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victorluvsalice · 1 year ago

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Another Game To Add To The List

So -- you guys all know that I like video games. I mean, I post on a pretty regular basis about the antics my Sims in my latest Sims 4 save file are getting up to. And you all know that I love to put my favorite characters in my favorite video games if I'm able to -- or even if I'm not. My current Sim family is my Valicer OT3; my Fallout 4 protagonist is Victor Van Dort (or as close as I can get with FO4's character creator and artstyle), and my Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines Malkavian Fledgling is Alice Liddell (I may not be able to actually reflect that with her appearance in the game, but I can sure as hell write about her adventures doing all the quests!) I have a vested interest in this sort of thing.

So -- when my friend @gaydragonwizards got me into Baldur's Gate 3, leading me to purchase the game for my birthday using the Steam gift cards my parents had gotten me, I immediately thought, "Okay, so -- Alice has VTMB, and Victor has FO4...but a certain newbie roller coaster OC does not have a game yet. And this one DOES allow you to do a custom character..." Which led to me deciding that Smiler was going to be my "Tav" in BG3! I haven't gotten very far in the game yet (I had to do an early restart to add in a mod patch that the creator was VERY SURE shouldn't be put in an existing playthrough because it fucks with XP and leveling a bit, and then recent hotfixes possibly breaking quest items made me too nervous to play for a bit), but I have gotten my Smiler set up, made it past the Nautiloid segment, and have started exploring the wilderness around the ravaged beach! Here's some shots of Smiler in the game:

Smiler's look from the character creation/level up screen! They're a half-elf with Body #2 and Head #5 because that was the combo that actually looked the most like my Smiler Sim -- have a comparison shot:

It's not a PERFECT match, but nothing was going to be -- it's pretty close, though! The hairstyle is of particular note because that is in fact one of the very first mods I picked up for this game: Alt Lae’zel Hair For Tav! None of the in-game hairstyles had the right sort of "bangs" that my Sim!Smiler sports, so I was REALLY happy to spot this on Nexus Mods to give my Tav!Smiler the right look, at least from the front. :) (And, hilariously, the mod was in fact uploaded ON MY BIRTHDAY, so I'm counting it as an inadvertent birthday present.)

Smiler's arrival on the Ravaged Beach, having just woken up from their little fall out of the Nautiloid! As you can probably guess by the outfit, I started them out as a Bard. That was the class that seemed to make the most sense for them, both from a "the roller coaster in Alton Towers is often associated with upbeat music and dancing, especially after the original Festival of Thrills and The Smiler Takeover, and bards DO get access to a good number of mind control spells" and from a "my personal take on Smiler is that they are super charismatic and want to make as many people happy as possible, and the Bard's high Charisma start combined with the Entertainer background suits that perfectly." XD However, they're not JUST a Bard these days -- thanks to the further power of mods, upon their first level-up, they became a Bard/Artificer! :D I picked that class because it has a whole sub-class dedicated to Alchemy, and one of my headcanons for my Smiler is that chemistry/alchemy (depending on the universe) is their thing. Plus it just looks like a super-cool class and mod. (And yes, I do have 5e Spells and Unlock Level Curve to enhance things further, with the appropriate patches (including ULC's patch to smooth out the weird XP valley while leveling up -- learning about THAT was what prompted me to restart so I could install it). Oh, and the exclamation mark is from Camp Event Notifications -- it's telling me that Smiler should Long Rest soon to get one of the special camp events.)

Smiler hanging out in the Wilderness camp! I came here for the first time after picking up Shadowheart, Astarion, and Gale, and was amazed at just how PRETTY the camp is. I mean, look at that waterfall over by the ruin that houses the Magic Mirror! :D Seriously, this game is gorgeous -- I've spent a decent amount of time just wandering around with the camera, admiring the scenery. XD Anyway, as you can see, Smiler picked up some new clothes -- the main outfit is some basic leather armor, dyed with the dye available in the Traveler's chest (I first dyed their starting jerkin, but hated the resultant color scheme -- I'm not wild about the red arms on this set, but at least the yellow pants and black chestpiece feel right!), while the cape and their new lute are from the Digital Deluxe content -- the "Cape Of The Red Prince" and the "Lute of the Merryweather Bard." (Hey, I got this for my birthday, I wasn't not going to get the Digital Deluxe content!) I had them give the lute a little try in-camp -- the upbeat Bard song DEFINITELY suits them. XD

And finally, Smiler with their current companions, ready to head to the nearby chapel on the beach -- Shadowheart (in some new, slightly better Sturdy Armor), Gale (in his robe and wizard hat), and Astarion (sporting more DD content, the "Bicorne of the Sea Beast" and the "Needle of the Outlaw Rogue" (the dagger on his hip)). They are indeed a motley group. XD Hopefully Smiler's 17 Charisma will allow them to talk their way out of most binds!

Now, you may be thinking at this point, "Well, this is going to spark another AU, isn't it?" And you would be -- partially correct. Allow me to explain by excerpting part of my and Squid's conversation while they were recommending mods to me and I was telling them about my plans to do Tav!Smiler:

Squid: ((though -- there is one thing that has popped into my head. with playing Smiler, obviously you can't have any of your Valicer stuff going on in BG3 by default. and do you really want to give yourself ANOTHER AU by playing as them again :P )) Me: ((Oh, that's not really a worry -- the Valicer in the Dark crew already fucking claimed the game as a potential AU ))

YUP. Much like how my brain insisted that the Alice in my Fallout of Darkness stuff be a variant of my Malkavian!Alice from Londerland Bloodlines, thanks to me getting into BG3 at the same time as my obsession with Valicer In The Dark ramped up, the AU in my head is now the VITD trio going through the game. And while it's only a partially-formed pile of shitposts as of yet, that idea PROBABLY deserves its own post...

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #smiler alton #video games #yeah I was checking various heads just to see if I could get one that just roughly matched Smiler's basic head shape #and was pleasantly surprised to see this one actually had a decent match for the rest of the features too #so yes half-elf Smiler for this world #half high elf to be specific #with the Mind Sliver cantrip thanks to 5e Spells #it's psychic damage which felt right for them #still figuring out EXACTLY how I want to play them but I figure spells focusing on psychic effects #and making people more friendly should be prioritized #stuff like the Friends cantrip and Charm Person and the like #and we'll see how the alchemy funtimes go once I get to it :D #gotta level up a bit more first!#and yes my INTENTION for this whole mess was 'don't take it too seriously Vic'#'we're just gonna play this one for fun and not worry about writing an AU for the local Smiler'#VITD Crew: 'Oh so it's free real estate'#*facepalm* why is my brain like this seriously...#queued

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exterminatusiguess · 2 years ago

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A draft made by me and a good freind

Dagon slowly climbed the spiral staircase of Pyke's tower, periodically gazing out through the windows and watching as the waves crashed onto shore, and allowed the wind to carry the seas spray up and into the castle. It had been the first day back from the great Reaving. It had been a great and glorious adventure, full of plunder and the thrilling bloodshed which turned boys into men and kept the Iron Islands strong. A youth of 16, in the Greenlands Dagon would be considered to have just come of age. But these were the Iron Isles, and Dagon had already spent half his life out at sea, rowing, Reaving, raiding, and paying the iron price.

Boys became men quick in the Iron Isles, and Dagon was no exception. He held the demeanor of a man twice his years, and possessed three times the strength of any other of his age. But no matter who you are or where you come from, some things can sap the resolve of any human being. And it was one of those very situations which caused Dagon to feel as if his stomach was full of lead as he climbed the tower.

