Let's analyze Captain Rose's final message (ep. 113 spoilers!!!)

I have transcribed the entire thing into my notes, and there are few parts that I believe give us some subtle hints to important lore bits. So let's take a look at these fragments, shall we?

"Even with the Emperor’s gracious accommodations, I can never feel at ease unless I’m sleeping on the sea. Tomorrow, we depart this beautiful country for one last ride."

Nothing that crazy here, but now we have a better grasp at the timeline. So this confirms, that the last place Black Rose Pirates have been to, before they departed for the final adventure led by Hendrix's map was Onowa Country, and judging by what comes next, the chest was also created and left there during that last stay.

"But…if you’re hearing this, it means we all died."

If you recall, Drey mentioned few episodes back, that thier final excursion was of little significance, barely worth remebering. But here Rose is, about to embark on it, his last adventure before he retires, and he believes that he's going to die. That they all are. Rose must have hidden the true importance of this adventure from the rest of his crew. He KNEW that it's very likely they are not coming back from it, he KNEW he is not actually retiring. So, the question is, did Rose truly meant to leave life at sea for his wife and children, or did he chose to retire cause he knew he was about to die and he needed an excuse, to tie all the loose ends before he goes without alarming anyone?

"Even so, freedom can look so different for the individual. Not every pirate’s gonna play fair. I’ve been prepping for this moment a long time. The day I’d be outmaneuvered."

Something happened to Rose before that. If you ask me, something must have been put on Rose. A spell? A deal perhaps? Something must have happened between Rose and Hendrix (I can't be sure it was him ofc, but I feel like it is pretty obvious at this point). The map he gave him was a final retirement gift. Whatever happened, Hendrix surely did or offered something that made Rose unable to refuse the last adventure. Rose was forced to open the Hole in the Sea. He was forced to attempt to free the Nameless Prince, and he knew, he is bringing his crew to possible death. He knew they may not make it out of the sea in time, before whatever he had to do takes effects, before the sea turns black. I don't believe he would do this if he could find another way. This line makes me feel like he was tricked, finally cornered by Hendrix. It would also make sense why Rose never listened to Finn's warnings when he told him abt Hendrix hiding his true arcane ability. It's possible he knew already. It's possible he was already chained by it.

"Now I fear, we’ll be remembered for something we didn’t do."

The hole in the sea. The one thing people always mention when Black Rose pirates are concerned. He was right. But it only proves, that Rose in this entire game was a tool. Just a person forced to do another's bidding, to be at the right place, at the right time. A sacrifice, but not a player. Niklaus told Chip it was Rose who opened the Hole in the Sea. And he was right, kinda. TECHNICALLY it was Rose. But he was not acting of his free will. He was forced to do it. And who made him? Well, probably the one person who knows that it was him.

"Anyways, I think I should have cared about how my friends would remember me. My family…"

A beautiful comparison between Chip and Rose. Rose sought fullfillment, legacy, Chip sought to recreate his childhood, but they both realised that what they always wanted in the end was family. Rose realized it too late, Chip did so on time. And he did manage to create a family he can feel content about, be proud of. Rose's story is a reminder for him, of how things could have ended.

"If my wife is still alive, tell her, tell our child, her child, I’m sorry."

Rose left Onowa knowing he will not retire. He knew he lied to his wife when he told her that he'll raise their child with her. Did he ever mean it? Did he know that he is doomed from the start, or was there a true intention of going back to her, before Hendrix came and his fate was sealed? Also, that makes me think that Reuben is not Rose's biological son. "OUR child" refers to the kid they had together, "HER child" might refer only to his wife's son, to Reuben. Still, he must have cared for him enough to decide that he also deserved apology.

"Thanks for coming to look for us. I knew you would.

Take care, Chip. "

I wonder if he actually knew. Could Hendrix promise him that Chip would be saved? He didn't seem to expect anyone else to make it, so it's possible that either Chip was supposed to play a special role in some way, or maybe he already did, or he was guaranteed to make it out alive regardless of the circumstances to make the journey he is on now. That could mean that Riptide Pirates were truly always destined to meet.

Okay, that will be most of my thoughts! Feel free to share yours!

