Quackity: THERE WAS A THEME?

beest warbs s2

andddddd ruth and i finished s2!!

new opening! which is mostly just clips from the s1 finale

ok i guessed that optimus would come back bc like, duh. but i was surprised that he didnt come back like, Instantly 

the new transmetal forms............................ugliy

sorry bhjsdkrhfjkasfk i dont like them....i cant believe im saying it but i prefer the cgi animals from s1 😩 it made sense! it tied into the premise of the show! now theyre just these weird shiny robo-animals...who also can fly and drive around and stuff...nah fam that aint it

cheetor doesnt even have freckles anymore 😭

also as the season went on the whole ‘energon shorts out robot forms, which necessitates beast forms’ thing was kinda quietly dropped, which doesnt make 100% sense since not that many characters got the transmetal forms

the funniest fucking thing is that the s2ep1 summary was literally just ‘terrorsaur and scorponok fucking die’ and THAT WAS IT hjdfksjkfjadfhjlad ruth and i saw that and were like HUH???

and honestly their deaths were so abrupt and unceremonious that i seriously would not have even known they had Legit Died if it hadnt been for that summary. i literally wouldve thought that theyd just end up going in a CR chamber and it wouldve been confusing as hell when they didnt come back lmaooooo

so yeah rip beta cuck and diet diet starscream lite i guess

ok and ep 2 was wild, with dinobot going on ANOTHER Shakespeare soliloquy spree, and then all that western stuff at the end??????

that was so fucking weird and hilarious. wtf 

also have i mentioned...i love dinobot. dramatic gay bitch 

also....new characters! silverbolt and quickstrike are here to quickly replace terrorsaur and scorponok lmaoooo

why does quickstrike have a southern accent when the south doesnt even exist yet as a cultural region

i love how immediately obvious it was that silverbolt was not gonna stay a predacon for long lmao

and then optimus primal returns!! looking wack as FUCK 

hvhakjdfnbskjdf sorry but i dont like his new look at all lmao. he looks weird as hell in both robot mode and “beast” mode, and im not into the whole flying snowboard thing...whats that abt

when dinobot rode around on rattrap vjhsdlfjkashdbhfjk that was so fucking funnyyyy

i cant get over megatrons new form w/the Evil Rollerskates™ thats just. so much lmaooooo but also mood bc if i could i would totally have built-in rollerskates 

did yall know i love tarantulas....that gay mad scientist bitch is hilarious

also i knew ahead of time that silverbolt and blackarachnia have a Thing but it was still soooo Much when they fought and then silverbolt refused to hit her bc shes a girl bsvdkjnfasndf

ruth: OH MY GOD HES A SIMP

ok and the ep where dinobot goes back to the predacons...bro...and everything w/the golden disk too?? that was wild 

ALSO I CANT BELIEVE AIRAZOR AND TIGATRON GOT FUCKING KIDNAPPED??? HELLO????

are they like. coming back? ever????? that was just It for them this season uhhhh so i guess we’ll have to hope they return in s3? omg

also quick shoutout to the infamous japanese dub of beast wars which accidentally made some canon gays by making airazor a dude. great job guys 

ohhhh my god when theres that alien ship thing and megatron is in it and then a big version of his face appears on the side of the ship? horrible

also i feel like beast wars megatron spends half his screentime sitting in various chairs...even when he went into that alien ship he ended up finding a big fancy chair to sit in

so yeah all that alien stuff was WILD. we still know so little abt them so im rlly interested to see if more will come up in s3 (im assuming at least a little since airazor and tigatron have to come back). like, are we gonna learn what theyre trying to do on earth? what they look like? etc?

ok silverbolt is always talking abt how blackarachnia is a good maximal on the inside and she just needs to embrace it etcetc, to me it feels like he’s a religious guy whos trying to get the girl he likes to accept jesus into her heart so they can be together hbvhajkdhbfhjksd sorry 

also silverbolt is hilarious. he’s like, a hammy simp. the way he talks is rlly entertaining lol

also theyve been namedropped a couple times so far, but what the heck is up w/the maximal council or whatever? they seem to be the ones in charge of the maximals (and presumably cybertron?), but we know literally nothing abt them...im curious

ooomg and rampage...everything w/rampage was sooo fucked like him being basically immortal is wild, and then he showed up and was tearing shit up all over the place, and then megatron fucking...removed his spark and was like You Work For Me Now. daymmmm that was so fucked up 

and he seemed to calm down after the first ep so i was like mannn i wish they would address the whole thing where megatrons controlling him - tho the maximals dont even seem to know abt it, they probably just think rampage joined them on his own. oof

and lbr even if they did know, they probably wouldnt be super motivated to free him since rampage attacked them previously, and likely wouldnt join the maximals even if given the choice

oh my god okay hold up i cant forget that DINOBOT FUCKING DIED i cant fucking believe it mate. GOD

i miss that gay moron 😔

also aside but the pre-human monkey people look soooo fucking janky hbvajkdhfjkhsdf god. so bad im sorry

oh my god and the whole thing w/the golden disc saying ‘sounds of earth...’ ruth and i saw that inscription earlier in s2 and ruth was like ‘oh isnt that a real thing, they sent out the Voyager probe into space w/a disc that has different sounds from nature and music and stuff on it called ‘sounds of earth” AND THEN THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT THIS WAS...

i thought that was so cool, the fact that the golden disc could basically be used to look into the future...and then alter the future accordingly

its also super cool that the writers used something from REAL LIFE in the story in such a way. like, thats cool as hell, and idk much media that does so

especially bc beast wars is one of very few transformers series to not include any human characters (discounting the monkey pre-humans), so this is a really cool way to involve humanity without having any recurring human cast members

when dinobot nearly committed seppuku...uhm jesus bro

and then when he fought off all the predacons ALONE, and then FUCKING DIED...that was legit sad as hell...like he kept almost going into stasis lock but kept overriding it which was gonna kill him and AUGH

and then when the maximals show up as he’s dying...mannnn

and his last words - “and the rest is silence.” poetic and quoting Shakespeare until the literal end I see

basically that episode was fucking brutal but also really good. phew

AND THEN ITS FOLLOWED UP BY THE TRANSMUTATE EPISODE...ruth and i watched these two eps back to back in one night and afterwards we were basically braindead. that was A Lot 

the transmutate ep HHHHH where to even start

ok so transmutate...the whole story was just fucking tragic but also. TERRIFYING...

like this ep gave me the same vibes that i got when i watched the movie ET in like 4th grade and got scared as hell 

like, i am a Full Grown Adult and NOT ONLY THAT i had a job in a cadaver lab for like 5 YEARS so i generally am not easily scared but holy SHIT this episode legit unsettled me liiiike

the design and animation (and voice acting) on transmutate were like....terrifying oh my god. like, the way she(?) moved was so scary, with the slow movements and just, everything w/the neck/head....AUGH

and that like, pained screech she did ???? that was just horrible oh my god

anyways literally ruth and i spent this entire ep just like, cowering and yelling out of fear lmao. i went outside in the dark later and i swear i saw transmutate in the shadows. terrifying

in terms of the plot of the ep, that shit was fucked up. it basically amounted to silverbolt and rampage fighting over transmutate w/little regard for transmutate as a person, and ending w/her dying. which was fucked btw

and the fact that everyone was like ‘oh yea transmutate basically doesnt count as an alive sentient being’ was messed up bc they came to that conclusion very quickly and with only a small amount of data....messed up. also messed up is how the maximals suggested putting transmutate in like, a medically induced coma basically, bc she was a freak of nature. which may be true but STILL, that probably violates some ethical laws. arent yall supposed to be the good guys?!

also rampage trying to befriend and save transmutate was sad...especially knowing his circumstances w/megatron and stuff. just Ls all around

ok this cuts off abruptly but thats all folks ig vbajdkfbjksdf

7 Secrets

OK! This is my first time EVER posting an imagine on Tumblr! So please love me and don’t hate it lol. I'm also not sure how many parts there will be to this, but you can expect probably at least three. Let me know what you like and don’t! Any ideas?

Summary: For the past three years, Beth has struggled and fought against the notion that she has a soulmate. It was only when she met six other girls who were in the same predicament that she finally decided that this was her life. The only real problem? Her soulmate has no idea that she even exists. Much less that soulmates are even a thing. Will she ever get to meet her soulmate, the ever popular and beloved Kim Namjoon of BTS? Does she even want to anymore?

GENRE: Soulmate!au BTS!

WARNINGS: none

Even now, as my feet lead me through the airport here in Seoul, I can’t quite believe that this is actually my life. Even now, three years later, the feeling of disbelief mingled with the thrill and fear of it all lingers.

To anyone here, I simply look like another tourist. Headphones in, not a care in the world except for keeping my backpack on my shoulders and taking one step at a time. I pass a group of girls loitering by the stairs, completely decked out in BTS merch. I smile at them, my action going unnoticed by my mask and hat low on my head. Am I a tourist or celebrity?

Neither. And yet, in some twisted way, both.

To my eternal horror and delight, six of my closest (and weirdest) friends await me at the baggage claim, welcome signs held up high.

All of them are from either here in South Korea or Japan, yet despite our differences we just click.

It’s something that I’m still not used to.

Their loud squeals can be heard bouncing off the walls of the airport the second I come into view, and I thank the heavens above for the mask and hat I’m wearing which shields my bright smile from the rest of the world. They would never let me hear the end of it if they knew just how excited I was to be back.

“You’re back!”

“Finally, you’ve kept us waiting long enough.”

“Wow, look at you. You look like a whole celebrity.”

“Since when did our little B grow up so much?”

I roll my eyes lovingly at them, unable to hold back as we all rush toward each other in a fit of excitement. A year was way too long.

“You’ve made it look like I’m coming back from military service or something.” I joke with my closest friends, laughing as Minsuh pokes my ribs in defense.

“It feels like it, too. You look like you’re coming out of a battle or something.”

I feign offense. “It’s called jet-lag, thank you very much. Wow, some people never change, do they?” I accept a hug from Aera, and only when I set my chin on her shoulder do I notice the two cameras trained on us.

Ah yes. That is one thing that I haven’t missed. Aera silently attaches a mic to my sweatshirt, clipping it on with a conspiratorial wink. She knows just how much I despise our ongoing documentary.

