Saturday, May 31, 2014

The Revolution Cliffhanger

When it was announced that Revolution was cancelled, I was upset. It was a good sci-fi show that took place after the apocalypse (aka when the lights went out) and had interesting twists and turns. I wanted it to continue but I didn't think I'd be so heartbroken when the last scene of the series aired.

What kind of heartbroken? The "Dammit! Now I'll never know how this cliffhanger is resolved" kind of heartbroken.

I figured that with the show being cancelled the whole Patriots plot would be resolved in some manner. Maybe there'd be another plot introduced but it wouldn't be major.

Boy was I wrong about that.

Throughout the Second Season of the show there was a little nanobot sub-plot. Weird things happened and the nanos turned from friend to foe during the course of the Season. I figured that with the show being canceled that the nano sub-plot would be resolved simply. Such as Aaron's wife being fine and they realize that the nanos won't be able to enact their plan of world domination. Maybe a final shot hinting that the nanos have another plan but nothing as big as the final shot of the series.

It turns out that the nanobots are now taking over other people, since Aaron and his wife wouldn't accept being controlled, and making them all live in the town Bradbury. Bradbury, for those unfamiliar with the sci-fi genre, most likely comes from the famous author Ray Bradbury. That reference alone made me giddy.

Then there is the sign that lights up in the final scene.
This reminds me of the Stephen King book It where the villain is a clown. Well...the villain takes on the form of a clown for the most part. Also the town itself might be a King reference. In The Stand there is a town with the good guys and there is another town with the bad guys. That might just be me, though.

The series finale left me, and other viewers, with the plot of robots taking over the world. That is a cliffhanger that hurts! Now it is only through fanfiction that the fans will have a continuation of the series as it appears unlikely that it will be picked up by another network.

All The Cassie Hate

I talk about how people seem to loathe this Animorph.

Hannibal (Season 2)



Show: Hannibal

Season: 2

Episodes: 13

Created By: Bryan Fuller

Based on the Books By: Thomas Harris

Released: 2014

Rating: 6/6

Basic Plot: Explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
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Canon Characters Can Die
In this season it's shown that canon characters (aka characters from the Thomas Harris books) can die before they're supposed to. I think that is one of the most evil genius things a person can do. It makes it so that you can't say that this character or that character will be safe until a certain time. It makes you really worried from week to week. This is, by far, one of the best things about this season. I just love it when you don't know who is going to die.

Will Takes the Upper Hand
All of last Season Will was reacting and trying to figure out who the killer was. This Season he knows and does his best to get Hannibal arrested. Of course things aren't simple, but they never are in these kinds of shows. It is refreshing and interesting to see a different Will that appears to go dark. I like how this Season didn't just give us the same Will from the first Season.

Jack Crawford's Intelligence
Throughout the majority of this Season, Jack appears to be dimwitted. I admit that his actions at the end of last Season made me hate him this Season even more. There were so many times during this Season where I wanted to smack some sense into him. When he arrests a vegetarian I was facepalming so hard. By the end of this Season I at least had respect for him.

Final Thoughts
The love and respect I have for this show is too much to put into words. I admire the people behind and in front of the camera (and some of the people's behinds that are in front of the camera). This show could've easily been another cliche killer show with only the name 'Hannibal' tying it in to Thomas Harris' book. This Season continues to amaze me with the cinematography, acting, and music among everything else. We get to see some characters we thought we would never see again and an amazing Season Finale. There are around two scenes that I consider the most gut wrenching of the series so far. I'll let you discover those on your own. This is not a show for everyone and if you get nauseous easily I wouldn't recommend this show to you.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Jash Talks: X-Men Days of Future Past Fiesta (Parts 1 & 2)

Avexle and myself talk about the X-Men movies and talk about medical issues among other things.

If you would like to send questions/topics for the next live show just comment below and they will be answered!

Also go to my twitter (@jashykins) to look for updates about the next live show!

Shipping Confessions: Cassie/Rachel (Animorphs)

And yet again we find ourselves back in the Animorphs series. I must admit that I should've given myself a little more time before talking about this ship. While I remember some good parts, there is the fact that it isn't as fresh in my mind as it should be. Especially since both characters grow and change throughout the series.

This is a ship where opposites attract. Hell, before the series started they were both good friends already.

The ship is Cassie and Rachel.
Cassie is one of those characters that is hated by the majority of the fandom and I don't understand why. She is the moral center of the group and commits some heinous acts, but that makes her realistically flawed and not someone that shouldn't be in the series.

