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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

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I’m honestly, very disappointed with this volume. There are so many things that could’ve been better. Some major plot holes as well like how did Adam not cleave through Yangs arm when he did it before? Why didn’t Maria go with the other passengers? Why did Ruby miss the cliff? Why does Yang’s arm have three scratches if Adam uses one blade? I waiting to see how they plan on finishing the mech fight, the Adam fight, AND introduce/finish a kaiju-ish grimm fight all in two 25 minute episodes.

…Well,that is your opinion Carrot and asalways, I respect it.

If I have to debatewith my own opinion of this season, I’d actually have to disagree with you. Forme, V6 has been one of the most enjoyable volumes I’ve appreciated since the start ofthe new, I guess era of RWBY ever since the CRWBY switched from Poseranimation to the new Maya engine in V4. It’s practically my favourite season of the wholeMistral Arc but this is just me personally. While I have my own fair share of disappointments from the season, like the lack of furtherdevelopment with Oscar’s character in terms of the audience learning more abouthim and his past, overall I’ve enjoyed this season a lot. Definitely a lot morethan V4 and V5.

WhatI like about V6 is that there hasn’t been a single episode where I felt thestory got dull. Even when the pacing slowed down, it always picked things backup and kept the story going. It kept me hooked and I liked that a lot.

Asfor your listed plot holes? Well let me see if I can answer some of them.

How did Adamnot cleave through Yang’s arm when he did it before? Hmm well my best answerto that is because last time Yang charged in blindly at Adam leaving herselfwide open for him to take out his arm with one slash. I noticed this timeduring her rematch fight, Yang learned her lesson and she was more on guard. Italso seems like she learnt from her training sessions with Tai Yang. There was oneparticular moment where she charged in at Adam before going around him at thelast minute, just like her daddy taught her. A nice call back to V4.

Why didn’tMaria go with the other passengers? Well you got me there fam. I actually don’t know how toanswer this. When I first saw Maria look back in C1, I figured it was because she already knewthat Ruby was a Silver Eyed Warrior like herself. Like maybe all Silver Eyes, young and old have thisweird sixthsense we’re they’re able to sensewhen another of their kind is nearby. I figured Maria’s reasoning for not goingwith the other passengers was because she sensed another like herself; even ifit was weak due to her blindness. But…as we saw, Maria didn’t realize Ruby wasa Silver Eyes til C6. Who knows? Maybeshe did realize something interesting about Ruby but didn’t focus on it untilthe time was right?

Sometimespeople just end up exactly where they need to be. Sometimeslife tosses you into a scenario where you’re able to meet people who willultimately change your life for the better and make you into the person you’redestined to become. I know this is hard to believe since RWBY is a story writtenby people but the real life principle still applies. Maria was put on that sameArgus Limited and avoided evacuation because she was destined tomeet Ruby Rose. If destiny calls it, it’ll put you we’re you’re supposed to be.No further explanation needed than just that.

Why did Rubymiss the cliff? Thisanswer I actually got from @tomecko. Ruby missed the cliff because her aura hadbeen depleted after taking damage from Cordo’s canon so by the time she usedher semblance she didn’t have enough juice to make the full zip and ended upmissing her mark and falling. To me that makes enough sense. Plus story wise,they needed Ruby to end up cliff hanged on the side of the cliffto a) give Cordo a target to shoot at and b) give Oscar and incentive to getMaria to break cover and drive the airship in order to try and help Ruby.

Why does Yang’sarm have three scratches if Adam uses one blade? Well since Blakementioned Adam’s semblance being similar to Yang’s, I’d like to think that oneslash from Adam’s blade possible equals the force of more than one blowdepending on a) Adam’s own aura levels and b) how much energy he charges up. Soeven though we saw him slash once, the force of his slash was probably threetimes that or more. And the reason we got three slashes is because that’s asmuch damage Aang’s mech arm absorbed before any real damage could startappearing.

Forall we know Adam could have attacked Yang with force the strength of 100 butYang only wound up with three slashes based on the durabilityof her mechanical arm and the strength of Atlesian tech. Remember backin V4,I believe Tai Yang told Yang that General Ironwood sent her that mechanical armpersonally so I’d like to think that what they made Yang is no cheap piece ofmetal. The fact that Adam slashed at Yang and the only thing she got out of itwas three scratches just proves how strong the arm is.

Notsure if these responses actually help justify anything for you Carrot but I did my best. If I’m being honest myself, I don’treally consider these lingering questions plot holes becausefor me (and again this is only my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt fam) theseare questions that I don’t necessarily need answered in the show because theydon’t really affect the plot or my overall enjoyment of the season.

Asfor your last point, well I’m curious to see how the CRWBY handle that as wellbut I actually have confidence that they’ll pull it off. Up until this point Ihave had no real issue with any of the pacing in the episodes for this season.Everything has been moving pretty smoothly like a well-oiled machine, at leastfor me.

IfI had to guess, both the mecha fight and Adam fight will probably concludeofficially in C12 leaving the Kaiju battleas the only thing to focus on in C13. From the V6 C12 teasertoday, we can already see that Ruby is going to finish off Cordo by destroyingthe canon on her mechazord.

Theissue with this is that as soon as Cordo’s mecha goes offline, Argus will be leftmore or less defenceless from the Kaiju Grimm. According to what Jaune saidin C11, the mechazord was built to combat titan Grimm in deeper waters and itwouldn’t surprise me if General Ironwood only permitted one mechazord to the Atlesian Military branch stationed in Argussince its one small city with no real major threats that would require morethan one mecha fighter. Right now, Cordo just probably wasted the city’s one defenceon taking out her anger on an old huntress she has a grudge against along withsome huntsmen who were only trying to get to Atlas after she blanked them twice.

Notto mention that the Kaiju Grimm probably wouldn’t have been disturbed from itsdepths if it weren’t for all the commotion Cordo caused to the citizens in her barrage.Hate to say this but Cordo caused this attack on Argus and now, as of C12, Rubyis going to destroy the one weaponized part on the one weapon Argus has todefend itself from any major threats.

Good showCordo.

Butyeah, going back to what I saying before, I have faith the CRWBY Writers canpull off what they’ve set up for the V6 finale. The only thing I’m unsure aboutanymore is Oscar’sconfrontation with Ozpin.

Iknow the Ozpinheads have been anticipating their favourite Wizard of Light returning but at this point…I’m starting to wonderif we’re actually going to see Oz for the finale. If anything, I wouldn’t besurprised if we got mostly Oscar fighting on his own for the finale while Ozpinmight not show up at all. I know they made a Maya engine model for him as usedin the opening but unless Oz shows up randomly to Oscar in some after creditscene teaser for V7 then I’m not sure where the CRWBY will bring him in withoutit seeming too shoehorned in.

How are theygoing to fit in Ozpin’s return? At this point, I’m starting to think Ozpin mightnot be back for the finale. I could be completely wrong but this is myassumption. Having Oscar suddenly deep dive into his mind to get Ozpin during aKaiju battle might seem a little out of place at this point.

IfI’m being completely honest, I actually don’t want Ozpin to come back. Don’tget me wrong, I likeOzpin and I do want him to return atsome point however at this point in V6, I don’t think he’ll be back. At least not for thisvolume. They had many opportunities throughout the season where theycould have had Oz return but instead that wasn’t the priority and I reallydoubt they’d just have it randomly happenfor the finale episode. Again I could be very much wrong about this.

Evenif Oz miraculously showed up or Oscar gets to see him, I still feel like Ozpin’s isolation is way more serious than fans might think. This isthe first time in the history of RWBY where Oz basically quit.

It’snot just about Ozpin choosing to separate himself from his team. It’s alsoabout him literally giving up. Ozpin. Professor Ozpin. Headmaster ofBeacon. The man who has always maintained some sense of optimism andbelief in humanity, gave up. Oz technically shut himself away. Ozpin pulled aRaven Branwen. To me that’s too much a serious issue to just be resolved in the last episode of theseason without much real build up.

Onething I’ve found interesting is that every key fight we’ve gotten this seasonwith the whole team contributing has had Oscar in control. Even the Manticore and Sphinxfirst battle of the season had Oscar fighting on his own.

SoI’d hope this is continued for the finale. I actually want the V6 finale tojust have Oscarfighting without Ozpin. Have Oscar unlocking the might of theOz-cane and using it to his advantage without Ozpin’s intervention. Even if Ozmiraculously shows up, I hope it’s Oscar still in control when it’s time for him to fight.Not Ozpin.

Ifigured part of the main moral of V6 was to expose Ozpin of his true coloursand past while also creating an avenue for Oscar to regain his sense ofidentity and build him up as his own person, finding his own footing in theteam while learning to stand on his own in spite of what is expected to come ofhim in the long run. Oscar has been doing swimmingly on his own without Ozpin.

“…The willowdoesn’t need to learn to stand…”

Despitewhat the V6 opening alluded to, Oscar has been learning to stand on his ownfeet and I’ve been enjoying his integration into the group outside of Ozpin. Icould’ve used moreinsight into his backstory with his family. Still waiting on thatbut I’m assuming we’ll get to see Oscar’s full past once we delve deep into hismind because that’s where we’re going to find Ozpin eventually.

WhenOscar met the group back in Mistral, my one complaint is that it felt likeOscar was being isolated from the others---not really being allowed to form hisown bonds with the group outside of Ozpin and really make his own place amongstthe heroes. This volume changed that.

