Not a Real Blog, That's Cruel

[pawpsiclesncarrots]

What kind of bird would you like to see join Judy and Nick’s circle of friends (like Nibbles and Gary) in Zootopia 3?

Personally, I'd love to see either an owl or a kiwi!

[tpchicken7]

I went back and watched Disney’s Robin Hood for bird inspiration (because Gary has some Sir Hiss qualities, and you can’t change my mind 😆) and RH has a Hen, a Rooster, a senior pair of Owls, and (sort of) a Stork but really that was Robin in costume. Yet, the costume worked, so…

I admit chickens might not be totally likely since they don’t fly and that feather came floating out of the sky. 🤔

[ladynearthelake]

Spoilery speculation for Witcher Season 5

So, I’m very curious to see how they handle Jaskier staying behind in Toussaint, especially since on the show he’s been very adamant about sticking with Geralt.

Personally I think it would be a bit jarring for him to suddenly be like, yep, gonna stay here with Anna Henrietta while you all ride off to die. I know that’s what happens in the books, but after turning down a spot at Radovid’s side, I think it would be odd. That’s just me though.

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I thought the same thing, but this Colliader Interview has given me hope that he’s not going to stay behind. Specifically this answer:

Capa’s most famous quote? “If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.”

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I wish I could do screenshots or gifs, but there’s a moment in 4x02 right after they meet Regis for the first time and Jaskier nervously steps back and behind Milva and she puts a protective hand on him to guide him behind her.

Juxtapose this with 4x08 right after Milva’s return and as Regis gets shots with the arrow, there’s a small “blink and you’ll miss it” moment in the background where Cahir puts a protective hand on Jaskier and steps in front of him to shield him from any other projectiles.

And it’s these two scenes that reinforce for me that Milva and Cahir are great and have grown because they could’ve acted like almost any other character and dismissed Jaskier as worthless. (One could argue they both did dismiss him in earlier seasons, Cahir in 2 and Milva in 3).

Anyway, since Milva and Cahir are both awesome, I wish only good things for them separate and together.

[tpchicken7]

Looking forward to season 5 and knowing that the Hansa is headed towards Toussaint and the Countess De Stiel, and knowing that Jaskier’s fear is Geralt leaving him again, if I were writing this (and I’m obviously not) this is where is take Jaskier’s storyline. In doing so combine elements from the book with the plots the show has created and allowing Jaskier not to disappear from the show entirely for awhile.

When they arrive, the Countess would insist they bathe. She would take Jaskier to a separate area of the castle and when he reappears, he’s got a haircut (because why can’t we get rid of the wigs and go back to the season 1 cut while still aging him a bit?) and new clothes that are not for traveling. (Everyone else would continue in their traveling garb but clean.) He would apologize for being absent, promise he’s still with them and invite them to be guests for dinner.

They have a fairly sumptuous dinner, drink, etc. the Countess is a decent host but she seems cold to the group and only has eyes for Jaskier. After dinner they agree to leave in the morning and the Countess separates Jaskier again from the group. Later that night Jaskier find them and says he’s not leaving with them. They argue because something feels off but the drink has them all confused.

In the morning, the Hansa departs, sans Jaskier, and the mood is dour and hungover. That’s when the audience finds out it wasn’t Jaskier that came down the night before, it was a mage or some sort of allusion. They had been drugged at dinner so they wouldn’t sense that it was a fake Jaskier and accept it. The real Jaskier is tied up in the Countess’s chambers (bonus points if they use his own scarf as a gag.) Jaskier manages to escape and tries to run after Geralt. He yells and screams but is eventually captured again.

Here’s where I think you could go 3 ways with this, depending on how long you want to stretch it out:

Geralt hears Jaskier’s screams of “Don’t leave me! And realizes they’ve been duped. They go back and save him and then they all continue on.

2. The Hansa ends up leaving him. The Countess has made a deal with Redania for protection if she promises to deliver Jaskier back to King Radovid. They find him later when Radovid decides to have him hanged for insubordination.

3. The Hansa ends up leaving him. Nilfgard attacks and kills everyone but Jaskier. They take him to Emrys as a bargaining chip for later.

Obviously, season 5 is already filmed, and I’m sure they will go none of these directions. I still think it would be a lot of fun if they did.

[tpchicken7]

Is anyone else wondering with the addition of Radovid asking (bribing?) Jaskier to stay with him and Jaskier refusing, if they’ll change the plot in season 5 so that Jaskier decides to leave Toussant with Geralt? It just feels weird after the mountain and denying Radovid he’s then be like, ya know what? I’m out.