Cassie is the one to discover the Yeerk Peace Movement (YPM) and helps the YPM Leader (Aftran) escape from being killed. She is the one to ask the others about their actions and so makes it so that the surviving Animorphs aren't so badly scarred at the end of the war. It's really only herself, Marco, and Ax that fare the best despite her best efforts.

Cassie is the one to help provide morphs and information on animals to the group. Without her it wouldn't be as easy to get morphs or figure out what morphs they should use. Yes, she did make mistakes like the ant morph, but she usually helps the group very well.

Cassie is a very plain looking girl and doesn't think too highly about her appearance. She is also a POC (specifically African American) and the books that she narrates clearly show her skin color on the covers.
Rachel is the opposite of Cassie. She turns into the weapon that the other Animorphs use as she will do what is necessary to win. This makes her a very bloody character and people often only see that side of her.

Throughout the series she questions how she is changing. She thinks about how she loves the war. So it isn't like she is a ruthless fighter without a conscience. She knows that she's a violent character and even reflects on how the others use her.

Rachel is the one to die and it actually makes sense. She is the one that lived for the war so her not living seems to be the better option. Of course her death affects Tobias so much that he ends up living in the wilderness after the war.

Rachel is always described as a model and so that helps to hide the fact that she is very vicious.
Rachel and Cassie were friends prior to them entering into the war. While they are opposites they very much fit one another.

Even though they have their fights during the series, including Rachel pointing out the fact that Cassie is afraid to become like her, they are always there for each other. No matter how far they get from each other, emotionally, they will always care about each other.

Cassie and Rachel are the opposite of each other and yet they care for each other deeply. From risking their lives for each other to simple things like recording shows.
It's always funny to see Rachel and Cassie talk about clothing. Rachel is one of those people that is very sophisticated when it comes to shopping while Cassie doesn't really know or care about fashion. So it's good that Cassie has a friend like Rachel who can help her with the more mundane things like dressing herself.

If Rachel had survived the war, Cassie could help her emotionally. Cassie could be there to remind her that she is a good person and that she'll always be there for her. I don't think Rachel would ever fully recover, but with a person like Cassie she could at least have a chance at enjoying life.

What will I talk about next Shipping Confessions? One ship that is so canon that it should be canon. A cannibal and an empathetic man from the tv series Hannibal.
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Shipping Confessions Table of Contents

Elementary (Season 2)



Show: Elementary

Season: 2

Episodes: 24

Executive Producer: Carl Beverly

Released: 2013-2014

Rating: 3/6

Basic Plot: A modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with the detective now living in New York City.
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Irene/Moriarty Gets More Development
An episode or two is dedicated to Irene and I am glad for that. Last Season Finale had the reveal that Irene is actually Moriarty and seeing how Sherlock reacts is good to see. It's good to see how Sherlock Holmes loves and that he still harbors feelings for her. Irene is shown to have a daughter which ends up showing she's both a mother and that she's dedicated to her profession.

Mycroft
I liked seeing this character returning to the show. It is fun to watch the two brothers interact with each other. Mycroft and Joan Watson end up in a little relationship for a short time. I don't mind the relationship as it does open up character development for Mycroft as well as showing some secrets that I won't spoil here. Again, I love seeing him interacting with Sherlock and seeing their relationship explored.

Sherlock and Watson's Relationship
Now it's a well known fact that Sherlock and Watson are supposed to remain just friends. From an artistic standpoint I know that's the best decision. Here is a man and woman who can be together without falling in love with each other. It's a rarity in fiction, especially today when romance seems to enter places it isn't needed. However, I can't help but look at their actions as lovers rather than friends. This is one of those times I'm glad I'm not in charge of the show as I probably wouldn't be able to help myself.

Final Thoughts
This show is better if you watch a Season in a marathon watching style. This is because episodes can be meh generally, but the overarching plots are worth it. Plus Jonny Lee Miller excels at playing Sherlock Holmes giving the character new life. Lucy Liu continues to do well as Joan Watson. I am shipping Watson/Moriarty harder this season. With the ending of this Season I am worrying about Sherlock's stability and what will happen to the other characters.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Let's Play Dead Space: Extraction (Parts 22 & 23)

I continue to kick-butt and take names.


Let's Play Dead Space: Extraction (Parts 19-21)


I start off this session with trying to get to the Ishimura without dying.



New Beginnings and Second Chances 3

Marco’s laughter had seemed to go on for hours. I was even nervous that I would have to demorph soon before anything could be resolved. The whole morphing process was too exhausting to morph, demorph, and morph again quickly. Only an Estreen, like Cassie, could do that. I didn’t want to get stuck mid-morph and not be able to function.

I didn’t want to imagine how a half-hawk half-human body would function or even if it could.