The cameramen are kind enough, shadowing us constantly in an attempt to compile enough content to someday show our soulmates. However I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit hopeless at times. I highly doubt our boys will ever watch the material, they seem busy enough. And we’re not that entertaining.

But who knows? The most famous band in the world tends to surprise me.

“Is it the balloons? It’s all the balloons, isn't’ it.” Kyung-Soon fiddles with the balloons in her hands, the mass floating above her in an attempt to block out any light from above. The sight pulls a giggle out of me, tired as I may be. I waddle over to her, one of the girls easing the backpack off of my shoulders and grunting at the weight.

I wrap her up in a hug, knowing just how much she tends to stress and over think. “The balloons look great. You know me, I just get embarrassed easily. But I love them.”

“I wonder how you would react if it was Namjoon holding the balloons instead of Soon-ah.” My head swivels to my best friend, glaring strongly. Himari only returns the look, her smirk growing. “You get embarrassed so easily, I’m just wondering what that would be like.”

The mention of my soulmate has my cheeks burning, and I offer up a silent prayer of gratitude for the mask I still have on.

The other girls take up the conversation, wondering aloud how I would react if it was my soulmate picking me up from the airport instead of his band member’s soulmates. Himari’s Japanese accent cuts clear through the rabble, making me feel right at home even as I secretly plan to embarrass her later on. Usually a well placed comment about j-hope’s latest concept photos will leave her reeling and red-faced.

The cameras edge closer, and I leap up grabbing my luggage before I can be embarrassed even more.

“Time to go!” I shout, ignoring the snickers from behind me. “Himari, since you’re so keen on helping me today would you mind bringing my backpack?”

“Yeah, got it.”

“Ha, just like you Beth. Way to avoid the conversation.” A less noticeable Japanese accent greets me, and I turn to see Ichika already by my side. I raise my eyebrows at the girl only a year my senior.

“Your Korean sounds great, Ichika!” She smiles at me, her delicate features reminding me of a flower. Ichika looked like a piece of art, which I guess made sense considering that she had a soulmate who would probably recognize that same fact immediately upon meeting her. At least, I’ve heard that Taehyung has an eye for art. Or maybe he just has an artsy personality? I can’t remember. Probably both.

“Thanks,” she replies, giving me a firm high five. “I missed you!” I breathe out a sigh of relief. It’s always been so refreshing how honest Ichika is.

“Missed ya too,” I mumble out, suddenly disoriented in the humid air as we exit the airport. By now we’ve attracted our fair share of strange looks and even a few stragglers, who follow us solely because of our small camera crew.

Once outside, Aera gently herds me in the direction of a couple of black cars. I nod to the managers the BigHit sent us as they open the car door for us and help to put our things away. I can see one eyeing the mess of balloons that Kyung-Soon still clings to, calculating how on earth to fit seven girls and seventy balloons into two small cars. (Ok, maybe not seventy, but it feels like it)

I turn to help Kyung-Soon, but find Minsuh already there. The sweet girl, only six months older than me, is always quick to help. Typically her and Aera are inseparable, but I’m glad to see that Minsuh has slowly been pushing herself to mingle with the others. It’s another thing that makes sense, seeing that Minsuh’s boy is Jungkook and Aera’s is Jimin. As far as I know, those two are pretty close as well.

Minsuh smiles shyly at me, sidling over to give me a quick hug before going back to her work. The cameraman makes sure to catch the sweet action, never one to miss a candid moment.

Was that cute enough for you? I silently ask Bang Si Hyuk. There’s no doubt that these will be reviewed and only the kindest, funniest, and cutest moments will make the cut.

Pity for Namjoon, but that means I will probably only be featured in a little bit of the documentary. Oh well, if he’s curious he can come find me himself. I’m done waiting. Or caring.

“What are you pouting about?”

Himari’s voice drags me out of my stupor, and I shrug my shoulders in response. Her happy demeanor doesn’t falter as she looks into my eyes like she can read them. There’s an underlying seriousness that few get to know, but I’ve been lucky enough to see it several times.

“Just tired,” I bump her hip with mine before we get the ok to all pile into the car. She doesn’t press the matter, but I can count on her slipping it into the conversation again once we’re alone. Once the pressing matter of the cameras watching our every mood is lessened and I feel more comfortable.

Sliding in, I collide with another body that has already taken the far seat. Both Seohyun and I burst into laughter at the sudden collision, her eyes turning into crescent moons.

“Well hello to you too,” she manages to say between giggles. Himari slides in next to me, shaking her head at the both of us. A couple of cameras in the car automatically focus on us, but I pay them no mind.

“I like your sweatshirt,” I say, gesturing to the homage to her soulmate. Sure enough, Yoongi’s new mixtape “D2” cover is printed on her shirt. Funnily enough, out of all of us, Seohyun is one of the most showy when it comes to her soulmate. Constantly buying merch, listening to his music, and gushing about him.

I know she’ll make Yoongi very happy. If she ever gets to meet him.

If any of us ever get to meet them. Or if they’re ever informed of our existence. Not for the first time today, I curse Bang Si Hyuk again in my mind.

Next

Hi Betts, hoping for your guidance if you have the time. No pressure really. But my course will be focusing quite a bit on Shakespeare for the rest of this year. Do you have any advice for someone who isn’t really a writer on how to understand Shakespeare better? Have you read much of it? How did you tackle understanding the language? Is it just reading a lot more of it and looking up words? I struggle getting through one play, but is it just pushing through it? Resources you found helpful?

i feel like i’ve been waiting my whole life for this question. 

i’m feral for shakespeare. i have a hamlet tattoo. i have an unfortunate number of monologues memorized on the off-chance someone at some point goes “hey does anyone know any good monologues?” and i can be all “TO BE OR FUCKING NOT TO BE, BITCHES” or “ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH DEAR FRIENDS, ONCE FUCKING MORE.” i have an actual literal lecture on how richard ii is a greedy glamazon bitch, and an outline for an article on how lady macbeth can teach us everything we need to know about sympathy in fiction.

like many people, high school made me despise shakespeare. i can’t tell if it was the simple coercion of being forced to read things, period, or that we were made to treat everything so seriously, and expected to understand the use of language as if it were like anything else we were reading. 

then when i was 23ish, i got obsessed with doctor who, which led me to david tennant’s filmography, and david tennant happens to have done really a lot of shakespeare. when i geared up to watch his hamlet, however, i thought, i want to read this first, so i can see how different it is from my perception of it.

cue me surreptitiously scrolling through the wikisource version of hamlet while pretending to listen to conference calls at work. i think that helped, making it something i wasn’t allowed to do. it made reading feel like an indulgence. 

free of the constraints of “i’m going to have to write a five-paragraph essay about this when i’m done,” i began to read very casually, only trying to understand what was going on and not trying to find any profound meaning in it. 

in doing that, i realized i was actually doing it correctly. these are plays, meant to be performed on a stage, to entertain, immerse, and evoke feeling. you’re supposed to be sad at the end of tragedies and happy at the end of comedies. however, reading the plays is a far different experience than watching them, and in many ways more of a challenge.

you can’t read a play, especially a shakespeare play, like a book. prose and poetry both lend themselves to crafting intentional images. the entire thing exists to be and only be read. but plays and scripts are just one piece of a much larger puzzle, involving directors and actors and costume designers and set designers. bringing a play to life is a team effort. when you’re reading, you’re only seeing the skeleton of the story. it’s like reading a guidebook for a vacation destination. you can get the gist of it but only truly know a place by going there.

you can’t read shakespeare as a reader. you have to read as a director. you have to envision each actor, and after every line, decide where they are standing on stage, how they deliver their line, and what happens between each line. shakespeare gives almost no stage direction, so you have a lot of creative license in interpretation.

another thing to remember is that shakespeare is first and foremost a rhetorician. he wanted his words to be memorable and beautiful, to persuade and delight. if he wanted to be understood simply, he would have written simply. but instead, he uses 17 lines where 1 would have sufficed. it’s helpful, after every line, to consciously ask yourself, “what has just been said?” and very often the answer is simple. a yes or a no, i agree or disagree, or even sometimes banal statements.

consider hamlet’s “to be or not to be.” he goes on and on and on, but he’s really just being the “guess i’ll just die” meme. in the comedies, shakespeare often uses this effect as a joke. one character will go on and on, and another character gives a simple and curt and blunt reply, and depending on the delivery, it’s hilarious. 

you’re not supposed to love hamlet, or richard ii, or macbeth, or any other character. the tragedies are train wrecks that make you go “i get why you’re doing this but you need to Stop.” the comedies are similar, in that the characters sometimes make you go “you are being so fucking stupid.” it’s the sense of irony, the “i know what’s right in this situation but you don’t” that creates a huge amount of engagement. we’re always bracing ourselves for what comes next.

so here’s how i recommend reading shakespeare:

pick a play, and pick a version or two to watch afterward. here’s a really great list of productions. personally, i’d stick to ones where you’re familiar with the actors, which heightens the engagement. 

before you start reading, consciously cast each character, using actors you really like. or, instead of actors, you can cast your favorite characters as if they were in an AU version of your current fandom. reading shakespeare as fanfic is a speedy way of ensuring your emotional investment.

pull up the wikipedia plot summary of the play to have on hand while you read. every few pages or so, line your reading up with the summary to make sure you’ve caught onto what’s been happening.

as you read, direct the actors you’ve chosen. how do they deliver the line? sometimes this takes a few tries. you can’t let your eyes move left to right across the page and just expect to miraculously understand it as if it were prose. you have to puzzle it out.

if you’re really stuck on something, pull up the spark notes version. there’s no shame in that. if you compare with spark notes enough, you begin to get a sense of the language and begin to need it less and less.

when you’re done, order a pizza, pour a glass of wine, and watch your chosen production version. delight in already understanding what’s happening, figure out where you might have been wrong or confused, and revel in the places you were right. 

watch another production and see how your version, the last version, and this version all differ. 

if you get all the way to this point and you’re not utterly in love, i don’t know what to tell you. i think i watched wyndham theater’s much ado over a hundred times. rsc’s hamlet probably just as much. i have yet to watch or read a single play i didn’t at least appreciate. i’m one of the few people who even enjoys titus andronicus. 

shakespeare takes a lot of energy, but it’s worth it. once you get a feel for the strings he pulls and how he pulls them, it’s like opening a door to a whole other world. you see clips of phrases from this play or that, understand subtle references, and see how his influence exists in nearly everything. you can use his characters and plots and dynamics in all your own work. you can reach backward to see his own influences in greek plays, and forward to see his influences throughout all of literature. it’s amazing, not just who he was, but how his plays are still both so beautiful and so human. 

i’ve skipped over rhetoric, craft, the sonnets, and a few other things that i really enjoy about shakespeare, but those are probably topics for another time. if you’re looking for somewhere to start, i highly recommend much ado about nothing, particularly the wyndham 2009 production with david tennant and catherine tate which is genuinely one of the funniest things i’ve ever watched. it’s fun to compare it to the 1994 kenneth branaugh film and then rage against whedon’s 2013 travesty. 

best of luck in your shakespearean pursuit!

