#(spoilers: he was smitten in the Pilot)

[elialys]

ANNA TORV as Olivia Dunham (Fringe) | 1.10 Safe

BONUS:

[lipid]

Rozé Talk!

Lelouch time! i can finally say how much i hate his new clothes without being a precocious spoiler!

The new episode was really fun! i really liked Sakuya's reaction to Ash going into the café xD

Loved Sakuya's "Raspberry" maid dress! her whole outfit with her pigtails was really cute 🩷 her friend is really cute also! and Ash's completely smitten with her 😭 sadly Sakuya has other plans LOL

The mini emperor part was really funny, he died after his first appearance saying vile racist shit lol (is the mosquito supposed to be like a mini-drone with poison or did the mosquito just struck his tiny arteries just right?) maybe Natalie was the one to kill him?

FINALLY I SEE MY DARLING I HOPE HE DOESN'T APPEAR MORE 💜🙏🏼 i've had enough of resuscitated Lelouch. he doesn't serve like he used to :( it's sad seeing him like that... the assless chaps are a nice choice for a desert setting but everything else either doesn't work or corresponds to a different outfit -_- you used to do awesome cohesive outfits girl!!! where did the demon emperor's fashion sense go?

Anyway, i really like the design of the purple haired pilot! she's really cute. i was really happy to see Kaguya! she looks really good ^_^ i love her outfit. She's like 20 now right? i hope she's doing well.

SAKURA EMPRESS 😭😭😭 i will never get over Lelouch's emperor robes being so iconic all the next emperors have white cloth, emeralds, ornate gold, eye shapes and rubies XD he was really the kuntiest emperor Britannia ever had

[cbsghostsmetasandtrevor]

CBS Ghosts - Pilot - Sam & Jay Fight

Warning Possible Spoilers.

LMAO - Jay just wants to have a shower - I feel that. I'd be upset if I couldn't since it wakes me up.

Side note - I’m amused that Sam is writing her article (I assume) on the ladder.  

Two things are interesting here - they originally decided to go to the Woodstone for the weekend, so we’ve lost a whole day unless they only came up Saturday to Sunday.  

Also, interesting - Sam has clearly already decided on living at the mansion (probably before they ever got there) while Jay is far more practical about moving into a rundown old house.  

I definitely wonder if her quick acceptance had to deal with being miserable in the city?  (I assume she was by later comments, like ‘we barely saw each other”, “we worked so much - never home”, Ect.)  

She also blends into the country life way easier than Jay does into the mansion and I don’t believe that it’s solely due to the ghosts - she never mentions the city life, friends or missing anything about it in the way that Jay clearly does. She never mentions wanting to visit the city or complaining that seeing ghosts doesn't allow her to do it as easily anymore.

Okay - so, this is funny.  Jay’s like “I’m going to say it - mumbles”.  

Jay, that is just not how this works!  Also, did Sam not expect to have this conversation?  She sounds surprised even though that is literally what they agreed to do.  It was MEANT to be a visit to evaluate and discuss, but she acts like they already did.

Okay - multiple things here - AGAIN it’s the 4 OLDEST ghosts that have chosen to watch Sam & Jay.  Now, is it because they’re worried about losing their free rein of the house?  (They were the most concerned about new comers).  Is it because they’re very bored?  But then, wouldn’t the others be bored, too? Is there another reason?

We know that Trevor & Pete are having a war with the Vase, but what about Flower & Alberta?  Why aren’t they invested in their possible new livings?

Also, they’re all excited that Jay’s saying “Damn it, I don’t want to uproot our entire lives” - is this exciting because ‘nothing better than a husband/wife fight’ or is it because they’re like - maybe our lives won't change after all?  

Lastly, THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES when Thor compares it to ‘Finding a new type of cod’ - OMG.  It’s freaking hilarious.  I love it. We should get to see flashbacks of their lives without Sam and Jay.

Okay.  Sam, I need you to listen to me - this isn’t about ‘Change’ - it’s beyond crazy to uproot your lives on a dime and take out all of the money to RISK losing everything.  Yes, change is scary, but you didn’t answer the question - and you definitely decided that you wanted to move before you ever saw the house.

I wish they had let Jay truly explain what the issue is - it’s more than being afraid to change - this isn’t just changing jobs, moving someplace or having a baby, this is quitting your jobs and suddenly deciding to open a business on a dime.  It’s kind of insane.  

Plus, you're leaving everything you've ever known behind and all of your friends behind to be completely alone out in the country.

I wonder if the friends they had were only Jay's friends and that's why she's so game to just ... leave them behind.

LOL, Isaac.  He’s just like so smitten - Jay was not even trying to be funny.  I do love that Sass is giving Isaac a look like ‘who you kidding’, Thor doesn’t care, and Hetty’s smiling - given the story in Whodunnit, do we think Hetty realizes what’s going on with Isaac?  

She could technically believe he’s into both (or be hopeful) given what happens in Thorapy.  It is believable since she knows that he was once married.

This is the EXACT moment Hetty decides that she likes Sam despite her ‘hideous pants and saucy hairdo’.  She’s like “Woodstone - connection - Family, love it.”

It does explain her reaction later on (at the end of the episode) when she originally opted haunt them out of the house and get rid of her.

However, it doesn't explain her reaction in the episode and wanting her to leave again.

LMAO - Sass is like “Our home sucks” and Hetty’s like “Damn it - give the house more respect”.  It’s a funny exchange.

ANYWHO - Jay is absolutely right.  They were barely surviving in NYC and NOW you want to dump money you don’t have in house out in the middle of nowhere?  Nah.  That’s nutty.

Side note - Sam & Jay want to start a family and in TB, he calls the ghosts their 8 idiot kids and I have to wonder WHEN exactly they decided on that and how that factors into having their own family. I do wonder if it is part of the reason that Sam and Jay do quickly adapt to having the ghosts and wanting to do the B&B and all. If that makes sense?

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT POINT JAY!  When you become a couple you should make decisions JOINTLY!  This is WAY too crazy an idea to give into on a whim - you could at least take more time to decide!

Maybe talk it over with Jay's parents or your friends. Don't just DO IT.

WHAT EVEN IS THIS???? Like Sam - this makes no sense.  Jay’s right, she’s learned nothing.  OTOH this is apparently what she does - storm out.  Which is interesting.  Also interesting, having this discussion naked in a bathrobe.

Awww, Hetty’s watching her storm out - probably surprised, she never would have considered doing that with Elias because she didn’t have the power Sam has in the 21st century in the 19th century, but also, she just seemed to warm up to Sam (because she wants to raise a family in the family home), so she’s like ‘now I'm going to lose her’.  

LMAO - what an ending to the scene.  Thor’s probably thinking ‘damnit no sex show’ and laughing because Jay won’t be getting sex, while hurting Isaac who’s like ‘Damn it man’.  Sass just rolling his eyes.  ‘Ya’ll are idiots’.  

Anyway, that’s it for this scene - I agree with Jay (he’s being the logical/rational side - which he ruins at the end of the episode) while Sam’s being the emotional/irrational side, which ironically changes at the end of the episode.  

Obviously there would be NO show without Jay caving, but he isn’t wrong for his perspective on things.  I do wonder just how miserable Sam was in NYC to make this drastic of a change in the blink of an eye.

Thanks for reading :)

Feel free to Chat :)

[jekacatrina]

Jeka’s fanfic masterlist

Hey, guys, I figured it was about time I made a masterlist? Well, here (here) it is:

Here Here:

This is my favorite work and the longest. It's set during their professional careers, Bakugou and Midoriya are a hero duo and practically attached to the hip. Heavy pining Bakugou, with an oblivious but equally in love Midoriya. Bakusquad being wholesome. Three works (So far):

Here here, my friends and me (You are my familia)

Admit Defeat

The Truth Never Bends

Nobody Else (Can take me higher):

It’s not finished yet, but it’s the next long fic, this is a Bakudeku Pacific Rim AU where they were both best friends before they separated for a couple of years, and they are Jaeger pilots. Lots of angst and working through hard feelings, and yet they’re soulmates.

Many Sunflowers Later:

Wrote this for Twin Stars. It's inspired by Fantasy AU. Dragon leader Bakugou and Scholar Midoriya, lots of yearning and waiting for the other.

Tough Love:

This is a story of loving touches and coming together at last. They are so in love it's ridiculous.

Keep turning my life around:

Bakugou and Midoriya are a hero duo and a solid couple. This is their Christmas together.

You feel like home (You are home):

Temporary amnesia. Midoriya loses his memories during Christmas Eve, but he has a massive crush on his husband either way. Bakugou is an amazing partner.

I’ll give you my all (my heart and my soul)

It’s Bakugou’s birthday. There’s a gift for him from the whole class, but after, Midoriya is the one who gives him everything he could ever want.

Spiderman AU

Through every adventure (Bakudeku Spiderman AU)

Rage against the waking dawn (That famous church scene with Venom)

I know the way home (Bakugou finds his way back to his favorite hero)

One shots:

My shorter stories, inspired by my lovely followers. Mostly tooth-rotting fluff

Better Life (Quirkless AU, Bakudeku takes a different path.)

Are you in control? (Midoriya is furious and Bakugou calms him down)

I choose you every day (Married Bakudeku, Bakugou is a great husband)

In the morning light (Bakudeku soft morning)

Lower your guard (Bakugou is clingy when tired, Midoriya loves it)

Fool for you (Prohero Bakudeku gets outted during an interview, because they are dumb)

Tired heart (Prohero Bakudeku, Bakugou almost loses two kids during a rescue, and Midoriya comforts him)

Aftermath (Post ch 285, in the aftermath of battle, they reach for the other)

Izuku in Wonderland (Alice Midoriya and Mad Hatter Bakugou)

With me all along ( It's their first day as pro heroes, and Izuku is a little nervous.)

I wanna soar with you (Connected to Many sunflowers later. This is Izuku coming back to the dragon clan.)

Fate Don’t Know You Like I Do (SPOILERS FOR CURRENT MANGA EVENTS.-Set after chapter 322-)

A memory safe in my soul (Midoriya looking at Bakugou laughing and being smitten.)

One word from you (Bakugou calling Midoriya Izuku)

Mistletoe, really? (Bakugou wears a mistletoe hat... Midoriya is possessive.)

Those are all for now, but I have many works on the making. English is not my first language (you'll see) but I really put my everything into the stories. So, maybe someone can read this and find some joy.

Enjoy!