I checked a nearby clock for the fifth time and saw only eight minutes had passed. It was still an impressive amount of time to laugh non-stop, though.

“To...Tob...Tobias, you acquired Mark Ruffalo?” Marco said as he seemed to calm down finally.

“No,” I replied and found Ruffalo’s voice to be a good yet odd match to my own. “I acquired a bunch of people and it just happened that the morph turned out to be Mark Ruffalo.”

I saw Marco struggle not to burst out into laughter again as he replied, “But the coincidence. Shit like that doesn’t just happen on accident.”

“Sometimes it does, Marco.” I said and sighed.

I suddenly noticed that when Marco had been talking to and laughing at me that he hadn’t been looking directly into my eyes. Maybe he’d glance at them but mostly his eyes looked everywhere but my eyes. A smile started to form on my face and then I pushed it away.

I needed to stay concentrated on the moment and not what I hoped would happen.

“You know I...like Ruffalo.” Marco said slowly.

“I do too.” I told him. “He’s not exactly an unattractive man.”

“But what does he think about you morphing him? Or did you even tell him yet?”

“I talked with him. It was really embarrassing morphing him the first time. I didn’t want him to think I was some stalker. I can turn into any animal so thinking you have a stalker like that is just frightening.”

“And he agreed? Mark Ruffalo agreed to let you morph him?”

“Yeah. I promised to always alert him if I was going to morph him in public and to help alert him to anyone purposefully confusing the two of us.”

“You two didn’t discuss morphing in private?” Marco asked as his eyes stayed focused on my hair.

“Well he sort of figured that I’d want an adult form to do stuff like drink and have sex.” I said and grinned as I saw him blush. “It’s really awkward doing stuff like sex with the body of a thirteen year old to say the least.”

“But it never seemed to bother you before.” He said and I swear there was a touch of sadness in his voice.

“Hey, it’s not like I won’t ever morph into myself from time to time.” I said and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Marco then looked into my eyes and got lost in them. I could see why he had been hesitant before as the look he was giving me now was very sexually charged, to say the least. I figured now was as good of time as any to ask him.

“You sure you’re not into guys?” I asked.

“What?” Marco said as he realized that he had been staring for too long. “No. No. Totally a ladies man.”

“Sure?” I asked and purposefully ran a hand through my hair.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” But, as he replied, the words seemed to have trouble coming out of his mouth.

“Listen, I’m not asking for a commitment here. Just maybe a night or two and then we can go to other sex partners.”

“I told you I’m not-“

“Marco, you just got lost in my eyes and before that you were checking me out. You can say you’re not gay or that you don’t like guys all you want, but I know you’re lying. It hurts.”

“And it doesn’t hurt you that all your interactions with me lately have been involving sex?”

“Because losing your girlfriend and having no one to turn to is so easy to deal with. At least your parents are together. My mom doesn’t remember my dad. Hell, it sometimes feels like she has nothing but loathing for him because of the responsibility I was given.”

“So all you’re going to do is fuck me for stability?”

“If I say I love you, how will that matter if you don’t want sex with me? I need sex in a relationship. How can I think of going further with you if you’re not going to admit anything?”

After that outburst we just looked at each other. I both hated and loved Marco at that moment. I loathed him for making me feel guilty and for not admitting what he felt sexually. It was wrong for me to just have sex with him as a crutch, but he could at least admit he liked it.

I loved Marco too because I couldn’t hate him, at least not fully. I could never hate him so much that I would never have feelings for him.

It seemed that we would look at each other for years and that we wouldn’t stop looking at each other until we died. Would he ever decide yes or would it be a no?

Then Marco finally made his move. One of his hands tightly gripped my hair and his lips met mine. I kissed him back fiercely and put a hand on the back of his neck while my other hand went to undo his pants.
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Supernatural (Season 9)



Show: Supernatural

Season: 9

Episodes: 23

Created By: Eric Kripke

Released: 2013-2014

Rating: 3.5/6

Basic Plot: After the angels got thrown out of Heaven, Dean and Sam end up having to try and stop both Abaddon and Metatron.
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Metatron the Douche
At the end of last season's finale you got to see that Metatron was not a good guy. But this season he becomes so horrible that you are in shock. When he was first shown he seemed to be okay but this season shows that is far from the case. His goal this season is to try and become God. While I do hate his actions, he is a fun character to watch on screen.

Castiel is Human for a Sec
One interesting thing that I wanted explored this season was what would happen if Cas was human. How would he react and adapt to a life without his angelic powers? They did show Cas as a human for a little bit and also gave him a budding romance. To say the romance with the woman was cut short is an understatement. While him getting his powers back wasn't as sudden, and ended up having consequences, I would've loved to see more human Cas.

