#a ratatouille homage

[squipedmew]

she everything on my everywhere till I all at once

[magnorious]

Pixar’s Cars is still way better than people give it credit for

Am I writing an essay on a kids movie that fell out of relevance after the last sequel seven years ago? Yes. Is it my favorite background animated movie to put on whenever I’m working? Yes.

It goes without saying that Pixar’s catalog is still topped by movies like Incredibles, Toy Story 2, Up, Inside Out, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, etc. Cars sat at the bottom of Pixar’s “best of” list until its sequel came out and people realized how bad Pixar movies could actually be.

But you know what? I love Cars. Is the story as deep and moving and profound as some of the others? No. But it was made with love and after what feels like the past 8 years of resounding “meh” coming from Hollywood and some of the most shameless cash grabs pretending they’re not, Cars remains my feel-good movie. It doesn’t have that classic Pixar “cry your eyes out” moment, no dead parents, no chosen ones, decently low stakes. It’s a good time, anytime.

Why I’m writing this now, though, is because of this: I knew already that the King and Chick were based off real racers, and Lightning’s “McQueen” is another homage, but I looked up if Doc was also based on a famous racer during my last rewatch and found this on Wikipedia:

Doc’s car model, the Hudson Hornet, was manufactured from 1951-1953 for its original run. In 1954, its manufacturer merged with another company and the Hornet was heavily remodeled to boost sales, only the popularity of the car never recovered. It stayed in production until ‘57. It was used in racing and that’s where Doc’s paint job in the finale draws inspiration.

But do you remember what his backstory is? 3 back-to-back Piston Cups from ‘51-’53, a crash in ‘54 that saw him rebuilt, and obsolescence upon his return.

People complain that they “didn’t need to be cars” in this movie. They’re not like the toys in Toy Story where the plot and message depends on them not being human. They’re not like the fish in Finding Nemo. They could have just been humans who drive race cars and it raises more questions than it answers.

You are wrong, Sir.

Doc’s backstory is why they had to be cars. They aren’t human because the story depends on them being machines – as Cars 3 explores more deeply. A human endurance runner can train to be the fastest, running against other humans with the same chances at success (ignoring steroids and socioeconomic opportunity). Humans aren’t running foot races against mutants or aliens where, no matter what we do, we will lose by nature of what we are.

Cars do. A car model is beholden to its manufacturing and all the complications that come with it. Cars are objects that, like toys, have obsolescence built into them. There is no “outdated” way to run a foot race.

So yes, Doc has a Tragic Backstory(tm) but it’s not just that he was some great master at the top of his game once that faded from glory like any human who got too old. He’s a car, and no matter how good he was, how many Piston Cups he won, the powers that be that made newer models with better mileage and efficiency and mechanics were always going to dethrone him.

The movie isn’t about him, though, it’s about another rookie. A rookie who lives life in the fast lane and thinks his time in the spotlight is never going to end when Doc can look at him and know exactly how wrong he is. Lightning is a race car too and, regardless of the existence of Cars 3, Lightning will also inevitably become obsolete no matter what he does to fight it.

I doubt the writers were going for this when they wrote it but that they’re machines is also a criticism of how we treat celebrities. Lightning is an entertaining story until the next shiny starlet emerges and, through no fault of his own, he’s kicked to the curb for the “new”. And that new will be cast aside for the next new and so on and so forth and the only winner is the greedy producer making money off their cash cow until they drain it dry.

Yes, the movie is about appreciating life and the things that you do have and “the friends we made along the way” but that they’re machines matters. Had they all been human, the movie would have lost half its message, and half the tragedy. If they were human driving cars, Doc wasn’t written with a disability so he could have, in theory, hopped back behind the wheel of a new car and still won against younger drivers. He’s not human, he’s a car, and he isn’t built to go as fast as newer models.

Age affects everyone, but a world made by machines that pits machines against other machines in an endurance test is inherently rigged when the machinery being tested can always improve.

It is unfortunate that both Doc and the King go out in wrecks (even though the poetry is nice) and the story doesn’t explore the existential obsolescence of being a machine designed to only do so well and be improved upon – even Lightning still has to wreck out of his big race in Cars 3 before he starts losing to the newer models.

But maybe having a Cars movie that does explore the existential obsolescence of a machine might have gone over kids’ heads. Or, maybe not? They pulled off some very mature themes in Incredibles with marriage problems and presumed infidelity that kids probably didn’t understand but still knew was not good for the characters.

Not to mention all the other wonderful details in this movie: The car-pun cities on all the license plates, the tire tracks in the sky and car-shaped natural phenomena, all the creative sponsoring brands on the racers.

How the “Life is a Highway” montage hits you over and over again with a straight road that cuts through the winding nature (the snaking river, the mountains sliced open to make room), industry that stops for nothing and scars everything in its path.

If you haven’t watched this movie in a while, do yourself a favor and find time to do so.

[mikkadc]

Diasporas Marking Identity: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2020)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2020) is a multiverse film that uses its multiverse narrative to explore the various potentialities and possibilities within the immigrant experience. The film centers on the Wang family, comprised of the elderly Gong-Gong, Chinese-American immigrant parents Evelyn and Waymond, and their daughter Evelyn. 

At the beginning of the film, Evelyn gets introduced to a concept called “verse-jumping”, which enables her to access the memories and abilities of herself in alternate universes. She is told that she is very literally the worst possible version of Evelyn out of all the Evelyns within the universe, giving her the most untapped potential with which she can defeat the film’s antagonist, Jobu Tupaki. Within these possibilities of Evelyn’s existence, we see versions of Evelyn that range anywhere from a hot-dog-for-fingers Evelyn to a sentient rock Evelyn.

In this universe’s version of Evelyn, she and her husband Waymond eloped to the United States two decades prior to the start of the movie, had a daughter named Joy, and are owners of a laundromat business that is about to be audited by the IRS. The Wangs live in a home right above their laundromat, with several markers of Chinese identity present within the home, such as homages to their family in China and Chinese talismans of prosperity. 

Evelyn’s daughter, Joy, has come to celebrate Chinese New Year, and has brought along her white girlfriend, Becky. Evelyn and Joy’s relationship is strained as Evelyn does not accept Joy’s queerness, explicitly seen when Joy attempts to introduce Becky to her grandfather, Gong-Gong. Gong-Gong only speaks Cantonese, while Joy primarily speaks English and some Cantonese. As Joy attempts to introduce Becky to Gong-Gong as her girlfriend, she finds herself unable to recount the Cantonese word for girlfriend. Evelyn, who speaks both English and Cantonese, interjects and finishes Joy’s sentence with the Cantonese word for friend instead.

In this scene, we see various immigrant typologies play out. Gong-Gong, who more recently immigrated from China to the United States to live with Evelyn as a result of his medical needs, performs the mentality of sojourner, as he remains an outsider within the United States, signified by how he only speaks Cantonese. By contrast, Joy performs the mentality of total assimilator, where she has assimilated fully into the United States, signified by how she primarily only speaks English. Evelyn thus performs the mentality of accommodation, where she is forced to accommodate the US lifestyle while retaining her ethnic consciousness, signified by how she speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. Within this dynamic, we can see how immigrant typologies can play out intergenerationally.

This film addresses a gap in Hong Kong media pointed out in Stringer’s article, in that Hong Kong films are “noticeably less likely to take on board such spatial and temporal issues” (Stringer, 433). Through its multiverse and infinite possibilities for every character, Everything Everywhere All At Once thus enables its characters to be “socially mobile, … able to move on someplace else” (Stringer, 434). At times, Evelyn seems to bear witness to a parody of Ratatouille as she works at a hibachi grill alongside a chef who is being controlled by a raccoon (called Raccacoonie). At other times, she never eloped with Waymond at all and instead became a famous movie star.

