#titans 4x07

[pink-bird-30]

Titans 4x07

Spoilers Ahead

Read at your own Risk!!!

Welcome back Titans, lets dive into this weeks episodes! 

I have a very strong feeling Mother Mayhem is doing all of this work to get to Trigon, she has absolutely no care for Sebastian but as a means to an end.  And I think that will blow up big time for her once Sebastian realizes what she is doing and turns against her.

When she tell Sebastian “Your Power Will have No Equal” I rolled my eyes so hard.  How can he not see through her bullshit?  Even long before we learn that Kori has the power to defeat him, Sebastian should have an understanding that Mother Mayhem is using him, he can't be that dumb.

What I do like about this episode is the setup for Trigon to comeback.  A real full circle moment to end the show, and hopefully the fight we deserved since season 1 and season 2.  

Moving on,

I’m assuming that since they changed the order of episodes, we don’t get to see how the Titans managed to survive Sebastians blast???  I just find it weird that they all disappear and then they are just there again?  Weird.

Also, Lex Luther leaving a gift for Dick?  Why after everything Lex has caused, he knew he would die and would need to leave the journal to Dick? and what are his plans for Connor?  Leave my little super baby alone you creep.  Even in death he manages to blind the poor boy!

Also, Lex’s journal also portraying Kori’s dead body really had me reeling.  Dick is soooooo over these prophecies.

Are we all agreeing that Jinx is dead dead?  What Raven did for her was beautiful, but before Jinx died she said “Not again,” so does this mean she’ll be back? (I still have not watched the new promo for 4x09)

I also don’t like how calm everyone was after disappearing?  I would be panicking!

ROBERTA

I always love how Dick knows so many different people and how they can help in so many different situations.

I love how she was questioning if Kori was a real Tamaranean and then that big WHIFF Roberta took of Kori, If you look close enough, you can see Brenton trying so hard not to laugh.  I was dying.  

Roberta mentioning Kori didn’t have orange light was really interesting and a piece of info I’m filing away for later…

“Another day another Prophecy”  Richard John Grayson, as a detective himself, you think he would notice a pattern when it literally throws itself at him everyday!  This man is so deep in denial that I will cry when he realizes he’s been ignoring the obvious and it will be too late.

I love when Tim has his genius moments, they’re always so random but super helpful.  Especially in this instance where they need to find the horn before Sebastian does. 

Somedays, I really miss golden retriever Connor.  This season he is definitely in his anti-hero era, but I really do miss the old him.  I really hope he get a redemption arc by the last episode, I don’t think I could be satisfied if Connor ends this show as a Lex wannabe.

Bernard.

This man is such a cutie pie and I am not surprised he drives this little cute blue car.  I do find it a little annoying they play into the genius and awkward trope, like why can’t Bernard be a confident nerd?

Now to the meat of the episode: Caul’s Folly

The second the RV went through that weird barrier of magic, I knew whatever happened there was no going to go well.

The whole Diner scene had me on edge, I knew there was something off with the people but to the extent of their brainwashing is insane.

When Kori brings Dick to the barrier and doesn’t believer her at first, boy, the amount of shit we have all seen these last three seasons and he’s questioning being trapped in a small town?!

But boy oh boy, the way Dick reacted when Kori started to show signs that she was unwell, *chefs kiss, He straight up went into over protective mode and just wrapped her up into his side and walked her to the RV.  I- There were moments over the years where I wished for them to have that level of care and intimacy with one another and it finally finally happened!

To my surprise, I am not shocked that I would run across actors from other shows I’ve watched.  But seeing Valentine Morganstern on Titans was not what I was expecting.  Alan Van Sprang has always been a great villain and I’m glad he was a part of this crazy episode.  Him being the “gatekeeper” to this town and helping Mother Mayhem to capture Dick, Kori, and Rachel was great.

Titans always seems to keep the same formula that has run through the last 3 seasons, and seeing how they always end up splitting up from one another is so common, but I’m glad in this instance.  Bernard and Tim really needed to talk and I kinda like how their scene in the motel reflected Dick and Kori’s from season 1.  I thought it was sweet.

To round out this episode, why am I not surprised Dick going off on his own would be a bad idea?  Has this man not realized he cannot do things by himself anymore, that he needs his team?

 Overall, this was an ok start to the second half of the season.  Felt like a filler episode, but I’m not surprised since we usually don’t have split seasons.

