Holy Moly!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

♥️ Ranking Richonne

#10: The Grand Introduction (S3E06)

✨Top 10! ✨From here on out, we’re in truly iconic territory when it comes to the Richonne scenes on this list. And, of course, this absolutely unforgettable s3 moment right here is as iconic as they come. 🤩 I adore that this is where it all began. Where Richonne really was born. This is one of the most significant Richonne moments because it's the very first one. And what a special first one it was. It's only fitting for Rick and Michonne's epic love story to begin with such an epic introduction...

I'll always appreciate that this is one of the most heightened and important meetings of two characters in the whole TWD series. And it’s fitting because it establishes right from the jump that Rick and Michonne would become very very important to each other.

It’s so sweet that in such a precious familial moment between Rick, Carl, and Judith that’s the exact moment when the matriarch of the Grimes family arrives.

And I always love how, despite several people around, it’s Rick who spots Michonne from super far away and walks over on his own.

It feels like the universe’s own, "It’s for you" moment. 😌

As Michonne walks up to the fence, resiliently finding the prison and making it there despite being injured, I love that it’s Rick who walks toward her as though summoned by Cupid himself, cuz it shows those magnets started kicking in immediately.

And then I adore that there’s almost this unspoken passionate energy behind this scene as Rick and Michonne lock eyes for the first time and stare at each other from across the fence.

But it's so much more than a meet cute. It's utterly grand. This is the moment that kicked off the love story to top all love stories so of course it’s uniquely special. #historic

Having watched separate stories from Rick dealing with hardship at the prison and Michonne dealing with issues at Woodbury,  I love that this is the moment their stories finally join.

They finally get a major win because they found each other. Rick and Michonne's lives collide here and then only become more and more one.

I love that Michonne is here holding formula for Judith, the baby who will become her daughter. I've written before that I feel like part of what might have helped spur her to go to the prison is knowing there was a baby in there that needed that formula.

And it's great how from the literal moment she arrives Michonne is already being majorly helpful to Rick. She's brought his baby the sustenance she needs to live and then later has intel about Glenn and Maggie's whereabouts.

And I like that she stays fearlessly standing in between the walkers as they make eye contact through the fence. It lets Rick know this woman is special and brave. I've always felt the visual is a beautiful illustration of the living being found among the dead & love being found among loss. 

Rick had been having an episode of understandably losing it prior and was finally able to emerge from the darkness for a moment and hold Judith. And it's just precious to think that Rick first holds his daughter on the same day and in the same moment that he meets his wife and Judith’s mom.

It's poetic also when you know that Michonne and Judith are the two ladies he will later go on to declare as his ultimate choice, even after years apart from them. Warms my heart to no end. 😭

The way he walks over, the way Rick and Michonne seem to be taking each other in like “this is different.” You can’t tell me after these stare-downs that these two weren’t going to love each other eventually.

The innate draw and attraction were instant, and I love that we got to witness this love story from the literal first moment Rick and Michonne so passionately laid eyes on each other. 

This is the final beat of the episode cuz the end beat of an episode typically emphasizes something important that launches the story forward. And this introduction between Rick and Michonne would do just that, not only for the following episode but for the rest of the series. It changed the whole game. 💯

This scene is a powerful meeting between two tethered strangers destined to be tethered soulmates. And it's an extremely meaningful meeting as well because, from this point on, Rick and Michonne's journey to falling in love and building a whole life together would begin. Just life-changing in every way.

And I’ll add 3.07 to this too, because that’s when we get more of their interaction after their deep stares. I love that Michonne's future son and bestie Carl is the first one to ask about helping her and that he and Rick save her. It's like the first unofficial Grimes Family 2.0 moment. 🥰

Michonne even gets to demonstrate her resilient ability as she fights off those walkers before the pain from her gun wound takes over. And I bet Rick had to somewhat recognize the fight in her as the same fight in him. 

Then, after a quite thorough inspection to see if she's been bit, Rick easily carries Michonne over his shoulder to bring her into the prison, which...

It's giving a little romantic to me idk. 😋 And it just hit me that Rick picks up his daughter and his wife for the first time that day.

Inside the prison, they get her water and all that, and Rick introduces himself and asks her for her name, but Michonne won’t tell him. Understandably, cuz Sis had been through it at Woodbury with their crazy leader.