We’re actually seeing Oscar shine in thisseason and I hope it continues that way for the finale. So I hope the Ozpinheads don’tget mad at me for saying this but…I don’t expect Oz to be back. Not now. Not yet.

Besides Iwouldn’t want his return to be just tossed back in at the last minute likethat. I actually would love for the whole Oz isolation to be pushed into the Atlas Arc where it can be focused on more in depth and be properlyresolved. Not to mention that it will give us more seasons to get to know Oscarbetter. As a Pinehead,I’ll be happy with that but then again, this is only my opinion and what I’dlike to see. As I said twice before, I could be totally wrong in my assumptions. Only the CRWBY knows what’s in store going forward and I’m eagerto see what they got.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #professor ozpin #oscar and ozpin #rwby theories #rwby volume 6 theories #rwby volume 6 spoilers #explodingcarr0t

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seriestrash · 6 years

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Girl Meets World - Season 5

[Season 4] *Previously whenrileymetlucas*

As promised! Here is my season 5 of Girl Meets World.

Word Count: 8692

5.01 Girl Meets the New New World

Another summer has come and past and the clique six prepare themselves for junior year. The episode opens with a parallel scene to S2E2 (GW The New World) where Riley and Maya sit in the bay window and discuss Riley’s kiss with Lucas (but in this episode they are referring to the Rucas dance at the end of my S4)

M: How long are we going to avoid this? R: Not avoiding nothing, just life moving on beyond that thing that happened between me and Lucas. M: So you admit that something happened? R: No! M: You danced with him at the end of year dance. R: You danced with Zay! When are we going to talk about that? M: It was just a dance! R: So was that thing with me and Lucas. M: So we’re all just friends? R: “Sure...” She says and they both look away unconvinced.

During the episode you casually meet Maya’s new baby brother, (whom was born off screen during the break) Chet Alan Hunter - after the father Shawn lost and the man who treated him like a son his entire life (Cory’s dad).

The episode primarily focuses on everyones interest in Riley and Lucas and what they are to each other now (again much like S2E2) but some similar questions are also thrown at Maya and Zay (referring to their shared dance in my s4e15)

A scene with Riley off to one side and Lucas off to the other plays.

It flicks to Riley - surrounded by her nosey female peers - and she comments how she feels like she’s lived this all before.

Then it flicks to Lucas - surrounded by his nosey male peers - and he says the same thing.

Then back to Riley where she says she's learnt from her mistakes in middle school and won't fall victim to peer pressure again. She’s in control of her own feelings and what she’s ready for with her relationship to Lucas. She comments how Lucas and her have been in a wonderful place all summer.

Then it flashes to Lucas, he says a very similar thing about not listening to everyone and being pressured into a relationship with Riley and how he knows himself enough to be comfortable with what comes next.

It zooms up to a side by side shot of Riley and Lucas (whom are still opposite sides of the hall) at the peak of their speeches they both take a deep breath and simultaneously they say:

*CUTS TO BREAK LEAVING U ALL GASPING*

*CUTS BACK IN WE STILL GASPING*

Back to Riley;

R: We tried the brother/sister thing. Didn’t work. Tried the boyfriend/girlfriend thing.. Didn’t work. All summer we’ve done the bes- *Actually stops herself from saying best* Friend thing and it’s been just right. M: *Staring at Riley like she’s speaking a foreign language* Alright Goldilocks, explain to me again why the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing didn’t work? R: Riley just lets out a sigh.

Back to Lucas;

Zay’s standing there with an almost surprised but impressed look on his face whilst Farkle looks completely unsurprised by this ‘revelation’. Lucas explains how he wasted so much time in the triangle confusing his feelings because he was scared of hurting someone and how he’s finally determined to own his own feelings from the start and he’s not going to wait for months this time and get lost in the whole process again.

At the end of the episode Maya and Zay meet up after breaking away from the boys and girls.

Z: “What were you all talking about?” Zay is smirking as he finds the potential Riley and Lucas reunion exciting. M: As Riley’s best friend I’m not at liberty to share. Z: As Lucas’ best friend I extend the same courtesy.....

5.02 Girl Meets Fight

The episode opens with Riley and Maya walking down the halls at school. Maya seems frazzled and Riley seems confused.

M: Are you going to tell Lucas you just want to be friends? R: Why would I tell him that when we are already friends? M: I don’t know. I just think it might be nice if you told Huckleberry you’re friends. R: But he knows that already...

(Maya clearly is concerned about their friendship dynamics changing since Riley wants to be friends with Lucas but Zay told her that Lucas wants to be more than that).

M: “Look there he is now, go talk to him.” Maya shoves Riley towards Lucas whom is alone at his locker.

Riley staggers towards Lucas and he closes the locker revealing his previously covered face, a bruise on his cheek.

R: “What happened to your face?” Riley asks concerned and reaches for his cheek. L: “It was nothing.” Lucas swats her hand away and Riley notices his wrist is bandaged. R: “What happened to you wrist?” Riley’s concern is clearly going. L: I hurt myself at the batting cage yesterday with Zay. I’m fine, don’t worry about it.

Lucas scurries off before Riley can press further.

Later, Riley hears Zay talking to Farkle about their science project they were working on the previous night.

R: Wait, weren’t you with Lucas at the batting cages yesterday? Z: No- I mean, yes? After Zay was clearly lying for Lucas Riley then confronts Maya about Lucas’ injuries and obvious lie and asks if they should be worried about him. Maya convinces Riley to spy on Lucas after school and they find him entering a gym. The two peer through an open window to get a look inside.

Lucas reveals to Riley that he does kick boxing as a way to relieve stress as his anger has been a challenge in the past. Thus injuring himself there. Riley questions why he kept it from her in the first place and he says he didn’t want her to think any differently of him.

The next day at school Lucas mentioned kick boxing in front of Riley and Maya and Zay gives Lucas a questioning look.

L: They know about my training. Z: Thank goodness for that. I’m terrible at keeping secrets. So you two will be at the fight this weekend? R: Fight? What fight? Lucas turns to Zay with an annoyed look. Z: So they don't know everything. Okay. R: Lucas, what is he talking about? What fight? Isn’t the point of kick boxing to relieve your anger, why would they get you to fight?

After some pressing, Riley learns Lucas is scheduled to fight another guy from his gym that weekend and it wasn’t organised by the trainers. This boy had been antagonising Lucas about his past and Lucas got it in his head that he needed to fight it out with a set of rules at play.

After Riley ignores Lucas for the remainder of the day he barrels through her bay window, all huffy and ready to defend his choices.

L: I don’t want you to be there but I would like your support. R: You can’t have it. Lucas, I don’t want to see you get hurt. L: You let me get on the bull, why is this any different? R: I didn’t let you do anything. You were doing it with or without my support. I could see you needed to ride Tombstone so I did my best to stand by and watch. L: And I need to do this too. I know you don’t like ‘Texas Lucas’ and I’m trying to prove that I’m better  than I was before. How can you not understand that? R: What I don’t understand is why you have to prove anything at all. L: Failure is a weak mans game. [Riley wears a very upset expression after Lucas’ last statement] R: I hoped you riding Tombstone would be enough. I hoped that it would make you see yourself the way I always have. L: Like a hero? [Lucas almost scoffs (only because he doesn’t believe it not because he thinks it’s stupid) and Riley’s expression drops even more]

Lucas gets up and walks towards the window like he’s about to leave. Riley remains at the edge of her bed looking disappointed but Lucas turns around and agrees to not go through with the fight.

R: You can’t not do it for me. L: I’m not. I’m not doing it for princess dancing sunshine. [reference to girl meets rules; an early instance where Riley proved to be Lucas’ calming influence/ have the ability to pull him back] [Riley coaxes her head with a small smile mirroring Lucas’ own small grin] L: But I’m going to work towards not doing it for me too. [Riley stops Lucas just as he’s about to exit]

R: And for the record, I don’t dislike any part of you. I don’t believe in ‘Texas Lucas’ [she uses air quotes] I never have. I believe in a lifetime of past moments that have shaped you into the person you are at this exact point in time. You’re just Lucas, you’ve always been just Lucas to me.

[another sweet smile exchange before Lucas exits the window and the episode ends]

5.03 Girl Meets Kissing Booth

In history class, Cory tells his students that they each have to sign up for a booth at the upcoming fundraiser for their end of year school trip. Cory announces that there are only two booths left to choose from; the kissing booth or the dunk tank.

Sara proclaims that that makes the decision easy then; boys would of course do the dunk tank and girls would run the kissing booth. Riley expresses how she’s not comfortable with the idea of a kissing booth and questions why ‘of course’ would the boys and girls be divided in such a way.

Sara: I don’t care, I’m just trying to make the decision quick. I’m failing history because of all these life lessons getting in the way. Boys can do the kissing booth and girls can do the dunk tank instead. Ya happy? R: Why split boys and girls at all? Sara: I regret talking. Z: I’m happy to work the kissing booth *he shrugs* Sara: Do whatever you want then, it’s not like my opinion matters in this classroom. [Knowing looks from non clique six classmates]

[This is meant to be a comedic exchange, some light forth wall breaking if you please]

Cory: Class, there are two sign up sheets, you may choose whichever one you please but you do have to sign up for one [he wears a hopeful look that this will end the conflict]

As the bell rings Riley, Lucas and Farkle sign up for the dunk tank whilst Maya, Zay and Smackle sign up for the kissing booth.

