I went and saw Fantastic beasts on Saturday and I loved it! I was at the book store earlier that day and bought the screen play and it is so great; J.K. Rowling is forever my favorite writer.
So, this is what I got going on tonight: curled up in bed, got something funny on TV, and reading while the snow falls softly outside.
What about you guys? Have you seen Fantastic Beasts yet?
You’ve given them human words
and human faces
You’ve painted them up
with souls and races
You’ve donned your hats
and laced your boots
You’ve built a world
with thrills and roots
If you can kill a face
That can cry or bleed
Have we fulfilled
your every need?
Wrote this one late last night in my phone. Been watching Westworld on Sundays, because of course we need something to fill that Game of Thrones fix until it comes back on!
But it is definitely worth a checking out and it asks some interesting questions. I, of course, feel sympathy for the robots…it feels wrong for something so human to be treated in such a way.
Anyway, it is a good show so far! Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Happy Writing!
Thank you to Dainelle Hunter for nominating me for the Liebster Award! It means a lot to me that you thought of me. 🙂 I hope this gives readers more of an insight into my writing and what this blog is about.
The rules are as follows:
1: Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.
2: Make a blog post telling 11 facts about you.
3: Answer the 11 questions from the blog who nominated you.
4: Prepare 11 questions for those you will nominate.
5: Nominate 11 new bloggers (those who have less than 200 followers) by commenting in one of their blog posts.
11 Facts About Me:
~My favorite TV Show of all time is Firefly. (
The fact that it only had one season is an atrocity.
~I only write with one with kind of pen. (Gel pen, black ink, pilot G-2 07.)
~I hate memes where the sentences are deliberately spelled wrong, drives me nuts! (Like: ‘he’s doin me a hurtin’….grrrraaggh)
~I like to write movie and TV show reviews.
~I love libraries and books stores.
~I am a tea drinker, love tea.
~I love being outdoors; the trees, the quietness.
~I have an obsession with nicknames. A lot of my characters have nicknames. I think its interesting how people/characters are much more than the names they are given, and the ones they’ve grown into.
~I am a dog person. I like cats, too. But if I were to have one pet it’d be a golden retriever, lab, or a mix.
~My favorite color is now purple. (It used to be blue but my grandma passed recently and that was also her color.)
~I own about five different Star Wars t-shirts.
Answering 11 Questions for being Nominated:
1. Why did you start blogging?
2. What do you love/ hate about blogging?
3.What is your philosophy?
4.What career are you pursuing/ What is your occupation and why?
5.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
6.Who is your favorite fictional character?
7. What is your favorite movie?
8.What is your favorite book/ quote?
“There are three kinds of secrets. One is the sort everyone knows about, the sort you need at least two people for. One to keep it. One to never know. The second is a harder kind of secret: one you keep from yourself. Every day, thousands of confessions are kept from their would-be confessors, none of these people knowing that their never-admitted secrets all boil down to the same three words: I am afraid.”
9. What is your zodiac sign?
10. What is your biggest fear?
11. Describe the strangest dream you’ve ever had.
Questions for Nominees:
And that’s that! I can’t wait to read what you guys come up with!
Hope everyone has a great weekend! 🙂
***Spoilers ahead! You have been warned!
***All photo credits to HBO.
Are you as crazy about Game of Thrones as I am this season??
I can’t seem to get enough of it and repeatedly wish it came out all at once like the Netflix series do! Now wouldn’t that be just fantastic?! Anyway…
Episode 3, ‘Oathbreaker’ recap:
Jon Snow is rather shaken by his return from death. The red woman asks him, “What did you see?”
“Nothing,” Snow says, and he looks horrified. “There was nothing at all.” He hangs the people who murdered him, even young Olly, and then Jon hands his cloak over to Dolorous Edd and says, “My watch is ended!”
Sam and Gilly are taking a detour on their way to Old Town by way of Sam’s parents house. The Citadel doesn’t allow women (which is so freaking typical,) so Sam is hoping that his family will keep Gilly and baby Sam safe.
