A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms! Game Of Thrones – S8E2

Favorite Moments from S8E2, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!

GOT Season 8!

OMG the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode of Game of Thrones is so good and so full of meaningful moments for me, that I cannot limit myself to just five this week. We saw more reunions, plans for the future, and moments that were long overdue! I will list these moments in the order that they happened in the episode so as not to confuse myself or my readers.

Brienne defends Jamie

Brienne to the Rescue

I cannot tell you how significant this moment is. Simply for the fact that it means so much to Jamie. I love Jamie’s character arc. He began as the Kingslayer.  As a result of his interactions with Brienne, we understand why he’s made some of the decisions he’s made. I find it interesting that he was so in love and close with his sister, yet could never really express his true feelings or be vulnerable with her.

Jamie is totally different with Brienne. Upon killing the mad King Aerys, his honor and reputation were totally besmirched.  Jamie was hard-pressed to find anyone that trusted him or took him seriously. Brienne, on the other hand, is one of the most honorable characters of the show. She is loyal to a fault and determined to keep her oaths.  There is never any doubt about Brienne’s intentions or integrity. To have her step in and vouch for his honor and integrity was HUGE for Jamie.  He knows what an honorable person she is and to have her speak on behalf is a sort of validation for Jamie that he has changed and there just may be some redemption for him. I could feel his gratitude at that moment and it was heartwarming.

Fierce Girl Talk

What About the North?

But what About the North?

So far this season Sansa consistently rebuffs and undermines Dany. Dany asks to speak with her privately, hoping to bond over their mutual love for her brother. And while they begin to understand each other in the beginning, Sansa questions what is to happen to the North once they’ve defeated the Night King and Dany has taken her throne.

The people of the North have gone through so much over the years. They’ve marched south to fight the war of the five kings, only to later be fighting wars in and amongst themselves. The Northern people were burned, pillaged, ravaged and betrayed.  They are a proud people and are finally ruling themselves once again, and are unwilling to hand that rule over to another outsider. Dany does not receive the implications of Sansa’s questions well.

Missandei and Grey Worm

Hope for the Future

Out of all the couples on Game of Thrones, these two are by far the most adorable. I love their connection and dedication to each other. They are in a strange land amongst strange and cold people. Even with the Northerners suspicious and unwelcoming of outsiders, Missandei and Grey Worm’s treatment is akin to how ‘others’ are treated in the real world. Poor Missandei offers a simple hello and is shunned and shut out.

Grey Worm is loyal.  He will fight for Dany until she defeats her enemies and takes her throne, however, he would prefer to go someplace more welcoming. He and Missandei agree to go to The Isle of Narth, where she was born. Personally, it is a relief to see someone still holding onto dreams and making plans for the future. Everyone else’s outlook is really bleak.  These two give me hope that there actually can be some sort of happy ending.

I saw a GHOST! Nights Watch Reunion

Ghost!

Auuuugghhhh! I FINALLY saw Ghost! After a whole season and an episode without him, it was so wonderful to see Jon’s Direwolf posted up with his master in this episode. Thinking they were cutting him out again, I am happy to see he made it into the new season!  As is right, there he was along with Jon, Samwell, and Ed. It was a small reunion of the Nights Watch, and it was nice to see the surviving brothers standing together again.  And now their watch begins!

Got Giant’s Milk?

Giant's Milk Makes You Strong!

Look here, this was the most entertaining scene of the entire episode. Tormund Giantsbane proceeds to have a little bit of a pissing match with Jamie over the affections of Brienne. To impress her he offers up the most hilarious story of how he was nursed by a Giant for three weeks after killing her husband at the age of ten. He claims Giant’s milk is the reason he is so strong. When I tell you I cackled at his story and the looks on the faces of those who bore witness to it. Definitely one of my favorite scenes this episode.

Arya and Gendry

About Time

I’ve been waiting for this moment for some time. Arya, being the self-sufficient woman she is, has never ascribed to the whole happily ever after fairytale. But when Gendry came along her attraction to him was undeniable. Even at so young an age. These two connected in the very midst of madness and mayhem and found a way to survive together. I believe their eventual mating was inevitable, even if a bit awkward.  I like these two as a pair and it may fulfill what should have happened long ago.  The joining of House Stark and House Baratheon!