Riley is surprised by her best friends choice and questions her on it. Maya says she respects Riley’s choice to work for the dunk tank instead but insists that she herself doesn’t find the kissing booth to be that big of a deal.

Later Riley talks to Farkle about her concerns.

F: I hear what you’re saying but Maya has a point, it is her choice, whether we agree with it or not. R: But what if this is like her first date with Ethan again and she’s doing it for the wrong reasons? F: It’s still her choice [Farkle wears a somewhat sympathetic smile] R: And I suppose you’re fine with Isadora working the booth then? F: Yes. I trust Isadora completely. [Riley coaxes her head with a challenging look] F: And I’m rich [he wears a devious smirk]

Later at the fundraiser Riley is working the dunk tank with Lucas [and a few of the background classmates] and Farkle is nowhere to be found. Whilst Lucas sits in the dunk tank - dry at this point - Riley stands and gives people the balls for their throw. Clearly distracted, Riley keeps trying to look over at the kissing booth in the distance.

R: Do you think she’s done it yet? L: I don’t know. Where’s Farkle? R: He said something about getting change for a hundred... [If you’re not understanding the joke, Farkle is buying all of Isadora’s kisses for the day] R: ... I hope she hasn’t done it yet... L: You have to trust that Maya will make the decision that’s right for herself. [Riley steps closer to the dunk tank, she loops her fingers around the bars and presses her pouty face to the metal] L: It’s really bothering you isn’t it? R: Yes... L: Is there anything I can do? R: No, I don’t think so. Not unless you wanted to- [a realisation crosses Riley’s face] You could kiss Maya? L: What?! [As the poor puppy has shock written all over his face, someone finally dunks him and Lucas is sent into the water bellow]

After an ad break it returns with Lucas outside of the tank, a towel wrapped around his shoulders and his shocked expression remaining.

L: You’re not being serious are you? R: Of course I am. You care about Maya. It’s perfect. Come on Lucas, you almost kissed her in Texas- L: But I didn’t because of- R: Because why? [her expression is soft and curious and Lucas frowns a little] L: You really want me to do this? Riley just nods with a soft smile. L: Okay. Fine. [Picture upset puppy walking away like Lucas’ “You can talk to whoever you want Riley” face in Ski lodge 2]

Lucas approaches the kissing booth which is deserted. Behind it, Lucas finds Maya sitting on the floor.

L: Where is everyone? M: Farkle bought the entire booth so the principal sent everyone to work at other stalls. L: Not you? [Lucas takes a seat beside her on the ground] M: I was supposed to go help you with the dunk tank but I'm avoiding Riley. Is she the one who sent you to me? Did she want you to try and talk me out of it? L: No actually, she sent me here to kiss you. M: She what?! You’re not going to, are you? [Maya throws her hands out defensively] L: No, no! [He chuckles nervously] M: Good. L: I take it you didn’t get your kiss before the principal shut the booth down? M: Farkle got here first. Nobody got one. L: Would you have gone through with it if he didn’t? M: Yes.... I don't know, maybe? L: Why was it so important you get it over and done with? M: Felt like time. I’m a junior... You had your first kiss in middle school- L: You know there is no set time for things like this? They happen when you’re ready for them to happen. [It’s quiet for a moment] M: So when are you going to tell Riley she still makes your heart go clippity clop?   L: Zay told you?  M: Yes, but I’m also not blind. Are you going to tell her? L: I thought I would but she sent me over here to kiss you… That’s gotta mean something, right? M: Ever since I’ve known Riley she’s tried to give me everything she’s ever had, that includes a first kiss experience that compares to hers. L: Do you think I should be worried that telling her might ruin the friendship we’ve built the past year? M: Surely you believe you’re stronger than that? In the last scene, Riley’s sitting dry in the dunk tank seat when Maya approaches. R: Peaches! I’ve been thinking about you all day, I’m sorry I- Maya pushes the button with her hand and it sends Riley into the water below. The brunette springs up from the water coughing.

[Riley still in the water clings to the bars to talk to Maya] R: Did Lucas find you? [she smiles innocently] M: You can’t give away my first kiss. R: I’m sorry- M: You can’t give it away and neither can I. R: So you didn’t kiss Lucas? Or anyone? M: No but the thought that Huckleberry might actually kiss me made me realise that maybe I don’t want just anyone to be my first kiss. [Riley’s face lights up like she’s on the verge of a happy ‘yay’ but Maya stops her] M: I’m not saying it will be like when everything glows and there’s a rainbow but it will be when I’m ready and with someone I want.

Then there is a cute last scene of Smarkle together. Isadora smugly says her hypothesis was correct and Farkle acted just as she predicted.

5.04 Girl Meets Homecoming

Homecoming is approaching and Lucas is planning on making a big deal about asking Riley to the dance where he has full intentions of revealing his feelings to her. Whilst Lucas is hyped up about this, Zay however keeps questioning if this is the right move. (Hinting that Maya shared Riley’s ‘I just want to be friends speech with Zay back in 5.01)

Z: Lets just hypothetically say Riley only wants to be friends... Wont telling her how you feel make things weird? L: I told you Zay, I’m tired of ignoring how I feel because I’m scared it won't work out the way I want it to. I have to own my feelings for once, so I’m going to tell Riley that I never stopped liking her. Z: But you’ve been friends for so long, so what if that changes everything? L: Are we talking about me and Riley still or you and Maya? Z: I have no idea what you are talking about.. So how are you going to ask her? L: No flowers, no balloons, no Yogi on roller-skates. *Yogi pops up out of nowhere looking disappointed* Y: Awww L: Sorry Yogi, I have to go bigger than that.

As Lucas and Zay enter the history class they overhear Riley politely rejecting a boys invitation to the dance as she was already going with someone. Lucas gives Zay a confused and slightly panicked look about Riley already having a date to the dance. -

Later at the dance Riley finds Lucas and questions if she’s done something wrong since he’s been weird for a few days now.

Lucas stops dancing too and gives a big speech about how he’s owning his own feelings and he’s done waiting.

L: I held onto how I felt during the whole triangle because I didn’t want to hurt anyone. It’s my turn to say how I feel. I really like you, Riley, I always have. R: But we broke up? L: And I’ve been asking myself why everyday since. R: But we’re friends? L: And I truly hope we always are but like I said, I’m owning my feelings. If you don’t feel the same way I’ll understand.

Lucas leaves a stunned Riley alone to process her feelings. Farkle approaches Riley who’s left standing in the same spot she was with Lucas.

F: He told you? R: You knew? F: Everyone knew. R: I didn’t! F: *Gives her an unconvinced look* R: Maybe I knew... I don’t know. F: The real question is do you feel the same towards him? R: I don’t know. F: I don’t believe you. You know. R: No I don’t! For the first time in forever I thought I did know. I thought Lucas and I could be friends... F: I can’t believe I’m the one saying this but you need to stop using your brain so much and listen to your heart... How do you feel about Lucas?

With an unwavering smile and her eyes still locked on Lucas, Riley walks across the room. Lucas meets Riley in the middle of the dance floor and before any words could be exchanged Riley meets his lips with a kiss.

When the pair seperate they’re both wearing blissful smiles.

L: Hi R: Hey L: Hi

[GiGgLeS!!!!!!!!!!!]

Off to the side the rest of the clique six watch the reconnecting of their friends. Zay looks at the couple and then to Maya with a almost sheepish smile. [I’d like to think his look communicates that Zay thinks if Lucas can go after what he wants and it works out okay maybe he can too].

5.05 The Lawrences

With thanksgiving approaching and a big extended Matthews family festivity planned, Riley questions why they’re so distant from the Lawrence side of the family. A parent trap style plan to get Topanga to reconnect with her estranged parents backfires and sees Riley in her mothers bad books.

Riley learns of the messiness with her grandparents divorce and how them falling out of love effected Topanga. She also learns that Topanga choosing to live close to Cory as a teenager rather than move away with her parents is something that deeply hurt Jed and Rhiannon.

With all the tense moments there are some quirky past Topanga moments shared too. Eventually, the tension is somewhat resolved and Topanga is open to letting both her parents back into her life again.

5.06 Girl Meets World of Terror 5

On the subway Riley and Maya meet a woman who claims to know the future and makes a series of predictions. She shares minor things like seeing certain colours and numbers but also makes a more troubling prediction for halloween night. Everyone thinks Riley is crazy for believing the woman but when her predictions start to come true the group is left shaken and weary of what was to come.

The end of the episode reveals Riley had enlisted the help of her father and neighbour (the psychic on the subway) to pull off this elaborate prank on her friends to give them a most frightful halloween.

5.07 Girl Meets Cousin

Eric comes to town and announces to his family he is fostering an eight year old boy, Tyler. When Riley meets Tyler, he appears to be very sweet but when the adults leave for dinner and Riley is left home to babysit, it becomes evident the the boy is an absolute terror with the way he behaves for her and Auggie.

At dinner Eric reveals to Cory and Topanga he wants to adopt the young boy. Meanwhile, Riley calls for backup and Maya comes over to try help wrangle the mischievous kid. They then learn that Tyler doesn’t want to be adopted. After some light pushing the girls discover that Tyler’s reluctancy spurs from him missing his mom and dad [whom has both passed away a year prior].