The only way I’d accept the change of heart is if something incredibly traumatic happens, and the Bard is physically (or possibly physiologically) unable to continue on. 🤔

[tpchicken7]

There’s a line in episode 4x04, after the torture, and Jaskier is talking about what happened to him and Geralt is putting it all together and he says “That is what Dijkstra wanted; he used ME to break his new king of hope.”

And I thought a lot about that line, because it bothered me, the use of the singular. Dijkstra used both of them because the torture wouldn’t have mattered if Jaskier hadn’t been with Radovid when it happened. Yet, Geralt chose to keep the focus on himself. Why?

I think it was to spare Jaskier’s feelings. Jaskier calls the experience torture, even tho he isn’t physically injured and Geralt is. Jaskier is also very resolute that he made the right choice staying with Geralt. If Jaskier were to realize that he had been manipulated to make that choice, he might feel shame or doubt or regret. So sparing Jaskier of that realization helps Geralt back up his friend’s feelings. It’s a kindness.

I think Geralt cares about Jaskier. I think he knows Redania is dangerous for his friend. I also think he wouldn’t admit it to even himself, but he’s grateful that Jaskier is with him.

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I can’t screenshot it right now, but please tell me I’m not the only one who saw the appearance of the Bard Hat during Jaskier’s musical number!

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After watching Witcher 4x05, I think we should start a Joey Batey as Flynn Rider campaign and send it to Disney. He maybe the only other person (other than Zach Levi) that I would watch in the roll. If the have to do a live action Tangled, Joey is the Flynn Rider we deserve.

[old-deerstalker-hat]

[tpchicken7]

Horrible thought, but my speculation brain is on. Geralt just ran into some sort of trap, right? Something very powerful he’s adjusting to. Now he’s hearing sounds that Regis (and Milva) cannot, which some people (naysayers) have found to be incorrect because Regis has fantastic hearing. What if it’s an audio hallucination? What if Jaskier isn’t in trouble or screaming, but Geralt is hearing something because he affected. I hesitated to even mention this because I would hate being deceived by the sneak peeks with the promise of Bard whump and then denied. I figured better to say something and be wrong than to dismiss it and be disappointed and pissed later.

[tpchicken7]

I know this is old, but it all just clicked. Because they meet Regis right after this, and Jaskier is talking about violent undead in the cemetery and yet, he isn’t in this scene but Milva and Zoltan are. This wraith, this dead lady in the floaty dress? She totally took Jaskier and they’re trying to get him back. I’m so here for it.

[tpchicken7]

New video from Redanian Intelligence on X! Oddly, I don’t recognize this scene from the book, but it has been awhile. Yet the most interesting part is when, from off screen, Jaskier’s yells, “Geralt!” And that is in his ‘I’m scared please save me!’ tone, not the cheeky ‘I’m teasing you’ tone. When I put my headphones on, I can hear Jaskier say “Don’t leave me!”

So, I’m inferring bard whump here. This after the graveyard bard whump but maybe before the ‘captured by Temarians/Cintrans’ bard whump. So what I’m thinking is, we might see a lot of bard whump this season. Which, and I think a lot of us agree here, we’re are absolutely here for.

[tpchicken7]

I’d be lying if I denied that I don’t already have 5 different ideas for how I can recreate this scarf. There will be a season 4 watch where I spend every moment analyzing the finer details of said scarf. Obviously this scarf is not knit, but I will knit or weave something in a perfect homage.

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Jaskier on a horse (finally!) but more importantly the head injury. Which means they are going to do my favorite scenes from the books (yay!)

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I was initially side eyeing Vanessa for Foggy's "death" aka disappearance (Because I'm floating down the denial river.) Now after 6 episodes, I think maybe Fisk did have something to do with it.

First, he lied to Vanessa about Adam, why not Matt about Foggy? Second, he has a giant underground lair full of extra places to stash people, why would it just be Adam down there? And finally, he's trying so hard to be respectable when we know it's a facade.

I'm just curious to see where the last 3 episodes take us.

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Alright Vanessa Fisk, looking at you with both eyes. 👀

The roof scene after Wilson becomes mayor and he says to Vanessa “I know about Adam” and she says “don’t kill him” and Wilson says “I’m not that man anymore.”

I feel like it’s a misdirect. Who is Adam? I don’t think we’ve seen him. He’s not on IMDb. The first connotation is that Vanessa is having an affair while Wilson was recovering from his head wound.

What if it’s a red herring? What if Vanessa is involved with what Bullseye did? What if Adam (the name of the first man) is a code name for someone else?? *whispers* What if it’s Foggy???

[tpchicken7]

New season of Daredevil was great. Too bad the run time is only 5:20 and then there’s just nothing. Yup, just a fun episode about Nelson, Murdock & Page having fun at a bar and living happily ever after. Foggy really is the heart of the show. Couldn’t imagine it without him.