And y’all, I love this whole exchange, especially in retrospect, because it shows there was a fire between Rick and Michonne from the word go. 🔥

Rick and Michonne's whole first time in front of each other feels electric and passionate. Like even just from their movement alone in this scene, there's something magnetic.

I love that we’re witnessing two fierce fighters who have truly met their match. We're also witnessing the first of many times Rick and Michonne get publicly wrapped up in their Richonne bubble. 😌

It's interesting that the first thing Michonne ever says to Rick is, "I didn’t ask for your help." Because you'd think the first line was gonna be...

But fr, it ends up being pretty ironic that that's the first thing Michonne says to Rick because they both will help each other so much that it completely changes their lives for the better. And Rick tells her, "Can’t let you leave," which will also remain true forever. 😋 Cuz Michonne's never leaving that man's heart.

(Side note: Also, I realized there's significance in Rick saying "can't let you leave" because it's another thing that lets Michonne know Rick is different and better than the Governor. Where the Governor tried to act like people could come and go from Woodbury when they really couldn't, Rick is just honest and straightforward with it by saying they can't let her leave until they assess the situation, which is almost more reassuring for her to see him being upfront about it.)

So while I'm not in the camp of thinking they were in love at first sight, I do think Rick and Michonne were intrinsically drawn to each other at first sight and there was something special between them right there at that fence that would soon bloom into love. And if the current Rick were asked about this initial meeting with Michonne, I low-key feel he'd be like...

With their iconic grand introduction, Rick and Michonne truly changed each other's lives and ours. (oh and also the entrancement started from the jump too.⬇)

And while Rick and Michonne aren’t overly trusting of one another yet, I appreciate Rick’s willingness to help her out, offering to tend to her wound and all that.

As a screenwriter, I have this belief that when a story is right it almost wants to tell itself, as it organically flows in a certain direction. And then that's when as a writer you follow the story's lead and help sculpt that natural direction. So while the TWD writers didn't know for certain that Rick and Michonne would be a romantic pair in their first two episodes together...the story knew.

The way their introduction plays out in this personal yet grand sweeping way, with the two locking eyes and looking at each other not just with desperation or skepticism but with this underlying passionate intrigue as though the person they're looking at is both fascinating and familiar - Richonne's romance really was written in the stars right here, even before it was more intentionally planted in Clear.

It's a love story that was longing to be told. And I'll forever celebrate that Scott, Andy, and Danai listened to what the story was so clearly saying, and then sculpted the best love story I've ever seen.

Their whole meeting is just an introduction to remember and everything about Richonne's first moments together shouts...

Watching it back is even sweeter when you have the knowledge that on the other side of that fence, Rick and Michonne are looking at their soulmate, the person they will raise children with, have a child together, the person they will fall head over heels in love with.

Their lives joined forever on this day, and these two wouldn’t be the same without each other, so thank goodness for this unforgettable moment bringing Rick and Michonne iconically together. 😌🙌🏾

Year of the Bat - Number 10

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. Today, we’ve officially reached the Top 10! TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “Change is everything.” Number 10 is…Two-Face.