I'll post my feelings on 4x08 next! Stay Tuned!

[westidia]

The way he looks at her ☺️

[raayllum]

Legend

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

Dickkory + touch || TITANS 4x07&08

[goodwhump-temp]

Dick Grayson Whump | Titans

1x01 Titans - Door to the face/knocked down 1x02 Hawk and Dove - Shoved, gut and face kicked 1x03 Origins - [Childhood; therapy] 1x05 Together - Punched, gutkicked, knocked against wall, elbowed, knocked out the window, swarmed, pistolwhipped x13, bloody nose 1x06 Jason Todd - Bloody nose, self-surgery 1x07 Asylum - Restrained in a padded room x2, heavily drugged x2, 'seizing', weak, knocked unconscious, hallucinating, thrown out window, hit with a baton x6, bleeding, unresponsive, tazed x2, punched/cut lip 1x11 Dick Grayson - Hostage

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

2x01 Trigon - Hostage, [fake world; shot/killed], knocked down 2x05 Deathstroke - Punched x3, bodyslammed, hit with blade hilt, flashbanged 2x07 Bruce Wayne - Hallucinating the whole episode, guilt, talks to hallucination x5, emotional 2x08 Jericho - Punched x7, hit with baton x2, knocked down x2, stabbed x2, headbutted x3, kicked, weak, unconscious, guilt 2x09 Atonement - Punched, bloody nose, guilt 2x10 Fallen - Arrested 💀, pistolwhipped x2, bleeding 2x11 E.L._.O. - Isolated, hallucinating, fever, realized missing, beaten, [Fake world; stabbed x2, killed x2], shaking, choked x2, thrown, gutkicked, punched x3, kicked, elbowed, arm dislocated 2x13 Nightwing - Knocked down, kicked x4, tazed, guilt/grieving

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

3x02 Red Hood - Caught in explosion, tinnitus 3x04 Blackfire - Kicked, shot (armor), shoulder shot (clean through), punched--x4, manhandled 3x06 Lady Vic - Bleeding, bandaged 3x07 51% - Thrown 3x08 Home - Hit by a car (13:50), passes out, hospital, hallucinating x4 3x10 Troubled Water - Hallucinating 3x11 Call is Coming From Inside the House - Punched, choked, shot x4 (armor), shot in the neck, bleeding out, kicked x1000 3x12 Prodigal - Actually dead, [crying], coughing, passes out

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

4x01 Lex Luthor - Kicked 4x02 Mother Mayhem - Hit with staff, flipped, electrocuted 4x03 Jinx - Punched x2, kicked 4x07 Caul's Folly - Drugged (the cafe), tazed, kicked x2, choked & tazed combo, weak, passes out 4x08 Dick & Carol & Ted & Kory - Drugged, trauma flashbacks, headache (x5), hit by baton x8, manhandled, choked, brief amnesia 4x10 Game Over - Thrown, choked 4x12 Titans Forever - Knocked down x2, punched x2, hit with baton x3, bleeding, arm twisted, choked, heartbroken

[maria-from-ga]

Raven, the Empathetic Sorceress Part 2

In Part 1, I mention how TT03 Raven is an empath like in NTT living off & struggling to control her emotions. Now, I wanted to talk about other powers from NTT Raven also has in the show.

Here's Part 3 that covers TT03's Raven healing, conventional uses of empathy, and her use of magic

(Sources in Pink)

Soul Self, Her Greatest Weapon

In my opinion, there is where the biggest misconception arise.

Like in NTT, Raven's primary "weapon" in battle in Teen Titans (e.g. those dark circles of energy like in the picture above) wasn't magic, but her soul-self.

(1st image: DC Comics Presents #26- Raven 1st appearance and she uses her soul-self to battle the enemy and 2nd image: Teen Titans 4x07 "The Prophecy"- Raven utilize her full soul-self to defeat a Trigon-powered Slade who was threatening her friends)

Raven in TT03 just primarily used pieces of her soul-self. She states explicitly in the 1st season finale she uses pieces of her soul to utilize her powers, thus that her soul is also the basis of her powers

(Teen Titans 1x13: "Car Trouble" - Raven explains that her soul is the basis of powers to Cyborg. As an aside, "I become a part of it & it becomes a part of me" is a beautiful detail of her soul-self powers in the show that I wish to see incorporated in the comics. In TT03, Raven develops this connection w/ all living things she encounters when she uses her soul, an extension of herself)

In Raven's first appearance (as shown in the image from DC Comics Presents #26 above), Raven's soul-self is called an ebony aura, like the black projections she employs in TT03.