The second half of this episode was so different from the first half. What as Grizzly cooking with that book. Oh my god, bro.

i love when Jay lacks the brain cell

okay but as horrifying as that was to experience its good to know I was right on the money with finn and his sex books. being on the surface was literally the first time in his 150 years of life that he had the chance to explore himself and his romantic/sexual preferences without consequence. for 150 years he was forced to abide by the undersea's VERY STRICT laws by punishment of death. but he can't get in trouble for any undersea laws he violates on the surface -- and even if the oversea had those same laws (they don't) who gives a shit? finn's already a pirate! he breaks the law every day! of course he'd take that opportunity, to FINALLY understand more about himself. to FINALLY understand why he's felt the way he has for so long. of course he would.

“are you scared of who you were or are you scared you’ll remember?” “both” OHHHH GOD PLEASE GOD OUGHHHH

looks like damian is getting another arc in wfa!!

Thanks for telling me, it been a while since he got a two-parters and I know you sent this ask last week, but I wanted to wait until the 2nd part drops to judge them together and I'm so glad I did because the 2nd part was much better than the first.

I admit the premise is kinda basic and overdone, but it was still a nice story and I absolutely loved the Dick and Damian interactions in it, especially considering how long DC has been deriving us from these two together.

I was apprehensive when he called Dick in the 1st part to talk because I couldn't see him understanding what Damian's was going through, but he really handled the situation so well at the end and like I said in my pervious post, the things he told Damian were so satisfying to read because even though we know they're true, we never actually had another character straight-up telling Damian that he's just a child and doesn't need to beat himself over crimes he committed when he was an even smaller child while under the commands of the world's biggest criminal organization.

My only issue was that I felt that it was a huge missed opportunity to no mention Damian going on his redemption journey from R:SoB in a story that supposedly deals with Damian feeling guilty for his action in the LoA, I know that WFA doesn't reference main-continuity comics most of the time, but come on, a one flashback panel with him, Maya and Goliath with Dick saying "you did more than enough to redeem yourself Damian" would been the icing on the cake.

''he just doesnt have the sad indie gay vibe'' LMFAOOOO

Riptide ep 113 spoilers

Holy shit this episode had everything

Going from dealing with a grandparent in declining heath to dealing with who you used to be and what that could mean for your future self to HUGE LORE DUMP to FUCKING DARK PUCKERED HOLE LIVE READING?!? I almost crashed the car I was laughing so hard. All that aside I want to talk about Price being Roses son, cause holy mackerel. Was Chip joining his gang really “by chance”? Did his mom tell him who his father was? What were his motives and did his mom approve? If Price did know rose was his father, I don’t think him recruiting chip was an accident at all, especially once chip started blabbing about his times on the black rose. I am so excited to find out more, Grizzly you are fucking incredible.

WHAT WAS HIS END GOAL?? WAS IT TO FIND THE BLACK ROSE? TO KILL THE REMAINING BLACK ROSE PIRATES?? AHHHHHH

// JRWI Riptide Ep 113 spoilers

i really went from jumping up and down and stimming over Queen getting a crown and having bunny ears to sitting in my bed with tears rolling down my face from laughter and shock over hearing charlie read “Dark Puckered Hole”

i will never be the same

https://twitter.com/SpoilerTV/status/1678796305282334720?s=20

he won 🤩

Misha Collins took a commanding lead early in Reader voting and never looked back. He takes the title this month with an astonishing 87% of the votes. Like him, his Gotham Knights castmate, Keegan took firm control of 2nd early with Edebiri making a quick claim on 3rd. Exceptional acting is so much more than just saying the words on the page, and in "Night of the Owls" (Ep. 113) of Gotham Knights, Misha Collins gives a stellar performance in just a few short scenes.

As the captured Harvey Dent we see his vulnerable side as Collins' character tries to match wits with his captor, and later as he desperately tries to make amends to and reason with his also captured daughter. It's clear in his eyes and in his emotional pleas that the last thing he wants to do is bring the other side of himself out. He knows the consequences of what happens if he does. Finally, he realizes the only way to save his daughter and the city is to let his evil side out.

