#and finally watch the witcher s2 + s3

[queerofthedagger]

okay okay look. i know we just had a lord of the rings rewatch but..... what about another lord of the rings rewatch?? 🥺👀

[destinyandcoins]

😭😭 I hope you're all having a great time you lucky bastards

[fangirleaconmigo]

A big part of taking care of someone who is sick is just keeping them company because it is so isolating.

So I have sped through a lot of media this past few months while sitting with my sister. And I’ve read while waiting in the hospital and doctors offices.

Here’s the new stuff I’ve just watched and read: (if you wanna talk more about any of them hmu in the ask box. It may take me awhile to answer but I want the asks even so!)

Watched

Barbie. I loved how weird this was. We need more weird blockbusters. I loved seeing a creative team with so many women win so big.

The Bear. This show was a little too real but so well done. I would die for Syd. My sister and I have incorporated “Heard, chef” and “Yes, Chef” into our daily lexicon.

Good Omens S2. When I tell you I was SCREAMIN at the finale. Season three is not a want, it is a need. Right up there with oxygen. Bless Tennant, bless Sheen, bless Gaiman, Netflix hear our prayers.

Breaking Bad rewatch. My thoughts could fill a novel. If anyone wants more, drop an ask. But for these purposes, my only thought is that I will never comprehend people who watched this for Walter White and not for Jessie Pinkman.

Justified Primeval: Deeply enjoyed watching Raylan Givens tussle with a child just like him 😂. Also his chemistry with Carolyn was fuckn fire, I loved the ‘grown an sexy’ vibe. And YESSSS to that epilogue.

What We Do in the Shadows (tho not the finale yet) I will be completely honest I watch this for Guillermo de la Cruz. No thots head empty just Guillermo.

The Witcher S3: My sister actually actively dislikes the show 😂😂😭 so I wasn’t gonna watch it to the sound of her unsolicited critique. So, I went to my friends house to watch it. But turned out my friend’s Husband Joined Us. He is nice but he talked over it SO MUCH. (Like did you know that some of the buildings don’t have windows in the wide shots but then in internal shots, windows galore??) Bless his heart. Point being, I need to watch again.

Ladies First. I’m a big fan of women in hip hop so this documentary series was a MUST. It was great but it left me wanting more. I want a series for every year of women in hip hop. Incredible. Also I found some new artists to listen to.

Pacific Rim rewatch. The movie is just as much fun ten years later. The concept of drift compatibility is top fucking shelf my friends. Top. Fuckn. Shelf. Also, is this the only GDT movie where the monsters are actually the bad guys? 😂 I think it is.

Heartstopper. I watched this mostly because I wanted to spend time (virtually, alas) with my fandom wife and she is obsessed with this show. Glad queer teens have this. The main actors have amazing chemistry, and are super lovable and talented.

One Piece live action. I needed something lighter after being gutted by Breaking Bad so I turned to this show. Am now obsessed with Roronoa Zoro.

I Read:

Pageboy, Elliot Page

Under the Whispering Door, TJ Klune.

Velvet is the Night, Silvia Moreno Garcia

I am Spock, Leonard Nimoy

The Entire Murderbot Diaries series re-read for like the seventh time. This is like my therapy. By Martha Wells.

[my-jokes-are-my-armour]

The witcher S3 volume 1

Oki this is my "detailed review" of S3 volume 1. Or should I say thoughts and comments.

Here is the short version so you can choose to step away : I really liked it.

Why do I feel like I need a shield ? Well, because out of my bubble here, the sound of the masses makes my opinion seems like an very unwanted one. It seems very important to dislike this season by all means.

As always I share mostly a gray opinion. Meaning : I have my feelings and within those, I say both what I find good or bad without shitting on everyone and everything. "I like this because... but... I don't like this because... but...". This are my basics. And I try to stay as neutral as possible in the way I say things.

But I won't lie, this time I have some difficulties because there is too much toxicity around and, what I thought was impossible, it finally affected me while watching the show in a very bad way. And for that I am angry. You can tell as I recently put an almost agressive rambling against some review.

I try to stay away from comments or reviews and stuff but sometimes I tiptoe into just just to see another reality. And although I found constructed things in the bad comments regarding S2 (even in BO), although this time this is more a game of pure destruction. And as much as I am angry, I will try not the play the same game that only lead to hatred. So I will try my best to illustrate what I am saying and not just throw feelings at your face.

To be clear also, I don't defend blindly the writers here, I am taking the final product as it is in my analysis.

Spoilers of S3 vol 1 under the cut. I won't speak about what would probably happen in vol 2 though. So if you have seen vol 1 but not read the book, this is safe.

First of all I will say it.

- No, the show doesn't follow stricto sensu the books but more in the S1 way. Though it has many scenes almost taken from the pages, or in the spirit of it.

- Yes, there are some plotline additions and more twisted ones but for me it helps building intrigues more than running to the opposite of characters from the books, giving more relief to some of them and link stuff that needs pages and pages to get through. So I don't see them in a bad eye.

My point of view.

The first sequence with Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer is an example. For me this corrects a lot of bad done during S2. It is not like in the books at all, even if it uses the "dear friend" letter as a trope, but it lands on a relation more in phase with the books. We have trust and tension. And Geralt and Yennefer reconnecting. Of course, this shouldn't had to be necessary at all in the first place but seeing their relation building up put a smile on my face.

My only complaint will be that we still just have glimpses of how magic works in this universe. In the books, Yennefer teaching Ciri magic is THE moment we learn the most of it. So just having crumps is frustrating me.