[ace-simp]

*Spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 1*

Okay, real talk here, I want Din to have a pet Krayt dragon, a little baby one. While we know that they can grow to be HUGE, and extremely dangerous, there are 2 types. In the game "Star Wars: Bounty Hunter" Garudulla the hutt had one in their palace, specifically a Canyon Krayt dragon which is a smaller less legged version of the greater Krayt dragon (the one Din fought). Both are native to Tatooine, and Din could have easily found a baby canyon Krayt dragon which had fallen out of its hole on the side of the cliff after the giant and earth shaking skirmish with the greater Krayt dragon. Maybe it lost it's parents or maybe they were killed by Tusken raiders. Either way, however it happens, bada-bing bada-boom: an extremely young and vulnerable baby canyon Krayt dragon, ripe for the adopting. We've seen that Din IS in-fact a dog person, with the way he treats animals and small children. I don't feel like if he found a baby animal with no parents he'd leave it to die alone. Now, Din is extremely protective of his kid, we all know, and I don't logically think he'd want a carnivorous baby hunter anywhere near his kid. Buuuuuutttt for the sake of my own personal self indulgence, say the kid feels and connects with it through The Force, maybe taming it just ever so slightly or something along those lines (We've seen multiple Jedis calm and tame animals through the force before). EITHER WAY, the dragon no want to eat the baby or Din, and while he'd have PLENTY of reservations against it, the kid could probably convince him to take the baby along with them. This would come with a whole host of new issues for Din, like feeding and training the dragon, but just imagine if he got the Armorer or someone else to make a custom saddle for the baby dragon (the smallest ones are probably still big compared to Din, much less his kid) and he rides it to meet clients for jobs. This would ABSOLUTELY pave the way for many hilarious and heart warming interactions between the 3 + company including:

1. The pure intimidation factor when out taking or doing jobs. Imagine the looks on these big hotshot crime bosses who hired the Mandalorian and were planning to subtly try to intimidate and threaten Din but see him ride up on a DRAGON. One thats known for eating people, who is under the command of this singular man.

2. Think of how cute it would be to see the dragon bump its head into Don's arms and demanding to get scritches from the shiney metal man/parent and then doing stuff like draping its head in his lap or curling around his feet while he pilots his ship.

3. Just imagine all the shit that happens between the kid and the dragon. Both are young, carnivorous babys who love Din whole heartedly but so do not understand half of the stuff he does and are just, *vibing to their own beat*. The kid most DEFINITELY definitely rides on the dragons head between the horns, and Din has to constantly move the child off so he doesn't slip and fall. The dragon thinks of the baby as "small strange green friend/sibling who I can feel is Different tm" and the kid thinks of the dragon as "the big tan friend who I convinced dad to take with us and helps me get out of my boxs".

Cara and everyone else are shocked but not surprised anymore. They feel they should have expected something along these lines. After all, the Mando already adopted 1 extremely dangerous and sought after entity, whats another to him?

Cara's weary, but comes around to the dragon. Finds it cool and a big softie underneath all those spikes and hard scales. Reminds her of the mandalorian who cares for it.

Peli is absolutely smitten with it, just as she is with Din's kid. Its just a big ol' baby to her (which it is) and just wants some loving (which it does) and proceeds to spoil it rotten. Fresh food for it and the kid, their both just the Mando's kids to her and she loves them either way.

Cobb, who only saw it briefly as he caught site of the mando right before he took off on the razor crest (somehow, idk this is for self indulgence) and was QUITE SPOOKED. He saw the mando feed it scraps of meat as it sat directly infront of him, staring at him with all the intensity of a dog staring at their owner with the treat. He couldn't believe his eyes and even after they take off he wonders if the heat wasn't getting to him and making him see things.

Greef is absolutely terrified of it in no uncertain terms and refuses to go near it. He was already somewhat wary about the magic force choke/healing baby, he did not sign up for man eating dragons. Because he's so afraid of it it sits directly across any table from him next to the Mando and stares Greef down. He finds this extremely concerning and will edge just a little farther away from both of them as the baby giggles.

All in all the dragon is playful and super happy with the child and Din, being extra affectionate to them both, but is super terrifying to anyone else. Especially on hunts.

Idk, if anyone has any thoughts on this idea or anything relating to it if you say this post tag it or something! Maybe message in the comments of this post idk.

[i-just-like-commenting]

Expanse season 4 thoughts, episodes 1-6

First of all, I am currently stuck watching this on my laptop, which takes me back to how I first saw seasons 2 and 3. Maybe I’ll have time on my free Prime trial to rewatch it once I fix/replace my Blu-Ray player, but right now I just want to get ahead of the spoiler feed.

Ilus/New Terra is great, they managed to make it look properly alien within the realms of their budget,

In general the budget is really good and it looks nice, but the Roci’s landing on Ilus looked sooooo fake. I guess once the effects get excellent you notice more when they’re mediocre.

The scenes on Mars remind me of a lot of the shots of Ceres from the first season, just showing how ordinary people live in this extraterrestrial society. Also, I refuse to believe that Bobbie is just doing this for money, she has to have some plan going on, right?

My theory right now is that the machine may actually be somehow terraforming the planet, but it clearly doesn’t care if this results in the deaths of the hundreds still living on the planet. I wish Holden hadn’t trusted ProtoMillercule so much, though I understand why he did (and Naomi is right, he takes way too much responsibility on himself for situations that are frequently outside of his control).

Watching Naomi Nagata fail to respond to the drugs was really hard. It also made her conversation with Drummer from early in the season hurt even more in retrospect, as I really believe that Drummer’s distaste for the colonies had as much to do with watching people’s systems fail from the gravity as it did with cultural pride.

Chrisjen Avasarala is coming off a lot more unlikable this season. Maybe it was better for her to stay the power behind the throne, she doesn’t seem to be reacting well to the stress of being completely in charge, all the media attention, public appearances, etc.

Amos’ relationship with his fuck-buddy has turned out strange in that she is actually sort of his buddy. I think she’s smitten with him, but all indications are he sees her more as...well, someone to help. Like Amos is stepping up to be her moral compass, the way others have been for him. That’s growth, and I think it’s believable.

Alex so far hasn’t had much of a plot this season other than having his aborted attempts at flirting with Lucia, I hope that changes as the orbital situation requires some piloting.

Lastly, Murtry and Marco Inaros are both pashangwala who can go eat felota.

[onpointedfeetandbrokendreams]

Happy Holidays @zenzenzence !! I was your Secret Santa for @voltronsecretsanta2k18 ! I hope you’ll like this <3

Rating: G

Summary: After the War is over, everyone has moved on with their life, found a job helping the Universe maintain its newfound peace. Pidge works as a scientist on Earth with her family and loves her job more than anything, but there is just one little thing missing.

Tags: Friends to Lovers, Post-canon, Canon Divergence, Spoiler Free, No Warnings Apply.

The cafeteria was almost empty. It was late at night but Pidge had lost the notion of time experimenting with some new crystals the Alteans had brought during their last visit to Earth. She sighed, moving the spoon aimlessly in the now cold bowl of soup. Things were simpler now that the War was over, they weren’t threatened by some new Galra at any given moment, they weren’t constantly fighting or running, but they were also lonelier. Everyone was doing their best to make sure peace was maintained everywhere. Allura, Romelle and Coran traveled around the Galaxies offering their help when needed, sometimes joined by Krolia and her Blades. Hunk had moved to Balmera, to work as an ambassador and be with his girlfriend Shay. He visited quite often but it was not the same. As for Keith, Lance and Shiro, they were living the dream of their life, working as pilots for the now intergalactic Galaxy Garrison. Which left her on Earth with her family. She was a scientist, and she loved her job more than anything, but sometimes, just sometimes, she thought back to when it was just the seven of them in the Castle of Lions, running away from Zarkon, discovering new alien civilizations and technologies. It was scary, true, but there were also the laughs, the friendships, the bond that only sharing such an intense experience can create.

“See? We are safely back! Told you that bringing an alien with us was the best way to be sure not to be abducted,” a loud boisterous voice interrupted her musings.

“Ugh, you made this joke at least two hundred times in the past months. Shiro, please, end my misery and kill me, or take him away from me. I don’t want to see him for at least one year now!” Another voice replied.

Shiro. The name made a spark of something light and warm crackle in her chest. She turned and saw the three pilots walking slowly along the corridor, still in their armors, with tired expressions, ruffled hair and their helmets in their hands.

“Keithy boy, you wound me. I thought we were pals! Buddies?” The first voice replied.

Lance.

They were back.

She didn’t realize she was running towards the door, until she collapsed face first into the glass it was made of with a thump.

“Pidge? Oh my god, is that you?” Lance said peeking from the other side. “You are taller!”

“Seriously, Lance? You haven’t seen her in ages and the thing you go with is ‘you are taller’?” Keith teased and moved to open the door to help her. When she confirmed she was okay, her attention returned to the three of them.

“Hey!” She said awkwardly, trying to tame the embarrassment of her entrance. “How are you guys? How was the mission?”

“We are fine, thank you Pidge, it’s good to see you!” Shiro replied, opening his arms for a hug. She happily went and let the contact linger before turning to offer the same greeting to the others. She had just been thinking about how much she had missed them.

“Now I’d better go and separate these two before they give me another headache with their bickering,” Shiro continued. “Seriously, how could I think it was a good idea to choose them for the same team.”

Pidge chuckled. “Don’t even try that, Shiro, I know you love them.”

“Yeah, I really do…” Shiro said, squeezing both Keith and Lance with his arms as they squeaked. “But after eight long months alone with them, I need a vacation. Or ten. Keith, let’s go, come on. Say hi.”

“And don’t forget our date tomorrow, Keithy,” Lance called with a wink as the two began to walk away, waving at them.

Keith groaned but nodded and gave him a thumbs up before turning away.

“You two are exactly the same,” Pidge commented, shaking her head.

Lance smiled fondly. “You don’t change a winning team. And he is a very good friend, I know he doesn’t mean it when he says that he wants to kill me... Probably.” He shrugged. “By the way, what are you doing here? My sense of time might be a bit fuzzy right now but isn’t it a bit late to be at work?

“I got caught up finishing an experiment, I was just eating something at the cafeteria before I go home.” Then, more hushed, she added. “But I’m glad I got to see you.”

She blushed, looking away and hoping he didn’t hear.

“CAFETERIA! What a magic word!” He raised his hands, eyes so wide and shining he looked right out of a comic book. “Oh yes, please, Earth food!”

With a relieved breath, Pidge laughed at his antics. “Don’t you want to have a shower? Or go home?”

“Yes but, REAL FOOD,” Lance replied.

“Ok, fine, come, you can use my card.”

“You are a real angel, Pidge.”

“Yes, yes, whatever.”

They went back to Pidge’s table and Lance jumped from one foot to the other, looking at the admittedly not so small selection the place offered, the Garrison had an amazing cafeteria when compared to other workplaces. Pidge couldn’t help but smile to herself despite knowing she would regret giving him free access to her meal card as she threw away the forgotten soup and waited for him to order.

He came back carrying three full trays of food. Pasta, sandwiches, salad, fries and at least three different cakes. Pidge gave him a pointed look, raising an eyebrow to which he retorted, almost looking offended, “Eight months, Pidge. Don’t you remember how awful the food goo was?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

He rubbed his hands and began to stuff his mouth with the content of the first tray, asking between mouthfuls if Pidge wanted to taste anything.

At first, she refused, too amused by the content expression he was wearing while savoring each dish, then she remembered she was technically paying for all of that and joined in.

“So, anything interesting happened while I was away?” Lance asked, laying back on his chair and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, signaling he wasn’t asking about work or politics.

Pidge huffed. “Not really… I mean, Hunk will probably ask Shay to marry him before the end of the year but it was kind of expected… Other than that, I don’t really know much about the others. The last time Allura visited, it was only to ask us to run some tests on these crystals they found.”

She looked away, trying not to flinch at the mention of Allura’s name. It was probably the one he was most interested in hearing but it never stopped stinging a bit.

“Oh, yeah, we met them at a Marmoran base a couple of quintants ago, Coran was so excited about those.” He leaned on his hand over the table to meet her eyes. “What about you?”

“Me? Well, there’s not much to say, I’m a workaholic, I don’t really have time to go out.”