Ser Brienne!

Ser Brienne!

This moment was long overdue! I was damn near in tears at Brienne finally being knighted. There are very few characters in this series who have kept their words and stayed the course they were set upon from the beginning. Brienne, however, has done just that. From avenging Renly’s death to keeping her oath to Catelyn Stark, she has been a beacon of light, hope, and strength throughout this series. To finally see her getting the honor, respect, and acknowledgment she so greatly deserves makes me proud and happy. All day YES to Ser Brienne, a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!

You Can’t Handle the Truth!

The Truth Will Out

The truth will out y’all! Cue the goosebumps, because again I had them the entire time this scene was happening. Dany finds Jon in the crypts. He stares intently at Lyanna Stark’s statue and Dany wonders how her brother Rhaegar, someone so highly regarded, could have kidnapped and raped her. Jon reveals that it didn’t happen that way at all. That they were in love and married, and Lyanna had a son. She knew that Robert would kill the child had he known, so she entrusted him to her brother to protect and raise as his bastard son. Jon is Aegon Targaryen, 6th of his name, and rightful heir to the iron throne.

Dany immediately realizes the implications of this. She understands that Jon has a strong claim to the throne and insists on knowing where he got his information. She is incredulous when she learns Sam and Bran put the events together. Dany and Jon are about delve deeper into this when the warning horn sounds three times. The Night King’s army has approached and is outside Winterfell’s gates. It ends with the following scene!

The Dead Arrives

Check out my summary of S8E1: Winterfell here! And I also did a quick rundown on my Youtube channel here! Comment below and let me know what your favorite scenes were in this episode!

New Creative Journal Flip Through!

New Creative Journal Flip Through! March 2019.

I have a new creative journal flip through for you all to check out. I have finally finished my journal entries for March 2019, and have posted the flip to my YouTube channel!  Check it out below.  For the quick non-chatty version, you can check out my Instagram!

Game Of Thrones Season 8 Premiere!

Arya's Game of Thrones Season 8 Poster

My Top Five Moments of the Game of Thrones Season 8 Premiere!

OMG I am thrilled and ecstatic that Game of Thrones season 8 is finally airing. I feel like we have all been waiting on this moment for so long and it’s finally arrived. And already there is so much to unpack. To prevent this post from being exponentially long, I’m limiting myself to the top five moments that had me transfixed and feeling all the feels. Besides the last two, these are in no particular order.

Five: Bran and Jamie coming Face to Face

I find it both entertaining and hilarious that Bran knows all and sees all, and still chose to sit in the courtyard of Winterfell all night waiting on Jamie’s arrival. The level of petty that Bran was feeling in that moment must have been overwhelming. I can’t even be mad at him. When someone pushes you out of a window there must be some satisfaction in confronting them years later. Especially when they thought you would die, or they’d never have to see you again. The look on Jamie’s face upon meeting Bran face to face after so many years was classic! I cannot wait to see how it plays out next week as this was the ending scene of the episode.

Four: Jon and Sam Reuniting

Augh! This one pulled my heartstrings. Sam is indeed a brother to Jon, both because of the Night’s Watch Bond, and because of their extraordinary friendship. To me, Sam is to Jon like Robert was to Ned. Growing up and becoming men together while facing unspeakable horror and having the other’s back created a deep level of trust and mutual respect between them. Except Sam is more kind, thoughtful, sensitive, and intelligent than Robert was. But the bond is unbreakable and it was so lovely to see these two reunited after all they’d been through together and separately.

Three: Jon and Arya’s Family Reunion

Arya and Jon Reunion

Out of the Stark children, these two were the closest. They both had more of the look of their father, whereas the rest of the Stark children had their Mother’s red coloring. At least in the books. They both felt like outsiders in their own home, and Arya always treated Jon as if he were her full-blooded brother. He was never a bastard in her eyes. So to finally see these two together again gave me all the feels. It took me back to when they had to say goodbye to each other and all the things that happened to each of them since. I believe these two fighting together will be a force to be reckoned with. It was so good to see them back together again!