Evelyn, to Waymond: “I saw my life without you. I wish you’d seen it, it was so beautiful.”

By allowing its characters to be everything, everywhere, all at once (literally), this film explores potentialities of intergenerational dynamics and Asian American existence.

Questions:

How does the movie’s maximalism and absurdism aid the film’s exploration of possible Asian American identities?

Can you think of any other movies that use the multiverse, or other science fiction tropes, to examine the immigrant existence?

Michelle Yeoh, who plays Evelyn, is a prominent actress, starring in other popular Asian American media like Crazy Rich Asians, and is even mentioned in the Stringer article. The filmmakers definitely make use of the fact that she’s literally Michelle Yeoh, using clips from her actual red carpet walks and interviews when exploring the version of Evelyn where she is a movie star. How do you think the filmmakers’ decision to cast a popular actress like Michelle Yeoh, impacts the overall message of the movie? 

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

5 Years Later: INCREDIBLES 2

Has it already been almost five years since the release of an animated movie sequel that arrived nearly 14 years after its predecessor?

INCREDIBLES 2 turns 5 in June. June 15th, to be exact, the general release date. Or the 14th, if you count theaters that do pre-shows. That's a UK poster above, it was July 13th over there... Anyways, around that frame! I want to talk about that movie...

I actually unironically love INCREDIBLES 2.

Maybe I'm very online, but it seems like this Pixar sequel isn't so... Well-liked? I often see talk of it being this big disappointment, that the "twist" kills it, that it wasn't worth the wait, etc. etc.

I don't know. I saw INCREDIBLES 2 the pre-show Thursday night back in 2018. I had seen the original THE INCREDIBLES in theaters *five* times back in fall 2004 and even into early 2005. It's one of my all-time favorite films, a massive influence on my own work, and a movie that I...

Didn't demand a sequel to...

Yeah, that's right, I'm not like everybody else. Everybody else who all said "I waited 14 years for this!" I didn't... I waited... Four years. The Walt Disney Company, during a shareholder's conference, officially announced that the movie was in the works in March of 2014. Prior to that, I didn't feel that a sequel needed to exist. The ending of the first movie is an homage to serial cliffhangers, it wasn't the filmmakers saying in 2004 "we'll be back!" Writer-director Brad Bird went off to do other movies, and wanted to pursue other movies, some of which never happened (1906), some of which finally are (RAY GUNN)... He had often said he had various ideas for an INCREDIBLES sequel and would only commit to them if he had a story to tie them all together, but that didn't mean that a sequel was going to happen. At least, any time soon back then.

Inevitably, if your animated movie was a big blockbuster and the main characters all didn't die at the end, your animated movie is getting a sequel. THE INCREDIBLES came out when Pixar still couldn't feasibly make sequels per their strict contract with Disney at the time. TOY STORY 2 was a complicated exception that caused even more problems regarding this "no sequels" rule... but that very "no sequels" mandate was overridden in early 2006 when CEO Bob Iger, shortly after taking over from his predecessor - Michael Eisner, bought the Emeryville-based studio from Steve Jobs. That being said, Bird was directing RATATOUILLE, and then departed Pixar to pursue live-action movies, resulting in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL for Paramount... But then he circled back to Disney, to direct TOMORROWLAND, which was already a Damon Lindelof-conceived script that was floating around for about a year at the studio... And then, he finally directed INCREDIBLES 2. Pixar could've easily put an INCREDIBLES 2 in development circa 2006 for a 2010-2011 release, but they waited for Bird to be available, and then they got started.

So, back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, I already understand that concept... But I get it, lots of people who aren't a nerd like I, and don't follow how the feature animation biz works... Assumed that Pixar just sat on an INCREDIBLES sequel for over a decade and then finally said "Okay, we'll make it."

Anyways... I really do dig INCREDIBLES 2 as a sequel to one of my favorite films.

I don't think it's as great, which... I'll be fair, the original was a hard act to follow. Most original movies that really work for me usually spawn a sequel that has a hard time being just as good in my eyes, if not better. Only TOY STORY 2, in terms of Pixar sequels, I feel is this scenario. So, as such, I wasn't so tough on films like FINDING DORY and MONSTERS UNIVERSITY. There were still many things I liked and loved in both of those, and that made them every bit as worthy. INCREDIBLES 2, I feel, came pretty close to being as good as THE INCREDIBLES.

For one, I love that this is kind of a vibes sequel. It's two minutes longer than the original - at 118 minutes long, and has a few action setpieces here and there. Whenever they do occur, they rule! Bird and his crew just went hard with the action beats, from the runaway electric train chase to the fight with the Screenslaver in the strobe-light cage. Excellent stuff.

Unlike the first INCREDIBLES, the majority of this film doesn't take place on an island, so we get to see more of the retrofuturistic midcentury-modern world that Bird created in the first movie and expanded upon in this sequel. In the first INCREDIBLES, we see city blocks, yes, and some locations, Edna Mode's house, the kids' schools and Bob Parr's workplace. But that's about it. Here, the Parr family are in a new home on a hillside, there's a whole new city we explore, locations like a diner, the DevTech skyscraper, Rick Dicker's office, and a motel. We get to see other Supers besides the Parrs and Frozone in action, because in the first film, we only see glimpses of them in the prologue, Syndrome killed all of them off. Here, we meet a bunch of bizarre and not-quite-amazing superheroes who are often used as obstacles by the villain throughout, but some of them try to pull their weight and prove themselves. Particularly Voyd, I like her little admiration of Elastigirl and how that pushes her to really try her powers out. They're a bunch of very strange, weirdly-designed characters that only add to the colorful cast of this world. That Reflux guy is literally me, by the way. It was cool to hang out and exist in that world with these characters, with a solid script and tight dialogue to match. I can't see what's not to like. It's more about the family than it is the hero work and the spectacle, but... As was the first movie.

That's what makes both INCREDIBLES movies unique to most other big superhero spectacles, both in 2004 and in 2018... Pre-MCU and post-MCU. For context, INCREDIBLES 2 opened just about a month after AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and DEADPOOL 2... And shared the year with BLACK PANTHER, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (which opened right after it), VENOM, and SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE... The first INCREDIBLES shared a year with... SPIDER-MAN 2 and HELLBOY... Just SPIDER-MAN 2 and HELLBOY... Anything else? I might be misremembering.

Anyways, much like the first one, the superhero stuff is the backdrop to what is a family story. This time, it's a bit of role reversal. Bob is the stay at home dad while Elastigirl gets to do the fun stuff, with a much different context... but a lot of that is pretty darn good! Bob isn't some hapless Mr. Mom, he actually commits to doing better for his kids, righting his wrongs, and going a bit insane in the process while his youngest reveals that he has crazy-amazing powers that only Syndrome saw in the first movie. It's also strangely progressive in a way, considering that the world of THE INCREDIBLES is an alternate early 1960s... The dad being stay at home and the mom doing the hard work, an unthinkable concept in the *real life* early 1960s, pre-Women's Liberation America, that's for sure! The first one also poked at that, too: "Leave the saving of the world to men? I don't think so!" Both of these INCREDIBLES films bask themselves in this midcentury-modern period and aesthetic, but also have people of marginalized groups getting to do the cool stuff, too. It's fun what you can do with alternate histories, and create pasts that are more progressive than they actually were.