Raven's soul-self is because her soul-self & its powers comes from her demon dad, Trigon, and is thus of dark energy.

(Image- New Teen Titans (1980) #29- Raven is tricked by Phobia to see Wally, who she loved and he loved her, as Trigon so she attacks and almost kills Wally with the full strength of her soul-self. Wally describes her soul-self as cold & death. GIF- Teen Titans 1x06 "Nevermore"- Dr. Light pushes Raven too far and Raven unleashes her soul-self & almost kills him. Light shivers because she is so cold and describes her soul-self as near-total darkness)

To be fair, I get this misconception because NTT Raven uses her whole soul-self, not pieces of it.

However, TT03 Raven also uses her full soul-self. It just usually require more focus/power from her.

(Teen Titans 3x05- Haunted - Raven access more of her powers by uttering Azarath Metrion Zinthos to use her whole soul-self to find Robin)

There are several other instances in Teen Titans where Raven uses her whole soul-self:

(Teen Titans 1x01- Final Exam - Raven uses her whole soul-self to teleport Jinx to the top of Titans tower to the final confrontation. Jinx shivers from being in the soul-self because she experienced the cold, dark aura of Raven's soul)

Collection of other instances (non-exhaustive):

(1st Row: 1) Teen Titans 4x03 "Birthmark" - Using her soul-self to escape Slade chasing her. 2) Teen Titans 4x07 "The Prophecy"- Using Her Soul-Self to travel to Azarath, which is in another dimension. 2nd Row: 3) Teen Titans 4x07 "The Prophecy" - Confronted Slade about what he wanted to get him to stop attacking her friends. 4) Teen Titans 2x01 "How Long Is Forever" - Teleports to the final battle against Warp. 3rd Row: 5) Teen Titans 2x05 "Fear Itself" - Absorbs the manifestation of her fears back into her soul-self and regain of her soul-self. 6) Teen Titans 4x03 "Birthmark"- Slade taunts her to release her full soul-self to bring about the prophecy)

It's more rare in the NTT & TT03, but Raven's astral form, her soul-self, can also take the shape of her body

(1st image: NTT (1980) #8- Raven's astral form resembles her body as her soul is desperately trying to reconnect to her body; 2nd image: Teen Titans 4x11 "The End Part 1"- Raven mediates to use her astral human form to end the fight against Plasmus 3rd image: Teen Titans 5x12 "Titans Together" - Raven uses her astral human form to escape the dimension trap Psimon tried to put her in)

Raven's Soul-Self in both the show & comics is like a Swiss Army Knife:

Beyond the general utility of getting her out of tricky situations:

(NTT #8- Raven uses her soul-self to escape from Green Lantern's cage)

(Teen Titans 2x05 "Fear Itself" - Use her soul-self to escape from the elastic tapes of Control Freak)

1. Soul Self can also capture people within itself:

Either to save:

(1st image: NTT (1980) #21- Raven uses her soul-self to save an unconscious Starfire after an bomb exploded. 2nd image: NTT (1980) #17- Raven uses her soul-self to save Cyborg from Francis Kane going out of control.)

("The End Part 1"- In the fight against Plasmus, Plasmus hits Robin and Raven envelops Robin in her soul-self to save Robin from a deadly fall)

Or to harm (as NTT Wally & TT03 Dr. Light can certainly attest):

(Image: NTT (1980) #21 - Raven uses her soul-self to envelope and incapacitate criminals who planted bombs in a baseball stadium; GIF: The Prophecy - Raven uses the full extent of her soul-self to seriously attack and harm a Trigon-empowered Slade after he tried to kill her fellow Titans)

2. Cover Great Physical Distances Fairly Quickly:

(Image: NTT (1980) #9 - After her fellow Titans were taken over by the Puppeteer, Raven uses her soul-self to quickly cover from NYC to Blue Valley, Nebraska to get Wally's (Kid Flash) help; 1st GIF: Teen Titans 3x01 "Deception" - After defeating Brother Blood at H.I.V.E. Academy, Robin asks Raven to help the Titans quickly escape the crumbling school and travel back home. Raven does so by enveloping the Titans in her soul-self; 2nd GIF: "Birthmark" - To herself and Robin to escape Deathstroke, Raven uses her soul-self to travel far away from Slade)