How fitting is it we’re covering this villain’s origins on the 22nd? XD Anyway, I had a hard time choosing between this and “Feat of Clay.” Both are actually extremely similar in a lot of ways: both are two-part story arcs, both feature the origins of great villains in Batman’s Rogues Gallery – great villains whose appearances were teased in earlier stories, no less – and both feature great animation and an exceptionally dark, at times almost horror-movie-esque, tone. Not only that, but even the plots of these episodes bear some noticeable similarities! With that said, the animated series definitely provided the best take on Harvey Dent we’ve ever gotten, at least outside of comics themselves. In previous episodes – specifically the series pilot, “On Leather Wings,” and Poison Ivy’s debut, “Pretty Poison” – we’d already met Harvey Dent and gotten to know him a bit. We knew he was Gotham’s rather well-liked district attorney, we knew he and Batman had a sort of rivalry going on, and we also knew that he and Bruce Wayne were best friends. All these facts made the events of this two-parter all the more disturbing, because we had gotten to know Harvey pretty well. In this two-parter, it’s revealed that Harvey secretly suffers from some mental issues, and has a second personality inside him, referred to as “Big Bad Harv.” This second personality is all of Harvey’s repressed anger and bitterness, refined into one diabolical, snarly, cruel beast. When the DA gets too close to the schemes of crime boss Rupert Thorne, Thorne’s minions capture Harvey, and in the chaos that ensues, the DA’s face and body are horrifically disfigured. This causes Harvey to snap and become the supervillain Two-Face: a deranged gangster who vows to get revenge on Thorne, and make Gotham his own stomping ground in the process. Harvey/Two-Face was voiced by the late Richard Moll, who – like many actors in later years – would reprise the role many times in other takes on the character. Like Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, Moll cemented the character and became the definitive interpretation. He is so wonderful as the vulnerable, tragic Harvey Dent, while his gravelly, gruff, snarly voice for Two-Face has become the gold standard which all other versions (at least in animation) seem to try and live by. Two-Face, himself, has always been one of Batman’s most tragic and personal enemies, and the Animated Series didn’t hold back on that front. Not only do the events of this story scar Harvey for life – both physically and mentally – but they also take a heavy toll on Bruce himself. This two-parter is magnificent not only because of how well it handles a great villain, but because of Batman’s role in the story, as well. In a lot of the villain introductions of the show, Batman is sort of a secondary player, in a way: the focus is either just on him trying to stop the villain in question, or on the villain’s descent into darkness. This episode not only gives us both those elements, but it also gives us great character moments for Batman himself, as he has to struggle with the guilt and sorrow that comes with seeing one of his best friends become one of his most formidable opponents. We got bits and pieces of this kind of thing in other stories, of course, but “Two-Face” – perhaps because it has more time to manage things – really goes all out. This isn’t just a great episode for Two-Face himself, but a great episode for Batman as well. It’s for this reason, I think that I decided to rank this higher than “Feat of Clay.” There’s no doubt in my mind that it belongs in my Top 10.

Tomorrow we move on with Number 9! Hint: “So, it wasn’t all for nothing.”

"New Hire"

sorry y'all for not posting but I was in a car accident but I got this worked up in the meanwhile.

Description: After working in the lab for a couple of months, you've caught the eye of a particular doctor and vice versa.

(Once again, don't judge as I'm not spell-checking and writing this at 1 a.m. on a Friday)

Paring: Dr. Brenner x Fem!NurseReader

Warning(s): Nothing bad. Fluff, Age gap, Crushing over an older man (much older man), Mutual pining

Words: 2.4k

They hired you for that very reason; you were good for business.

From your previous job as a nurse, your credentials undoubtedly provided plenty of evidence that you were ready to prepare for the following assignment you've been informed of. It wasn't your exact decision to pick your new job. But somehow, unsure if it was a good or bad decision on your implorer to choose you to be placed in a small town named Hawkins in Indiana. Before your assignment, you'd never heard of the town beforehand, yet you were sent quickly after a certain phone call.

And once you stepped foot in the town you were quick to realize that something was off, but in fear of coming off as rude, as you weren't born and raised in this town like most of the people who lived in Hawkins. You kept your mouth shut on the matter.

Raising the small poster card in your fingers to your face, the print becomes so impossibly small nowadays. It read: The Hawkins National Laboratory, operated by the U.S. Department of Energy. It was a federal complex located in the back of the town, disappearing into the deep forest covering the small town. Once again it gave you an off-putting aura. But nonetheless, a briefcase full of your credentials and background paperwork. A smile brightly on your lips to make a good impression.

As you walk toward the large building, a couple of so-called employees walk past you. Evidently by the lab coats and most of them eyeing you while you walked past each of them, you grip onto the briefcase as if it was your lifeline. It was also evident that you were somewhat nervous - no, you were completely nervous. All your boss told you before sending you this way was that a Dr. Brenner looked over your file and agreed that you were a perfect spot to fill. And in perfect timing as they had unfortunately lost an employee earlier within the week and needed you to fill the spot. And before you got the chance to ask why and how you exactly got the spot, you were gone.

Maybe it was for the better side of you not to know what happened to that past employee, but it did nag you even further as you made your way inside the building.

What you saw were bright fluorescent lights shining down on the white walls and white-tailed floor. Your eyes scan, you see long hallways with the same lights. Many walls were covered with floor-to-ceiling windows, which were still covered by blinds to somewhat shut the outside world from what was happening inside this building. A receptionist sat behind a large desk, typing away in their work, enough for them to not take notice of your presence. And large doors that were shut, the only way in was to type in a code, as evident by the keypad beside the doors. And before you could gawk at the new facility you were placed at, a hand rested on your shoulder.