This Reaving had been the first time Dagon had truly commanded a fleet, and though by all means he had commanded valiantly and brought glory to his house and his own growing reputation, the reason for his command managed to turn any pride or joy Dagon might have felt to ash.

His father was sick. Dying they said. Oh at first it had seemed like nothing. He took less food at the feast, his body ached and pained more than a man of 40 and 4 should, he became less energetic and preferred to spend his time lounging in his throne room or captain's quarters. But all of this had just been the beginning. Before long his complexion had grown pallor, at first just for moments of pain or weakness, but soon at all hours. His strength began failing him, he could no longer wield a sword or an axe, before long he could barely walk. Confined to his bedroom at all hours it seemed he wouldn't even survive the month. In desperation a Maester had been sent for from the Citadel. This was truly a last ditch ever. Maesters were rarely welcome in the Iron Isles, they were viewed with suspicion and mistrust. If they were brought in chains as thralls, there was no taboo there. For a thralls throat could be cut at the slightest sign of treachery with no need for justification afterwards. But to bring them over as a free man? Hired with gold? That was something nearly unheard of.

Had Alton been well enough to have any say at all he likely would have forbade it, regardless of his own fate. Even still the Maestar had been sternly warned to never bring up the subject of religion, and to never do anything but smile and nod if Alton began to speak of it. Alton had earned his reputation as the holy fool for good reason.

The Maester himself was a slight fidgety Reachman, and Dagon had soothed his own nerves by envisioning all the ways he could tear the bookish man to pieces if his father perished under his care. The treatment the Maester had suggested was an highly invasive surgery that had made the Drowned men assigned to his father's care balk and go white with horror. But with all other options met with failure, the Maestar's treatment was approved. His father had been a bloody mess after the surgery, barely surviving. The Maestar had only survived by insisting they only hang him if Alton actually did perish. For a whole week the Reachman paced back and forth in the study, wringing his hands raw, sweating, pale as a ghost, while everyone waited to see if Alton pulled through.

To the shock of all, seemingly even the Maester, Alton's health began to drastically improve once he recovered from the surgery. He wasn't cured by any means, and if the words of the Maester were to be believed, he never would be cured, but it was clear Alton was in vastly better health than before. After that the Maestar's position as Alton's chief physician was secured. And truth be told, he had earned a great amount of respect in Dagon's eyes. He was no warrior to be sure. But he had saved his father from death, using only the soundless words from his dusty old books. And perhaps that too was something to be admired. It had certainly been enough for Dagon to swear a silent oath to kill the first man who ever so much as looked at the Maestar crossly. Though that oath was something even Dagon was a little too proud to share, even if it meant the Maester took every opportunity to duck in fear away from him. Finally Dagon reached the top of the tower, waving his way past the door guards and into his father's chambers. Inside the Maester stood in the entry hall, seemingly packing up some sort of whitish substance contained in a small corked jar, which he was placing inside of a small box. Turning to the open door with a smile, only to make quiet noise of terror as he realized who had entered.

"M-my lord!" He made a quick sloppy bow before grabbing up the box into his arms, and doing his best to hurry past Dagon out the door without seeming impolite.

"Your father has just taken his afternoon medicine for pain. He will be sleepy but should be able perfectly awake and aware enough to speak with you." The man hardly got out even those words before he escaped out the door and down the staircase.

Dagon tried his best to quell the slight sting of hurt at being treated like some kind of savage beast waiting to strike, especially by one he was grateful to and respected. But he merely shook his head and walked into his father's bedchamber to deal with the greater crisis at hand. "A boy left me… A man has returned." Came his father's unsteady voice from the bed. Gods… This was better!?

Alton's face was white, almost waxy, and it seemed as if he had lost half his weight in the little time the two of them had last seen each other. Dagon couldn't help but balk for a moment, but he quickly composed himself, not wanting his own pains to weigh at all on his father's mind.

Walking over to Alton's bedside, Dagon kneeled before his father, pressing his fist into the ground and bowing his head. Father and son they were, but Dagon was a warrior and Alton was his liege, even in situations like these there was a tradition to follow. That of a young Reaver coming home.

"You have grown so much… since last I've seen you." Alton gasped out between deep wheezing breaths.

"I have done much with the lessons you taught me. I have Reaved far and wide, and brought much glory and honor to our name, and wrought much fear in the hearts of those who would oppose us." Dagon reached out and placed a few trinkets onto the bed. Small tokens of his conquests during the Reaving. An Umbari chieftain's wooden circlet, a Bravosi merchant's lucky silver coin, a dragon bone ring pulled from the cooling hand of a Tyroshi noblewoman's corpse.

"Oh my…" Alton sat up with obvious pain, though he smiled in wonder as he picked up and ran his fingers over Dagon's gifts. For a moment he sat there in childlike wonder, before looking down on Dagon with bemusement.

"Come now boy. Stand up and let me get a good look at you. We aren't in front of the court after all."

Dagon obliged and stood silently as his father gasped in the mixture of awe and heartache that only a father could have as they looked over a son who had grown up.

"You have become a greater warrior than I had ever hoped…" His father's words both filled Dagon with pride and made his heart ache with sorrow. He shuffled uncomfortably where he stood, desperate to change the conversation before he cried in front of his father. Alton was finally, mercifully, snapped out of his reverie as he chuckled mirthfully.

"Where are my senses? You have come home to me a great Reaver, a proven admiral, and I still fawn over you as if you were 6!" At this both Dagon and Alton laughed, joyfully and without care. Only stopping when Alton broke out into a hacking cough which he took a few moments to recover from.

When the merriment was over Alton beckoned his son over for a hug with a quiet: "come here my boy." And Dagon was in no position to refuse. When they broke off Dagon pulled up a chair so that he could sit at his father's bedside. Alton for his part merely set Dagon's offerings aside on the nightstand, before settling in to make himself comfortable on the bed, his smiling face growing solemn in contemplation.

Dagon took note of this change began to worry for his father's wellbeing. Being cooped up in your bedroom for months on end could drive anyone to throw themselves from a window. And Alton was just the sort to assume the Drowned God would reach out and catch him.

"Does this room vex you? Perhaps I can open a window, allow in more light?" Dagon spoke with concern in his voice. Alton merely waved him off.

"It is not the room which troubles me boy." Alton shook his head. Dagon grew quiet with grim realization.

"You should know…" Dagon began haltingly. "Maester Jaron is the best healer we could find. Truly! I mean you've seen for yourself what he's done to treat your condition- "It is not my health which troubles me either!" Alton spoke sternly but comfortingly. Relieving poor Dagon of the task of having to soothe his father's imagined worries over an incurable disease. This got Dagon's attention, and it took his father a moment to collect his words before he decided to enlighten his son.

"I have another task to ask of you." He spoke with solemn finality.

Dagon brightened up instantly.

"Is that all? Name it." Dagon stood unwavering.

"If you ask that I bring the Storm God down from his hall in the clouds I will drag him in here with his beard of lightning tied in knots. This I swear." Dagon knelt once more, like a Greenlander knight awaiting the orders of his king.

"There's no need for that now boy stand up!" Alton waved Dagon into a standing position. His father looked down at the foot of the bed for a moment while he collected his words, before turning back to Dagon.

