House of the Dragon Official Trailer + queens

Hii, what did you think of the way Netflix portrayed Kyuma in Alice in Borderland? :)

Hey! MIXED OPINIONS. I liked the actor well enough, however, they didn't give him the essence that makes the character Kyuma. Kyuma was a performer and an escapist. On the Earth realm, he was trying to become a rock star so he left behind his old life in order to do so, vowing to return when he made it big. He wanted to return to his father, but in that time, his father passed away. Ginji learned that life was short and vowed to live his life to the fullest. He has an understanding of the passage of time and how valuable your time is but he also understands that you need the fear of death in order to really live. One of my favorite things about him is that he is very wise and has basically reached a level of growth that most don't get. He's authentic to himself in everyway, whether that he going fully nude or speaking from the heart. He's done with all the bullshit of small talk and playing games. He wants everyone to see their own authentic selves so that they can learn to understand each other. He does everything with a kind of joy that's inspiring but also a bit strange. He's loyal and fair above all else and that builds a kind of bond between teammates that is unbreakable. They all understand the risks, they don't see him as above them, they know he would die for them on equal ground.

Honestly, the show disappointed me in many ways which was expected but Kyuma has grown on me. I know that the creators were attempting to make things more relatable to the general audience so they made him more grave and serious because most people in that situation would be, but they took away his spark just a bit. The point is, he is made for that world. He chose to stay there because there is a sense of freedom he can't find on the Earth realm. Modern society is so intricately built on bullshit and walls but in this world of life and death, you get to know someone's true authentic self through pain, loss, love, partnership and it's very real and beautiful and horrifying. Kyuma isn't against the other world, he just knows he fits this one better because the things he values are here. He thrives in the extremes. He can be realistic and eccentric at the same time. And they definitely showed that but with a slightly different energy. He's calculating and calm in the show, but he isn't as vibrant as he should be. The lines are generally accurate for the most part but the way he introduced this game in the manga was bright and almost excited while as in the show, there's a coolness to it. He doesn't show his emotions as freely. There's a bit of a shock factor when he walks out naked that's never really discussed versus the manga where he has a sort of playful energy and his team tells him to put on pants. He goes through this whole thing about nudist culture which doesn't have to do with the game but he uses the games to help them understand each other. I like that he does point out that one of his team mates designed the game. He gives recognition to those who deserve it which is very Kyuma. I love that when Arisu's team is confused, he explains the game to them in a new way. He's vaguely nonchalant about things and doesn't seem rushed or bothered which is Kyuma but in the manga, he tells them to take their sweet time and says that they are in no rush, with a smile on his face. His team was portrayed nearly perfectly and I liked the music that went with it.

I am very disappointed that the scenes with Kyuma and the other kings and queen were left out. I think those were incredibly important to show the mentalities of these citizens and to leave them out is an injustice. I really wished Arisu's identity crisis was more internal so that we could have the scene with Kyuma giving him advice on how to find himself because God was that needed. I've been where Arisu is at and Kyuma literally helped me find myself through his advice. So while the adaptation was good, they left out many important parts of his character that I believe were crucial. And God do I love this character.

All fans are equal but some are more equal than others. NOT.

There’s been quite a few people in the fandom lately getting very stressed, feeling they’re obligated to constantly be on the defensive re: their fandom choices.

Apparently, whoever has a different opinion about a character or a ship must be said character’s/ship’s stan i.e. overzealous and/or obsessive, i.e. not an objective viewer. Even worse, they must be a dreadful person, who condones a number of moral offences that said character/ship perpetrated (or is thought to have perpetrated). Because, of course, the only acceptable reason for appreciating/enjoying a fictional character or dynamic is their morality. And, by that reasoning, fans who support the correct character/ship must be better fans and better people.

Nothing is more ridiculous than the notion of the objective fan. An “objective” fan is called a “viewer”. You and I, Riverdale friends, we are not just viewers. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have created blogs and dedicated hours of our lives to a fictional couple from an extremely mediocre show. We are still undoubtedly capable of critical thought and objective analysis but we are also aware of our own emotional investment in the show. (Or, at least, one hopes). As a fandom, we engage in activities that exist independently of the show. Fandom is a space of free expression. No one gets to play the higher moral card here. Needing to loudly tell everybody how wrong they are? That’s not the sign of an objective viewer. That’s the sign of a viewer who is also extremely invested, just for different reasons than I am.

Are we seriously holding the morality card over people’s heads for a show that used a poc woman’s pregnancy (Toni) as the means to retroactively establish trauma for a white male (Kevin), all the while touting it in every media possible as a woke response to the BLM movement?!

Are we seriously holding the canon card over people’s heads for a show that treats its 5th(!) season as a tabula rasa?! If the Lodges new backstory in 5x12 shows anything, it’s that s5 is not a time-jump. It’s a reboot.

There are so many people “enlightening” others on their inability to understand canon …

Seriously? That’s the hill you’re willing to die on? Canon Riverdale? You think that people don’t understand what they’re watching? That they’re interpreting canon incorrectly?

No, but seriously: canon for a TV show consists of what the characters say, what the characters do and how the actors portray them. Does this really apply to Riverdale?

Let’s take Donna for example.

Canon explicitly tells us Donna did what she did to avenge her grandmother. At the same time none of her canon actions were against the people who were actually responsible. So, riddle me this, fandom friends: why did Donna do what she did, as per canon?

Let’s try this another way:

Donna is a psycho bitch. Both in terms of Riverdale’s canon (the writers’ intention) and real-life criteria. To create a tag that reads “Bonna for ever uwu!” is deranged.

On the other hand, her character is (like a lot of Riverdale’s characters) an inconsistent caricature. Canon uses ridiculous dialogue and a lot of the Bonna scenes are cartoonishly enemies-to-lovers tropey. To create a tag that reads “Bonna for ever uwu!” is hilarious.

This doesn’t mean that Bonna is a canon couple. It does mean, however, that a Bonna crackship is based on Riverdale’s campy and over-the-top canonic writing.

A viewer who thinks Bonna is disgusting is not more “objective” or more “correct” or more “true to canon” than a viewer who thinks Bonna is funny. Nor are they a better person for it, and this cannot be stressed enough.

Similarly, who is canon Cheryl?

1. Cheryl is an absolute bitch: if a privileged student was calling an actual homeless boy a hobo in your real-life school, you would neither think her a queen nor use “hobo” affectionately in your tags, comments etc.

2. Cheryl is a deeply traumatized person: her father killed her brother, her mother killed half the town and forced her in conversion therapy, she attempted suicide and more.

(Note #1: this more does not mean more than the other Riverdale characters).

(Note #2: nor is it an excuse for her rudeness, affectionately called “mood for chaos” by the writers).

3. Cheryl is also a caricature of the archetypal mean girl who’s there for laughs and meta comments. She’s not to be taken seriously.

4. Cheryl is lgbtq+ representation …

5. … who canonically shits on other lgbtq+ characters.

6. Cheryl is one half of Choni, who are canonically presented as an uber couple.

7. Choni is also, as per canon, a couple with an acute power imbalance (cough!gaslighting!cough) that visually very clearly panders to the male gaze.

But most importantly:

8. Cheryl canonically is not the sum of her parts. The different facets of her character do not intermingle in any meaningful way.

Was Betty kissing Archie specifically a sore spot for Jughead?

Canonically no [2x14]. But, also, canonically yes [5x03, 5x10].

Are there seriously fans that are astonished that Betty is making some highly questionable choices while investigating?! Did they just discover Dark™Betty/Killer Genes Betty? That is canon Betty! Was it ok before because she was then smooching Jughead instead of giving him the cold shoulder? Honestly, the only newly outrageous part of s5Dark™Betty is the fact that she still believes in “killer genes” despite having spent 4 years at Yale …

As for liking/disliking Betty and morality …

Look, I’m going to be very honest: I am NOT particularly enjoying s5 Betty. And it’s not because of b*rchie.

S5 Betty has 99 problems but the sexcapades ain’t one.

For me, it’s the fact that she’s turned into s1 Alice 2.0. But surely that’s not news either? Ever since the first info about the time jump, everyone and their mother have been speculating about the teens becoming their parents …

Just because Jughead is better written (and written to be more likable), it doesn’t make him more worthy of redemption. Just because the writers are keeping Betty’s redemption “secret” (insert eye roll) for their big reveal in the season’s penultimate episode, it doesn’t mean she won’t have one.  

Simply put, the writers have made Jughead more likable. He’s still the underdog. He’s the only character in Riverdale actively trying to deal with his trauma, since the very first post-time jump episode (working at Pop’s explicitly to fend off the debt collectors). He has scenes with a new and extremely likable character (Tabitha). He has the only new plot line (the Mothman). Said plotline is narratively already tied to both his unknown past and the town’s destruction by Hiram. His behaviour is explicitly explained, even as his recent trauma remains unknown. He’s transparent.

In comparison, s5 Betty is traumatized but not the underdog. Her trauma (TBK killer) is both known to us and a repetition of previous storylines, which makes it narratively less exciting. She is completely disconnected from any other storylines. She comes out as being judgmental and self-interested: telling Tabitha Jughead’s not her business while previously accepting his help? Berating Polly for lying while not keeping in touch and lying about her own life (TBK)? Please note: I’m not saying there isn’t a reason behind her behaviour, just that it comes out in a negative way.

You don’t like Betty’s current behaviour? You don’t consider trauma a good enough excuse? Cool.

You feel sorry for what she’s going through? You consider trauma to be a valid explanation for her behaviour? Also cool.

Personally, I don’t give a flying fig, either for Betty’s trauma or Jughead’s. Because, even though Trauma™ is s5’s actual mystery plot, narratively speaking, trauma never affected the plot of the past 4 seasons, nor s5 trauma will affect future plots, once revealed. And you know what? That is also cool.

None of the above is better.

And just because I’m not enjoying Betty right now, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want her to overcome her current situation or that I won’t cheer for Bughead like a River Vixen on fizzle rocks, once they reunite.

This thing though, where people are made to feel as if they owed anyone in the fandom an explanation about why they like the things they like, because, somehow, their preferences are a reflection on their character or their cognitive abilities to read a TV show? This is a joke.

There is no “wrong” way to consume any show, let alone Riverdale, with its fractured format, its short-term memory and its see-sawing characters.

Look, everybody’s here for their own reasons. For most people this is a place of escape. No one’s escaping better than the other, because of how they enjoy their teen TV show ... 

☕️ + megumi and hojo?

(Give me a ☕️ + a character/ship and I’ll ramble off whatever thoughts and opinion I have about it)

Oho, interesting! Thanks for the ask!

Megumi Tadokoro

Megumi is a character I love and adore. She has given me no choice in that matter, lol. I cannot possibly dislike a character who portrays such a huge amount of real, genuine kindness. Adding to that, she's incredibly easy to relate to (I know that I am not the only one who does).

In my opinion Megumi has had some of the very best moments in all of Shokugeki, especially in it's earlier parts. The Shokugeki against Shinomiya in Trainings Camp is still my favorite battle in the whole manga after all. Her performance in the Autumn Election Premlins was also really satisfying and sweet to see. (Monkfish Preperation Scene Supremacy)

Tsukuda really did great on making Megumi a character that I really want to see succeed.....But that is where the problem comes in.

The problem is that Tsukuda struggles with the Show, Don't Tell-Rule from Central Arc onwards.

Pre-Central, Megumi's character development was solid in my opinion. It was believable and not too fast-paced. But once focus was shifted to Azami-Drama, Megumi and other characters had to take a little step back from the action. And Megumi's character arc started to stagnate.

Through Training Arc. Autumn Elections and Stagiares, Megumi had visibly gained some more confidence in herself and her stage fright problem from the beginning of the series was ceasing. However there was something missing: pay-off. Her character arc lacks proper pay-off.

You see, throughout all of Central Arc Megumi has not won any single fight on-screen. She was given one victory against Shigemichi Kumai but not even second of that fight was actually shown to the reader. But when it's time for a more detailed fight against Momo, she looses.

In her fight against Momo, the judges do find the time to point out tho that Megumi might hasn't been able to beat Momo however there is quote unquote ✨potential✨.

Thing is that the "potential"-thing has been getting old at that point. It felt very reminiscent to Megumi's fight against Ryo back in the Autumn Elections. Ryo was able to win, however it was made clear through multiple dialogue-lines that Megumi did give him a good fight, defying the expectations the audience had from her. So basically that fight was like: Yes, she lost now. But she is on the right path. There is a lot of potential.

The issue is that time has progressed ever since the AE and it was about time for us, the readers, to see that potential unfold.

But we never got that.

We get a lot, a lot of talking about Megumi's potential throughout Central Arc but never an actual showcase of it. And it does not get much better with BLUE Arc either (I mean, what do you expect from that trainwreck of an arc anyway?)