The Powerpuff Girls - The Good Episodes!

After we use mouthwash to wash the taste away of those last 10 episodes, it's time to reveal what I think are the top 10 best episodes of The Powerpuff Girls. This was way harder to make than the worst list for many reasons, but I believe I found my top 10.

The same rules I used for the worst list apply to this list.

Once again, it has to be either an episode or a special of the original Powerpuff Girls. I decided The Powerpuff Girls Movie would have been too easy to put here.

I have to say one bad aspect about the good episodes as well. They're going to be pretty minor, and fixing them could potentially be bad for the episode, but I still think there's got to be something that could be considered bad.

This is my opinion and my opinion alone. There were some episodes everyone loves that I didn't like as much (Power-Noia, for example), and vice versa. If someone felt these episodes weren't that great, I respect their opinion.

Let’s begin!

10. Telephonies

This is the series' first villain team up episode, and it's a bold decision to make it after each of the villains involved in this only appeared in one episode each. One would think this would be better if they fleshed out the villains in different storylines before deciding to put these villains together. However, with Telephonies, it just works. A part of this may be due to how simple and clever this plot is, with the Gangreen Gang making prank calls to the Powerpuff Girls, falsely saying that a villain has run amok, and the Powerpuff Girls rush in to beat up the villain despite them not actually doing anything evil.

The calm scenes of the villains in their off-duty are all clever, with Mojo Jojo sleeping on the couch, Fuzzy Lumpkins just having a nice bath, and Him just sweating to the oldies. Mojo Jojo's reaction to this gets a special mention here that I must quote: "Oh goodness, I better not SNORE!" It all ends with a fight scene, and it's not the usual one. It's not the absolute best villain team up this show has ever done, and that would be pretty sad if it was as this was the first one, but the way the villains are used puts Telephonies among the funniest episodes of Season 1.

Bad thing: Maybe it's because of his strong competition with the usually amazing Mojo Jojo and the eccentric Him, but Fuzzy is the weakest link of the three victims.

9. City of Clipsville

I do want to be fair to the post-McCracken era of The Powerpuff Girls. Sure, Season 5 and 6 are the weakest of the six seasons for many reasons, but once in a while, there are episodes that hit it out of the park. City of Clipsville is an episode that pokes fun at shows that ran for so long that they found excuses to just reuse old clips because, back in the day, nobody could just pull up an old episode unless they religiously taped it. After using clips from Cover Up and both of the Monkey See episodes, the episode shows its true colors by showing off clips from episodes that both don't exist and probably shouldn't exist.

We get it all: scenes with the Powerpuff Girls as babies, the Professor getting married, the Powerpuff Girls as boy-crazy teenagers, and even short little comedic scenes like the Powerpuff Girls losing the ability to fly and the Mayor remembering the Professor making a giant pickle. I almost wish there were more scenes to talk about, which is why this is relatively low, but what is there is really good. A shining spot in what is otherwise a rather dull season.

Bad thing: I know this is going to be controversial, but I'll say it anyway: I think they spent a little too much time on the teenager scene. I'd trade a lot of that scene for just more rejected Powerpuff ideas. I know why they did it, I know they wanted to make it even longer, and I know everyone wanted to see even more scenes with the Rowdyruff Boys. Maybe it's how some fans actually took it seriously and wanted them to expand on this concept despite the scene lampooning the whole idea of grown up Powerpuff Girls acting like stereotypical teenagers. I guess with that upcoming CW show, they got what they wished for in the end!

8. Bought And Scold

Bought And Scold's premise is pretty solid in itself: Princess takes control of Townsville and, in revenge for not being allowed to be a Powerpuff Girl, decides to make crime legal so the Powerpuff Girls are out of a job. It's perfect for Princess; a petty law she made out of vengeance against her enemies, not really caring that making crime legal would affect not only Townsville's economy, but possibly affect her economy in the end as well. While I do like how they handled crime being legal by showing a bunch of little scenes of criminals with the decree in their hands, and the contrast between those scenes and the scenes in the end, it's really the second part of the episode that makes this one of the best episodes.

After we see a rather long scene showing the effects of this new law in Townsville, Bought and Scold becomes one of those "from the villain's point of view" episodes, which is not too common with this series, and the latter half of the episode does very well with that aspect. One could argue Stuck Up Up And Away, her debut episode, also shows this off with Princess, but that's just her whining to her daddy to give her superhero-grade super suits. Here, we get to see where she sleeps, how she yells at her daddy, and, for the only time ever, we even get to see her in utter fear at her father's potential anger when her house gets robbed. That last one is really something that puts this episode near the top for me; once this episode gets to the ending, it adds an extra dimension to her spoiled brat character that sadly just doesn't appear anywhere else.

Bad thing: What was next for Princess in this plan to rule over Townsville? Just delight in being the ruler of a crime-not-only-ridden-but-encouraged city? Yes, there is implication that Princess promises her daddy that she's going to be the best town ruler ever, but they don't go beyond that.

7. Forced Kin

Season 4 suffered a lot from having episodes that were a half an hour long, but here's a plot that is somehow good enough to deserve all the time it gets despite having a high-concept plot. Alien comes in, Powerpuff Girls can't beat the alien, they have to get Mojo's help, they basically try to out-evil each other, Mojo eventually goes crazy and defeats the alien, the end. There's no story to the alien, there's no complicated plot, just Mojo Jojo vs. an alien. They could have easily put this in 12 minutes.

It's the way everything comes together that makes this episode great: the alien being this prophet who can predict all of the Powerpuff Girls moves and counter them, Mojo Jojo teaching the girls the way of the evil genius, how wacky Mojo Jojo's evil plans are and how they manage to work in the end, and Mojo Jojo's unpredictable-even-by-the-alien tantrum in the end. Combined with the rather epic scale of the alien invasion, this is a must watch for sure.

Bad thing: Apparently, this nameless alien is the most evil being they have ever encountered? Why? Because it can beat them? What about Him? Maybe they're not counting the more psychological villains.

6. The Bare Facts

The Powerpuff Girls' main character are three girls that are supposed to represent three different aspects of one's personality, and there's no episode of Powerpuff Girls that really treats it that way more than this episode. We get to see each of the Powerpuff Girls lay down those titular bare facts to the Mayor, who was kidnapped by Mojo, each with their own different way of telling that story. Each Powerpuff Girl gets their own art style, too, a highlight being Bubbles' cutesy crayon drawings. Each of these perfect little girls tell the truth, each in their own little way.

There's plenty of jokes along the way, too. Bubbles keeps going off the record to talk about flower drawings or clouds, Buttercup just keeps trying to get to the end, and Blossom keeps trying to make the story all about herself. And, of course, there's the ending, which really shows why this episode is called The Bare Facts and gives the episode some rewatch potential. It's one of the more unique episodes of the series, and one that plays to its strengths. If one watches this episode and doesn't know who their favorite Powerpuff Girl is, I don't know who that person is.

Bad thing: Bubbles has those aforementioned crayon drawings, Buttercup has this dark comic book style, and Blossom's is just...pink. I get it, the joke is that the pink Puff is making it all about herself and her leadership skills, but it does seem like the weak link of the three, just like that pink villain from Telephonies.

5. Just Another Manic Mojo

Going from one Mojo Jojo episode to an episode with Mojo Jojo to another Mojo Jojo focused episode, one could probably argue from this list that Mojo Jojo is my favorite recurring villain in the show. As silly as saying the arch-nemesis is my favorite villain, though I do have some villains I wish were featured more often, it's hard not to think he is with episodes like this. Even beyond his first appearance in Monkey See, Doggy Do and his origin story in Mr. Mojo's Rising, this is the quintessential Mojo Jojo episode. Much like the second half of Bought And Scold, this is a day in the life episode, this time featuring everyone's favorite evil genius monkey.

An episode about a villain going to the grocery store can only really be good as the villain and his reactions to everything. Also, this episode heavily focuses on his famous catchphrase, using it as a really good running gag. It's not all just regular stuff, either. We get to see the machine that dresses and gets him ready for the day, he yells at kids to get out of his evil moat around the volcano, and he eventually just can't help himself to do a plan to exterminate those "bugs" once and for all once he gets the chance. This is the best spotlight on a particular villain this series has ever done, and it's only fitting that it was a spotlight on its most notorious.

Bad thing: The Powerpuff Girls themselves don't get that much of a role besides being annoying to Mojo, which is for this episode's plot, but it's not really playing to any of their strengths.

4. Something's A Ms.

Something was a miss, and this episode sure wasn't! The episode starts as a big mystery, as the girls have to figure out how these mysterious thefts were happening, all while Miss Bellum is acting so odd. All between, this episode reminds us what Craig McCracken's favorite movie is. I still haven't watched that movie, and that should be a testament to how good this episode is that it's still this high. It's as if references don't ruin episodes if they're good enough!

The mystery, the hidden jokes, and the final fight scene all add to the quality of the epsiode. Not just the final fight scene with the girls, but with a character that deserves a lot more respect than she got a decade-and-a-half later. It's also a breath of fresh air that the Powerpuff Girls managed to figure out what was really happening, and it's not just the villain just suddenly revealing themselves to their utter shock. An excellent ending to what would be a potential Sedusa arc, even if it's not quite the last time we ever saw her.