As for the main Elastigirl plot and Evelyn Deavor's elaborate plan to make the public fully turn against superheroes for good? I think it works really well! It's a 180 from taking on a powerful bad guy like Syndrome, and instead it's a more on-the-ground, sneaky, pull-the-strings threat. Almost like a little political thriller amidst this big PG-rated superhero adventure for family audiences. (Though Brad Bird writes/directs as he please, he wasn't making "kids' films" with either of these movies.) Superheroes being used to destroy themselves, the film kind of asking - amidst the explosive superhero craze of the 2010s - if superheroes are even necessary for a functioning society? Not a new question, but I like how this film presents it just the same. The whole dependency on powerful beings aspect, like the fictional Screenslaver rambles in his monologue.

The Screenslaver rant is not too far removed from Bird's question in his much-maligned TOMORROWLAND, a film that actually strikes hard in a post-MAGA era. TOMORROWLAND, a wildly misinterpreted film to begin with, posited that real change and making the world a better place starts with individuals getting up and realizing what kind of power they have. Online, I see that people expect **others** to make things right, and some who even outright refuse to do the bare minimum. Like voting. As if our sitting President has a magic wand and can make all the bad stuff go away, ditto many other prominent figures... They'll sneer "stop telling me to vote", when it's the simplest thing one can do to prevent the party that's succumbed to full-on draconian policy and open hatred from completely taking over, but one can and should go beyond that if they want to fight fascism and the ills of the system... and in turn help make the world better. It took over 70 years of hard work to get to where we are now - from protests to movements to candidates who brought about change, and it's going to continue to be hard work. You don't do it by sitting there yelling "do something!" or threatening to opt out of your one simple civic duties that very much matters. Here, Bird uses that same idea of relying on others and being dependent, but it's in service of a villain's personal vendetta against superheroes and an understandable want to make society less dependent on a band-aid solution. She even tries to use people watching TV as an "example" of people being dependent, as if she's some bitter boomer whining about smartphones on a facebook post.

I guess the only problem is, the movie doesn't quite end with a strong case against Evelyn's very real points... Other than the altruism of the characters and them doing the right thing during its rather rushed and zippily-paced third act. A little tightening on that, I think, would've helped improve the picture a bit. I guess, when you're a big tentpole animated blockbuster superhero picture being made for a massive conglomerate that's trying to appeal to a wide audience, you can only go so far with that. A lot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings, particularly CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, suffer from a similar problem. In that they chip at a meaty political theme, but then wrap things up with an action-packed climactic battle, they have a clear-cut villain that has to be stopped, and they kind of don't really make a case. Why do the Supers get legalized at the end of INCREDIBLES 2? For merely saving the city from a cataclysmic event, like they did at the end of the first movie and at the beginning of this one? Does the society seen in the world of THE INCREDIBLES go back to being dependent and complacent? Do they think about what the Screenslaver said? It's so quick, they're in the courtroom, they're legalized, cute and fun epilogue, end of movie... It's a bit weird. Like, what does the society do to work with supers and the government to make things better going forward?

That all being said, the villain's plans ultimately make sense to me. I like the idea of a grieving person who uses her wealth and influence to end what she feels is the problem - superheroes, and how that's a threat to our super-powered main characters. I just think it would've really, really landed if it went further and the supers made a case as to why Evelyn is ultimately wrong in her execution of some of her not-unfounded grievances. Or at least presented Evelyn with everything she could've done to make society less dependent on Supers without conspiring to get them outlawed, and even getting people killed in the process to make the world turn their backs on the Supers once more.

Even then, it's all executed so well. Bird had already directed THE IRON GIANT, and two all-CG pictures and two live-action biggies before this, so this was a cakewalk for him. With a 13 1/2-year difference in technology, he and his crew were able to really go all out here. Cityscapes that are gargantuan in comparison to the first film's Municiberg setting, lots of flying through and around buildings, smoother animation on the human characters, etc. The art direction, just. Perfect. The color scheme and everything, it all hits just right. Lots of fantastic retro graphic design everywhere, eye-catching! Michael Giacchino knocks it out again with the score, and we even got little theme jingles for the Supers themselves. I think it's just so well-done, I don't really get why it's often looked down upon online, nor why it has been somewhat forgotten outside of the internet? Maybe it's just because stuff is always coming out, from every pore? And that fewer and fewer things stick now? I don't know.

As for a third INCREDIBLES... It's inevitable, with or without Brad Bird. So far we got those Pixar Popcorn shorts, but that's about it. He's off at Skydance with former Pixar head John Lasseter (which... is disappointing to me on a number of levels, following Lasseter's misdeeds), it's possible he comes back to Pixar in the future to make a third one... Or they go ahead with a third one that he executive produces and signs off on. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there ends up being a Disney+ series instead. I love those characters and that world, but will only say yes to an INCREDIBLES threequel if they do. In other words, I'm not clamoring for one, but if it comes around anytime soon? Yeah, sign me up.

Anyways, Happy 5th Anniversary...

[parksaversnews]

NEW Creators Club at Pixar Place Opening May 24th 2024!

The highly anticipated Creators Club concierge lounge at the Pixar Place Hotel is set to open its doors on May 24, 2024, promising an immersive and enchanting experience for guests. This exclusive space, reserved for club-level visitors, celebrates the creative collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios, bringing the beloved Pixar stories to life in a whole new way.

A Feast for the Senses

Upon entering the Pixar Place Creators Club, guests will be greeted by a captivating display of concept art, maquettes, and attraction posters that showcase the artistic genius behind Pixar's iconic films. One of the standout features is the repurposed snake ride vehicle from Jessie's Critter Carousel at Disney California Adventure park, adding a whimsical touch to the lounge's decor. The lounge's design pays homage to the meticulous attention to detail that Pixar is renowned for, with every element carefully curated to transport visitors into the enchanting world of their favorite Pixar characters and stories.

Indulge in Culinary Delights

In addition to the visual feast, the Creators Club Pixar Place promises to tantalize the taste buds of its guests. Continental breakfasts will be served each morning, offering a delightful array of pastries, fruits, and beverages to kickstart the day. Throughout the day, visitors can savor a variety of snacks and beverages, ensuring that their cravings are always satisfied. For those seeking a more indulgent experience, the lounge will offer a selection of alcoholic beverages, including creative cocktails inspired by Pixar's iconic films. Imagine sipping on a "Buzz Lightyear Cosmic Cooler" or savoring a "Remy's Ratatouille Martini" while immersed in the whimsical ambiance of the Creators Club.

Exclusive Concierge Services

Beyond the culinary and visual delights, the Creators Club promises to elevate the guest experience with its dedicated concierge services. Knowledgeable and attentive staff members will be on hand to assist with any requests or inquiries, ensuring that every aspect of the visit is seamless and memorable. From securing hard-to-get dining reservations to providing insider tips on navigating the Disneyland Resort, the concierge team will go above and beyond to make each guest's stay truly magical.

A Celebration of Creativity

To further enhance the Creators Club experience, Disneyland Resort has announced a limited-time speaker series featuring Pixar animators, directors, and storytellers. This exclusive event will offer guests a rare opportunity to gain insights into the creative process behind their favorite Pixar films and interact with the talented minds that brought these stories to life. Imagine sitting in rapt attention as a Pixar director shares the inspiration behind a beloved character, or an animator reveals the intricate techniques used to bring a scene to life. These intimate sessions promise to be a highlight for any Pixar enthusiast or aspiring artist.