First off, despite all of her potential and her participation in the Regiment de Cuisine & the retaking of Totsuki as a whole Megumi somehow ends up with the lowest seat in the Neo-Elite 10??? And I'm just: Why??? Why is she the only explicitly ranked below Eizan & Nene (who got a massive downgrade) with everyone else far ahead? (Tho the Neo-Elite 10 Ranking as a whole is one confusing mess and I should probably stop trying to bring sense into it if I do not want to go insane, lol.)

The infamous Hot Spring Fight against a Noir is where we finally see Megumi shine a little on-screen (at least in the manga). And well....I enjoyed seeing that but...

It is still not the proper pay-off she deserves, I'm sorry. Because ultimately that Noir-Guy is some random One-Off we never saw again. And that's a problem.

This character had no time establishing himself to us. We barely know him.

To put it into perspective: Satoshi Isshiki beating Julio Shiratsu in the RdC did not feel like a very impressive thing. Because we have only come to know Julio in that one fight and had absolutely no judgement on how powerful he may be (not to mention, that he was mostly placed in a very ridiculous light). It would have been a lot more impressive to the reader had Satoshi won his later fight against Eishi Tsukasa, because Eishi is a character who we have spent a lot more time with and who has repeatedly been portrayed as absurdly skillful and an actual threat.

See what I mean? As much as I loved seeing Megumi being an absolute badass in that Hot Spring Saga...It was not the satisfying pay-off I want for her.

The few victories she gets are always against random One-Offs while her fights against the more important characters are always a loss for her. Case in point: BLUE. She gets anOTHER off-screened match against some Noir in Chinese clothes, whose name I won't bother looking up if he even has one, where all characters talk about how talented she is but once it's time for her to go up against big bad bitch Asahi she looses. And that sucks.

Not to forget the fact that Megumi always gets strung along to every big event but we never get much justification for her participation (other than the obvious Meta-Reason that she's a main character).

Think about it, her and Takumi got extremely lucky in Train Arc by having Rindou giving them a free pass just for the lulz, while everyone else got expelled. Then a good number of messy chapters later, Megumi and Takumi get invited into BLUE without even a shred of reasoning behind it. Why them? How random is it to invite the 1st, 7th and 10th seat but no one else? Meanwhile when BLUE Arc was first mentioned in the manga they told Jouichiro that it's actually extremely rare for a student in that age to get into this tournament. And Jouichiro was a 3rd year back then, what are those three 2nd Years doing there??

The anime at least addressed that by having Totsuki's students fight for the participation (I appreciated that, if only the episode that covers it wasn't so lazily done)

I'd have much less of an issue with that if they actually gave Megumi something to work with in that arc. But really in RDC and even more so in BLUE, she's mostly just there I feel. She barely really impacts the story meaningfully in both of these arcs, I feel.

And it's one big shame.

As I said, I love Megumi and Tsukuda set her up as someone who I wanted to see succeed and defy expectations. Her journey up till Central Arc was a lot of fun and very compelling but then it just...came to a halt. And her arc never got any real, proper closure I feel. She was instead pushed more and more into the background and she just did not deserve that, man.

Never forget that she is one of the mains after all and she should have been treated as one.

damn I did not think this would get this long ahhdhdf

Miyoko Hojo

When realising that Miyoko's speciality is Chinese cooking, I was super excited for her! I really love Chinese food and I've been waiting for it to be covered in Shokugeki up till that point.

I like Miyoko quite a lot, she's definitely one of my faves from the...well, I don't think "secondary" cuts it...the tertiary cast. Unfortunately we've got to see so painfully little of her.

I like that Megumi, in the most Megumi-ways, made her learn a lesson like "Feminism =/= You can not possibly get along with a man. Ever.", but it was also interesting to see acknowledgement of the inequality of men and women within the culinary business through Miyoko.

Miyoko's friendship with Megumi is something I adore and I would have very much liked more of it please. I enjoy the thought of Miyoko, this tough, unapproachable woman, having her face soften whenever this pure, little angel approaches her. Also 100% sure Miyoko would drop-kick whoever gives Megumi a funny look.

I also would have liked to see Miyoko interact more with Kuga, because I imagine it could have been a lot of fun. From the one, tiny interaction they've had I feel that Terunori actually respects Miyoko quite a bit. Which I think is interesting, because Terunori otherwise seems to enjoy bitching at people.

Honestly? If you ask me??? Miyoko should have been in the Regiment de Cuisine.

I'll never get over how she's shown in the audience, alongside Nao, smiling when the rebels are about to snatch victory. Like ahdhFJG, excuse me Ma'am what business do you have just watching??? You can not tell me that from what we've seen about Miyoko that she would not be up to kick Azami's ass out of Totsuki. I generally think it's stupid for the Rebels to go up against the Elites in a number even to them.

Azami. Explicitly told you guys. That you can bring more than that.

You were up against the Elite 10 Council.

YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED ANYONE YOU CAN GET!

YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED MIYOKO

(and Nao as well tbh)

(The Regiment de Cusine could have been a lot better to buy for me if the Rebels had shown up with more participants tbh but that's a different subject)

Anyways, as I said I wish we could have seen a lot more of Miyoko. But it just wasn't meant ot be :( I mean, when characters like Alice and Akira get pushed to the side, what chances does the tertiary cast have?

I'm at least glad that she is sort-off shown being the new president of the Chinese RS in Les Dessert 1? I like that for her.

But yes, ultimately...another criminally underused character. I look forward to write her being a cool mom in my fanfic tho.

LENS Ch.1

Summary: Sometimes, the universe aligns, and you make friends with a stranger. Sometimes, that stranger is actually multiple people and life just got a bit more interesting.

Genre(s): Fluff, Comedy, lil bit of Angst (Maybe), BTS (It’s a genre now)

Contains: Things that make me feel fuzzy, photography, social media, things I know nothing about but have googled extensively, and the power of friendship.

Word Count: 1405

Note: This is an introductory chapter. BTS makes their entrance in the next. This one is mainly to help understand a bit more about you - as the reader - and introduce background characters that will be referenced repeatedly and brought up often.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say that you were excited was an understatement. 

Striding through the doors, you were met with Wonderland, quite literally. Alice in Fantasy Book was a cafe you’d had eyes on for awhile. Photos of it’s delectable treats had crossed your feed one too many times. Now, here you sat, Eun-ha practically vibrating with excitement beside you.

“Haru said she was on her way,” You informed her, taking a sip of your drink. You were ignored, the model opting to gaze at the decor in awe. You couldn’t blame her. The walls themselves were a sight to behold, canvases portraying various scenes from the novel. When coupled with the other various decorations - of which an abundance were hearts - it was simply awe inspiring. You wished you’d brought your camera, but supposed your phone would have to do for now. A gasp of awe caught your attention and you turned to see Haru making her way to you. While Eun-ha was a classic beauty, and you maintained a rather flattering appearance, Haru radiated the softest of auras. 

“Ah, you look stunning,” Eun-ha complimented. Purple hair - pastel, of course - covered pink ears as the up-and-coming singer took her seat.

“Oddly Cheshire today,” You teased, eyes on her striped sweater. Haru only shrugged with a cheeky grin. The three of you shared a small laugh, quickly placing your orders. “I can’t believe we’re all here,” You admitted as the waitress walked away. You were so glad she spoke English.

“I can’t believe it either,” Eun-ha agreed. “The fact that we’re all here in Tokyo… When was the last time we were all in the same city?”

“Too long,” Haru muttered. 

“So why are you two around,” you inquired, head tilted in curiosity. 

“I’m in between shows,” Haru admitted. “I just finished up in Osaka, so we’re taking a break before heading back home.” The singer took another sip of her drink before the two of you turned on Eun-ha.

The model gave a dismissive wave, “In town for a clothing shoot. The real question is why our darling ____ is here and not back home in lovely South Korea.” You smirked, tracing the rim of your glass and giving the waitress a polite nod as she delivered your orders. 

“I am here,” you snuck a quick bite, “because I really wanted to eat at this cafe.” Your admission earned nothing but flat looks of disbelief. “I kept seeing photos,” you defended, gesturing at the rather adorable caterpillar sushi in front of you. “I’ll probably make a vlog later today, take some photos.” You shrugged, “Honestly, I don’t have anything planned right now.”

“No jobs scheduled,” Eun-ha repeated, clearly shocked.

“I’m on sabbatical,” You joked. “Only photos I’ll be taking are for me and Instagram.” From there, the three of you devolved into casual chatter, occasionally squealing at how utterly adorable everything was. A trio of girls, all suckers for the wonderfully weird world of Alice in Wonderland. The fun ended once Haru’s phone chimed, her manager calling her back to the hotel.

“We can walk you back,” You offered. The two of you were obstinately ignoring Eun-ha paying behind you. You’d tried splitting the bill, but the model had refused, citing that it was “her duty” as the eldest. Eldest by three days, but you weren’t bitter. Nope, not at all. 

Haru shook her head, “No, they’ve sent someone to pick me up. You two should go explore, send me some photos!” You rolled your eyes, grabbing her into a hug. Eun-ha soon joined, obnoxiously resting all her weight on the pair of you.

“Yah! Get off me, you giantess,” your words were muffled by the sweater in your face, but she got the message, releasing you with a laugh. “Aish,” you muttered, trying to fix your hair. Haru merely snickered, seemingly unruffled by Eun-ha’s antics. 

“We should really meet up again soon,” Haru said, watching as a sleek car rolled up, the driver clambering out to open the door for her.

“Definitely,” You and Eun-ha agreed. “I'll message you,” You promised, giving her a wave as the door closed and the car sped off.

“I need to go too,” Eun-ha admitted sheepishly. “My flight leaves in a few hours and I need to pack.” 

You nodded sadly, “Where to now?”

“London, actually.” She pulled you into a hug. “Stay in touch, okay? And keep those videos coming, your last cooking attempt had me in tears,” She admitted with a laugh. 

You giggled, giving her a punch in the arm. “Next cooking video, you’re going to be in it,” You swore. The two of you laughed. For all the grief Eun-ha gave you, she wasn’t much of a cook herself. The only difference between the two of you was that she was capable of using a knife without injury, as opposed to your ongoing battle to not bleed everytime you walked by one. The two of you shared one last bittersweet goodbye before finally separating.

You made your way to your hotel room, grabbing your camera. Not the one reserved for photos, sadly, but rather the one you used when filming. Setting it up on the tripod, you double checked the lighting, adjusted the settings, and started recording.

“Hello everyone! I wasn’t sure if I was going to video today, but I’m in Tokyo, so I couldn't resist. It’s rather beautiful here and I just got back from lunch. Eun-ha and Haru were able to make it, so we dined in wonder! No joke though,” you shifted on the bed and leaned forward, “We went to that cafe I’ve been dying to try! It’s called Alice in Fantasy Book and not only was the food and service superb but, the decor-'' You stopped, blinking meaningfully at the camera. “I died,” you said solemnly, “and it was so worth it.” You sat back, running a hand through your hair, “You all have known me awhile, okay. Aesthetics, themes, anything like that? You know I’m going to be into it. This place was honestly gorgeous you guys. They had chairs like the at the Mad Hatter’s table, Queen of Hearts theme was there, the waitresses were all in Alice's dress and-” You muffled a scream with your hands. “The walls were some of the most stunning things I have ever witnessed. They were painted with scenes from the novel and the artwork, oh my goodness. I think I fell in love with the walls,” You admitted sheepishly. “If any of you get the chance, especially my Alice in Wonderland fans, I advise you to go.”

“Anyway! It’s my second day here, yesterday I just walked around. I probably spent too much money shopping but meh,” You waved a hand at the thought. “My Pokemon collection has grown and I have more Luigi merch. That is all that matters. I’ll probably wander around some more tonight, take a few nightlife photos, but what I’m really excited about is tomorrow.” You rubbed your hands together, smiling gleefully. “I,” You proudly announced, “am going to drown myself in art! There are so many art museums here and I’m ready. There’s one focused on photography specifically, so you know I’m going there. I won’t keep this video so short - I have standards - which is why when I’m finally done editing, you all will have a lovely montage of me making a fool out of myself yesterday, playing in three, two-” You stopped recording, a grin on your face, “One.”

Whipping out your computer, you started editing, removing any awkward silences that might have snuck their way in first. Next came the audio, double-checking that it didn’t cut out randomly. It had happened once when you first started, and you’d been paranoid since. The montage was already done, simply needing to be stitched into the clip from tonight. You internally thanked your past self, who’d had the foresight to get ahead. Triple-checking everything and making sure you didn’t miss something, you finally nodded, loading it up to your account and sending out a quick tweet that your new video was up. Instagram was treated to a selfie and the same message.