Bad thing: The fireplace scene, while great looking, isn't really something that The Mayor would do. That did take me out of the episode to think, "yeah, that's got to be a Big Lebowski reference." It is, by the way.

3. Meet The Beat-Alls

Lately, it's been a recent controversy among Cartoon Twitter that cartoons nowadays are just trying to reference popular things like Sonic the Hedgehog just to make people go "oh my goodness, they're nerds like me!", and I never got why that was inherently bad. If I was making cartoons, I would totally be sneaking references to my favorite games in them. Well, after that Big Lebowski-O-Rama that was Something's A Ms, here's an episode that's nothing but Beatles references. It's not even subtle about it. Song titles, album covers, parts of the Beatles history, and even the Beatles themselves in their 60's cartoon designs make a probably unauthorized cameo in the middle of the episode. It is a laugh riot.

I did say Telephonies was not the best villain team-up, and that's because that honor goes to this episode. Even if one doesn't know about the Beatles, and that could be more likely than one might think among today's youth unless they grew up on the Beat Bugs and would apply to me as a kid, the episode is still entertaining. It's not like the villains are out of character, I could see Mojo Jojo ending up in a Yoko Ono situation. This episode doesn't need any help to be as good as it is.

Bad thing: Him has always been betrayed as someone who is way beyond the other villains, but he's just another villain that just happens to shoot lasers out of his hands in this one. Even in an episode like Birthday Bash, another contender for greatest villain team-up episode of the series, he was treated as a villain far beyond the villains in the jail cell, taking over the news and Professor Utonium's mind.

2. Uh Oh Dynamo

Giant monsters? Awesome. Giant robots? Also awesome. Giant robots fighting giant monsters? Even Jet Jaguar led to that amazing flying kick scene in Godzilla Vs. Megalon. There's no giant lizard monster seemingly skidding on his tail here, but that doesn't mean this half-hour of power deserves any less respect.

I haven't even touched upon an episode that put a major focus on the Powerpuff Girls' father figure, and putting this near the top may be me trying to make up for that. The first half does make one kind of feel for the Professor's plight, as, while the girls can easily handle crime themselves, he doesn't want to see his children get hurt. The second half is just as good in a different way, with lots of creative scenes. The attacks from both the giant fish balloon, which became kind of a recurring character in their own right even for just two episodes, and the giant robot Powerpuff Girl. Monster fights, city destruction, family issues, this episode has it all and more. I should also give a special mention to this episode's sort-of-sequel.

Bad thing: This episode does have a little bit of that issue everyone had with Daylight Savings, which was an episode I thought was just in the mediocre category, in that the Professor's insistence on being an overprotective dad does cause the episode's problems. I'd say it's the least justified here, even if it does lead to the giant robot.

It was so hard to make this list, because there's so many episodes just as deserving to be in a best list. Here's the next best thing: an honorable mentions list. All of these could have been the 11 spot, or at least the first four, anyway.

Bubblevicious - The danger room scene that really pushed the envelope on TV-Y7-FV violence and Bubbles turning into a vicious monster leads to a great character study for the little blue one.

Speed Demon - With its dark atmosphere that would only be matched by Samurai Jack years later, it's hard to forget this one, as much as our minds really wanted to.

Child Fearing - I almost put this episode in the list, but I felt there was too much Jojo. I still think about "if I was a bunny I'd HOP HOP HOP!"

Him Diddle Riddle - There's so much variety in Him's riddles, one may ignore that some of them seemingly make no sense.

Bubble Boy - This episode's idea of having Bubbles try to hang out with the gross boys is a really good one. Most of the Rowdyruff Boys' post-"The Rowdyruff Boys" appearances have been hit or miss, but this one's the biggest hit. I would talk about the first Rowdyruff Boys, but I felt Bubblevicious was superior.

I See A Funny Cartoon In Your Future - I already mentioned Live and Let Dynamo, so I'll go with this one. An amazing Rocky & Bullwinkle parody that really nails it down. Having the late great June Foray appear as the villain helps, too.

The Powerpuff Girls Rule - Hooray, I justified the rule of including specials! I was surprised on how much I liked this one. Maybe it is a good watch after watching the rest of the series, as there's tons of in-jokes. The fast pace didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

Finally, #1. I wanted to surprise everyone, but...

1. The Powerpuff Girls Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever!

That GIF's "Fly fly fly fly, pow, bye bye bye bye bye" was an intended name for this blog, but I felt that was really annoying, so I shortened it, and that's how Fly Pow Bye was born: from this episode. It's a relatively simple concept, too: it's a rainy day, and not even the criminals want to be outside, so the Powerpuff Girls have to pretend to fight crime using toys. After 2020 and the seemingly eternal quarantine it caused, this episode is even more relevant!

There are so many scenes in this that will stick in anyone's memories. Buttercup as the monster that surprises, Blossom's Miss Bellum impression, the Professor filling in for Bubbles and just wants to get it done, Bubbles and Buttercup dressing up as Fuzzy and Him, respectively, and even near the end, where, in a scene that is definitely similar to what happens in childhood playdates, Bubbles and Buttercup just decide to play video games during Blossom's epic Mojo Jojo impression/hide and seek game. During this project, I wanted to find an episode I can say that was more memorable, more quoteworthy, and more relatable than the very episode that gave Fly Pow Bye its name, and, while there were episodes that were very close, I'm still going to give the gold to this one. The Powerpuff Girls Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever is the Powerpuff Girls' Best Adventure, period.

Bad thing: If there's any bad thing to say about this episode, it's that I'd wouldn't recommend it as a first episode. Viewers of this episode need to know what the Powerpuff Girls usually do.

The Powerpuff Girls is a classic cartoon, and one of several cartoons that defined Cartoon Network in its classic era. It's no wonder why Cartoon Network just didn't want to let the Powerpuff Girls go, whether it be wanting to force a Season 7 despite the crew not wanting to do one, to that rather unfortunate event that happened in 2016, to letting it get the Riverdale treatment. Whatever happens next, all I can say is hurrah for Cartoon Network and the Powerpuff Girls. Bye.

See you on February 27th!

So, having seen all 13 episodes of the new Animaniacs, I can say without question it’s a very good show. Not perfect by any means, but definitely worthy of your time if you’re a fan of the original.

Most comments I’ve seen have praised the show, but I’ve also seen some criticism. Mostly from people who haven’t watched it. Now, I seriously believe that it’s perfectly okay to criticize something you haven’t seen the entirety of, but if you’re going by the trailers and clips released online, well… I can’t see what there is to complain about. It’s fantastically animated, well-drawn, and I actually laughed when I heard the first joke. I actually felt some tension release when that happened!

But I would like to talk about some unfair (and also fair) criticisms from people who actually did watch it:

-Too much cynicism/mean-spiritedness One thing I didn’t realize when I was a kid is how often the original show made fun of things that really didn’t deserve being made fun of. The tradition of the Warner siblings pestering historical figures included the likes of Beethoven and Einstein, who as far as I know, never did anything to warrant being cast as villains in any kind of fiction, much less a cartoon. I think probably the most egregious of these was the episode where they torment a thinly-veiled parody of Wolf Blitzer. I don’t know much about the guy, but all of the people on CNN seem like pretty upstanding folk, so I can’t imagine why the writers chose him of all people to target. Sometimes I wonder if the whole “make fun of it because it exists” thing that so much modern humor relies on actually started with Animaniacs… If anything, the new show is actually more light-hearted in some respects.

-Too much political/topical satire Yet again, the original show was not shy in taking occasional jabs at the government and social issues. Cartoons doing that kind of humor goes back as far as Looney Tunes, and of course both that and Animaniacs contain plenty of dated pop culture references, some of which I still don’t understand. And I was alive during the ‘90s!

-Too much gross-out “humor” Now this here is the major flaw of the new show. The original never did any jokes that could make you feel queasy, and if it did talk about anything gross, it was more of a “ugh, don’t you hate that?” thing rather than the grossness being the joke itself. I will never ever understand people who like this sort of thing, and every time it happened my mood immediately went way down and sometimes wouldn’t go back up again until much later.

-Not enough characters I can sort of understand this, but not really. Just think about it- did anyone ever really find Rita & Runt or the Goodfeathers particularly funny? And I feel so sorry for Buttons’ constant suffering I can’t even stand to watch them. (Plus, I’m certain that no one ever liked Katie Kaboom.) One character I definitely want to see return though is Slappy Squirrel. Slappy is an icon as far as I’m concerned, and one of the funniest cartoon characters ever created. It was a shame they didn’t include her in the new show beyond a small non-speaking cameo.

-Not enough of the original crew This is the real tragedy of the new show. I can’t imagine why in the world the WB execs didn’t want to hire any of the original writers or artists, and it’s an insult to all the people who created and developed the characters. That said, it’s quite obvious that the new show was a labor of love, done with a lot of care and thought, written and animated by fans of the original and classic animation in general. This is the first time ever a major production has acknowledged ‘90s kids, and actually given them something worthwhile- something more than just an empty gesture to capitalize on our nostalgia. And after so many years of dealing with internet trolls who think my childhood was worthless, it’s such an incredible relief to know that there are others out there who feel the same way.

So yes, the new Animaniacs has its problems, but to say it’s a travesty is going too far. Like I mentioned in my last post, I was genuinely worried that they would do the same thing they did to the Powerpuff Girls or DuckTales. It was a good two years or so before we even knew who was going to do the voices, and it was literally only two months ago when we saw any animation at all. To say that it’s a relief to finally see it and enjoy it is an understatement.

I think it’s a bit foolish to go chasing after an X factor. Sure, there are many quibbling criticisms I have, like perhaps the timing could be tighter and more snappy, and maybe the storytelling could be refined, but the original wasn’t exactly entirely consistent in those regards either.

And we’ve got remember that the people who worked on the new show are not the same people who blackballed Tom Ruegger and Sherri Stoner. Throw your hate at the WB execs, not the show itself, and especially not the new writers and artists. The folks who hate the new episodes don’t seem to want to let the people who enjoy it have nice things, I guess. A line from the Pinky and the Brain episode “1001 Narfs” actually summed my feelings quite nicely: “We could use a little less cynicism, and a little bit more childlike wonder.”

