iffy how they got together. But in the show I’d like to see then portrayed as a couple that actually cares for one another but with how things are going I feel like they won’t do that ://

I think I’m just gonna stay consciously optimistic till s2 comes out. But yes I agree, I see them as two people, though in very different positions, both experienced loneliness and found each other.

[jitteryjive]

SEVERANCE HEADS. HOW R WE FEELING

i can’t stop thinking about a comment i saw on a video once where someone said the only reason they gave helly the dance party was to get pictures of her happy. head in my hands

[mimicha-arts]

LC - YINGDU EP1 SPOILERS, TW - blood, death scenes

Yeah I logged in just for LC to sum up things in my DMs with Forest (love u), mostly about dives.

Still have too many ideas about how mechanics actually work, as well as abilities transmigration, so I'll focus on differences of dives and some things from previous seasons.

Scene with Vein.

In my understanding, the opening scene already includes 2 different developments of events.

1, where CXS, after being wounded, was led by LG into the room, while Vein went to pick up the gun. We see bloody footprints, traces on the table, but that's all.

2, where Vein is already standing at the closed door, clearly shows other events - a chair, other objects scattered on the floor, according to the blood prints, the body seemed to have been dragged + there are no prints on the tabletop.

What is also interesting is that the background is slightly different in both scenes, if you pay attention to the shelves on the left.

There is a difference in the photos too - the first version shows only a crack, the second - a broken glass.

For me, the conclusion is that already here we see 2 different timelines.

Lu Guang's injury

In the first option, although Vein shoots at the door, he misses (time ~ 23:11), Lu Guang closes the door and is not injured

So , missing scene

We don't know what happened for about an hour. In the second version (cause it has stains on the floor, overturned things), the blood on the photo already speaks of the not shown scene. I doubt that Vein simply changed his mind and left, so Lu Guang had to "deal with" him.

At this point, he himself is deeply wounded, but the most important thing is that in these shots we are shown his yellow eyes - this is already a dive in a dive, some kind of repetition of the events.

s2ep12

At the same time, this drive is different from the drive that was shown in the second season.

The blood pattern on his clothes is similar, but even if we exclude the fact that he doesn't look out of breath/in pain, there are other details.

- blood stains on his face - furnishings, of objects on the table - blood on hands (by the way, in the scene with Vein, when he raised his hands in front of him, both of his hands were covered in blood)

Lu Guang's watch

For us as viewers, the watch on his right hand is a familiar part of the design, he wears it on his right hand in both s1 and s2

So, after diving, the first thing he tries to do is check the time, and looks at his right hand.

We still don't know the origin of his watch, since he didn't wear them in almost all the flashbacks. Except for the new one, where the watch is on his left hand.

Thus, Yingdu gives us a new diving point - April 12th (in addition to the dives on September 13).

Maybe the time of this dive will correlate with the time indicated in s2 (but with which there were no associated events)

Except for the poster, the watch on Lu Guang's left hand appeared in the flashback of CXS's death in s2, which probably separates this variant of his death from the ones shown in the scene with Vein, and perhaps the difference can give us insight into the timeline's chronologies later on.

September and April

To be honest, this whole thing makes me very excited, because of the existence of the old theory about the broken time in April and September - I wrote about it in detail a year ago in that post

Emma, April-September and chronology

For me, this means that circumstances of the case, who the unknown victim was, although they have faded into the background now, will still be a key.

Pretty sure this has all been discussed, but thanks for reading. Let's all… have fun with the new season ~

[leaffsheep]

watching Sherlock for the first time ever and im currently on S2 Ep1 and let me tell you… the amount of jealousy radiating off John is insane… I actually can’t believe it

[tabithatwo]

What do you think about the scene in ep1 where Shauna masturbates on her daughters bed while looking at pictures of her boyfriend? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I found it disturbingly similar to younger Shauna sleeping with Jackie's boyfriend

Oh hey, so this response is like perhaps over a year late but someone else asked me about this and I remembered I had 3/4 of this response drafted so hi I’m here now lmao

Anon, I do NOT think you’re overthinking this scene. I actually think there is so much room to think about this scene that a thesis could be written on it. It’s so layered and an incredibly bold choice on the show’s part to include it. It is our introduction to adult Shauna, and I think that the creators of the show clearly felt that it was very important.

This scene made me so uncomfortable as a first time casual viewer that I actually tried to rationalize it away. I remember saying aloud to the person I was watching with “No, that has to be her own childhood bedroom, right? She must be, like, visiting her aging parents?” Clearly I was ignoring the very ridiculous set design of Callie’s room entirely lol, but my mind wanted to find a different explanation. And it took me a while to come around to really loving Shauna as a first time viewer of the show, in part due to how much that scene shocked me.

All that to say, it is absolutely reasonable to find yourself very uncomfortable when thinking about that scene, as many people say that they do when they’re proclaiming that they wish it didn’t exist in the show. But I don’t think that means the scene should be ignored by any means. That discomfort is the point of the scene. Shauna is such a fascinating character, because she swings back and forth from shockingly depraved and cruel, to heartbreakingly kind and loving. She draws both the audience AND the other characters into this unpredictable back and forth with her, and it is easy for us AND them to forget what she is truly capable of when she is in one of her sweeter moments. That is what makes her one of the most fascinating characters of all time to me.

Okay, now we can get into my personal interpretation of this scene. I have always felt it was about Jackie. I think that was clear early on, but, after s2 aired, having more information about Shauna’s relationship with Callie did impact my interpretation of the scene and solidify some suspicions I had.

Shauna clearly does not see Callie as her daughter in any traditional sense. She tells Lottie as much, that she never could fully believe Callie was real and hers. And we see, with increasing clarity as the show goes on, that Shauna views Callie as a peer more than anything. Shauna has both stunted development and difficulty expressing affection. We see her tell Callie that it would’ve been easier if she HAD just had sex with the cop. That’s a very strong indicator of their dynamic. Shauna just doesn’t have the capacity to mother Callie.

That is important context because, with the scene in Callie’s bedroom, Shauna is recreating the thing she used to do when she was young and Jackie was alive. I don’t think she is even thinking about the fact that it’s her daughter’s boyfriend or bedroom, because she doesn’t even really think of Callie as her daughter much of the time. It’s so complex and muddled and, you guessed it, uncomfortable!