Bloodlines
A spin-off of Supernatural has been heard of for awhile now and this season we got to see the pilot in the episode "Bloodlines". Most people loathed it being the spin-off after the episode aired. Myself, I think there were so many options for a better spin-off. The episode that aired before "Bloodlines", "Alex Annie Alexis Ann", I would've preferred being the pilot of the spin-off. Other people have suggested ideas that would've tied the maker of the colt, the gun used to kill the big bad in a previous season, to the Men of Letters. As an episode it was okay, but as a pilot for the spin-off it doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth.

Final Thoughts
This season was fun for the most part. Even though "Dog Dean Afternoon" wasn't that good the arcs of Abaddon, the Mark of Cain, and trying to beat Metatron more than made up for it. Plus we get more Charlie and Garth! It did have its low points but it did make up for them so that it was an enjoyable season.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Tobias and Me 10

On tv shows, like Star Trek, journeying through the stars is an amazing and beautiful thing. I’m sure that if I actually knew how to navigate through Z-space with any certainty, I wouldn’t be feeling as anxious. Sure I’d still be afraid that the Yeerks would be waiting for us at the other end and that the Bug fighter might glitch and we’d be out of Z-space before we meant to.

But at least I’d know that, if all went right, that the next planet we would see would be Earth. I wanted to be in my meadow again as it was normal. At least what normal was nowadays.

I looked at Cat who was wearing a makeshift jacket. There had been a few materials lying around that we had put together for her. It didn’t look comfortable as she was constantly moving and making sure that her movements didn’t show off more than she wanted to be shown.

I was back in red-tailed hawk morph and I was glad that I didn’t have to worry about clothing. I didn’t have to worry about being nude. I was usually always nude, unless I went into human morph, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

“How much longer?” Cat asked.

I don’t know. I replied. I’m not even sure if when we exit Z-space that we’ll be near Earth.

“I wish you were sure. To think that if we don’t ever reach Earth that the Yeerks could take over and it’d be our fault that it happened.”

It would be my fault. I’m the one that is flying us home. I said, trying to lighten to mood and not make her worry as much.

On one hand I was happy that she would be willing to fight when we got home. On the other hand, though, I didn’t want the guilt to be hers if we never returned home. That should be my guilt to bear and mine alone.

The possibility of exiting Z-space and having a short lived space battle with the Yeerks ending with our deaths took a firm hold in my mind. I had wanted to wait until we had gotten back to Earth to admit my feelings to her, but what if we didn’t have that time? What if we only had this time together until we died?

I didn’t want to die without first admitting my feelings to her.

Cat? I said and waited for her to look at me. I…

I was suddenly embarrassed that I couldn’t say any other words. I started preening myself because I felt awkward. Should you really tell a girl that you just met that you love her? Would she really want to die thinking she was with a creep?

I finally gathered the courage and said, I love you, Cat. I worked so hard to get you to this point because I want to be with you. I don’t know how long the feeling will last, but I want to be with you as long as it does.

She just sat there. I could look at her eyes but I couldn’t decipher what she was thinking. I didn’t know if she felt the same way or was starting to think that I was a creep. I tried to read her body language and I suddenly realized that I was nervous to the point of not thinking clearly.

After awhile I started to get extremely nervous about what she would say. Finally she kissed the top of my head. The hawk part of me was nervous about that but I was able to control it so I didn’t react in fear to that kiss. It felt good even though a human kissing a hawk shouldn’t seem so normal. But, hey, I had been in a relationship with Rachel previously and she had kissed me while in hawk form.

“Glad it isn’t just me, then.” Cat replied and we hugged.

If anyone had been watching us it would’ve seemed uncomfortable as my wings were trying to wrap around her like arms and her arms were wrapped around me. But it was the most comfortable I had been in awhile.
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Now You See Me, Now I'm In You 4

-This is a Mature Story (if in content if not plot)
-It's a Now You See Me/Animorphs fanfic
-It's a Dylan Rhodes fanfic

You can read it HERE

Monday, May 26, 2014

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)



Title: Days of Future Past

Series: X-Men

Director: Bryan Singer

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2014

Personal Rating: 5/6

Oscars: N/A

Plot: The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.
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Quicksilver
Now Quicksilver is an Avenger and Magneto's son in the comics. However, because of legal issues that make using the character extremely complicated in the movies, in this movie and any sequels him being an Avenger can never be mentioned. When I was reading the imdb trivia page for this movie the whole legal issue was overwhelmingly stupid.That being said: Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters, was a very enjoyable part of this film.