All in all, I’m looking forward to season 2, and I hope it’s even better than the first.

Under 10,000 Words

16/12/20 - I can never figure out what my favourite length of fic is, but I think it depends on my mood. Sometimes I want a huge, 200,000 word journey, and sometimes I just want a quick drabble. Anyway, here are some fics which are all between 2,000 and 10,000 words, organised by the word count.

Sleep Deprivation by Honey_Honey on AO3. (2,313 words).

Tags: Cute, First Kiss.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: The one where killing monsters leaves Dean without a week of sleep, and Cas has to deal with the consequences.

Notes: This was so fluffy and cute and I can totally imagine Dean overthinking everything while Sam just finds the whole situation hilarious.

That One Time Sam Winchester Googled Something Weird and It Had Pretty Awesome Results by quitepossiblyjanuary on AO3. (2,587 words).

Tags: Romantic Fluff, First Kiss, Stars, Humor, Courtship, Short & Sweet.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: In which Sam Googles something and his curiosity doesn’t kill the cat. Or him. Or anyone. It’s a pretty awesome feeling.

Notes: This was so adorable! Gabe was so sweet, and his mind reading skills made me laugh.

What Can’t Be Seen by destieldrabblesdaily on AO3. (2,639 words).

Tags: Soulmate AU, author!Cas, Strangers to Lovers, First Kiss.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Written for this prompt: Soulmate AU where you first see color after eye contact: Cas is a famous best selling author and he’s promoting his book, so he’s talking to a crowd of people and suddenly his world is in color, and a lot of his fans pretend to be his soulmate. A Cinderella type situation ensues.

Notes: This was really cute and such a sweet and funny idea.

The Tea is Decaf by mnwood on AO3. (3,673 words).

Tags: POV Castiel, Fluff, Sign Language, Castiel in the Bunker, Canon Compliant, Sharing Clothes, Asexual Castiel, Gentle Dean, Non-Explicit Sex, Domestic, Established Relationship.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Based on this text post from thebloggerbloggerfun: “Listen, imagine Eileen sneaking out of Sam’s room at night to go to the bathroom or something and steps out into the hallway in one of Sam’s shirts only to see Cas trying to quietly leave Dean’s room while wearing one of Dean’s shirts and they both just stare at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before trying to muffle quiet laughter and now they have a late night club where they talk about life and gossip about the Winchesters in sign language"And this anon I received: "what if Eileen and Cas discover there are some things Sam and Dean both do in bed because Dean jokingly gave Sam pointers when they were younger and Sam took the advice”.

Notes: This has to be one of my favourite fics of all time, even though the first time I read it I hadn’t even met Eileen yet! I’m still so pissed off that she wasn’t in the finale (unless we’re counting Blurry Wife?).

surely heaven wants for you by cenotaphy on AO3. (3,782 words). 

Tags: Episode: s15e20 Carry On, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Heaven, Coda, Post-Finale, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Dean, Outdoor Sex.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: Cas doesn't come to him. Dean can't really argue with that, given the circumstances. In all the history of balls in courts, he thinks there might never have been a ball as thoroughly in a court as this one is in his. He drives for what feels like a long time but might just be a single sunny afternoon, or maybe years (time's funny here, Bobby had said), just enjoying the music, the shifting landscape outside his window, the hum and creak of the engine. Finally the forest opens up and the road narrows down in a way that he's fairly certain wouldn't typically happen on any kind of earthly interstate, and he glides the car to a halt at the edge of a lake.

Notes: This was so beautiful and such a interesting exploration of Dean’s feelings!

a quick salt and burn by xylodemon on AO3. (4,609 words).

Tags: Episode Related, Cemeteries, Case Fic.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: "Fuck," Dean mutters, wincing as pain throbs in his shoulder and neck. After the ghost chucked him into the hedge, he hit the ground like ton of bricks and clipped an exposed tree root so old it was practically petrified. "So much for a quick salt and burn."

Notes: This is adorable and hilarious, so a double win.

Funny Bone by PallasPerilous on AO3. (4,933 words).

Tags: Fluff and Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Skeletons, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Alternate Universe - No Angels, Canon Divergence, Mild Gore.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: It wasn’t even a particularly creepy skeleton; it was in kind of a “just chillin’” pose on the floor. One ankle was still locked up in a heavy iron cuff, at the end of a short chain leading back to the wall. Snoresville, as dead stuff goes; Dean’s seen worse at Disneyland. It was the skeleton’s comment about Dean’s ass that really livened things up.

Notes: This has to have been one of the funniest fics I have ever read, but oh boy did I feel bad for poor Cas.

Grace by july_19th_club on AO3. (5,164 words).

Tags: Fix-It, Episode Fix-It: s15e20 Carry On, Resurrection, Reciprocated Confession.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: A man dies. What happens next will shock you. [script]

Notes: This was written beautifully, and now I really want to see this filmed! So much better than the ending we got.

(un)conventional by imogenbynight on AO3. (6,100 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe, mechanic!Dean, Writer!Castiel, Conventions, Fluff.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Spec Lit Con--Speckly Con, to it’s regular attendees--is an annual weekend-long event held in Chicago, dedicated to science fiction, fantasy and otherwise speculative literature. This year Dean's favorite author, C.J. Novak, is appearing as a panelist. Naturally, he shells out the cash for an all access pass.

Notes: This was so adorable that I nearly screamed in the corridor outside my computer science lesson. Plus, the writing was absolutely gorgeous! I miss conventions :(

La Vie A Plus by K_K_TiBal on AO3. (6,260 words)

Tags: Punk Castiel, Asexual Castiel, College/Uni AU, Roommates, oh my god they were roommates, College Student Dean, College Student Castiel, Pining, First Kiss, Misunderstandings, Art Student Castiel, Love Confessions, Gabriel is a Little Shit, Tattooed Castiel.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Dean Winchester is hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with his best friend and roommate, Castiel. Castiel - with his blue hair, and his tattoos, and his artwork, and his perfect everything. Dean never stood a chance, really. It only sucks because, as far as Dean can tell, Castiel is definitely not interested. But love, much like art, has a way of being unpredictable. Even if you think you know where you’re going with it.

Notes: The angst is strong in this one! Again, I feel like many aces have had this conversation or that fear that people (allos, especially) may not want to be with them.

Event Horizon by Winglesss on AO3. (6,442 words).

Tags: Suicidal Thoughts, Suicidal Dean, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Past Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Texting, Sharing a Bed, Happy Ending, Veteran Dean, Doctor Dean, Writer Castiel, Strangers.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: Castiel couldn't have helped his sister. That's why being offered a chance to help somebody else dealing with suicidal thoughts he took it without hesitation. When he gets the first text from someone who needs his help, nothing goes as he expected.

Notes: I don’t know if that kind of suicide prevention scheme exists, but this fic is very sweet.

I Think That’s Mine by palominopup on AO3. (6,804 words).

Tags: Fluff, AU, Reporter!Dean, Writer!Cas.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: A mix up at the Atlanta Airport places Dean Winchester's laptop in someone else's possession. A series of calls and texts bring two men together.

Notes: This was so cute, Cas was so sweet, and Dean was an icon.

Nothing Equals the Splendor by RurouniHime on AO3. (7,865 words).

Tags: Fix-It, Post-Episode: s15e20 Carry On, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grief, Explicit Sexual Content, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Declarations of Love, Canon Compliant, Minor Injuries.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Maybe it’s the cynic in him. The hunter, always under the surface of any quietude he ever found. Or maybe it’s just that he has always had trouble with blind faith. But after a while (a blink? A decade? A century?), Dean raises his eyebrows, looks around, and says—

“Uh. No.”

It’s so close. Just so slightly imperfect. And maybe, he analyzes, maybe that’s the final knell of this bell called contentment. Dean’s experience with happiness has always been that last rise in the road, right before it turns. Right before fate comes barreling around the corner head on. He turns in his spot on the bridge, and suddenly Sam is like a cellophane film through which he can see the light streaming, and the taste of cheap beer on his tongue is much, much older a memory than it should be.

“Oh, you’re good,” he says, and means it.

Notes: What a great idea, and written so well! I always thought the show could have done so much more with djinns, but never mind.

In the House of the Rising Bun by imissmaeberry on AO3. (9,046 words).

Tags: Bakery and Coffee Shop, Baker Dean, Barista Sam, College Campus, Poet Castiel, Mutual Pining, Daddy Issues, Background Sam/Jess, Past Balthazar/Castiel.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Dean Winchester only has three rules concerning the cafe he and his brother Sam own, “House of the Rising Bun”.

1. Any and all opportunities to make a pun will be taken. 2. Free regular coffee with your student ID (If you want some of that fancy nonsense you gotta pay, sorry kids). 3. Anyone and everyone is always welcome.

Between Dean running the shop full-time and Sam helping out whenever he isn’t in class, there really isn’t a whole lot of time for romance for either of them. But that all changes when they gain a new regular - some writer from London - who may or may not have the bluest eyes Dean’s ever seen.

Notes: First of all, the puns were amazing and I am willing to fight people on that. Secondly, that was so sweet and funny I am afraid I might have to disappear under mysterious circumstances and open my own cafe…

I hope you enjoy these! I haven’t read any new fics for this list and even then there were way too many to put on one list, so expect a sequel at some point in the future!

HAPPY BDAY TO MY FAVOURITE BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT @badsliar​ 🌸🌑💈🦋

i hope u like this gifset of all ur fave things w a colour palette that just screams ‘lo’. i just wanted to say thank u for allowing me into ur life all those years ago, bc god knows i would have faded from existence if u had never followed me back 😫 no i’m just kidding, in all seriousness i didn’t know that i was missing out on so many fun times & conversations but i’m so thankful that we all found each other when we did bc it honestly felt like we made up for lost time SO fast and now we get to experience (hopefully) the next stage of our lives together. i’ve said it before but our friend group is truly the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. i love that u will stay up at all hours of the night (even tho u really should start going to bed earlier) so ur pretty much always around to talk when i need it, u are hands-down one of the most supportive & comforting people i know, i don’t see u ever losing that quality but i feel the need to tell u not to bc having conversations with u & hearing ur thoughts is genuinely such a fun time & it helps mold my outlook on life. u amaze me in everything u do, every project that u take on comes out perfect and i don’t think u could be bad at something even if u tried. here’s to us making even more blogs we don’t intend to keep active, sending funniest schmidt clips back n forth, n to us meeting up when we’re all 80 to finally see ariana in concert together. i love u and i hope u have the best birthday!!