In my opinion, people are NOT ready for the intricacies of the ways Callie is a Jackie proxy for Shauna to be developed further. Like the show is establishing it pretty heavily, and I think in a very compelling way, but if it goes down that road more explicitly I have a feeling that people are not going to be able to separate the WAYS in which Shauna sees Jackie in her, if that makes sense.

I think s2 did have some compelling threads of this. Shauna caring for the Jackie corpse doll and getting frustrated and “hurting” her with the ear coming off scene. Shauna not being able to protect her, initiating and endorsing the consumption of her, then hinting at having fears that she’d hurt the baby when she was pregnant, losing the baby, worrying that they’d do to the baby what they did to Jackie, twisting it so much that she can’t help but believe they ate the baby too.

She associated the baby with Jackie very heavily. And in doing so, I think she parentified herself to Jackie in a really fascinating way, like Jackie was her first failure.

If she couldn’t care properly for Jackie, who loved her so much (and became an actual martyr and saint to her), and she couldn’t care for her children who were absolute innocents, then she must be the epitome of horrible and she should squash those caring instincts bc clearly they aren’t actually Good, type shit. That’s how I feel like Shauna spirals into her destructive behavior.

So what happens here, imo, is that Shauna doesn’t really see any of her relationships clearly. I don’t think she consciously thinks of Jackie as The Girl She Was In Love With, and I don’t think she consciously thinks of Callie as her daughter most of the time. Shauna just thinks of them both as people she has loved and failed, as well as people who piss her the fuck off and make her feel trapped in a life she doesn’t want.

She sees a lot of Jackie in Callie, and she acts out in really horrifying ways throughout the entire show to try and gain control, and this scene is one of them. Shauna has always used sex as a way to reclaim control, even when it is absolutely insanely inappropriate, and often when it isn’t at all about actual pleasure. We see more of this in s2, when she BRINGS JEFF TO THE ART STUDIO OF THE MAN SHE KILLED AND FUCKS HIM THERE (that was fucking INSANELY risky and destructive). With masturbating on Callie’s bed, looking at a pic of her bf, Shauna is acting from the same place she was when taking Jeff from Jackie in a way, and I get why that’s uncomfortable to watch. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, it is SUPPOSED to!

But I think that we are viewing it with so much more logic and thought than Shauna is capable of applying. We draw conclusions from it that are based on a sane person, and Shauna is far from that. I think Shauna is briefly recreating multiple feelings and motivations that drove her to sleep with Jeff as a teenager. The sexual side of things is so wholly Jackie driven, she is constantly seeking ways to feel the way she felt when she was creating that proxy sexual connection with Jackie that she verbatim discusses with Jeff (which is so crazy btw not over that scene). But the side that relates to Callie is driven purely by the frustration and anger. Again, I don’t think Shauna has consciously thought about ANY of it, but if I had to interpret the driving emotions, then I think those would be the most likely.

And I think what it says about Shauna is that she is not living in reality in the slightest. You can not overstate the lack of conscious thought that goes into her actions when she does these things. She is acting on pure impulse, and without any certainty that anything is actually real.

She breaks my heart and this convo about the masturbation scene is so interesting to me because YEAH, that was a ROUGH introduction! and it took me rewatches to allow myself to dig into her character and that’s the point tbh.

On instinct, people either see the actions clearly and hate her, or obscure them to the point of forgetting they happened and love her. But it’s much harder to reckon with them and dig in and come out still loving her.

(I truly can’t believe I have to say this, but I was recently introduced to the fact that yj incest shippers exist, so disclaimer: this is NOT meant to be taken as a romantic or sexual interpretation of Shauna and Callie’s relationship at all. In fact, when I say that I don’t think people are ready for detangling the WAYS in which Shauna sees Jackie in Callie this is exactly what I mean. I just assumed people would wrongly assume it was That and be horrified. I didn’t consider the opposite, and I would like to continue not considering the opposite, so I will prob block anyone who engages with this in that way simply bc I do not want to see it and this is my social media lol)

[dalliancekay]

I'm just gonna write out what I think cos if someone sends me this again for the 113th time, I'm gonna snap. Look. Interviews (months!) before a premiere of something are tricky. You gotta be careful and VAGUE with what you say and what you want people to expect. Mostly creators focus on the themes in the first, maybe second episodes or so, trying not to give away much. Just the bare bones, what is already expected anyway. After all, they want you to watch it and go: "Ahhhh...." It was the same in S2 as well. (David describing in interviews how unmoored Crowley was in S2, how kind of disappointed etc and Michael how Az is also a bit disconcerted by not having a job, something big to belong to). But that's a description of - how we find the Ineffables in ep1, rather than describing the whole of Season 2 or their entire mindset. And there was a book first before the series and you must admit Aziraphale and Crowley are a bit different in the series than they are in the book. So caution was needed. PLUS their story has evolved again. It doesn't now end in the Ritz (I know it never really did for Neil and Terry who clearly wanted them to deal with the whole system somehow). The husbands have more trouble ahead. More details were added. We got more of their story, their journeys. Crowley doesn't change and is just waiting for Aziraphale to catch up with him - it's not much of a story, don't you think? Aziraphale is a naïve goody two shoes angel who has to realise Heaven is bad - is just so simple it's laughable.

And I'm sorry but Aziraphale has not lived a guarded life. He has lived a life of fear and anxiety with bosses who underestimate, belittle and laugh at him and think he's soft and rather pointless. Does anyone know what the question was that's answered?

Yeah, Aziraphale changes in S1 but they both do. Crowley throws out - we should do something. This whole Armageddon thing, I don't like it. He is so much a questioner of everything, isn't he. Why does it have to be this way. Makes no sense, what if... And generally, he doesn't have much to lose. If Hell wins, well, he knows what it's like. If Heaven wins, well, it'd be marginally better? Just about? If he survives to see it? Still sucks balls tho. So yes, David is right that Crowley NEEDS Aziraphale to see things his way and quickly. Cos EARTH.

Aziraphale knows the Earth came with a manual and an expiry date. He even told this so Angel!Crowley aeons ago.