A Pixar Playground for the Imagination

The opening of the Creators Club concierge lounge at the Pixar Place Hotel marks a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between Disney and Pixar. This immersive space invites guests to step into the world of their favorite Pixar stories, surrounded by the very concept art, maquettes, and ride vehicles that brought these tales to life. With its tantalizing culinary offerings, dedicated concierge services, and exclusive speaker series, the Creators Club promises to be a playground for the imagination, where the magic of Pixar comes alive in every corner. Whether you're a lifelong Pixar fan or simply seeking a unique and enchanting experience, the Creators Club is sure to leave you spellbound and yearning for more. Read the full article

[xasha777]

In the verdant outskirts of Neo-Atlanta, where the ancient oaks whispered secrets of a bygone era, stood Ava. She was an enigma, a fusion of the old world's charm and the new era's technological prowess. Her attire, a sleek polymer bodysuit that hugged her figure like a second skin, was designed for the elite members of the Galactic Intelligence Agency (GIA). A pair of large, circular glasses rested on her nose, a stylish homage to the 21st century, but with lenses that could scan and analyze multiple spectrums of data.

Ava was on a mission, one that involved the most unexpected of players: the NCAA Division I. Once a collegiate athletic association from the past, it had now evolved into a competitive arena where augmented athletes showcased their superhuman abilities. But there was a shadow lurking behind the spectacle – a sophisticated AI that had been manipulating the games, influencing outcomes for the benefit of the highest bidder in the galactic betting rings.

The GIA had sent Ava to unearth the corruption, to trace the AI's digital footprint back to its source. With her neural interface synced to her glasses, she was more than a spy; she was a walking supercomputer, capable of hacking into any system with a mere glance.

As she stood there, posing as an unassuming passerby, her lenses flickered with streams of data invisible to the naked eye. She was breaking through the firewalls of the NCAA's central mainframe, searching for the elusive code that would reveal the puppet master of this interstellar game of deceit.

Little did Ava know, she was not alone in her quest. A silent watcher observed her from the shadows, another agent sent by an intergalactic council to ensure the integrity of the games. Their paths were destined to cross, their skills complementary. Together, they would unravel the scandal that threatened the very essence of fair play in the cosmos.

And as the sunset draped the world in a golden hue, Ava's glasses beeped softly. She had found the first clue, a string of code that seemed innocently out of place. But to her trained eyes, it was the beginning of a trail that would lead her into the heart of the galactic sports conspiracy. The game was afoot, and Ava was ready to change the course of NCAA Division I history, one code at a time.

[restaurantlemediterranee]

Exploring Exquisite Mediterranean Cuisine at restaurant near me

Looking for a culinary escape without straying too far from home? Look no further than restaurant near me, your local haven for mouthwatering Mediterranean cuisine. Tucked away in the vibrant heart of our community, restaurant near me invites you on a flavorful journey through the sun-drenched regions of the Mediterranean.

A Taste of Tradition

Step into restaurant near me and immerse yourself in a world of timeless flavors and culinary tradition. Our menu pays homage to the rich tapestry of Mediterranean cuisine, featuring an array of dishes inspired by the diverse culinary landscapes of Greece, Italy, Morocco, and beyond. From savory souvlaki to fragrant couscous, each dish is crafted with care using authentic recipes and premium ingredients.

An Atmosphere of Warmth and Hospitality

At restaurant near me, we believe that dining is more than just a meal – it's an experience to be savored and shared. That's why we've created an atmosphere that exudes warmth and hospitality, where every guest feels like a cherished member of our extended family. Whether you're dining with friends, family, or that special someone, our attentive staff is here to ensure your visit is nothing short of exceptional.

A Culinary Adventure for Every Palate

With its bold flavors and fresh ingredients, Mediterranean cuisine offers something for everyone, and restaurant near me is no exception. Whether you're a fan of tangy tzatziki, robust ratatouille, or decadent baklava, our menu boasts a diverse selection of dishes to tantalize your taste buds and satisfy your cravings. And for those with dietary restrictions or preferences, we offer plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options to choose from.

Conveniently Located for Your Enjoyment

Convenience meets culinary excellence at restaurant near me. Located right in the heart of our neighborhood, we're just a short stroll or drive away from wherever you may be. So the next time you find yourself searching for a "restaurant near me" that offers delectable Mediterranean fare, let restaurant near me be your destination of choice.

In conclusion, restaurant near me invites you to embark on a culinary adventure without ever leaving your neighborhood. From the moment you walk through our doors, you'll be treated to a dining experience that delights the senses and leaves you craving more. Join us and discover why we're not just a restaurant – we're a culinary destination worth exploring.

[let-remy-cook]

The Tale of Remy, A Rat Enchanted || Part One

A/N: Hello and welcome to my Remy Backstory, which will probably be my rp magnus opus lmfao. Whilst everyone else was doing wonderful swynwrimos, I was writing thousands and thousands of words about a rat in the style of The Tale of Despereaux. That children's book is one I've constantly cited as one of my greatest influences as a writer and a reader. It shaped my tastes and taught me really interesting things about voice and narrative structure, which persist to this day. So with all that said, this is in many ways an homage, and as silly as it is to dedicate a glorified Ratatouille fic to an author, it is dedicated to Kate DiCamillo. She will never read it, but I hope y'all do lol.

i will be releasing it in little chunks (the chapters of Despereaux are very short, normally just two or three pages). So... enjoy!

Chapter One: A Rat Enchanted

Once upon a time, a very special rat was born in the streets of Paris.

He was born during the rainy season, which rats referred to as the Great Wet. The Great Wet was a very difficult time for any street rodent, whether you were a rat or a mouse or even a squirrel, and squirrels have the unfair privilege of being very welcome in green places with lots of trees. But if you are a rat, you have it worst of all. This is one of the sad truths of being a rat. You are often too big to fit into nooks and crannies unless you spend weeks in advance chewing out rat-doors and rat-tunnels, which some rats do. But if you are a pregnant dam, you have no time for chewing out escape routes. And there are no homes for you in the trees. The places most welcome to you will be the greatest, wettest of all– the below places, like the sewers and basements. Many pups will die if they are born during the Great Wet, in all these below places.

Yet this was the place where Remy was born.

(Remy is the name of our special rat, although he will not come into that name for some time. Still, it is rather rude to refer to him as simply ‘the special rat’ and so we will call him by his name, the name that he chose for himself.)

Remy was born as the rain came down in spades and gushed through the grates. He was born in a box of gardener’s gloves on the top shelf of a basement home. The water filled the basement and the sound of the rain filled Remy’s sensitive ears, while his nose filled with the smells of his siblings on either side of him, as well as his mother’s milk, the soil from the gardener’s gloves, and most importantly of all, the faint memory of the fruits and vegetables those gloves had tended. Remy was so fascinated with all those smells in particular. His siblings mewled and suckled, but Remy sniffed and sniffed and sniffed.

And the more Remy sniffed, the more that he smelled. Because the rain had washed in the whole wide world of Paris– all those above places, now below.

He smelled the warmth and dust of horses

He smelled the smoky remnants of discarded bullet shells

He smelled the rankness of spoiled meat and the riches of spilled wine.

And oh, there was even more. It was like a soup of scents, many of which Remy would spend his pup hood searching for again, because of the way they made him feel. He did not have the word for them then, but I will tell all of you now: it was magic that Remy was smelling, magic that danced on the tip of his quivering and curious nose. Magic, and hope, and dreams, from a city that looked out their windows into the Great Wet, waiting for the sun.

Perhaps if it had not been raining, Remy wouldn’t have been different. Perhaps he would have suckled his mother’s milk and grown up a regular rat like his brothers and sisters. There would be no story. There would be no miracles. And there would be no heartbreak.