You stood, stretching, and grabbed your camera bag, the light of Tokyo shining through your window. For all that it was late, you had the oddest feeling that something good was going to happen tonight. It could wait until after you got coffee, though.

Chapter 10

A/N: Here is the next the chapter! I’m so excited to share this with you, I hope you enjoy it

—————————————————

Alexa was holding her belly, laughing hard at Harry while she talked to him over the phone. Her heels clicked along the London cobble stoned street towards a local cafe she was meeting Hallie and Naomi at for lunch and well needed catch up with her close friends.

“Harry! Please stop!” She giggled uncontrollably, hearing his laughter mix with hers across the phone line. Suddenly, she grew quiet and listened to his purely infectious laughed that she found herself missing more and more with each passing day.

Harry was in the middle of exams, focusing all of his time on studying the materials he required to pass them leaving no time for a trip back to London to see Alexa until the weekend came along. For now, phone calls like this one would have to satisfy them until then.

“How’s my girlfriend doing over there? She seems to have gotten quiet.” His deep husky voice swooned over the phone.

Alexa halted her steps before cutting through a crowd of pedestrians to find a small pathway between to buildings to allow more privacy to talk with the prince. “You know, as I recall...” Alexa cleared her throat and leaned up against a red brick building. “I do not seem to remember that you actually asked me to be your girlfriend, only that you fancy me.” She teased him with a spreading smile forming on her lips.

“Is that so?” The prince chuckled lightly and sighed. “Alexa, you already know that you are.” She could tell that he was shaking his head at her, even over the phone.

“Say it then.” Alexa egged him on, wanting to hear it come from him first that they were indeed an official couple.

“Lex...” Harry’s voice paused for a moment. “I will, when I see you this weekend and get to see that beautiful smile of yours and watch those green eyes light up while you are in my arms.” He let the words sink in for Alexa to imagine. “Then... I will kiss those soft lips of yours until you beg me to stop. How does that sound?”

Alexa’s mouth betrayed her and released a tiny moan giving Harry all he needed for an answer. “I can’t wait til then....”

“Me too, babe.” He cleared his throat. “I will be back before you know it. I have already made you late for lunch with Hallie and Naomi.”

“Ok. Good luck on your exam this afternoon.” Alexa stepped forward back onto the side walk, seeing the cafe with in eyes view. “I know you will pass with flying colours.” She could not help herself, cracking a pun at Harry’s expense.

“Really Alexa?” He groaned deeply. “Flying... colours. You shouldn’t quit your day job gorgeous.” Harry giggled lightly.

“I am hilarious and you know it Wales.” Alexa waved at her friends through the cafe window. “Im at the cafe now. I have to go.”

“Bye, Lex.”

“Bye boyfriend.” Alexa smiled brightly, hearing Harry’s laughter before ending the call.

———————-

“Ok spill the beans, Alexa.” Hallie sipped on her tea.

“What do you mean?” Alexa lowered her head feeling the eyes of both of her friends Hallie and Naomi on her. It had been too long since they had gotten together with their busy schedules and lives so Alexa made time for them on a quick lunch break during the work week.

Naomi put her fork down and shared a knowing look with Hallie. “Oh come on. You have been glowing and smiling from ear to ear since the moment you have arrived.”

Alexa breathed in with a smile. It was true, ever since Harry and Alexa had unofficially officially became a couple she was in a state of constant happiness. Not only did she feel it, but it also showed on the outside.

“Alright, alright.” She beamed falling into a brief silence. “I met someone.”

Namoi and Hallie squealed with delight, but already knew that was potentially the case. “Who is he?! Where did you two meet? Have you two done it yet?” Hallie bombarded the blonde with question after question.

“Ya, what she said.” Naomi leaned in from across the table with a curious glint in her eyes.

“Hallie!” Alexa started to giggle at how forward Hallie was being, but she honestly was not surprised.

“Or I could just text Alice. I am sure she knows exactly who it is!” Hallie whipped out her phone pretending to type.

“No! No!” Alexa’s hand stretched out across the table pushing Hallie’s phone down. “I can tell you, god you haven’t given me a second to even answer!” She shook her head at her friends.

“We met at Eugenie’s engagement party.” Alexa smiled fondly at the memory of locking eyes with Harry from across the bar, the moment that started it all. “We took things a bit slow at least we tried too.” She tossed her head back in laughter. “But, now we are officially a couple and I haven’t felt this happy in a long time.” Saying it out loud made it feel more real for Alexa. She was officially Harry’s girlfriend and it made her happier than ever.

“Awe!” They said in unison.

“I can tell you are so happy, Alexa!” Naomi was brushing away tears of happiness.

“Awe Noe, don’t cry!” Alexa reached across the table to comfort her always-emotional friend that was a hopeless romantic. Maybe that was why she had become a wedding planner.

“I am sorry!” Naomi waved her hands in front of her face drying the tears. “You deserve to be so happy.”

Hallie giggled at Naomi. “Get a grip, it’s not like she is going to be ditching wine Wednesdays with us, right?!”

“Oh hell no!” Alexa covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Well when can we meet the lucky guy?” Hallie pipped in and gave Alexa that look she had when she was about to freely speak her mind. “You know he better not be an aristo again, you just need an ordinary guy that is not complicated to wine and dine you.”

Alexa nearly choked on her glass of wine as Hallie stated what was on her mind. Little did she know that Harry was completely opposite of an ‘ordinary guy’ that was far from ‘not complicated.’ Hallie had always been the protective one in the group and was the tough friend to win over. She trusted her gut when it came to judging people and nearly every time, she was right.

“Easy, I don’t want to scare him away!” Alexa diverted Hallie’s comment and lightened the mood, wanting to turn the conversation elsewhere. “When do you leave on your trip Hal?”

The conversation turned away from Alexa’s new relationship as the three of the friends caught up with their lives with one another. Hallie and Alexa bonded the very first day of university. Having met at a freshman tour of the campus together, the two of them ditched the tour and found themselves sharing multiple bottles of wine. Later finding out that they were to share a dorm together and have been close ever since.

Naomi Edwards and Alexa’s relationship went almost as far back as Princess Eugenie’s and Alexa’s. Having been friends since elementary school, Naomi was a close confidant of the blondes. The Edwards family even took care of Alexa and her siblings periodically when their parents needed to stay at the hospital with Rosie. They always made them feel included in their family. Alexa would often make a point to go visit Naomi’s mother after her husband passed last year.

The thought of introducing Harry to her friends was weighing heavily on Alexa’s mind. The couple did not have much time to talk about their new relationship since Harry had to leave to go back to base the day after they became official. A lot of things needed to be discussed, but had been put to the side after a busy week waiting for the next time they would see each other again.

————————

Alexa was at Eugenie’s apartment in Kensington Palace with her mother Sarah, watching Eugenie stand on a little pedestal as the designer explained the dress he envisioned in his mind.

Eugenie had pushed back deciding on a designer until the last minute and chose to go with Peter Piloto, a less known London designer. After having a lengthy discussion with Princess Eugenie about the vision she wanted her dress to portray, Peter walked the three of them through the details of the dress.

“Can we make the back a bit open?” Eugenie twirled back around to face her mother and Alexa. “I want my scar to be shown.”

Peter took a step back with a tilted head as he thought of how to incorporate the Princess’s wish. “I could do that.” He stepped forward and offered his hand to allow the Princess to step down off the pedestal safely. “May I draw what I am thinking for you Eugenie?”

“Yes! Of course!” Eugenie nodded with excitement. Peter sat down inbetween Eugenie and Alexa as he started to sketch the dress right before them.

Alexa looked across to Eugenie and saw her face beaming with happiness and was almost in tears when Peter finished drawing the dress of her dreams. The style would fit Eugenie so well and followed the royal bride’s protocols closely. It was classical, timeless, but was completely what Eugenie would wear with her own personal flare added in.

“I love it!” Eugenie squealed with excitement. Her green eyes immediately darted towards her close friend Alexa and her mother. “What do you think?” The bride to be wanted their valued input.

“Are you sure that you don’t want more bling or lace? Not even a veil?” Sarah was slightly disappointed that it would not be as elaborate as she hoped for. Til the moment Peter arrived, Sarah attempted to persuade Eugenie to go with a well known designer. But, Eugenie was adamant that Peter was the right choice.

“If I wear a veil no one will see my scar.” Eugenie sighed. “I want that to be showcased… for anyone that had to go through the same thing as me. I want them to know that you can still be beautiful even if you have scars.”

Alexa smiled proudly at Eugenie’s decision. “I think that is wonderful, Eugenie.” She added in. “I know you will look gorgeous in this dress and if it is everything you want, than I love it even more.”

Both Eugenie and Alexa glanced over at Sarah hoping that she would agree. “Well, if you love it sweetie I am on board all the way!” The group cheered as everyone was now on the same level.

Peter nodded in agreement with Alexa. “It is a beautiful testament that I am happy to fulfill, your royal highness.”

“This is my dress!” Eugenie fondly looked down at the sketch one more time. “I cannot wait to put it on!” The group dissolved into a quick laugh at Eugenie’s thrilled excitement on the matter.

“All I need is your measurements and I will get started on it right away!” Peter spoke enthusiastically before laying his eyes on Alexa. “I believe it is your turn, maid of honor!”

This was the part that Alexa had not been entirely excited for. Eugenie was adamant that Alexa’s dress was to be designed by Piloto and that it would be fully covered by the royal family. “Come with me my darling.” Peter took Alexa towards the small pedestal in the middle of the room.

“What would you like to see yourself in?” Piloto asked Alexa. She simply shrugged her shoulders unsure of what to say.

“It’s Eugenie’s day and I am happy to wear whatever she wants me to.” Alexa got a subtle glare from Eugenie.

“Alexa, I want your input in this too. I mean you have to wear it!” Eugenie and Alexa shared a quiet glance.

“You tell me your ideas and I will add to it, but I don’t know what you want me to look like!” Alexa encouraged Eugenie to speak her mind. “This is your day, not mine!” She further added.

The princess sat back and looked up at Peter. “What are you thinking Peter?”

“A few questions first, Eugenie.” Peter cleared his throat. “Are we going with a traditional royal maid of honor look with matching white or ivory? Or would you like some color?”

“Traditional.” Eugenie nodded before standing up. “What I have been thinking of is something similar to Pippa’s dress in the fact of how the buttons come up the back, but I want it to be different than hers.”

“Hmm… do you like lace and maybe a tulle cover?” Peter eyed Alexa’s body as he circled around her.

“Yes.” Alexa nodded. “But not covering all the dress.”

“How about this.” Peter had done a complete circle around Alexa and stood beside Eugenie. “A simple ivory color with corded lace and a few organza flowers opening to a short veil laced train at the back. Buttoning up the back like Pippa’s but the front has a sweetheart neck line covered with a sheer lace and with small sleeves keeping with the traditional guidelines.” Peter thoroughly explained his vision. “It will be elegant, traditional, but also subtle in the design to not overshadow Eugenie’s.” Piloto added that in for Alexa, as he knew that was where her head was.

“I love that! I can already see you in it Lexi!” Eugenie smiled happily as she took in the view of Alexa standing on the little pedestal. “May you sketch a quick draft for us, Peter?”

“Of course!” Peter waved the girls over as they fawned over his talented sketch bringing the dress to life.

“Ooh Alexa that will look beautiful on you!” Sarah gasped in awe of the design.

“What do you think?” Eugenie grasped her quiet friends arm, wanting to hear her opinion.

“I like how subtly pretty it is.” Alexa smiled at the sketch before locking eyes with Eugenie. “If that is what you like as well, I will be happy to wear it!’

“Yes! Are you kidding me!” Eugenie started to giggle. “I love it!”

“Honey, there isn’t nothing subtle about that dress when it gets on that body of yours!” Peter chimed in making the group dissolve into a fit of laughter.

Peter got the last minute measurements he needed to start designing both of the dresses and was about to leave Kensington. The plan was to keep Eugenie’s designer under wraps until the morning of the big day to which Piloto had eagerly agreed to. “Once again, thank you for this opportunity for me to design this gorgeous dress for an even more beautiful bride, Eugenie.” He shook the Princess’s hand firmly. “And of course your maid of honor dress, Alexa.” Peter took Alexa’s hand in his, shaking it.

“Thank you Peter. I am so happy that I have chose you.” Eugenie was smiling from ear to ear. “I look forward to hearing from you and seeing the dresses in person!”

With Peter gone, Eugenie flopped herself down onto a chair. “That was exhausting!” She giggled as she repositioned herself. “But, I am so excited to see them. Lexi you are going to be stunning!”

“Not as beautiful as you are going to be.” Alexa assured the princess.

Sarah was walking into the living room with Andrew in tow, carrying two large binders of papers. “Oh no.” Eugenie sat up straighter knowing exactly what they were as her eyes landed on Alexa.