“And you tell me that I haven’t changed a bit,” Lance shook his head with a small smile on his lips. “Well then, to pay you back for this dinner, I will take you out before I leave for my next mission. You need to take breaks sometimes, it’s important for your skin. And your health in general, of course.”

“Hm… Okay?” She replied, not completely sure this was a good idea. But she knew how stubborn Lance was and there was no way she could avoid something he had set his mind to.

“Good!” He commented, louder than was necessary in the little space between them, he was probably starting to feel the exhaustion for the mission. “I am busy tomorrow but we can go the day after? I know just the perfect place!”

“Oh, right. Your date with Keith… Is there something I don’t know? Did you finally stop running after Allura like a smitten puppy?” She said with a smirk.

“What?? I haven’t been hitting on Allura since… Come on, that was just plain rude. But for your information, no there’s nothing you don’t know, my ‘date’” - he accentuated the word making air quotes with his fingers - “is just a little tradition we have, meet for dinner the day after the mission to talk about what went wrong and what we can improve. It’s for team building, and because our view on things is basically the opposite, so we can compensate one another, like pieces of an engine.”

“Wow that’s… Incredibly mature of you,” Pidge commented before she could think about what she was implying with her surprised tone. “Sorry, I… Didn’t mean it like that.”

Lance just shrugged. “No, it’s okay. I get it. But we have all come a long way since we were four lost kids and a Shiro thrown out into Space, right?”

“Yeah, we have.”

She was lost in her thoughts for a quiet moment, the wave of nostalgia hitting her for the second time that night, until she spotted something over Lance’s last tray that brought her back to the present, especially because she was completely sure it wasn’t in the cafeteria’s selection.

“Are those peanut butter cookies??”

Lance’s eyes widened as he scratched the back of his neck. “Hm… Yeah… They were in the menu and…”

“No, they were not! I would know, I come here every day.”

“You’re right. You are always too smart to me,” he said with an odd tone Pidge couldn’t quite decipher. “I found them at a Space Mall, you can have them, if you want.”

“Thank you!” She grabbed the packet and took one of the biscuits, smiling gratefully. “They are so good!”

“I’m glad you like them,” he smiled. “I’d better go now, thank you for keeping me company and for, you know,” he motioned for the now empty trays.

“Anytime. That’s what friends are for, stealing food from them while remembering the good old times,” she laughed, munching on another cookie.

“Yeah… Good night, Pidgey.”

***

***

Pidge, most definitely, didn’t spend the entire day trying to decide what to wear for her evening with Lance. They were just friends and her appearance didn’t matter, especially considering he had known her since she was pretending to be a Garrison student, dressed as a boy with messed and awfully-cut hair and Matt’s glasses. There was no way he would make a fuss about it now. Still, she didn’t remember another time in which the two of them had gone out alone together on purpose. That was the only reason why she was a little on edge, it would have been the same with Keith, or Romelle.

It was also true that, especially after the Meme Kingdom incident - meaning, that one time just after the end of the War when Matt and Lance accidentally discovered their mutual passion for vines and everything related and fell platonically in love with one another - they had gotten incredibly closer, more than she was with the others, except for Matt and Hunk, of course. So she had absolutely no reason to be nervous.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at her reflection in the mirror for the hundredth time. Her hair was still short but the cut was a lot more defined than it used to and her glasses were now the correct size. She was wearing light jeans and a nice green shirt with leaves embroidered around the neck. It was warm outside, so she only carried a light white jacket over her shoulders for good measure. Nothing too fancy but not too sloppy either.

When the bell rang, she petted her dog, checking everything was in order one last time before going out.

“Hey!” Lance greeted with a warm smile.

“Hi.”

“So, I wanted to borrow my mother’s car? Because it would have been more comfortable and all but… She said she didn’t trust me with it. I am one of Earth’s best pilots, my job is quite literally to drive things, yet she didn’t trust me with her car.” He complained, sounding like he still didn’t believe it. “Anyway, since I couldn’t take the car, I had to come up with something last minute and” - he moved to the side, revealing the hoverbike parked behind him - “I borrowed this. My friend assured me it’s perfectly safe.”

“By ‘your friend’ you mean Keith? Because I’m not sure I would trust him when it comes to safety.”

Lance ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m sorry, we can walk and go somewhere else, it’s just… I really wanted to show you this place and I didn’t know where to find another car in such a short time.” He looked so unsure, Pidge almost regretted complaining.

“It’s okay, I trust you to be careful and not kill me. We both know Matt would never forgive you if you do,” she smirked, making him chuckle.

“True, he would probably skin me alive or something. But thank you for your trust. Let’s go?”

Pidge nodded, following him to the bike and sitting with her hands securely to his side. “Ready whenever you are.”

Lance threaded his way among the traffic, driving smoothly and with ease and soon they reached their destination. When he stopped, Pidge jumped down with a big grin plastered on her face from the adrenaline of the speed, which only grew bigger when she took notice of the place they were in front of.

“What is this?” She asked in awe.

Lance put their helmets back in the small trunk of the bike and returned her smile. “It’s new. It opened just before I left for the mission so I couldn’t tell you before but I was sure you would like it.”

“Yes, I love it! Let’s go, I want to see the rest. Let me buy you a drink.”

“Okay, sure,” Lance chuckled as she sprinted towards the door. There was a sign above it, reading The Steampunk Coffee, lit in a green light and surrounded by pieces of engines, wheels and cogs that swirled when she opened.

“This is so amazing,” she could feel her cheeks warm and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Wait until you see the tables!” Lance yelled.

And he was right. They sat at a corner and ordered two very colorful drinks with names like Geoffrey Bernard, or Joshua Gideon, or whatever, she could barely read, rapt as she was. The table was a large glass plate with all different kinds of tools glued to the bottom, from writing utensils, to watches, to lamps, to a mechanical keyboard.

“I’m glad you like it,” Lance smiled, and in the dim light of the shop, it looked so soft Pidge’s heart skipped a beat. She had known she had feelings for him for a very long time already, from when they still where the Paladins of Voltron running around the Universe, and she had come to accept it and mastered the art of hide and ignore to almost perfection.

Key-word being almost.

She sipped idly at her drink trying to search her brain for anything to start a conversation with and coming up empty-handed.

“So, what are you working on, right now? Except for the crystal?” The voice reached her like it was coming from under-water but the words felt like a lifeline. Work, that was something she could talk about for ages. Safe, easy, harmless.

So she did. Delved into all the details of her new project and asked him about the mission, how it was going with the team, which new planets they had visited. A known territory. Something they had shared for many years and they were both still passionate about. From there, the conversation flew to the most disparate topics without a hitch. Smooth, comfortable, interesting. She didn’t notice how fast the time was passing until the bartender signaled they were about to close.

When she said goodbye and closed the door to her home, Pidge slumped down on the floor, her traitorous brain working a mile a minute with different scenarios, all equally unattainable. It made her unable to focus, or find the will to walk to her bedroom and try to sleep. That night, everything had been perfect but nothing had changed, they were still friends, Lance still didn’t return her feelings and come the following day, she would have to fall back on her usual routine of hide, ignore, accept.

***

***

***

***

Logically, Pidge knew she was acting childishly. Avoid talking to Lance wasn’t a solution she could use in the long term. Not only because it was weird for their friends but because she didn’t want to lose him. She just needed more time, to forget how warm and happy she had felt after their ‘date’, stop her heart from fluttering in her chest just at the thought of him.

Maybe their new mission was the perfect opportunity. He would be away for weeks, or months, and she would get to see Hunk, the only person who knew about the whole… thing. So that when they would come back, she could act normally around him again.

She walked to the hangar without really thinking, letting her feet carry her along the familiar path. She had said goodbye to her father and brother there all those years ago and, after the War, she had said goodbye to so many people, so many times from that same place. She thought about what Keith said, about going with them. It was true the Garrison treated the five of them differently, considering the part they had played in saving the Universe, so they would probably agree, but she had a job to do. She wouldn’t let missing her friends or anything else get in the way of that. The experiments they were running on Earth were just as important as any space mission and even if they were gradually teaching other people to deal with Altean technology and crystals, everyone still relied on her father and her when it came to important decisions or risky operations.

So she wished good luck, promised to give Hunk a hug for them all and asked to call when they could. Then, she left them to finish their packing and went back to the cafeteria. It almost felt like a deja-vu. She sat at the table she had shared with Lance the previous week, her finger grazing the smooth surface and a small smile playing on her lips.

It was going to be okay.

“Don’t you think there is something missing?”

Pidge froze, recognizing the voice.

“What are you doing here?” She asked and slowly raised her head in time to see Lance scratch the back of his neck with his hand, looking sheepish.

“I kinda wanted to see Hunk? And between Keith and Matt and… You know, I didn’t get to spend much time with my family? Plus, I’ve never asked for a vacation since the end of the War and… Shiro said this mission is easy so they won’t probably need me.”

Pidge raised a suspicious eyebrow. “You hate it when you feel like Shiro and Keith treat you as the third wheel in the team, what are you hiding?”

“I… Ugh, fine. I hated leaving things hanging between us like that. I know we are just friends and everything, but I thought… Did I do something wrong? Didn’t you enjoy yourself at the Steampunk Coffee? Because I don’t even know how I got the courage to ask you out that day? It was the atmosphere, you were buying me food and we were laughing so I just… Didn’t think much and did it? But then at Matt’s you wouldn’t even look at me and I just” - he shut his mouth abruptly and shook his head - “Sorry, this is probably stupid. I must have read the situation completely wrong. I’ll go home now. I’m really sorry, it must have been wishful thinking, I’m so stupid.”

He turned, starting to walk away before Pidge could even blink. She was struggling quite a lot to process everything he had just said but there wasn’t time for that now.

“Please, stop!” She called and before she could second-guess herself, she took his hand in her own. “You didn’t do anything wrong, it was perfect. I was the one who didn’t want to be delusional.” She looked intently at her shoes to avoid eye-contact.

“Delusional? Why would you be-”, he stopped, probably as realization hit him. Pidge dared a side glance to see his expression and the way he was beaming was blinding.

“Yeah,” she confirmed, just to be sure.

His grip on her hand tightened. “Really? You like me too? What, how, when… Why?”

He looked so insecure but hopeful, she couldn’t help her mind from conjuring the word adorable. She laughed, taking a step closer. “Since forever, I think. How can I not?”

“We are such disasters. I thought you liked Keith! He told me it wasn’t true but...”

“And I thought you liked Allura!” She retorted, before the meaning of his words really registered. “Wait, Keith? Why Keith?”

“You go on for hours talking about your cryptids and you even planned to go on a trip together once!”

“Yes, because we are very good friends and you all don’t like talking about that stuff so we leave you out of it. Unlike you and Matt,” she added the last part a bit sarcastically, offering a playful smirk.

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, you are right.” He tapped his finger lightly over the back of her hand, his smile becoming tentative and shy. “So... Would you like to go on a proper date with me?”

She took another step, pressing her head to his chest. “How is that even a question,” she said into his shirt and when he laughed in response, the sound reverberated through his chest, sounding so free, unhindered, it made her feel impulsive for the second time that day, and probably even in her life. She looked up at him with all the affection she had never let her eyes show, years of longing, hoping, hiding.

“Yes, me too,” he whispered, before brushing his lips first over her forehead then her nose.