MML 106: Family Vacation/Murphy’s Lard

IAh, I’m caught up on all the new episodes and should totally be working on English homework...so I’m gonna do commentary for all the episodes that are available!

(if the episode hasn’t aired on TV I’ll schedule the post so it’ll post after it airs)

Family Vacation

In case anyone wanted to know what my family’s like for anything

“Underneath all the stuff we just packed” Naturally

Then again, my parents’ spare tires are stored in the floor of the trunk

Heh, two spare tires are there

Bridgette’s just accepted Murphy’s Law--had to in order to marry Martin, I guess

Hey, that clip I found before!

I still can’t get how dark this joke is

Anyone ever see the movie Jinxed?

I love how they all got sweater vests like Milo--it’s adorable

How does Milo have a seat cushion after that?

The two of them out the window is adorable

That’s why you stop at rest stops

*face-palm*

They did not gas up that quickly

Doing what?

...I thought they used that tire

How did the twins at least not notice him?!

...they still remind me of the Shining

I’d go broke if my family had one of those

How many of those do you have?!

My family once got to that point on a vacation

Hey, it’s that creepy thing from the game

Was that really the time for the jar?

...That is probably one of the funniest things ever

That audio effect was creepy

Are they flirting with him?

...that was sorta in the game. Looked different (think like ground beef)

I’m curious about these government agents

I love how that tweet from Dan (or Swampy? I genuinely can’t remember it was a while ago) was true

A while ago, someone asked one of the creators what Melissa and Zack would be doing during “Family Vacation”, and he said that they’d be sitting by the pool

“We’re going to die!” “Only eventually” I love the morbid sense of humor that comes from being in danger on a daily basis--it almost matches that of being dead inside.

This flow is gonna kill you guys--especially since it’s canon that Murphy’s Law can kill

Me when I learn of most shows

Diogee just tied a know

That was adorable

My family vacations usually involve my parents trying to take away my book and keep me and my sisters from killing each other

The Murphys have a dollar jar! XD

Only reason I find that so funny is a while ago, I was talking with a friend about the word “jinx” being banned from the Murphy household, and they suggested that there was a “jinx jar” in the house. Funniest thing with that conversation was in an AU of mine, Milo’s very...down on himself, so he says it a lot, and Martin’s just “Milo, dollar in the jinx jar”, then realizes he just said “jinx”

I love that Ashley’s art is back...

Murphy’s Lard

...Ew.

That’s terrifying

Stimmy Milo!

I love how you can figure out what Zack’s about to do just from his expression

Zack, stop trying to bring logic into this

...I’m not the only one thinking Milo’s ‘extra’ autistic in this episode, right? Probably cuz he’s at a theme park and (slightly) over stimulated. Seriously, I was a delight at Disneyworld ^^

My thoughts when I read this summary

...This is too melodramatic for me to take seriously

PHINEAS AND FERB CAMEO!

I love how that’s canon (one of my favorite fics makes a reference to it)

THE MELODRAMA!

Zack has a dad?

When did that get there?

“There’s always a corporate” The fact this is on a Disney show makes it funnier somehow

Milo, you’re making it worse

...Isn’t mahogany red?

Hey, it works!

I love how Henry looks concerned

...is having Milo on a rollercoaster with Melissa the best way to deal with this?

They didn’t exist back then

He’s so unconcerned

In which I am Zack

JK, I love rollercoasters

No. You can’t have a loop when going to the to--how does this rollercoaster even work?!

At least you figured it out that time...

“Oh look the top of a plane” and you two will implode when you get to the bottom

physics aside, the way he said that was hilarious

Okay, portion with the heart is the best part

...why is that sign there

...did they say that earlier because they time traveled? I mean, they started taking the thing down when the flaming pig came by...

Is she saying “lard” or “lord”? because it sounds like “lard” but CC says “lord”, but I’m not sure Disney would allow that?

Milo lost his bag

Milo is such a little kid, it’s adorable

Yikes

...I want bacon

I love those things...mine keep breaking tho

So imagine looking up in the sky and seeing that. Happy dreams!