In Bran’s flashbacks with the Three-eyed raven, we see a younger Ned Stark try to save his sister in the Tower of Joy. There is a great battle, but Bran learns that what actually happened and what is told through history is actually quite different.
We hear a woman’s cry from the tower…was it Lyanna Stark in distress? Giving birth to Jon Snow?
Daenerys is predictably taken to Vaes Dothrak, Tyrion tries to engage Grey Worm and Missandei in conversation, and Varys discovers that Volantis, Yunkai and Astapor are all backing the Sons of the Harpy.
From Maester Qyburn, we learn that Varys’ little birds are really children bribed with sweets in return for secrets. Jaime and Cersei crash a high council meeting, which doesn’t really go as planned. And in Braavos, Arya finally gets her eyes back after she beats the waif in a fight.
Meanwhile in Winterfell, Lord Umber has a gift for Ramsay Bolton: Osha and Rickon Stark.
(I find it’s nearly impossibly to write a small recap for Game of Thrones, there are so many freaking story-lines!)
Episode 4, ‘Book of the Stranger’ recap:
Jon Snow and Sansa stark reunite! Sansa, Brienne and Pod arrive at castle black and there is a bit of amusement when Tormund makes eyes at Lady Brienne. After receiving a threatening letter from Ramsay, Sansa convinces Jon that they must fight for Winterfell and take it back.
In the Vale, Littlefinger convinces Lord Robyn Arryn to help Sansa take back Winterfell and defeat the Boltons. We never truly know what Littlefinger is up to…but its becoming more clear how much these ‘lesser’ type characters are really the ones pulling the strings.
Queen Margaery is rewarded by the High Sparrow and is allowed to see her brother. The High Sparrow tells Margaery about his past. For a man who claims to want nothing, why does he have so much power?
In Meereen, Tyrion has a meeting with the leaders of the other cities and suggests some new terms: they have seven years to get rid of slavery. Missandei and Grey Worm disagree with these terms and believe that the slavers will just take advantage of them all.
Cersei, Jaime and Olenna Tyrell form an alliance and agree that the High Sparrow must be taken down. Theon Greyjoy reaches the Iron Islands and wants to support Yara in being leader, and in Winterfell, Osha is killed by Ramsay Bolton.
Meanwhile, Daario and Jorah have reached Vaes Dothrak and Daario teases Jorah for being old and says that the old man could never handle the dragon in bed. He also discovers that Jorah has greyscale.
Daenerys meets with the council of Dothraki Khals, who will decide what to do with her since she did not go to Vaes Dothhrak after Drogo’s death. Dany tells them that she would make a better Khal than all of them. “You are not going to serve,” she says, “You are going to die.” She dumps the fire pits on them all and the temple goes up in flames.
Dany emerges from the flames and over one-hundred thousand Dothraki all bow to the mother of dragons.
But what’s going to happen next?
I’ve heard it mention a few times: last week was definitely an episode of Fire and Ice.
Both very important characters to this world made some very game-changing decisions. Daenerys now has one-hundred thousand Dothraki willing to obey her every command, and Jon Snow is taking the next step to becoming Warden of the North, and a possible threat to the Iron Throne.
Well, what does that mean for everyone else?
It’s becoming clear that the future of Westeros is never going to be the same. There’s a new game afoot and characters that were once at the head of the throne, are now falling to the wayside. (Aka, the Lannisters.)
Also, according to the brief glimpse of the white walkers we got in this week’s preview, Winter is definitely coming. The white walkers are coming and iron throne or not, the rest of this world is going to suffer for it.
What do you guys think is going to happen in tonight’s episode?
****Spoilers ahead!! And fan theories…venture at your own risk!!
**All photo credits to HBO.
Well, I kind of missed the boat last week. Hey, life happens people. Here’s a brief recap off the top of my head:
Jon Snow Lives!
Whew. Glad I got that one off my chest. The Night’s Watch leader is alive and well, thanks to the magic of Melisandre, although she experiences doubts in herself. Luckily Davos is there to give her some encouragement.