“What?” She leaned in and whispered to Eugenie. Seeing her dreadful expression caused the blonde concern.

“Sorry to crash the party, but I thought it would be best for Alexa to get started on the protocols and policies she needs to be aware of.” Andrew practically slammed the binders down on top of the coffee table making a loud thudding sound.

Alexa’s eyes grew big, staring at the binders of endless papers. She reached forward and grabbed one nearly dropping it onto the ground not realizing how heavy it was. “I have to know all of this?” Alexa’s worried green eyes glanced up at Andrew, watching him carefully as he sat down across from Eugenie and her.

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I have also booked a few etiquette classes for you with our advisor. With as many eyes that are going to be on you, we have to make sure you follow the protocols and etiquette acceptable of the royal family.” Andrew continued to build the fear that was growing within Alexa.

Her stomach started doing flips in all sorts of directions. When Alexa first signed up for this, she had no idea that it was going to be this much stress on top of it all. She knew a lot of eyes would be on her, but now they would be judging her every step, her every move.

“Also, I got word that BBC will be televising the wedding for the world to see.” Andrew smiled pleasantly as Alexa flipped through the pages and pages of protocols. “I hate to just drop this and run, but I have a meeting to attend to.” He rose from his seat and placed a light grasp on Alexa’s shoulder. “Send me your schedule and I will book those classes as soon as we can!” Andrew walked out with Sarah leaving Eugenie and Alexa alone.

“You ok?” Eugenie rested her hand on Alexa’s knee.

Putting up a fake smile on her lips Alexa turned her attention towards Eugenie and nodded. “Yes. More reading than I thought, but it will be fine.” Not wanting to worry her best friend.

“I can help you carry those over to Harry’s if you would like?” Eugenie offered. “I cannot believe that you two are now official!” She stood straight up from her seat with an elated smile. “I am so happy for you two! Have you discussed whether you wanted to be seated at the same table at the reception?” Eugenie started to bombard Alexa with questions causing more stress added to the pile. “Maybe you two will be outed as a couple by then and it won’t matter!”

“Uh, no we haven’t had any time to really talk further about anything really. What do you mean?” Alexa stood up and watched Eugenie walk with a bounce in her step.

“Well when the press find out that you two are in a relationship silly.” Eugenie gave Alexa a raised eyebrow. “I mean.” She paused briefly. “You are my best friend and will soon be announced as my maid of honor. Then to find out that you are dating my cousin who happens to be Prince Harry… it will be a big story!

Alexa’s heart sank in her chest. Harry and her had only recently decided to be an official couple and she had entirely forgot about the whole media thing. They had hardly any time to really discuss the matter further as Harry had left the next day back to base and had hardly spoken since their goodbye last weekend, other than short phone conversations here and there.

Harry was on his way back to London and the plan was for Alexa to spend the weekend with him at his cottage after she was finished more planning with Eugenie this evening. But, now the stress of it all was finally hitting Alexa harder than she expected.

“You can’t keep your relationship a secret forever. They are bound to find out about it.” Eugenie kept talking in the background as Alexa was caught up in her own thoughts as an overwhelming sense begin to build within herself. “But, let me know about the seating at the reception soon. I have to get it done in the next few weeks.”

“We will.” Alexa glanced down at the time on her phone. Harry was still a solid hour and a half away from Kensington, but all Alexa wanted was a little time to herself to regain her composure for when Harry arrived. She had been waiting all week to see him and only wanted to enjoy her time with him. “I think I am going to head over to Harry’s now. I wanted to get some dinner made for when he got home tonight.” Alexa turned around and grabbed the heavy binders. “Do you mind getting an RPO to take me over there?”

“Oh my god. That is the sweetest thing!” Eugenie cooed. “You are going to make dinner for Harry?” The princess swooned at the thought of how romantic it was. “I remember when Jack and I were first in a relationship… all the sweet little gestures and the good sex!” Eugenie started to reminisce.

“I better go though…” Alexa forced a smile on her face as she grabbed her bag and heavy binders heading for the door.

“Thank you again for doing all of this for me, Lexi.” Eugenie pulled her friend into a warm hug. “It means the world to me that you will be by my side that day.”

“I would do anything for you, you know that.” Alexa squeezed her tighter, but her mind was simply elsewhere.

“Have a good evening with Harry and I will see you Saturday night?” Eugenie gently reminded Alexa that they had plans tomorrow evening with Beatrice and Dave to a Harry Potter Trivia at a bar.

“Yes, that is the plan hopefully. I will talk about it with Harry though and see if he is up for it.” Alexa watched an expression grow on Eugenie’s face.

“Since when did you need Harry’s approval for hanging out with me?” The princess kind of snapped at Alexa, taking her off guard.

“Eugenie....” Alexa drug out her name. “It’s not that I need his permission, its the fact that my boyfriend is in the city for the weekend and I want to make sure he didn’t make other plans for us first before I fully agree to it.”

“Oh, ok.” Eugenie shrugged it off and placed a half fake smile onto her lips, slightly concerning Alexa.

Not wanting to make this more of a big deal, Alexa waved goodbye and followed behind Harry’s RPO Magnus who graciously offered to help her carry the binders for her.

Magnus opened the door into Harry’s home and held it open as she stepped inside. “Do you know when Harry is to arrive?” She turned around and asked Magnus wanting to know how long she had to cook dinner.

“Just over an hour, Miss Grey.” Magnus asked if she required any further assistance and showed himself out.

Alexa made herself at home and settled into Harry’s cottage. She opened the fridge door and searched through a nearly empty fridge wondering what she could cook for dinner.

——————

Harry entered his cottage and the immediate smell of a delicious meal wafted into his nose. He could hear something being chopped up with light music playing in the background as Alexa’s voice sang to it. The prince had no idea that she could sing so he quietly kicked off his shoes and stepped carefully towards the kitchen with his bag slung around his shoulder.

Rounding the corner, he was relieved to see that Alexa was still unaware that he had gotten home. Harry leaned up against the wooden pole and quietly watched her sway her body back and forth while wearing an apron, chopping away at some veggies singing her heart out to an Ellie Goulding song.

Her eyes lifted to find a shadow figure from the corner of her eye. Alexa’s head snapped up towards the figure to see Harry standing there with a big grin plastered on his face. An embarrassed Alexa ducked below the counter and cringed knowing that Harry caught her singing. “How long have you been standing there?” Alexa yelled out before bravely standing up to face Harry.

All she could hear was his infectious laugh ringing out. “Long enough to hear that amazing voice you apparently forgot to tell me about.” Harry locked eyes with Alexa the moment she stood back up from behind the counter. He was now casually leaning on the other side of the island counter smiling down at her.

“Well, welcome home.” Alexa giggled while walking towards her boyfriend. Harry wrapped his arms around her and lifted Alexa’s feet off the ground, hoisting her up in the air. Settling Alexa back down on her feet, Harry hastily wasted no time in locking their lips together.

“It is good to be home indeed, home to see my girlfriend.” Harry exaggerated the word and watched that smile he had been waiting to see grow on her lips. His eyes stole a few silent moments looking deep into those green eyes that he had missed while he was away. The couple had agreed to spend the weekend together, making the effort to spend as much time as possible when Harry was home in London to make this long distance thing work.

“I made you dinner, boyfriend.” A proud Alexa was beaming up at Harry.

“I smell it.” He sniffed the air and looked towards the stove. “Smells delicious, Lexi.” Harry looked towards the unchopped veggies left that Harry had interrupted Alexa working on. “Can I help you finish up?” He kindly offered to help.

“No, no.” Alexa was quick to reply. “Have a seat. I am nearly done.” She picked back up the knife and started to chop the vegetables. “Besides, I am sure you had a long day travelling home.”

Harry slowly sat down on the bar stool across from his girlfriend and watching her expertly cut the vegetables. “It was a quick drive home, not too bad.” His eyes scanned the kitchen and saw two giant binders full of stacked papers. “What are these?”

Alexa lifted her eyes up for a second to see Harry opening the binders and flipping through the pages. She silently looked back down not really wanting to get into how nervous she was becoming about the wedding.

“Protocols?” Harry’s deep voice asked as Alexa’s silence did not go unnoticed by the prince.

“Yep.” She replied shortly. “Do you mind grabbing plates and cutlery. Dinner is ready in about two minutes.” Alexa changed the subject quickly, but Harry could feel the stress exuding from her body.

————

“Wow, that chicken was amazing.” Harry pushed his plate away and leaned back with a full tummy. “You are an excellent cook.” He complimented Alexa who took her last bite of chicken.

The prince had noticed how strangely quiet she had become. Alexa barely spoke a word to him over dinner and often would catch her staring in a distracted trance as if her mind were elsewhere tonight. “You seem awfully quiet tonight. Everything alright?” Harry felt it was best to bring it up and see if he could help her in any way.

Alexa sighed deeply at Harry’s question. “Honestly, no. Not, really.” She confessed with a lowered head that Alexa then cradled in her hands.

“What can I do?” Harry offered sweetly, not liking to see Alexa this stressed.

“I don’t know, Harry.” Alexa lifted her head to lock eyes with the prince. “Burn those stupid binders for starters!” She started to giggle, but it faded all too quickly for Harry’s liking.

“I am sure I could arrange that.” Harry barked a laugh. “Why don’t we head over to the sofa and you can tell me what’s got you so stressed out?”

“I’d really like that.” Alexa’s heart skipped a beat seeing the kindness in Harry’s eyes in wanting to make things better for her. She followed the prince to his living room and sat down right beside him angled to face Harry with her legs on top of his lap.

“Comfy?” He asked sweetly to which Lexi nodded. “Talk to me, babe.” His blue eyes glazed over with evident concern.

“I was ok until your uncle Andrew brought those binders over to Eugenie’s this afternoon and started talking all about the policies and protocols I needed to know. Then he started on about the etiquette classes that I would have to take and I got overwhelmed and stressed.” Alexa breathed out. “This all comes natural to you and your family and I mean I know a few things, but to have to know those front and back is stressing me out a little. Let alone if I fuck up, it’s televised in front of the whole world… and your grandmother.”

Harry’s hand gently rubbed up and down her leg letting Alexa know he was there for her. “I can completely understand that.” He offered his support. “She would probably just giggle at you to be honest… well in her head at least.” Harry tried to lighten the mood, but a glaring set of green eyes told him not to.

“Then Eugenie asked me if you and I were going to be sitting together at the reception…” Alexa trailed off letting it sink in for him what the real issue was that was causing so much stress within her.

“Ah… I see.” He released a deep breath knowing where Alexa was leading.

“She started talking about maybe we wouldn’t need to decide since our relationship could already be out in the open before then and how big of a story it would be.” Alexa peaked up at Harry.

Harry pursed his lips together, slightly angry with Eugenie. He did not have the chance to have a long conversation with Alexa about their relationship since they officially became a couple. He had hoped that they would at some point, but Eugenie forced his hand now.

“I know we did not get a chance to talk before I had to leave last weekend.” Harry held Alexa’s gaze while taking in a breath, giving the prince a moment to think of where to start. Her green eyes were pleading with Harry to relieve her of some of this added on stress. His features softened as he caressingly held Alexa’s hand hating to see her this overwhelmed.

“My life…” he started out, “is complicated at best.” His head lowered to see their fingers intertwined. “My family is very much in the public eye whether we like it or not it is part of our job as the monarchs to be seen. With that being said, there is a very fine line between our public and private life which is often over stepped by the media. That means any relationship I am, at some point it is exposed and becomes public when it is meant to be kept private.” Harry spoke through pressed lips.

Alexa slowly nodded, reminding herself of certain situations she witnessed with Eugenie. Her hand interlocked their fingers tighter, holding on tight.

Harry lifted his head and locked in Alexa’s deep green gaze. “Our relationship will get out eventually if we continue this, Alexa. It would be naïve of us not to think that. This is why I like to keep things in private as long as possible so we can get to know each other on our own without the press breathing down our necks or harassing you.”

“I know it will.” Alexa’s voice was softly quiet.

“I need to be completely honest with you and you need to understand what is going to happen once it does get out. I hate having these conversations, which is why I left it last weekend without having it. I wanted to enjoy the fact that I get you all to myself for the time being.” Harry leaned down and kissed Alexa’s forehead as she closed her eyes welcoming the tender kiss. “It’s not meant to scare you, but you need to be aware of what being my girlfriend means.”

Harry watched her chest rise and fall uneasily, her breathing becoming harder as he rested his forehead against Alexa’s for a lingering second. Her eyes were still closed tightly as she listened to his voice.

“When people find out about us, they will want to know everything about you and I mean everything. It’s a media frenzy to be the first to figure out who you are and any little detail about our relationship. They will talk to people in your past, your old bosses, teachers, neighbors anyone to get a story out of.” Alexa’s eyes fluttered open before resting her head on the back of the sofa, keeping eye contact with Harry. “They will harass you, follow you, shout names at you to even get any reaction for a photograph. They can be ruthless and lack any regard or respect. The hard part is not reacting to it as badly as you want to. Don’t say a word, just keep your head low and keep going.”