You were quick on your heels to turn to the person intruding your personal space, but before you could speak upon your behalf a voice that belonged to the hand on your shoulder spoke.

"You must be the new hire." It was short-spoken, but that voice. His voice. It made you wholly drawn to him, an unmounted amount. You stand there speechless at the man before you, his height made you unnerved. He hovered over you, casting a shadow of his own down on you. His silver hair was perfectly styled, along with his perfectly fitted suit that hugged his body. His tie is a matching color to put it all together.

And once again before you could speak, he removed his hand from you. "You just looked a little lost. It was pretty obvious that you had to be my new nurse I hired." His sharp smile plastered on his lips, his words flowing smoothly past his lips and tongue. Embarrassing you could already feel the small hint of blush touch your cheeks. Your hands still clenched around your briefcase. "You must be Dr. Brenner." You smile with a small chuckle to help ease you with this interaction. You didn't understand why you were so starstruck with the man in front of you, you've never had this type of reaction with anyone you've just met. For heaven sake, you just met him. You breathe heavily to steady yourself. "Yes, I indeed am." He chuckles along with you, he smooths his hands down his suit side and your gaze follows his hands as well, and once your eyes come back to his face he must have caught you in the act. The way his eyes had a glimpse of curiosity, but it must of been not for long as you blinked and that looked disappeared.

"It's my pleasure to have you working beside me." He sticks his hand out, that smile of his still on his face and as you reach out to shake his, you take a closer look at his face. The small wrinkles along his forehead while his eyebrows lifted, lines faded into his skin by his eyes and by his lips. His gaze still pierced through yours. If you weren't holding onto a briefcase or his hand you don't know what you'd do with your hands to steady yourself. Well other than shaking his hand in approval.

Unlinking your hands you ask, "So, what exactly is my position here at Hawkins National Laboratory of Energy?" Dr. Brenner once again chuckles, this time at your question. You should have felt uncomfortable at that response as it was poking your head the entire time coming down to Hawkins. Why would they need a nurse to work at an Energy department of all things? But how comfortable Dr. Brenner had already made you feel, it took the unfavorable response away from your thoughts. Even if in the back of your head was telling you differently. "Follow me." He tells as he turns his way towards one of the hallways and redundantly you're right behind, and you were glad you couldn't see yourself in that moment because you must have looked like a lost puppy following right behind him.

And after that you had been right behind Dr. Brenner for months on end.

But Dr. Brenner had no idea how easily and how quickly you would carve out a spot in his heart, nor how powerless he would be to stop it. And for a while, it was easy enough to ignore, to deny that little portion of his heart even existed. After all, it was obvious to him that all the smiles and laughter you exchanged with the patrons was never anything more than harmless flirtation. But as the months past, that little portion began beating faster and louder every time someone spoke your name, quietly and unassumingly sneaking its way through every surface of his heart, embedding itself like the beautiful deep roots of an oak tree.

And once you ever spoke to him - It felt as if cotton was logged back in his throat, leaving his mouth dry. A gentle cough into his fist before speaking to you. It was rather comical seeing the 6'3 older man in front of you blushing from slight embarrassment when it came to talk to you. But that was also a reason that drew you in further. Just as if it was the first sight of you that mirrored his response.

You can't remember when the both of you drew that fine line of employee and employer, but you were so glad you did pass that line with him. Nothing happened between the both of you other than spending casual time after work together at his home for drinks and dinner. It was planned every other day, but nothing further than that. But it was plain obvious what the two of you had become from an outward perspective. Even if it was not spoken out loud. The way the both of you look into each other's eyes said plenty enough without words.

Being in his presence puts you to ease all the whistle you worked on your project. You knew he hated what he did to those children, he cared as if it was his own. And he knew you hated your work as well. On the rare occasions you'd talked about work while having dinner together, he'd always ask the same question, "Do you regret coming out to work with me?" and every time he'd ask, you'd respond, "What I don't regret is meeting you." and the conversation would end there. Plain and simple as you didn't need to explain further because it was the truth, you didn't regret getting a job out in this small town.

You stand in front of Dr. Brenner, that blush still touching his cheeks as he rests his hands in his pockets. "Is dinner still on tonight?" He asks discreetly, rather tries to ask discreetly as your other coworkers had caught on to the somewhat affair you two were having, if you could call it that. You giggle a little at his question, he'd always ask you the same thing every time you did have your dinner plans together. "Yes - yes as always Dr. Brenner." You smile brightly up at him. And there it is again, the small hint of blush on his cheeks.