And there’s that saying that things come in threes, right? So it was no wonder that Pidge’s brain decided to shut down once again that day, letting her make another impulsive decision as she shifted her weight to the tips of her toes. Lance’s eyes widened considerably when he realized what she was about to do but he made no move to stop it. If anything, he pressed closer.

The taste, the warmth of his skin and his scent enveloped her and, in that moment, she knew that even if she had had to wait for ten, or even twenty years more, it would have still been worth it.

[unicorns-bookshelf]

Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from the publisher via Edelweiss+, thank you! Title: Chilling Effect Author: Valerie Valdes Rating: 3/5 I picked up Chilling Effect affected by my space opera spree. A gang of misfits saving the universe on their rickety ship looked like something I would be absolutely crazy about. and I’m always on a lookout for some found family trope. Sadly, although the novel wasn’t bad at all, it still didn’t capture my heart. Captain Eva Innocente and her crew just got ditched by their buyer and are left with a whole box of psychic cats they were supposed to sell. As expected from a space crew of misfits, they need the money and their ship could use some repairs. Little do they know their troubles are only beginning. Soon, Eva gets a message from a crime syndicate called The Fridge, who had apparently kidnapped her sister and now is expecting Eva to either pay a huge sum of money or do their bidding until the sum is considered paid off. She has to save her sister without telling her crew the real purpose of their missions. The book was full of action. There were many diverse planets, a great organization threatening the peace of the universe and everything that could go wrong, would go wrong. The plot was going fast ahead, new dangers and problems waiting at every corner. Sadly, I had a really hard time becoming invested in it. The stakes just didn’t feel real or important and I felt really disconnected from all the action. It’s hard for me to say what caused this because I didn’t really have any problem with the plot, I just couldn’t get into it. I couldn’t care less about what happens to Eva’s sister and the whole kidnapping thing seemed kind of fake. (SPOILER: It was but until the moment we learned that we should really be convinced that something serious would happen if Eva didn’t follow the instructions. However, as Eva herself doubts the kidnappers’ willingness to hurt Mari, we don’t get to treat the threat seriously.) All in all, the part of the plot I was most invested in was surprisingly the romance. Maybe because it was one of the few relationships between characters that seemed actually developed. Which brings us to another point - the characters. Eva is a great MC, she’s daring, brave, loyal to her crew and her family, always ready to fight. It was great to see such a strong female lead. She’s also a woman of color, of Cuban descent if I’m not mistaken. Her love interest, Vakar, is a soft, gentle and a little submissive alien described as having a face of a pangolin and changing scents when he feels different emotions. He’s an engineer on Eva’s ship and is absolutely smitten with her. During the course of the book, he grows into a more confident person and he and Eva become quite a power couple. And that would be it from the characters that are actually developed. Besides them, there’s also Pink who’s Eva’s old friend and the medic on her ships. They share a criminal past that is never actually fully explained despite being mentioned and hinted to constantly. We can only assume that during one of their missions for Eva’s father something went wrong and they killed a lot of people but it’s never actually described besides a few ominous mentions. There are also Min and Leroy. Min is a pilot and she has some sort of connection to the ship. She sounds a lot like an AI if not for the fact that it’s mentioned that she has an actual, human body as well. It’s never fully explained how does she function and I’ve seen actual spaceship AIs with more personality. Leroy in the crew’s muscle. He’s an ex-soldier that was fighting some war at some point and came back with a bad case of PTSD that gives him nightmares and anger outbursts so strong he needs to be tranquilized to calm down. He also loves games and conspiracy theories. Sadly there’s even less of him in the book than Min and both of them aren’t developed enough to actually care about them. The book is absolutely not horrible. There are strong female characters, found family, lots of actions, interesting ideas for planets and it’s a solid space opera overall. It just didn’t feel all that memorable to me and I had a hard time getting invested in the plot and the characters, even ones I liked were not ones that would become dear to me. I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for the usual space opera shenanigans with a strong female lead and a bit of a cute alien romance.

Amazon / Goodreads

[tyrus-time]

Lyric Analysis, TJ/Cyrus

I’m gonna give my analysis/interpretation of a few songs from my Tyrus playlist. Buckle up, friends...

(I’ve linked to their Genius lyric pages btw)

"Must Have Done Something Right” by Relient K

I’ve already posted about this song & I’ve seen other people express the same sentiment but it needs to be said again! It’s such a cute bop and the lyrics are on point. Some highlights:

We should get jerseys 'Cause we make a great team But yours would look better than mine 'Cause you're outta my league

We all know Cyrus loves making cute shirts, posters, etc. so this is really cute and perfect for them.

If anyone can make me a better person you could All I gotta say is I must've done something good I came along one day and you rearranged my life All I gotta say is I must've done something right

I imagine TJ saying this about Cyrus. Because seriously, if anyone could redeem “toxic TJ Kippen,” it’s Cyrus. Pretty self-explanatory?

Maybe I'm just lucky, cause it's hard to believe Believe that somebody like you'd end up with someone like me And I know that it's so cliche to talk about you this way But I'll push all my inhibitions aside

These can be interpreted both ways for TJ and Cyrus, because they are a lil bit of an unexpected couple (wholesome gay jock/nerd pairings aren’t seen very often) ... I’m sure they both feel lucky to be with each other, and they both get v cheesy about their feelings, but it doesn’t matter if it’s cliche bc they’re both so smitten, okay? And neither of them hold back around each other.

It's so very obvious to everyone watching us That we have got something real good going on

So I guess it’s not obvious to the T*ffy shippers [eyeroll] but the Tyrus chemistry is pretty darn obvious. And this song perfectly matches the wholesome, joyful young love that TJ and Cyrus show for each other.

“Someone to You” by BANNERS

OOF, THIS SONG. This song makes me particularly emo bc its on S1 of “The Bold Type” and [spoilers] it plays when Kat realizes she wants to commit to a relationship with Adena - her first actual relationship with anyone. It’s a really beautiful, powerful moment about realizing how much someone means to you, and you wanting to be someone to them. So, with that context, I think this song works beautifully for Tyrus -- I specifically interpret it from TJ’s perspective.

I don't wanna die or fade away I just wanna be someone  

This can relate to TJ’s wanting to stand out by being a star basketball player. He lashes out at Buffy bc he doesn’t want to “fade away” or be upstaged by her

And if you feel the great dividing I wanna be the one you're guiding 'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

TJ realizes Cyrus is a truly kind, helpful person, especially after the scene when Cyrus comforts TJ at the game; “there’s nothing wrong with you.” TJ appreciates and desires this guidance from Cyrus (and TJ offers a different form of guidance to Cyrus, too! We stan a mutually supportive relationship)

I just wanna be somebody to someone, oh I wanna be somebody to someone, oh I never had nobody and no road home I wanna be somebody to someone

I imagine that TJ hasn’t had very close connections with his peers, as evidenced by how standoffish he seems to be towards every except Cyrus. (Remember when Marty said at try-outs?) TJ seems to be ‘bros’ with some other guys from the team, but I have the feeling that he isn’t very vulnerable with them in the way he’s been with Cyrus already. SO, TJ wants to have a deep, human connection with someone - Cyrus specifically - instead of just performing the persona of the mean jock.

And if the sun's upset and the sky goes cold Then if the clouds get heavy and start to fall I really need somebody to call my own I wanna be somebody to someone Someone to you

The artist himself annotates these lyrics with this explanation:  “This is really about wanting to lift people up when they’re down, and I suppose having someone to do the same for you.” Need I say more?

“Tear in My Heart” by Twenty One Pilots

Another song that could work from both perspectives, but I imagine specificaly from TJ’s! You will notice a pattern: I am in love with the whole “Cyrus helping TJ emotionally and TJ being both smitten and deeply grateful for Cyrus”

Sometimes you gotta bleed to know That you’re alive and have a soul But it takes someone to come around To show you how

TJ acts pretty heartless, or rather “soul-less,” when we first encounter him with Buffy. But it turns out that his callous exterior is a wall that he’s put up to prevent anyone else from seeing his insecurities (such as his problems with math, thinking of himself as “stupid”). However, Cyrus is able to “come around” and “show [TJ] how” to open up, be vulnerable, and accept his flaws. It is painful to open up in this way, but it is very healing, and TJ is able to really come “alive” when he’s around Cyrus.

The chorus builds off this -- [H]e’s the tear in my heart / I’m alive

Take me higher / than I’ve ever been can be a fun, literal reference to swinging up high on the swings. I’m cheesy and I won’t apologize!

And then, the “outro” is probably my favorite part of the song:

My heart is my armor She’s the tear in my heart She’s a carver She’s a butcher with a smile Cut me farther Than I’ve ever been

My heart is my armor refers to TJ having that hardened heart as an emotional defense mechanism. And Cyrus -- the tear in his heart, aka the person who cracks open TJ’s hard shell -- is the only who can soften TJ up. 

[H]e’s a butcher with a smile / Cut me farther than I’ve ever been -- Cyrus' smile cuts through TJ’s hard exterior to get to the most vulnerable part of him, allowing TJ to be more vulnerable -- and thus, more completely loved and accepted -- than ever before. 

"Never Give Up On Me” by MisterWives

Okay this one is actually more a Cyrus song (but again, it applies to both because they both support each other so well). I can imagine TJ trying to help Cyrus with more things from the List, and Cyrus experiences some difficulty --

I crash and burn asking you to look away I crash and burn wondering why it is that you stay I know it isn't pretty how I can't handle everything But you never give up on me

Cyrus becomes a sweaty, anxious mess. He can’t believe how supportive TJ is through it all. But TJ never gives up on him :3

When you love me so damn good I know I will get better When you hold me so damn good I know I will get better

[...] How is it that you never give up on me?

Pretty straightforward message about a supportive and reassuring relationship.  ♥

"Love Like You” by Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe End Credits)

Literally this whole song. I can’t even pick favorite lyrics; it’s all so perfect. 

@spidaerman this is prob more than you bargained for, but I’ve got a lot of feelings okAY

[moonlighteponine]

alright  W H E R E is my star wars les amis au though like

look me in the eyes and tell me enj and cosette wouldnt be our token Space Twins

enj recklessly shoves the plans for the deathstar into a small droid before being taken, kicking and hollering the whole time, by the evil empire

cosette secluded on some sandy desert planet, being distantly watched over by jean valjean, who knows her true potential but hides himself from her to save her

before jhe dies valjean finds the time to tell cosette about her powerful jedi mother who was murdered by a sith lord who- spoiler alert! ends up being her shitty father felix tholomyes

except, uh oh! now they’ve gotta escape. who better than t h e eponine thernardier, expert smuggler, to get them out on her ship. beautiful and suave, with a cool attitude, she doesnt believe in many things, especially not the force, but hey, this small blonde kid is cute

and right by her side, slightly harrier-than-average Grantaire whos n o t a wookie shut your damn mouth ‘ponine who’s a legend with a cross-bow

the second enjolras meets r and ep hes fighting a constant battle to get them on their side bc dammit they are talented and would be invaluable to the cause

no he doesnt think grantaire the actual literal criminal smuggler is cute

theyve got a rag-tag crew on board to help with cargo and so we meet joly, bossuet, musichetta, and bahorel who come from planets with nothing and are willing to believe in anything

when they rescue enjolras and are taken to the rebellion, well. it feels like they finally have a family and a cause worth fighting for. they want roots here.

bahorel immediately offers engineer services to the pilots who are so relieved to have someone actually able to do heavy lifting

feuilly, one of the best pilots they have, offers to help show him the ins and outs of certain models he hasn’t worked with. feuilly is also the one who showed enjolras how to send hologram messages on a droid and enj has just the tiniest smidge of a crush on him

j/b/m all specialized in droid care, adn make a fantastic team. chetta in particular figured out this little trick in programming and now they can repurpose empire droids no problem

combeferre is one of the chief strategists of the rebellion and it’s his plan to have the charismatic son of a former senator serve as a diplomat between planets, while really recruiting people for the rebellion

this, of course, is courfeyrac, the most charming man in the galaxy. it’s no small feat operating under the eye of the empire but if anyone can handle it, it’s obviously courf and n o he doenst flirt with Important Rebellion Leader combeferre how d a r e you

of course theyre not thousands of years old nor small and green but saying confusing mystical shit in the middle of a swamp? that’s got jehan prouvaire written all over it. and of course they’re a jedi master and their lightsaber is purple thankyouverymuch

and holy f u c k cosette is the most powerful jedi they’ve seen in a long time

please bear with me but imagine an incredibly awkward yet charming marius pontmercy living in a city of clouds and declaring it a neutral zone

eponine is more than a little smitten with him and cosette cant decide if she finds ponine or pontmercy more endearing so they all three decide to just give it a go

and at the end of the day, they’re all a rebellion and a family fighting to bring justice to the galaxy

listen it’s not a perfect fit but dangit i just want my space revolutionaries let me have them

[corellianangel]

Fan Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story

May contain minor/some spoilers after the cut.