So Aziraphale's journey (is not stopping believing Heaven is good and truth and light) is believing that he has choices. That he can change things. That the Plan might be Ineffable but it doesn't have to follow what he was told it must follow.

Crowley says, look, let's try, what do we have to lose. You like Earth as much as I do. And he gets Aziraphale to agree, they hatch a plan.

We watch Crowley come to love and trust Aziraphale through the ages after all he has been through. We watch Aziraphale to guard their little existence and carefully push at boundaries of what he thinks he can get away with. He wonders at what things are really like. What do they mean.

Their journey, is towards each other.

I don't know how they will smash the System before they fall into a tight embrace and never let go, but I know they will. Even if they have no idea yet that that is even possible. How could they.

And if I see one more post about how Aziraphale was backsliding and choosing his ‘faith’ over Crowley in the Final 15, I will set the internet on fire.

I can never decide if Heaven and Hell are more like mafia or like a dictatorship. Maybe a mix of both. Just cos they couldn't be killed, they were left alone for a bit. Didn't last long though, did it. They needed to be separated so they don't stop another go at destroying the little Universe project God started. I guess the Archangels are quite fed up with it.

Remember. Aziraphale and Crowley have nowhere to go. They never had. The best they could do was keep their little places on Earth. For themselves. For each other. Until they couldn't.

If you thought Aziraphale won't take the chance to have a tiny glimmer of an opportunity to destroy the fucking system in whatever way he can come up with (instead of what, being downmoted, having his memory erased too?), than you don't get him at all. Did he want to stay? You heard him say it. Was he allowed to? (No, really Metatron, nice chat but do fuck off for real now, I have a date with my demon). If you think Metatron wouldn't be back with a punishment for helping Gabriel than I don't know what to tell you.

Remember this?

And then they threatened the demon he loves.

ALSO Why do people keep bringing this back to justify their vague (or not so vague) dislike of Az (but, but Neil said "I think Aziraphale needs to learn") cos they think Az betrayed Crowley by leaving or something. The angel is just so stubborn. And he just won't listen to Crowley... right? /s You can see Aziraphale's struggles - he is a part of something he disagrees with and has no way out (Hell is not a way out btw) and tries to live in his existence in the little bubble with Crowley while being extremely careful not to have it burst. Until it inevitably does. Just as he always knew it would. But okay, if you want to have Good Omens be about a demon who figured everything out and is now waiting for his fluffy little angel to catch up and apologise to him (a million times) for being stupid so they can finally ride into the sunset, have at it. TL;DR - Heaven is good and Heaven should/could be good are two different things - Aziraphale is not an idiot; whether he still believes God is good/neutral/whatever and just the management bad or not is up in the air, we can't know unless we ask him, but it's definitely not so simple as - he needs to see it's bad, like Crowley did, end of story - The Ineffables HAVE NOWHERE TO GO. There isn't a secret third option where they can leave for and be happy if only Aziraphale opened his eyes - it's what the story is about - Crowley left Heaven for an even worse place. It would make zero sense for Aziraphale to follow his journey. Crowley is not free and doesn't have all the answers - I bet it has never occurred to either of them the whole System can be ever changed (we don't even know if it can be. The System is bigger than the UNIVERSE) - But I think that's what they'll do in S3

[butterflydm]

rings of power, s2 eps 1-2

So there are things I know about how this season will end (specifically, I know a couple of pretty significant deaths), and that will definitely impact my thoughts during my watch of the season, so I'll set those out now.

spoilers below through s2 of rop and probably some lotr spoilers

Things I know will happen by the end of the season: Celebrimbor will die; Adar will die; and Sauron is going to stab Galadriel with a black crown (Morgoth's crown, I think). I also know we're gonna get blonde elf Sauron who goes by the name Annatar.

I have also been thinking about what Galadriel said a couple of times in s1 -- thirst cannot be quenched with seawater (paraphrased). It feels significant in a way that I'm not quite certain of, in the same way that Adar saying 'only blood can bind' feels significant. So I'm just going to place it here for me to think about. It was used by Galadriel to essentially mean that an inferior substitute cannot replace what you really need, mostly in the context of revenge, iirc, but yeah. It's sticking in my head for some reason.

episode 1: I enjoyed Gandalf with Nori (and I am glad that Poppy joined them!!) and it's intriguing and I'm interested in seeing more.

I like the Harfoot stuff but never seem to have much to say about it.

Now, Sauron, I can apparently talk about forever.

I love how ep1 of season 1 was us learning Galadriel's fateful road to meeting Sauron and now we see the other side of the story! We watch Sauron's road to meeting Galadriel!

Starting with his encounter with Adar and the orcs. Now, I am spoiled about how Adar dies, so I know that the season is going to bookend between Adar killing Sauron at the start, and then Sauron killing Adar in a very similar way at the end. Knowing that... I mean, you can see the murder in Sauron's eyes when he's forced to kneel and place his feet by Adar's feet. Even if Sauron didn't already plan on killing him (he did), that moment would have sealed Adar's fate (just as the old Sauron loyalist sealed his own fate by being an asshole to the imprisoned Halbrand).

I do find it very interesting that Sauron, while being Halbrand here, is also still doing good by his people -- he arranged for the enslaved Southlanders to be freed as part of his deal with Adar.

I really liked seeing that whole backstory, because we really got to the heart of why Sauron failed to redeem himself -- being good is not a single act (he is fully capable of doing singular acts of goodness -- he does one here by getting Adar to free the enslaved Southlanders as part of his bargain) but a choice that must be made over and over "until it becomes your nature". Arondir talks about this too, when the Southlanders were considering surrendering to Adar (and some of them did) -- that going to Adar and submitting to him turns back all of the progress that their people have made over the centuries to rid themselves of Morgoth's influence. Falling prey to the temptations of power makes it more difficult to unwind that temptation from yourself later on.

The Sauron and Adar scenes were so good. First, we had original recipe Sauron's failure to convince Adar to go along with his plan (because it was obviously selfish and putting Sauron and his desires over everyone else's) vs Halbrand's success at getting Adar to go along with his plan (because he was able to frame it in a way that meant he was going to be meeting Adar's desires and helping Adar destroy his old source of fear -- by using "Sauron" as bait, which was hilarious)!