Charles Xavier's Story
I consider Charles the main character of this movie. Everything revolves around him. He was going to be the one to go back in time but he couldn't handle the journey so Wolverine was sent instead. The only reason Magneto got involved was because Charles knew he couldn't convince Mystique to stop without him. Plus Charles went through the biggest character change in the movie while the others just wobbled and basically ended where they began.

Deleting X3
The events of this movie eventually erase X-Men: The Last Stand which will probably cause the majority of you to cheer in jubilation and become happier than you have been in years. Even though I liked X3, I don't mind since the movie explains it logically (at least as logically as a story with time travel can be) and it means certain dead characters can come back to the franchise.

Final Thoughts
This was a fun ride. It's actually one of the few times I was out and about on my own so it makes seeing it extra special (yeah, I'm one of those people that don't care if I see a movie alone). The story line was good and I thought that the time travel aspect held up. It was heart-breaking to see Young Charles early in the film as how pained he was made him do something awful. If you liked X-Men First Class, this is a good follow up to it. The post credits scene seems to be setting up for the sequel that involves Apocalypse. If you're wondering: Yes, I had to look that up as when I watched it I had no idea what I was looking at.

Some Wyllop Items Look New

Info From HERE
Some things are looking new around Subeta. There are new items and some old items are getting revamped.

Some Wyllop items have gotten revamped recently. Specifically the Wyllop plushies from the Plushie Parlour and the Wyllop elixirs from the Magic Box.

They look adorable as always, of course!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Animorphs Re-Read: #6 The Capture (Chapters 5-8)

 Chapter 5
Marco comments that it's weird practicing a morph since they usually just go into a mission in new morphs with no practice. Jake says the reason is because they are going in as spies this time and understanding roach senses can be hard.

I just realized...this IS the Animorphs' first real spying mission. Whenever they morphed before they were either fighting or doing something with the morphs. I admit that Rachel and Jake were the first real spies in #2 The Visitor, but that wasn't something the whole group was involved in. At least not the actual spying part.

Turns out that Marco is now in a new and better apartment. His Dad has a new job that was announced at the end of the last book.

Cassie, the animal lover, says that she's grossed out by cockroaches and if it's possible that they could morph something so gross that they wouldn't exist anymore. Ax is confused by Cassie's disgust as he is still learning about humanity.
Jake thinks that it's surprising how used the group has gotten to Ax so quickly. Ax who is an Andalite and the brother of Prince Elfangor, the alien who gave the group the power to morph. He also remarks on the weirdness of watching everyone, but himself and Tobias, morphing roaches seeming normal now.

Jake looks away when the gang gets to the disgusting part of the roach morph and looks back at four cockroaches. Marco starts to say something and Jake thinks that they all look alike. He says 'Hello' and tells Tobias to tell the others he said 'Hello'. The group then tries to really 'hear' Jake say 'Hello'.

They quickly figure out how to 'hear' 'Hello'. They then spend time really grasping how to understand human speech while in cockroach morph.

As the group demorphs, Jake remarks that even Cassie can't make the cockroach morphing process look attractive. Why is it that it seems like in every book Cassie is pointed as the best morpher and then the comment is made that she can't make a certain morph attractive? If it's so rare for her not to make a morph attractive why has it happened in every book so far?

Once the gang has demorphed, Ax compliments the cockroach's body. I must admit that I love Ax's love for Earth.
Rachel, though, is disgusted by the roach morph. And then Marco has to be an ass and bring up the ant morph again.

Jake says that not everyone has to go and Rachel questions him about the statement. Marco then wonders why. It is Cassie who figures out that Jake is afraid for Tom's life.

Marco says that they won't hurt Tom, but Jake reminds the gang how involved Tom is. That Tom would kill any of the Animorphs if given a chance. Tobias reminds Jake that the Yeerk is the villain, not his brother.

I love you, Tobias!
Jake then tells the others about the nightmare he's been having. About him in tiger morph chasing Tom and Tom turns around but it isn't Tom. Jake doesn't go into detail about who Tom turns into and I want the answer right now, dammit!

Jake then goes on to say that if they succeed then Visser Three may get so angry that he kills Tom. Marco says that they don't have to make a decision now.

I like this part of Marco and feel it's often overlooked. He is kind and caring as well as liking to make jokes all the time.

Jake agrees with Marco about waiting until later to decide if they should do the mission or not. Jake doesn't feel relieved.


Chapter 6
Rachel wonders how long whatever they're doing will take as she hadn't set her VCR to record the movie of the week and Cassie reassures her that she had recorded it for her. For all my younger readers who have never lived in the era of no-DVR and only VCR: back in the day we used the VCR as you do the DVR.