"You have heard of the violence that has been taking place in the Greenlands?" Alton finally managed to speak, with a voice that almost sounded… guilty.

Dagon cocked his head in confusion.

"Word has not escaped me yes. They've taken to killing each other over foolish petty squabbles that could be solved in a day with a single duel. As is their way." Dagon couldn't help but reflexively sneer and turn up his nose Alton nodded his head before leaning in with a look of sincere conspiratorialism.

"The Drowned God has spoken to me Dagon."

Internally it took all of Dagon's strength not to slump over and groan. Conversations between them that began this way between them never ended well.

"What does any of this have to do with the Greenlands?" Dagon spoke, his amusement leaving him as the dread from before began to creep back.

"A new king is rising to take the Greenlands for himself. Not soft, dunderheaded cowards of before. But a true warrior, a man who takes what he wills by right of blood and conquest alone."

"A new king or a war in the Greenlands is of no concern to us, unless your warrior king means to raise our taxes." Dagon tried for a smirk but it came out more like a grimace.

"Can you not see?" Alton spoke with an almost religious zeal.

"The Greenlands are changing. Becoming a land of strength. If this new king takes the throne the Greenlands may become as the Iron Islands, a land of warriors where the people trade in iron, not gold!"

"I'm speaking with your maester. I'm having him take you off this medicine at once. It's making you delusional!" Dagon's voice rose to just below a shout.

"I AM NOT DELUSIONAL!" Alton cried. An old wound re-opened. A holy fool he may have been. But not a fool enough to not hear what people said about him behind his back.

Father and son sat in silence for a while, in contemplation and regret. Finally Alton spoke.

"I want you to go to the Greenlands my son. Help this warrior king to win his war and take his throne. At last the Greenlanders may be made our brothers, and find the strength in blood and iron that we do." Alton spoke, a command to be sure, but with an undercurrent of plea.

"You cannot be serious…" Dagon turned his back and gazed out the window into the sea. He had no issue Reaving and even dying in service of the old way. But in a Greenlander war? For Greenlander kings? That was far too much to ask. He could've refused Alton's command. He should have. No man in the Iron Islands could command another to take up sail against his will. But as Dagon turned to look at his father where he sat on his bed, and contemplated what it would do to Alton's health if they were to get into a massive argument like this. Dagon knew what had to be done…

"I'll go."

#game of thrones #asoiaf #daemon blackfyre #blackfyre rebellion

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quivvyintheclouds · 4 years ago

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Riding The Craziest Roller Coaster In England

Pairing: cc!Tommy & cc!Reader (gn) Tags: neutral/fluff, roller coasters, theme parks, reckless reader, tommy is an awesome best friend, tommy is the loudest mf ever, but so is y/n, 2nd pov Summary:

"Come on, Tommy, do it for the ladies!" You dragged Tommy towards the line for the Smiler. Regret was written all over Tommy's face as he heard the shouts of the people of the roller coaster, "I don't know Y/N, this seems like a bad idea." "Don't be a pussy! We'll be fine." "You were right, this was a bad idea. We should not have ridden this." "Well, it's too fucking late for that."

Word Count: 676 Warnings: cursing, roller coaster rides, vomit

hello! literally all of tommy's vlogs are my comfort vids so i decided i had to write a fic inspired by one of them! this was also written for @sabinanotfound's 700 celebration

Prompt: visiting an amusement park and going on all the fun rides

masterlist

inspired by:

youtube

There was a reason you and Tommy were best friends: the two of you were loud as fuck.

Screaming matches, petty arguments, and even just normal conversations- you guys were deafening. If you had a pound for every time you guys have been kicked out of somewhere, you’d be able to buy a nice dinner for the both of you.

Whatever made the universe decide to let two nauseatingly loud teenagers go to an amusement park, you couldn’t figure out.

As soon as you arrived at Alton Towers, you guys were yelling about all the rides and booths you were going to go to. The gift shop employees looked irritated by the noise but didn’t seem to care enough to tell you to lower your volume.

First, you went on a couple of roller coasters- nothing too scary.

Next, you rode the Blade- it messed up your insides but you were raring for more nonetheless.

After that Tommy tried his hand at the claw machines (and won nothing, though that wasn’t much of a surprise). You treated him to a few buckets of cotton candy to make up for his loss.

Then, you saw the Smiler. Fourteen inversions and a shit ton of blinding visuals; there was no way you weren’t getting on that ride.

"Come on, Tommy, do it for the ladies!" You dragged Tommy towards the line for the Smiler.

Regret was written all over Tommy's face as he heard the shouts of the people on the roller coaster, "I don't know Y/N, this seems like a bad idea."

"Don't be a pussy, we'll be fine!"

"You were right, this was a bad idea. We should not have ridden this." You and Tommy were seated at the very front of the cart, already locked in by the over-the-shoulder harness.

"Yeah, well,” Tommy had shut his eyes, pouting ever so slightly, “it's too fucking late for that."

The crew finished off their safety speech, slyly wishing all the passengers good luck. The ride jolted to a start, and you screamed terribly loud.

“Y/N the ride has barely even started yet, what are you screaming for?”

“You’re one to talk! You nearly pissed your pants just watching the ride from where we stood in li- FUUUUUCKKKKK.” The cart immediately dove, catching you and Tommy off-guard.

The two of you alternated among 7 different cuss words throughout the ride, shouting I’m not a pussy! The parents who were seated near you gave dirty looks, but, let's be real, when did they not?

Towards the end, you felt dizzy from all the twists and turns combined with the flashing lights. When the harnesses were lifted and you were free to leave the ride, you ran straight out and looked for the nearest garbage can. You bent over it, vomiting your guts out.

“That’s fucking disgusting, Y/N.” Tommy filmed you with a sickened expression, one hand holding his phone, the other holding your belongings.

You lifted your head, your eyes red and watery. Tommy laughed at how you looked and shoved your things back into your arms, at the same time pocketing his phone.

“I have to start thinking about the consequences to my decisions, man.” You wiped your mouth with a wet wipe, walking with Tommy to find yet another ride to go on.

“Yeah, man, you should. You’re so reckless sometimes, but honestly, it’s hilarious.” He popped some cotton candy into his mouth, holding the bucket out for you to get some. You grabbed a handful and ate it all in one go, a satisfied smile appearing on your face.

As you sat on the train home, you rested your head on Tommy’s shoulder, tired from the day’s events.

You were glad you had a best friend like Tommy; he matched your energy and never got tired of you, no matter how outgoing and spontaneous you were. He was the perfect person to go to the amusement park with.

Riding the craziest roller coaster in England with him sure was an unforgettable experience.

this was really fun to write and i sincerely hope you enjoyed this! feel free to make a req, and if you're interested in joining my taglist, don't hesitate to message/send an ask!

reblogs are very appreciated<3

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sageinacage · 4 years ago

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y'know how jumpy tommy was in the amusement park vlog,, what if after the vlog they're hanging out at wilbur's place and wilbur keeps trying to scare him, eventually finding out tommy's ticklish :0

Scaredy Cat summary: wilbur was messing with tommy all day and trying to scare him, until he figured out something interesting a/n: i'm really sorry for not writing in a while D: expect more fics coming soon! like half of my inbox got cleared so feel free to send in requests :D also im working on adding titles to all my fics LOL warnings: swearing, jokes about unsafe roller coasters w/c: 1.2k IRL, Platonic

All day, Wilbur has just been a nuisance. Starting on the way to the amusement park, Wilbur was explaining to Tommy the dangers of roller coasters. Well- trying to; over Phil’s scolding, it was hard to continue to inform Tommy without bursting into laughter.