But it was raining on the day that Remy was born. And so Remy sniffed, and he dreamed, and magic nestled itself inside his heart. He was a rat enchanted, and this is his story.

Chapter Two: The Below

Remy quickly realized that he was different.

It wasn’t hard to figure out. While his fellow pups ate regularly on schedule, Remy missed feedings because he was too busy sniffing out things he really should not be sniffing out, considering his size and his age. He was blind, just like his siblings, and hairless, just like his siblings, but still he could not help but crawl around and treat his whiskers and nose to all kinds of wonderful sensations.

At first, his mother chastised this behavior, because her heart was filled with love and worry for all her pups, and she couldn’t bear the thought of this strange baby of hers getting lost or not eating enough. But she also quickly realized that Remy was different, since he could describe to her the entire layout of the basement without even opening up his eyes. He was strange, but smart.

“Oh, but you really need to eat more,” his mother urged him. “Eating is the most important thing in life.”

This was Remy’s first lesson. And it must be said that it was one he took to heart, no matter how different he became.

Still, he grew to be slim and long, a bit smaller than average for his age, which also set him apart. And every day, there would be something new and bizarre that Remy would do.

One day, Remy asked if they ought to all give themselves names. The colony did not know what he meant by that! A name? How unnecessary, the rats chattered among themselves, when they had scents which distinguished one rat from another. Scents were better than names, because a scent could not only mark a rat, but let their fellow rats know where that rat had been and what they had eaten and if they were in heat or not. It was all useful information.

The next day, Remy asked if they all could smell the music. Someone was playing a guitar upstairs, each note as crisp as the first bite into a carrot. Ah, Remy wanted to listen forever! It was a banquet to his senses! But all the rats chattered at him that they couldn’t smell anything, certainly not carrots. There were no carrots discovered in the heap of trash behind the house either, so Remy must have his scents confused.

And then the third day, Remy asked if anyone would like to come upstairs with him, to sit at the foot of the wonderful music, and feast on the sounds.

At this point, the king of the colony, who was Remy’s father, scuttled forward and bit Remy’s ear.

“Ow!” Remy exclaimed.

“Let those ears of yours work properly or shall I bite your nose too?” exclaimed his father. “We never go upstairs, unless the big-feet leave the house! And when we do, I decide who stays and who goes. Were you not paying attention to the lessons?”

“Lessons?” Remy had not been paying attention to the lessons. He had been paying attention to the music, which smelled quite like celery, carrot, and potato this time.

“Bah, you ridiculous runt,” said the king. “Pay attention. Or one day, I will have to ask you to leave the colony.”

Remy nodded, running one of his delicate paws over his trembling whiskers. Well, Remy did not want to leave the colony. Perhaps he was very different from his siblings, his aunts, his uncles, and his cousins, but he loved them anyway. They were his family, and their scents were still his favourites, even more so than the music. They were the scents of home.

Since that day, Remy attempted to curb his strange questions and strange behaviors. He was a smart rat, after all. Smart rats (and this goes for people too) have a gift for tricking others into believing that they fit in. In fact, Remy put his smarts to good use and quickly became one of the best foragers in the colony, and so the king sent Remy out of the basement into the above world.

Chapter Three: The Above

The day Remy poked his head into the above world, the world welcomed him with light, sound, and scent.

Oh! It was even better than the guitar! Remy’s senses came alive. He could taste the sunshine on his tongue– as sweet and hot as melted sugar. The breeze tingled like pepper in the nose. Remy scampered out with abandon, forgetting the lessons he had dutifully practiced until this point.

“Hey! Come back here! Come back!” shouted Remy’s brother.

Remy skidded to a stop, his fur sticking right up. “Right!” Remy turned right around and scampered back, twitching his whiskers apologetically to the mischief that he was leading. He couldn’t forget them. As the lead forager, his duty must be to his siblings.

But from here, Remy could smell into the faraway places. He stood on his hindlegs to sniff, sniff, sniff, catching not only the rich smells of fresh food, but the traces of the lively, bustling city. Big-feet! That’s what he smelled. They smelled amazing to him, as distinct from one another as one rat to the next. He could not resist learning more about them, and so he beckoned his siblings forward. Instead of exploring the trash heaps along the streets, they headed deeper into the city.

The troop zigged, zagged, and skidded. They scuttled, dipped, and raced as gracefully as– well, as gracefully as rats. I know that rats are probably not what you think of when you picture a graceful animal, but they really are nimble creatures worthy of the compliment.

It did not take them long at all to arrive in a trading market. The air was kicked up with dust, warmed by the sun, and full of human sweat. It was also full of fresh vegetables, ripe fruit, raw cuts of meat, fresh fish from the river, baked bread, and bowls and bowls of spices and herbs.

It was the best-smelling place in the world. For once, Remy and his siblings all agreed.

His siblings began to plot. What foods should they go for first? How would they avoid the big-feet? Ah, perhaps there were some trash heaps in the immediate area that they could scout for. Yes, a good idea! What did their brother, the lead forager and most clever among them, think?

But Remy wasn’t listening.

Remy had his paws grasped together, his entire body trembling at the scents. It was not just the food, the food, the food! It was the big-feet. He quivered as he drank in, for the first time, the smells of human emotion. There, a man arguing with another– their emotions stung his nose. And over there, two men were laughing with each other. Their laughter was milk-and-honey, and filled Remy’s stomach to bursting. And in the middle of the market, a man presented his pregnant dam with a flower, and the dam laughed and kissed the man on the mouth. To Remy, this kiss was the most delicious emotion of all. It tasted like a sunshower– like rain and like light– and he wanted to wrap himself in it, and die a happy rat.

It was too much for such a small, young, strange rat. And so Remy put his paws over his eyes and began to weep.

“What!” squeaked Remy’s sister. “What dreadful noise are you making?”

“Did I step on his tail?” asked Remy’s brother.

“Was he bitten by a mosquito? Is he dying?” asked Remy’s brother (another one).

“By the king’s whisker, he’s leaking!” said one of Remy’s cousins, jumping back.

Remy could not answer his family, even though he wanted to. He could not explain where the tears came from, or how he, a rat, could cry them. It was yet another unexplainable thing about this unexplainable rat, and it struck him right then what a miserable fate it was to be unexplainable. In fact the more he cried, the more his own loneliness bloomed, tasting as bitter as coriander. It hurt his teeth. It hurt his heart.

“I think we should leave him here, in case it's contagious,” said Remy’s sister, who was the beta for the troop and also one of the smarter ones. To her credit, she said it sadly. Remy could taste his sister’s regret. It was also as bitter as coriander.

So Remy nodded to his sister, to let her know that he understood and did not take it to heart. (But he did take it to heart. He took it to heart very much.)

One by one, his family turned away from him, until Remy was alone.

But he was not really alone, was he?

No. Remy looked up from his paws and he looked through his tears to the market, where all the humans moved in front of him, talking and yelling and laughing. It remained the best-smelling thing in the whole world. And right there, Remy’s wish was born. Oh, he thought to himself, how I wished I could belong among them.

[martsonmars]

WHO OR WHAT IS JEREMY?

