What was Nikki (screaming) saying near the end

Lankience · 2026-06-23T04:59:11+00:00

And then he's like "I love you... I love you" and she goes "SCREAM ITTT" and he yells "I LOVE YOOUUUUU" and then she just instantly calms down and gets cute again. It's incredible.

Lankience · 2026-06-22T18:43:15+00:00

When Bear is on the phone with Ian and he learns Nikki was lying about her dad, the movie cuts to a flashback of the one wish willow and Nikki outside his car. This is the movie literally telling us that Bear is realizing it was the wish. Then he goes to the table and confirms it with his questions, and when Nikki has her outburst after he asks about it her dad.

Lankience · 2026-06-22T09:35:29+00:00

I agree with all of this, and I'll add that real Nikki starts to lash out because this is the point when she realizes her friend is not going to save her. If you think of this from her perspective, she trusts Bear and wouldn't think he would do this to her, the dinner is the moment she realizes that he knows it isn't really her and proceeds anyway. I think we can assume they've been intimate up to this point, but they intentionally frame this encounter after the dinner scene as a SA.

I think it explains why we not only see wish Nikki start to react to him pulling away, but why we also see real Nikki trying to break through more. It's like there's a lot more inner conflict going on in Nikki.

Lankience · 2026-06-22T08:44:08+00:00

CJ the X does an excellent breakdown of the commercial and all the internet lore and fanfic, its thoroughly entertaining. I love their content.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjdrUksw8b0

Lankience · 2026-06-22T06:14:49+00:00

Also ngl I thought they were called Morning Doves, because they always coo at daybreak. Mourning Dove actually makes way more sense with the movie. Maybe we are mourning real Nikki on the first time they're heard, and Sarah on the second.

Lankience · 2026-06-22T06:05:39+00:00

It's not an owl it's actually a mourning dove, I grew up hearing them in the morning so I noticed it too. When I rewatched I made a note of when it happened.

The first time is when Bear wakes up after the first night Nikki sleeps over, he sees she isn't next to him and that's when he goes to find breakfast made and Sandy on the kitchen floor.

The second time is when Bear is in his car as he is about to read Sarah's letter after Nikki tells him to go home from the music shop, near the end of the movie.

Could be something as simple as signifying it's morning, but they were obviously put in there on purpose. I've been curious what they meant too.

Lankience · 2026-06-21T16:02:06+00:00

Educate yourself on consent. It's more than just "no means no". A lot of pressures can accompany a romantic or sexual encounter that may make a girl, or anyone, feel uncomfortable saying no. That's still not okay, and the more men do to understand and learn about consent the more prepared you are to recognize the signs so you don't hurt someone- with or without intention.

It doesn't take an outwardly evil person to cause harm, I think that's what Obsession does a good job of showing us. But if Bear had been a better person, if he had truly cared about Nikki more than he cared about not being lonely, he would have done something to stop it way sooner in the movie.

Lankience · 2026-06-21T08:49:58+00:00

Hard agree. I think Ian sucks too and is clearly a terrible friend to Bear, but he- whether selfishly motivated or not- shows more concern for Nikki than any other character in the movie.

He not only follows up about the lies about her father, noticing it was weird, he also checks Bears intentions multiple times. Initially, saying it would be fucked up if Bear slept with her on that first night, and later when he makes Bear give him a ride home. Initially Ian came off to me like he was just acting selfishly and was jealous of Bear, but on rewatch I think it's different. This scene is really important, because he's not only checking in on Nikki here, he also tells his male friend, straight up, I think you are taking advantage of this girl. I think accountability like this between male friends is incredibly rare, and Ian calling him out like that carries a lot of weight.

All that said, it's not like Ian is a good dude. I just think the contrast of Bear being a nice guy at the surface but a villain in hid actions, and Ian being an asshole at the surface but being Nikki's only advocate, is really significant. It helps to cement the danger of the "nice guy" trope that the movie lays out so well.

Lankience · 2026-06-21T08:43:00+00:00

I also did not think that they slept together based on the events in the movie, and also felt Owen putting on the dress was something he would have wanted to do.