*slow clap*

I love how her bike helmet has goggles

Shravan ran behind Suman as she ran and entered her room , he knew she was crying , crying badly…though he didn’t knew the reason for it , he wanted to know it.“Suman , Suman please open the door , please Suman , what happened? Suman please tell me , did I do something?? If yes please tell me what , please Suman….” Shravan was yelling while he was crying continuously banging the closed door of the room in a hope that Suman will open it but to no avail.He heard some slow sounds of sobs , “Suman….” He said one last time as now his own cries choked his throat and he wasn’t able to speak more, he sat taking the support of the door as streams of tears felled down his cheeks. Shravan’s POV:“ Tumhe Kabhi Apni Zindagi Mein Kuch Nahi Samajhta Tha…Ajj Tum Meri Zindagi Ban Chuki Ho…Tumhare Ansoon Kabhi Mayine Nahi Rakhte The….Ajj Wo Mere Ansoon Ban Chuke Hain…..(There were times when I didn’t thought you as anything…..Now You are my life……Your tears didn’t matter to me then………..Now they are mine…..)”I said the lines as I heard her tears , those days were different , today was completely different ,from a stranger she became my Soul. Writer’s POV:Suman sat on the floor taking the support of the door adjacent to Shravan from her side , she was still crying though trying to stop her cries so that Shravan doesn’t listen.“Shravan , I am sorry…..” Suman tried to speak with much difficulty as she tried to stop her tears , she wasn’t able to… Suman’s POV:“ Tum Meri Zindagi The , Ho , Rahoge….Par Mein Tumhari Zindagi Mein Koi Vajod Nahi Rakhti….Tum Mere Jeene Ke Maine Ho…Par Mein Tumhari Kuch Nahi Lagti…..(You were My life…..you are , you will be……….but I don’t have any place in your life………you are the reason for my Survival……..but still I am nothing to you)”I thought the lines which I myself penned down 5 years ago , things have changed , I have changed , he has changed……THINGS HAVE CHANGED.“Suman , remember out first so –called meet….” Shravan asked me while his voice easily revealed to me that he was crying, he continued speaking as I kept listening. Shravan’s POV: “ That day was a usual day , we were in 7th standard , together in the same section from last 2 years still we didn’t even talked a bit , maybe it was our ego only…………….” I was trying to talk to Suman when she cut in the middle.“ It was ego from your side Shravan , from my side , it was only my hidden LOVE…” I closed my eyes as I heard her.“ Yes , from your side it was your love that didn’t permit you to talk to me, class’s chui-Mui Suman who spoke so little , so slow(in voice) , so fast(In words) that even teachers needed to ask again that what were you saying…….” I said as a smile itself climbed up me as I remembered her funny antics.“ Teachers , Unhi Se To Dar Lagta Tha (I was afraid of teachers only)…..” She said as now her crying voice seemed to change a bit into some forced laughter’s.“ Acha , what I was saying , we didn’t talk to each other from 2 years though being together , that day , I was sitting in the class while next day it was our Hindi Exam and me being the topper needed to maintain it………”“ I wasn’t less either……” Suman said in a teasing tone. “ Still , you were always second sweetheart and if we add your class performance in all those public speaking Marks , You lacked a lot behind me…..” I replied enthusiasm filling me now.“ Yaa , yaa , a person like you who is so used to public speaking , how would he understand the pain of a stage-fearer……” Suman replied and it seemed that annoyance climbed up her due to my comment.“ Ok, Let me continue , don’t become the collage Sumo Wrestler now , So I needed to be the topper and I was doubtful regarding the syllabus and all my lovely dumbo friends took leave because they had to study , rest were those left who weren’t really supposed to study for the exams , they all passed with my support….” This girl again cut me.“ You know what Shravan , I hated this about you , you cheater cock , I don’t understand how a person’s principal’s can allow him to cheat…” “Suman , it was common , everyone in the class cheated , even Aditya , You know that sanskari Mahapurush yet he too told the test to anyone who asked , but off course exceptions like you are always there, You know my friends sitting in the exam hall with you used to curse you because you didn’t even move your eyes from your paper , acha Baba , let me remember my memories , don’t speak……..so I was forced to ask syllabus from you whom I just knew existed from last year that too because you scored more than me in some exams , so yup , I asked you ‘Suman , what is the Grammer Syllabus for tomorrow….’ and what I got was a pen dropping sound because you got too alarmed by someone’s call , then a filmy turn of a sehmi si Heroine who stared at me like I was there to eat her up ‘Shravan appne Bulaya…’ I could understand your lips reading because nothing seemed to reach my ears from your mouth and I just repeated the sentence wishing to end the conversation as soon as possible ‘ ‘ what I got was some blank reply from which I could neither make a head or tail , your speed and then the way you speak , in a second and so slow….” “ But you understood , right , thats why you said thanks and went….???” Suman asked me as I laughed.“ Thanks was a courtesy Suman and what I heard was nothing , I thought I would ask Aditya only because I couldn’t continue the conversation…….(I laughed again forgetting my tears that seemed to be too old now) That was like nothing , I didn’t thought about you after that though I remember thinking not to talk to you ever….” I was laughing like hell now. Suman’s POV: “ Yaa , I know its so easy for you , you know that day was like the best day of my life , the whole day at home I was thinking about you ,’ He asked me a question , wow , He considers me intelligent , he knows that I exist ‘ and so many more , your face seemed to come in my mind every now and then, because of you only na I lost my 1 mark in Hindi in which I was the best , even better than you…….” I told him as I remembered that day , expressing it in words wasn’t possible but still the whole day was rocking and shocking , I wasn’t an introvert at home though , in fact I was a full to enjoyable coolbie at home , I don’t know what happened to me in school but lets leave that topic , I was roaming around in my home with my Hindi book in my hand and my Shravan Malhotra in my mind , his one word too mattered like hell to me. “ Acha Shravan , thats why You didn’t speak to me for almost 6 months after that , How mean…..” I told him with anger.“ So what , you were so mean , you never told me that you liked me…..”“ I had fallen for you the very first day I saw you in my class in 5th standard but I was afraid , I wasn’t out of those cool-cool girls in the schools , those with puffs , clips in the hair , messy hair still looking awesome, I was a type of girl who had those well tied hair , a girl who would fall anywhere , anytime and look the most funniest creature in the world , girte- Padte rehna meri aadat thi aur tum , tumpar to kain Marti-Girti thi……”“ How do you know???”“ I don’t know , I heard it somewhere that Anuradha used to like you , and then she used to fight so much with you , I used to find you both a perfect pair , that serial type , Ladte Hain ,Par Pyaar Bhi Karte Hain( They fight but Love each other too), she used to be a topper as well and in 10th class seeing you roaming around with her on trip , you know how I felt……….” I said to him as he cut. “ Acha , thats why when I and Anuradha were sitting together in the ice cream parlour on Trip, you turned your face towards your friends like…………I just had a glance at you and I was like ‘I don’t look so bad that she needed to turn her face…’ Yaar , we were just friends who used to fight , you know she was jealous of me……..”“ There was another Shravan , Samukshi……..”“ Your friend Samukshi….seriously? She told you?”“ No , but what your friend , she was your friend as well , in fact more than me……”“ I know you didn’t had any friends na……” He teased me.“ I heard it somewhere that she too liked you , you know I was like she was perfect for you , a good debater , she was even good in studies and I even saw you happily talking to her…….”“ Oh God , Suman I never imagined you were such a jealous creature………seriously , they were my friends yaar….”“ But you were a part of those Boyfriend-Girlfriend type groups , I know, don’t deny now…….” I asked desperately.“ Yaa , but that doesn’t mean I had a girl friend…” He said in his angry monkey tone , wish I could see him but the door was still between us. “ Shravan , you know , you meant the world to me , I was afraid to tell you , I felt you’ll insult me in front of everyone and it will spread like a gossip , you know I was a kind of person who was happy hiding behind supporters rather than coming into limelight myself , I even hated when someone talked about me , someone tried to bring me to front then how could I accept that thing , I was scared of you and I had my reasons , I had the newest of thoughts of the world , the things which other people didn’t think to improve , I wanted to do that , I wanted to fight against biased ness between girls and boys and I myself was…..” I had tears remembering those worst memories of my life when I used to cry just because as usual I wasn’t able to speak nicely in some class speaking thing , It wasn’t once , it happened to me every time I had to speak , I seemed to be so mysterious , I seemed to be so quite , it was all , all result of my fear , I was scared to face people, I was scared that what might a person think about me, I had my worst of the experiences. “ Shravan , I was broken then , I seemed to be happy from outside but I can’t speak how my life was.”“ Suman , I was the cool dude of school , every girl wanted me but still I never found my princess in them , you know why because I wasn’t suppose to get a princess , I was supposed to get a fairy , an angel…….and It was you…………”“ Shravan , please , don’t just tell me that you love me because I do…..I know you don’t why would you???” I asked him as my past came in front of my eyes. Shravan’s POV:“ Suman , I really do , you know you didn’t matter to me for much of the time but that day , that day when I saw you , it was like a life-changer , I can’t share what I felt that day , our farewell party , it had been two years since our sections were changed , that day I just saw you and something happened to me , for the first time , some special feeling , my angel , I found her… I don’t know why my emotions took so much time to be revealed but it was special yaar……” I told her. Writer: Piyali Shravan’s POV:“ Suman , I really do , you know you didn’t matter to me for much of the time but that day , that day when I saw you , it was like a life-changer , I can’t share what I felt that day , our farewell party , it had been two years since our sections were changed , that day I just saw you and something happened to me , for the first time , some special feeling , my angel , I found her… I don’t know why my emotions took so much time to be revealed but it was special yaar……” I told her.Sounds of some slow sobs seemed to come from the other side , “ Our farewell party Shravan , I can never forget that , it was the last time I saw you , last time before collage……” She said as she again started to cry.“ For me it was the first time to me that you existed…..You came in the auditorium in that light pink suit with your straight hair and the same fear on your face…..all girls and boys were looking towards you , no one knew that that girl with two pleats could look so good , I remember Anaihita was talking to me when suddenly she paused , I was like , what happened and she just said ‘Turn Back’ I did and I was shocked , you know for next 10 minutes my eyes were struck on you….” she cut me.“ Alright , you found me beautiful on an occasion and you think you love me….great…” Her anger visible in her voice.“ No Suman , it wasn’t like that , it was just that I noticed you, I looked at you and then was never able to look anywhere else…..” I said as I remembered that day.“ Do you really love me Shravan..???” Her innocent question came next.“ Do you have a doubt Suman..???” I asked.“ I am sorry Shravan for whatever I did in collage…..” I laughed out loud , her collage antics , Ok let me just clear , after school I had lost my heart to her but was not able to tell her and contact with her , Impossible , till plus 2 I don’t even think she had a phone for her own self and her nature , no doubt I had to turn a Romeo , then she went to some other city , Ok to be precise to Mumbai where I landed 6 months ago after a complete of 2 years of separation. Suman’s POV:After school , I came to Mumbai for my further studies , I don’t know how , when and why but I was completely changed in an year , completely , from the darpok Suman I became the Sumo wrestler , Collage’s Diva and the angry Young girl who would break someone’s head if someone messed with me , Ragging students with my gang , enjoying with them , chilling out everything was my life , I loved this life , much more than my school life and here came the twist in my life , My school love back in my life but completely changed , Shravan came but I never came to know that he was my Shravan , wish I had , Me and my friends ragged that Shy boy from a small city and made fun of our classmate Shravan never knowing that he was My Shravan Malhotra , wish I had known , it was something like a role reversal between us , I turned out to him and he turned out to be me.“ Kahan Kho Gayi….” Shravan asked as I was remembering those days.“ Shravan , why you never told your caste…?? You were so changed face wise thats why I wasn’t able to recognize you…” I complained.He laughed , “ Suman , I was able to recognize you very nicely and I was loving the change in you so how could I tell you that I was Shravan , I thought you’ll beat me like hell if I told you that I was the same Shravan who had by mistake pushed you down the bench in 5th standard…..” That is bad.“ Shravan , I even ragged you and you were so changed , you became totally shy…..” I asked confused“ Ahan….I am not shy…not at all but I just wanted to see your boldness ….remember when you and your gang threw eggs at me on my entry…”“ Sorry….”“ When you tripped me down and I fell down…….”“ Sorry…”“ When you snatched my project and submitted it as yours , you didn’t cheat , right???” He asked like a teacher.“ Shravan , it was you who spilled coffee on my project…..” I complained.“ By mistake and on what , on your half complete cover page…..” He was laughing at my explanations.“ You and your collage antics Suman but the best one was today one when you got to know that I am Shravan Malhotra…..Yaar , No problem na…..why you started crying……” Shravan asked me still laughing.“ I am sad na Shravan , I hurt you sooooooo much , I used to spoil your homeworks , disturb you , and every other thing I can do so that I can remain the topper and you never minded , sorry na….. “ I was again feeling low.“ Oh God Suman , I enjoyed it na yaar , Seriously , I am loving this Sumo wrestler a lot……don’t cry because of that infact I am sorry , I know how much I hurt you….first of all you loved me so much and then you had to bear so much….” He assured me.“ Shravan , you heard me today backstage…..”“ Yaa I did…..” Shravan’s POV:By the way I suppose I forgot to tell , today was our collage fest and also award giving day and so Sumo Madam came to know my name because my whole name was announced when I got the best sportsman award and then she turned to Suman Tiwari –the bechari , Realisation struck my Sumo and she realized that I am her Shravan Malhotra , by the way today , another realization struck me too that she loves me.“ Shravan , what you heard…???” Her voice came from the other side.“ Everything………..” I smiled.“ Shravan …..”“ Ok Baba , I just heard that you can’t love anyone else because you love a handsome hunk called Shravan Malhotra….”“ Oh God , I never used Handsome Hunk…..” She angrily said.“ Ok Baba sorry , now atleast open this door , I am waiting from so much time so see your face…..” She didn’t reply after that.Suddenly I felt the support behind me vanish as I almost fell down because the door was opened but I got saved , Suman held my head in her lap.“ I won’t let you fall down….” She smiled.“ You love me , right???” She asked again.“ You don’t trust me Suman….” I replied angrily still in her lap.She smiled as she laughed , “ Just say that na then……..”“ What??” I asked naughtily.“ Shravan….”“ Ok , Now you are scaring me, Ok I love you Suman………………I love you……….” I shouted like a mad. She kept her hand on my lips and closed her eyes.“ I love you too…..” She slowly said in my ears still closing her eyes. I hugged her tightly not to leave her ever.Besharmiyan, barbadiyan.. Hai ishq ki shaitaaniyanYe fitoor jo sir pe sawaar hoJeena bhi phir Dushwaar hoKiski majal koi rok leKiski majal koi tok leIshq k junoon ruke nahiHe bawari yeh aashiquiGustaak si yeh aashiquiBekhauf bhi ye aashiqui Badi he ajaab kasi yeh talaabyeh he aashiquiziddi badi…!badi saar firee hai yeh aashiquiKiski majal koi rok leKiski majal koi tok leIshq k junun ruke nahiHai baawaari yeh aashiquiGustaak si yeh aashiquiBekhauf bhi ye aashiquiBekhauf si ye aashiqui Jo yeh sang chaale Sang challeJo yeh rang chadhe Rang ChadePhir kya fikaar koi kya kaheYeh hai wo aag jo na bhuj sakeAise baarishe jo na thaaam sakeIshq ke junun ruke nahiHai baawaari yeh aashiquiGustak si yeh aashiquiBekhauf bhi ye aashiquiBekhauf si ye aashiqui(Yeh aashiqui bawriYeh aashiqui gustaakh si..)This Is my Suman , My Suman , she is the Suman I love her a lot , a lot………No Matter what she’ll always be mine and I’ll Always be hers. We both will always be each others.

http://jodifiction.blogspot.com/2019/09/shraman-ts-memories-shravan-suman-edkv.html

Day 04 - Hollywood Studios

TLDR: Hollywood Studios today. Absolutely non stop for the first five hours, attraction highlights include Frozen Sing Along, Star Tours, & Indy. Oh and some awesome guy won Toy Story Mania :P We missed Tower of Terror due to a late family lunch at a Drive In style Diner. Awesome lunch. Heavy Rain. Rain jackets on. Home. Mall. Purchased a new laptop. Missed dinner with the rest of the group, due to the aforementioned late family lunch. No appetite for dinner. Wrote today's entry on the new laptop - so. much. fastness! Good decision. End.