A list by the Carry On Discord Server.

the fox guy from AWTWB (no, he was Jeremey)

a random guy name to let Baz know Simon's into dudes, because he thought it would be too obvious to get a tattoo that says “I’m queer just FYI”

Simon's ex boyfriend

Baz's ex boyfriend

Simon's pet goat

the monkey tattoo

a homage to @stardustasincocaine's husband

Baz's name in this AU because Tyrannus Basilton was too weird

Lamb's fake identity (and it's actually Lamb on the cover, not Simon)

Lamb's actual first name

one of the NowNext vampires

Simon's beloved childhood pet

a fuck you to someone Simon hates whose name is Jeremy

a goat who frequently fucks shit up and causes Problems™️ and Simon flips it off regularly and misses it dearly

the person on the cover, and he tattooed his name on his finger so he doesn't forget it

Simon’s people eating plant

the password Simon always uses, named after the IT guy who always yelled at Simon about not having secure enough passwords

Simon's beloved childhood plushie

just a name Simon likes

Simon's bro, who is a fledgling tattoo artist and Simon let him just do whatever

Shepard's middle name

Shepard's first name but he lost it to a fairy and had to change it

a stray dog Simon took care of while in care homes

Baz's pet rat, Mordelia named it

Baz's dog (the one he killed)

the name he (Baz? Simon? Unclear) gave to the bird outside his window who woke him up at ass o'clock every morning

Simon's middle name, the Mage chose it

a celebrity crush

Simon's fake name he used to get tattoos when he was younger than he should

Simon and Baz's kid

a mnemonic device

the container of mystery leftovers from freshman year that has gained sentience in the back of the fridge

it's actually “Je Remy” because Simon loves Ratatouille

Jeremy Baines from Doctor Who

a reminder of when Simon got burned by the Jeremy Renner app

Tyrannus or Basilton was too long to tattoo so Simon's like I dunno... Jeremy

the fake name Baz gave Simon because they have rival flower businesses and he didn’t want Simon to know his true identity, a la Chaz; supported by the fact that Jaz is a variant of Jeremy

“Choose a name similar to yours.”

Baz: “I'm, uh, Jaz Bitch.”

Simon gets the tattoo and goes to Baz and Baz is like, “Who the fuck is Jeremy?”

“You.”

“Actually, it's short for Jerusalem,” because Baz's family absolutely would name a kid Jerusalem.

the head of the latest cult Simon has joined; every tattoo is in remembrance of a cult he escaped: he keeps saying “they remind me that I won't do THAT again” but...

the Mage's real name: he never told his real name to anyone so they just started calling him David

Niall's real name

Dev's middle name

Niall's surname

Simon just flips a lot of people the bird so he decided to name his middle finger and then he had the name tattooed on it.

Simon: “I’d like to introduce you to Jeremy.”

Anyone else: “Who tf is Jeremy?”

Simon: 🖕

drunk Simon when he's a teen in care:

Kid: “What tattoo do you want?”

S: “... Jeremy.”

Kid: “What?”

S: “You heard me.”

Simon's step dad

Simon's baby brother

Simon's evil twin

the Humdrum

@rainbowrowell's OC

doesn't actually exist

[tomeandflickcorner]

Disney Vacation Pics- Part 5: Epcot

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Living with the Land.  Quite possibly my favorite ride in all of Disney World.  Shame the Behind the Seeds walking tour wasn’t available at the time, because I would have loved to have taken that.

Mary Poppins!

Fountains in Morocco and Italy

Small reminder of how the Festival of the Arts was going on when we were there.

Passion Fruit Mousse- one of the food offerings at the annual Festval of the Arts.  This was really good!

The Sipping Chocolate Flight- A trio of melted chocolate you could drink.  The three flavors were dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.  I did like this little treat, but I unfortunately couldn’t finish it.  It was actually too rich and sweet even for me!.  Probably should have tackled this with a friend....

Train set in Germany

Ah, the Barker Bird.  How I miss you.  Wonder what happened to you when you were removed from Pirates of the Caribbean....

Well, this is a rare sight.  Normally, that sword is concealed by a waterfall in the Norway pavilion.  You can only see it when the waterfall is turned off.

Stave Church and stone tablet.  Interestingly, my boyfriend who knows quite a bit about Norse mythology and history says the stone tablet doesn’t actually say anything, and some of the runes etched on it aren’t actual runes.

Don’t know if I’m happy that new Frozen ride holds homages to the classic Maelstrom ride, or if it just makes me depressed that Maelstrom is gone for good.

At least the friendly troll still stands firmly in the gift shop area.

The Living Seas

Cute little urchin!  They apparently put on that hat completely on their own!

Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind- Coming soon!

Ah, the moment you’ve all been waiting for....

Space 220!

Boarding the space elevator....

Going up......

We’re here!

Space Lettuce!  Space Cauliflower!

WE’RE IN SPACE!!!!!!!

Hello!

Space Drinks.  Mom had the Nebula, Dad had a Merlot, but I got the Moon Rocks.  Which came with pop rocks that you could pour over the top.  (It was really good and a lot of fun)

Time for our Lift-Offs (Appetizers).  Dad got the Neptune Tartare (basically raw tuna), Mom got the Starry Calamari.  But I got the Blue Moon Cauliflower, which was super good!  10/10 recommend!  (It almost tasted like chicken!)

We got a little boring during the entre course.  Everyone got the Filet Mignon.  It was pretty tasty.  (Even though I don’t personally like green beans)

Dessert Course.  Mom and Dad both got the chocolate cheesecake (which they thought was more of a mousse then an actual cheesecake.)  I got the Lemon Mousse.  Which is also good, but you have to REALLY like lemon.)

Leaving Epcot.  And since the Skyliner got stalled for some reason, I was able to catch some of these shots of Spaceship Earth.

<--Click for Part 4                                                          Click for Part 6-->

[tibby]

i think jughead cant read and the rabid rats wrote the novel for him

what people don’t understand about jughead is that his current film homage is in fact ratatouille

[movielicious]

What makes Coco so auténtico?

The authentic voice-acting is one reason why this movie is so great. They know how to get talents without getting big Hollywood stars. Ok, there are 2 people in it that are considered famous Benjamin Bratt (voices Ernesto de la Cruz) & Gael García Bernal (voices Héctor), but still most of the cast is rather unknown.

~20% in Spanish  because it would be foolish if this weren’t the case.

You can see and feel that Pixar did a lot of in depth research to present the Mexican culture as accurately is possible.

Pixar wants to tell good stories (which they are very capable of) – it doesn’t matter to them if everyone can identify with the story (throwback to Ratatouille #favouritechildhoodmovie). They will tell it anyway.

 To make my points even clearer let’s compare Coco to Moana (Disney):

Moana aims to explore the Polynesian culture, sadly the story isn’t really bound to this culture or even the island it takes place on. It’s the classic heroine-story that could take place anywhere.  After watching Moana, you don’t feel like you’ve learned anything about the Polynesian culture. There is no deep-dive into traditions, the day to day life, beliefs of the culture, traditional food or Polynesian songs (I mean of course the classic Disney songs are great, but have nothing to do with the Polynesian culture). I mean I still love Moana (awesome movie), but it’s just not as a deep exploration of a underrepresented culture as Coco is.

Coco’s story on the other hand is deeply bound with the culture. It takes place in a small Mexican village on the Días de los Muertos. What makes Coco even more authentic is the voice-cast, traditional Mexican food, the traditions on the Day of the Dead (e.g. Marigold flowers, Alebrijes &  emphasises the importance of the ofrenda – to honour deceased family members), features the Xolo (National-Dog of Mexico) named Danté as Miguel’s loyal companion and includes a joke that only Spanish-speaking people will understand. Furthermore Coco also pays homage to the iconic Frida Kahlo (alongside her famous pet monkey) who makes an appearance in the Land of the Dead. Of course Pixar took some creative liberties in the Land of the Dead, but after watching Coco you feel like you’ve just watched a really rich movie and actually learned something about the Mexican culture. 