3. A Defense & Shield Against Enemy Attacks

(Image: NTT (1980) #17 - As Francis Kane, a friend of the Titans, is taken over by Dr. Polaris and starts to manipulate and throw around heavy metal objects. Raven uses her soul-self as a shield to absorb the heavy metal objects so they don't hurt innocents. GIF: Teen Titans 3x08 "Wavelength"- Raven uses her soul-self energy to shield attacks from H.I.V.E soldiers)

4. And of course: Telekinesis

(Image: NTT (1980) #8 - Raven uses her soul-self to carry away bombs from a school before they kill a bunch of students and teachers. GIF: Teen Titans 1x02 "Divide and Conquer"- Raven uses her soul-self to carry a bunch of metal canisters to attack Plasmus)

Aside: Energy Projections

In NTT, it was more rare but Raven did employ energy projections from her soul self

(Tales of Teen Titans #46 - Raven, enraged, lose controls and Trigon takes over, so she releases energy projections that incapacitates and nearly kills HIVE soldiers and Aqualad)

In the comics, this was usually occur when Raven was close to losing control to Trigon, so it can be rare to see from Raven. But in TT03, again tied to Raven being able to use pieces of her soul-self, she has more control over her soul energy and can release these energy projections more frequently.

(Teen Titans 5x07 "Hide and Seek" - Raven releasing her energy projections of her soul-self to blast Monsieur Mallah away from the kids she is watching over)

Therefore Raven's soul-self act very similarly in TT03 and NTT comic, just that TT03 Raven has more control and creativity in some of its utilizations, including:

Teleportation

Raven's primary mode of transportation in NTT was teleportation (don't tell her you call it that though lol)

(1st image: NTT (1980) #14 - Raven teleporting to the epicenter of an earthquake that Brotherhood of Evil arriving there faster than Wally West; 2nd image: NTT (1980) #28 - Raven explaining to Wally that she doesn't teleport but travel between dimensions* and that Beast Boy is being overdramatic so she is not teleporting to him**)

However, most people remember Raven flying in TT03, not teleporting:

( "Hide and Seek" - Raven flying around a monastery to find the kids she was watching over after she realized Mallah had found out where the kids were hiding)

Pure speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if TT03 made flying Raven's most common mode of transportation similar to 1940s Fleischer Superman cartoons did so for Superman*** - flying's easier to animate

But this doesn't mean Raven never teleported in TT03, she actually did teleport quite frequently:

Be it in a form of a raven closer to the comics:

(1st GIF: "Fear Itself"? - Full disclosure I didn't make this gif so I am not sure of the exact episode it came from, but I believe it is from "Fear Itself" where Raven was teleporting across the tower to see where Cyborg was taken to after he was kidnapped; 2nd GIF: "Calling All Titans"- Raven uses her soul-self to travel to the dimension where Herald, an Honorary Titan, resides and tries to find him)

Or more frequently in simpler forms like circles (again likely again due being easier to animate) :

(1st GIF: a) 1st scene is Teen Titans 3x03 "Betrothed"- Raven teleports using circular forms of her soul energy to investigate why Blackfire is forcing Starfire to get marry and hides when Blackfire approaches. b) 2nd scene is Teen Titans 3x04 "Crash" - Raven teleports in a circle to stop Gizmo from leaving to force him to help Cyborg . 3rd scene is Teen Titans 3x09 "The Beast Within" - Raven teleports away in an oval shape of her soul energy to escape Adonis who is pinning her down and being creepy. 2nd GIF: a) 1st scene is Wavelength- Raven teleports in a circle to leave her room after Aqualad trips the tower's alarm. b) 2nd scene is Teen Titans 5x12 "Titans Together" - Raven teleports into Brotherhood of Evil's secret lair with the kids she was watching c) 3rd scene is Divide and Conquer- Raven closes the prison doors and teleports through the prison door to tell the prisoners that they aren't escaping)

As as aside, in TT03, there was no smoke with the teleportation like the comics but again I wouldn't be surprised if it was again just a decision to make animation easier.

As mentioned in the NTT #21 image above with she attacks the bombers, Raven's Soul Self is powerful, deadly, yet ill-defined, so there's potential for a lot of creativity with her soul-self powers.