Hoo-ray for Hollywood!

We had to hit Hollywood Studios early for Jedi Academy registration as you can't book it in advance, which meant skipping breakfast (I really shouldn't even expect anything else, should I?). Kids managed to grab a banana but Ann and myself were good to wait, though we did receive our regular morning coffees courtesy of my parents (or their hotel rather).

Patrick loves learning about everything and has been churning out little tidbits of impressive yet totally useless facts at random intervals since we got here. So I'm introducing a new segment for the blog, Patrick's Fun Fact of the Day. So Patrick's Fun Fact of the Day for today is this: 

Water is the only substance which is heavier in its liquid form than when its a solid. Hence why ice floats on water.

(Some research into this does reveal that there are a handful of other unusual substances which exhibit the same property, but I'm gonna give him this one - he's still only 10). Look out for future installments soon!

Once we reached Hollywood Studios, we made a bee-line for the Jedi Academy to register. I remember from last time that the queues and wait were massive, but this time it was much more efficient, which is no bad thing. Had a return time for late afternoon, after lunch, which meant that our morning plan (which was pretty jam-packed), was untouched.

A little light one to start us off, the Path Of the Jedi - a 10 minute video which was a compilation of some of the best bits from all the Star Wars movies. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire. I've seen the movies hundreds of time but hearing these opening lines from Alec Guinness, sent shivers down my spine. Then seeing Carrie Fisher as the feisty Princess Leia, only added to it. One thing I forgot to mention on the first day was Robin Williams being the sole reason for me choosing The Genie for my Magic Band. There are certain people who absence on this earth you still struggle to get your head around and reminders of them bring are always laced with a little sadness. Williams is one and Carrie Fisher is another. Seeing Princess Leia on screen is amazing and heartbreaking in equal measure. The Last Jedi is going to be a sore one for many people I think. Anyway I digress. Even my brother Michael, who has never really seen the movies (yeah I know), said they looked good and wouldn't mind watching them.

Next up, was For A First Time In Forever, a Frozen Sing Along Celebration.  I might have said this before but this was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time (except those funny Buzz-feed posts about people completely misspelling words - that shit is funny, man). The two main characters, some random unknown characters, though not as unknown as the Arendelle baby (family in-joke, sorry), but their patter and puns were just brilliant, I couldn't stop laughing! The show essentially was a karaoke for (most of) the songs from Frozen and the girls, who were singing away without missing a word, loved it. Side note, this scene in the movie is my most favorite-est part ever, and its not because I fancy Elsa (though it kind of is).

And here’s a few more, including Grace & Emily singing along to the finale, which covered the whole audience in a blanket of snow :)

More Star Wars-y goodness in Star Tours, our first Fast Pass, was up next. We were all placed in the first two rows so had great seats! Prior to lifting off in our little spacecraft piloted by the Galaxy's favourite robotic duo, Threepio and R2, they select a random in the audience, who has been identified as the Rebel Spy. And Emily was selected as the Rebel Spy!!! :D Great simulator ride through Kashyyyk, Naboo & the Gungan City and wee BB8 even made an appearance. The kids were howling and screaming every time we dodged a Star Destroyer or Tie Fighter - fantastic ride. Gracie then wanted to buy a Chewie and Lightsaber in the wee shop after the ride, but as we were returning though it best to do it then, instead of carrying it about all day, she wasn't too pleased (kids can be so impatient, haha).

Indy next, and this was the Epic Stunt Spectacular lived up to its name. Not really changed in the last few decades but still a must-see. Even wee Isabella was going really excited by all the explosions and acrobatics. Pictures speak louder than words as they say, so here’s a few from today.

Stopped for a breather as it was pretty non stop since getting to the park, so the guys got some lunch while we just opted for some desserts as we had lunch booked for later in the day at Sci-fi Dine In Theater. 

Reach For The Sky!

After everyone was re=energized it was time for a bit of friendly competition in our next Fast Pass: Toy Story Mania, a 3-D shooting game where points mean... well just points, so the highest one wins. I’ve been unbeaten at this for the last two trips so I was psyching myself up beforehand as there were a few new contenders on the block. 

The Official Toy Story Mania Leader-board 2017

Gerry: 175400

Corrie: 144200

Michael: 137300

Ann: 128300

Kevin: 121600

Patrick: 90400 (?)

Robert: 78200

Pauline: 73600

Mum: 53600

Wullie: 53400

Alessio: 30200

Gracie: 20400

Emily: 16500

Oh looks who's top... I retain my Toy Story Crown for another year and absolutely smashed last visits score of 143,000. BOOM! Now to find somewhere to get this printed and laminated! :P Just need to continue my streak on Men In Black and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Ill have won the Treble! We just made Beauty and the Beast Musical last show after that, and had pretty poor seats way at the back. It didn’t help that there was a big guy sitting right in front of me, blocking my or rather my camera's, vision. Great show which mirrored the animated classic (just like the live action movie, like seriously, no change or twist at all???).

Although we were right next to The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror after existing Beauty, we had lunch booked, so unfortunately had to skip out on our last Fast Pass. Emily talked non stop about the Tower Of Terror before the holiday so she was more than excited at this point and she absolutely loved it. She was joined with Kevin, Michael, Sarah Jane and Corrie. 

Attack Of The 50ft Woman!

I think the first time I seen the iconic poster for this movie was in McFly's - a bar in Coatbridge Main St, which was my first real pub growing up. Some fond memories in there, and many hazy ones. Sci-Fi Dine In Theater - this place was the real deal, Cadillacs for booths, a huge screen showing clips of 50s classics. 50's style waiters and waitresses, milkshakes, retro decor all in the style of a 50's drive in (think Jack Rabbit Slims in Pulp Fiction with a big screen). It was phenomenal and really glad we booked it, 180 days or so ago now. I went for a Reuben sandwich (awesome), Patrick, a Caprese sandwich (possibly slightly better than mine, possibly), Robert settled on a classic cheeseburger and Ann & Gracie split a rack of ribs and a stack of onion rings. Root beer all round save for me who went with a classic Cherry Coke which came topped with a cherry on top (which that wee sneak-thief Gracie snaffled while I was watching the big screen). All served by the lovely Flora. Bonus Fun Fact Of The Day from Patrick: There were 48 cars in total in the restaurant, each representing one of the 48 states in 1955 :D Our car was from California. Highly recommend this one for anyone visiting, if you like that sort of thing.

You are no Jedi.

When we exited it started raining, HARD. We all had rain jackets, including my camera bag (thank you Manfrotto, you wonderful, thoughtful camera bag maker, you). This was similar to the other night, but I supposed we were better prepared for it this time. We found out where the rest of the party was, and caught up with them. They had just came out of The Great Movie Ride, and after a quick discussion, we agreed that heading home would be the best option. We had covered most of the main rides, with only a few smaller ones remaining, so not really missing anything. Leaving meant no Jedi Training, but they call off the Academy in the event of heavy rain anyway, so we may want to catch it again on our return (you could even call it, Return Of The Jedi! Ok, Ill shut up). We said our goodbyes (quickly) to the other party and set off from the park in a nice warm car (which is usually a bad thing, most days). We were comparing it to the day we visited Typhoon Lagoon two years ago, when it absolutely poured and it was such a vivid memory as the traffic was horrendously bad and took forever to get home. Then we ended up on Same road as typhoon lagoon, dun dun DUN! No delays this time around though, which was good.

Now Tuesday is Kids Eat Free at Miller's Alehouse and we had pre-arranged to all go there tonight, well except that I forgot that our lunch was so late at Hollywood, which meant we had not long eaten. So we dropped my mum and dad off at their hotel and said that we'd see how we felt about dinner later on. For the past few days Id been scouring the internet look for a laptop to replace the absolute dinosaur of a machine that I brought with me. The prices in general were pretty terrific, so I'd narrowed down a few from Best Buy and we made a plan to go pick one up. We got to the shop, where we were instantly set upon by a server asking what I was looking for, I explained the particular model, and she showed them to me. She then asked what it was for and I explained it was for internet and some photo editing. She then directed me towards some laptops at double the price, saying that these ones had touchscreen and had a better processor (it actually had the same processor, but I let it go). I mean don’t get me wrong she was pleasant enough, but don’t try and sell people Office by calling it 'Microsoft' - you either don’t know your stuff or that’s just a sales tactic to trip anyone up who doesn't know any better. I got the feeling it was the later after the hard sell on everything else, which is just plain wrong.

The thing is I wasn't planning to buy a laptop over here but after seeing the prices thought it would be good idea, but I really didn't want to spend a lot on it. To put it in perspective, the one I was looking at was $449 - the same spec machine in PC World back home was 500 quid! I don’t think the assistant really knew what she was talking about in all fairness, though it didn't help with Ann calling Lightroom, LIGHTNING ROOM! Haha, it was like that sketch from The Interns where Vince Vaughn kept saying 'On The Line' instead of Online. Wee soul :P

Going out to the Mall we got stuck in traffic, which meant that going for dinner was definitely out for us. Werent particularly hunger still, so just picked up some snacks, on the way home. When I unpacked and set up the laptop (it took a while to download and install Lightning Room ;) but I was more than impressed. Example - on the first night it took over 4hrs to download around 500 images from a 16Gb memory card. This laptop took less than 10 minutes to do the same. It actually seems to run faster than my Mac at home, so might need to look into a wee upgrade in the near future. On a complete unrelated note, Ann is  the most beautiful-est, prettiest girl in all the seven kingdoms... ;) 

To round off today, here’s our first wee family pic from Memory Maker taken this afternoon (when it was still sunny :)