Well done Pixar for creating this masterpiece.

4/4 ASt.

[parksaversnews]

Pixar & Marvel Day at Sea | Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line offers two special themed events called Pixar Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea on select Caribbean cruise itineraries. These immersive days at sea allow families to step into the magical worlds of Disney and Pixar animation or Marvel superheroes through character meet and greets, shows, parties, dining, and activities. Pixar Day at Sea happens aboard the Disney Fantasy ship during 7-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida in early 2024. Marvel Day at Sea takes place on 5-night western Caribbean cruises aboard the Disney Dream ship, also from Port Canaveral. Both events pack non-stop entertainment and fun into one action-packed day at sea.

Pixar Day at Sea

Pixar Day at Sea is an exciting-themed event that takes place on select 7-night Disney Fantasy cruises sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida. During this special day, guests are immersed in the wonderful and whimsical worlds of Pixar Animation Studios' beloved films. Character Meet and Greets One of the highlights of Pixar Day at Sea is getting to meet some fan-favorite Pixar characters, including: - Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and Bo Peep from the Toy Story films - Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (and Boo!) from Monsters, Inc. - Joy, Sadness and Bing Bong from Inside Out - Remy from Ratatouille - Dug and Russell from Up - Miguel from Coco - Edna Mode from The Incredibles Characters make appearances throughout the day at scheduled meet and greet sessions as well as impromptu pop-up sessions around the ship. Meeting the characters is a magical, memorable experience for guests of all ages. Entertainment and Activities In addition to character encounters, Pixar Day at Sea features a jam-packed schedule of special entertainment and activities for the whole family to enjoy: Hey Howdy Breakfast with Woody and Friends The fun starts early at this interactive breakfast experience hosted by everyone's favorite cowboy Woody along with pals Jessie and Bullseye. In addition to enjoying a tasty breakfast, guests are treated to live musical entertainment and fun sing-along moments. Reservations are required for this popular event. Pixar Playtime Pool Party What's better than a pool party with some of your favorite Pixar pals? The afternoon deck party features games, dancing, music and fun for all ages with characters from films like Toy Story, The Incredibles, and more. Pixar Pals Dance Party Get ready for an awesome deck party bash as Pixar characters arrive for a family dance party extravaganza. Let loose and dance alongside Buzz, Woody, Sulley and others! The Incredibles: Celebrate the Supers Show Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and Frozone need YOUR help to track down the mischievous Jack-Jack. This interactive deck show culminates in a dazzling fireworks' finale. Pixar Pop Quiz Game Show How well do you know your Pixar films? Test your knowledge against other guests in this lively game show hosted by the one and only Edna Mode. Prizes await the winners! Pixar Animation Classes Learn how to draw some of your favorite Pixar characters during special animation classes. A professional Disney animator teaches you how to sketch characters like Nemo, Dory and Lightning McQueen. Pixar Movie Marathon What better way to celebrate the magic of Pixar than by watching some of their most beloved films? Enjoy screenings of movies like Coco, Toy Story and more. Dining Pixar Day at Sea also brings some tasty new dining offerings themed to different Pixar films. Hey Howdy Breakfast As mentioned earlier, the western-themed breakfast experience hosted by Woody, Jessie and Bullseye serves up all your morning favorites along with live entertainment. California-Inspired Dinner The dinner menu pays homage to Pixar's headquarters in California with dishes like seared grouper, cobb salad, and other West Coast-influenced cuisine. Save room for the Pixar Ball dessert! Remy's Ratatouille Bake Shop Stop by the family-style lounge to pick up themed sweet treats like Remy's cookie sandwich, Inside Out sugar cookies, Mater's chocolate cake, and more. With so many fun events packed into one day, Pixar Day at Sea is sure to delight guests of all ages who have a love for Disney and Pixar films. It's the perfect addition to an already magical Disney cruise vacation.

Marvel Day at Sea

For comic book and superhero fans, Marvel Day at Sea transports guests into the action-packed Marvel Cinematic Universe. The day-long event takes place on select 5-night Disney Dream cruises sailing from Port Canaveral. Marvel Character Meet and Greets Of course, one of the biggest highlights is coming face to face with some legendary Marvel Super Heroes and villains, including: - Spiderman - Captain America - Thor - Loki - Black Widow - Doctor Strange - Black Panther - Captain Marvel - Ant-Man - The Wasp - Groot - and more! In addition to scheduled character greetings, heroes and villains may also make surprise appearances around the ship throughout the day. Keep your eyes peeled! Entertainment and Activities Marvel Day at Sea is packed with high-energy entertainment and activities for guests to take part in: Marvel Heroes Unite Iron Man kicks off this deck party extravaganza as Marvel Super Heroes arrive, inspiring guests to unleash their inner heroes! Strange Academy Spellbinding Spectacular Doctor Strange hosts a mesmerizing show featuring Masters of the Mystic Arts who need help finding missing relics that have been scattered across realms. Marvel Universe Game Show Test your Marvel knowledge in this interactive trivia game show where guests can win prizes. Avengers: Deck Party Assembly The Avengers assemble guests for a final deck party featuring Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye in an epic dance celebration. Marvel Film Screenings Catch up on the latest Marvel films or re-watch your favorites on the big screen throughout the day. Recent releases like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are screened in the Buena Vista Theatre. Marvel Arts and Crafts Kids can make their own Marvel hero mask or cosmic cube at themed arts and crafts sessions. Dining Special themed dining options include: Marvel Day at Sea Dinner Menu The rotational dining rooms like Animator's Palate, Enchanted Garden and Royal Court offer dishes inspired by Marvel Comics and films, like the Infinity Gauntlet dessert. Marvel Day at Sea Buffets Marvel-themed buffets at Cabanas feature dishes named after fan-favorite characters like Loki Laufeyson's Asgardian Salad, the Captain Marvel Cosmic Crunch Chicken Wrap, and more. 

Conclusion

With incredible character interactions, parties, entertainment, dining, and activities for all ages, Pixar Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea add an extra dash of Disney magic to already spectacular Caribbean Disney Cruise Line vacations. These themed events allow families and kids to immerse themselves into beloved Disney, Pixar and Marvel stories. Pixar Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea promise unforgettable, magical memories during a special day at sea that young and old will cherish. Read the full article

[vikkicomics]