Though, because of his fear of roller coasters and Wilbur’s “information,” Tommy was on edge all day- jumping and getting startled at the smallest things; and Wilbur was not helping at all. “Are you okay, Tom? You’re really jumpy, dude.” Phil gave him a sympathetic smile, trying not to laugh when the boy angrily groaned. “I’m not jumpy!” He grumbled out, looking forward.

Wilbur heard this and let out a chuckle, before lunging at Tommy and faking it out. The poor blonde jumped then immediately crossed his arms. “Stoppit!” He whined, furrowing his eyebrows at both Wilbur and Phil’s chortles.

“Mate, you are definitely jumpy. Calm down, it's going to be okay!”

“It would be okay if the failure rate for roller co-”

“Will!”

Tommy groaned again, shoving Wilbur. “Shut up, bitch!” He exclaimed, Wilbur playfully laughing at him and Phil letting out a few chuckles with a shake of his head. “You two, I swear.” Phil wheezed, rolling his eyes.

“It’s not my fault that I’m angry, Wilbur is being a dic- AH- Will!” Tommy shrieked and bent down trying to catch himself after the taller one decided it would be funny to lunge at Tommy again. Wilbur wheezed, patting his back. “It’s okay Toms, you’ll be a lot more scared on ‘The Smiler’ later, bud!” He sniggered, earning another eye roll from Phil.

“Stop saying that, you dickhead!” Tommy muttered, Wilbur giggling to himself. All day at the amusement park was the same, Wilbur trying to push Tommy’s buttons and Phil scolding him about it while also trying to hold back his own chuckles.

Eventually, the day was ending, and after they all rode the final coaster named ‘The Smiler,’ they decided to walk towards the exit of the park. “Will, I hope you know that I hate you. Very much, in fact.” Tommy straightened his back, glaring to the side at him. “No, you doooon’t!” Wilbur sang, squishing his little brother into a side hug which earned a dramatic grumble from him.

“I swear I cannot take you guys anywhere.” Phil joked, smiling at them. “Yeah Tommy, we can’t take you anywh-”

“Will.”

“Yeah Will- STOP!” Tommy didn’t have time to sass him before being jumpscared, pouting as he climbed into the car to be temporarily safe from Wilbur jumping at him.

The car ride home was surprisingly quiet. It was a comfortable silence, though; as they were all a bit tired from spending all day at Alton Towers. As they got closer to Wilbur’s place, that’s when the chaos started up again.

“Hey Tommy, did you know that cars are even more dangerous than roller coasters?” He smirked as he kept his eyes on the road, laughing as he heard Tommy’s loud whine, leaning back in his seat with crossed arms. “You’re dead to me.” He muttered under his breath, Phil picking up on what he said with a chortle.

When they got back to Wilbur’s place, Tommy was the first to run in and lay on the couch, finally not in a vehicle of some sort. The other two came in after him, snickering at the sight of Tommy sprawled out on the couch.

Wilbur grinned, tip-toeing up to the couch and reaching over to squeeze his side. Instead of the surprised shriek he expected, he was met with unexpected cackles. “What? Is being scared all of a sudden funny?” He asked with an amused look, putting his hands on his hips. “It’s not fuhunny!” Tommy complained, rubbing his side to get rid of the sudden after-tingles.

“Then why are you laughing- ohhh…I see...” Wilbur smiled at his realization. His little brother was a little ticklish, supposedly. “I don’t like that tone, Will. I don’t like it at ahAHAHALL- Nohoho!” Tommy burst into loud laughter at the hands that were attached to his lower ribs, squeezing gently. “Ah, so you are ticklish! I was wondering for a while!” Wilbur exclaimed innocently, smiling fondly at the boy.

“Sh- shuhut up! Phihil hehelp meheheheeee!” Tommy whined through his giggle fit, throwing his head back as his ‘attacker’s hands moved to his waist right above his hips. “I’m good, mate. I’m gonna go order pizza, does that sound good?” Phil asked, looking at the menu on his phone.

“Yeah! Tommy and I will share a pepperoni pizza!” Wilbur talked to Phil like he wasn’t tickling Tommy at the time, making it even worse for the blond. “Wilbuhuhur!” He complained again, weakly pushing at his hands but they didn’t budge. “Oh, sorry! Don’t worry, my full attention is on you now!” Wilbur smirked, fluttering his nails over the sides of his stomach, Tommy’s t-shirt not providing much protection.

“SHIHIHIT! YOHohou bihiHITCH!” He squealed, jerking away from the fingers which found his hips. “Hey hey hey! I wouldn’t be so mean, Toms, I think I just found a good spot!” The taller devilishly sniggered, lightly drilling his thumbs into the bundle of nerves on his hip bones. Tommy screeched, accidentally arching up more into the tickles and hitting at his hands. “WHIHIHHIY?!” Loud belly laughter poured out of him, making both Wilbur and Phil smile at the genuine laughter.

“Because I like your laugh, Tommy! Also- you kinda deserve it after calling me a bitch all day…” He tried to sound upset from it, but couldn’t hold back his chuckles from Tommy’s embarrassed high-pitched giggles. “N- NOHOHOHO!” Tommy wheezed, shaking his head as his laughter turned hiccupy at Wilbur’s fingers skittering up his ribs, scribbling in between the grooves of his upper ribs; which earned screamy laughter from the boy.

“Uh ohhhh~, bad spot, Tommy?” Wilbur teased, his fast fingers turning into just gliding his nails around his ribs which surprisingly raised Tommy’s laughter. Wilbur teasingly chuckled, tracing random shapes into his ribs before unexpectedly shooting them up to scribble into Tommy’s underarms, the hands that were previously covering his face shooting down.

Wilbur managed to pull out his hands from Tommy’s iron grip, smiling at him before scribbling them over his stomach once again.

“N’awww, there’s that smile! Tickle tickle tickle, Tommy!” That absolute bitch. Tommy could not stand any baby talk, as his pink face began to turn into a bright red. Wilbur, clearly amused by this, continued to use the same technique. “What’s wrong? Does somebody have a little ticklish tummy? Hmmm?” He cooed in that horrible baby voice, grinning at him.

“Alright you two, quit it! I need to call to order the pizza!” Phil yelled from the kitchen, Wilbur sighing but slowing his fingers. “Thahank g- gohohod!” Tommy continued to giggle just from the adrenaline of being wrecked, curling up into a ball once Wilbur got off of him.

“Don’t worry Tommy, I’ll make sure to continue after dinner!” He laughed, patting Tommy’s head and going to walk to the kitchen. Tommy smiled to himself at that, immediately covering his face after. Wilbur was evil, but was he ever going to complain about that? Probably not.

#mcyt tickle #lee!tommy #ler!wilbur #my writing #also the mcyt tk discord is in my pinned post if you'd like to join :D

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cablestwisted · 3 years ago

Note

Wait what was in the 2021 fireworks? The only lore I got from it was “the power of the towers can make time travel happen”

Thank you for this question!

The 2021 Fireworks links to the stage shows from this year, Sir Algenon's Time Travelling Starship and his other shows, which aren't on YouTube that I can find [though I'm likely using the wrong search terms].