Two: Jon Mounting and Riding Rhaegal!

Jon Riding Rhaegal

Love, love, loved this moment in the show! It has been a moment I have been waiting for and anticipating for YEARS now! The fact that Jon is the rider of the dragon named for his birth Father is just so epic and synchronistic and appropriate. Ever since I found out Jon was a Targaryen, or a Stargaryen as I like to call him, I have been envisioning the moment when he would take control of his dragon and ride with Dany. In previous times, before the dragons had all died out, the Targaryens rode them together. Brothers and Sisters alike mounted their dragons to go out into the seven kingdoms and take care of business, and I am here for Jon and Dany doing the same!

One: Jon Learns the Truth!

Jon Learns the Truth

Yassssss! May I present to you Aegon Targaryen, 6th of His name, Protector of the Realm, and King of the Seven Kingdoms! You talking about someone having goosebumps during this ENTIRE scene. Hell, I have goosebumps typing this up! First of all, it was entirely appropriate that Sam delivers this news to Jon considering their close relationship. Second, it was so good and satisfying to see Jon finally learn the truth of his parentage and realize that he’d never been a bastard at all. To learn that not only had he never been a bastard but that he is indeed the true and rightful heir to the throne and the legitimate son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen was incredible! We started from the bottom now we here! This news is overwhelming to Jon. He can’t believe his Father, the most honorable man he knew, would lie to him his whole life. Sam informs him that Ned made a promise to his mother and the lie was necessary to save his life.

The fallout will be fascinating!

Honorable Mentions

Lyanna Mormont gathering Jon Snow about bending the knee, Sansa and Dany’s rivalry, Arya and Gendry’s reuniting, and Tormund Giantsbane and company making it safely out of the destruction of the wall! I am just here for this whole episode. I am left with one question though, where TF is Ghost?!

Need a quick rundown of the Major Players in Season1 Episode 1, Check out my post here!

The Movie Us is a Must! A Review!

Us Movie Poster

Us Is a Must!

For me, the movie Us is a must!  I’d been wanting to see Us since the trailer dropped way back when. It took me a couple of weeks to finally get to the theater to see it but I’m so glad I did. I was actively avoiding looking at ANYTHING about it on social media or reading any think pieces breaking down the contents. I wanted to go to the movie, take it in, and form my own opinion about it.  With that said, I am aware that there seems to be very few middle of the road reactions to this movie. Most people either love it or hate it. Add me to the love camp all the way.

Eleven Eleven

My first attempt at seeing the movie failed miserably as when we got there it was all sold out. So we decided to catch a show the next day and go ahead and pay for our tickets. I immediately had a reaction to my ticket when it printed as 11, 11 was printed on it boldly. Theater 11, seat 11! I noticed and have been noticing this number and other repeating numbers since my awakening began nearly a year ago. So imagine my surprise when this number became a running theme throughout this movie, and I noticed nearly every, if not all, instances of it.

Eleven Eleven!

My Reaction

Frankly, I thought this movie was funny as hell and it had layers. I rarely find horror movies truly scary and usually end up laughing my head off. This film was no different and perhaps it was apart of the reason I enjoyed it so much. But what I love, so far, about Jordan Peele’s movies is that there are indeed layers to his storytelling. And even though I was able to catch the symbolism in some things, I’m sure there is still a whole lot I missed and won’t pick up on until I have the opportunity to rewatch this film several times. I’m also writing this still without having read any think pieces or opinions and musings because I wanted to give you my organic and uninfluenced thoughts and reactions of the film.

Let’s Start at the Beginning

The movie begins with information about abandoned Subway tunnels and how many exist with no record of its purpose.  This information is followed by a scene of an older television set advertising the 1986 Hands Across America Event. Off the bat, I noticed the VHS tapes to the side, one of which is The Goonies. Also other 80’s memorabilia like a Rubik’s cube in the basket. Then you just see cages and cages of rabbits while some creepy ass music plays on in the background.

Young Adelaide is at the beach in Santa Cruz with her parents. Her father is playing a carnival game and asks her if he should keep going for a prize on the third tier. Addie decides she wants prize ELEVEN which is a t-shirt of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. They stroll on and Dad decides to play whack a mole while Mom uses the bathroom. Addie wanders off and passes a man holding a sign that reads, Jeremiah 11:11! I looked it up in the theater and the Bible passage reads:

“Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.”