We finally get to see Bran Stark as well. He is north of the wall with the Three-eyed Raven, and Meera, Jojen’s sister. The three-eyed raven is giving Bran a very interesting glimpse of the past. We see Ned Stark as a boy, and his fellow siblings: Benjen Stark, and Lyanna. Coincidence that Bran remarks that his father never talked about his sister? (I think NOT!)
We also learn that Hodor used to be called Willis, and he was a stable boy just as chatty and normal as everyone else.
Meanwhile in the present, Sansa Stark is with Brienne and Pod. Theon Greyjoy decides not to go north with them and take the black as Sansa suggests, where everything of his past will be forgiven; Theon doesn’t think he deserves forgiveness and says that he is going home.
In the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy is killed by his brother, and Yara, who expects to be named King, will now have to stand and defend herself in a Kingsmoot; a meeting where the people of the Iron Islands decide who gets to be the next leader.
Tyrion has a very heart-stopping moment with Dany’s dragons in the pyramids of Meereen. He tells the intelligent dragons how much he wanted a dragon as a kid, and how magnificent he thinks they are and they seem to listen. They allow him to free them from their chains.
In Winterfell, Ramsay kills his father Roose Bolton, because his claim to the north is threatened with the birth of his new baby half-brother. In a rather horrific moment, he feeds his step-mother and newborn brother to his dogs.
But what will happen next in tonight’s episode?
I don’t think its a coincidence that we are getting a glimpse of the past from Bran’s new-found abilities. There is a theory bouncing around the internet that Lyanna Stark is really the mother of Jon Snow, because of her relationship with Rhaegar Targaryen, (whether through rape or love, it’s never clear in the books!)
It is thought that the reason Ned Stark doesn’t talk about his sister very much is because of the secret he holds about Jon’s true parentage. The secret could change everything we think might happen or could happen in Westoros.
Will we get more glimpses of the past that points to this theory in tonight’s episode? I think so! Maybe even the birth of Jon Snow! (Although, I think the writers might draw it out a bit more and make us suffer.)
What’s next for Jon Snow?
Well, his oath to the Night’s Watch is fulfilled. He died, and he doesn’t have to stay at the wall if he doesn’t want to. Kit Harrington even noted in an interview that death has changed his character. Jon Snow is frightened of death now. We might see a more cautious and calculating Jon Snow from now on.
Will Jon Snow kill Ramsay Bolton? (God, let’s hope so!)
As for everyone else?
Who cares! (No, I’m just kidding.) But…I am very much swept up in the Jon Snow story-line. I can’t help myself.
Arya’s on her way to becoming a bad-ass assassin of course. I think the moment she finally becomes No One, is the moment she will get recognized as Arya Stark. I think her final moments in this series are going to be rather poignant.
And whatever happened to Hodor has something to do with what happened to Lyanna Stark. I think it is very important to the story line. Maybe when Rhaegar kidnaps her? Seduces her? Who Knows!
But these are just theories of course! What do you guys think?
What do you think is going to happen in tonight’s episode?
***Obviously, spoilers ahead! You have been warned!
Well, that was kind of anti-climatic. I thought with all the hype about Jon Snow’s death, the writers would cut to the chase – now we will finally know the fate of Jon Snow – well, not so much in this episode!
Arya is still blind and struggling to cope with her new affliction, especially when the waif comes to beat her up, expecting Arya to fight her blind. She leaves with the threat that she will be there again the next day.
One story line that did bring us some satisfaction was Sansa’s. Her and Theon struggle to escape Ramsay’s hounds, and are captured by his men; only to be rescued, (thankfully) by Brienne of Tarth and Pod. Finally something good to happen for the two!
After her shameful walk through the streets, Cersei is excited when she hears of Myrcella’s return, but the expression on Jaime’s face tells all: the young princess is dead. They grieve together, and Jaime convinces her that its only up to them now, who cares about anybody else.
Tyrion looks comfortable in a role that is familiar to him. He and Varys walk the streets of Meereen, trying to see what needs to be done for the city. They both notice that the attitude towards Dany has changed somewhat towards the negative, and there is a bit of humor when Tyrion’s poor Valyrian makes some lady think that he wants to eat her baby.