Ax complains about his human morph and Tobias complains about his hawk morph since it's night time. I swear Tobias is the biggest owl fanboy in existence. There is no equal.
Jake recounts how Ax is uncontrollable around food and loves making sounds with his human mouth.

Marco jokes about falling down and Ax seems not to get the fact that the human is just messing with him.

They arrive close to their destination and it turns out they're going to a Sharing building. Jake and the others go into a basement. Really great commentary by both Rachel and Marco. Rachel sarcastically saying that being an Animorph is glamorous and Marco commenting on Tobias banging one of his wings.

As Ax demorphs, Jake repeats one of the rules of morphing: You can't go from one morph directly into another one.

Before they morph into cockroaches, Cassie reminds everyone that this is just a spying mission. They're not going to attack anyone. Cassie is really talking to Rachel since she brings up an elephant morph specifically. Cassie is also reminding everyone that Tom will be one of the Controllers which Jake is embarrassed about.

Marco asks Tobias if he can protect them from rats and Tobias says he's the 'rat-killer of the universe'. You two! Marco is not only making a joke but also reminding Tobias that he's a useful member of the group.
Jake makes sure every member is ready and Ax seems overly eager to please Jake.

Rachel comments that if cockroaches weren't so gross, she'd really be enjoying being one because it's cool. Tobias says he still feels the need to step on them even though he knows they aren't real cockroaches. Marco shoots back about what Tobias eats. I really really enjoy how Marco seems to be at ease helping Tobias by reminding him he's useful and helping him get through his new life. Of course he always does this while not breaking his mask.

Jake notices Tobias has seemed to become used to his new life. But Jake focuses on the mission.

Tobias says he's still watching them but is going to be airborne. Jake reminds the group that they're sneaking into a Yeerk area so there will be Controllers looking for Andalite bandits. The really funny part of this is Jake says to act like normal cockroaches. Marco jokes about going into a cereal box since he had nearly eaten a bug that crawled into a cereal box before.
Jake feels better once they enter a crack into the Sharing building. Well...until he starts thinking about demorphing in that small space. Jake tells Tobias that they're in and to stay safe. Tobias flies away and wishes the group good luck.

They finally get to an area that they hear Controllers talking. Marco jokes about it sounding like a pep rally and everyone but Ax laughs at the joke.

Jake tells the group to spread out so that they don't look suspicious being in one big group. Before he can say otherwise, everyone is heading off in a different direction to spy. Jake is worried that this will look odd to the Controllers but he forgot that the Yeerks didn't have to keep up the human act right now and so they go unnoticed.

Tobias is able to contact the group and says that a guy arrived in a limo. He also says that he has a bad feeling about the guy. When the guy arrives in the room the gang is in they hear that Visser Three has arrived.

Jake is confused as Tobias didn't report seeing an Andalite. Feel free to facepalm. Marco is surprised that Visser Three can morph a human. Luckily there is Ax to basically tell Marco 'No Shit'. Humans are animals so they have DNA. The whole group has seen Ax get his human morph so there shouldn't be 'how can the Visser morph human'. But 'dammit, Visser Three now has a human morph' is a logical reaction.
Visser Three talks about the plan with the hospital. He states that he plans for around two-hundred new Controllers a month. Shit!

Things get even better when the Visser announces plans to make a Controller out of the Governor. Rachel is the only one to really know how screwed Earth would be if that happens. Rachel says that the Governor will be running for President the following year. The gang realizes that if they allow the Governor to become a Controller then the Yeerks will have won.


Chapter 7
Jake decides that they've learned what they needed to know so they can leave now. Plus being in the vicinity of Visser Three can't be all that comforting.

Jake realizes the implications of what they had just learned. It is one thing to fight a secret war but if the enemies got hands on more power...shit would really hit the fan. They are only kids and learning that they might have an even bigger war ahead is just daunting.

Jake's roach mind is spooked by a vibration. Someone had nearly stepped on him!

A Controller points out that there are cockroaches while another one says it's nothing. Visser Three is a highly paranoid being and is extremely hateful, so he says for the second Controller to be killed since the cockroaches might possibly be the 'Andalite bandits'. While this paranoia is somewhat humorous, it's easy to understand why the Visser would be so cautious.

Jake is worried that the second Controller had been Tom. Jake runs.
Visser Three orders for them to be killed so Jake says everyone for themselves. The funny part of this is when Jake tells the others for the roach brain to guide them. He thinks to himself that roaches are disgusting but they're great at staying alive.

Some of the others have close encounters and Cassie screams that she doesn't want to die like this. This is a kid's book!