Sauron really paid attention to the cost of his original failure with Adar & the orcs. And learned how to manipulate him better this time around.

We also saw his first meeting with Galadriel from his PoV and, yeah. He definitely saw something in her from the very start. I don't think he knew what -- I stand by what I said about Sauron in my s1 wrapup -- he's an opportunist. He took the pouch of the King of the Southlands because it might be useful someday. And I think he could see something intriguing in Galadriel and was curious about it. I don't think he had any particularly concrete plans at that time. Given his conversations with the old man (Diamand?), he was interested in the concept of redemption for himself, but I think the actual day-to-day hard work of it was something that he found daunting.

We also finally really got to see more hints of him using his powers. First, there was that huge blast of power when his body 'died' -- creating a frozen wasteland at that fortress location that is still there all these years later (that's the frozen fortress that Galadriel visited in s1e01!). Holy shit, he was holding a lot of power inside his form. Brings back all the shit that the wizard ladies were telling "Sauron" (Gandalf) that he was capable of at the end of last season. Plus the actual rebuilding of a different mortal form for himself, by consuming life along the way (that poor random girl). He really is something akin to a demigod and we got to see it in this episode.

We also appeared to see him commune with beasts twice -- it seemed like he was talking to that giant sea monster (also, it seems like there's no reason to worry about Sauron ever drowning, because bro did not seem to have any worries about being sunk down in the water for a while) and he communicated with and befriended the wolf that he then used to kill the old Sauron loyalist (no, I never bothered to learn the man's name. And now I don't need to know!).

In the Elven rings storyline: Elrond was absolutely right. The rings were whispering to people from the second they were completed. The rings actively resisted being thrown into the waters and seduced Cirdan into putting one of them on instead. The rings are dangerous. Maybe a portion of Gil-galad's point is correct, now that they have come to this turning point -- if Sauron had not come back to Middle-Earth, if the mountain hadn't blown, then Gil-galad might be arguing here that they should let the matter of the rings go and leave Middle-Earth. But now that he does believe that Sauron is here, he believes they are obligated to stay to fight him (aka exactly Galadriel's reasoning for refusing to leave in 1x01!).

That one of the Rings leapt out to choose its owner (Galadriel) and called to her to put it on... that is One Ring bullshit if I've ever seen it. The Rings want to be worn. They want to be used. They promise everything that your heart desires... through them. And that's the same damn promise that Sauron gives everyone. "I can give you the power to solve your problems. Just... listen to me. I have the answers and I am willing to give them to you. Let me rule you fix it for you." And he tailors that pitch so well to the person listening, if he's had a chance to get to know them (and isn't distracted by thoughts of his upcoming glory, lol).

I noticed that Galadriel didn't confess to who Halbrand truly was until she was cornered and essentially had no choice. I understand why she hesitated -- she knew that Sauron wasn't wrong when he said that she would be blamed for bringing him back. "How will they react when they learn that Sauron lives because of you?" She knows how they'll react. And that's why she didn't tell.

He was counting on that. That if she wouldn't come to his side, she at least wouldn't want to reveal how badly she'd miscalculated in trusting him. And in doing so, she enabled him to continue his plans.

And now that the rings exist, they resist being lost. They whisper a thousand promises of power to their bearer. The elven rings may not be touched by Sauron's hand, but his promise lives in them.

In the end, not even Frodo could bear to actually destroy the One Ring. When it came to the final moment, he decided to keep it. It was only his earlier actions that created the situation that led to its destruction.

Great opener! Looking forward to the rest of the season.

My mom's big takeaway was being awed/horrified over how Sauron was able to reconstitute himself from just the blood/goo that had been left behind, and she kinda despaired/marveled at how difficult someone like that is to truly defeat. We've decided we're probably going to rewatch the LotR movies after we've caught up with s2 of RoP.

episode 2: Okay, I'll tackle Gandalf's storyline first. Once again, it's good but pretty straight-forward, so not a lot to say. I do think it's important to have on-screen, because Gandalf is the rising foil to Sauron, the Maia that we can contrast against each other. Sauron is of many names and Gandalf the Stranger is currently of none.

I think part of what we have here is the continuing paralleling of the growth between their powers as well -- Gandalf calls a duststorm but cannot control it; Sauron calls a rainstorm and controls it to perfection.

The other parts of the story are all about the continuing rise of Sauron and how he is putting pieces together to create what he views as his masterwork.

Trouble in the dwarven mountains, trouble that was caused by the volcano erupting in what used to be the Southlands. A problem has been created for the dwarves. A fear has been created.

Now... now Sauron needs to make himself the solution to that new fear that the dwarves have. He needs to make his rings the solution to their deepest fears, just like he did for the elves when he learned that they were fading.

The family plotline that we had going on with the two stubborn Durins was good, and I continue to love Durin (III) and Disa's relationship. <3

With the elves, it becomes even more clear to me how connected the elven rings are to Sauron, even if he wasn't the one who crafted them (check out Halbrand's look of joy when he's telling Celebrimbor that the elven rings have "worked wonders" -- he is thrilled that the elven rings are being used). Galadriel touches the her ring and is distracted by visions about Sauron. Gil-galad hides his own ring from sight at the implication that the rings could be dangerous. And Cirdan attempts to make the argument that limitless power is fine in the hands of the trusted and the wise... an argument that the elves are sadly aware is incorrect by the time of the LotR. The rings are dangerous because the rings are Sauron's realized promise to save the elves from fading from Middle-Earth. They are his.

Elrond is the only one we've seen so far who resisted the call of the rings. He continues to have so much moral integrity - stands up to his friends, stands up to his king, keeps his oaths, and is wary of incredible power even if it rests in trusted hands.

I note that Gil-galad is careful to redirect any... failings of falling for Sauron's deceptions to Galadriel's feet. He hides his ring when the subject comes up. It's Galadriel who is a risk, not the rings. Never the rings. This section here was also set-up for how Halbrand manipulates Celebrimbor later on -- we learn in this conversation that it's said that once Sauron deceives you fully, then he can make you see and feel what he wants. That is what he does to Celebrimbor in this episode.

Gil-galad and Galadriel are both being granted visions by the rings. Where are the visions coming from? We didn't see Gil-galad's vision but we saw Galadriel's.