And before you could say anything else he interrupts you. "Call me Martin." He swallows, his Adam's apple slightly bobbles down. A small shutter of breath coming out of his nostrils. Was he nervous?

"Martin?" You repeat back to him, your eyebrow quirked up. A slight tease towards the older man as this was the first time telling you his name. He nods in agreement, "Please." He questions - Well, more as a statement for you to follow rather than asking you to. You had already figured out his name by his paperwork, but you still never addressed it. You felt that would cross an even further line with the two of you, but now, it felt like such a thing he would do. He was always the first to engage in the relationship between the two of you, but you were glad that he felt more comfortable with you sharing his first name.

"Okay Martin, let's go and have dinner." He smiles down at you and reaches for his coat on the back of his desk chair. "Before we get to my house we have to stop at the store to get some crayons." He reaches for his office door and opens it for you before the two of you make your way down the hallway. "Crayons?" You question as you pass your fellow coworkers, small and quick goodbyes and goodnights follow along. "Yes, number 10 is improving on his insight but I'm wasting these crayons fast." You glance up at him and he does that same to you, your eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. "Well that's surprising." You say as he punches in the code in the pad, the door swinging open within seconds.

"What do you mean?" He questions you, confused about what you meant by that. "I've seen you draw, I'm just surprised you're wasting them with your drawing abilities." You speak truthfully, that man could take a drawing class to help him. He could barely draw a stick figure by itself. Before he could argue back at your words you speak up, "You might be the smartest man I've ever met Martin, but you can't draw for shit." And with that he could argue with that. But he gladly takes the compliment you fished out for him, even if you didn't realize you did in the first place.

"We met when it was raining."

"It's the same rain"

Giuda - Number 10

🔥🔥🔥

HINATA SHOUYOU

The Price May Be Right - Number 10

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” I’ve been counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media. We’ve officially reached the Top 10 for this countdown! Today we focus on Number 10: His Appearance on The Muppet Show.

It may seem odd to put this appearance in my top ten, since it’s essentially Vincent just playing himself in the most literal fashion, and it’s…well…the Muppets. Not exactly the land of complex layers of performance. But for some reason, as time has gone one, I’ve come to love Vincent’s appearance in the Muppet Show more and more than I already always did. In my opinion, it’s not only one of his best appearances in anything ever, it’s also probably my favorite episode of The Muppet Show. So, strange as it may seem, I see no reason not to. The Muppet Show usually didn’t have any specific PLOT to its episodes, but a lot of episodes did have certain motifs and themes in them. Sometimes it would be a case of the Muppets trying to do some sort of story, like “Alice in Wonderland” or “Robin Hood.” Other times, it would be more focused on whoever the guest was. Vincent is the latter case. With Vincent Price as the special guest of the evening, Kermit and the gang decide to put on a spooky-themed show, with jokes and sketches that parody various tropes of horror films. Vincent, naturally, appears in several of these sketches, and all of them are hilarious, largely because it’s Vincent in charge of the jesting. If there was ever a guest on the show who could out-Muppet the Muppets, it was probably this glorious ham. In one sketch he plays a werewolf who visits Fozzie and Gonzo in a haunted castle. In another sketch, the Muppets satirize Vincent’s culinary hobbies as a great chef, with Vincent appearing in a talk show segment with Kermit, a Muppet Chef…aaand a Muppet Monster, Gorgon Heap, who – with Vincent’s encouragement – devours the other two Muppets involved. Probably the ost famous sketch, however, is one where Kermit asks Vincent to teach him how to act like a vampire. I find that one especially funny, because Vincent, surprisingly, didn’t actually play vampires that often at all. In fact, I can think of only one or two occasions beyond the Muppet Show where he did! And those occasions weren’t very good! But whatever: I’ll take Vampire Kermit and Vampire Vincent over anything in the bloody Twilight Saga any day. Vincent also, in the original release of the episode, had a song sequence, where he and a bunch of the Muppet Monsters sang a ghoul-themed version of “You’ve Got a Friend.” It’s a pity that sequence is actually edited out of most modern releases (I think because of copyright issues, but I’m not sure), because honestly, after hearing Vincent Price and a gaggle of Muppets sing that song with a pipe organ, it’s hard to hear that song any other way since. XD Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 9!

An important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public.

- Talleyrand

British politics. Dear oh dear.