Jake is nearly squished against a wall and jumps out of the way and onto the shoe. Then he's flying through the air and I'm laughing my ass off at the image. Of course I'm imagining Jake going, "Weeeeeeeeeee!" and waving a little flag too.

Cassie announces she found a way out and Jake suddenly remembers that he has wings in cockroach morph. But it's too late as Jake is flung against another wall and runs underneath a paper as Ax and Rachel announce they're safe.

Marco is inside a toilet as he thought it would be safe. Of course the joker would hide in a toilet. He says he decided to hide there since it seemed like a place a cockroach would normally hide. Marco also says that he'll be able to make an escape soon.

Jake says that he would prefer to hide but has to make a run for it.

The two wish each other good luck and then a new enemy appears: bug spray!
Visser Three gloats after Jake gets sprayed and all seems lost. This is a kid's book and it seems like one of the main characters is going to die as a cockroach!

Suddenly a new shape comes towards Jake and he can't move to avoid it. But everything is okay since it's Tobias who picks him up and takes him away from the Controllers.


Chapter 8
Tobias drops Jake on the roof of a restaurant. The roach part of Jake doesn't understand what's going on as it loses control of its body. But Jake understand that he's dying. Tobias yells at him to demorph. Jake remembers how he used to laugh at killing cockroaches but now it's not funny as he's in the same situation. The dying part at least.

As Jake concentrates on demorphing he recalls the dream about him being a tiger and chasing Tom. When Jake is about to kill Tom, Jake changes into Tom and is about to be killed. Don't worry, Jake, you won't strike the final blow against Tom.
Jake opens his eyes and he is fully demorphed. Tobias is looking at him and asks if he is okay. Jake asks if Tobias thinks he is. Tobias replies that it was an odd morph since Jake was unconscious while demorphing. Tobias says that they're on the roof of a restaurant.

Small little error I found: At the beginning of the chapter Jake knows where he is but now he has to ask Tobias?

Jake thanks Tobias and Bird-boy says no problem.

Tobias says everyone is safe but worried about him. Tobias also says he has heard the big news including Visser Three's human morph. Jake says he doesn't know what the morph looks like to sight like a human's and Tobias reassures him that he saw the Visser leave.

Jake realizes Tobias is hiding something as he's being too talkative. Tobias finally says that Tom left with Visser Three. This means that whatever is being planned is both big and will endanger Tom's life.

The chapter ends on the realization the two have, but don't outright say to each other, that if they succeed then Tom will die.
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Animorphs Re-Read

Sayings Sundays (May 25, 2014)

The second season of NBC's Hannibal ended last Friday. And with the finale came another throwback to the Hannibal books by Thomas Harris. Yes, I know, the tv series has lots of easter eggs for long-time Hannibal fans to munch on. So this isn't exactly the first time it's happened.

This time a conversation between Hannibal and Will was eerily similar to one Hannibal and Clarice had in the book (and movie) Hannibal.


On a Theory of a Deadman binge I ran into this song. It is catchy as hell and one I don't mind being on repeat.

It also reminded me of Loki from The Avengers. Now I'm not a big Loki fan and I don't kneel at the mere mention of his name. But I really do feel that the song suits him.

Loki is a villain and yet he has legions of fangirls that, at times, seem to prefer him over the actual heroes. So I can't help but listen to this song and think of Loki.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

New Beginnings and Second Chances 2

In my darkest moments, during and after the war, I always felt glad knowing I could fly. The power of flight that the hawk body gave me helped cancel out darker thoughts. Flying allowed me to find peace that nothing else could help me achieve. Alcohol couldn’t give me this peace and sex couldn’t give me this peace.

But flying alone didn’t help me deal with things in the long run.

As I was enjoying the mood, an Osprey dove down beside me.

Holy shit, Marco! I screamed and he laughed. You do know actual predators hunt me, right?

Marco’s reply was just to laugh. I admit I wasn’t really mad at him. I couldn’t be. Marco could be the biggest asshole in the world, but he could never make me mad for long. Behind Marco’s jokes and laughter was someone who would always be there for you. He was loyal and, with Rachel gone, he was one of the only ones I truly trusted.

Yeah, you fight the Yeerks and get killed by an Osprey, Tobias. Marco joked.

I think that’s called irony. I replied and would’ve smiled if I had had a mouth.

It would be funny if after all the battles we fought that I was killed by something as common as a bird.

What if I killed you? I joked as I started to chase him.

We ended up chasing each other for a little bit through the clear blue sky. It was one of those days where there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and things felt perfect. It felt like nothing could go wrong. And I hoped nothing would go wrong as I had decided on telling Marco about the Frolis maneuver today. I knew what my adult form was would get a chuckle out of him at least.