Now of course, TT03 Raven doesn't use her soul-self exactly as NTT Raven. Aside from being able to use pieces of her soul, a prominent example is how Raven doesn't use her soul-self to knock people out unconscious in the show as often as NTT Raven did (but TT03 Raven has utilized her soul-self that way)****. TT03 Raven also has much greater control & creativity over telekinesis and soul energy projections than NTT Raven did.

But it's clear that TT03 Raven's soul-self is clearly modeled after, and very similar to, NTT Raven's soul-self while using the inherent creativity in power utilization her soul-self possesses.

Raven is the most powerful Titan and the one with the most diverse skill set, so there's still one more part about her TT03 powers lmao. And honestly it might be my favorite part because it is about Raven was also a healer like in NTT, her empathy in TT03 & how she was the most understanding Titan because of that empathy, and the misconception about her TT03 magic, which is in line w/ NTT. But I ran over the image limit again lol, so here's Part 3!

Asterisks:

*Raven's teleportation really being inter-dimensional travel is what she was referring to in Tales of the New Teen Titans #2 image in Part 1 where Young Raven spent time learning the secrets of inter-dimensional travel

**NTT Raven being rude about Beast Boy might be surprising, NTT Raven can be a bit of grouch (sounds like someone we know lol? Maybe I will do a post about how the personality of TT03 Raven is a modernization of NTT Raven)

***Trivia: Fleischer Superman cartoons canonized flying for Superman, who before the cartoons couldn't fly, only "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"

****in Part 3

[bonobochick]

Dick, Kory, and Kory’s sassy walk meeting the sheriff. 👸🏾 🧑🏻

DC Titans ep 4x07

[dctitansdaily]

Stills for Titans 4x07 "Caul's Folly"

Scrambling to recover after Sebatian’s transformation, the Titans embark on a desperate mission to stop Trigon’s return. Meanwhile Dick and Kory receive news of a grim prophecy, while Conner is presented with a dire choice.

[ambelle]

Titans S4 part (2) 4x07 and 4x08 - Hot take:

- Gar saved his family from a death realm but was missed 🥰

- RIP Jinx

- Cheers to Rachel’s new powers

- Dick Grayson has been in LUUUUVVVV with Kory Anders since S1 and the thought of losing her is going to unravel him to his core

- Kory Anders is an alien space Queen in love with Dick Grayson and will do whatever it takes to save him and their found family

- Conner Luther is on the rise

- I appreciated the parallels to Dick & Kory, Tim & Bernard’s romantic relationships

- MM is a manipulator

-BB is a punk Bitch

😂 😂 😂

couldn't agree more especially about Sebastian. He's on some king of the incels school shooter BS.

[spider-girlwatches]

Titans: 4x07 & 4x08

I’m sorry but can we have at least one person act truly concerned about Gar for like more then half a second

[amberpride]

What I would give for a DK scene in Titans 4x07 that’s a call back to 1x07 with a hint of 1x08 and 3x06. Kory is in the med bay, she’s unresponsive after they’ve reemerged from the Temple so she’s being monitored and eventually wakes up panicked. Dick is sitting beside her (he’s been next to her the whole time she’s been passed out). He reassures her that she’s ok, but scared him.

Actually I just saw someone write a mini fic about it and I was in my feelings!! I mean, Dick being by Kory's side ? On her "death bed", feeling sorry that his last words were "to hell with visions" and seeing the disappointed yet sad look on her face and just wanting to say I love you to her and for her to look at him...Cryinnnnng!

[pink-bird-30]

Titans 4x08

SPOILERS AHEAD

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

Titans 4x08

I never paid much attention to the names of episodes until this season, especially this episode.  There is so much Dickkory goodness to break down and I am soooooo excited to do it.

First off, the interaction in the first scene had me rolling on the floor.  I just love how Dick and Kori are unintentionally funny and their reactions to the matching pjs and sharing a bed was perfection. 

“What the Fuck”

“We didn’t…”

I just wanted to know if it was Mother Mayhem or “The gatekeeper's” idea to give them this type of lifestyle.  Did they both just take a big look at Dick and Kori and got Barbie and Ken vibes? If so, I am on board.  The matching Mercedes was the cherry on top.

But I do think Kori was asking the right questions, who changed their clothes?  Who touched them?  This is such an unsettling violating situation and I think the writers did right by mentioning something about it.

Moving on,

Raven’s interaction with Sebastian (am I the only one that struggles with spelling his name?)