The girls then sit down with him and have a meaningful chat about how being a part of a new family doesn’t erase his old one.

The episode ends with the previously trashed house [from Tyler] now in perfect condition. Eric asks if they had fun and Riley laughs nervously. “So much.” Tyler then runs up to Eric and gives him a hug. The last scene is them walking out of the Matthews apartment together.

5.08 Girl Meets Talent

Abigail Adams High is hosting it’s annual talent show and Riley begins to question what she’s good at. Maya has art, Isadora and Farkle have their brains and passion for science, Lucas has his sports excellence and Zay - whilst also good at sports - has his love for dance too. As the episode unfolds Riley tries - and fails - at each of her friends talents whilst also trying out the background classmates talents. Funny things scenes of Riley failing at everything like plate spinning, violin, ballon animals etc. all attempts ended in something breaking and a shriek-y/frown-y face from Riley.

At the end of the episode Riley is in her room with her friends and she’s very dramatically ranting about being celery. They each try to offer up a nicety and Riley shuts them down.

R: Being a good person isn’t a talent, it should be the basic human default! - R: It’s easy for you all to say having a talent doesn’t matter! Look at you all- *Riley unlocks her phone and scrolls through her photos, showing pictures of Lucas and Zay playing baseball, Zay dancing, Maya painting etc. Really artsy and good photo captures* M: Riles... *Maya looks to her with a knowing smile* R: What? M: I think you found your talent. R: I just took these for fun... L: I don’t play sports because I’m good at them. I do it because I have fun. *Everyone backs up Lucas’ statement* R: So I don’t have to be talented at something to enjoy it? M: Do you enjoy painting purple cats? R: Very much so. M: Then paint purple cats and dance - maybe not so close to other people - [referring to a scene earlier in the episode when Riley knocked over Zay’s entire dance class with one pirouette] take photos and not because you’re good at it - which you are - but because you enjoy doing it.

In the last scene Riley is now alone in her room, she walks over to her desk and picks up the camera Shawn gave her back in season one and turns it over in her hands, a sweet look rests on her face as she presses her eye to the view finder.

5.09 Girl Meets Tradition

Christmas Time yet again! This year the clique six along with Cory, Topanga, Auggie and Ava are all snowed in at the bakery on Christmas Eve! At first the children (excluding Riley) are all complaining about being trapped there. Riley looks at things positively and says they have a warm place to stay, food to eat and they have each other for company.

Everyone is upset about missing the holidays with their own families so they lash out at Riley for being happy about it. Something along the lines of, “Easy for you to say, Riley your family is in here with us.” Riley chooses not to be hurt over this. Instead she takes a seat and explains one of her favourite Christmas traditions. Something that she’s missing out on because they’re stuck inside the bakery. Everyone feels guilty for being so snappy so they all gather together and share a Christmas tradition from their own family told in snippets using the characters child doubles.

They ask Cory and Topanga about their traditions. They share a cute retelling of their first christmas spent together as a couple and how they clashed with everything and then when the evening winds down Cory takes a book from the shelf and reads everyone 'A Christmas Carol’. Not far into it the story everyone is asleep including Topanga with her head on her husbands shoulder - this mirrors how the Matthews family (of boy meets world) and Topanga and Shawn would fall asleep as soon as Mr. Feeny began reading.

“Just like when we were kids.” Cory says with a grin as he closes the book and smiles at the sleepy group.

Flash to the next morning and the blizzard has cleared. The sun beams through the bakery windows and wakes the stranded group. Cory announces that the blizzard has cleared and everyone will make it home for Christmas morning with their family.

5.10 Girl Meets Return of the Games Night

It’s return of the games night but instead of friends vs. family it’s boyfriend vs. best friend as Lucas and Maya fight for Riley’s time. Similarly structured to the first games night episode, you see scenes from the present games night underway where there is an evident tension between Lucas, Maya and Riley and then flashbacks to earlier in the day at school where a fight was unfolding about how Riley would spend her Friday night. Lucas wanted to go to the movies with Riley but Maya wanted Riley to sleep over at her house.

At the beginning of the games night Maya and Lucas fight over who gets to be Riley’s partner before Topanga says she’s being Riley’s partner and no one argues with Topy. Cory and Auggie pair off and Ava declared herself hostess with the mostest so that leaves Maya and Lucas with no other choice than to be partners.

As the game progresses certain questions prove as argument starters for Maya and Lucas as they both continue to argue why each of them is more entitled to Riley’s time.

M: I’m her best friend, what kind of a friend would she be if she ditched me for a Huckleberry? L: But I’m her boyfriend, how long do I have to be a background character before I’m allowed to be important to her?

Finally Riley reaches her boiling point and shoots up with a frustrated groan. R: Can you both just stop? Please?

Everyone looks at her with stunned faces for her outburst. Cory, Topanga, Auggie and Ava leave the room and quickly.

R: Maya I love you, you’re my best friend and I would never ever forget you because of a boy. Maya turns to Lucas with taunting smirk and the Texan’s face drops.

R: But last year we also talked about letting other people into our little bubble, you have to understand that I’m going to start prioritising other people too. Especially Lucas.

Maya’s gloaty behaviour softens to a more sheepish one. R: And Lucas you are important to me already, you’ve always been important to me, it honestly hurts me to think that you question that.

Maya and Lucas both mumble quiet ‘I’m sorries’.

M: I guess we can learn to share you.

R: You’re not understanding the point. I’m not a toy, you can’t share my time out amongst yourselves, it’s my time, to be spent however I choose. I feel like I’m in a whole new triangle and honestly I don’t know which one is worse. If you think I’m going to choose between my best friend and my boyfriend then you’re going to be waiting forever. I won’t choose between you two.

L: You’re completely right. It’s just hard because we both want to spend time with you.

R: Hello? We’ve been together all day but we’ve hardly spoken because you’ve been too busy fighting each other. Look guys, sometimes we’re going to go on dates and sometimes we’re going have sleepovers and sometimes we’re going to hang out in a group.

Once the present tension in settled with a group hug the last scene is a flashback to how the games night came about (Much like the first games night episode). Riley is in the hall as Lucas and Maya childishly bicker about Riley’s plans when she finally blurts out that she can’t do what either of them want because it’s family games night. The two invite themselves and walk off in opposite directions.

Riley - now standing alone - calls out after them

5.11 Girl Meets Dear Jexica

Riley discovers that her old profile for Jexica has been hacked and turned into a gossip page for AA high, with many hateful and nasty posts about other students all beginning with ‘Dear Jexica’. Not wanting her braver alter ego to be used for such negativity, Riley and Maya set on a mission to claim Jexica back.

Riley goes to school in her full Jexica get up and stands on a table in the cafeteria and declares ‘I am Jexica’. Riley then takes her wig off and gives a speech about why she created Jexica in the first place, she was a beacon of love and positivity, she was not meant to be hateful.

[This speech reveals to the audience that Riley has grown a great deal since her insecure days in the previous seasons and that her self-love message (along with all round love and kindness) was one she extended to herself first]

Later...

R: Look Maya, they listened to Jexica. M: No Riles, they listened to you.

5.12 Girl Meets Sir

The episode opens with the very happy clique six joking around at Topanga’s. Everyone is making plans for the upcoming weekend and Lucas says he can’t because his father will be coming home from his business trip.

Maya begins to playfully press for details about the elusive Mr. Friar as none of the friends apart from Zay have met him. Lucas brushes it off like it’s no big deal and gets up to get another juice. Maya turns to Riley and directs her playful questioning to the brunette.

M: Don’t you think it’s weird that we know so little about Lucas’ family? R: We know plenty about Lucas’ family. His mom the nurse, her twin brother - Lucas’ uncle - his aunt and twin cousins on that side, Pappy Joe- [Riley showing how well she knows Lucas/ how much they talk but also a way to give the audience some long overdue insight into Lucas’ backstory] M: Fine, you know a lot about Lucas’ family but what about Mr. Friar? R: He used to be in the military and now he travels a lot for work. M: What kind of work? [Maya playfully raises a brow] R: Marketing [Riley laughs because this is a playful exchange not a serious inquisition] M: Maybe Mr. Friar is a secret agent and he’s always out of town on missions. Z: He’s a marketing manager [Zay gives her a funny look] he works with my dad [his tone is almost defensive and ultimately amusing to listen to] M: Sounds like the perfect cover for a couple of secret agents. [Maya gives him a playful eyebrow wriggle] They’re all lightly laughing when Lucas’ mother enters the bakery in her nurse uniform. [This would be the first time we’ve ever seen her on screen] Riley greets the woman as Mrs. Friar [indicating to the audience that they’ve met before]. Cassidy - Lucas’ mom - gives Riley a warm smile and Zay a loving shoulder squeeze [to show the audience that they have a family like bond]

Lucas returns to the group and is surprised to see his mom. Cassidy explains that Lucas’ father is home early from his work trip and Lucas has to come home for dinner.