Jorah and Daario muse over how they both love Dany, and we get another glimpse at Jorah’s greyscale afflicted arm. They find the token she dropped in the grass and conclude (obviously) that she has been taken.
Meanwhile, Dany is brought before the Khal of the Dothraki horde. They make jokes at her expense, most of them wanting to sleep with her, until she can’t take it anymore. In Dothraki, she tells them who she is, and after learning that she is a widow of a Khal, she is reassured that no one will bring her harm. However, she should be in Vaes Dothrak with the other widows and they seem intent on making sure she gets there.
Margaery is still imprisoned until she confesses her sins. She tells the high sparrow that she has nothing to confess, who says that she is getting there but still has a long way to go.
In Dorne, Ellaria Sand, and the Sandsnakes murder Doran Martell and his son, Trystane, and are determined that Dorne will no longer be ruled by “weak men.” Finally, we get to see more of these strong, sexy women!
Although, the first episode wasn’t lacking in action; there wasn’t much done to the story line that has been keeping everyone hyped up for most of the year. Jon Snow is still very much dead. Davos and a few of the men who are loyal to Snow, barricade themselves in a room away from the traitors.
Meanwhile, in the next room Melisandre is stripping naked. Does she never miss an opportunity to get naked? Anyway, one minute she is looking into the mirror and then flash, there is an old woman in her place. And she is ancient; white-haired, pale and droopy all over. At first, I thought a white-walker had taken her place, but it seems the big secret is that the Red Woman is very, very old.
My Thoughts?
It seems like they are setting up the next episode to be some kind of rising…although she seems to have lost some confidence in herself, I do believe that Melisandre does have the power to bring Jon Snow back.
I was a bit frustrated with this episode. I wanted to see him wake right away, but they are going to make us wait some more, apparently! Other that, I thought it was a pretty solid episode.
It will be nice to finally see Bran’s story, again, and I love the hopeful note in Sansa’s story now. Will we finally get to see Ramsay Bolton’s death in this season? God, I hope so!
What were your thoughts on last Sunday’s episode? Did you like it? What do you think will happen next?
If you haven’t watched Season 5 finale, spoilers ahead!
As some of you know, Game of Thrones Season 6 premieres tonight and I am so excited that we will finally know the fate of Jon Snow!
Thought I’d write up a quick recap of where the characters were at the end of last season and what we might expect in this first episode that premieres tonight.
Last we saw them…
Arya Stark – Has defied the Many-Faced God by killing someone she was not supposed to. The last we see her, she has lost her eyesight as punishment.
Sansa Stark – Escapes with Theon Greyjoy, jumps over the wall of Winterfell and into the snow away from Ramsay.
Ramsay Bolton – Slaughters Stannis’s army in the snow.
Stannis Baratheon- Wife and daughter dead, and then he is Killed by Brienne of Tarth as revenge for Renly Baratheon’s death. (Good Riddance!)
Jaime Lannister – On their journey home from Dorne, he tells Myrcella she is his daughter. Myrcella is poisoned to death by Ellaria Sand as revenge for Prince Oberyn’s death.
Melisandre – Aka, The Red Woman, steals a horse and abandons Stannis when he is on the brink of war and rides to the wall. She arrives to give Davos Seaworth the bad news of Shireen’s death, and everyone else.
Cersei Lannister – After her walk of shame through the streets of King’s Landing, she finds herself somewhat broken. She finds comfort in the arms of a giant Knight, (who we can assume is Gregor Clegane, The Mountain, in Zombie form.)
Tyrion Lannister – Left to help rule Meereen in Dany’s absence along with Grey Worm, Missandei, and Varys.
Daenerys Targaryen – Ends up in the middle of no where when she takes off on her dragon Drogon. She gets captured by a Dothraki horde.
Daario and Jorah – Ride off in search of Dany.
Sam and Gilly – Ride off to old town, so Sam can become a Maester.
Jon Snow – Is betrayed by men of the Night’s Watch and killed. The last we see is Jon’s blood seeping into the snow.