Having dinner on HMS Terror, Commander James Fitzjames is bragging about being shot by the Chinese during the Opium Wars. The younger officers are entertained but the older captains are very bored because they've heard the story at least fifty times already. This is inspired by the officer's dinner scene in episode 1 of AMC's The Terror. As I was composing I was wondering how many officers I should put on here and how flat to make the image. At one point the composition nearly went in the direction of the last supper. I have a 'Terror last supper' planned for the future now. But the center of attention in this is Fitzjames so I had to keep him in the middle. I found balance with six characters: Crozier and Franklin sat on the left and Little and Irving sat on the left. Jopson is stood up behind/between Little and Irving, and this balances out the composition because the men on the right are closer to the viewer and there for bigger. I considered putting Hodgson next to Irving but that would have made the composition uneven. There is extra food on the table to emphasize how comfortable everyone feels and their confidence in the adventure ahead. The series uses food as a story telling device so I will be drawing scenes that feature food in my fan art too. The Terror almost uses food the same way as films like Ratatouille and the ones by Hayao Miasaki. The actions in the scene are condensed. I watched it over an over to get it right. While Fitzjames is saying 'I was pierced by a single musket ball, the size of a cherry!' and doing this gesture, Jopson is pouring Irving a drink on the opposite side of the table, but I budged them up to be placed next to Lt Little instead. Little is saying 'Like the shot that killed lord nelson.' here but he doesn't actually say that till Fitzjames has gotten further into the story, but I liked the expressions and wanted to put them all together in the same shot. Irving is enjoying his meal the most. Jopson seems to just really like serving people and Irving is the only one that accepts a top up in this scene. As I analysed this I noticed some weird things about the scene that may have been mistakes like how come everyone is drinking larger (In the previous scene Jopson said he was giving everyone Allsopps, which is a kind of lager), from what look like wine or whiskey glasses? And how come they don't have mats or cloths to keep that well varnished table neat? Do they just do everything backwards in the Navy? This doesn't look at all like lager in the series or here, looks like something stronger. Also considering the glass decanter Jopson is keeping it in. Lager would come from barrels in the store room, not a crystal decanter. Possibly Jopson is just offering everyone a shot of something stronger as the meal comes to an end. Also, I'm just going to point out episode 1's dinner scene pays homage to the dinner scene in Alien, hello Riddle Scott, you sweet, kind man.  

[sussex-nature-lover]

Sunday 8th August 2021

Touching Base

The 8th of the 8th, that was our ‘son’s’ birthdate. Our son being Charlie, the first pet that Crow and I had together. A gorgeous looking liver and white English Springer Spaniel, who was an absolute mad cap until he turned two and calmed down. Very intelligent and obedient when he decided he would be and very loving. He was a huge character and a massive joy in our lives - just like our actual, human children are.

It hurt so much when we lost him that we never had another dog.

our son in Mexican mode

The girls had rabbits when they were young and there was the famous occasion when Ms NW tY smuggled mice into the house despite knowing my total aversion to them. Dennis ended up with us for a long, long time, and a succession of various foster cats along the way...despite not being ‘cat people’ AT ALL, but from here-on-in, we really don’t want to be responsible for a bonefide full time pet, so we stick to the outdoor wildlife and put our energies into them. Speaking of them, latest news is that I saw a Wood Pigeon fly in to the Wisteria a couple of days ago, so I must go and check and yesterday we discovered that Pritchard likes radishes. Crow’s just told me that he’s also had some left over ratatouille. So there you go. If we ever opened a bistro (we won’t) I think we’d call it Pritchard’s!

The Lord High Admiral, Sir Dennis Horatio Amazing Wonder Cat of Bradshaw following his ‘drive-by knighting’ when HM Queen was enroute to a visit to Newhaven Port, 31 October 2013 - which by sheer coincidence happened to be his allocated birthday. How fortuitous! **no pictures please**

At this juncture I have to clarify that the above visit was factual, however, our home is not actually enroute. The story I have told is accurate as I recall from the information given to me by Crow, who may (possibly) be prone to occasional flights of fantasy - not least the Bradshaw part of his nibs’ title, which is in homage to the Bradshaw Railway Guides. A modern copy of this book has pride of place on our bookcase in memorium - not to George Bradshaw obviously, but to our own Head of Transport and (Non) Communications. Miss him too.

As per usual I have digressed, so speaking of Ms NW tY, as I was, we saw her on Friday - twice in two weeks hey?  She commented that we’re being enveloped in greenery and so I had to explain about the Pigeon nest and about not disturbing the hedges and trees and shrubs that need hacking back until we’re sure nesting is over.

As I write (from upstairs) a new juvenile Robin has just flown on to the roof. I know it’s new because the ones I’ve seen around the last few days all have the start of their red breasts and this one doesn’t at all. 

I got a few photos of birds in the rain. This Robin was enjoying seed from the dish of the bullrush fat ball feeder. Because we’ve had it wrecked so many times by either Starlings, Jackdaws or the Squirrels, every now and then we take it away and just leave a bit of seed on top. The Robins find it easier to perch on there.

We’ve got some more fledglings

We’d been watching babies being fed and wandering around the decking looking a bit lost. I’d assumed they were Sparrows, but looking at these, are they Dunnocks I wonder? That would be nice and we do have a healthy population of adults here.

UPDATE: My Nature Guru confirms that they are House Sparrows. So I’m no wiser about what the Dunnocks have been up to (or not)

The chirping from the side nest box is getting stronger and stronger. We can hear the nestlings through double glazed windows and over the noise of the TV. I have no idea how long they’ve been so vocal and when they may fledge.

I’ve got to admit I’ve really lost track of time. Friday was a complete haze and there was a reason for Ms NW’s presence. Everything was going ok and then Crow had another medical episode and we had to call an ambulance again. I’ve had more men in my bedroom this past 17 weeks than the rest of my life added together! Better news in that he was discharged after another raft of tests, but he’s still awaiting a face to face consultation from the first problem back in March. Apparently he’s a mystery as his MRI didn’t offer any answers. A medical mystery and not for the first time either. Family and neighbours rallied around and we’re both really grateful for all their love and support.

I’m going to be wrapping him in bubble wrap for the foreseeable.

Wet! Wet! Wet! The weather has been pretty appalling. Pritchard finds shelter under the Hazel.

I’m keeping my eyes peeled for this little one above. I’ve not seen growths like that in such a position before. Early stage Avian Pox?

The Olympics Tokyo ends today. This is the medal table this morning, whatever few results are still due in, the top ten aren’t going to be affected apparently. If they are, I can update the graphic.

There you are, a bit of a mixed bag, but you can see why I’m otherwise engaged lately. Forgive any errors, I’m not much in the mood for proof reading and if I were to read back, I’d be deleting half of this at least. That would be a shame as if nothing else, it serves as a good diary for me, because time’s running away with me and I’ll never have a fair picture of what’s happened this past 18 months if I don’t have something tangible to look back on.

Signing off now to head for the kitchen and more gloomy news about rain and no cricket. Take care.

[sincerelyreidburke]

Where/how did you come up with all the cricket tags?? Theyre all brilliant XD Thank :)

Hahaha, thank you for asking, anon!!! In order of when they first popped up:

#nandoooooooo: If you can believe it, this one actually dates all the way back to the very first appearance of Nando on my blog, or that ficlet I wrote in April that became this fic. The amount of O’s was arbitrary; I was just really excited to introduce Nando.

#rat boy: Because Remy Ratatouille Tremblay is the rat boy. If I could go back and change it, I think I’d make his tag ‘ducky’, but rat boy works just as well.

#rhode island headass: Relatively self-explanatory.

#mini quinny: This is one of Ben’s favorite nicknames for Quinn, among the many.

#actually he’s cole: An homage to Cole’s very first introduction, found in this fic, in which he momentarily forgets his own name.

#the insanely cool reid burke: A small disclaimer... I have never actually seen the entirety of Dear Evan Hansen (a surprise, to be sure, given how much I talk about my fictional casting of the show on this blog)— but Reid’s tag is a reference. His name in the tag is in place of his character’s name from the show.

#sunshine k: Given that Kyra is one of Quinn’s very best friends in the world once he meets her, it’s kind of sad that she only has one post on my blog. When I diverge and start writing super tangential stuff, I’ll post more about Kyra. She’s ‘sunshine k’ in a Brady Bunch reference because it rhymes with sunshine day.

#queen gina: Pretty much all of the posts on that tag are out of date based on further developments in Rhodey’s far-future life that have popped up since then, but Gina’s tag is sort of just because somebody called her Queen Gina one time and it stuck.

#fuck spencer’s rights!: I think we all know why Spencer’s tag is what it is.