In her vision, she was granted access into Sauron's plans. Seven rings for the dwarf lords. Nine rings for the mortal men. And Celebrimbor... the Celebrimbor in her vision... he blamed her for Sauron's rise. Or gave her the credit. Depending on how you look at it. In her other, shorter vision, she was shown Halbrand in Eregion. Who is showing her this? Is it truly something that her ring has unlocked inside her, as Gil-galad suggests?

We also got to see how the memory of what she shared with Halbrand still preys on her heart. "He never left," Elrond says. So, yeah, heartbroken and ashamed and certain that it must be her destiny to kill Sauron (because only that way can she prove to herself that he isn't still in her heart?).

So, you know. Galadriel is going through it right now.

Over with our boy the Deceiver... continues to be doing the most at all times. He tried to make it work as Halbrand for quite a long time, honestly. He tried to elicit sympathy and understanding and he got it... to a certain extent. But then he hit the wall of Celebrimbor's arrogance about elven superiority vs men or dwarves (but especially "corruptible" mortal men).

And so Halbrand becomes Annatar in the most over the top way anyone could imagine, holy shit. That's what Celebrimbor wants. Not a collaboration with a lowly mortal smith or king of Men. He wants to believe that the Valar, that the gods themselves think that he's the best fucking artist in the world. So good that they sent a personal envoy to give him instructions.

The way that Sauron crafts himself to fit into what his audience most desires of him is... impressive and, you know, I should say terrifying, but honestly, it's kinda hot. Fictional con artists are very attractive to me. And Sauron defaults to being a con artist before he picks violence. He prefers manipulation. He's very good at it.

My mom's feelings: she feels like he looks "more evil" as Annatar and is relieved about it, lol.

[eviglynn]

I started watching Heartstopper again but this time from season 1 and when I compare the 2 seasons I can’t believe that they are the same actors and characters. They have grown so much together and seeing the first episode and the last episode makes me cry because of how gorgeous this is presented.

First Ep- S1 Ep1

Last Ep- S2 E8

[demonioenelespacio]

I really love how s2 of Good Omens is written, because you have so many clues about what is going to happen at the end, the offer, the motivations behind the choices of all the characters… You have everything on the plate to cook an amazing recipe.

You start the season with them as angels and end it with an offer to be both angels again (just like s1 started and ended with a Garden). You get a brief glimpse of The angel who became Crowley, we get to see how they were so passionate about their work, you can see their joy. I mean, look at them

Can you really blame Aziraphale for thinking that the offer is amazing? When that could mean that Crowley is this happy again.

But… The spark that our demon is missing is innocence, and that’s something Crowley can’t get back, ever (unless they delete his memory??).

Crowley is bitter and angry and anxious, but we know he can experience that joy from Before, because we can see that when he is making it rain for Maggie and Nina. We saw a real smile.

Aziraphale didn’t.

But the offer is not because he wants to change Crowley, because he knows who Crowley is now and loves him as he is. And because he knows that Crowley is still the same caring and kind being he was Before.

“I know you”

“You do not know me”

“I know the angel you were”

“The angel you knew is not me”

Yeah, it’s true, but that scene is to show Azira that he is still kind, he didn't kill the sheep, he is not going to kill the children. So, yes, Crowley isn’t that Angel, but the core is the same in the end.

There is also the fact that… Do you think Aziraphale ever thinks about how he planted the seeds of Crowley's Fall?

This is the face of an angel who is going to end the career of another angel WITHOUT REALISING IT.

That Angel didn’t know about Earth, about humans, about the Great Plan, they were busy making stars. If Aziraphale had never told them that, would Crowley have thought of asking questions?

First offence and all of that… How unfair. How could Aziraphale make it right again?

The “Exactly” scene is so important. They are so stupid (affectionary).

They mean the same thing (We can be together) but saying different things; a phrase (Nothing lasts forever) meaning different things for each of them. They don’t talk, they don’t really speak each other's language.

Also, the final scene is more painful, but we have the same argument in ep1:

“Oh, right, this is how you wanna do it?”

“No, I would love you to help me! I’m asking you to help me take care of (Heaven). But if you won’t, you won’t”

*Crowley leaves*

How can they have broken up so many times without ever being together (screams).

In ep1 we also have the two little mini half-miracles. And I have read some people take that as how powerful Crowley is, but come on. This Big Miracle is clearly because they are working together, the two of them together are more powerful than anything else. And boy, that rang an alarm in my head when I first watched the season, because… Crowley said in s1 that they will be waiting for the next Big Thing, this war "Heaven and Hell vs. Humanity". You want the best in your team, right?

Because if they are not… they can be against you.

So, yeah, I saw Metatron and was like “ok, here we go”. And look, his offer is to Aziraphale, because he is an angel, but Metatron doesn’t blink an eye before mentioning Crowley too. He wants both. But whatever, if Crowley doesn’t want to go to Heaven, if Heaven only gets Azirphale, well, success either way! Because if you separate the two of them, they are no longer a threat .

Also the fly, flying around very very noisy. You have Beelzebub saying they want Gabriel surrendered to them and acting a bit weird. All the clues there (I must confess I didn't expect the ship to be canon, I just thought they might be talking more lol. A nice win).

All this just thinking about episode 1.

The last thing I want to touch is Maggie and Nina talking to Crowley before the confession. Because… They told us what was going to happen.

They can’t be together, because Nina has to get over her previous toxic relationship before she is ready, and then, only then, they can try, if Maggie waits (she will wait).

Aziraphale has to get over his toxic relationship with Heaven before he is ready, and then, only then, they can try, if Crowley waits (he will wait).

[fulcrum-art-fox]

Watching the Arcane s2 opening with Mel and Jayce holding each other as they come to after the explosion and having the Meljay shipper within me rising from the depths like: I LIVE

[angstintensifer]

Darius & Kenji’s friendship and Brotherhood over the years, an analysis.

Kenji and Darius have one of best dynamics of the entire Jurassic franchise, their brotherhood is heart-warming, sweet, funny and sometimes painful to watch in the tv shows they're featured in. Today I will be breaking down their story of going from strangers to brothers.