Well, can you kill me a little faster? We’re getting close to the two hour limit. Marco reminded me.

My main form was now a hawk so I didn’t have to worry about a time limit when I went flying. Marco, on the other hand, would have to demorph or not be able to resume his usual adorable form. I was jealous of him for that at times.

He didn’t have to go through learning to adapt to a new life as a bird. He didn’t have to wonder what he was when he had time to think. But, at the same time, he couldn’t fly all the time.

Yeah, we should head back. I told him and we started to head towards his mansion.

Alfred can make you something if you want. Marco replied.

His name isn’t Alfred.

It should be.

Marco was going to have to demorph when we landed which meant I could finally show off my adult morph. I was nervous that it wouldn’t be attractive to him. But he’d want me no matter what I looked like, right? Hopefully.

You know the Frolis maneuver Ax performed to get his human morph? I asked.

Yeah. Marco said and it seemed like more of a question than a statement.

You know how my human morph never ages?

Yeah. Wait...did you-

Perform a Frolis maneuver? Yeah. I sort of needed something more adult. Especially when we all get older.

Tobias, you know you’ll be a child no matter what you look like.

Ha ha ha.

Then we both broke out into real laughter. His joke was sort of funny but, more than that, it was him being a loving soul without appearing that way. A lot of things seemed to be about appearances with him.

Finally we came upon his mansion.

It was a good sized one, though I hadn’t been given the full tour. The pool and a room or two was all I had seen of it. The fact was that it being such a large building frightened me. The fact that there were so many hallways made me not want to see the rest of it.

I lived life as a hawk with only a small cabin, for love making or solitude depending on my mood, as the only building I entered. I preferred wide open spaces.

Marco, on the other hand, liked the stability that money brought and a mansion was a big way to show that off. I didn’t blame him as he wasn’t financially stable during the war. And, besides, the pool held some very fond memories for me.

Marco knew where I’d be most comfortable so we landed by the pool. He had recently gotten some palm trees which provided a little bit of shade but were more for show than anything else.

Once he landed he started to demorph. Morphing is always a disturbing process to watch. Cassie, the best morpher of the group, had trouble making certain morphs look good. Maybe it was just how I was feeling, but Marco seemed to demorph in a way that rivaled Cassie.

That was probably just do to my lo-liking him.

When he finished he just looked at me. I don’t know if I hadn’t started morphing because I was admiring him or that I was afraid. Maybe a combination of the two.

I mentally sighed and started morphing into my adult morph. I started to grow human hands and human feet shortly before I started growing to the proper height. As I grew, human skin replaced feathers and the final thing to go away was my beak.

As it became more apparent what my human form looked like, Marco had been holding back laughter. Now that it was done he just started laughing and he appeared to also be partially turned on by my morph. I didn’t blame him.

“Oh my god, Tobias, you’ve morphed Mark Ruffalo!” Marco said and I didn’t know when he was going to stop laughing.
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Hannibal (Thomas Harris)

Title: Hannibal

Series: Hannibal

Author: Thomas Harris

Released: 1999

Rating: 5/6

Basic Plot: Seven years after the events of The Silence of the Lambs a former victim of Hannibal Lecter seeks revenge.
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The Ending
The ending of this book is considered controversial. I can very much see why it would be, but I wasn't bothered by it. It was only after I finished the novel that I felt like I should find problems with it. It does involve manipulating a strong character with drugs but, at the end of the day, both characters stay strong and choose the path they would've anyways. In my opinion, at least.

The Character of Hannibal
Hannibal, in this book, is a more sympathetic character. The narrative has you rooting for Hannibal to succeed and Mason Verger to fail. While, I admit, Hannibal kills and eats people which is a bad thing, he is a complicated character. Even the worst things he does can be looked at as happening due to a warped sense of good intentions. This doesn't make them 100% right, of course. Another point that helps Hannibal appear to be good is that Mason is shown to be a top grade asshole.

Clarice
Clarice is shown to have created new enemies for herself after she had killed the killer from The Silence of the Lambs. Her struggle to remain part of the FBI is a big part of the novel as she not only has to deal with Lecter but others that want to take her down. When Jack Crawford leaves the picture it makes everything with her plot line even more intense.

Final Thoughts
This is a good end to Hannibal's story (chronologically speaking as Hannibal Rising was published after this). I do wish that we got a better handle on what happened to both Clarice and Hannibal after this, but what we did get was good enough. I like how Mason Verger was built up as a villain and the end of his story. I don't think I will forget the brainy dinner scene near the very end of the book anytime soon.