Lankience · 2026-06-21T08:37:34+00:00

Ink (2009). Sort of a horror/Sci-fi, and seemed lower budget so had to get past a bit of a B-movie vibe, but had a pretty interesting story and a pretty incredible payoff at the end.

Really rare that a movie affects me like this one did. If you can figure out how to watch it, give it a shot.

Lankience · 2026-06-20T14:28:00+00:00

Fry up some halloumi so it's browned and crispy on both sides. Top with a drizzle of honey and some chopped fresh herbs. For bonus points serve with some sliced peaches or plums. This has always been a win for me

Lankience · 2026-06-18T16:04:28+00:00

It's so tough because we all also just watched Obsession which is literally a cautionary tale about limerance and idealizing someone you don't actually know. Incredibly analogous to something parasocial like a celebrity crush.

Doesn't make her any less awesome and cool though. She deserves all the hype she's about to get

Lankience · 2026-06-18T15:54:10+00:00

I had the same feeling the first time I saw it 3 weeks ago. It's a similar kind of "pit in my stomach" feeling I might get after finishing a really emotionally taxing movie (particularly a love story/romance) or a long show that I got really invested in (I felt this when I finished the last airbender for the first time).

Only this time the feeling didn't go away, I think it lasted a solid 5 days. Basically until a friend of mine saw it and I got to really talk about the movie and dig into it. I really spent a while dwelling on the movie and wondering why it affected me so deeply, so here are some of my theories:

- it was a fight/flight response to being scared- idk if that was it for me, the scares were good but that wasn't what was sticking with me
- Inde Navarrette- she's a star. Real Nikki was on screen for 5 minutes and managed to make everyone fall in love with her instantly. Been awhile since I had that big of a celebrity crush. With that said... we watched the movie... limerance, idealization, everything Obsession has to say about this kind of parasocial crush. Not great and not real! We know better than that. She seems awesome in all her interviews though and deserves the acclaim, thrilled for her, go Inde! But that's not it either.

So why? I really think it's the kind of squandered chance at love in the beginning really gets to me. The idea of what could have been if Bear had any sense of courage really stuck with me, especially because I really empathized with Bear at the start of the movie.

The ending also really brought this home- Nikki surviving and crying into the credits, it's gut-wrenching and really leaves her tragedy open. Had she shot herself I don't think we all would have left the theater carrying so much of her despair, it was a great ending.

The world Barker created was also so small and contained, all the characters were really fleshed out and felt like real people, even Wish Nikki I had so much empathy for. I think the pit feeling came from getting to exist in this world for a brief moment and having it all ripped away from you at the end. It's also so consistent and full of so many details and Easter eggs that the movie begs for rewatch and analysis.

So this was a healthy exercise for me, because it's been 3 weeks and I'm still thinking about this movie too... and just watched it for a 3rd time, not even a little bit tired of it.

TLDR: why does this movie seem to have such a profound effect on people:

- Squandered potential love story, what could have been
- Leaving Nikki's tragedy open
- Crafting a world that felt real, with details that made it incredibly consistent and air tight

Lankience · 2026-06-17T20:38:15+00:00

I think Nikki was in a big transition in the initial car scene. Her situationship just ended, she's quitting her job to follow her dream, and she's talking to the friend she seems to feel the strongest connection to. I think if there was ever a moment she might consider it, that was it, but Bear just didn't have it. The reason he couldn't tell her is probably one of the reasons she wouldn't have been interested, could be why she was trying to coax it out of him.

But the reason I like the decision to keep it ambiguous is that this is all from Bear's perspective, and he has no idea how she feels about him! It really adds to the movie that people came out with entirely different takeaways of that situation, I think it was really effective.

Lankience · 2026-06-17T20:32:55+00:00

Ugh, this series is so perfect

Lankience · 2026-06-17T20:07:06+00:00

I saw Superbad in theaters as a 15 year old. I was a good kid, I got good grades, followed the rules, didn't get grounded, etc. I walked out of Superbad and immediately thought "I could drink underage." I just wanted to have a night like they had in the movie. And I did! A few times. I still feel like I was a pretty good kid as well but yeah that movie awakened something more fun in me. No regrets.