That is when a truly masterful transformation takes place, illustrated not just verbally by the deepening timbre of his voice, but physically as well as his whole poster and demeanor changes making him an imposing character despite him being tied to a chair. Harvey Dent sacrificed himself to save others, the other guy's motivation is pure self-preservation even after his face is marred by acid. At that moment Collins and Dent become the physical and emotional personification of the iconic DC villain Two-Face.

It is a genuine shame the show has been canceled before viewers could witness the additional depth he surely would have given this character. Misha Collins is Spoiler TV's June Reader's Choice Performer of the Month.

ep. 113 spoilers

i am so ill about the reveal that price is captain rose’s son. the implications of this are fucking wild.

(tbh i’m not sure if rose is price’s biological dad or his stepdad, but for the purposes of this post, i’m assuming that rose was at least the most significant dad in price’s life.)

it seems that price lived with his mom for most of his childhood, then sometime around/after the hole in the sea, ran away on his own and eventually met chip. and just… holy shit. he was raised by his mom, with his dad basically completely out of the picture because he’s off doing pirate shit. maybe price knew who his father was, maybe he didn’t (i.e., that his mom kept it from him like ollie’s mom did from him). but if he knew, just imagine the resentment. your own dad choosing adventure over you, and constantly being forced to hear about all his excursions in newspapers and through word-of-mouth from travelers. rose was off becoming a literal legend, while price and his mom were left behind. and like, yeah, i’m sure rose visited. he did care for his family, and obviously his wife had to get pregnant again somehow. but each time he came back, it was never for good. he always left again and again and again, because legacy was more important than they were.

and then finally! the day comes in which rose is finally going to retire and settle down with his family. i mean, price and rose’s wife were never enough to convince rose to settle down and it took another child to do it, but hey, at least he’s coming back. until… he’s not. until rose gets swallowed by a hole in the sea - killed by the life he chose over them, killed by the life that they feared would take him, killed by the lifestyle he valued more than them. and it’s not just a tragedy and a loss for them to grieve, either - it becomes a legend, one that keeps getting rubbed in their faces day after day, year after year after year. price cannot escape the fact that his father chose piracy over him, that he was apparently not worth enough to be loved. that shit would fucking fester, enough for price to completely leave behind his life and rid himself of his father’s name.

so price runs away, ditches the last name, and starts a new life - one where he gets to call all the shots instead of being left in the dark. he’s finally in control of who he is. and then, out of nowhere, enters chip. chip, a scrawny orphan who was aboard the black rose, who will not shut up all the adventures, who got to spend more time with his dad than he ever did, who got to live the life he was never allowed to. rose was never chip’s primary caretaker but he was a father figure to him, and it must have stung like hell to meet the kid who was more of a son to your dad than you ever were. chip must have seemed like the physical manifestation of everything price should’ve had but didn’t, because he just wasn’t worth enough.

(i wonder about price’s habit of calling chip his little brother - was that just because of their time spent together or was there a deeper meaning? perhaps price found kinship in chip - another child abandoned by his father putting legacy above all else.)

price spent his entire life in the shadow of his father, feeling like he was never enough, and now that he’s finally escaped it, he finds he never really escaped it at all and he’s face-to-face with yet another scathing reminder. the resentment must have been on another fucking level. what’s interesting, though, is that price does not turn away from chip - instead, he takes him in. rather than run away from this reminder, price sees it as an opportunity - an opportunity to take part of his dad’s precious legacy and mold it into his own. price takes chip and pushes him towards violence, towards gang activity, towards murder, towards all the things rose never stood for. he tried to take a product of rose’s legacy and twist it into something rose would never be proud of. all the while, price, along with chip, is building a legacy of his own - one of power, riches, respect; one constructed without his father; one to rival the great captain rose’s.

until one day, it comes crashing down. betrayed by his pet project, who he spent years rebuilding out of the ashes of rose’s legacy; by his little brother, who he trusted and felt kinship to after both were abandoned by rose; by the reminder of his father, who still bears rose’s influence like a fucking plague. price thought he had moved past his childhood - that he was finally freed of his father’s shadow - only to find himself abandoned once again by somebody who chose a lifestyle over him. stabbed in the back by yet another pirate.