For Geralt, I had a great time with the fight sequences and the relationships he has with Ciri, Yennefer and Jaskier. The feeling is closer to the book version for me. And I have to say, I really liked the whole sequence in Anika's hut where he learns about his mother. This and the fact that he discovers the false Ciri and the experiments are a twist from the books but it connects a lot of further plotlines. Also when he learns that his mother has died and he has still ressentiment for abandoning him leads to a great emotional side of Geralt and builds the fact that this is the reason why he will never abandon Ciri in return, whatever the coast. And I was missing those kind of vulnerabilities in Geralt that were so nice to read on a "brute" stereotype. So it gives depth to the character. It was not what I was waiting for but I take it as well.

For Yennefer, I connected less with her this season but I loved the growth and the parallels with Ciri. She has learnt from her mistakes found her purpose. So while normally it's not her to prepare the conclave, from where she is coming from in S1 and S2, it is almost the only way to reconnects the dots. I really wish we didn't need this to repair everything, but all considering, it was OK. From her part I mostly liked the journey with Ciri to Aretuza and the humorous parts with Geralt.

For Ciri, I connected more with her this season. Like she finds herself more at ease in a witcher (male) version of her world. That speaks to me a lot. Although I gender myself as a woman my brain doesn't work usually like the "typical" woman. Or at least those I met in my life. I have the typical you are a "garçon manqué" (which I don't know how to translate in English) said about me very often. I was with more men during my student years and at work so learnt to navigate them more than groups of women. I was a bit like Ciri at Kaer Morhen. I have experienced the more frontal, direct approach of men vs the shady, smile in the front, stab in the back approach of women during conflicts, especially at work, too many times so I can relate to Ciri when she can't bare the company of the sorceresses, who are all facades. And I love what she learns from that, in the end.

For Jaskier, I am very pleased that the trauma of the torture was addressed and became a motive of certain "bad" decisions he made. He still has heart to protect those he loves and do what thinks is good for them. Which is basically what he does all the time in the books, especially in the Baptism of Fire, so we kind of see this trait ealier. I liked the honesty between him and Geralt and his relation with Ciri is heartwarming. Now the development of his love life is something I could talk all day (and I probably will later). The Radovid plot, I was nervous at first but I loved it because it has layers and some speaks to me a lot. Basically the whole plotline of Jaskier is a mixture of inventions and scenes from the books but it is coherent with the character in his whole and connects efficiently the dots from Redania politics to the found family.

In a way, I find the spy element of this Jaskier more grounded here than the one in the books, where it has like no explanation except "i am a patriot" 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Then, am I going to address the elephant in the room ? The pansexual Jaskier. Yes I am gonna do it, but I want to finish with the characters and the bits that I want to talk about first.

I liked the interactions between Philippa and Dijkstra which helps building the politics from Redanian side while enveiling progressively some leads to the final reveal of who is the bad guy. The only sequence that bothered me was the bdsm thing. Except to re-enforce the dominatrix trait of Philippa personality, it adds nothing more to what was shown before, except this face 😬 on me lol.

Speaking of the leads to the final revelation, I liked that this was made within different characters' journey, connecting the dots step by step. So sure it shifted some narratives but it was fluid and paced the whole thing without having big revealing time, except the whole episode 5 where they tried something in the structure, to make it more digest. But for me this is the episode I liked the least because of this artifice exactly. The loop was too repetitive in its first iteration and it made my attention drop seriously for the next part. But it was interesting on a technical point of view. They like to play with past and present a lot in this show and here it was well done as it was treated like a rendition of Geralt and Yennefer side of the event, confronting what they learnt from the people they talked to. And they mixed it with some "hot" moments, that I think may have pleased a lot of people.

Well, for me the complicity and complementarity was more rewarding but I don't see it as a bad thing. That echoes their relationship in the books but overall I am not very interested in that. The playfulness between them during the ball was more attractive to me. But I am aware that this is a very personal take of it as I tend to loose interest the more I see "love" scenes lol. The shorter, the better 😅.

For the other characters, I was not convinced by Fringilla plot, but I dug more into Cahir's whose faith is shifting badly.

The White Flame had little exposition but help filling the blanks a little bit for his story and I am surprised they are seemingly running down the hill of this incest plotline from the books. It will be certainly different, but the first hints are there.

On the brotherhood side, I don't have much to say for the moment. I think I will elaborate more after vol 2, especially on Vilgefortz. Just I note that Istredd connects some things with BO. This is very short and maybe confusing for those who having seen it but it makes sense within this version of the story. And I like that Stregobor that is set up to be disliked from the bigining is just a false thread to find the real bad guy.

From the elven side, I feel this is rushed. The jumps from S2 to S3 isn't hard to understand but the struggle connecting with Nilfgaard is due to the strange plotline of S2 again. Gallatin helps connected things together but it shouldn't have been so convoluted in the first place. Yet I understand where it leads later for Francesca.

I have like the use of certain minor characters like Aplegatt who had a running gag with the arrow until the futur Ciri foretold happened which leads to consequences we will see in vol 2. I didn't like the "professor" though who had the trash mob treatment. You recognise him and seconds later he is dead.

And I found Valdo Marx hilarious. His song his catchy and even if it is not subtle for the plot it gives a real rythme to the ball iterations.

This is pretty much my global thoughts on the volume 1.

Now what's in the books ?