I suspect that Solo: A Star Wars Story might be a bit like its title character. A bit rough at the start, maybe shady, pretty good-looking, and definitely out to get your money. But, as it goes on, it becomes more and more apparent how good and truly nostalgic and lovable it is.

This is a film that “nobody wanted.” Which means...what? I wanted it. When I saw Star Wars ANH, I wanted to know all about that cool Solo guy. And finally, 41 years later, I got my wish. And yeah… I’m mostly happy. After Last Jedi, I was pretty much done with the franchise, so it’s not like I went in with high hopes.

Solo is a relatively low stakes reprieve from the “we must save the world/galaxy/universe” all-or-nothing epic trope that has plagued us for the last few years. This is an adventure, a coming of age, and a western heist. Stakes are high, but only for the characters you are relating with onscreen, making it a curious addition to this year’s blockbusters.

Make no mistake; This is a love-letter to original trilogy Star Wars fans. It’s Han Solo in an Indiana Jones style adventure ( and what could be more fun than that).

4 out of 5 stars.

The first minute of Solo is exactly how a movie about the titular character should begin. But then it immediately lags, then even more so under ill-paced exposition. As soon Han goes solo though, it gains momentum. Then a short few minutes later as Woody Harrelson appears, things get rolling outright.

Alden Ehrenreich takes a bit of time to slide into Han’s scuffed boots, both onscreen and in our fan hearts. But when he does, it works wonderfully. He’s not the sexy gruff cynic Harrison Ford portrayed. No, he’s a “Kid,” who's got dreams. He’s a romantic. He’s wide-eyed, immature, and even petulant at times. But like Harrison’s portrayal, he’s arrogant, talented, goofy, jealous, easily embarrassed and will gladly spin a terrible lie. And oh yes… he can turn it on. Not at first, no… that’s really awkward ( more on that with Emilia). He’s not Harrison Ford by a long shot, but when given the chance later in the film, he makes a scene his own, and it’s HOT.

Unfortunately though, Alden is easily five inches shorter than 6’ 1” Harrison. And it’s glaringly obvious (especially to me, as I am quite a tall person). Sadly, Alden’s 1” platform 2”+ heel boots can only add so much. Otherwise, I’m satisfied with his portrayal. Alden’s a great actor, he had huge boots to fill, and I think he’s really been treated unfairly by the fans. Give the kid a chance, he might win you over.

Donald Glover IS Lando Calrissian though.  He’s sexy, sauve and even a bit silly ( in all the right ways… make no mistake).  I daresay Mr.Glover has taken Billy Dee William’s place in my heart as the epitome of Lando. Whether he’s coming on to Han, or Qi’ra or some unspecified alien species, he’s a pansexual on the level of Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones. An arrogant playboy badass, who loves all the finest things. He is willing to enjoy everything life has to offer, and why not? It’s hard not to love him as a result. Lando movie, anyone?

Tobias Beckett is everything Han wants to be. Beckett is also in love with fellow crook Val, and his attachment to her is cemented firmly in a couple of scenes, which unlike the Han/Qi’ra scenes–have great chemistry. And Woody Harrelson’s portrayal of yet another grizzled mentor is stunning. I found him much more appealing than Harrelson’s equivalent character from Hunger Games. Though the mantel is starting to wear. Don’t get me wrong. I adore Woody Harrelson. His being in this film gave me a reason to think I might just like it. I’m just not sure I want to see him as yet another badass mentor after this.

When Thandie Newton appeared in Beloved back in 1998, I was an instant fan. I’d seen her before in a few other flicks, but she blew that one out of the water as the title character. Since then she had worked steadily in a number of critically acclaimed roles. I was absolutely thrilled to see her in this as Val. And utterly heartbroken that she was totally underused. When Val is onscreen, she overshadows everyone else, even Beckett. It’s a shame we don’t see more of her than we do. Boo!

Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra…Hmm.  She’s cute, charming, and tries her hand at swordplay here. But honestly, the Queen of Dragons is a poor fit. The original casting call was for anything other than yet another white brunette. And with amazing ladies like Tessa Thompson in the running, why oh why did we end up with Emilia? If not racism (God, I hope not); Ang’s answer: Think $$$, from Game of Thrones fans in theatre seats. I can think of no other reason. Her chemistry with Alden is tepid at best ( and any of that comes much, much later). I feel bad for Emilia here. I think she was miscast, and that tarnish will always stay with the fans. ( P.s. : the three adult heterosexual males I watched the movie with, were over-the-moon smitten with her. To each his own. I guess…)

On to the non-humans...

Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca is physically brilliant. He’s stolen my heart as Chewie from the lovely Peter Mayhew (sorry Pete) over the last three movies. But honestly, we discover nothing new about Chewbacca in this. Zero. It’s rather unfortunate. I wish I could say more. But we learn more about Chewie in episode three than this. A missed opportunity. Sorry Chewie. For some reason Disney put your character in the doghouse here.

L3-37 is another definite weak spot in Solo. We have a snarky female droid (yay!) as a droid-rights advocate (cool!).  But it’s so completely overwrought. Only Lando’s constant eye rolls save this character from being as ridiculous as Jar Jar Binks. Which is another shame, because I felt she fills in the current canon equivalent of Lando’s copilot droid Vuffi Raa, from the EU/Legends novels from waaay back in the 1980’s, (interestingly they are both pilots, are both self-aware droids and have vaguely parallel fates) Some editing issues arise as far as L3′s character is concerned too. She’ll be leaning, casually watching,  while droids are being slaughtered in front of her, but only interferes with other robots later in the same scene? Why?? Were the first dead droids not good enough for her to save? It’s inconsistent, poor editing; and that really hurts the character. Sorry Phoebe Waller-Bridge, you did great job with what you had. I’m not sure that the script/editing was as good as you deserved.

The spaceship the Millennium Falcon is 100% a full character in this too. Without giving too much away, she represents her pilots as they sit at the helm. She’s treated with more respect - reverence even -  in this, than any other film. And I can say this is her movie as much as it is Han’s. Millennium Falcon fans, you are in for a treat!

And the bad guys...or one guy anyways....

Paul Bettany is chilling and utterly convincing as the gangster Dryden Vos. He also has much better chemistry with Qi’ra than Han.  I’m fairly certain this is mainly due to Paul’s astonishing acting ability.  He first came to my attention as the title character in the darkly funny UK crime film Gangster No.1. I was floored by him then and he’s still blowing me away, even as the rather challenging character Vision in the MCU. Bettany does not disappoint in Solo either. He took over this role with zero preparation, with the weight of replacing another respected actor at the last minute in an extremely troubled production. And the optics of having a white European actor taking over from an African-american are...ermm...not the best. He pulls it off, though. But I can’t help but wonder what Michael K Williams would have brought to the role. Vos is a soulless psychopath under Bettany, not unlike his character in Gangster No.1.  Would Williams have brought the tragic–almost romantic deep spirit and inner strength he brought to his gangster Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire to Vos instead? It’s rather sad we will never know.

I don’t think I can say much else about the other antagonist(s) without spoiling a bunch. But let’s just say...wow! Well done! Surprises and fan service all around!

There is something missing here too. We never see Han as an imperial pilot. Nor the promised Shakespeare-inspired comedic comic book characters that Ron Howard teased last fall.  These gems may be reserved for DVD releases, but I feel Han’s missing academy stint is definitely a gap in this story. And the movie lacks because of it.

Importantly, I do recommend seeing this in IMAX 2D as it is a very dark and muted film.

The usual amazing, special effects, costumes and sets we’ve come to expect from the Star Wars film franchise are all present here.  The styling is different from the previous films, as it takes place about halfway between Episode Three and Rogue One.  It’s neat to see the evolution of the Empire’s gear. 

And the easter eggs are everywhere; prequels, Rebels, Clone Wars, Star Tours ( the Disney Park ride), the comic books from the 1970′s and 80′s, the EU/Legends Han Solo novels by Brian Daley, the Lando Calrissian novels from the same era are especially referenced numerous times. Even the Indiana Jones franchise gets a significantly placed nod.

To say the least, the fan-service is strong with this one.

But not the Force. Not at all. None of that simple tricks and nonsense here at all.

Because I’m a pretty hard-core fan, I pre-bought two showings on initial release. The first time I saw Solo, I was unsure if I actually liked it, but it seemed to be a decent film.  The second viewing ( the same night) was an absolute joy. Times three and four were with different groups of adults, and they all had a blast. Five was with a group of 13 year old girls, and they all enjoyed it too.

So let’s call my rating of Solo then, 4 out of 5 stars. 

Honestly I don’t get the backlash against it.  Don’t take your Last Jedi hate out on this. It’s a fun ride with decent jokes and no space-boob-milk monsters—honest!

And if you think Solo offers nothing different, new, or imaginative. You are 99% correct...Remember, we got that full package of “different and innovative” in Last Jedi. If that’s your schtick, watch that one instead then.

Oh, and one more thing- that 1%?... two words:

Shower scene.

[bibliophilebookreviews]

Ugly Love

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Quick romance featuring an undeniable attraction and a tragic past. (Trigger warning: child death.) 

Here’s the spoiler-free premise: Tate has just moved to San Francisco to start her master’s in nursing. Her brother, Corbin, has graciously let her move in with him while she saves up money from working weekends at an ER. The night she moves in, she meets Miles -- passed out and drunk, blocking her door. The next day, things aren’t much better between them, but Tate offers to start over -- once she’s had adequate sleep first. Luckily, Miles works a lot as an airline pilot so it’s a couple of weeks before Tate sees him again. Corbin’s friends watch the game at his place every Thursday. Tate needs to study, and Miles unexpectedly offers her his place. They’re still not friends, though, as Miles is extremely closed off and not expressive at all. They’re still only cordial when Corbin invites Miles to the family-only Thanksgiving, but something has shifted. There’s a budding attraction that soon leads to an arrangement: just sex. No dating, no relationship, no love. Tate’s fine at first, but it’s becoming harder for her to deny her feelings, while Miles is adamant about not growing to love her -- ever. This won’t end well. Tate will have to admit her feelings, and Miles will have to face the tragedy that’s kept him from loving anyone for six years.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I read most of it in one day; that’s the first thing I loved about it, that it was so captivating I couldn’t put it down and got through it in no time. Second, not only does Hoover alternate between Tate and Miles narrating, but she alternates between when they narrate: Tate in the present, and Miles six years in the past. It’s really two love stories, though one is far more complicated than the other. That’s third. 