M: They have to debrief about the secret mission [Maya taps her nose after Lucas leaves with his mom and the group of friends just laugh and roll their eyes]

The next morning at school, Riley asks Lucas how dinner with his dad was and Lucas is upbeat as ever. Riley starts to sway sheepishly and she wears a goofy smile. As per usual her smile proves to be contagious when it comes to Lucas. L: Something on your mind? R: Is your dad a secret agent? L: [chokes on a laugh] what? R: Is that why I haven’t met him? L: You want to meet my dad? R: Yes [Riley shrugs lightly] You’ve quite literally met my entire family and I’ve only met your mom. [Lucas frowns] R: Do you think your dad won't like me or something? L: No that’s impossible, everybody loves you. R: Then what is it? [Riley isn’t pushy, she’s soft and gentle with her approach] L: Honestly...[Looks like he’s been backed into a corner] I don’t think you’d like my father very much. R: Now that’s impossible, I like everybody! L: He’s a very tough love kind of father. R: [Tries to make a serious face but just looks adorable] You don't think I can handle tough love? L: [Trying not to laugh at her serious face but then he drops to an actual serious face of his own] Do you really want to meet him? R: I want to know everything about you [Riley smiles so sweetly] L: [Lucas’ almost worried expression curls into a soft smile and he nods] Come over for dinner tonight? R: Are you sure? L: Yeah, I am.

That evening Riley joins the Friar’s for an awkward family dinner. Riley sees first hand what Lucas meant when he said his father is a tough love kind of man. The very nervous brunette tries to make conversation but each time she rambled on about something, Lucas’ father would turn it into a ‘teachable moment for Lucas’. When Riley makes small talk about their history project, James Friar near berates Lucas over his last report card - which he scored no lower than a B+ on - And when Cassidy tries to lighten the mood by saying Riley is Lucas’ biggest cheerleader at his baseball games, Riley rambles how she’s figuratively a cheerleader and not literally because they banned her from tryouts after she caused six injuries her freshman year, James rather harshly critiques Lucas’ form in baseball practice from earlier that afternoon.

[Lucas’s father is very sharp and firm with his demeanour. It’s also evident that Lucas mostly resembles his mother with the blonde hair and green eyes]

Towards the end of the meal, James makes a comment that clearly hurts Riley’s feelings. Lucas sticks up for her and a small argument unfolds. Riley tries to say she’s fine and not to worry about it.

James: I think you best be going, Riley. L: Yeah, I’ll walk you home [Lucas is clearly annoyed at his father] James: No Lucas I think we need to have a chat. R: I can go by myself it’s fine. Cassidy offers to take Riley home instead and Lucas has to stay home as his father ordered. A bigger argument unfolds.

James: I’ve been wondering why your grades have dropped and I think I have my answer. L: Riley has nothing to do with my grades, if anything she’s the only reason I’m actually passing. James: Once you secure yourself a college scholarship there will be plenty of time for girlfriends. L: What are you talking about? [Lucas looks disgusted] You want me to break up with Riley? James: She’s a sweet girl, Lucas but she's a distraction. The world is full of sweet girls and there will be time for them later. L: Riley isn’t just a sweet girl, she’s the best person I’ve ever met. She’s dramatic and over the top and amazing and I’m not going to break up with her. James: It’s just a teenage crush, you’ll be over her in a few weeks. L: It’s not just a crush [Lucas pauses] I love Riley. [at this point I imagine the whole audience either AWWW’d or choked on their giddiness at the first confirmation of LoVe for rucas] L: I’ve spent so long trying to prove to you that I’m a good person, that I can be the perfect son and then I met Riley and she’s spent years showing me that I already was a good person the whole time. She makes me better and if you can’t see that Sir. then I’m sorry.

After an ad break we return to see Riley sitting in her room with a troubled expression. Lucas then climbs through the bay window. The two sit together.

R: I’m sorry I caused a fight between you and your dad. L: You have nothing to apologise for. I’m the one that’s sorry. R: Your dad doesn't like me very much, does he? L: I don’t care for Sir’s opinion much anymore. R: But he’s your dad... L: Do you know he was the first person to call me a failure after I fell of Judy the sheep? R: You were only six [Riley’s frown deepens] L: I spent years misbehaving after that just to get back at him. Then I got kicked out of school, started a new one and then decided I wanted to be a veterinarian. Do you know what he said when I told him? R: I’m proud of you son? [Riley looks hopeful] L: No he said, ‘Not with an attitude like yours’. R: ‘Failure is a weak mans game...’ [Riley frowns as she quotes something Lucas said to her back in 5.03] Those are his words not yours... You don’t see yourself the way I do because of your dad? L: [Lucas shrugs weakly] He’s not a bad father he’s just not the kind of dad to hug you if you’re having a bad day... He’s the kind of dad that tells you to make tomorrow better. R: [Riley wraps her arms around Lucas’ shoulders to hug him] You having a bad day? L: [Smiles sweetly] I’m actually not doing too bad right now. Both their gazes lift when Riley’s door opens. Cory is standing behind James. L: Sir. I know you told me to stay home- James stops Lucas and apologises for being so hard on him. James explains that all he wants for Lucas is the best and maybe he went about ‘supporting’ him in the wrong way. James: I am proud of you Lucas, I just want you to be happy son and if I’ve ever made you doubt that then I sincerely apologise. L: Thanks Sir. James: It’s dad, call me dad. L: Okay dad. R: [Riley whom had been off to the side with her own father watching on with a smile raises her hand] Can we all hug now? Lucas looks to his dad and gives him quizzical look. James: Okay, I’ll allow. R: Yay! [She joins a group hug between father and son] James: You picked a good one, Lucas. L: I know.

5.13 Girl Meets Greatest Hits

The 100th episode of Girl Meets World is a special one. Topanga is devastated after a box of old home movies is destroyed by a burst water pipe. Cory enlists the help of his best friend, brother [Eric] and two children to help recreate and refilm some of the lost tapes, making for some comedic scenes as the grown people are acting some of their childhood memories. For fun Riley extends the idea to her friend circle and the clique six recreate some of their greatest hits and in the process they each realise they might have remembered certain things differently. [Not a flashback episode but a recreation episode]

Whilst recreating Riley and Lucas’ first date a strange twist of fate sees Maya receiving her first kiss with Zay.

5.14 Girl Meets Crushed

The three girls of the clique six are at the bakery trying to get to the bottom of Maya’s feelings towards Zay when Auggie begins choking. Smackle jumps in to save the day and then finds herself as the object of Auggie’s new crush and he goes on to shower her with gifts and attention. Unsure how to handle such a situation, Isadora looks to Riley, Maya and Farkle for help.

Present in this episode is Josh Matthews [he was at the bakery when Smackle saved Auggie].

Comedic scenes throughout the episode include Auggie being rude-ish to Farkle as he pursues Isadora and Farkle being defensive over his relationship with Smackle. Also scenes of a Ava trying to flirt with Farkle in an attempt to make Auggie jealous play out.

At the end of the episode Auggie’s feelings are hurt when Smackle kindly but bluntly has to reject Auggie’s advances once and for all. It’s then Maya who gives him comfort. She explains that she knows what it’s like to crush on someone that’s older than you and doesn’t feel the same way. Josh of course is present and hears this.

After Maya’s chat with Auggie, Josh approaches the blonde for a chat of his own.

[We’re left wondering... Is that a sad smile Joshua?? Are you sad because you’ve hurt Maya the way Auggie was hurt, or because she’s ‘over’ you???]

5.15 Girl Meets Love

This episode is a story... or two or three or four, about love.

It begins when Riley comes downstairs for school and she’s wearing Lucas’ jean jacket [which he gave to her off camera the day before] Cory reacts in a very dramatic way thus sparking a very dramatic reaction from Riley.

R: I’ve heard the story of the jean jacket a hundred times but how did you know you loved mom at fourteen? I’m seventeen and I’m not even sure I’m ready... C: I didn’t love your mom until our wedding night and then we got arrested so let that be a lesson to you! R: Dad, please? C: [Still looks like this is the most painful conversation of his life but he softens and answers his worried looking daughter] I loved your mother before I even knew what love was... R: That helps me... with nothing at all, thanks a lot. [Riley exits the apartment with a dramatic huff]

[Next scene, Riley has gone to Maya’s before school]

M: Let’s say the cowboy loves you, do you love him too? R: I think so. M: You think? R: I mean, I’ve always loved Lucas but how do I know that I love him more than the friend kind of love him that I have this whole time? How do I know I’m in love? M: How am I supposed to know? R: You’re world smart. M: I’ve never been in love [Maya frowns, her expression is important since we know she’s been struggling to understand her feelings for Zay] R: Please help. M: Fine... Are your feelings different for Lucas than they are for say, Farkle? R: Yes. M: Different how? R: Different like I want to hold Lucas’ hand. M: Yeah we’re going to need a little more than my help...

The episode then consists of Riley - accompanied by Maya - going around and asking everyone she knows about love. Some from whilst she’s at school, others from after school but everyones stories are all layered on top of each other in fragments as they each describe what love is to them. Riley listens to Shawn talk about falling in love with Angela and falling in love with Katy. Riley listens to Katy talk about falling in love with Maya’s father and falling in love with Shawn - giving a little more insight into her past with Kermit. Riley listens to Isadora and Farkle explain their version of a love story [although you heard most of their struggles to comprehend love in my 4.09 episode]. Riley also speaks to Eric and he talks about his unrequited love with Rachel. Riley talks to Josh and he looks uncomfortable as he tells Riley [and Maya] what falling in love with his girlfriend was like. Riley even asks Zay if he loved Vanessa and he also awkwardly explains in front of Maya his idea of love and what he felt for Vanessa.