Here is the resume of each chapter of Time of Contempt to the point it stopped for the show :

- Aplegatt is doing his job being the messages between kingdoms. He meets on the road Yennefer and Ciri who prophetised his death and more things. Geralt visits Codringher and Fenn to have informations about Rience. A lot of political stuff and schemes are discussed and bits of False Ciri. Aplegatt dies from an arrow.

- Yennefer and Ciri are in Gors Velen. Yennefer goes to the dwarven bank (politics politics schemes schemes). Ciri visits the city with Fabio and... kills the wyvern in the monster show. While she tries to escape she bumps into Tissaia and Margarita Laux-Antilles. Politics and schemes at the baths. Ciri flees to find Geralt. The wild hunt appears in the sky. Ciri rushes toward Geralt's position who is with Jaskier. Yennefer saves her. When reunited Geralt and Yennefer are arguing. Ciri watch from afar with Jaskier explaining they love each other.

- Jaskier babysits Ciri while Geralt and Yennefer go to the Thanedd ball. A lot of dialogs there that set up everyone's position. Hot scene between Geralt and Yennefer.

- In this chapter the only thing I can take is Codringher and Fenn killed and burned by Rience minion.

Well everything seems here, with changes of course, but I guess we covered it all. But there is more. So what's more that are in the books also.

Here is what is from The Last Wish incorporated in S3 (what I remember)

- Belleteyn

Here is what is from of Blood of Elves incorporated in S3 (what I remember)

- Shaerrawedd story, even if the set up is twisted.

- Geralt leaves Ciri with Yennefer so she can teach her magic while he is tracking Rience. The Dear Friend letter (but we know it is used differently) .

- Jaskier has some spy duties (the set up is entirely different). And some more politic stuff.

(The scene with Vespula is from The Sword of Destiny.)

So now, I know everything is twisted because they chose to tell the story differently. But all the bricks are here with some pretty close to the books moments and everything is set up almost properly for what's to come. That's the reason why I like this season and I don't find it outrageous.

My rambling.

Now... This is the part where I will be less tempered.

You may noticed that I have kept Radovid almost away from the equation. Well because... this is where I can loose myself because of the bad comments. Not just the ones on the divergence from the lore only. I includes what comes usually with it. The pan Jaskier and people of color kind of divergence from the lore comments.

Last week I lost my temper on a review using false book accuracy arguments to justify a rant about Jaskier been queer in the show. The person wrote incorrect things, stated them as truth, for their readers. So angry people could find examples of what was so wrong in the show using their anger to validate their lies blindly [x].

I don't go much to see the comments and the reviews because it hurts me most of the time. And I am someone open to critical stuff. But you know statistically if people were fair, I should find perfectly argumented rants about the show along with the blind rage ones. For S2 and BO it was the case.

Here, the vast majority of what I read are just "the show did wrong" without any argument. "They are not faithful to the source material" without any example. Some are openly racist or queerphobic. Some hide behind the things like the reviewer I was angry about.

I am sad to see an actress had to justify her portrail of her character because she doesn't look like what people expect, to say it politely, and because she made some artistic choices that are not european coded [x].

I have seen many comments with bollywood memes under the first twit of RI reporting that Anya chose to incorporate Indian dances moves to her magic. She wouldn't have said it, except for the battle in Shearrawedd, I am sure no-one would have noticed. And for those who are angry about those cultural inserts, please explain me what looks like a perfect european magic move. Show me then the problem in Anya's portrail.

I am sad to read bad things under the Valdo Marx extract, because the actor is black.

I am sad to read homophobic comments on Joey's insta (but extremely proud and moved by the Dear Hearts response to that).

And I am angry that people don't even try to understand what are the stories told. They are on a hate bulldozer and simply crush everything under.

Is the show perfect : NO ! Is the show deviating from the source material: YES ! I already said it. But this is still WAY closer than the former season (cf my preceding point).

I took time to say in my first point what I like and dislike, pointing purposely things that diverged from the books in their structure or narratives. And there is a lot as you can see, and I didn't say it all.

Maybe you miss Geralt hitting on many ladies, even while being officially with Yennefer, and hyperfixating on boobs sometimes (while they blinked politely at it in the show this time) ? The more classic family portrait adaptation doesn't hurt anyone's feelings apparently. Or that least THAT kind of divergence doesn't come front when it comes to book accuracy.

Why is it always the "race" and the queerness ? The real question is : where does the hypocrisy ends ?

The Radovid part and pretty much all of Jaskier's plotline this season are invented. It has anchors in the books in some scenes but, like the rest of the divergences, this plotline setup many things that are more a lot of dialogs in the books.

They use this Radovid and his relation with Jaskier to show the con games of Philippa and Dijkstra in a more easy way to absorb in a tvshow. But I guess you sure want 10 min straight of people throwing names and places you don't know about and learn about them 5h later. It is sure not easier to have the whole thing built slowly over the course of the 5h.

They also used Radovid to put some new layers on Jaskier with the romance. Those layers includes his pansexuality, sure, but there is more. Things that have been played but not said are out up front now. His extreme empathy that helps him read people. It is his superpower and his weekness. We see a more clever side to him too. We see him trying to navigate with Radovid to find solution for Rience and maybe safe conduit for Ciri. And this is a part of how he has now a place in the found family and how he connects with them, which was inexistant in both S1 and S2.

This is not just about sexuality. But apparently it overshadow everything else. So...

For those who found the kiss coming from nowhere, I invite you to listen and watch more carefully.

For those who found Jaskier too promiscuous this season, I remind you that Jaskier is known to have multiple affairs in the books, and this is mentioned in the show as well in S1, and teased in S2, so this is not new. This is just the first time it is shown clearly.