I saw another reviewer who hated this book, and one of the reasons given was Hoover’s repetitive use of words and phrases. I, however, thought it was clever. In many cases, it drew a parallel between the situations and made the reader feel that Tate and Miles had more in common than even they realized. I also felt that some of the dramatic writing in Tate’s narration was very poetic, and pretty spot on. When you’re smitten, sometimes you can’t make coherent original sentences, you just feel. 

That same reviewer also thought it was unrealistic that they would have time for this “relationship” given their careers, especially with Tate being in school full time and working. But, it’s not just fiction, it’s a romance. The focus is supposed to be on the relationship, not everything else. And anyway, Miles was working a lot; sometimes they wouldn’t see each other for days at a time.

It was obvious from Tate’s first-ever encounter with Miles that something terrible happened in Miles’ past but I was still surprised at how everything unfolded. I can understand how some readers would be concerned about Tate willing entering into -- and staying in -- this sort of relationship (if you can call it that) with Miles, but I think it’s understood that Miles does genuinely want to be with Tate. He just can’t admit it, not even to himself. Mini spoiler: admittedly, it was hard to see Tate get her hopes and her heart crushed repeatedly. I was even starting to lose hope!

Finally, I LOVED the ending, and not just what happened at the end, but literally the way it was presented. And there is an epilogue (I love epilogues) which, in this case, was a nice addition since the actual end did a good job wrapping up the story. I would really really like to see this book get made into a movie (which apparently was in the works but no longer is) and I almost want to say it’s a favorite! You might recall that I read another Colleen Hoover book, Verity, which was not the kind of book she normally writes. I am even more excited to read more of her books, though the bar is set pretty high now! I’d recommend this book to anyone who is even a little interested in romance novels or Colleen Hoover’s works. I’d be very surprised if you didn’t enjoy it!

[artsy-alice]

TREMONTAINE Season 3, Episode 5 Reaction + Review

We’re seeing more consequences and actions finally taken from most of the things set up from the last episode. Characters have made decisions and we see them pushing through with those decisions in this episode, and I can’t wait to see it all come together.

Tremontaine S3 E5 is out NOW in the Serial Box website! New to the series? The pilot episode is available online for free!

As always, spoilers under the cut!

From the relative peace from last episode, we’re speeding up again! So many happenings, so let’s go!

RAFE & FLORIAN

I admit that I joined Rafe and Joshua’s laughter upon finding out that the “new” potential school building recommended to them was the very same building they first scouted with Will. Huge kudos to Paul Witcover because those descriptions of the house’s design and decor gave me a good laugh. When I read “that monument of poor taste masquerading as a door”, I was just cackling. Ah, good times.

Anyways! Joshua and Micah finally both lost their patience and called Florian out. DRAG HIM, MY CHILDREN. Outnumbered, Florian walks out on them, and the trio continue on their quest to productivity. They’ve confirmed Goodell’s backing and Rafe is determined to just get the best and let Diane worry about the money. Congrats, Rafe. That’s progress. Now move on and don’t even think of looking for-

But he did. He tracked Florian down and whoops, there go the breakup. Or at least, I think it’s a breakup. Florian snaps at Rafe, upset, and he obviously knows about what happened with Shade.

And fine. As much as I love my trash son, I agree that Rafe can be self-absorbed and sometimes he does tend to have a one-track mind (specially about the school and Will). And yes it would be annoying to be told to celebrate something while you’re in mourning for your dead lover, but Florian really had this coming.

I mean. Florian. Dude. You just pop up and attach yourself to Rafe, and so far you’ve always been a jerk to his friends. You’ve been constantly and unapologetically rude about something they’re obviously very passionate and dedicated about. Now that things are going their way and they’re starting to celebrate, you hold it against them because they couldn’t be bothered to be sorry for you even though there’s no way they could have known what you were going through?

Like Rafe said, he didn’t know, and how could he, when Florian never said anything? So yep. I’m sorry for your loss, Florian, but you’re not earning any sympathy points for me, bro.

.

DIANE VS. DAVENANT

Now that my annoyance for Florian has been put out there, let’s move to the political battle that’s been steadily building up and we’re now witnessing more clearly.

Gotta admit that last episode I might have been blindsided by worry over Micah that I forgot that the intruders probably would’ve succeeded in finding the ledger. That, and I assumed they wouldn’t find it there because of course Diane would have hidden it elsewhere.

Whoops, seems like our Duchess made a miscalculation. It’s a rookie mistake, getting attached to her victory tokens. She had indulged too much in one win. It was a big win, but was not enough to fully bring down a man as powerful as Davenant.

Diane assessed the damage and decided that the ledger has already served its full purpose. But has it? I can’t help but think that it’s still a very major loss. It was her primary bargaining chip.

-and my suspicions were immediately proven because as soon as Davenant reacquired the ledger, he starts going on the offensive again! So he proceeds to go through a power trip. Because of course he does.

DAVENANT NOT THE SCHOOL. NOT THE WAREHOUSES. I SWEAR!!!

How did he know about the school in the first place? Sure, Rafe goes around bragging about it... but I didn’t think it would reach Davenant and make him think it’s something he can use to strike against Diane. But oh well. He’s probably got a really reliable info network.

As usual, reading through Davenant’s point of view still grosses me out. The guy is nasty. But it also serves as an interesting commentary on men and their sense of superiority and entitlement over women. Their inability to accept a simple two-letter word as a proper answer. NO IS NO, DUDE.

And when he took her in his arms again, and pressed his lips to hers, she would understand that surrendering to Gregory Davenant was no surrender at all but a submission as natural as that of moon to sun. She would shine the brighter for it.

Pictured above: Diane Duchess Tremontaine, probably.

And GOD. It’s saddening that we all probably know a person like Davenant.

But yeah, this Diane vs. Davenant storyline is the one I’m most excited about so far!

.

DIANE & ESHA

I continue to love Diane and Esha. Diane is getting attached and is trying to withdraw because Attachment™ Is Weakness™. But Resistance™ Is Futile™. Her first thought on who to confide to is Esha. She eventually gives in and confides to Esha. And Esha is just as smitten. 

“You must think me an awful coward.”

At this, Esha laughed. “Must I? My lady, you have won an exalted place for yourself in a world of jealous men who are eager to wrest it from you by one means or another. I have some small idea what that is like! Your position depends upon trusting no one. Upon hoarding bits of knowledge and information to use as bargaining chips or even threats, if need be. Yet now you come to me with just such a secret. What advantage is there to you in telling me? None. Some other motivation has driven you. I do not call that cowardice.”

*dreamy sigh* they’re beautiful my crops have been watered my skin is clear and my debts have been paid

.

TESS

So I love this line:

She had no reason to expect trouble, other than the fact that she was a native-born Riversider. Which was reason enough, of course.

Because. It is. Very. Accurate.

I’m pretty sure it’s the first time this season that we are seeing Tess missing Kaab. She thought of Kaab back in the start of the siege but that was with resentment because of the circumstances, but now she’s allowed to lay low and wallow and feel the emptiness in her flat.

Let it bleed, she thought with a lash of guilty satisfaction. And meanwhile, her hand would not tremble as it traced another’s hand, nor would any crack appear in the mask of calm competence she showed the world. Even a face could be a forgery.

GOSH. I loved the the dynamic between Vincent, Kaab and Tess. THEY MADE MY OT3 DREAMS COME TRUE. It’s just sad to see them all separated now...

On another note, we continue to see Tess’s talent in dealing with her fellow Riversiders. And someone finally points this out. Madeline basically tells her that what Tess can do with their people is a kind of leadership. Tess rejects this, she doesn’t want the responsibility, or the burden.

And our Riverside queen finally, finally breaks down on someone. It’s okay baby let it out I’m not cryin’ with you no i’m not there’s just something in my eye, a branch or something.

.

KAAB

Things haven’t quite sped up in Kaab’s side just yet, but I’m expecting it to happen anytime now.

It’s nice to see Kaab and her growing fondness and protectiveness over baby Peapem. And it’s heartbreaking to read about Chuleb being so broken up over Saabim’s death. Oh, Kaab, you better get someone else, even temporarily, to fill in for your uncle. He’s a good man with good intentions, but he’s really not doing any of you any favors right now, specially in such a critical time.

Ninja Kaab strikes back, and I expected some action, but I guess they’re taking their time for this.

I kinda expected this though - the inspector’s concern is more about Kaab’s age and experience than her legitimacy as leader. Better prove him wrong fast, Kaab.

As tension-filled as this particular story arc is, though, I want Kaab to interact with other characters. For me, she shines best when plotting and conspiring with her friends and allies.

.

OTHER STUFF

We get a background on the Perry family via Dennis Perry, which I thought was nice. The only other Perry I could recall was Lucius Perry from TPotS. The background we get for his family here explained some things about Lucius, which is great because I love the guy.

Lionel is quickly becoming a wild card for me. He’s somewhat a double agent now, and things are much more risky. I’m quite convinced that his allegiance is still with Diane, but imo Diane oughtta keep a closer eye on him. Davenant has Plans and I never like his plans.

I’ve become quite busy this week so I might skip the challenge. But I’m looking forward to everyone else’s entries!

[flusteredkeith]

Sheith Baby Driver AU

AHH so I saw Baby Driver this past weekend and I couldn’t help thinking of Keith because of the whole ace pilot / ace driving parallel. And of course, being who I am, I started thinking about Sheith AU’s. (Also this gives a whole new meaning to “Shiro loves you, Baby.” 😩) So here it goes!!!

(P.S. some stuff will be skipped just because it doesn’t fit perfectly but this is honestly just my self indulgent “Keith is a badass getaway driver who falls in love with the new, kind and soft waiter at his local diner while trying to get out of a bad situation” hehehe.)

(Also, this ended up being so much longer than I meant it to be and I hope it’s still cohesive.)

(P.P.S. spoilers under the cut! and very minor gore at the very end, sorta.)

Keith is an orphan kid who knows his way around cars and is really good at racing/driving.

When he was little, his parents died in a car crash (of which he was in the backseat of)

One time, he’s caught stealing a Mercedes from some dude named Lotor. Lotor turns out to be a some sort of crime boss (for Galra) who then sees great talent in Keith and recruits him to work as a getaway driver for various heists until the debt is repaid.

The heists often involve various people (think Lotor’s generals and Sendak, Haxus, and other Galra characters) and it’s a world Keith never meant to get involved in, but the Galra could’ve potentially killed him if he didn’t.

And so he drives. He’s an amazing shot at it and just knows how to maneuver around the freeways to avoid getting caught by the cops.

Then, one day, just when he thinks his life has devolved into this meaningless mess, Keith sees a new waiter at the diner he often frequents. It’s some tall, built guy who’s super sweet and kind.