I didn’t mention much about Raven in my 4x07 post.  It was mostly because I didn’t think it was worth mentioning since she did play a big part in helping Dick in this episode.  She was taken by 2 towns people who are not influenced by the music, I’m a little confused that one of them is deaf and the other intentionally deafened themselves, but neither of them knew sign language?  The daughter mentioned how she loss her hearing at a young age, surely long before their town was under the curse? I’m not sure, but it definitely bothered me.

Anyways,

After Raven is captured by the towns people after the weird mass they had…(There is too much to unpack there, bear with me) the interaction she had with Sebastian really bothered me.

I just don’t understand why he doesn’t see Raven is his sister and has his best interests at heart?  Before he became Brother Blood, he willingly went with Mother Mayhem to protect his new friends, but I have this feeling that man isn’t gone just yet.  His anger towards Raven is misplaced and mostly steamed in fear but I wish he could listen to that little voice and break through the fog.

When Raven tries to warn him that if he tries to kill her he will get hurt too, he does’t believe her.  Not once has any of the Titans (besides Connor-but he’s in his Anti-hero era, so I’ll let it slide) purposely put Sebastian in harms way.

“You can’t do that”

I never understood how people can’t head the warning.  The pure shock on Sebastians face when he realizes he can’t hurt her is golden.  Especially when Raven starts to go off about Mother Mayhem using him. Joseph uses his Klaus angry face and phew 😮‍💨 I missed that angry vampire man so much.

Going back,

I forgot to point out that we are 4/4 of Dick owning/driving the douchiest cars.  My favorite running theme through this entire show.  Whoever thought of this, bless you.

On ward to the typical Batman Bullshit

“This is peak daddy bullshit”

The way I jumped out of my bed and threw a fist in the air should be illegal.  The main reason I love Dick and Kori so much is because they call each other out on their shit (Kori to Dick more often).  In theory, yes, Dick’s idea is a working idea, but the thought that pain has to be the key to bring them back is devastating.  Why no happy memories?  or love? 😉 

“It matches your outfit”

Kori always has to stick it to Dick and I am forever going to miss these moments.

The entire montage of them discussing their depressingly sad memories was awful, and seeing Dick’s flashbacks to season 1 is not what I expected to see.  I was balling at how far Dick has grown as a person.

But when he comes back to see Kori, and sees her change into Carol and “looses” her, I felt his heartbreak.  When he realized his plan did not work, the amount of regret this man must have felt was tenfold, especially when we hear what his painful memories are…

The intimacy that happen in this scene is perfection.  A lot of people want to see Kori and Dick kiss and have sex.  I’m here for the soft touches and longing stares and confessions.  Sure, they deserve to have a fantastic sexcapade, but this scene, between “Carol” and Dick, “I would never leave you” is a promise.  Dick is done with the bullshit, he needs to take control of his life again and do the right thing.

The Church

Dick’s fight scene is the church is definitely in my top 5 fight scenes for Dick.  He straight up picked up a man and tossed him across the room, I’m still fanning myself.

 The Car Ride

I love when Raven is witness to her parents’ interactions that bypass what a “friend” is.  

I’m skipping over the whole radio booth scene, yay Tim and Bernard got their shit together, and yay Dick destroyed the whole thing…Which I’m still confused by the weird dude who was hooked up to the thing to begin with…

Anyways…

KORI PICKS UP DICK’S RADIO AND IT BRINGS HER BACK.  HIS REPRESSED FEELINGS ARE WHAT BROKE HER FROM HER TRANCE I-

I AM STILL UNWELL

LIKE VERY UNWELL PEOPLE!!!

Just hearing the regret in Dick’s voice and how much thought he put into his words was breathtaking.

“Dick Grayson?”

“Kori Anders?”

SEASON 1 RECALL AGAIN

The way Dick looked at her after she said it wasn’t the bad memories that brought her back, he knows. His love brought her back and I hope he takes a very long time thinking that over before his next move.

“You look good in Pink”

Tim Drake-again, my favorite person.

I’m super excited to see what 4x09 will bring us!

Until tomorrow!

[peppers-ghost-posts]

If you’re going to use a foreign word in your TV show, for the love of god research the pronunciation. Looking at you DC Titans 4x07. Gematria is pronounced with soft vowels, like geh-mah-tree-ah.

[raayllum]

Moving forward, what do you think is going to be Claudia's motivating Drive?