For those who simply cannot bare the view of two men kissing, just close your eyes, you have plethora of heterosexual book accurate relation in the next episode.

And you know what :

We know little about love. Love is like a pear. A pear is sweet and has a distinct shape. Try to define the shape of a pear.

Jaskier

[murfeelee]

Witcher Season 3 (AKA The "Final" Season 🤣😂)

Alright y'all, back at it again with my 3rd Witcher tv show "review" or whatever. S1 | S2

Disclosure: I already told y'all that I've made peace with this being the Yennefer Show, and that I'll keep watching when Liam Hensworth plays Geralt in S4, because this show ain't been about Geralt or witchers anyway--it's about the mages, obviously. Like, I don't blame Cavill for leaving, cuz if I had to play second fiddle to Yenn when I'M the titular MC, but I don't have ANY scenes, ZERO speaking lines, and NOTHING to do in my own show, then yeah I'd quit too! So I'm not gonna complain about what I WISH this show was--it will NEVER be the books or the games (definitely not Game of Thrones). Missed opportunity.

All that being said, unpopular opinion, but IMO Season 3 kinda slapped? The 2nd "volume"/part was the best BY FAR, but I genuinely liked the vast majority of the episodes. I give S3 a 9.5/10, because I actually have very few complaints about this season overall, I'm shocked. (EDIT: I have DEEProoted suspicions about a lot of naysayers/hatewatchers who say the show's "unwatchable," just because it's got a multicultural cast/"agenda"--sounds like racism to me.)

THE GOOD

The MAIN PLOT actually went somewhere!!!! A wild Vilgefortz appears! ^0^ He beat the DOG SNOT outta Geralt, YIKES! XD

One of my biggest gripes about S1 was that the show didn't focus nearly enough on THE BIG BAD, Vilgefortz. Cahir got SO MUCH screentime doing literally NOTHING for 2 whole seasons, meanwhile the rest of Geralt's Hanse was NOWHERE to be seen, and Vilgefortz was just sitting in the cut looking pretty, like wtf?

And Season 2 was barely any better!

But yeah, S3 FINALLY gave us Vilgefortz's dastardly behavior I'd been waiting for. He effed everybody up at Thanned, as I expected--that's my special evil boy! <3 (Now that Ciri jacked half his face up I'm very sad--that man is absolutely splendid to look at. A moment of silence for the eye candy, it will be missed. U_U)

THANNED. ^0^ Hoooooooly god this was great, even better than Sodden in S1. Episode 6 is the best episode in S3--such a great battle; people were dying left and right. And MAMA TISS!!!!! She went OFF! O_O

It was so sad, but ofc this was all gonna happen--they had Tissaia allllll the way up Vilgefortz's butt, so OF COURSE she was going to be crushed when he INEVITABLY betrayed her. (I don't blame you though, girl, cuz he's SO DANG PRETTY! I'd be crushed, too!) But at least Mama Tissaia got that body count up during the battle--SLAY! The way Filavandrel was just.... 🤯

Speaking of the elves, Francesca and Fringilla were put on the backburner (after dang near dominating S2); but I like the way their arcs ended, even though I felt bad for them. Very good scenes; the mages & their arcs are the very best parts of the show, as usual.

LODGE OF SORCERESSES RISE! ^0^ Dijikstra & Philippa. 😍

These freaks--I LOVE them, your honor! 😅 I was so hyped to see Geralt break Djikstra's leg, but Philippa had me ROLLING when she was like "well, it's a good thing you like pain"--I DIED! XD These kinky mofos! They're hands down one of the best parts of the whole show--I LOVE how sinister Philippa is (her bird feathers are such a great touch--whoever was in charge of her costumes & HAIR 👌), and what a simp Dijkstra is for her. It makes me so sad to know how things go for them in the video game--I sided with Dijikstra to kill Radovid, and was so hurt when he went after Thaler & Roche. But....yeah, I did pick the option to break his other leg, so....oops? XD

So yes, I'm excited to see where this show goes with Philippa and Vilgefortz; how their schemes line up (or not) with Emhyr and the Fake Ciri; and how that effects the REAL Ciri and how she eventually ends up under Avallach (I hope we get to see him on the show!).

Speaking of Ciri, we FIIIIINALLY got to see some domestic Geralt, Yenn & Ciri--even if they are on the run from assassins; and Geralt's iced Yenn out cuz she tried to sacrifice Ciri to Voleth Mier back in S2. A lot of the fandom HATED that they made S2 Yenn betray them, but I think S3 did an alright job of not retconning her, per se, but patching things up. Cuz it's NOT a good look to have your (REAL) main character (LOL) hated by the fandom for betraying her own "daughter." So was the domesticity hamfisted? YES. But was it necessary? GOD yes, otherwise what's the point of showing The Last Wish? They're supposed to be a FAMILY, so for god's sake start giving them scenes to actually SHOW us that--stfu about "destiny"!

Probably another unpopular opinion, but I liked Episode 7 with the unicorn. These are the kinds of adventures Ciri NEEDED in S1, running around some stupid empty forests doing NOTHING is different from learning how to survive on her own in a strange wilderness, encountering strange creatures, and tapping into the good AND bad sides of her magic.

And oooooh my god, the GOAT has returned.