Season one of jwcc: In s1 of jwcc, they start on rough patch, being polar opposites who don't get along much. Kenji catches Darius sneaking out one night and follows him, chaos ensues, they go to the raptor pen with Brooklynn and almost get attacked. They end up trouble. Darius first hears of Kenji's not so great father and takes the fall for Kenji.

They get a shared punishment, which only leads to more sneaking off and the first time Kenji saves Darius's life and the two find common ground to become friends.

For the rest of the season Kenji stops calling Darius "Kid" and sees him as a real friend, he follows Darius's lead and sometimes finds time to tease him.

At the end of the season, Kenji encourages Darius that he is a good leader and that they will stick together to survive.

Season two of jwcc

Season two follows the campers surviving and living alone on the island, Darius remains as leader and the friendship between them all grows.

Kenji continues to tease and have fun with Darius despite their situation, it may seem childish on the outside but Darius knows its Kenji's way of showing he cares by trying to cheer his friends up.

When Darius and Kenji go alone to fix the water problem in ep3 they discover the watering hole, Kenji sees the majesty in the dinosaurs Darius always sees and Darius starts his field journal.

Kenji doesn't get dinos the way Darius does but when he sees how much Darius talks about them, he encourages Darius to write his own book about them. Because he believes in him.

The rest of the season, Darius and Kenji are pretty split up due to the plot but have some moments in between, their friendship is strong at this point.

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous hidden adventure takes place between s2 and s3 of jwcc and there are some great moments between Darius and Kenji

During the roller coaster ride, the Tarbo finds the campers and Darius realizes he still has the scent of her nest on him.

There’s a choice between abandoning the coaster to climb away or stay to jump out and wash off the smell.

If you choose for Darius to stay, Kenji will too and declares to not let Darius do it alone.

Season three of jwcc

The campers have been stranded a very long time and when trying to find a way out, they find a boat. Captain Kenji is born and so is the prank war between Kenji, Darius and Brooklynn. It's a sweet side plot in the beginning episodes that makes Darius and Kenji more like brothers.

During the penthouse episode, Kenji is overjoyed to show his friends a good time. And his growth is shown when he smashes his dad's expensive statue to save his friends.

The day is slightly tainted by the attack but at the end of it, Darius tells Kenji something he deserved to hear, that he's more than his wealth.

The season delivers more light brotherly teasing between the boys and then Kenji and Darius hit a slight rough patch when the Scorpius rex is revealed.

Darius is angry at Kenji for not doing what he asked, he can't stay angry for long and Kenji is trying his best. The season ends with them having another fall out, Kenji being angry at Darius for risking Brooklynn's life. Darius isn't completely at fault, he was following Brooklynn's orders.

Season four of jwcc

S4 is my least fav but it has some good Kenji and Darius moments

Ep1 has Darius and Kenji at each other's throats for what happened at the end of s3.

Brooklynn makes a good point here by saying Kenji is angry at Darius specifically because he will be Kenji's hardest goodbye, it hurts to get close to someone and then suddenly say goodbye to them.

But when Darius is in danger, Kenji doesn't waste a second saving his life, because at the end of the day no matter how angry he is, Kenji will always be there for him.

The rest of the season doesn't show much of their dynamic until the last episode, Kenji wants to apologize for his attitude at the beginning of the season and Darius is the first person Kenji wants to tell about his relationship with Brooklynn.

Darius is nothing but happy for them. They go against dilos together <3

The season ends on a cliff hanger with the campers and Kenji finding out Daniel Kon, Kenji's father is Kash's boss.

Season five of jwcc

Kenji learns who is his real family in s5. He's reunited with his Dad, who takes the kids in and away from Kash.

With Kenji reuniting with his dad, he wants to prove he's grown and Darius assures him he has grown from the cocky rich kid he used to be when they met.

Darius and the rest of the campers all don't trust Daniel, but Kenji does as he wants to believe the best in his father.

The team convinces Daniel not to do dino fights by showing Big Eatie reunite with her daughter, Kenji makes a comment about how cool it is that Darius can talk to a T rex.

Daniel's mind is changed. Here's where things go wrong, when Daniel continues to prioritise his business over sending six traumatized kids home.

The campers sneak out and find out what's going on and Kenji feels let down. His Dad hypes Kenji up in way he never did before and it makes Kenji feel wanted.

Because of his, Kenji betrays his friends when they try to stop Daniel's presentation by ruining their control chips used on dinos.

Daniel locks up the kids and Kenji doesn't stop him.

Darius's first response to this is to bury his feelings while everyone else vocally deals with their own.

Darius is betrayed but since it hurts too much, he'd rather focus on something he likes, ie the dinos.

It takes some time but when Darius does deal with his feelings surrounding Kenji, he's hurt.

Kenji is his friend and he feels he can't trust him again, even if he wants to someday.

Kenji follows his dad to Nublar and the first person Kenji thinks about in the penthouse is Darius.

During Kenji's time on Nublar with his father, he sees his father's true colours.

He treats Kenji like nothing more than a business partner, making him work and only complimenting him when he does something that benefits the business.

Kenji is conflicted and knows there is something wrong with the way he's been treated but doesn't want to believe it.

Kenji was treated well and loved for months by his friends and now he sees how badly he was treated by his father after knowing what love and care is supposed to feel like but he's still just a kid so it takes him some time to come to terms with that.

In one episode, Mae tells Kenji that he shouldn't have to earn his father's love with business deals or making him money.

This resembles what Darius told Kenji in s3, that Kenji didn't need to impress his friends, they already love him, because they know him.

They know he's loyal, funny, cool and brave. They love him for who he is and not because of what they do for him or how rich he is.

When Kenji and his dad return, Kenji is done with his father, he wants to make things right with the campers.

Darius doesn't forgive him right away. He's rightfully angry and isn't ready for forgiveness but lets Kenji help the fam anyway.

When fighting Daniel's men, Darius lets out his true feelings to Kenji and Kenji. Kenji used to always have Darius's back until his dad came back and Darius isn't ready to let that go yet. They still work together during this and Darius sees Kenji fighting by his side and Kenji promises to never abandon him ever again. They make up, Kenji who probably only got one hug from his dad clings to Darius because they both clearly needed it.

At the end, Kenji declares to his dad that the campers are his real family and his dad leaves without him. But Kenji knows the campers won't do that to him.