Viren, at least, was always able to tell himself that he was working for the sake of the Greater Good, but that's not something Claudia has ever cared all that much about-- her first, last, and only real concern has always been her Family. With that pillar removed (not that I think Viren is about to disappear completely, but he's definitely not going to be directly involved with her in quite the same way), what does she have left to fight for?

I mean, obviously Revenge can be a powerful driving motivator-- the whole series kicked off with revenge-induced assassinations, so we know that's not exactly nothing, and I can definitely see it being something pushing Claudia further down her current path.

But (IMHO) the story has also been moving somewhat further away from Cycles of Revenge, and I just can't see that being a strong enough motivator for Claudia when counterbalanced against everything our Heroes are fighting for. (Especially with Soren still holding out hope for her and being a weak chink in her armor.)

What's the piece I'm missing?

In a lot of ways, perpetuating the Cycle has always, indeed, been about seeking Revenge for the loss of loved ones.

Rayla: When I first came here, I was on a quest for revenge. But the minute I saw that egg, everything changed. Now, this is a journey of redemption. / I became so obsessed with revenge that I risked losing the best thing I ever had: you. Ezran: I'm sorry about what happened to your father, and what happened to mine. But we don't have to avenge them. We don't have to strike back. We can't choose peace. Callum: Then it's a cycle. You hurt me, someone will get revenge against the elves. It won't end.

This is also one of the key things that, at first, set Soren and Claudia apart from the bulk of the main cast. At first, Harrow and Viren weren't seeking revenge (the Magma Titan) but then they both succumbed to it (killing Thunder) and it continued to snowball from there. In spite of losing their families, Callum, Rayla, and Ezran chose to shed the cycles of revenge their parents (Harrow and Runaan) had partaken in to try and break it instead.

Conversely, Soren and particularly Claudia have been largely removed from the Cycle of Revenge... until 3x09 and firmly in 5x09. Soren and Claudia lost a family member, but their mother is alive and chose to leave. While they've experienced forms of loss, they've never had to literally grieve a death. Although Soren has complicated feelings about his dad, he's ultimately more relieved than anything else regarding his dad's death ("Dad is dead, Claudia. You don't have to do what he wants anymore"—4x07) and angry/despairing when it's reversed (yelling no in show / Soren snarled. “Why couldn’t you just stay dead?”—TDP Reflections: Strangers).

Aaravos dangled Viren over Claudia's nose like a carrot dangling from a stick, and she followed. He didn't offer her revenge, but a way to save her father. But the same trick won't work twice on her. Claudia isn't going to try to bring Viren back again — it'd be a repeat and wouldn't progress her character any further — but she also can't walk away from Aaravos, because she's our sole primary antagonist outside the mirror and still might have a role in freeing him. And if she walks away from Aaravos, she's also going to be walking out of the plot, and we can't have that. Thus, I think power — and subsequent revenge — is about the only thing Aaravos would have left to offer her.

It gives her an incentive to 1) go after the prison and/or 2) generally do Aaravos' bidding, and if she couldn't defeat the trio without his help the first time, allying herself with him is the biggest way she can level up as a threat in terms of just like, power scaling.

There are also still a few bits of information that Aaravos knows but Claudia doesn't (that Rayla was responsible for Viren's death, and that Viren lied in 3x03; although for the latter, that's more something she couldn't or wasn't willing to accept) that could spur her further into well, going wonderfully apeshit.

Revenge is more of a fine motivator for her in 4x09 (tricking Rayla, although Terry gets her to turn around) and in S5 with the dragon (smirking and smiling about having the upper hand, making it scared of her) and in her altercations with the trio.

So yeah, my vote is on revenge — for better or definitely worse!

Obligatory fanon s6 fic plug in because of Claudia's revenge arc getting underway

[bussterj]

I just watched Titans 4x07 "Caul's Folly"

[goodwhump-temp]