A lot of...hrm...interesting conversations were had as Ciri was hallucinating in the desert, with love of my life Grandmama Calanthe, as well as Pavetta & Falka. It's a shame that Ciri didn't get this kind of development MUCH earlier in the series. Too little too late? We'll have to see where Ciri's plot goes with the Rats in S4 to find out if her new whole Chaos/Fire magic arc is worth it.

AT LONG EFFING LAST, we're getting some HANSE ACTION!!!

I've been SO EFFING SICK of Cahir. I'm glad Ciri finally got closure with him from SEASON ONE, and that he's FINALLY in the Hanse now--took y'all long enough, ffs! And Milva's interesting so far, so I'm glad to see her around, giving Geralt & Dandelion grief. So in S4 all we need now is Angie, and YA BOI!!! ^0^

THE BAD

I wish Mistle and the Rats were better established--the whole Wyvern thing wasn't done very well or made much sense, and Mistle & Ciri should've had WAY more scenes. I wasn't feeling any chemistry between them, which is annoying, since Ciri's a lesbian in my TW3 game--is the show gonna go with hetero Ciri instead? Or is her love of Mistle gonna be what pulls Ciri out of the Fire/Chaos dark arc they're teasing for S4? 👀

What's annoying is that we already had a Dark!Ciri arc in S2 though, and EVERYONE hated it. We see Yenn reconcile betraying Ciri, but where's Ciri reconciliation for slaughtering all those witchers at Kaer Morhen? 😡 First she's possessed by Voleth Mier, now she's possessed by Falka? This show's great at focusing on Yenn & the mages, but leaves Ciri in the same ditch over & over--it's irritating.

Ep5 was a LAME way to end the first half/"volume," I hated that episode. The whole ball just bored me, with the dancing and singing--I get it--"all is not *clap clap* as it seems," stfu already. I didn't care. It was OBVIOUS Stregebor was being framed; WTF was that mop on Istredd's head; WHY was Triss the only one with a braincell who cared that students were going missing when apparently the school's SO strict; why don't these mages start TELEPORTING for once, and stop running around SLOW AF; how the HECK did y'all let HUMAN Dijkstra jump a WHOLE SCHOOL OF MAGES--this is an utter embarrassment. Usually the mages are the only thing this show gets RIGHT, so to see them all faceplant like this was just baffling & frustrating.

And again with the monoliths--how do y'all NOT KNOW these things are here!? Same with the one hidden in Kaer Morhen, like REALLY? NO ONE's medallion is going off? Omg. Istredd! You STUDY these things! Start TEACHING these drunk AF mages a thing or two--this is why Vilgefortz and Dijikstra wiped the floor with y'all on your own turf! 🤦

THE UGLY

The pacing was SLOW AF. Episodes 3-5 particularly dragged.

Everything with Cahir I wish was in S2 instead. That elf was GORGEOUS and I hated to see him go, but what was the point of all that again? I almost expected him & Cahir to start banging! (My perv brain; I need help, y'all. U_U)

Speaking of!

ALLLLLLL this mess about Dandelion & Radovid.

What "ripple effects"? XD It was UNNECESSARY. We all know Radovid's a disgusting genocidal racist psychopath and Dandelion's a womanizing old man--I'm not interested in seeing Radovid going through all this effort to seduce Dandelion, just to DOUBLE CROSS him to get to Ciri, like wtF? TBH, I feel like we were queerbaited, yeah I said it. 😤

And it's SO unfair how we have alllll these sex scenes with naked women's vajayjays & boobs all over the place--even Philippa got in on the action, hey hey hey! ;) --but we never get to see man-on-man action!? Wow, they kissed, SO WHAT!? Men never get full frontal nudity and it ticks me off, cuz naked women are just all over TV, meanwhile the dudes don't show SQUAT, and it's happened AGAIN.

Anyways, those are my only real complaints; otherwise I liked S3, it was much better than S2 IMO. Just don't expect too much--turn your brain off, and accept that this show doesn't gaf about Geralt (or even Ciri really) whatsoever. I'm here for Yennefer, Vilgefortz, and to see the Lodge of Sorceresses make themselves an absolute menace under Philippa so that Radovid literally flips his wig (that horrible weave MUST go in S4) and effs everything up for mages & non-humans.

[27dragons]

9 People You’d Like To Get To Know Better

I was tagged by @weethreequarter, who for some reason I can't properly tag back. Though while I was trying to figure out why, I discovered that somehow tumblr had randomly un-followed them for me (so helpful, tumblr is!) so I'm glad to have fixed that!

---

Last song: I mostly only listen to music in the car, so according to my playlist randomizer, the last thing I was listening to was "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by the Eurythmics.

Favorite color: It's hard to say. Blue was my favorite color for a long time, but it was red for a while, too, and I'm super fond of, like, peacock blue-green and rich purples. Mostly I just really like jewel tones.

Currently watching: Not really anything at the moment. I finally got around to watching Staged (just S1) but I binged that all in one night; before that I'd seen S2 of Good Omens (and am still processing the heartbreak) and the second half of S3 of Witcher.

Last movie: In the theater? It was either Across the Spider-Verse or Honor Among Thieves (the D&D movie); I can't remember which order I saw them in. On my laptop, @monobuu and I co-watched No Reservations because she had an AU idea.

Currently reading: Fanfics, pretty much entirely. I've been poking back through my older bookmarked fics and re-reading them, and keeping up with new/ongoing fics as they hit my notifications.