Bran Stark – the last we saw of Bran was in season four, very north of the wall with the three-eyed raven.
What might we see in tonight’s episode? Will Jon Snow come back?
Is Jon Snow truly dead? The dead may walk in Game of Thrones and the Lord of Light might spare our handsome leader.
I think the Red Woman has arrived at the wall to bring Jon Snow back to life. And then Jon Snow will reappear as Jon Stark to kick some Bolton ass!
Sansa might have some of the same ideas in mind…to take back Winterfell and find her brothers.
We will also finally get to see Bran Stark in this season! In truth, I have no idea what his plans are, and can’t even guess.
Winter is Coming!!!
Today was a beautiful day. A balmy 50 degrees and sunny here and definitely not feeling like February. We definitely lucked out this winter…makes me wonder what’s in store for us next year, eh? Flooding? Blizzards?
Anyway, had a successful morning and afternoon. Made some pancakes, bacon, home fries and eggs for brunch today, and while the other half went back to bed with a book, I disappeared into my office for some writing time.
(This is what I was listening to this afternoon while writing).
I’m really enjoying these sunlit, late afternoons to myself lately. There was a nice, cool, clean breeze coming through the window, I had my headphones on blasting some Celtic dance music, and I was transported into a different world. It felt exciting, and sexy and full of adventure.
Finding the moment where you actually feel enveloped in the world you created seems very rare for me lately, and I enjoyed it a lot this afternoon.
Tonight, we are watching the Oscars, although my negative self can’t help but ask every once and awhile: how expensive do you think her dress is? More than all the rents in this building? More than my car? (Money is so depressing, lately.)
Anyway, we are tuning in mostly to see Leo DiCaprio and his nomination in The Revenant, which Mike (the other half,) said was a great film. I have not seen it yet. And while everyone gushes over dresses, and controversial issues, I turn to writing and research.
I’ve been doing that a lot lately, too…story researching! Mike might walk in my office and see me researching sail boats and solar energy, and sub-genres of fantasy. I might look up dresses, (been very obsessed with what my characters are wearing lately.) Today, I was listening to tribal drums.
The world is the limit, and I am very much enjoying the new found passion I have found in my projects. It doesn’t matter if it is different than everyone else…that’s the point!
Hope everyone has a great week! Happy Writing!
Note: there are no movie spoilers in this, just my silly ramblings about how much of a nerd I am.
I’m sure many of you aren’t aware, but there is a brand new Star Wars out there for your viewing pleasure, and I don’t think enough people are going to see it…I mean, seriously, I think this one is going to flop, people.
(Laughs). Yeah, right.
Star Wars is everywhere! It was on the sign of our local carpet store when we drove by today; ‘may the floor be with you?’ Seriously?
It was on the Outback-ad I saw a few minutes ago on Facebook; which featured steaks flying at a look-alike Death Star made out of sweet potato.
Last night, it was on the google website when you searched: dare to choose the dark or light side?
Don’t forget the merchandise: band-aids, toys, coloring books, T-shirts, plushies, mugs, silverware, and ornaments. Star Wars has permeated every corner of our personal galaxy and I’m not sure I was entirely prepared for it.
Originally, Mike and I decided that we would go see Star Wars in I-Max. But, we couldn’t get tickets for opening weekend, so we decided to go the day after Christmas. We wouldn’t have to stand in those long premiere lines, we’d miss the crazy rush, and I was okay with this.
That is…until Star Wars came out yesterday.
Suddenly, Facebook was bombarded with potential spoilers, and I was starting to feel frightened of the people at my work. I heard the words “Star Wars” and I practically ran out of the break room.
Spoilers are something I hate when it comes to any film, but the idea that the surprises in this new movie might get ruined for me, filled me with a new brand of anxiety I didn’t expect.
I had misjudged the hype. Why didn’t I think of this before? Why had I decided to wait? Was I stupid, or something?
I got Star Wars Spoiler anxiety!
I did. Suddenly a week waiting for I-Max felt like years. Was I to assume that I wouldn’t accidentally stumble on a spoiler on google? Or overhear someone in the check out line at the grocery store? I became nervous, unsettled, and paranoid. I didn’t get on Facebook for a few days.