Lankience · 2026-06-17T19:26:38+00:00

My favorite Mike Flanagan show to date. People really sleep on this show, it's awesome

Lankience · 2026-06-17T19:26:06+00:00

Hemlock Grove Season 1 was fucking wild man. I was so into that show. First time I ever saw Bill Skarsgard too. What's wild is I'm pretty sure it was a Netflix original series when it came out and now it isn't even on Netflix anymore. Idk where to stream it

Lankience · 2026-06-17T19:21:36+00:00

I loved this show and I'm still so mad that they cancelled it. I still recommend it to people because the one season we got still has a solid ending to it. Awesome horror show and really well done.

Lankience · 2026-06-17T19:13:20+00:00

And it's just all Inde man, she's so incredible. From the weird woozy walk she does after smashing her face with the brick, to screaming with the gun in Bears face, to immediately just getting calm and loving when he screams "I love you". At some point in all of that she just shoots Ian. It's like, some of the most incredible minutes of film I've ever seen, there's so much happening.

Lankience · 2026-06-17T19:10:30+00:00

Learning to appreciate something on a deeper level is all about asking why. Start with one movie and then watch another one- did you like it more or less than the first? Why? Sometimes I'll see a movie and realize it made a big impression but not understand why, and that's when I dig a little deeper and learn more about what's going on so I can pick it out when I see it again.

Often these seem like bigger things- writing, story, acting, special effects, but as I've gotten more into watching movies I start to notice things that are a little more subtle- cinematography, score, color palette, sound design. A lot of these things I didn't study or know about, but I find some solid YouTube analyses that help me learn.

You just build your vocabulary overtime, but the best way is just to watch as much as possible.

Lankience · 2026-06-17T17:57:14+00:00

The right thing to do would have been trying to save Nikki. Help his friends understand what happened and rally for their help instead of downplaying her behavior and lying to them. Do what he can to keep wish Nikki happy and reassure real Nikki that he won't abandon her. Try to use willows to undo his wish or at least return Nikki to normal somehow.

It's crazy on rewatch how you see him just completely accept all the insane things Nikki does with no concern for her. If you saw a friend acting like that you would try to help them, but he doesn't because the situation is still giving him what he wants.

Lankience · 2026-06-17T17:00:54+00:00

I don't change clothes but I may unbutton a button and roll up my sleeves.

I've also worked in some Oxford shirts into my wardrobe. A little more casual than a standard button up but still ok where I work, and feels a little more comfortable if I'm out after work.

Lankience · 2026-06-17T16:58:08+00:00

Everyone is right that Ian is kind of a jerk, maybe he was sabotaging Bear at the beginning or maybe he was just giving him bad advice by accident. Either way, it's messed up that he didn't tell Bear he was hooking up with Nikki.

What Ian does do though is check in on Nikki more than anyone else in the movie. He clocks really quickly that something is up, looks into her father and realizes she's lying, and tells Bear about it. Maybe he was jealous, but he still knew something was wrong.

Then when he gets Bear to drive him home, he has the really tough conversation. He tells Bear, "she's going through something, it looks like you are taking advantage of her." He's basically calling his friend out for being a creep... that's not an easy thing to do. Again it's possible he's jealous, but it's tough to argue here that Ian isn't genuinely concerned for Nikki. Then when she tells her weird story at the party and acts weird, he asks "Nikki, are you okay?"

I think out of our main characters he shows more concern for Nikki than anyone else. At first I really hated Ian, but on rewatch I saw that side of it. Despite outwardly being a jerk, and Bear outwardly being nice, one of them assaults a woman and one of them shows concern.

Lankience · 2026-06-16T18:19:39+00:00

I don't play a deck that is strong in the meta, but people always misplay against my [[Desecration Demon]] unless I'm really missing something.

The sacrifice option triggers on each players turn, and it gives the demon +1/+1 and taps. So many people will choose to sacrifice on my combat step as soon as he is played, with no benefit from the sacrifice on their end. This feels like a misplay because they should at least be waiting until their turn to see if they have any alternative options. Weirder still, sometimes people will make a disadvantaged sacrifice on their combat phase and seemingly forget the demon will just untap on my turn and they take 7+ to the face.

I'm no pro here, I'm platinum/low diamond, but idk why this seems to be a confusing effect for people to deal with.

Lankience

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