Sweet/spicy/savory: I'm a massive wimp when it comes to spicy things, though I like a little bit of spicy from time to time. And my sweet tooth has been forcibly dialed back over the last year or so because sugar is one of the primary triggers for my heartburn, which is not just unpleasant but super painful when it hits my stomach ulcer. (But I still really like sweet things, I just hit the "okay I've had enough now" limit a lot sooner than I used to.) And savory is nice, too. Look, I just really like food.

Relationship status: divorced, officially 10 years next month, actually. I sort of wouldn't mind dating but I don't want to put any actual work into finding someone to date. Anyone want to be my extremely low-effort long-distance significant other? 😂

Current obsession: Good Omens is currently front and center, but it's not like I've stopped obsessing about my favorite ships in other fandoms (Dreamling, Geraskier, Winteriron)

Last thing I googled: How to do a thing I was trying to do LibreOffice. Before that, looking up whether some minor health issues I'm currently having might be related to oncoming menopause.

Currently working on: Teaching myself some bookbinding, and a cross-stitch project. I have several writing projects open in their tabs, but every time I look at them, my brain says, "....nah, not feeling it."

---

I never know who to tag in these things. I love reading them, though, even if they're not a mutual or anyone I've ever interacted with. It's so fun, seeing little slices of other lives from all over the planet. So if you've read this, please consider yourself tagged!

[best-wishes]

Tagged by @phinofthestorm

First post on tumblr, I hope I'm doing it right. Thanks Phin for the tag!

Current time: 19:00

Current mood: murderous (toward insects)

Current activity: attempting get my family rid of lice (thanks school)

Currently thinking about: not scratching my head.

Current favorite song: Current as the song I've been listening on repeat for the last months, The Windmills of your Mind (every possible cover, including the French ones Les Moulins de mon Cœur), because it's the theme song for my longest current WIP. Favorite song ever, Feeling Good by Nina Simone, because it's the song that captures best this feeling when depression finally goes away and your brain is free to feel joy again.

Currently reading: Just finished the Captive Prince thanks to Phin's execellent advice! I loved it, mind the trigger warnings but read it if they are OK with you.

Currently watching: Witcher S3, Bad Batch S2 (late, because my partner had to catch up). Next on the list is Silo (I've read the books), then Good Omens S2 and Ahsoka when they're out.

Current favorite character: In which universe? Hob is probably my favorite from Sandman, Leia from SW (what, you could have guessed?), Ciri from Witcher. Across every universe, probably the Fool from Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin.

Current WIPs: Great question, thank you! 

#1 in my thoughts, Vortex Street, a fluid mechanics Sandman fic. It's probably the nerdiest thing I've ever written. The premise is : what if the fact that Vortices appear periodically in the Dreaming meant the Dreaming was a fluid? And what if Hob was a physicist set on solving the Vortex problem? It's nearly entirely written now, I hope I can release the first chapter soon.

#2 The King, the Fae and the Peasant: my Fake Date fic from the Dreamling Week 2023. Dream decides to fake date Hob in 1389 to drive Titania jealous after a lovers' spat. Hob enjoys the show.

#3 Descent to Hell a triggery fic where Hob chooses to die before Dream gets out of the Fishbowl. The fic explores why, and how Dream can fix this.

#4 The Prequel to A Happy Little Mistake, my first Dreamling fic. It explores how Hob and Johanna worked together to set Dream free from Burgess' basement.

#5 Only at the stage of idea for the moment, Russian Doll AU. Instead of healing from his wounds, each time Hob dies, he goes back in time to the previous 8th of June XX89. How can he use it to save Dream?

 #6 Probably after Vortex Street is done I'll adopt one of the Captive Prince AU we're brainstorming on Discord. Because I'll have a free slot again.

I'll tag @tryan-a-bex (if you haven't already done it?)

I'm new to this stuff.

EDIT : I remember now, a few days later, that I forgot a WIP!

#7 Far from home (the Raven), a Jessamy Saves Dream fic based on the song of the same name.

[lostcol]

Thanks for the tag @winderlylandchime 😘

Last song: something by the Jonas Brothers. I went to see them on Wednesday (SUCH a good show), so I've been listening to them the past few days. I hadn't really listened to them in probably 10 years, and some of their new stuff is really good.

Currently watching: Rewatching GO (on s1e4) and RWRB, and Dark Marvels on the history channel.

Currently reading: Lots of fic (GO, NHL, QAF, and a little RWRB atm), relistening to the Billionaire series by Alexis Hall for the billionth time, and listening to A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.

Current obsessions: Hmmmm yeah I guess I'll agree with @winderlylandchime, all the awesome queer content we've been getting this summer! GO s2, Heartstopper s2, RWRB, Jaskier's gay kiss on The Witcher (fucking finally). And looking forward to Young Royals s3, whenever that's coming. Proving to the bigots and the studios and just all the industries that there IS a huge market for this content and we want it. WE WANT IT ALL.

No pressure tagging: @eusuntgratie @bartbarthelme

[humanpotassium]

Finally getting around to watching good omens s2, so I am going to be typing this as I watch ep 1.... I'm so sorry in advance

Spoilers obviously lol

• ANGEL CROWLEY HOLY FUCK LOOK AT HIM HES BEAUTIFUL🥺

•CROWLEY MADE SPACE?!?!? SO THATS WHY HE'S ALWAYS TRYING TO GET AZIRAPHALE TO GO TO ANOTHER PLANET WITH HIM BECAUSE HE WANTS IT TO BE ENJOYED MY HEART

• Opening is stellar as expected 👌

• aziraphale forgiving Maggie's rent do like the darling he is! Wait... does he have to pay rent/taxes? Does aziraphale know about property tax?!? I hope there is a tax evasion plot line

• Crowley is very concerned for the health of ducks and has learned since the 19th century not to feed them bread.