“And there is nothing that you can ever do about it.” Alexa added, finishing off Harry’s warning of the press and their habits. “Don’t be surprised. I know a few things of how it works. I have been friends with Eugenie ever since I could write my own name.” Alexa giggled seeing the surprised expression on his face.

“I will never blame you if it is too much for you too handle. I don’t expect someone to willingly subject their self to all of this madness, it’s not always worth it.” Harry wanted Alexa to understand fully what it meant to be involved with a royal.

“It is though.” Alexa was quick to answer, surprising the prince as he snapped his attention back towards the blonde with a confused expression. “It’s worth it.” She rephrased her reply. “I mean, look at what Jack and Eugenie have… or your brother and Kate. Nothing worth fighting for is ever easy, and I know you can’t always intervene, but I can handle myself Harry.”

“Alexa… you aren’t understanding what I am warning you about. Do not be naive.” He dropped her hand and stood up hastily. How could Alexa be this naïve? It was all worth it?

“I think I understand just fine, thanks.” Alexa clapped back angrily, unknowingly setting off a switch in the prince.

Harry turned around with a menacing look and practically yelled at Alexa. “Do you think my mother understood just fine? Do you really think someone warned her about this fucked up life? Do you think she understood what she signed up for?” Alexa in drew a gasp unsure of how to respond to Harry’s sudden lashing out.

“Well we can’t ask her that now can we?” The prince added while making his point clear to Alexa. He turned his back towards her and walked a few steps away.

Alexa sat there frozen in time while a deafening silence fell between them. Before Harry walked away, she saw the pain circling in his blue eyes at the thought of how people had mistreated his mother. He was only having this conversation with her so Alexa fully understood what was going to happen, but he was giving her a quick out she was not willing to take.

Harry was holding his head in his hands supporting himself up with his elbows that wavered back and forth on the cool countertop. He had horribly lashed out at Alexa out of nowhere. All he wanted was for her to understand, but clearly she could not get what she agreed to when he asked Alexa to be his girlfriend. It was only a matter of time before things got out and with Alexa being Eugenie’s maid of honor, she would already be in the spotlight.

But just as he could not protect his mother from the cruelty of the press combined with royal life… he could not protect Alexa from it either. That part was already chewing him up from the inside. He had been thinking about it all week, how her adoring smile was bound to fade once the awful stories ripped her apart piece by piece as she came crying to him about it all. He would again helplessly hold and comfort her time and time again after she read the lies printed about her, even when he encouraged her not too.

Alexa slowly stood up from the sofa and drew in a breath. Her heart was aching for Harry knowing that his anger came from a place of fear for her. She took a quiet moment trying to see it all from his perspective and why he had lashed out. Seeing the muscles of his back through his shirt rippling through knowing that he was tense as he stood with his back to Alexa.

He felt a gentle hand slowly rub his back as he swallowed a lump in his throat. “Harry?” Alexa whispered cautiously, to which the prince did not reply nor move from his spot. She wrapped her arms around him from the back and leaned in, kissing the back of his shoulder before resting her head on top of him.

“I don’t understand what you must be feeling right now…” Alexa softly spoke. “I do know that there is no doubt in my mind that you would protect me as much as you could.”  She let the words sink in. “I only said I understand what I am getting myself into and it is worth it to me to find out what there is between us because at the end of the day that is enough for me. You are enough for me.” His one hand reached down and placed it over top of her laced fingers across his abdomen.

Harry stood up slowly, lifting his arm up for the small blonde to cuddle in beside him. He was looking down as he caught her gentle green eyes peaking up at him with a small smile hinting at the corner of her lips. “Are you ok?” She quietly whispered as she searched in his deep blue eyes.

“Are you? I am the one that lost it on you…I’m sorry.” He apologized while tenderly caressing her cheeks with both hands. “I should never have yelled at you like that.” Through out this whole time, Alexa’s arms remained wrapped around Harry not letting go of him.

“I don’t like being yelled at, but I know where it was coming from.” She let Harry off the hook. “Your anger is only out of fear for me, but, I would rather you talk to me about her before it gets to that again. I am not saying you need to tell me everything, but know I don’t mind listening if you ever need to Harry. It’s part of my job to listen to people and help them.”

Harry’s finger lifted her chin to raise her mouth closer to his lips. “I am a lucky man to have you, Alexa.”

“Yeah, you are damn lucky.” Alexa’s laughter lightened the mood. He leaned down and captured her lips tenderly, sharing a deep kiss.

Breaking out of the kiss, Harry’s brow furrowed seriously. “And you are right, I will do whatever I can to keep you safe.”

“I know, because if you don’t I have a father and two older brothers.” Alexa casually reminded Harry while playfully squeezing his hips eliciting a smile she had been waiting for from the prince.

“Right…” He shook that thought right out of his head seeing the stacks of binders out of the corner of his eye. Leaving Alexa’s arms, he grabbed the heavy binders off the counter and looked back over his shoulder at his girlfriend. “Come with me, we are going to go through these awful things and I am going to help you.” He hoped that by helping relieve some of Alexa’s stress, he could make it up to her.

“Oh, you really don’t have to do that.” Alexa tried to convince him not to worry about it.”

“Grab a bottle of your favourite wine and get your get your cute ass over here.” Harry patted the spot next to him. “It’s the least I could do after adding even more stress to you tonight. Plus then you don’t have to read through all this shit.”

“Because you are the expert?” Alexa giggled and sat down close beside her boyfriend.

“Uh… yes.” Harry made a goofy face. “Ok, so first things first.” He opened the binder and started to summarize all of the protocols so simply making them less daunting for Alexa. She listened to Harry closely as he spoke while he explained with his hands.

“Ok, but when I walk down when do I have to curtsey and is it only to your grandmother? Or to your whole family?” Alexa nervously clenched her hands together as the prince stared into her eyes, imagining Alexa walking down the aisle behind his cousin Eugenie and how he was going to keep his bloody cool himself.

“What?” Alexa placed a hand on his knee. “Harry?” She looked into his glazed eyes.

“Shit…sorry.” Harry snapped out of his trance with a shake of the head. “Uh, no just to gran at the ceremony.”

Alexa rested her head on Harry’s shoulder and released a deep sigh. “Thank you for helping me with all of this. I know it must seem silly to you as these all come second nature to you. But, I appreciate it.” She leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek.

“It’s not silly. God I would probably tell Eugenie to pick someone else if they made me take classes and read through all of this awful crap.” Harry slammed the binder shut loudly, nearly dropping it on the ground with its heaviness making a thudding sound.

“Believe me after today, with the designer talking about the dresses and everything is making me more nervous about it all.” Alexa paused for a moment. “But, it will all be worth it seeing Eugenie so happy that day.”

Harry angled his head down at Alexa who found his shoulder again to rest her head. “You are a great friend. I am sure she appreciates it, Lexi.”

“I am wondering how I am going to handle seeing you walk down that aisle and keep my cool in front of my family. I pray to god that Zara is not going to be sitting beside me.” He confessed whole-heartedly.

“Umm… sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think she is.” Alexa fell into a fit of laughter seeing Harry’s concerned expression knowing fully that Zara would only make matters worse.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT THE 100 POSTER (and whether or not clones are a real possibility. I say yes.)

This is thematically their strongest poster yet and it’s got me SO PUMPED for this coming season. It’s also their most abstract poster, so I’m probably going to go in wild directions speculating. 

The Colors

This is the MOST colorful ANYTHING I’ve ever seen for this show, especially after last year’s promo was basically blacks and whites and red. But this is lighthearted! This is pretty! It’s completely at odds with that tagline and that’s awesome!

I think this is giving us our first real look at the new world. The color choices are so different from what we’ve normally seen that I feel like they are going somewhere completely new with the worldbuilding and maybe even the show in general.

Could we dream? Will there actually be brightly lit scenes? Colorful sets? Colorful costumes? Maybe our characters will be the odd ones out in their black leather biker outfits. It would actually be really, really fun to play with the idea of them finding a new world that feels like paradise at first - that is bright and colorful and pretty and so much more appealing on the surface than the world they just came from - only to slowly reveal the threat that hides beneath all that cheery color. Kind of like Mount Weather again.

Also, is anyone else getting an Alice in Wonderland kind of vibe? Or is that just me?

Face Your Demons

Since the start, this show has played with the concept of morality and survival - the idea that everyone has a monster inside of them, that the harsh conditions of their world turn them into monsters, that it’s not possible to be a good guy and survive. “There are no good guys” after all.

I found it so refreshing that the finale last season broke the mold with those themes - Madi spared their enemies. Bellamy talked about second chances and doing things better this time around. No one died or was sacrificed. Monty’s parting message - and the parting line of the season - was “I hope things are better there. Be the good guys.”

I’ve been hoping that change in theme holds up in season 6, and I’m interested how this tagline could fit with Monty’s message. To me, this feels like the characters are going to have to confront their demons - not in the way they have before, which has essentially been, let yourself be okay with the darker, more monstrous sides of yourself, but more in a way to CONFRONT those dark sides of themselves and overcome them. 

Maybe it means that in order to live out what Monty asked of them, they have to defeat the darker sides of them.

This probably applies to all of the characters in some way or another, but it’s obvious that “facing your demons” is going to be the main theme of Clarke’s journey, since she’s singled out in a poster which features two reflections of her. We know that Clarke has made a lot of mistakes last season, and she’s fallen into probably the darkest and least moral place she’s ever been in in this series - I’m really excited to see Clarke confront what she’s done and who she’s become and all the things she’s been through that have made her who she is.

This is also honestly the ONLY direction they could have taken Clarke that is still compelling, because we’ve been watching the morally grey (to morally really dark grey) storyline with her for too long now. Last season Clarke was at a point where she no longer really struggled to make terrible decisions in the name of her or Madi’s survival and really didn’t struggle much with the moral weight of her actions - so let’s see her struggle morally again.

Mirrors and Doubles!!!

Alright, forgive me. I just saw Us. Clones and evil reflections was ALREADY on my mind. And @boomheda​‘s mind immediately went to the same place too, so I’m not alone.

The background of the image is literally a mirror image. And the two profiles of Clarke are mirrored as well - but they are NOT perfect reflections. The profile on the left is a lot darker than the profile on the right - enough so that it’s hard to make out any details of her features. 

So we have the idea of reflections and doubles, but we also reinforce that idea of demons with the idea of having a darker reflection. The demon that Clarke is facing is her own darkness. (Should I read too much into the fact that Clarke isn’t looking straight ahead at that darker reflection? She’s looking down, as if she doesn’t REALLY want to stare at it. Am I reaching?)

Okay, so. It’s very possible this could all just be symbolic of the character journey that Clarke is going on. This shadowy, evil reflection COULD just be a metaphor for Clarke having to face the decisions she made last season. 

But it could also be literal. I really want it to be literal.

We’ve gotten a few hints that the direction this show is taking in season 6 is much more sci-fi than last season has been. For one thing, they’re literally in space heading to a new, far more technologically advanced planet. But it could be that even the plot will take on a much more sci-fi feel - which could be a really good explanation for why there was so much turnover in the writing room. 

One thing that science fiction nearly always does is portray themes and messages about the human condition in really literal ways. You want to talk about humanity’s tendency to hate and fear people different than them? Give us a world where robots who are very must like humans but still Other are mistreated and feared. Or gives us aliens that represent our fear of the unknown. Etc.

So it’s not at all out of line to think that this abstract idea of facing your inner demons and your shadow self could be represented literally in the plot.

The show has even done this before. In a lot of ways, season 3 dealt with trauma and grief and how the characters handled the terrible things they had been through. And it represented that idea very literally with an evil AI that gave people happiness by just erasing the trauma they had been through.

So I don’t think it’s impossible to assume that a season dealing with “facing your demons” might make that message a literal reality with, say.......clones?? Evil reflections of our characters that they LITERALLY have to face?

I mean it’s not like we haven’t seen this idea of evil reflections before:

look I WILL tie ALIE into literally everything and no one can stop me

I was already joking earlier today about wanting ALIE back before I even saw the poster. And while I don’t really have any theories about ALIE coming back, I am POSITIVE that Becca is going to play a role this season.

They already reminded us of her with the flashback last season. It also established that with the chip, Madi CAN see Becca’s memories and can likely talk to her. And they’re headed to a planet that was colonized with technology that Becca created. This new planet might not worship Becca as a god-like figure, but maybe they will ALSO know of Becca Promheda from their history books. Maybe we’ll see signs of her everywhere. Maybe Madi’s memories of her will help guide them in this new world. Maybe ALIE is here too. I can dream.