After Zay is finished explaining love to Riley, she huffs and says she’s going to go home. Maya hangs back to chat with Zay. Finally they talk about their kiss and what it meant to them. The two very nervous looking teens seem to both be relieved when they finally admit they felt nothing more for each other than a friendship.

M: I’m still really glad you were my first kiss. You’ve been a really great friend to me the past two years and I love you. Z: Aww, all this talk of love has made you mushy. M: Call me mushy again and I’ll pour a smoothie on your head! Z: Pretty, funny and kind of mean... You’re exactly my type, why is it I only like you as a friend? [Joking smile] M: [Maya rolls her eyes with a smile]

Riley returns home late to find her mother on the sofa reading a magazine. With a sigh of relief Riley goes over to her.

T: Hey honey, [Topanga opens her arms up for a hug and Riley crawls in at her mothers side] your father told me about the jean jacket this morning. Katy and Shawn said you’ve been asking everyone about love. Did you find the answer you were looking for? R: No.Everyone gave me a different definition of love and I think I’m more confused than ever. T: [Topanga rubs Riley’s arm] Honey, everyone gave you a different answer because love is different for everyone. R: But daddy explained what love was to you and that helped you understand. Why didn’t it work for me? T: I already knew I loved your father I was just afraid to admit it at the time. R: What changed your mind? What made you not be afraid anymore? T: I realised that part of being in love was being scared, scared of losing something so important to me. R: So being in love is supposed to be scary all the time? T: Not exactly... R: Then what is it, mom? T: Honey, I promise you that you’ll work that out for yourself. When you know, you know.

[Up in Riley’s room Lucas sits patiently in the bay window]

R: Hi... [Riley says nervously from the doorway] L: Hey [Lucas nudges his head towards the seat and Riley sits by him] You were a little weird at school today, it felt like you were avoiding me... R: [She over dramatises acting ‘cool’] I wasn’t weird today!

[Flashback to class]

[back to Riley and Lucas in the bay window]

R: Okay maybe I was a little weird but I’m always a little weird. If I’m ever normal then you should worry. L: Is this because I gave you jacket? R: Maybe a little. I didn’t think it was a big deal until I spoke to my dad. You know the story right? L: Yes. R: And you gave me your jacket? L: Yes. R: And you know the jacket is a symbol of the first time my parents said [Riley nudges her head and avoids saying the words] L: I know but that’s not why I gave you my jacket. R: It’s not? L: No. I mean I do love you, Riley... [he pauses for a second to smile and let that sink in] ...but I wasn’t trying to recreate your parents moment, I was trying to give you a heads up before I made my own. R: [Riley still reeling from Lucas actually saying it] A heads up? L: I’ve been dropping hints all week. R: You have? [Riley looks confused] L: Yes, on Tuesday you asked me if I wanted to come over for dinner and I said, ‘Yes I would love to.’ [Lucas wears a proud grin] R: [Riley can't help but laugh at the dork] Of course, it was right in front of me this whole time. L: The hints were obviously a little too subtle [Lucas chuckles] that’s why I pushed it with the jacket, I’m sorry if I freaked you out, that was exactly what I was trying to avoid. R: You were trying to give me a warning before you said... that? L: I know sometimes you’re afraid of your feelings... now I feel like I should have just come and talk to you in the first place... R: [Riley gets up and nervously paces, she stops in the middle of the room] I don’t know if I’m ready to say it back. L: That’s absolutely fine, I told you at homecoming I was okay if you didn’t feel the same back. R: I’m not saying I don’t want to say it. I’m just saying I’m not sure I’m ready. L: I can wait. [Lucas smiles and gets up to leave but stops before exiting the window] Oh, did you get the surprise I left you in the pocket of my jacket? R: [Gives him a confused look and reaches into the pocket of the jacket and pulls out a handful of silver confetti] Was this supposed to be another hint? L: No, that was just cause I know you like to carry around glitter in your pockets. R: [Riley smiles at the confetti in her hand before looking up to her boyfriend] Lucas? L: Yeah? R: I love you too. L: [wears his Riley smile!! You all know the one!!] I was always hoping you did.

After Lucas exits, Riley throws the confetti in the air and twirls around under it as it falls. She hugs his jacket to her chest with a smile. Much like Topanga did after her first I love you with Cory.

E N D O F S E A S O N 5

End Notes: Firstly another 15 episode season because 22 is way too long for me to write. This took me HOURS AND HOURS OVER 3 WEEKS!!

Secondly, love is in the air this season and that powerful four letter word is exactly the theme. There were lessons about all kinds of love, romantic, platonic, unrequited, self-love, tough love and more.

You see Riley and Lucas fall back together and come out stronger than ever. You see Maya and Zay struggling to work out what exactly it was they felt for each other... And in the end they knew it’s love just of a different kind. You see how Topanga’s parents falling out of love effected her. You see Auggie’s lovey dovey crush be one sided. You see Tyler [Riley’s new cousin] learning about loving new family. You see Riley preach a love and positivity message through her Jexica profile. You see a tough love household and very importantly you see Lucas learning to love himself. And then of course there is the girl of girl meets world and this season showed her growth and journey of platonic love, self-love and dare I say true love.

I know a lot of these episodes were Rucas centric and that’s off brand for GMW but I truly think a season of love was coming. In girl meets sweet sixteen you literally see Riley question how she prioritises her relationships and it was only a matter of time before hers with Lucas strengthened.

In my sixth and final season for Girl Meets World, the clique six embark on their senior year where - whether they like it or not - change is upon them.

Stay tuned x

#girl meets world #gmw #rucas #zaya #joshaya

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jurassicjarrah · 7 years

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Eastern Europe - Autumn 2015

Croatia:

Here we go again – off to Eastern Europe to visit our Croatian Crew and to set out for new horizons. Lucky, we left Germany when we did, because as it turned out at the border Jarrah had fewer days in the Schengen left than we had calculated. While the Slovenian side of the border was perfectly fine with that we somehow found ourselves confronted with a cranky young wench wanting to bite our heads off at the Croatian side. Obviously, no one had told her that Croatia is OUTSIDE of the Schengen borders and that therefore it made perfect sense for Jarrah to be travelling this way. Later, we found out that this lady has quite the border Nazi reputation throughout Eastern Europe, spanning from Croatia all the way to Bulgaria and Romania!

Our timing to get to Buzet couldn't have been more perfect as its famous Subotina Festival was on when we arrived. This 3-day festival had a lot to offer, including a free open-air concert, as well as two separate street fairs in the new and old town respectively. We learnt that the festival marks the start of the white-truffle season, but at least the main event in the old town looked more like a medieval fair.

Lots of people dressed up in traditional costumes performing traditional crafts such as forging iron or old-school carpentry. The event gave us the opportunity to finally try some of the local truffle produce, which strangely enough did not give us any clarity AT ALL as to whether we fall within the truffle 'lovers' or 'haters' camp. The taste is just too ambiguous, strangely appealing and revolting at the same time. Weird...

In any case, thanks to our good friend Dean who hooked us up with tickets to partake in this event!

On this trip we were stepping it up in the grown-up world, staying with beautiful Enna, Gogo and their son Malik in their apartment in Pazin. Unsurprisingly, this bunch turned out to be exceptional hosts – good company, good climbing, good vibes, what more could we ask for? They also introduced us to a Slovenian crusher Klemen Becan and his wife Anja (which was also when we learned that Istrians and Slovenians somehow manage to magically communicate with each other using different languages- say whaaaaaat?!):

http://www.epictv.com/media/podcast/klemen-bean-runs-out-of-hard-routes-in-slovenia-bolts-new-ones-in-croatia-%7C-the-slovenians-ep-1/600408

We tried to climb on the wall mentioned at the end of this clip, but were shut down on its lowest graded climb. Oh well, back to sending all the nemeses that we'd left on the last trip instead. I also found a new perfect project called Asylantin (23), which I literally sent at the very last minute before driving further east. Happy days!

When we didn't climb, we either pulled the classic – let's party like we're 20 again – all-nighter at our favourite youth club, BUM, in Buzet, went to the beautiful seaside in Rovinj, or explored the area. During one of these trips our friend Luka took us hiking up the Ćićarija mountain range, adding another unforgettable Istrian adventure to our list.

Oh, how we love these Istrian folks; their kindness, generosity and unbelievable hospitality! Not to mention the world class climbing destination that lies right at their doorstep! This is why we're happily missing out on other planned Eastern European destinations on every trip and had we not made prior plans with Chris in Bulgaria, we'd probably still be in Croatia! Thank you Enna, Gogo, Malik, Antonio, Melani, Dean, Noan, Luka, Marin, Ivana, Klemen, Anja and everyone else I forgot to mention for showing us your beautiful part of the world – you guys are AMAZING!

Bulgaria:

After once again saying goodbye to our Istrian friends, we raced off to Bulgaria to meet our Australian friend Chris in Sofia. On our way, we caught up with our previous couchsurfing host Dario in Osijek. You can probably see a repeating theme here – i.e. us visiting all of the great people from the first trip once again! It is thus not surprising that we decided to add Vladimir in Sofia to that list, who was happy to have all three of us surf his couch (or rather hand over his bed in classic hospitable Eastern European fashion).