Sir Algernon has managed to harness the Power of the Towers, since their introduction in 2019. How, we're not sure - but however he did it, he was able to create his Time-Travelling Starship. And in the 2021 Fireworks, he decides to bring the audience on a journey through time to celebrate the rich history of the resort.

Now... The Power of the Towers are nothing to be played with, they are incredibly powerful, so upon initiating the time machine during the fireworks he overshoots by 130 years, to when the Towers had finished being built.

He manages to right the course of the ship eventually and brings the audience to the 1980s, when the resort officially opened.

They proceed to the 90s - and this is where things start to get interesting.

Sir Algernon introduces it; and mentions that it's the era that introduced the magic that never ends.

Very important word choice here. If we look back at the five Powers of the Towers, they're Magic, Adventure, the Heartstone, Thrill, and Fear.

Now, as soon as he mentions magic - the lighting goes BRIGHT blue.

Spot any resemblance here?

We can say with relative certainty that this is referencing the Magic crystal.

Sir Algernon continues; saying that the 90s also saw the birth of Thrill, with two coasters that still stand tall today - Nemesis and Oblivion.

Now you may be able to put the prevalence of red lighting in this section down to the rides mentioned, as both do feature red - but honestly? Considering how blatant it is this is definitely referencing the creation of the Thrill crystal. This in turn links Nemesis and Oblivion to the Thrill crystal.

I'll leave going over individual rides in more detail in another post because there are SO MANY interesting bits in each ride segment and that honestly deserves a post to itself.

They continue on the to the early 2000s - not mentioning a crystal this time, or at least not initially - as it could be argued that Rita and Thi13teen are linked to Thrill.

Rita is another one where her lighting really does fit Thrill, though this could just be her theming. There is one specific part where it flashes red and white which is very much Thrill colours.

Thi13teen takes over afterwards, without so much as an introduction.

Now.

We start to see the colours of the Fear crystal reflect in the lighting here - bright cyan and yellow.

These colours DO NOT FIT THI13TEEN AT ALL. And it really does imply that this is when Fear started to come about. The music especially matches this.

Sir Algernon then takes everyone back to present day - and there is a segment focusing on MEMORIES.

Now if you're unfamiliar with the significance of Memories to Alton Towers, I'd like to point you in the way of the 2013 Fireworks.

I will cover this another time because there is... A LOT to unpack from that year... But I digress.

The memories segment fades out...

And we hear a familiar laugh, and see a familiar smile-like sweep of fireworks across the lake.

Smiler takes over.

There is A LOT to go over in this segment. Its Smiler's first fireworks segment since 2013 when it tried to take over the park entirely.

This segment features a LOT of yellow and cyan. Smiler is so undeniably linked to Fear - as is Wickerman after it. Fear likely came around circa 2010, then came to the forefront in 2013 when Smiler came around, and has only gotten more powerful with the addition of Wickerman.

Smiler and Wickerman actually fight for position in this it's great Smiler has the final word with a smiley face firework despite Wickerman drowning out it's music

A final word, too - there was no mention of Adventure, nor it's canon associated area/s this year, though 2019 more than made up for that - confirming that its domain is Katanga Canyon. We can also infer from Galactica not being present that Galactica is indeed connected to Adventure, and this makes sense in lore!

I have a theory because of this year's fireworks that the Heartstone was created when the Towers were, and "came to power" as it were when the resort came about in the 80s, 130 years worth of memories later.

But, that's the general gist of it! I'll have to go over this in more detail soon; but its 5am and I've been working on this for about 2 hours, I need some sleep!

Hope this helps!

[this is only part one of my 2021 Fireworks analysis there is lots more to look through]

#sir a's lockdown project was uh #harness the lifeforce of a theme park that's so powerful it can manipulate reality itself in order to create a time machine for funsies #alton towers #theme park stuff #the smiler #ministry of joy #the ministry of joy #doc stop posting at 5am challenge

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bluesfortheredj · 5 years ago

Text

A bumpy ride.

A theme park wasn’t your ideal get away but for Ben it was a dream come true, so naturally you’d agreed to the weekend away at Alton Towers, even though you’d warned him from the beginning that you’d be the one holding his belongings while he went on the roller coasters. This seemed to suit him fine and on the drive up there he was busy planning what order he would go on the rides over the two days you were staying there while you chuckled at the wheel every time he changed his mind and started a new list.

“Right, I think I’m done!” he grins from beside you as you near the pub you were to stay at.

“Just in time!”

You park up and get out of the car then Ben collects your bags from the boot while you head inside to pick up the key for room which was in a converted barn next to the main building.

“It’s number 2,” you say when you emerge again, nodding towards the conversion.

You take a bag from Ben and hand him the key then follow him over to the door as you stroll slowly behind him to look at the sprawling fields around you.

“Come on!” he encourages, “it’s freezing!”

“Look at the view though, it’s beautiful!”

“We’re not here for the view, we’re here for a weekend of sex and roller coasters,” he tuts.

“And I’m only participating in one of those activities...”

“Boo!” he pouts.

“You know I don’t do heights!”

“What about if I found like a baby roller coaster? Would you go on that?”

“One that doesn’t go more than 6ft off the ground? Ha, you can try...”

“I’m going to get you on one of them by the end of the weekend, I promise you.”

“Good luck with that,” you laugh.

You let out a huff as you lift your holdall and drop it down with a bounce on the bed before you begin to unpack and as you put your clothes in the wardrobe you can feel Ben’s eyes on the back of your head as he ponders over which ride to try and get you on.

“It’s no use,” you say as you turn to face him, “I’m not going on any of the rides!”

All he does is smirk at you in response, knowing that his determination will pay off in the end.

The next day at the park he doesn’t fail to ask if you want to join him on every single roller coaster he’s headed for and your answer is always a firm no as you take his phone back and slip it into your bag for safe keeping. Even as you stand at a safe distance from it all you can’t help but cringe every time he whizzes past you then turns upside down, and it’s almost as if you’re on it as well as your stomach drops when he plummets from the top and disappears under ground.

“Bloody hell,” you sigh to yourself as you press your hand to your forehead and walk off to find a seat to rest on.

“Did you see it?!” Ben asks excitedly when he eventually finds you, “oh my god that was such a thrill!”

“I did,” you laugh, “looked awful from where I was standing!”

He rolls his eyes at your reply but you ignore his unamused expression and wait for him to check his list to see where you were headed next, then he grabs your arm and links it through his before he marches you to the next ride with a grin.

“This one’s a little different…” he trails off, and you know exactly where he’s going with his questionable tone, “it’s very much a baby roller coaster; perfect for people who are a little bit afraid of anything too high.”

“Nope. No, no, and no.”

“Come on! I’ll be right next to you and it only goes around once! I swear it’s not as bad as you think it will be.”

“Ben...” you warn, “I told you from the beginning that I wasn’t going on one, and I meant it!”

“How about we sit over here and just watch it then?”

You reluctantly agree as he pulls you over to a bench then you watch carefully as the train of carriages races around the tracks, moving up and down gently on the small bumps before eventually coming to a stop after only what could have been a minute or so, and then you feel Ben’s eyes on your face as they try to gauge your reaction to it all.

“So…?”

“Will you promise to never ask me to go on a ride ever again?”

“Yes,” he nods fervently.

“Right, fine, come on then,” you sigh as your stomach bubbles with nerves.

“Yes! Yes! Quick, let’s get on it before you change your mind!”