Sword Art Online: Kirito Whump

===SAO Season 1=== 1x02 Beater - Sliced by boss, weak, low HP 1x03 Red Nosed Reindeer - Ambushed, watches friends die, traumatized, cries 1x06 Illusionary Avenger - Watches someone die 1x07 The Temperature of the Heart - Falls from great height twice, low HP 1x09 The Blue Eyed Demon - Intense boss battle, sliced multiple times, punched, sweating, extremely low HP, collapses, makes Asuna cry 1x10 Crimson Killing Intent - Duel, stabbed, talks about trauma, depressed/angry, paralyzed, stabbed multiple times, slowly impaled by psychopath, life flashes before his eyes, intense pain, extremely low HP, arm sliced off, collapses, emotional 1x12 Yui's Heart - Knocked down, unconscious, weak, angry 1x13 Edge of Hell's Abyss - Scared 1x14 The End of the World - Exhausted, intense confrontation, duel, sliced, sobbing, collapse, impaled, emotional, weak, depressed 1x15 Return - Nightmares, crying, depressed, difficulty adjusting, hit in the head, stumbles, shares PTSD with sister, sobs 1x16 Land of the Fairies - Logout PTSD 1x20 General of the Blazing Flame - Intense 1v1, sliced multiple times 1x22 Grand Quest - Outnumbered, died, emotional 1x23 Bonds - Intense battle 1x24 Gilded Hero - Emotional, paralyzed, straining, kicked around, impaled/tortured, pain absorber decreased, intense pain, emotional 1x25 The World Seed - Ambushed, stabbed irl, bleeding, falls, kicked multiple times

===SAO Season 2 (Gun Gale Online)=== 2x01 The World of Guns - Death gun/SAO PTSD 2x05 Guns and Swords - Grazed, exhausted, confrontation, PTSD 2x06 Showdown in the Wilderness - Intense laughing coffin battle, PTSD, panic attack, grazed multiple times 2x07 Crimson Memories - Guilt, emotional conversations about PTSD, sobs 2x12 Bullet of a Phantom - Death Gun confrentation, stabbed multiple times, heart racing/panic 2x13 Phantom Bullet - Risk of dehydration, faster heart rate (bp: 160), sliced multiple times, hug-grenade bomb, irl fight 2x14 One Little Step - Choked, punched multiple times irl, stabbed with poison syringe, panic, almost dies, bandaged 2x16 King of the Giants - Knocked down from blast, low HP, its a trap! or not? it is! help 2x17 Excalibur - Intense fight, punched to the ground 2x18 Forest House - Exhausted, died in a duel

===Sword Art Online: Alicization=== 3x01 Underworld - Shot in the chest, falls down, tackled 3x02 The Demon Tree - Amnesia, exhausted 3x04 Departure - Sliced, intense pain, kicked to the ground 3x05 Ocean Turtle - Attacked irl, injected with serum from GGO, unconscious, heart stopped, emergency surgery, possible brain damage 3x11 Central Cathedral - Imprisoned 3x15 The Relentless Knight - Literally back-stabbed, collapse, unconscious, dragged, thrown, 1v4, shot multiple times, falls, bleeding 3x16 The Osmanthus Knight - Bleeding, collapse, unconscious, falls down building 3x17 Truce - Hanging, pancaked 3x21 The 32nd Knight - Sliced multiple times, bleeding 3x22 Titan of the Sword - Intense fight, impaled, bleeding profusely, cries 3x23 Administrator - Emotional damage, collapse, emotionally paralyzed 3x24 My Hero - Sliced multiple times, arm cut off, bleeding, intense emotional heartbreak, crying, brain breakdown

===Sword Art Online: War of Underworld=== 4x01 In The Far North - Wheelchair, braindead, depressed, knocked unconscious (flashback), carried, bullied, falls out of wheelchair, panic 4x02 Raids - Panic, crawling/struggling, brain shortcircuted already damaged brain, therefore: deactivating brain/no self-concept (5head stuff) 4x05 The Night Before Battle - Willpower tested/dagger launched at him 4x07 Stigma of the Disqualified - Tries to protect friends 4x10 Stacia, the Goddess of Creation - Asuna reunion, twitches, tries to talk, cries 4x13 The War of Underworld - SAO friends reunion, tries to speak 4x16 Code 871 - Tense standoff 4x17 Prince of Hell - Bullied, kicked out of wheelchair, unconscious 4x18 Memories - Fighting mental blockage, faces trauma, intense emotional pain, mental breakdown, intense sobbing, tears open chest, self damage, becomes ultimate form GIGACHAD 4x19 Awakening - Sliced neck, bleeding, cries 4x20 The Night-Sky Blade - Sliced in half, impaled, intense fight, sobs in loneliness, trapped in the world 4x22 Alice - Awakens, weak, was alive the last 200 years, memories erased, obviously depressed, hospitalized, sobbing, PTSD, emotional damage, comforted by sister 4x23 New World - Headbutted, headache