• OH NO POOR GABRIEL HE JUST WANTS A HUG

• "WHO TOLD YOU I WAS NAKED" (is that a garden of eden joke?)

• Maggie and Nina should 100% kiss

• " you know what it's like when you don't know anything at all, and yet you're totally certain that everything would be better if you were just near one person?" O FUck azira's reaction of fear because he thinks Gabe might know about his feelings for Crowley and is trying to catch them ☹️ and also sweet Gabe doesn't remember anything and while I don't know why he is apparently on heavens most wanted list he knows azira is the safest one to go to I am unwell 😭

• Gabe is as delighted by hot chocolate as he should be he is absolutely adorable

• Crowley trying to teach shax how to demon on earth correctly

• Shax is amazing we love shax

• WAIT AZIRA NO BEELZ IS IN THE BOX HOW DID YOU MISS THEM??

• AWW AZIRA ALMOST TOLD GABE HE LOVED HIM BACK POOR BABY

• "James. Long for Jim, short for Gabriel. " I love you, you stupid, stupid man 🥹

• Of course Crowley knows aziras voices

• 6 shots of espresso... Crowley I have never related to you more

• "How's your naked man friend?" OH NO NINA NOW CROWLEY THINKS AZIRA IS CHEATING ON HIM WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WELL HE'S NOT NAKED ANYMORE?? AZIRA WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW ITS WORSE!!!??

• Maggie... you sweet darling soul my new otp has crashed and burned

• jim?

•God damn Crowley is in protective mode 😂😂

• US THEY ARE A UNIT

•breakup scene??? No not again I can't do this

• azira just basically chose Gabe over him in his mind... whyyyyyyy

• Crowley trying to calm himself down and failing 🥺 he's trying to human

• oh, this is weird. I just got done watching witcher s3 and seeing Saraqael I immediately was like Fenn! I miss her 😔

• Muriel is precious I would die for them

• WHAT DID GABE DO?!???!

• Crowley is listening to Good Old-fashioned Lover Boy I'm crying

• "oh really? My bad" Crowley you are the biggest sweetest softy I love you

• THEY HAVE AN APOLOGY DANCE I WANT A COMPILATION

• Awww Gabe has friends

• oh...... fuck

Okay this is utterly amazing so far I am delighted!

[rocinawanda]

After putting it off for a... while

I finally watched The Witcher S3 and yeah that sure was a season.

rip Tissaia your lightning magic was cool

my favourite part of the season was probably just Geralt, Ciri and Yen going about living and trying to train her. Ciri jumping onto Geralts back had my heart. everything else was just kind of bleh

with this show my interest was mostly in Geralt and Ciri’s dynamic so S2 was for sure the best in my opinion and this new one just went downhill as the wider politics don’t grip me at all.

with how S2 ended I really thought we’d see more of Emhyr but it was just a lot of people chasing Ciri around for episodes on end.

and given Henry leaving, i’m gonna say this is my stop and i’m getting off the witcher train but enjoy the rest guys

[aro-tarot]

Just finished vol. 2 of The Witcher s3, and ah, this season has been so good! 

And now I will proceed to probably ramble with spoilers:

First off, our bard is still shoveling things into his mouth.

I am so happy to see Milva! She’s my favorite book character, and I already love her here. She brought a laugh out of me, and of course, she’s a badass. Then Jaskier with the whole there’s this weird energy between you two. Then the song bit out of Geralt’s death. Oh, I am exciting for the hansa. Let’s gooo. lol.

How Radskier left off. Like, knew Radovid would become king, but ah, he was trying to leave! He wants to be with Jaskier and help him, and now he can’t! Ahhhh! Will need to go and read some fanfics. Maybe write one. I still have that one plot I was reworking for my first The Witcher fanfic that would work nicely.

And going off what Yennefer says, it looks like Geralt is still going to struggle with pain in his leg while fighting. I remember back in s1 seeing people hope that stayed in, and it looks like it.

Ciri’s dark arc is coming.

I was happy to see more of Radovid and Jaskier in e7 since when I watched e6 during the fan event, I was like, “Nice. Jaskier standing up for himself. He’s finally getting that self-worth.” Which I’ve reblogged posts and have talked about it a bit on here. With like s2 and like Jaskier in s3 and how people treat him and how he’s seeing himself. But then I was also like, “That was over quickly. I know that we needed to get to all the shit going down, but before the title card and that’s it?” And it turned out that was not it. Jaskier still isn’t just going to take him back. He’s hurt. There was a maybe because obvi Radovid needs to make it up to him and actually show that he’s not lying. And of course, now he’s trapped. He was going to give it all up. I’m really curious to see how that’s going to go down. And obvi Radovid is just going to be manipulated. He’s never been useful, and he finally found how he could and the person he could be with if the other forgave him, and that’s all been taken from him. Oh, I know while we all wait for the next season, the fanfics are going to be good.

Jaskier saying his family.

I’m still processing things. Obvi my brain is just like: Jaskier! Milva! Family! So good! This season was just so good!

And like, other random things in there. 

I have some other things I need to paint first, get some of that done, but after that, or at least getting a good chunk of that done or make it clear I have time to do more than I need to for that, I’m definitely doing some fanart lol

[imthepunchlord]

Have you ever considered watching Netflix's Wednesday?