Jarrah and I did our best to pick up Chris from Sofia airport on time, but there were some complications. First, our tyre burst in the middle of the highway somewhere between Belgrade and Nis. Lucky we had brought a spare, so that was an easy fix. However, what we were not able to do was to turn back time – yes, as it turns out there is a one hour time difference between Serbia and Bulgaria. Damn! Of course, this was also the first time during our trip where there was a big line-up at the border. Poor Chris learnt a lesson that day, that is 'don't trust vagabond travellers with time'. Luckily, Vladimir was there for the rescue and gave Chris a hand in navigating his way around Sofia and after a small city search we actually found Chris right in front of Vlads apartment. After that we pulled an all-nighter involving way too much Rakia for those of us with a competitive edge driving them 'to drink like the locals'.

In retrospect, it would have been advisable to listen to Vlad who did mention that some Bulgarians have a habit of 'choosing beer as a hangover cure and for sobering up'! You spew you learn...

Thanks Vlad for having us and helping us out with new tyres, logistics, etc. - you are a living legend!

Vratsa: Being one day behind schedule, we finally made it to Vratsa, where we spent a few days climbing before the rain chased us out.

We were in good company with a bunch of other climbers being out and about, which made for good evening get-togethers. Amongst them was an older English guy who seemed genuinely committed to the dirt-bag climbing lifestyle, which is good to see for those of us that just don't want grow up... yet! :)

Prohodna Cave: Following the same path as on our last Bulgaria trip we escaped the rain in Vratsa and made our way to Prohodna Cave, which offers a dry, outdoor climbing despite heavy rain. That is, unless you're planning to climb directy into 'the eyes of god' or 'Oknata' in the middle of the cave's roof. Chris and Jarrah sent and on-sighted a few amazingly hard and beautiful climbing routes here, and I, well I tried really hard to do the same continuously falling off the wall with a hint of terror. Hopefully, the mental training will pay off eventually, fingers crossed!

Of course, Ivan the crazy cow Shepard was also out and about, greeting us with his cows' bells every day.

The three of us managed to build a pretty good rain shelter for our tent at the foot of the cave, so we stayed cozy and dry at night. Chris had moved into our tent at this point, which left me sleeping next to two smelly, snoring boys - thank god there is wine! To be fair we probably all stunk after trying really hard every day in an ever wettening cave, with the rain being too damn cold to shower in it. Showers are overrated anyway...

We had good company during our time here. First, there was a group of cavers exploring the area; then Jarrah made some new Romanian friends while Chris and I had passed out in the tent from exhaustion (I swear it was not a wine-exhaustion), and finally we ran into Yavor and Katharina from Sofia like on our last trip. Those two were indeed a lucky encounter for Chris in particular, because without them he he might have had to walk back to Sofia. As it happens when you go somewhere rural in Eastern Europe, the infrastructure can be a bit of a navigational challenge. In our scenario the problem was that the train station that was supposed to get Chris back into Sofia just wasn't there. Yes, there was a sign for it; and yes it lead us down an albeit very questionable path; and there even were train tracks at the end of it; but unfortunately for Chris that was it. So instead of getting Chris to jump the train Wild Western style he enjoyed a nice and cozy ride with Yavor and Katharina to Sofia. Thanks for another good trip Chris, always a pleasure to catch up!

Romania:

Bucharest: Upon invitation of our new Romanian friends Andrei, Catalina and Ania we decided to have a stop-over in Bucharest. As so many times before on our journey we let the people guide our path to the next destination and – you guessed it - good people make for good experiences. Andrei was super generous and left his brand new apartment to us as a place to crash. From this base we explored the city and its people with our new friends. We even went on a guided city tour to quench our thirst for historical knowledge of which you find so much of in Europe. We might not remember it all, but a view fun facts always remain. So we learned that engineers managed to roll entire churches to saftey to preserve Bucharest's architectural heritage for generations to come when Nicolae Ceaușescu redesigned the city in the 80s. We also learned that Bucharest's Palace of Parliament is the 2nd biggest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon and that there were many inappropriate jokes going on after 9/11 when all of a sudden Bucharest had the biggest one intact. Lastly, we learned that Michael Jackson may have been the 'king of pop' but a 'peasant of geography', which he proved in 1992 when he came on stage in Bucharest screaming to his fans “how are you doing, Budapest?” Apparently, he is not alone, so just to reiterate:

Of course, we also did a little bit of climbing, however, back in Bulgaria where we found a very questionable ARMED saint sculpture embellishing the entrance of a country church and crossed an even more questionable bridge under construction across the Danube. I guess the Bulgarian's are honest about organised religion and total safety is overrated when crossing a 'tiny' river, we can all swim right?!

We really enjoyed our time in and around Budapest,... eh I mean Bucharest. It's a lovely city with lovely people, beautiful old buildings, nice surrounds and very chaotic traffic (although our friends insist that there is method to this madness).

Thank you Andrei, Andrei's mum (for all the good homemade Ajvar), Catalina and Ania you made our stay AWESOME!

Brasov (Kronstadt): Next stop in our Romanian adveture – Brasov! Here we stayed with Florin, another last-minute couch-surfing saviour. Jarrah was determined to find some bears in the forests surrounding Brasov, but instead we found beautiful mountainside, covered in lush, green grass and trees with stunning views. I'm sure there were bears around somewhere, but due to our constant habit of 'forgetting the bear spray' I'm kind of glad we did not encounter them. We also had a look at Bran castle (more commonly known as Dracula's castle), which is nestled in a beautiful little country town, however, decided to give the inside of this major tourist attraction a miss. We figured if Vlad Țepeș aka 'Vlad the Impaler' (1448-1476) who was Bram Stoker's historical inspiration for his Dracula novel could give it a miss, so could we.

Instead we had yet another free city tour where we learned about Brasov's German colonist origins as Kronstadt and more about good old Vlad the Impaler. Apparently, Vlad was held hostage in the Ottoman Empire when he was a kid, just to return the favour by massacring tons of Turks with their own punishment of choice (i.e. longitudinal impalement – yes it is what you think it is) later in life. We were told that he erected posts of impaled humans along the path of invading soldiers to break their spirit and weakening their strength. Dracula seems like an angel in comparison. Another fun fact about Brasov is that to this day you will find the letters 'ALIN' imprinted into the forest surrounding the city - a tribute to Joseph Stalin after whom the city was renamed in the early 1950s, when Brasov became Orașul Stalin.

Through the Carpathians on the Transfăgărășan road : When we left Brasov, I was a little confused by Jarrah's constant peaking into the forest instead of keeping his eyes on the road. I was just about to yell at him to regain his focus, when it dawned on me that Jarrah had never seen a beautiful autumn forest and this one was particularly beautiful. A good time to swap drivers, but not for long... cause there it was - the crazy Transfăgărășan road, also known as Ceaușescu's Folly. This picturesque mountain road with it's many twists and turns is every racer's dream – so you guessed it we swapped spots again! I was glad Jarrah's 'race car' was a VW Polo and not a Porsche 911, although he probably thinks otherwise. No wonder the English TV-show Top Gear used this road in one of its episodes. A stunning road with stunning views indeed and definitely a must-do when travelling in Transylvania. Also, if you do it towards the end of the season a nice 'ice bath' awaits you at the top which I definitely had to take advantage of (to cool down from JT's driving mostly). While we did not see any bears here either, we were rewarded with the most beautiful fox I've ever seen for our persistence in spotting wildlife along the way. What a killer of a day, which ended with us camping somewhere on a field just outside Sibiu in classic gypsy fashion.

Arad: The last stop on our trip was Arad, which we mostly picked due to its proximity to the Hungarian border to shorten our trip back home to Germany. Here Jarrah had his first church experience when it turned out that our couch-surfing hosts were practising Seventh-day Adventist. I wish I could describe to you the look on Jarrah's face when our CS Benji greeted us by letting us know that 'he would go to church now and that we were welcome to join'. It was hilarious. Jarrah quickly realised that he would not understand a word anyway and so experienced his first church service at almost 30. Not sure what to think of this church, but the people were very nice and accommodating, plus there was free food!

Benji, his brother Pratricius and his wife Eunice, as well as the rest of the family turned out to be amazing hosts. We got a couple of insider city tours, one of which included a special visit to Arad's Administrative Palace, where we literally got to sit in the mayor's chair. Benji also took us to a local hot spring to soothe our battered bodies from weeks of travelling and climbing which was just what we needed. Upon learning that we were vegans, Benji's mum decided to stay behind that day to cook us up a vegan feast, of course this happened without our knowledge – still it was good!!! Benji had many talents and his piano playing just blew us away. According to him, the trick to success in many areas of his life was to have had very strict parents. Interesting...

Before we left, Benji showed us his little (or rather big) work shed where he restores old bikes and as a perfect end to a perfect stay we cruised around the city at night on our stylish bikes. Thank you family Lazar for our amazing stay with you guys!

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spryfilm · 7 years

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“The Fly – Ultimate Collection” (1958 – 1989)

Horror/Science Fiction

One of my favorite series of films was introduced to me by television, specifically the old ‘Sunday Night Horrors’ time slot on TV2, where the original “The Fly” (1958) aired regularly. It was not until I was older that I finally watch the two sequels that were made to cash in on the heady days of cold war science fiction films. Its extremely difficult not to like the first two movies, they both feature the legendary Vincent Price who was so cool and charming that he effectively stole both films from the horror they contained. The third film which was produced after a delay was made as an exercise in the genre, but ultimately did not amount to much of a success and was shown as part of a creature feature double bill in the US.