When returning to the mainland, Kenji watches his friends reunite with their families, happy for them and sad that he can't do it himself.

But then Darius waves at him and introduces him to his mother and Kenji is welcomed into their family.

Jwcc to jwct

Kenji is taken in by the Bowmans, he has two brothers, Darius and Brand.

The camp fam has weekly check ins and all is well.

Dinos come to the mainland.

Darius gets a job at the DPW

Kenji starts rock climbing in Colorado.

Kenji breaks up with Brooklynn.

Brooklynn stays with Darius

Darius realizes his feelings for Brooklynn

Brooklynn is killed

Jwct s1

Darius and Kenji in are the roughest patch of their friendship. Kenji is angry at Darius not being there for Brooklynn.

Brooklynn is gone and both brothers don't have each other to lean on during their grief.

Darius isolates himself in his grief and wants to hunt down the allosaurus.

Kenji is not speaking to Darius at all.

They are forced together when warning the group that they are being hunted. Ben and Sammy leave the brothers alone to talk to Daniel Kon.

Darius tries his best to be there for Kenji, but it's hard. Kenji isn't ready to forgive and wants to focus on what needs to be done.

Kenji also knows Darius is having trouble talking to his mother as Kenji still calls her.

They visit his Dad. Daniel Kon has no changed and is still using Kenji for business.

Aggravated by his father, Kenji vents to Darius and asks him for advice, Darius honestly tells him that Kenji shouldn't have to sacrifice the great man he's becoming for a man whose never treated him right.

Kenji believes him but agrees for the sake of finding out what happened to Brooklynn.

Then Daniel has the fucking audacity to say to Kenji "I know how you like things easy."

And Kenji, with his brother by his side declines his fathers offer and decides he still doesn't need him, they will find out what happened to Brooklynn without him. Kenji turns to leave and Darius is right there with him.

Daniel does change his mind and tells them anyway, but the good doesn't last long as Micro bangs shows up and Daniel Kon is no more <3

Kenji is traumatized and when having a breakdown, Darius is there for him. If anyone would understand what Kenji is going through, it's Darius.

This is a breaking point in the brothers relationship during the story.

Kenji discovers there is more to Darius's feelings for Brooklynn, he knows Brooklynn's phone password and is familiar with Brooklynn's old habits like leaving shoes in the middle of the floor.

When going to a drop point, it's almost like they're on good terms. Kenji's distasteful attitude for Darius has dropped and Kenji is making jokes again.

The tension is still between them, so they have nothing else to talk about except the mystery surrounding Brooklynn.

They snoop on her phone and Darius tries to hide the voicemails he left for Brooklynn.

After a fight, he gives in and shows them to Kenji. And confesses his truth to him.

Kenji is surprised and wants to know if the feelings were reciprocated, but Darius finds an unsent message from Brooklynn to him. They find a video of Brooklynn running from the allo.

Kenji now asks Darius as his brother, where he was when Brooklynn needed him. Now knowing Darius was in love with her.

The answer is on hold because of plot xx

But as the season continues, Kenji continues to make more jokes and the brothers are teasing each other again.

The brothers reunite with the camp fam and Bumpy, when it looks like Bumpy might die, Kenji puts his hand on Darius's shoulder, he's leaning on him.

After all the chaos, Darius tells Kenji the entire truth and the rift has become smaller.

The season ends with all of the camp fam on a boat

Jwct s2

Kenji and Darius don't get too much one and one screen time. But the events of the previous season are affecting Kenji a lot.

He's grieving his father and not in a healthy way. He's impulsive and risking his life.

He sets a goal, caring about Bumpy's egg. Darius even witnesses him using baby talk on the egg.

As the season goes on, Darius struggles to talk to Kenji about his issues and because of the rift between them, it makes it hard.

Darius is still getting used to having his brother back and is afraid of doing something that will cause Kenji more pain than he's already in.

But when Kenji dislocates his shoulder after being risky and impulsive again, Darius has to figure out what's wrong.

He does try and Kenji is almost tempted to talk about his feelings and current mental state but he shuts it down.

And as Paul Mikel Williams has said in an interview once, Kenji and Darius never have enough time to fully repair their relationship as they are always on the go and always busy with something.

The rest of the season shows very little of Kenji and Darius's dynamic, they both discover Brooklynn is alive and we have yet to see them interaction since that discovery.

I am so curious to see how this will effect their relationship going forward. I really hope they do make up for good and don't fall apart again.

Their brotherhood is one my favourite parts of both tv shows and it crushed me to see them drift apart in chaos theory especially after everything they went through in jwcc

[dont-justdont]

YALL

i just got the dvd version of iwtv s2 for christmas, and obviously watching it is the first thing im doing on the 26th. all that to say : in amc's version online, lestat's line in ep1 is "im gonna bloody kill you" which sam changed from the original script, and now on dvd i have the original "im gonna fucking kill you" (which is my personal favorite) im fkg shaking rn

will update as i find new differences as i go

[slytherinshua]

PERFECT REUNIONS

genre. fluff. hurt/comfort. warnings. a lot of crying and a lot of kissing lol. spoilers for aos s1 finale/s2 ep1 ig... but also not rly like idkkkk??? pairing. seo yul x fem!reader. wc. 1.5k. a/n. for @candewlsy my lovely and skdjks pls this fic had me sobbing and giggling while writing im low-key obsessed (and maybe back in my aos/yul era.)

“What!? He’s back?!” Your eyes widened and you practically bounced up at hearing the words from one of the servants. You had barely even heard the name of your lover since he had left 3 years ago, and after a couple of months, you had even stopped receiving letters despite his promise to you that he would keep sending them.

You were already rushing out of the house the second you processed the words. “Ma’am, I have been informed that Young Master Seo Yul is staying at Chwiseonru. He arrived this afternoon.”

It was already dark out and entirely improper for you to be travelling alone at this time, but you felt like you didn’t have a single second to spare to call for Eunju, your maid. It took 20 minutes to get to Chwiseonru from your family’s home, but with your hurried steps, you made it in half the time. Juwol knew you well and already could tell what had brought you here from your slight panting as you struggled to catch your breath.