You laugh at his enthusiasm as he drags you up from your seat and towards the short queue for the next turn and he clings on to your arm tightly to make sure you don’t run away from him at the last second until you’re both safely wedged in to your seats with the bar down over your stomachs ready for the off.

“Oh god,” you worry as you press yourself against Ben’s side, “I suddenly don’t feel so confident about this decision.”

“It’s alright,” Ben reassures, “you’re with me and it’ll be over before you know it.”

You nod as the carriage slowly pulls away and begins to gain speed to the first hump in the tracks and just as you brace yourself for the downward motion it suddenly comes to a stop right at the peak. Your fingers are wrapped tightly around the bar and you quickly snap your head around to look at Ben with terrified eyes, then he meets your wide gaze with a kind smile.

“It’s okay,” he says softly, “don’t worry, we’ll be moving in no time, it’s probably nothing, just stay calm.”

“Don’t worry?!” you almost screech, “how the hell can I not worry when we’re stuck up here?!”

“Just look at me, keep your eyes on mine okay? It’ll be okay,” he soothes.

“Ben, I can’t do this, I need to get off now.”

He places his hands on your upper arms gently then pulls you into his chest and rubs his hands up and down your back to try and comfort you, but your stomach is twisting and turning so much you feel as if you’re going to be sick down his jacket.

A message comes from the operator of the ride through a megaphone, “ladies and gentleman, please don’t worry, something has fallen onto the tracks and we’ve had to stop the ride to clear it, you’ll be moving along in a couple of minutes!”

“I’m gonna be sick,” you wince, “oh god I’m going to vomit.”

Ben pulls away from you before he digs his hands into his pockets to see what he’s got and eventually pulls out a small plastic bag that he usually uses at your local corner shop, then shakes it out and holds it just below your face for you.

“Do what you’ve gotta do, don’t worry,” he nods, “I’m so sorry for getting you on here, I had no idea this was going to happen, I’m so sorry (Y/N).”

You heave into the bag, luckily nothing coming up, then look at him with a weak smile, “it’s okay, but I’m never doing this again as long as I live.”

“Totally understandable, just keep looking at me, not at anything around us.”

His eyes flick to the treeline that you’re above and you know you’re high in the air so try your best to keep your stare trained on his face, or the bag he’s holding if you feel the need to puke again. After what seems like a lifetime the carriage suddenly shudders to life again and Ben quickly sits on the handle of the bag so he can put his hands over yours as you shut your eyes tight and pray for the whole thing to be over.

“So sorry about that folks!” the operator says when you pull up, “please have another go on us!”

“No! No thank you!” you call out, “I’d like to get off thanks!”

He walks over to you and Ben and releases the metal bar then flinches out of the way as you quite literally jump off of the thing and run down the exit path until you land on a bench with a sigh. You rest your head in your hands with your elbows propped up on your knees and Ben joins you soon after, his appearance signified by a gentle hand landing on your back and his thumb moving around in small circles.

“Ben...”

“Yes love?”

“You’re on your own tomorrow.”

“That’s fair enough,” he chuckles, “do you want to go back to the pub?”

“Yes please,” you groan.

I was wondering if I could request a fic for either Ben or Richard, where the reader is affraid of heights and they get stuck in a rollercoaster together..?

@peachllobotomy @lv7867 @aynsleywalker @pink-lemo @painthatiusedto @itisjustmethistime @mamaskillerqueen @queenslandlover-93

#ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy fluff

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trappedtowers · 9 months ago

Text

Good evening trappers who's ready for your daily (this won't be daily) Trapped Towers post 🙏🙏🙏

Today - LOREEE. How Tom got trapped within Alton Towers, aka the start of the story for our protaganist.

We begin on a rainy and windy day, grey clouds blanket the Earth while trees sway madly amongst the gusts. All the while down the narrow roads leading to Alton, a grey truck speeds along - narrowly cutting corners and carelessly hitting bumps along the path. In the car sat Hank Thorpe, his group of friends, and Tom Thorpe - who came along to "prove" he was just as cool as them. Moods aren't high, as Milo's reckless driving has everybody on edge, and Tom's edgy attitude has them wanting to throw him out the car. Alas, they eventually reach their destination - the old entrance to the Alton Towers. It sat just on the edge of the road, a line of no return chalked around it and warnings scattered around the overgrown, rotting, welcome sign. The group admire it for a second, but just as quickly the dares begin. Tom's dared to cross the line of no return, and he accepts but freezes upon reaching it. Dexter, the most mature of the group, goes to Tom and reassures him that he doesn't have to do it. That he has nothing to prove to anyone. Tom's response is cold.

"I have everything to prove"

Dexter backs off, but after a bit longer of waiting - Hank decides to go in and just push his brother across as we cut to black and the story properly begins...

That's the gist of the introduction, at least where the stopping point is considered to be. Anything past this point is Chapter 1, as this is when we'd have a title drop and - if this is to become a game - a switch to the main gameplay art style rather than cutscene style.

I could go way way more into this, over half the script for this section is written and it provides some more in-depth character introductions! Though, for now I just wanted to give a short overview explanation on how it happened. I'll definitely do some character profiles and go into characters soon - but do fully expect a lot of focus on Tom Thorpe for now. I'd love to jump into some I know y'all love - Smiler, Air, Terra. But y'know

Well, that's your Trapped Towers post for the day. Pretty sure I set up an ask page now too - any questions drop them there and I'll answer what I can.

Anyway. Back to uni assignments. Bye byeee !!

#alton towers #trapped towers #alton towers au #I don't know how tags work hi guys #I know people talk in these lmao #I'll figure this out eventually (someone please give me a tumblr crash course)

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philip-seville-archive · 4 years ago

Text

You Need To Calm Down || Phinnip

Summary: Phinnip get into a weird fight at a beach party for reasons they are too obtuse to figure out. Typical Friday!!

@oh-phineas

Pip Seville

Pip went to more parties than one would think, thank you very much. It was how he kept his reputation as a mid-ranked popular kid-- cool enough to hang out with Tony Rydinger without being Tony Rydinger. He was thus extremely good at mingling, and drifted from group to group effortlessly as he did his own form of networking among the secondary-uni mix that congregated on the beach's shores during the summer.

Phineas did not have such grace. He always entered a group at a party like he was the guest of honor.

And so Pip rolled his eyes. "Cool it, Flynn, it's summer! Who wants to talk about school right now?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas shot Pip a look. Why did he always have to have a comment like that? "It's like they say about work. If it's something you like, it won't feel like work. And I know uni's gonna be epic," he argued. "Plus, I've definitely heard you talking about NYU this summer."

Pip Seville

"Um, since when? You stalking me and taking notes?" Pip said-- in a playful way though, promise. He smiled and everything. "I think the only time I've talked about NYU is when you bring up uni first."

Phineas Flynn

"More like I have ears. But sure, if you wanna believe that I don't have anything better to do with my time." Phineas smirked. Honestly, it was kind of the opposite-- Phineas was so busy with the play and his new business, he didn't actually see Pip much except at some rehearsals. "You know, come to think of it, it's been, like, forever since we hung out. What's up with that?"

Pip Seville

"Well, we don't have SSIC anymore, so..." said Pip, trailing off with a shrug. "What would we even do?"

And he'd expected this. He and Phineas were friends of convenience. Yes, Pip had grown to really like the guy (despite him annoying Pip most of the time) and he would miss him, but he had always known that as soon as Phineas graduated, it was bye-bye. That's part of the reason Pip decided to be annoyed at Phineas most of the time, honestly. Didn't want to get too attached when separation was inevitable.