Then in 1986 David Cronenberg reinvented the series with the groundbreaking modern re-make of “The Fly” (1986), which was produced by legendary comedian Mel Brooks. This used cutting edge make up effects to make it one of the more shocking horrors of its day. Chris Walas who was a well-known creature effects artist awarded an Oscar for make up and creature effects. In fact, Walas came back three years later to direct the follow up, the underwhelming “The Fly II” (1989, which ostensibly killed the franchise at the time.

Now comes a box set of all five films collected on eight discs, and I must say it is worth the purchase, in effect all five films have repeat watchability.

“The Fly” (1958)

Written by: James Clavel

Directed by: Kurt Neumann

Featuring: David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price and Herbert Marshall

Andre Delambre: [about the cat killed by the transporter] “She disintegrated perfectly, but never reappeared.”

Helene Delambre: “Where’s she gone?”

Andre Delambre: “Into space… a stream of cat atoms…” [sighs]

Andre Delambre: “It’d be funny if life weren’t so sacred.”

Scientist Andre Delambre (David Hedison) is found dead with his head and arm crushed in a hydraulic press. Although his wife Helene (Patricia Owens) confesses to the crime, she refuses to provide a motive, and begins acting strangely. In particular, she is obsessed with flies, including a supposedly white-headed fly. Andre’s brother, Francois (Vincent Price), lies and says he caught the white-headed fly; and, thinking he knows the truth, Helene explains the circumstances surrounding Andre’s death.

In flashback, Andre has been working on a matter transporter device called the disintegrator-integrator. He initially tests it only on small inanimate objects, but he eventually proceeds to living creatures, including the family’s pet cat (which fails to reintegrate, but can be heard meowing somewhere), a guinea pig, and a newspaper. After he is satisfied that these tests are succeeding, he builds a man-sized pair of chambers. One day, Helene, worried because Andre has not come up from the basement lab for a couple of days, goes down to find Andre with a black cloth over his head and a strange deformity on his left hand. Communicating with typed notes only, Andre tells Helene that he tried to transport himself but that a fly was caught in the chamber with him, which resulted in the mixing of their atoms.

This first film plays like a melodrama spliced with a thriller as well as a touch of cold war paranoia and sci-fi that balances its elements expertly. The film has an interesting plot which of course is the horror/science-fiction aspect, however the narrative is structured in almost complete flashback which is a novelty and it also feeds into the feeling of the unknown as well as creating a kind of tension that stays with the viewer even as the closing credits roll.

Great care was taken by the director Kurt Neumann who had to make us believe in a kind of science but not reducing the story to a B movie that it easily could have been – like its later sequels. Interestingly Neumann was a German emigre to the US, he became famous for directing many B movies as well science fiction films, this however would seem to be his most famous and most successful film.

“Return Of The Fly” (1959)

Written & Directed by: Edward Bernds

Featuring: Vincent Price, Brett Halsey, David Frankham, Danielle De Metz, John Sutton, Dan Seymour and Jack Daly

Francois Delambre: [voice over] “Here passes from this earth Helene Delambre, widow of my brother, Andre, whom I loved deeply, hopelessly. She was destroyed in the end by dreadful memories, a recollection of horrors that did not dim as the years went on, but instead grew monstrously, and left her mind shocked and unsteady, so that death, when it came, was a blessed release.”

Now an adult, Phillipe Delambre (Brett Halsey) is determined to vindicate his father by successfully completing the experiment he had worked on. His Uncle Francois (Vincent Price) refuses to help. Phillipe hires Alan Hines from Delambre Frere and uses his own finances, but the funds run out before the equipment is complete. When Phillipe threatens to sell his half of Delambre Frere, Francois relents and funds the completion. After some adjustments, they use the transporter to “store” and later re-materialize test animals.

This sequel attempted to maintain the horror/science fiction from the first film, but also introduced a spy element no doubt to expand the story as well as painting corporations as evil and out to make profits at any cost – something that remains today and there are hints of this in the remakes of the 1980s.

Vincent Price makes a welcome return as Uncle Francois the level headed patriarch who can see the downfall of anyone that toys with his late brothers invention – he seems to be the only one who learnt a lesson from the first film. Why will people not listen to him. As with most movies Vincent Price appeared in he steals the show and its an entirely better film when he is on screen.

This film is a step down in quality from the original, without the fantastic David Hedison, the protagonist from the original this one lacks an actor of real quality to show the driven scientist who will stop at nothing to prove himself to the world.

This is defiantly worth watching as well as being integral to the legacy of this series.

“Curse Of The Fly”(1965)

Written by: Harry Spalding

Directed by: Don Sharp

Featuring: Brian Donlevy, George Baker, Carole Gray, Burt Kwouk, Yvette Rees, Michael Graham, Mary Manson, Charles Carson, Jeremy Wilkins and Rachel Kempson

At the end of the closing credits: “Is this the end?”

Martin Delambre (Baker) is driving to Montreal one night when he sees a young girl by the name of Patricia Stanley (Gray) running in her underwear. They fall in love and are soon married. However, they both hold secrets: she has recently escaped from a mental asylum; he and his father Henri (Donlevy) are engaged in radical experiments in teleportation, and they have already had horrific consequences. Martin also suffers recessive fly genes which cause him to age rapidly and he needs a serum to keep him young.

The aptly named “Curse of the Fly” (1965) deals with all the shenanigans of the first two films while at the same time re-booting the franchise a little. This film may seem confusing to some who have just watch the first two as the timings and ages of the characters seem a little “off”, but if you go with it you will enjoy a nice short B film which was part of a double bill in the US in 1965.

“The Fly – 20th Anniversary Special Edition” (1986)

Written & Directed by: David Cronenberg

Featuring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz

Ronnie: I don’t know what you’re trying to say.

Seth Brundle: I’m saying… I’m saying I – I’m an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over… and the insect is awake.

Ronnie: No. no, Seth…

Seth Brundle: I’m saying… I’ll hurt you if you stay.

Seth Brundle, a brilliant yet eccentric scientist, meets Veronica Quaife, a science journalist, at a press event. He takes her back to his warehouse that serves both as his home and laboratory and shows her his invention: a set of “Telepods” that allows instantaneous teleportation from one pod to another. Brundle convinces Veronica to keep the invention a secret in exchange for exclusive rights to the story, and she begins to document his work. Although the telepods can transport inanimate objects, they mutilate living flesh, as is demonstrated when a baboon is turned inside-out during an experiment.

Seth and Veronica soon begin a relationship. Their first sexual encounter inspires Brundle to reprogram the Telepod computer to cope with living flesh, and he successfully teleports a second baboon with no apparent harm. Veronica departs before they can celebrate, and Seth worries that she is rekindling her romantic relationship with her editor, Stathis Borans; in reality, Veronica has left to confront Stathis about a veiled threat, spurred by his jealousy of Brundle, to publish the Telepod story without her consent. In a fit of drunken jealousy, Brundle decides to teleport himself alone, unaware that a common housefly has slipped inside the transmitter pod with him. After the teleportation, he emerges from the receiving pod, seemingly normal.

The first huge US success for Canadian director David Cronenberg see this update of the classic film given a modern (at the time) makeover with a huge dose of gore as well as the existential questions being asked when a man is merged with a fly at a sub atomic level.

The film offers great performances from the three main actors, Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz, as well as stunning make up effects from the master Chris Walas with an understanding of how this film needed to shock people, from producer Mel Brooks. In fact Chris Wales received an Oscar for his work, the only Cronenberg film to ever receive one.

This is undoubtedly the best film in the series with a director making his move to Hollywood and making one of the biggest hits of that year.

“The Fly II” (1989)

Written by: James Clavel

Directed by: Chris Walas

Featuring: Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga

Martin Brundle: “Something odd is happening to me and I don’t know what it is.”

Several months after the events of The Fly, Veronica Quaife delivers Seth Brundle’s child. After giving birth to a squirming larval sac, she dies from shock. The sac then splits open to reveal a seemingly normal baby boy. The child, named Martin Brundle, is raised by Anton Bartok, who is the owner of the company which financed Brundle’s teleportation experiments and fully aware of the accident which genetically merged Seth Brundle with a housefly. Martin grows up in a clinical environment. His physical and mental maturity is highly accelerated, and he possesses a genius-level intellect, incredible reflexes, and no need for sleep. He knows he is aging faster than a normal human, but is unaware of the true cause, having been told his father died from the same rapid aging disease.

This film, directed by Chris Walas who had received an Oscar for make-up for the first film takes a stab at following up one of the great horror movies of the 1980s, and succeeds somewhat but is let down by budget restraints and miscast actors. Also the fact that Geena Davis would not return for this sequel speaks volumes for the material that was on offer.

This film is on a par with “The Curse of the Fly” as it offers little in the way of an intimate story with the audience not really identifying with Eric Stoltz in the lead and Daphne Zuniga as a lifeless love interest for him to care about.

DVD review: “The Fly – Ultimate Collection” (1958 – 1989) "The Fly - Ultimate Collection" (1958 - 1989) Horror/Science Fiction One of my favorite series of films was introduced to me by television, specifically the old 'Sunday Night Horrors' time slot on TV2, where the original “The Fly” (1958) aired regularly.

#bluray review #bluray reviews #dvd #dvd review #DVD reviews #DVDReviews #Geena davis #jeff goldblum #the fly #vincent price

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