When Shiro takes his order, Keith finds out Shiro’s name and is just so smitten. Shiro asks him what he does, but Keith doesn’t know how to tell Shiro he’s a getaway driver for some crime boss, so he just says he’s a “driver.” Keith is super interested but doesn’t want to get involved with him until he’s officially done with Galra business.

A few days later, after two more heists, Lotor finally tells Keith the debts are repaid. Keith intends to leave this whole thing behind and wipes his hands as clean as he possibly can from his work with Galra.

He hangs out with Shiro a lot at the diner and eventually asks him out on a date. They go out to some fancy restaurant and they have an amazing time.

At the end of the night, the waiter tells them some gentleman has paid for their meal. Keith looks around and makes eye contact with Lotor, who slips out of the restaurant. Keith excuses himself and follows.

Lotor likes Keith too much to really let him off the hook completely because he’s such an amazing getaway driver, and he’s made it his business to learn all these details about Keith’s life. He says he really needs Keith back for some jobs, adding an extra layer of threat: “You wouldn’t want that sweet guy Shiro to come to any harm, would you?”

Keith can’t see a way out. He’d never let anything happen to Shiro if he can help it, so he agrees to come back. Lotor lets him go back on his date.

At the end of the night, Keith tells Shiro that he’s not available at the moment to date, but can’t tell him why. They’re just sitting together in the car and it goes something like:

Keith: “You deserve someone better than me.” Shiro: “But I don’t want anyone else.” Shiro: *kisses him*

Keith kisses back but still puts up a boundary there about actually dating. He doesn’t go back to the diner after that because he’s on call again.

Keith grows restless because he never wanted to see innocent people get killed so he starts thinking about running away and taking Shiro with him.

He calls Shiro and asks, “If I hypothetically wanted to leave my life behind here and drive west until I hit the other side, would you come with?” – Shiro doesn’t have a reason to stay, and he loves Keith obvsiously, so he’s just like “Sure?” – Keith hangs up. He just wanted to know if Shiro was on board or not.

The next heist involves Haxus, Sendak, and Thorok. They meet up with some weapons dealer at some warehouse to acquire guns, etc. but when Sendak sees that they’re all cops, the three of them kill the cops, take the weapons, and go.

On the way back, Sendak sees the diner that Keith frequents (and the one Shiro works at), and orders him to stop for a snack. Keith refuses, wants to keep driving, but is eventually forced to go when Sendak turns a gun on him.

When he enters, Shiro is about to say hi, but pauses when he sees that Keith is accompanied by the strangest people ever, who’ve got some sprinkle of blood all over their clothes. Keith shrinks into himself when they make eye contact, but tries to not let off that they know each other in the presence of these guys from Galra.

Shiro isn’t sure what’s going on but is short with Sendak when they’re taking their order. When Shiro goes back to the cash register, Sendak asks if Keith knows Shiro, since there’s obviously something about their shifty glances, but Keith says he doesn’t. Shrugging, Sendak pulls out his pistol and is about to shoot Shiro when Keith grips his gun hand firmly, thinking “HELL TO THE FUCK NO YOU DON’T.” He gives no explanation for this but Sendak eventually decides not to kill Shiro.

When they return to the base, Lotor tells them those cops are secretly working with him and this totally puts them in trouble. Sendak promises some other way to get out of this mess.

So in the next heist, they try to steal blank money orders from a post office. When one of the crew (let’s say Thorok maybe) kills an innocent security guard, Keith just suddenly snaps. When they get in the car, Keith drives straight into the construction truck in front them with a metal bar sticking out of it - and this metal bar impales Thorok, who was in the front seat.

Keith gets out of the car and starts running. The rest of them are all running as cop cars start coming. He runs into a parking lot and hot wires a car, but then runs into Sendak/Haxus’s stolen truck too. The cops come and there’s a bunch of open fire, in which Haxus dies. Keith grabs the bag of money orders and gets away.

He steals another car, calls Shiro and tells him he’s going to pick him up ASAP. However, by the time he makes it to the diner, he sees Sendak there, waiting for him.

Sendak turns to Keith with a knowing look and is just, “I thought you didn’t know this guy.” Keith doesn’t talk. Sendak goes on to accuse Keith of killing his friends. He points the gun at Shiro, threatening to kill him.

Without warning, Keith pulls out a pistol and shoots Sendak in the arm. Grabbing Shiro, he pulls him outside and they run to the car and get away.

They stop at the base so Keith can tell Lotor they’re done but that there are cops after all of their asses. At first, Lotor doesn’t want to and just says, “It’s over.” But when he sees how much Keith loves Shiro, he relents and tells Keith that he had a similar situation of trying to escape back when he worked for his father, who was a kingpin named Zarkon.

In the end, he agrees to help. Telling Keith to take the bag of money orders, he suggests they drive as far as he can while he takes care of the rest.

When they reach the parking garage, some of the weapon dealers’ men show up and shoot at them. Lotor takes all of them down but gets injured in the process. Just as Keith and Shiro are about to drive away, Sendak shows up in a stolen car and kills Lotor.

Keith steps on the gas and drives. Shiro just looks at him with wide eyes and says, “So you’re that kind of driver. Okay.” but he’s totally smitten by how good Keith is at the whole car chase business

Sendak chases them around town, also shooting at them every other second. They end up in some other parking garage where final battle showdown happens. Keith tells Shiro he needs to finish this and completely bury the hatchet.

They climb into a huge truck, which Keith hot wires as well, and backs into Sendak’s car until it falls off the 5th story of the parking garage. However, Sendak had jumped out of the car and he fires his gun right next to Keith’s ear to temporarily deafen him. But before he can turn the gun on Shiro, Shiro comes up from behind and knocks it out of his hands.

Grabbing the gun, Keith shoots Sendak until he, too, falls off the ledge and dies.

Disoriented from his temporary deafness, Shiro carries Keith easily into the car and drives instead.

(Kind of skipping the ending but) They drive off together and live happily ever after. :)

[lavila27]

Richonne “Say Yes” Review by Lauren Avila

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS TO TWD'S 7.12 "SAY YES"..... AND IT'S ALSO YVETTE NICOLE BROWN'S NOTEBOOK LONG!

I'm the queen of the world! Woo-hoo! I feel like I'm flying at the front of the most magnificent ship on television. Rick and Michonne Grimes are honestly one of the strongest, healthiest, and inspiring couples I've ever seen in any media form. I know it sounds cliche, and they are anything but cliche, but they complete each other. It's remarkable really because independently they are already capable warriors who don't NEED anyone but that's essentially what makes this pair so amazing. Rick and Michonne on their own are survivors, but together they are an unstoppable force. This episode really was a beautiful tribute to each character but a undeniable display of their impressive teamwork. I loved this episode so much I can hardly express why. It was the little things that made me the happiest. I truly appreciate the hardwork that goes into The Walking Dead. The whole cast, crew, writers, and producers are in a caliber quite different from any other tv show out there. It's such a gift to be able to pick up on new things each time you see an episode. As some fans might have noticed. There was a lot more to the episode than just what was at the surface, as often there is in any episode. Okay, so let's dive in. There were parts of the episode that I was swooning over as a fangirl but other parts that I found I was completely fascinated by as a regular viewer. I found there was a lot of symbolism and signs going on especially regarding callbacks to other episodes and possible foreshadowing to the future. Let's first discuss all the callbacks. As a whole, I feel like this episode sort of embodied their journey so far, individually and together. If you look enough into it (as a fangirl), you might even say this was like going down an AISLE of memory lane. ;)

There were Claimed references like Michonne's past, staying put in one safe place for awhile, scavenging, and Michonne's love of cheese. Sitting around a campfire and "You okay?" was an A reference. Even saying "Clear" very distinctly during their dinner felt like a throwback moment. Going after the deer didn't actually make me think of a few episodes prior like they talk about, but rather Carl. He went after the deer just before being shot. Obviously we've now learned that Grimes boys and deers aren't a safe combination. However, I've now heard people talk about a deer being a symbol of fertility... and Rick owes Michonne a deer? Hmm. Time will tell on that one. The roof caving has happened before in Season 4 when Michonne comes back from going after a past villain, the Governor. It's also in that episode that Rick wants her "to stay awhile" just like in this episode. I could go into a lot more detail about the parallels between "Say Yes" and "30 Days Without an Accident" but it might have to be another post. Let's just keep it at: characters struggling with inner demons, establishing a new life for Carl, fighting for a chance, etc. While I'm on the subject of the prison though, I felt like the whole carnival setting was reminiscent of that with the walkers roaming inside gated areas and taking down barriers. I'm sure if you look deep enough you will find all sorts of little things, but the final callback I want to acknowledge is the car from this episode and the tank from the pilot. Rick was once again stuck in a car, surrounded by walkers. Only this time, he didn't have Glenn to navigate him out. :( By the way, I love that Richonne even have chemistry while separated by an entire car backseat.

Speaking of Glenn, I think that Rick's grief over Glenn's death is also a big reason why he doesn't want to lead anymore. Even though Michonne has been encouraging to him with her confidence in his ability to lead, I think he's scared. She has told him before that it's not his fault when people die but I think that every loss is going to weigh on him for a very long time. He can't forgive himself for some things which is why I think it terrifies him to be responsible for anyone. This brings me to the most official unofficial proposal/marriage on tv. It seems that Rick only truly believes in himself because of Michonne's faith in him. He says later "You led me here." That's why he will only consider leading with her beside him. These are the facts as far as I'm concerned: Rick asked her if she would be willing to lead a life with him. She said yeah. They sealed it with a kiss. They are married, folks. They are Chilli and Mac&Cheese together.

Shoutout to @siancore for noticing something I noticed too. I wondered if I was reaching a bit far with it but I guess I'm not totally fangirl crazy because someone else hears it too. They sound different when talking to each other. I'm so in love with this acting decision! I assume that Andy and Danai do this purposely, that is. They have a soft, playfulness in their voices that they really only use with Carl and that's about it. It's like you can hear them letting their emotional guard down. I heard it A LOT in this episode. Whether it was during their comedic relief, their lovey-dovey giddiness, or even in their vulnerable heart-to-hearts. The only time I heard Rick sound like the Rick we're used to was when he was talking about the upcoming war. It was the natural and serious protector coming out in him. I could talk about their subtle voice changes throughout the episode in an entire post like their old-married couple tones, their smitten teenager tones, and their warrior lover tones but I'll leave it at that for now. You get what I'm saying though. The flirting... the love... the softness... it was all on point!!

Let's talk about Michonne's post-traumatic stress. First of all, I wonder if this abandoned school reminded Michonne of the camp she lost Andre to. The way she immediately identified the place as somewhere something serious has happened. It seem to not settle well with her. I also found it interesting how fast she went back to that dark place that Rick and Carl pulled her out of. When she thought Rick was lost to walkers, like Andre, she emptied right before our eyes. She became the shadowy creature she once was because her whole world collapsed in that moment. Yes, she's a strong woman, but Rick gives her life meaning. Without him, she would be lost. She later says, "I can't lose you." We've seen how Rick and Michonne react to extreme grief and trauma, but they both have survived it. Of course, I think that they helped each other find joy and hope again in each other, but they have others who were part of that too. When Rick told her "You can lose me. I can lose you," it surprised me at first. Right away I thought he meant that they were capable of bearing that loss because they've done it before. I thought that he should at least say it more gently like, "Yeah, it would be difficult but we can survive. We're the ones that live." Then I realized, no he's not talking about the ability to lose each other, rather the possibility. He's telling her that it's entirely likely that he can lose her in this war they're about to start and vice versa. He's telling her that there's a chance that they might not come out of this alive but it's still a battle worth fighting because the future is worth fighting for. He wants a life that's worth having for the kids but also for each other. I think it was really important for them to have this talk. I think something that really crushed Rick when it came to Negan was how far he fell. He was basically getting cocky over the world being theirs. This new mentality will probably be a lot more useful to them though. They know what they are fighting for, who they're fighting for, and what they're willing to sacrifice to win. They are both putting the greater good above themselves.