My R2-D2 plushy. He sits loyally on my desk and guards my laptop from any potential thieves.
I know Star Wars is just a movie, (although part of me dies when I say that), I know there are more important things in the world to worry about…but the fact that I got anxious worrying about Star Wars spoilers is kind of hilarious.
Well, all that got resolved this morning, because Mike and I decided that we would nip the anxiety in the bud, and we went 10am this morning to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and we loved it. I stretched out on the newly renovated recliner chairs and munched on Cheerios like popcorn.
Really, I told Mike that we were forced to see it, because we were worried about spoilers, and then I laughed like the nerd I am at my accidental pun. Har, har, har. I know, I’m such a dork.
But that brings me to another thing.
My Star Wars spoiler anxiety might have something to do with the Star Wars obsession I’ve developed over the past few months.
It seems like the more silly the merchandise, the more I must have it. I’ve got Star Wars wrapping paper to wrap my presents with this year. I found crayons with colors in it like: outer space, deep space sparkle, tumbleweed, shadow and cadet blue.
I found Star Wars duct tape, (this I reasoned was for projects for gifts, but lets face it, I bought it for myself.)
I also found a holiday count-down chalk board; I later crossed out holiday and wrote “Star Wars” at the top. Then of course with all this, that doesn’t include the stuffed R2-D2 on my desk, my t-shirts, and posters.
Did I forget to mention, I ate Star Wars chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight?
Are you guys as obsessed with Star Wars as I am right now? (And please no spoilers if you choose to comment, lets save that for the review I’ll probably post in a few days.)
Happy Weekend, everyone!
I watched this new Force Awakens trailer with Mike (the other half) last night, and I had some reservations.
He thinks that I’m just irritated because now I have more questions than answers, (which is probably true,) but also, something about this new trailer troubles me. So, thought I’d write-up a quick blog post to puzzle it out.
I was disappointed when I learned a few years ago that Lucas had sold his masterpiece to Disney, because, well, Disney likes to ruin things. Like important things. By adding their own interpretation to the field. (Any fans of Boy Meets World see their Girl Meets World version? Yuck.)
But when I heard that J. J. Abrams was at the helm of the project, and all of the resources and money that Disney has, I thought okay…this movie might have a chance.
Then I saw this trailer and all of those doubts started to creep in again.
In this new trailer we finally see what we can assume are the main characters of the film : a former Storm Trooper, and a young brown-haired girl, Rey, living on what looks like Tatooine. I thought it was possibly Leia’s and Han’s daughter, but, according to this new trailer, it doesn’t really seem that way.
To be honest, I’m going to be very annoyed (I’m already annoyed) if this young woman is not in any way related to the Skywalkers. Because…I mean, come on, its STAR WARS; a lot of the main plot is centered around one big romance that ends tragically between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala.
Of course, I could be reading into something that is meant to be vague on purpose – it is J.J. Abrams after all.
Anyway, the tone I got from the new trailer – so melancholy. There’s a lot of reminiscing going on (from what we’ve seen) but I hope that the film doesn’t get bogged down on what Star Wars was, and to focus on what it still is…to continue mastering a great story.
That being said, there’s got to be a balance, too. It needs to have some of that old Star Wars feel, (from the three great originals,) but also be fresh and exciting for this cinematic age. And although we love Star Wars, we hope that J.J Abrams also remembers that we love the universe of Star Wars, too, so we hope that it still feels like it’s in that galaxy far, far, away…with all the action scenes, explosions, droids, unexpectedly adorable aliens, and quotable lines, (minus the corniness)…
But, I don’t think that’s asking too much…right? 😉
Anyway, do you guys have any thoughts on the new movie? Are there things you are definitely looking forward to?
I’ve decided that I didn’t hate the new trailer, but it definitely did make me irritated because it managed to answer NONE of my questions. Hmm. Just like LOST all over again. Oh, J. J. Abrams.
Hope everyone has a great night!
A. J. Morse 