Phineas Flynn

Phineas looked at Pip quizzically. It was... true. And it wasn't something Phineas would have admitted, because he just wasn't blunt like that. Phineas liked to imagine everyone he met was one of his buddies, and act like they were best friends. Even if it was basically just the equivalent of being someone's coworker.

But he also had always liked to think he and Pip were really friends-- that fight back in January wouldn't have hurt as much if they weren't, right? But... yeah, what did they even have in common?

Phineas wanted to keep the idea of it going, though. "I mean, I dunno, we went to Alton Towers that one time. It was fun." He smiled, back to his typical jovial nature. "We should do more stuff like that! Right? How about a camping trip? You, me, Tad, maybe that other guy you guys were hanging out with, Louie if it's not gonna make it weird for you, lads trip!"

Pip Seville

Pip could not help himself. He scoffed, barely bringing up his drink in front of his face in time to pass it off as kind of a half-cough situation. There was just--

"Sorry, I-- I'm processing the concept of a lads trip, give me a second--" Pip said, making a face. Ugh, he was gay and loved boys, but sometimes boys (like Phineas) were just so... boys.

"Okay, I-- actually, I'm curious why you think camping is the right activity for you and me. Genuinely, I would like for you to explain the thinking behind that specific choice considering the year you spent getting to know me."

Phineas Flynn

Phineas didn’t think it had to be all that deep. But here Pip was again, looking at Phineas like he was a bug under a microscope. It was so weird.

“I dunno, it’s just fun, right? I didn’t really think about it that much. But if you think it’s a dumb idea, like, sure, I guess. You have a better suggestion?”

Pip Seville

"I just don't think we have to do a big thing every time we want to hang out," said Pip. Also, he would loathe camping. Anyone who knew Pip knew that, but once again Phineas was displaying an unsurprising lack of awareness of people other than himself (and this was why they were friends of convenience).

"Like-- okay. If you really wanna hang out, why don't me and Tad meet up with you and that girl you're seeing for lunch," said Pip. "Oooor you could come over for a movie marathon. Or a board game tournament, so I could kick your ass in Settlers of Catan.”

Phineas Flynn

Phineas wasn’t sure how Vanellope would feel about it, but he had a feeling she would be bored, going out to lunch. Maybe it was because she was so interesting that Phineas was scared of letting her down.

How would she feel about board games? Phineas couldn’t be sure.

“Sure, yeah, we could do, like, a couples thing if you want,” Phineas said nonchalantly. “Not that I’d call me and Van a couple. We’re just, like, chillin’. But I get what you’re saying. I don’t know if she’s really into board games, though. She’s from New York, so, like...” Phineas made a face as though to say She’s really cool. “I think she’s a gamer, though. You ever play League of Legends?”

Pip Seville

Oh great. Video games.

Not that Pip didn't like them. He just liked...certain kinds. He was not the must skilled gamer in the world and he didn't have a lot of time to explore a lot of types anyway. "Uh... no," said Pip. That sounded like something Tad would like though. "I guess I could learn though, if that's like, her thing?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas smiled proudly. He always felt cool, talking about Vanellope. “Yeah, she’s really good at that kind of stuff,” he explained. “Like, anything techy, really. Did I tell you she’s helping with the coding for my app?”

Pip Seville

No, he hadn't, but it didn't surprise Pip at all. After all, that was Phineas's new project. So he had a new partner.

Not that Pip was jealous okay-- the idea actually sucked in his opinion, and he did not think it was going to get off the ground.

"Oh? That is cool," he said. He at least sort of meant that. "Is she like, an official part of the Phineas-Louie team then? Your official developer or whatever you tech bros call it?"

Phineas Flynn

Ohhh, that was a good point. “Well, she’s definitely getting a free jacket,” Phineas said authoritatively. “Once our investor money comes in. I guess she should probably get an official title. Maybe she can be CTO. Since Louie and I are co-CEOs. I want her to feel appreciated, you know?”

Pip Seville

Pip really needed to meet this Vanellope girl. He wanted to see the type of chick that liked Phineas. Everything that Phineas said tracked, but he had to wonder how much was getting filtered through that very specific Phineas lens, you know? And there was only so much one could pick up on social (yes, he'd stalked her!!! No shame in that, everyone did it!)

Anyway, he thought Phineas sounded a little condescending right now but hey, he didn't know the girl! "Right, I mean, I hope so. If she's actually helping you code the thing. That seems pretty important for getting it off the ground," said Pip. "Have you found any investors yet?"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas was... bending the truth a little here. “Yeah, Louie’s uncle is loaded so that’s pretty much a done deal. I might hit up Mr. Simba, too, I feel like I made a good impression. But that’s just the start. I’m really trying to network, you know? Once we get to Pride U it’ll be easier.” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

"Oh, like for school-funded grants and stuff like that?" Pip asked, and again, this was a genuine question, not trying to cut Phineas down. As if Pip knew how Pride U's business school worked! Maybe they had grants or scholarships for that kind of thing.

Phineas Flynn “I mean, maybe!” Phineas said, not really sure whether or not Pip was being sarcastic or trying to catch him in a lie but choosing to believe he wasn’t. “I just mean the networking will be easier— I’m sure my professors will have been through it, and there’ll be societies for that kind of thing, and I can get in touch with alumni... Know what I mean? That’s why I’m trying to meet Pride U people.”

Pip Seville

Yes, for once, Pip did know what Phineas meant. And honestly?

He was jealous.

Wanting to go to NYU meant that he couldn't do any of that before the fact. There were like, maybe some zoom meet-up things... maybe. But everyone knew that was bullshit. You had to be on the ground. Shaking hands, being charming. AKA what Phineas was trying to do right now (and Pip was sort of keeping him from doing, whoops).

"No, no, I get it," reassured Pip, since he seemed a bit flustered out of nowhere. "You're lucky that you want to go to Pride U honestly-- and your sister goes too. I'm sure you'll be fine when the fall rolls around."

Phineas Flynn

Okay, that was kind of weird. Phineas almost wanted Pip to go back to making fun of him.

“I mean, hey, it’s not like you committed to NYU. Nothing’s stopping you if you end up changing your mind,” Phineas pointed out, interpreting Pip’s statement as being jealous that Phineas was going to Pride U, not being jealous that Phineas wanted to go to Pride U. “You’d know so many people at Pride U. It’d be super easy. Just sayin’.” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

AND he was right back to rolling his eyes at Phineas. Seriously?! How many times were they going to have this conversation? And like, why? What kind of weirdo measuring stick contest was this Pride U vs. NYU thing??

"Oh my god, so? I mean would I like to have a leg up before hand, absolutely, but I'm not about to make the most important decision on my life based on how easy something is! Sometimes, and I know you might find this shocking, but hard things, things that take a lot of work, are worth it!"

Phineas Flynn

Phineas made a face. That comment hit him, maybe more than it should have. “Dude, are you joking? I work so hard. Do you think this business would’ve got anywhere if I didn’t, like, grind?” Phineas threw his hands up in frustration. “Just because you’re all Type A doesn’t mean you’re better than me. I just like to do stuff my own way. And I don’t wanna, like, leave all my friends and family just to go to college in a city where I don’t know anyone. So, like, judge me, I guess!”

Pip Seville

"Oh my god, I don't want to leave my friends or family either, it's not my fault my friends and family live across the freaking ocean! But sometimes you also have to take risks and be true to your dreams and mine are in New York City!" said Pip hotly.