While I'm on the topic of future, let's talk about something a little happier. There seems to be a lot of signs of a potential future pregnancy for Richonne. The baby blanket they found in a drawer, kissing Michonne's belly, and then that whole deer thing that I talked about earlier. Based on Michonne's mood swings from devastation to joy and her growing hunger for those ready-to-eat meals, I might even guess she's already expecting. In all seriousness, I think it's a very real possibility that we'll see a little Richonne baby one day.

That leads me to my fangirl list of episode highlights: - I loved that in a series where the characters rarely get to smile, this episode was nothing but smiles and laughs! Their joy brought me joy. I had a big smile on my face the whole night. - Their epic embrace when Michonne knew Rick was alive and ok. It was emotional and so real. They held each other so tight like they were literally each other's whole world. - Rick's negotiation to keep the cat. I'm thinking that this was the line that Nicotero had in mind as the funniest line of the season. It's hard to figure out because there were a lot of good ones but the idea that Ricky-Dicky Grimes (who has ripped out throats, dissected walkers, survived herds, murdered Terminites and Negan's crew in cold-blood, and has beast-mode against anything to live) is negotiating with a dumpster diva for a cat statue is hilarious. - All their physical contact: kissing, hand-holding, hugging, other stuff ;) - All their non-physical contact: watching/staring at each other - Favorite lines: (also contenders for funniest line)   "We found the only way in, so..."   "It's Chilli and Mac & Cheese... Together. C'mon."   "This is about doing it quiet, with the sword... You can handle 8."   "You got your 8 walkers. I can push."   "Or we could just go." "You wanna go?" "Nah, we can do this." "Yeah, I know we can."

One more thing I want to touch on before wrapping up. Did you guys notice them kissing each other's hands/wrists? Personally I've got a thing for character's holding hands. I sometimes think it's even more sexy than kissing. So them kissing each other like that already had me fangirling but then I thought about the symbolism. Had it been their left hands, I would've freaked out and said that it was a metaphor for them exchanging rings. It would've furthered my argument that they are married now. However it was their right, dominant hands. These are their stronger hands that they rely on to do everything and to survive by. They are each other's right-hand people. "And having one of those is important." Without them you would be left, to an extent, helpless in this world. They are each other's strength. Think about that for a minute...

[Update: Upon further review, I noticed it is actually Michonne’s left hand. Therefore both metaphors apply. Carry on.]

Even though I think I could discuss this episode until the season ends, I've already gone on for awhile. As a proud Richonner, I give this episode a 5 star rating and highly recommend it for constant rewatch. I really enjoyed the Talking Dead episode too! I loved YNB and Denise Huth’s commentary! Congrats to Jill & Brandan on winning the Ultimate Fan Search! I'll post again some day about how I met Brandan and his mom at the S7 premiere in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Until then, that's all I have for you.

Sidenote: I really enjoyed Tara and Judith's scene. I'm a fan of both characters so this scene was really cute to me.

[celebritylive]

WARNING: This post contains spoilers from Monday’s episode of The Bachelor.

Welcome back, Bachelor Nation. Hannah Brown is officially out of the picture (at least for now), but Peter Weber‘s ladies were busy stirring up plenty of their own drama this week.

Monday’s episode kicked off with a one-on-one date for Victoria P. After taking her on a tour of his hometown — the pilot is from Westlake Village, California, just around the corner from the Bachelor mansion — Peter and the nurse from Louisiana went line dancing at his favorite local bar, where both agreed they were “a little smitten.”

That night, Victoria P. confided in Peter about her difficult childhood: Her dad died when she was young, and then her mom fell into addiction. She and her sister grew up in and out shelters as their mom struggled, with Victoria P. recalling through tears how she “had to be the rock” for her family.

“I dreamed a lot of dreams and one of my dreams was just to get out of that place and to have a healthy and happy life,” she said. “And I think it’s affected my relationships at times, because I didn’t feel deserving of someone. I just feel so grateful, because I feel like you’ve shown me the kind of love that I deserve.”

Peter thanked her for opening up as he offered her a rose. “I have never been inspired by someone so much in my entire life,” he told her. “And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”

Back at the mansion, tensions were still simmering between Kelsey and Hannah Ann, an early frontrunner, over a now-infamous champagne bottle mix-up. And Alayah, meanwhile, had started to show her more “wild” side.

“Everybody sees me, because of pageants and what I do, as the sweet little elegant proper thing,” said the former Miss Texas USA, sipping red wine in Peter’s pilot hat. “But I’m very good at putting on face when I need to.”

Her behavior clearly irked another fellow contestant, Sydney. “All I go off of is what I see in people, and with Alayah, I can tell something is off about that girl,” Sydney said. “Her actions, since we’ve been here, kind of just make you go sideways a little bit. She is not the type of girl I surround myself with, she’s the type of girl that I’ve always avoided. She is just all fake, and I hope that Peter will be able to weed that out.”

Naturally, with a feud brewing between the two women, they both landed this week’s group date, along with Kiarra, Sarah, Tammy, Kelly, Shiann and Savannah. Bright and early the next morning, they slipped into their assigned lingerie (yes, really) and headed out on the date — an Extreme Pillow Fight Club, orchestrated by none other than fan-favorite franchise alum Demi Burnett. Host Chris Harrison and Bachelor regular Fred Willard served as judges.

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“I know that there’s a lot of tension in the mansion,” Demi told the women. “So I wanted to give you ladies the opportunity to let out that aggression.”

After duking it out with Sydney in an aggressive championship round, Alayah was crowned “queen of the bedroom.” Things only got more tense between the two during the evening portion of the group date, resulting in a rather hostile conversation about Alayah’s pageant past.

“You sound so rehearsed, you know what I mean?” Sydney told her. “With cameras, you’re just on. But if you come in here worrying about how you’re perceived, then you’re not going to be your real self to people. And that’s what Peter is here to find. A real person.”

Later, Sydney brought up her concerns with Peter about certain women in the house “putting on a facade,” without naming Alayah.

“When I’m in the house with some girls, and when the cameras show up and the lights are on, it’s a whole different person,” she explained. “It’s just so artificial. And I don’t want you to get blinded by that.”

“That’s such a fear of mine, that I could fall for someone and they’re fake,” Peter said. “I mean, I saw it with Hannah last season, seeing her fall for someone that wasn’t there for the right reasons.”

When he rejoined the group, he addressed the issue and asked Sydney to explain herself — this time in front of everyone.

“Sorry to kind of put you on the spot, but you had mentioned that there were people that maybe are different off-camera or different in the house when I’m not there … and I trust you,” he said. “I want to just squash this now.”

Turning to Alayah, Sydney said she felt that she “maybe  on a little bit for the imagery of things.”

“I mean, does anybody else feel that way?” Alayah bristled. “We’re all living together at this point, so everybody’s gotten to see me day in, day out.”

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Of course, no one wanted to speak up and get involved, and Peter walked off. The confrontation between the two women continued without him, with Sydney pointing out that Alayah’s reactions were “a little bit dramatic.” Alayah insisted that was just her personality, but Sydney stood her ground. “When the cameras are on, you do react a little too much,” she said. “And it looks a little bit fabricated.”

Alayah pulled Peter aside to defend herself, saying she was “blindsided” by Sydney’s accusations. Poor Peter, looking absolutely exasperated, had no idea who to believe.

“I just feel really confused,” he said. “I believe Sydney when she brought up those concerns, but Alayah came over and talked with me and I believe what she was telling me, and I like her a lot. I also respect Sydney a lot, she spoke it like she saw it. I’m looking for that honesty and for someone that’s unafraid to put me first. … I just hope that I’m not getting fooled.”

Ultimately, he chose to give the group date rose to Sydney, thanking her for “being honest” and “essentially putting me before everyone else.”

The next day, Chris Harrison arrived at the mansion to announce that Peter would be coming over for a pool party in lieu of a cocktail party that night. During the pool party, Peter made a point to get each woman’s take on the situation — and it wasn’t looking good for Alayah, with several contestants in agreement that she seemed to be putting on a front whenever the cameras were on.

“Maybe it’s just the background that she has with pageants,” said Lexi. “But we’ll be hanging out and then all of a sudden the cameras come on and her voice goes up like, five octaves.”

Peter and Alayah also had a conversation, where she reassured him that she “can’t fake” feelings or emotions, calling herself “the world’s worst liar.” He said he believed her, but it was obvious he wasn’t 100 percent certain. “With Alayah, what I think I’m seeing is the truth,” he said. “But my logical brain says that yes, there are flags.”

He decided to ask Victoria P. for her opinion, given her experience in the pageant world as Miss Louisiana USA 2019. And much to his surprise, Victoria P. revealed that Alayah had asked her to lie about knowing each other before going on the show.

“She asked that I not tell producers that we knew one another,” she said. “I didn’t really understand why, because I don’t really want to lie, I can’t lie. I didn’t think of it much then, but looking back now … coming into this, she was really open to all the opportunities that will come after this, even if you weren’t her husband. So maybe she’s not the one for you.”

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That seemed to seal the deal for Peter, who pulled Alayah aside once again and confronted her about the lie.

“I’m not trying to throw you under the bus, but maybe you’ve been a little manipulative towards some of the women,” he said. “Did you tell Victoria to tell the producers you guys didn’t know each other before you came on the show?”

Alayah, looking shaken, said her “biggest fear was that I would get disqualified and she would get disqualified because we knew the other person was coming.”

“I didn’t want that for her, I didn’t want that for me, and I was scared for both of us that that was going to be an issue,” she said. “That’s all it was. It wasn’t me being manipulative.”

With that, Peter said he had “a lot to think about” and abruptly left, cutting the pool party short. Heading into the rose ceremony that night, everyone was on edge — including Peter himself, who stopped mid-rose handout to mull over his decision with Chris Harrison in the next room.

“I want to give it to her so bad,” he said. “But I just do not want to regret this.”

RELATED: Bachelor Peter Weber Promises a ‘Spoiler-Free’ Finale, Says ‘There’s No Way’ to Find Out the Winner

When he headed back into the ceremony, two roses were still up for grabs on the table — but Chris pointedly removed one. The final rose went to Mykenna, officially sending Alayah home, as well as Jasmine, Sarah and Alexa.

“I’m disappointed,” Alayah said. “It just sucks that I am going out because of other people’s opinions and not what he saw directly from me.”

Peter made a toast to the remaining contestants, then headed out. But he was still torn over his decision, admitting to a producer that he wasn’t sure he wanted to let Alayah leave.

“I don’t feel good right now. I thought I would, but I don’t feel good,” he said. “I think I just gave in to listening to everyone else, to be completely honest. I feel like I’m going to regret this like crazy.”

She won’t be gone for too long, though — a sneak peek at next week’s episode already teased her return.

The Bachelor airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.

from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/2RzasiJ