but price is no longer a child. he does not run, he is not helpless, he will not wallow in pity. instead, he lets the betrayal fester and seethe and bubble into anger. he channels it into constructing his own life and legacy - this time, truly on his own. he turns it into an oath for revenge - on chip, on his father, on pirates. he rebuilds in a new place with a new purpose, fighting tooth and nail for whatever footholds he can get, moving into darkport like a parasite, feeding off power from the people around him. he rises in the ranks as a bounty hunter, finally finding a legacy that’s all his own - one that directly fights against those goddamn pirates. they took everything from him, and he’s going to take it back.

then chip shows up in all-port again. despite how the last time went, price cannot help but see another opportunity - an opportunity for revenge, to get back at chip for his betrayal; for power, to crush his insubordination and have him under his thumb again; for legacy, to have one of the black rose pirates bow before him, quake in fear, beg for forgiveness, and recognize him as stronger than his father. the allure was too saccharine. so of course, what does price ask chip to do? to steal from roofus - to betray the black rose pirates and obey him. another shot at rose’s legacy, and another way to show how much better and more powerful he is.

except… that doesn’t happen. price finds himself, yet again, betrayed by chip. his world comes crumbing down around him, and he is forced to watch. in his eyes, chip has taken everything from him - his father, his life, his power, his legacy. he has to watch as chip continues to grow his own legacy, as chip thrives without him, as chip scorns their past and becomes the one thing price resents more than anything. and price finds himself back at the beginning - nothing but a worthless little boy, abandoned and left behind. all the while, one thought races through his head, laced with resentment and anger and pain:

that should have been me.

EP. 113 spoilers

Sooo, we got a wild one, huh?

Price himself exists in a completely new context that we need to take into consideration.

Was him running a gang a product of his own vile personality, or a result of him and his mother's descent to poverty after Rose's disappeance? Did Rose support them financially from afar or were they self sufficient? If they were, was his mother's pregnancy the reason she wasn't able to work to support herself and her children? Did Price ever blame his elusive absent father figure for the cards he was dealt in life? Did he even know who Rose truly is? Was Reuben's decision to take Chip under his wing an act of kindness, an offer made to a boy just as lost and alone in this world as him, a carefully crafted revenge plan or... something else..?

And now there's a chance that we'll never know. Reuben is stuck, paralyzed for gods know how long, kept gods know where by those still loyal to him who would never let Chip get close again, and on top of that in a heavily guarded capital of Mana in which they are violently wanted. There is no going back for him and Chip, their relationship. Chip may not remeber all of it, but there is too much trauma, pain and betrayal between them to make room for conversation or understanding.

And if so, how is Chip to fullfill Rose's last request? How is he to bring his last words to his captain's family when the only member he knows, he can never reach out to again. Would Chip make different choices when dealing with Price if he knew? Should he have? Should his past matter in how he views him in the present, and are his circumstances a valid excuse for the person he chose to become?

Many questions on Chip's mind right now, many of which I'm sure he's been contemplating during that sleepless night.

I'm in denial

// JRWI RIPTIDE 114 SPOILERS AHEAD //

oh my God oh my God I'm finally watching Jrwi EP 113 or 114 I don't even remember I can't tell at this point but

But

BUT-

THEY HUNG HIM FROM HIS PALMS ON A HOOK FROM THE CEILING

GILLYS BEEN SKINNED

OH MY GOD HE'S BEEN SKINNED

Made back during S3 of City of Blank

SPOILERS FOR EP 113 IN READMORE

ALSO ALSO ALSO holding the library card and the tidestrider library emporium in my hands. if the "gillion isn't genetically a tidestrider" theory turns out to be true it doesnt even fucking matter bc that boy is a tidestrider through and through and finn telling him to keep the library card is all the evidence I need. even if gillion's not even a triton, he'll always be finn's grandson no matter what and that card is physical proof of that.

chip rationalizing his suffering to drey and saying if arlin is supposedly suffering then its fine if chip suffers while trying to find him…oughhh chip downplaying what is wrong with him Goddd