So we’ve checked the box on evil AI and space station and new planet. Maybe it’s time to move on to the classic sci-fi trope of clones. Not sure HOW that will be a reality though - maybe this planet has developed the technology to clone people? Maybe they replace characters we know with clones? Who knows!!! I’m so ready for them to go in wild new directions.

So clones. Maybe??

Another way this reflection idea can tie back into ALIE and Becca is with the fact that the infinity symbol itself is a reflected image.

And the infinity symbol does tie in with the Eligius Corporation. And they’ve tweeted it out recently.

Note how it’s also bookended with the two suns - another case of things coming in doubles and mirror images in this new planet.

So who knows. Maybe I’m wildly off base. But this poster certainly introduces the idea of mirrored, darker selves and doubles, whether that’s going to be literal or just completely metaphorical.

Detroit Become Human: My thoughts on Jack's play through

First of all, this the first game that I've seen Jack play that I have absolutely fallen in love with an actor who plays one of the characters, Bryan Dechart that is, he is just the most wonderful human being and I can't wait to see Jack and him hopefully collab one day! I also absolutely loved the character Bryan portrayed, Connor. Such a good character and his relationship with Hank was even lovelier.

But overall, I absolutely loved this game, start to finish. I've never been this wrapped up in a story of a video game until this game. It was so well written, it was like watching my favorite TV show or movie or something, it was so much fun! I was so excited for more after each episode ended! Goes to show how much care went into this game that it had me this enthralled!

Jack's series on this will go down as my favorite series on Jack's channel, just because of the impact it had on me and all the amazing actors it introduced me to who I want to support.

The thing about it though is that, I started out the series absolutely loving Kara and Alice's story the most, then about halfway through I found myself in love with Connor's story the most and that's when my love for Bryan really began. Markus's story was cool too, I really enjoyed his as well, especially when he ran away from Carl to join Jericho. His was really interesting to watch too.

Basically, it was a rollercoaster from start to finish, and I am so happy with how Jack's series on it ended. I definitely feel whole after that haha! I'm just glad everyone is okay honestly! Can't wait to see Jack possibly stream it and see what would happen if he made different choices! I'm beyond excited for that!

Thank you for playing this Jack, it's officially my, personal, favorite series you've ever done! :) @therealjacksepticeye

Jasika Nicole on the finale season of “Alice Isn’t Dead” and what’s ahead

The popular podcast Alice Isn’t Dead is now in it’s final thrilling season. I sat down with out actress Jasika Nicole, who plays the series’ leading character, Keisha, a truck driver on a quest to find answers about her missing and presumed dead wife, Alice. With a book coming out and talk of a possible television adaptation, this final season is far from the end for Alice Isn’t Dead. Jasika shares her experience leading this wonderful story, and how it’s changed her as an actor.   Bella Books: There is a lot going on right now with Alice Isn’t Dead. How excited are you for this third season? Third and final season I should say… Jasika Nicole: I’m happy about it… I mean, you know I would love to keep doing it forever and ever. I love that he decided to come up with pretty much a self contained story that had a start and and end, because I think there’s a lot of things that started so amazing and then they just kept it going forever and ever and they kind of drained out all the story out of it, so I love that there’s a specific start and a finish. I have no idea how it’s finishing at all (laughs), so part of me feels like I am, you know, a member of the audience a bit because I don’t know where it’s going or what’s gonna happen, and every episode that he [creator Joseph Fink] sends me to record is, you know, the first time that I know what’s happening with the story, the journey of the characters, so… Bella Books: So you’re only getting one script at a time? Jasika: Yeah, and I don’t get like an overview or an arch of each season, or each storyline, or anything like that, which is fine. Like I don’t care (laughs) because it doesn’t affect my performance at all, but it’s like every time I get a new script I tend to get it with a note, like with the last one, I think it was chapter 4 he wrote “this one is spooky”and I was like, ok, if you’re saying it’s spooky. Bella Books: (laughs) Jasika: I think all of them have a good element of intrigue and spookiness in that, yeah. Bella Books: Oh, absolutely. Well, it certainly helps keep you on your toes and in the moment, right? Jasika: Yeah, it totally does and I love that I get to play around with it, and he really trusts the actor, and their ability to perform in their own expertise. He doesn’t give a lot of direction unless it’s, like, if I mispronounce a word or something like that, and so it’s kind of it. At first, it was really bizarre you know, coming from a background in television and film, I’m used to somebody kind of micromanaging every movement and character decision basically, so this was a lot of freedom to have. It’s kind of strange but I honestly really liked it, and one of my favorite things is reading the script and seeing there’s another character in it because I try to differentiate the voices a little bit. I obviously don’t want to sound exactly like that character I’m reading since it’s an impersonation to her, it’s more like what they sound like to her when she had a conversation with them, or when she saw them, and I think that relationship is being filtered through her own experience of that person. That might not be what the actual person sounds like, but it’s what they sound like to her, and so it’s a really fun thing that I get to do. It’s like you’re going to be voicing a different guy on this one, and when I’m reading it’s like “gotta come up with something, okay.”   Bella Books: Also you recently did a live recording of Alice Isn’t Dead, or was it a special episode? Jasika: It’s both, it is a special episode, kind of a stand-alone episode that you could listen to and still be able to follow the narrative if you haven’t ever heard Alice Isn’t Dead before, but they just released… I wanna say the week after, they released the recording of that. We did that script for Seattle and then adapted it for Los Angeles, and it’s such a good episode. It’s one of those things that’s really special if you’re in the room, if you haven’t heard it. I’ll hold the spoilers, but it’s really special because she starts basically narrating what’s happening in real time with the audience there, which is really cool and eerie, and they’re playing this creepy background music, so it’s a really, really special performance that I got to do. I loved it.   Bella Books: I know from our previous conversation that recording is usually a very solitary and intimate experience for you. I remember you telling me that basically you kind of lock yourself up in a closet. (laughs) Jasika: That’s exactly like it. Bella Books: What’s it like doing it in front of an audience? Jasika: It’s amazing, I love it so much. I miss being on stage. My background is in musical theater so I always imagined that I would be of course of doing musicals forever. Obviously there’s a very special relationship you get to have recording on stage with an audience, but this was so different from that, there’s no movement, there’s no choreography, so it’s just me with my microphone, and so I have to really trust my ability to capture an audience for like 45 minutes or an hour or something like that. It’s a really long time to be standing there and talking and not doing anything else, you know, with your body. Obviously you’re like doing gestures and stuff like that, but it’s just me and the audience and the music, and it’s so different from Welcome to Night Vale because that show has guests that come on, and this amazing narrator, and also the show deals with a lot of people that come in and out of a story, and Alice Isn’t Dead isn’t like that. It’s just me, or my voiceover and the audience, so I felt really nervous when we did the first performance of a live show which is actually just Disparition‘s music and me because… I don’t know, I guess I didn’t trust that I was gonna be interesting enough for an audience to really sit there for that long… Bella Books: Oh, please… Jasika: I’m serious! The thing is that I was kind of… selfish isn’t the right word. I was kind of thinking all the power is on that stage alone, when really it’s about the words and the story being told, and my goal is just being an instrument for that. And plus, you have the soundtrack, and everything all together is really great, and the audience is justs like right there with me. I mean, they’re in it. They gasp, they laugh. So I had to process that it is not, you know, just me. Again, voice acting is a solitary experience where I sit in the bottom of my closet for 45 minutes, but the live show is so much more than that, and obviously with the audience, they participate in it too, so it started being way more comfortable and less stressful than I initially thought it would be.     Bella Books: I’m sure like most people, I was pretty taken aback when we found out that indeed Alice wasn’t dead. How does this change the game for Keisha? Jasika: That is a great question. At the risk of spoiling too much of the second season because obviously, you know, you get to hear Alice’s voice in the very last episode. Bella Books: And you get to hear her do an entire minisode. Jasika: Yeah, totally. So, I will say that in season 3, Alice is going to be a huge part of the story and what is happening, but it didn’t change the set up of the show, the format of the show. But now you’ve got two people that are sharing a story, and it’s really great because you get to hear one person describe what happened, and then you hear another person describe the same thing, and sometimes they’re right on the same page, and other times the two have totally different experiences. Obviously, they’re two very different people, but also because there’s been a bit of a betrayal in the relationship and so with that… everything isn’t happily ever after… Bella Books: Like you do when your wife all of a sudden, is dead, or not dead… Jasika: Exactly. There’s a bit of dissonance between the characters, and even in some aspects, I think the way that the story unfolds in the season which really, I think it’s brilliant, I think it’s so good. And here’s a really funny thing: So we recorded up to chapter 4 in this final third season, and just the other day Joseph was like “well, chapter 5 is next, but I’ve already written chapter 10 so I’m sending that.” So we’re about to record the last one before we get to go back for the rest. I just love it, it’s just so bizarre, and fun! I love that in podcasting you have the freedom to do stuff like that.   Bella Books: Oh, I can’t wait. So, I know people say things like this, like “this is just a story about people who happen to be LGBT”, but it’s still kind of a big deal. And this show has a whole lot of queerness, not only are you an out queer woman, but your character is queer. It’s very refreshing to have such a queer-focused project like this! Was that always part of the plan or is that just kind of the way it happened? Jasika: Interesting question. I think that it’s just how it happened. I had gone to do a live show of Night Vale that wasn’t in LA, but it was in the surrounding parts of LA, and this was several years ago. Joseph just came and said “hey, I really wanna write a show for you, and I have this idea, and it’s about a queer person, and that’s all I can really say about that now, but would you be into recording it?” And I was like, “ok, first of all, nobody’s ever written anything for me specifically to perform and that is s huge deal” So I think that because I was the person that he wanted to write it for, he based it loosely around me, but just around the fact that I’m a person of color, the fact that I’m a queer woman. He let me name her, this was, you know, the second season, and he said: “I wanna give her a name if there’s a name you’d absolutely love…” So I was a part of bringing her to life even more, and I wanted to choose an obviously black name. I wanted this to be very clear because I had seen in so many people doing fan art and portraying the narrator in lots of different images. I personally don’t have a problem with that at all, and it think it’s pretty normal to hear specifically voices and see yourself in them. That’s what we do. That’s why stories are so universal, because it allows people to see themselves in them, so I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with drawing the image that we see, but obviously I wanted it to be known that she is a person of color. That you could draw her any way you want to but, the actual story is that this is a person of color. And so yeah, I think, the reason I find this so satisfying is that a lot of the relationships, narratives and stuff like that, you know obviously, for Night Vale a lot of the Americana touches and kind of identifying things the in story, a lot of the things she experiences on the road, and a lot of the stuff that happens between Alice and Keisha are based on the experience Joseph had with this girlfriend at one point, but wife now. I think it’s so true because it’s obviously important to see women in loving relationships in media, but when you get to the bare bones of it, love is a pretty universal theme, and there’s not a whole lot that doesn’t kind of cross boundaries. I think that so often what we see in the narratives in television and film, and in books for the most part, is that you don’t get to see white cis straight men making connections with people outside of their experience. Like they expect everybody to relate to them, and yet with many stories of other people they will automatically ignore or dismiss them because if they’re straight and white or whatever they’re not gonna see how that relates to them. They’re going to assume, well that’s a black thing, or that’s a queer thing, or that’s a woman thing. So I really like the idea of taking someone’s personal experience and showing how they it can expand across communities and identities because the ideas of love and loss, and being deceived, and having anxiety, that doesn’t know a color, it doesn’t know a body type, it doesn’t know a gender. It doesn’t know any of that. It’s pretty much prevalent in every community that I can think of, and so it’s something that’s always been really special for me. I felt a part of the story story, and I felt like I was part of his story, you know what I mean? Bella Books: Yeah. Jasika: Like it felt there’s a lot of hands in the pot mixing everything together and I just think that it worked out pretty well.     Bella Books: So there’s also been talk of a TV adaptation of the show. Have there been any updates on that? Jasika: The guy who does Mr. Robot (Kyle Bradstreet) is the one who is going to be at the helm of the Alice Isn’t Dead TV show. It got optioned, I think i twas last year, which is very exciting. I would love nothing more than to be a part of this television adaptation, and there is the clause in the contract that… I forget the exact wording… But it has something to do with like good faith, like “we will cast the originator of this role in good faith.” I mean, I don’t know how much of this exists in Hollywood, so I just kind of take that at face value. I would really like to be part of the adaptation and I’m hoping that I would be, but it’s not… It’s certainly not confirmed or written in stone that I will be, and this also goes for the Welcome to Nigh Vale TV show, which actually got optioned several years ago and is also making the transition into a television show. So as with all the original cast they will hopefully be a part of the show, but maybe not. I don’t know. (laughs) Bella Books: (laughs) Jasika: I’m cautiously optimistic. I can’t tell you how many things I thought were guaranteed in my career that ended up falling through and not happening, so at this point, I’m just like, “well, I hope it happens.” Bella Books: You take a kind of wait-and-see attitude about it? Jasika: (laughing) Yes, that’s exactly right.   Bella Books: So, what has been for you as an actor, as a person, the biggest takeaway from Alice Isn’t Dead? Jasika: Well, as an actor, I think I’ve learned in a lot of ways how to trust myself and my craft a little bit better. And obviously I’ve talked about the freedom that Joseph gives with recording by ourselves, but it’s also allowed me to experiment in ways that you’re just not able to do in other parts of this career. Again with most TV you just, you know, you can film 15 scenes and think they were all amazing and you’re so excited about it, but when the final cut airs or comes out you could be edited completely out of it, or you might be edited down to be like a peripheral character. There’s so much that you don’t have control of, but in podcasting it’s really just about you and your voice, and what you decide to do with your voice, and that’s pretty much the end game of it. There’s not much, not a lot of editing after that, except obviously like the music and that stuff. So it’s given me a lot more confidence in my instincts, I think, because again, when you’re in television and film, if you do end up being edited down, you never get to find out why. “Oh, the movie was running too long” or “your instincts were terrible and we had to get you off camera.” Like, you never get that, so you can go down a bit of a spiral. So it’s nice to be part of a project where whatever I do with that microphone, that’s what is going out into the world and people still like it. Obviously some people don’t, but that could be accepted, but for the most part people are really responsive to that, to me, and it just makes me feel a lot more comfortable with my abilities and my confidence. I feel empowered. I feel that I can sort of do this because, for somebody like me in the voiceover world, and I think we talked about this in our previous interview, it has been a rough road. I don’t get cast a lot because my voice doesn’t sound always the way that… Bella Books: Oh, yeah we totally did talk about this the last time we talked. Jasika: Yeah, so I feel like I’ve been able to have such an awesome experience within the voice over world just thanks to Jeffrey and Joseph, and it has got me more work. I’ve been able to do a lot more animated stuff that probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to me because I didn’t have a huge resume, or you know, a lot of voice over stuff on my resume, so that has made a really big difference for me, personally.   Bella Books: Ok, so one last question because I know you’re so super creative, and you have so many cool ideas. What are you working on now that you kind of wanna just buzz about? Jasika: (laughs) Well, Let see, career-wise stuff? I’m doing a special short which is cool and I’m narrating the Alice Isn’t Dead audiobook that comes out in about October… Bella Books: Oh, great! Yes, the book! Jasika: I know, it’s really, really cool. I kind of assumed they would get somebody else for the audiobook (laugh) because… This is probably just me, but I thought they would be like “let’s just go another direction, let’s mix it up a bit!” Then I got to actually do it, I got the opportunity, and I’m most excited because you get to read it before everybody else, so that’s the coolest part.   The Alice Isn’t Dead novel is available for pre-order now. You can follow Jasika Nicole on Twitter and Instagram. The Alice Isn’t Dead podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. http://dlvr.it/QSPxPL