I have, but it's not high on my priorities list atm. More in the mood to finally sit and read some Ao3 fics than watch shows. Which I have a growing list I need to watch (Witcher s2, Cuphead s3, Sandman, finishing Amphibia, ect.). I'll get to Wednesday and everything else one day.

Just need to be in the mood to sit and watch.

But for now, it's reading time for free time.

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

Witcher Season 3-Volume 1- NO SPOILER

TLDR: If you gave up on TV Witcher after season 2, give S3 Ep 1 a shot. This season gave me hope for the series again.

(If you don't remember anything about S2 like me, just watch a recap on YouTube)

I will have a FULL SPOILER 'review' as soon as I type it. Going in-depth about the plot/character arcs. I'm typing all this before I see anyone else opinions. So if I'm the only person to like it? I will die on that hill.

Things that Improved:

-Cinematography. I was finally able to see the show. Seasons one and two were physically dark. But this season is so bright!!!

-Pacing. I watched all this in one sitting right when it came out, and there weren't any bits that dragged. I had a full day, stayed up till 1 am, and still was able to stay involved enough to binge it at once.

-No longer 'Game of Thrones'y. They took a look at the long tracking shots of one character giving a speech in S2 and went the other way. It saves this season for me. The scenes flow so much better!

-A decent mix of fan service, book references, and more for some fans of other adaptations to go 'oh shit! look!'.

-The core group feels like they like each other.

-The music, and here I mean background music, is amazing. I love it. But I'm a huge orchestral person.

-A plot structure that works.

-Less nudity for nudity's sake

Overall: definitely better than Season 2, and honestly, it works better as a season with a driving story than S1 did. Go try out episode 1 to see if you like it?

[kelkat9]

2022 Netflix Watch List

These were all pretty good or interesting in their own way.

The Glass Onion - awesome

Witcher Blood Origin - watched it twice loved it so much

Bridgerton S2 - Not a fan of love trianges but loved Kate and was into it after probably 4 eps

Supermodel Me - gimme junk reality telly and this isn't American so better

Wednesday - haven't finished but loved it so far

Drinkmasters - weirdly, I liked this and was cheering the person who won

GBBO - heart eyes

Unsolved Mysteries (modern) S2 - always interesting

The Empress - a little slow but interesting

High Water - gritty but gripping

Fate The Winx Saga S2 - not as good as S1 but a fun watch

The Sandman - heart eyes

Day Shift - different vamp show

The Invitation - PG13 version - really enjoyed - the ending rocks

Glow Up S3 I think - Brit make up show and I'm addicted

First Kill - gimme me cheesy girl romcom with vamps

Blade Runner 2049 - meh interesting and Harrison Ford

Night Teeth - heart eyes

Lost in Space Final Season - not a perfect series but they really wrapped up the story well

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (21-27 Aug 2022)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍 😍 👂‍ The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells, author; Kevin R. Free, narrator) - my quarterly reread of all the adventures of everyone's favorite SecUnit

🥰 is it a cry i hear (from the deep wood) (steviesunrises (riverdraft), author; grandmacore, artist,) - magical AU shrunkyclunks with gnc plant witch bucky

😍 SuperManny (rainbow_nerds, author; jenofithilien, narrator) - reread via excellent podfic; Bucky's SuperManny, Steve's a single dad who needs help - just so, so good!

😍 Calico Skies (musette22, author; britbrit99, artist) - very good lumberjack shrunkyclunks with embroidery art

🥰 The Minor Fall, the Major Lift (inexplicifics) - a very fluffy 'wintering in Kaer Mohen all together' Witcher fic, which is a vibe I love

😊 Improvement (TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsG) - angsty but satisfying Geraskier omegaverse fic with a 'winter in Kaer Morhen' section (told you I can't get enough of that)

💖💖 +205K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

The Devil Makes Three (Gwenpools_Aesthetic) - MCU: Stucky+Daredevil, 9K - very hot daredevil/steve/bucky

the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it's you (greatunironic) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 34K - ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE "16-years-later" fic where Steve and Eddie FINALLY get their shit together and get their chance - ALL the characters in this are SO well drawn, so real. Like, if I actually watched this show, this fic would have absolutely ruined me for actual canon. (also has a fun little 3K epilogue)

Sing For Us (inexplicifics) - The Witcher: Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 2K - excellent 'porn with feelings' with these 3

I got the month of May (lovesprings) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 28K - reread; bucky works in a music store and helps steve catch up on what he's missed

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

The Sandman - s1, e7-11

Only Murders In The Building - s2, e10 - another excellent season

What We Do In The Shadows - s4, e8 - ngl other than some laszlo pronunciation hilarity, this ep left me cold

Harley Quinn - s3, e7 - shark family drama!

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Monstrous Agonies - Episode One thru Four

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Travels with Steve and Datsun

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Clown Egg Register

Vibe Check - America Has A Problem

Ologies with Alie Ward - Critical Ecology (SOCIAL SYSTEMS + ENVIRONMENT) with Suzanne Pierre

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

My Mix #7 (metal & hard rock)

Fleetwood Mac Radio • 1980s

Presenting Gloria Estefan

"Ex's & Oh's" [Elle King] radio

[odannygirl7]

finally watched the witcher after only seeing out of context gifs of the first season

s1: more tits than expected but I can see why everyone was hyped about jaskier/geralt even tho geralt is so mean to him

s2: didn't think I had to check doesthedogdie but whatever, everyone has so much names and I'm so bad at faces

s3: jaskier should ditch pining for geralt and bag himself that prince... oh.. oh really?? really?? oh damn