“Y/n! You’re out so late? Without Eunju?” She sounded concerned, but she understood your urgency. There had barely been a mention of Yul after the chaos at Choyeon’s wedding 3 years ago. You had been too preoccupied with helping your best friend through her mourning and anger to even say a proper goodbye to him. 

Now that things were as back to normal as they could get, you were desperate to see the face you had longed for every night and day for so long. Juwol didn’t dawdle any longer before disclosing which room Yul was staying in, and you were quick to rush up the stairs and down the hall.

Standing in front of the door, you were hit with a sudden nervousness. You had been separated for so long, but now were only a room apart. It only took one push for you to see his face again. His beautiful face that you had missed so much.

But doubt filled you as you stalled there, standing just outside like the fool you were. What if he had forgotten you? What if he had found someone else in his time away? What if he didn’t want to see you?

But you shook all your thoughts aside and with your last bit of courage, knocked softly on the door.

“Yes?”

Your heart raced at the sound of his voice, and it suddenly all felt a little more real. He really was back. He was just behind this door. You pushed it open a little shakily, feeling almost as if you couldn’t breathe as you watched his eyes look up to meet yours.

He was dressed in a simple light purple set of hanbok and his hair was maybe a little longer than you had last seen, his eyes a little more worn with experience. They held a drowsiness which you knew all too well, and with a quick glance at the table he sat at, you acknowledged the bottle of wine he had been drinking. 

His eyes widened as soon as he saw you, and you swore they even brightened upon seeing your face. He stood up quickly, but he was clearly very drunk, and he stumbled a bit. You rushed over to him like it was second nature, steadying him before he could trip.

“I-I’m not dreaming, right? I-It’s really you, right?” He spoke softly, his words slurring together slightly as a result of the alcohol. His hands gripped at your arms to keep from falling, and your heart nearly shattered at his question. His voice was filled with hurt, but unmistakable hope as well, and all you could do was nod your head fervently at first.

“You’re not dreaming… It’s me.” You whispered with a sob. You finally gave up trying to keep you both standing, and sunk to the floor slowly, tears already slipping out and down your cheeks.

Yul was no more collected than you. Whether it was the alcohol or just the result of seeing you, you weren’t sure; but his eyebrows fell, and his lip began to tremble, and before too long, he was weeping silently in your arms as well. 

That’s how you stayed for several minutes. Both of you were too emotional to say anything without breaking down halfway through the sentence, so you just stayed in his arms, sobbing into his chest as he pulled you ever closer, his tears dripping down onto the silk of your dress.

It took a while for you to recover, but eventually, you did. You took a shaky breath, gathering enough energy to be the first one to speak. And even though you could talk without being reduced to tears halfway through, your words were still shaky with emotion.

“Why did you drink alone? You should’ve invited me…” You looked up at him and offered a sad smile. He tried to return it, but couldn’t quite. He shut his eyes as another tear slipped out. You reached out silently and brushed it off his cheek, leaving your hand there to cup his warm skin. He leaned into your touch and it seemed to ground him enough to find the words he wanted.

“I know I should’ve told you that I was returning… But I was scared.” He opened his eyes and met your loving gaze with his sorrowful one. “A few months after I left, I found out some of my letters had been intercepted by my father. I realized you must’ve thought that I… moved on from you.”

He looked down for a moment, collecting his thoughts. He was somehow so well-spoken even while drunk. You weren’t sure what you had expected, though. He was Seo Yul, after all. You hadn’t realized just how much you had missed him.

“Y/n.” He said softly. You smiled. Hearing your name from his lips was all you had longed for for those 3 years. “I have so much to tell you, and even more that I want to ask. But first… How have you been, my love?” He smiled gently, finally being able to call you that after so long.

You were quickly able to catch up with your lover. He told you about everything that had happened back home while you shared the rest of the wine. You didn’t have much to tell him. Most of the time he had been away from you had been spent at home, with you thinking of rarely anything but him. 

You found out that he hadn’t stopped writing letters to you, he had just stopped sending them. He had even brought them with him, but he refused to show you. They were useless now that he had you back.

In some ways it still felt like a dream that he was here. Yet it couldn’t be a dream because you felt his arms around you, hugging you as close as humanly possible. It still didn’t feel close enough for either of you, though.

As he talked, you couldn’t help but press more and more kisses to any skin you could access— his neck, his jaw, his cheek, and even his lips. He allowed you to cut off his sentences to kiss you instead. You had 3 years to make up for, after all.

It felt too perfect to be kissing him, to feel his soft lips against yours, and to feel the relief that you didn’t have to stop or say goodbye. He was here and he was yours. 

And with that thought, you kissed him as if there was no tomorrow. You wanted to savour the moment for as long as possible, so even when you had to pull apart to catch your breath, it was never too long before your lips found their way to his again. It was after you pulled apart for the 3rd or 4th time that Yul spoke up.

“Y/n… marry me.”

You were taken aback at his sudden words. It didn’t even really sound like a question, because he already knew your answer. He was firm in the statement, determined even, and you smiled wider than you had ever had before.

You nodded at him with shiny eyes, watching in awe as his lips curved up into a smile, eyes almost overflowing with his love for you. You laughed and kissed him again. You knew he would probably ask you again the next day when he was sober because “nothing counts when you’re drunk”, and that you would say yes again to that as well. It brought a warm feeling to your chest. You really couldn’t think of a time that you were happier than in the current moment. 

Everything felt so good and right and perfect. That’s what Yul was to you in every way. 

Absolutely, unmistakably, decidedly perfect.

↳ k-drama taglist: @yeonjuns-redhair,, @wolfmoonmusic,, @tempobaekh,, @candewlsy

[incomplete-ruler]

[Link Click Spoilers!! (especially for s2+end of s1)]

Looking back I don't think anything in my life (at least fandom-wise) could compare to getting into Link Click in the middle of 2022, constantly going on the subreddit, youtube etc. to look for news about s2 and fan theories (+some inside info from the chinese fandom), the popular theory at the time being that Lu Guang had died and Cheng Xiaoshi was going to try to save him in s2 which seemed to be backed up by the teasers that would come out every couple of months (especially the very last one), watching the first few minutes of s2 ep1 seeing that those theories were likely true and then Lu Guang opens his eyes.