My time as Spike Spiegel.

Last year I shot the "Tank!" music video for Anime Expo's Jazz Cat Experience, and I will never forget it. But it wasn't just because I fulfilled a decade long goal of playing Spike Spiegel in a live-action Cowboy Bebop opening credits sequence. Or that I got to work with a fun team of friends, Alice Underground, and even Beau Billingslea! The day I finally got to play Spike will always be a bittersweet and memorable day because it was the morning of the Pulse massacre in Orlando, Florida.

I came in as excited and gung-ho as I have ever been. I went straight to wardrobe, make-up, and then to social media to share my excitement. Immediately I was distracted by notifications of college friends of mine marked "safe." All the excitement and joy had been set aside suddenly to focus on finding out what they were safe from. And who all was safe. Despite almost eight years in Los Angeles, I still consider Orlando my home. A large number of my favorite people in the world live there. I have mentors and loved ones there. I had to scroll through the thankfully long list of names to find every acquaintance running through my head. I had to check where the source was, find if the radius of Facebook's safe-checker was outside from the names I couldn't find. I had to find my best friend's feed to see if he was supposed to be on that list. But before I could complete these tasks, I was called to set. I walked out onto the empty green screen, still distracted. No longer my excitable, headstrong self. Certainly not the carefree character I was being asked to portray. My soul was heavy now with the sorrow at the mere idea of people I care about as victims of a shooting. And the first thing they ask me to do was to pick up a gun.

The music video is an upbeat, albeit chaotic romp with the show’s beloved characters. It features all the nefarious but fun elements of the show, and the sillier side of it’s cast. I know the Spike they wanted was the lovable hotshot who was too cool to care. But holding a (fake) gun, unable to ignore all the damage it represents, or abstain from using it to do my job, I was the haunted apathete trapped in two mindsets at once. Honestly, I think it made my performance better. Spike is tormented by the unspeakable horrors of his past, and at this moment I’m afflicted by the unspeakable horrors of the present. I had to feign Spike's indifferent attitude, but sometimes I think he does too. Spike claims to have died once, and the unexpected scare of having the people who made my life what it is no longer a part of it is, to me, was akin to a near-death experience. It wouldn't be the first time, but it's as close as I've come to feeling like I lost a piece of my soul. Still, I can't imagine how the loved ones of the Pulse victims feel. I am blessed in that all my friends ended up on the safe list. I read the list of names who had been lost to us, and I didn't know any of them. I'm not gay, or latinx. I've only been to Pulse once, and it was during the daytime. But they were still members of my community. Luis Vielma worked at the same theme park I worked for years. He's a Harry Potter fan. I'm kind of surprised we never crossed paths. He's a member of my community. I'm still shaken by it. When I see one of the images of me holding that gun, it's not exciting to me. It's not cool. In the image I'm silhouetted against a wall of color, as is the imagery we were recreating. It's a striking image. I use it on my website because I know it seems exciting and cool. But I wish my eyes were visible. I wish it showed how tormented I was to use that gun. I did so purely because it was what was required of me. And I’d do it again, cuz that’s what I do as an actor. But when I stop and take a step back, I look at it all with a different point of view. That gun doesn't make me or Spike a badass action hero. I'll admit, it helped me to resemble Spike, who is a badass action hero because he's a Jeet Kune Do practicing space pilot who tenaciously hunts down criminals in a slick-looking suit, and so on. In the show, guns are his weapon of choice, after his feet, but they are also what snuffed him out. It didn’t make me feel like a cool action hero. It made me feel a bad person. Or a good person who has done bad things. I pictured my peers in Orlando being appalled that I would use such a thing. And on that day no less. I was dismayed toward myself. But, like Spike, I threw myself into the task at hand and separated myself from feeling the guilt I knew would catch up to me as soon as I had a moment to myself. And it did. And it does. Seeing myself with the gun holds a new meaning for me. Some of the show holds a different meaning for me now.

Granted, I still went to the Jazz Cat Exprience and had an extraordinary time. I walked around the expo in costume and had a great time taking photos with fellow fans, waxing on about the show, and pretending to be the coolest character ever. But staring at the grounded ahead of me while keeping my hands in my pockets came easy. I still love the show, and love the character. And while most of this is attributed to the sophisticated brilliance of Cowboy Bebop, each time I watch the show, I feel like I understand Spike Spiegel a little better than I did before.

Lots of news coming out of DC Fandome that was held recently. Probably the most anticipated was James Gunn’s cast list of his follow up to Suicide Squad. Now I’m not a fan of the franchise, but with what’s happening now – I am. James Gunn also is no slouch by any means – so he just may have the golden touch to turn this disaster of a franchise around.

SUICIDE SQUAD II

Viola Davis will reprise her role as Amanda Waller while Joel Kinnaman will play Colonel Rick Flag and Michael Rooker will play Savant. Flula Borg will step into the role of Javelin and of course, Margot Robbie will continue to cause trouble as Harley Quinn. David Dastmalchian will see spots as Polka Dot Man and Daniela Melchior will be Ratcatcher 2. Idris Elba will be armed as Bloodsport and Steve Agee will play King Shark. Mayling Ng will portray Mongal and Peter Capaldi will get brainy as Thinker and Alice Braga will be Sol Soria. Rounding out the bunch is Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and John Cena as Peacemaker.

Let me tell you what I like about this. Idris Elba as Bloodsport I think could run away with the movie – and Pete Davidson as Blackguard could make it ten times worse. So it’s a crap shoot – but like I said – James Gunn is no slouch, he knows what the audience wants, he knows what comic fans want, and he understands the comic book universe. I would love to see this thing in theaters – I’m sure Margot Robbie worked out her accent by now and maybe it’s actually worth listening to this time around.

THE BATMAN

Also during DC Fandome – The Batman got his due in the spotlight with a trailer of footage put together so far from what has been shot.

The director Reeves has stated on the panel at DC Fandome that his Batman is Batman Year Two. 

“It’s not an origins tale, but you’re meeting him in the early days. A lot of the other (cinema) stories showed he had to master his fear and himself, to become Batman,” said Reeves, but in his movie “we met in the middle of this criminological experiment and watch him make mistakes.”

Paul Dano plays a version of Riddler that we have never seen before, which will be interesting. Andy Serikis plays a new rendition of Alfred. Colin Farrell plays Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin, before he becomes The Penguin. I believe each of these villains do not exactly know their potential as of yet, neither does The Batman. I think as the movie grows, they will all grow into their characters and be ready for future films and fights. Selina is even making an appearance in this – before she becomes Catwoman. So it seems we will get to know all these characters before their iconic status and be able to grow along with them – including The Batman, which could make for a very smart choice. I am excited to see this simply because it’s not Hollywood studio cinema with nipples on costumes and fake explosions everywhere. 

BLACK ADAM

The Rock gave some sweet info on his new DC character, Black Adam. Confirming that his film will include Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Cyclone and Atom Smasher. Which is great because Hawkman has always been one of my favorites and his character is wonderfully suited to some cinematic tales. Finally… The Hawkman has come back… to – well you know the rest. 

Asked if Superman will appear in Black Adam, we know that Cavill is signed to appear in one of the future DC movies – Rock would not answer directly as to which one.

The Rock had a message for existing DC superheros Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg about Black Adam: “Let them know something — things will never be the same hierarchy in the DC universe, it’s about to change.”

THE FLASH

The Flash team had some news about the new stand alone film starring Flash. It was suggested that there will be some kind of time travel involved. This scares me because we have had nothing but time travel from these superhero movies ever since their inception. X-Men time travel all the time and Avengers of course, had time travel in spades. So the fact that time travel is being used again – makes me very weary and almost think that they had absolutely no idea what to do with The Flash. Let’s hope I’m wrong.  Oh, and they revealed that Flash will wear a new suit. Oh Joy. 

SHAZAM!

Yes there will be a sequel to the hit Shazam and Zachary Levi will reprise the role. It will be called Fury of The Gods. The cast came on at DC Fandome to talk about how they could not talk about the movie. The first film made a nice $159 million, and had a great tone and great heart, so I’m glad it is coming back for more. 

WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman 1984 debuted a longer trailer at DC Fandome. This one includes Cheetah in full costume going after Diana. Wonder Woman lassoing lightening and those infamous words from a hero “what did you do?” I was a big fan of the first one, I loved what Patty Jenkins did and I’m glad she got the power and the freedom to do it again. Honestly, anything Gal Gadot is starring in with a short skirt, I am going to watch, so this series does not need much goating to get me hooked. I’m glad it was shot and finished before the pandemic, and now it’s just a waiting game. Wonder Woman gets to face her arch nemesis and let’s hope it’s a battle that will last a few films into the future. 

Erina, Souma, Yuki, Ryoko, Shun, Zenji, Megumi, Hisako, Ryo, Alice, Takumi, Rindou, Uraraka, Ikumi for the character thing please? (I already sent one but I think tumblr ate it so I'll try again)

Ahhh….Gosh, I am so sorry about this being so late. I also received your other message but I really am a turtle. 

Also, I hope you don’t mind me only doing Erina to Megumi for now and doing Hisako to Ikumi tomorrow. It’s just that my Laptop is not in the best conditions and can randomly shut down sometimes and then a lot of work would be lost…which would really kill my motivation. 

So okay then. let’s go!