Addie continues on and enters a House of Mirrors on the beach that says Vision Quest: Find Yourself. It is in this place that Addie has a traumatic experience that changes her forever. She has a hard time readjusting to life and her parents are encouraged to make her participate in creative activities to draw her back out and back to herself.

All Grown Up

Now Addie is all grown up with a family of her own. They go to the Beach House in Santa Cruz for a little family vacation. Soon little events begin to occur, and Addie begins to see and hear the many instances of 11:11. She feels things are aligning in such a way that her past will catch up to her and wreak havoc all over again. By the time she convinces her husband to leave, it is too late. There is a family in their driveway and all manner of danger and shenanigans ensue.

Plot Twist!

In true Peele fashion, this film has a major plot twist in the end. I’m not going to reveal what it is as I’m trying to keep this mostly spoiler-free. I absolutely LOVED this movie but I know for sure there are things about it that I have yet to truly grasp and understand. But I look forward to figuring it out. That is another thing I enjoy about Peele’s films. They are a puzzle and sparks endless theories, conversations, and debates.

Observations and Thoughts

Obviously, it was not lost on me that Eleven Eleven is a major theme throughout this movie. Eleven Eleven is the number many people begin seeing and noticing everywhere once they begin their awakening. Though other repeating numbers appear, 11:11 is the most common one people see first.  There is definitely a sort of mass awakening within this film, but I wonder what Peele’s explicit purpose is in using the number.

Also, Young Addie picks a shirt featuring Thriller by Michael Jackson. A song about evil entities lurking in the dark, and a video featuring the dead rising from their death beds, from underground.  I could see how this shirt was a small foreshadowing of events to unfold in the movie.

For some reason, Addie seems to be exceptionally more concerned and connected to her son than her daughter.  She makes a point to look after him and promises to keep him safe.  Also out of the rest of her family, her son seems to be the only one to also be seeing things and noting the signs.  I wonder what it is about the son that marks him as different, and why the relationship between these two seems so unique in comparison to Addie’s relationship to the rest of the family.

There is an event that occurs in the movie that in all consideration is a sort of ‘success’ in comparison to its counterpart mentioned earlier in the film.  I’m being cagey because I don’t want to spoil anything.  It made me think how in society we discount and discard certain people as being worthless and unworthy, and they just may be the people who can and will pull off something great that the rest of us couldn’t get our heads out of our asses long enough to accomplish.

Conclusion

Overall I absolutely loved this movie!  Though it has definitely left me with more questions than answers, I look forward to unraveling the mysteries about this film for years to come.  As I’ve stated before, Us is a must!

Did any of you see this movie? If so I’d love to know your opinions and observations! Please leave me a comment letting me know what you thought!

Days One and Two of the #100DayProject!

 

#100DayProject Check In!

Hello Jreamers!  This is a quick #100DayProject Check In!  In the previous post, I discussed that I am participating in the #100DayProject this year.  I am dedicated to drawing and practicing Manga for my 100 days.  I’ve wanted to learn Manga for some time now, so this is the perfect opportunity to do that. This is a quick check-in for the first two days to share my progress! You can also catch my progress over on Instagram searching the hashtag #100DayJreams!

Day One

To learn Manga I am currently working in The Manga Fashion Bible by Christopher Hart! I start from the beginning and simply draw the basic shape of the head and fill in a few small details like the eyes and ears.  This probably took me 15 to 20 minutes to draw and tomorrow I can move on to filling out the rest of the sketch!

Practicing Manga

Day One

Day Two

For day two I flesh out the sketch with all the little details, adding her hair and outfit!    This process took maybe 20 to 40 minutes or so to complete.  I think for the most part I will just stick to sketching and save the coloring for when I have some spare time.  So far so good when it comes to my #100DayJreams!  I am excited to see how I progress on this little journey!  Thanks for joining me!

Drawing Manga

Day Two

How is Your Project Going?

If any of you are participating please let me know how it is going and where I can find updates on your progress! Happy 98 more days to go!