(Original Meme)

Erina Nakiri

favorite thing about them

- Her development I think!! She came such an incredible long way, I am so moved. She started out as an untouchable queen with a limited idea of cooking, slowly opened up to the people around her,  was shaken to the core as her father came back to Totsuki, found courage at a place where she’d have least expected it, became a strong leader who’s going up against her father who scared her so bad to save the people dear to her. I honestly just love this progress and what she grew into.

least favorite thing about them

- I always liked Erina, but I have to say that she was pretty mean in some of the earliest chapter. I think her cruelest moment is during the Breakfast Challenge tbh.

favorite line

-“If you all really have the drive to remain here, then I swear on my God Tongue, I will support you all! […] Come! If you all truly are proud chefs, follow me!” (Chapter 172); “I am no longer a queen content with sitting pretty on her throne!” (Chapter 247)

brOTP

- Erina & Hisako, Erina & Alice, Erina & Polar Star Dormitory Students (mostly the girls)

OTP

- Erina x Soma

nOTP

- Erina x uhm Azami or Jouichiro I think :/

random headcanon

- Her favorite movie of all time is James Cameron’s Titanic

unpopular opinion

- There probably is something but I really don’t know

song i associate with them

-“I Won’t Say I am In Love” from Hercules; “Paper Crown” by Alec Benjamin

favorite picture of them

- Yo this is the main heroine of a manga that is absolutely beautifully illustrated. Aka. It’s awfully hard to actually find my favorite picture…because she is gorgeous at all time!

It came down to these four:



Rest (Soma/Yuki/Ryoko/Shun/Zenji/Megumi) under the cut!!

Soma Yukihira

favorite thing about them

- I absolutely admire his optimism and how he never even considers giving up no matter the situation and always tries to come up with a solution. As someone who immediately goes into panic-mode as soon as one thing doesn’t goes as it should, I hold great respect for this guy who was able to turn his situation at the Breakfast Challenge around due to his coolness in the situation.

least favorite thing about them

- This is not really his fault but more on Tsukuda’s part…but most recently I am really tired how he takes victory after victory. Like…can he please struggle again, Tsukuda and experience an actual loss?

favorite line

-“The journey’s no fun if you know where you’re going.” (Chapter 170); “Tomorrow you’ll defiantly have to open your restaurant, that’s what it’s like to be a chef.” (Chapter 89)

brOTP

- Soma & Megumi, Soma & Takumi, Soma & Zenji & Shun, Soma & Hisako are probably my faves

OTP

- Soma x Erina

nOTP

- Soma x Jouichiro….Also honorable mention to Soma /x/ Ikumi

random headcanon

- Likes both cats and dogs but prefers dogs a little bit more

unpopular opinion

- uuuhhh…There must be something but I really can’t come up with anything right now

song i associate with them

- Right now, all I can come up with is “St Elmo’s Fire” by John Parr

favorite picture of them

Yuki Yoshino

favorite thing about them

- Embodiment of sunshine! Cheerful and full of laughter at almost all times. It’s such an incredible joy watching her!! She’s just so positive, cute and energetic! I just can’t help but to feel happy as well when I watch her getting excited about luxury, her friend’s accomplishments, her dorm etc. Adding to that she also get’s me to laugh with her adorable, over-the-top reactions.

least favorite thing about them

- I know it’s played for comedy and it’s also hard to blame her on that matter but I am sad that she’s actually shown to be insecure about her looks. Like, my god, Yuki you’re very pretty. Don’t think other wise.

favorite line

- “I really don’t like this! I don’t want the Polar Star Dorm to be gone!! I wanted..to be with you guys and together….I…I wanted to, cook more with you!” (Chapter 141); “We of the Polar Star are so fearsome even kids stop crying!” (Chapter 14)

brOTP

- Yuki & Ryoko

OTP

- Yuki x Zenji

nOTP

- Yuki /x/ Shun

random headcanon

- Into Baseball.

unpopular opinion

- Surely there is something but again…I can’t come up with something right now

song i associate with them

- “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper; “

Wannabe” by the Spice Girls tbh for some reason

favorite picture of them

Ryoko Sakaki

favorite thing about them

- GRACE !! This lady is so mature and elegant, gosh what a woman! She’s just so calm, patient and sincere but also able to tell someone off when they deserve it. I really can see why they call her “Older Sister”. Again, she’s just so caring and graceful. Defiantly a person one can look up to imo.

least favorite thing about them

- Except for that she doesn’t appears enough….I really….really don’t know. Does she have any bad quality??

favorite line

“…is that what you’re thinking?” (Chapter 96)

brOTP

- Ryoko & Yuki

OTP

- Ryoko x Shun

nOTP

- Ryoko /x/ Zenji

random headcanon

- Secretly writes her own romance stories.

unpopular opinion

- Some fan works interpret her as pretty lewd. You know the girl who slept with nearly everyone, is very open about that as well and yadda yadda. I can’t see that. At all.

song i associate with them

- /sigh” I’ve been skipping through my phone for a good while now, but all I can come up with is “She’s a lady” by Tom Jones (they’re probably way, way, way better fitting ones)

favorite picture of them

Shun Ibusaki

favorite thing about them

- I have to say, I absolutely love this stoic and reserved character! He’s calm and doesn’t talks much or shows a lot of emotion which adds a layer of mystery to him only supported by that hairstyle of his and the smoke that’s always around him. Considering that he’s hiding quite the passionate and determinded mind hidden behind this shell makes him all the more interesting. And well his seriousness and straight expression while surrounded by chaos really add a good level of comedy for me as well.

least favorite thing about them

- Not Shun’s fault but I really wish his bitterness about the Autumn Elections Outcome would not only be addressed on the side but actually be explored. More screen time for my smoky son please!

favorite line

“Like hell I can give up! I’m turning things around…” (Chapter 116)

brOTP

- Shun & Zenji

OTP

- Shun x Ryoko

nOTP

- Shun /x/ Yuki

random headcanon

- Writes Online Reviews on movies.

unpopular opinion

- I really can’t see him being as flirty and straight-forward as I have seen him being portrayed here and then. I actually think he’s very shy when in love.

song i associate with them

- “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day for some reason….

favorite picture of them



Zenji Marui

favorite thing about them 

- Everything!? Haven’t you noticed by now that I love this guy with all my heart? I think I mostly appreciate how hard-working he is. Despite saying he has no outstanding sense for cooking, he studies very hard and grew into a very competent chef that way. I know a lot of people love to forget it, but he’s, on-par with Shun, the best chef out of the ones who didn’t passed the AE Premlins (if we go after the scores). 

least favorite thing about them 

 - That one Chapter that I will ignore for all existence. Hm, I dunno. He could appreciate the Miyazato Seminar a little more I think. At least in the Manga (The Anime showed him to care about this Seminar). But this is really just a little thing. 

favorite line 

“I don’’t have an outstanding cooking sense, and my physical strength is below average. That’s exactly why I have a strong desire for ‘knowledge’. All so that an ordinary man like me can fight against all those geniuses!” (Best Chapter Chapter 55)

brOTP 

- Zenji & Shun

OTP 

- Zenji x Yuki

nOTP

 - Zenji /x/ Ryoko

random headcanon 

- The period in European History that interests him the most is antiquity.

unpopular opinion - 

I now could write a very long, whiney text about how misunderstood my son can be sometimes, but I’ll keep myself short and just answer with: I honestly think he gets underestimated a lot, a lot of time. But it can easily also just be my point of view so /shrug. 

song i associate with them

- All I have right now is “Wouldn’t It Be Good” by Nik Kershaw and kinda “Welcome To My Life” by Simple Plan

favorite picture of them 

Welp, I do have an mobile folder with only pictures of him. I just….Cherish every time he is on screen! And I got a great ton of favorite pictures. But for the sake of this….I was able to pick out my absolute, absolute favorite ones. 

Megumi Tadokoro

favorite thing about them

- CUTEST & PUREST CINNAMON ROLL! Gosh, Megumi is just such a good person with such a warm heart, I am truly in awe. Her care for others is so heartwarming to watch and I absolutely love how she truly thinks about the person that’s going to eat her dish. I really don’t understand how anyone can hate her, tbh. 

least favorite thing about them

- This is not at all Megumi’s fault but Tsukuda’s, but we’ve seen Megumi grown from the very beginning on. And it still didn’t really payed off, as she didn’t truly won something on-screen yet. Everytime there is just talking about her “potential” going on. My god, “show don’t tell” is the rule, please showcase her skills finally. /sigh, I just hope that when she’s finally gonna take a victory it’s going to be absolutely huge and grand. 

favorite line

“Just make it while thinking of a person important to you, if you do that, your dishes will become a lot tastier.” (Chapter 61

brOTP 

- Soma & Megumi, Megumi & Erina, Megumi & Ryoko & Yuki

OTP 

- Megumi x Isami

nOTP 

- Megumi /x/ Kojiro

random headcanon 

- Loves “Animal Crossing”

unpopular opinion 

- I don’t know at the moment

song i associate with them

- “Firework” by Katy Perry

favorite picture of them

Again…Rest will be answered tomorrow…Thanks for the question !

Dir:  Steve McQueen

Based on: Widows By Lynda La Plante

Screenplay: Steve McQueen, Gillian Flynn

Cast: Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Kaluuya, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Envo

  PROS

This movie was done with such purpose that it fails to register a single con as far as I am concerned.

It has so much similarities with The Wizards of Oz that I find it funny not many have pointed that out. Viola’s character is mos def Dorothy with her damn dog IMO. She has three people join her quest to find her money. The scare crow is most definitely the Crow and also some stuff she says is all scripted so similar to the Crow in the Wizards of Oz.. It is oddly similar in so many other instances I felt strangely in some multi universe rewatching it.

This is a connosieur’s movie through and through. There is absolutely every indicator of it in the visuals. It has Hitchcock movie style shots, the shot with Viola and Alice through a split screen and also their reflections on the mirror. It pans out perfectly. Every CU shot too, 360 degree angle shots, darkly lit scene, scenes shot through the lens of a rain bit window etc. It felt exciting to watch, though not everyone would notice that unless you work in film. I also loved the symbolic shots, like how the Director placed Viola’s darkness against the whiteness of the world, speaking volumes visually. I could ramble on and on on what I loved from the visuals honestly.

Between this and Ocean’s 8 I think my new favorite micro-genre of movies is female-centric heist films. Except where Ocean’s 8 just makes me want to eat brunch and be gay and do crimes, this movie makes me want to burn the fucking patriarchy to the ground and dance naked around the flames. That’s probably my own issue. A film of this pedigree – Steve McQueen directing and also co-writing with the unstoppable Gillian Flynn, starring Viola Davis – feels like a recipe for success

I love that each of the women get to be shown using their own experiences and skill sets to try to pull off the subterfuge. Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) speaks Spanish to another Latina woman when she’s trying to get information. “It’s my first week of work and my boss…” and the woman helps her, just like that. Because women have to stick together. Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) makes up a story about being a mail-order bride, complete with tears and rapid Polish-speaking, to get a woman at a gun show to help her purchase the guns for the job. And Veronica uses her appearance of wealth and status to infiltrate their heist location with ease. The only reason this scheme even gets off the ground is because of women helping other women at every turn.

Steve McQueen’s directing means that not only is the pacing an exquisite slow burn, but each moment of increasing tension is also so visually beautiful to watch. Veronica wears a ton of white, and the juxtaposition between her posh, sleek white apartment and the grim darkness of the warehouse and alleys where they’re planning their crimes is an unsubtle, but effective, representation of these different worlds colliding.

A very special shout-out goes to Brian Tyree Henry and especially Daniel Kaluuya as his brother and enforcer. Kaluuya is on some next-level terrifying here, as his huge eyes stay cold and reptilian while terrorizing folks who have done his brother wrong. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so afraid of a regular dude just standing still in a movie – maybe Lakeith Stanfield in Get Out?

At first I was a bit disappointed that the film forced Viola Davis to portray Veronica as so hard, to the point of being cold and unfeeling. There’s a long cultural (racist) legacy of portraying black women as emotionless, or the strong silent type who never show their suffering. But at the very end, when Veronica runs into Alice and smiles, I was trying to figure out why the movie would end this way; why would the final shot be her smiling face? And it hit me. It’s because Veronica is only cold and ruthless when navigating her husband’s world – when she is finally out from under that weight, and living life on her own terms, she is free to express herself. She’s taken control of her own life for the first time in years, and it looks radiant on her.

  CONS

Yeah i know I said I did not find anything wrong mainly because of the dope visuals and the direction McQueen took with the story plot but I got some stuff I would love to point out though..

His scenes felt rushed and the violent scenes were somehow obligatory and lazy. This is my opinion though because I expect blood and gore when we are in combat mode but instead I saw some attitude of on to the next which felt careless.

Plus, I have this problem where I kind of hate Michelle Rodriguez because her face like…never moves? Which feels like it should be the very first prerequisite required to be an actress, but what do I know. Anyway, the good news is that I hate her much less in this than anything else I’ve ever seen her in. She always does that unbothered look in so many of her roles in films it gets kinda disturbing.

  Anyway, if you love Heist movies, this is a sure thriller. Think Oceans 8! This is just that.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

WIDOW Dir:  Steve McQueen Based on: Widows By Lynda La Plante Screenplay: Steve McQueen, Gillian Flynn…