Suddenly he felt like he was arguing with Amy. Out of nowhere. Which was weird, because Phineas-- seriously, why did he care??

"Why do you care?" Pip finally actually asked, flinging a hand out. "No seriously, why are you always on my arse about this?"

Phineas Flynn

Why did Phineas care?

He should have been relieved Pip wanted to move across the ocean and that Phineas would never have to do another stupid group project with him again. But a part of Phineas still kind of thought Pip would stay in Swynlake. It was just... well, SSIC had been Phineas’s first big project. And Pip had been Phineas’s partner in that. And how did you go through a kind of intense experience with someone like that and just never see them again in your life?

Because Phineas was sure about that. Once Pip went off to NYU, he was never coming back, and Phineas was never going to see him again.

“I— honestly, Pip, I don’t know! ‘Cause you’re really pissing me off right now!” Phineas retorted. “You’re always, like, jumping to conclusions about me! And I really don’t appreciate it!” Especially because, a lot of the time, Pip was right. That was the worst part.

Because somehow, Phineas did care.

Pip Seville

"I have literally never jumped to conclusions about you a day in my life. I draw conclusions based on evidence and observation and experience!" Pip snapped. "Though I don't even know what you could be talking about because all I said the past five minutes was basically that I thought you were going to find the connections you wanted at Pride U. Oh, and I complimented your girlfriend, you're welcome by the way!"

Phineas Flynn

“She’s not my friggin’ girlfriend! We’re chilling!” Phineas gestured wildly, spilling his White Claw in the process. He barely noticed. He was all riled up now. Happy Leo season. “Not the point! Stop appropriating the scientific method to act like you’re being the rational one here!” @SWOOPING EVIL laur

Pip Seville

"I always am the rational one!" exclaimed Pip to that. "What are you talking about? Where have you been the past year when I've been the one turning your insane whims into actual executable decisions? That's why you freaking like me, because I'm so "rational!"" Pip said with overexaggerated quote marks (sloshing his drink too). @emma

Phineas Flynn

“There you go again!” Phineas laughed harshly, stepping back and flinging his arms wide. “You think you know everything! What are you, a friggin’ mind reader?”

He was about to contradict Pip, but the claim made him wonder: why did Phineas like Pip? Because he did like him. And he did want to stay friends. And they barely had anything in common, it was true, and Phineas did find it extremely annoying that Pip always had a smug counter argument to all of Phineas’s crazy ideas. And yet it bothered him that Pip wanted to move to New York.

“That’s— I mean, sure I guess you’re good at that, but it’s also really friggin’ annoying! You think you know everything about me, but you don’t!”

Pip Seville

Pip made an amazed face, lifting his hand again like what the fuck are you even talking about? Because Pip, genuinely, did not know what Phineas was talking about. Hadn't Phineas said they made a good team because of what Pip just described? Yes, he said it with lots of silly buzzwords about like, people's working styles and MBTI or ... whatever, Pip didn't care. But he said it! How was Pip mind reading anything, and oh, if he WAS, didn't that imply that Phineas was mad at him for obviously being right?!

Basically this conversation didn't make any sense. "What are you even talking about? What are we even arguing about right now? That I'm right, and you're mad about it? That I want to go to NYU, and you're mad about it? Literally I am grasping for straws, so puh-lease enlighten me!"

Phineas Flynn

“I don’t know!” Phineas shouted, and then thought about it, and then realized 1. that he was shouting and 2. that he really didn’t know.

He looked around. Some random girl was giving him a weird look. Phineas put his hands up in a “surrender” gesture.

“It’s chill, dude. It’s chill,” Phineas said, his face tomato-red. “Let’s just... whatever. You gotta live your truth. I gotta live mine. It’s chill.”

Phineas didn’t even know what he was saying at this point. He was still vaguely pissed, but mostly, he was tired. And a little embarrassed. Why did he always start drama like this?

“I’m gonna take a walk.”

Pip Seville

This was the weirdest fight they'd ever had. For lots of reasons. The obvious first one was that Pip could not track its beginning. Normally when they fought, it was over a detail about something, or sometimes Phineas took one of Pip's jokes the wrong way, or sometimes Pip got annoyed when Phineas joked (they never seemed to be on the same page when it came to the right time to joke). But whatever this was, it was invisible, and sticky, and full of knots. The kind of thing that built up over time.

The second weird part of it was that it lingered in the air. Normally they both could shrug off a fight or break it by changing the subject, refocusing, putting their attention to someone else around them. Phineas tried to do that. But the air hung and Phineas's face was red.

Pip wondered for the first time if maybe Phineas was drunker than Pip realized.

That thought made his stomach drop. It also made him freeze there, for one more second than usual. Enough time for Phineas to peel off and Pip to like...not say anything. Also weird.

"Okay, whatever," said Pip though Phineas was already walking away. But yeah. Okay, whatever. It was whatever. Pip shook his head and peeled off himself, looking for Tad or Josh or-- literally anyone else. Whatever whatever whatever.

#phinnip #para #this was short enough i decided to format it !#also love a good fight that makes no sense cuz thats how fights are!#the taylor swift continues

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dellikay · 4 years ago

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Arnold Chiari Malformation Blogs: How it all began & getting a diagnosis

This is the first in a series of blogs where I’m going to be writing about my experiences with Arnold Chiari Malformation (ACM, as it will be referred to from here on out), ranging from how my condition suddenly worsened and made it itself known, all the way to present day and how it affects me now. These will all be likely very long posts, but there is a lot of information to share and it is all integral to address, so that people reading this who don’t know much about the condition can understand exactly what the condition entails and how it feels to actually have it. I’ve split the whole ‘story’ into five parts and will be working to get those typed up and released as soon as possible. What I want to start with is how my condition made itself known to me, having laid dormant internally for 15 years of my life and the ordeals I went through to secure a correct diagnosis. It all started on a perfectly normal day - I was playing Simon the Sorcerer 3D (I’m blaming the game for it all because it was bloody awful and broken beyond all belief) on the family computer. I got to a part of the game (among many others) where the game had glitched and I couldn’t progress any further. I accessed a walkthrough online and read how to navigate around the glitch. I then started to feel nauseous. I tried to carry on as normal, but the intensity of the nausea increased rapidly and I had a really massive headache, one of the worst that I had ever experienced up until that point in time. I had to give up on my game and laid down flat on the settee. Before long, I was having major coughing fits and had to run to the toilet to be violently sick. This, of course, made the headache worse, so I ended up making up a bed on the settee and having to stay on there. I was too weak to do anything and I kept having to rush to the toilet at the drop of a hat to be sick over and over again. After a few days, my other symptoms from what we assumed was the flu started to subside but I was still being violently sick multiple times a day and had agonising headaches that lasted all day and all night. I assumed the headaches were an issue because of how often and how forcefully I was being sick multiple times a day. Months passed and I was still the same. I’d been to see my then GP a couple of times since regarding what was happening to me. Because I had been diagnosed with OCD and depression from the age of 11, he immediately assumed that my symptoms were a physical manifestation of my mental illness, so just upped my dosage of whatever I was on at the time and sent me on my way. I was going to college by this time, after I had to leave secondary school due to being bullied to the point of...well, not being in a very good state of mind, I’ll just put it that way. Somehow, I managed to attend classes and go when I should do and even went on a trip to Alton Towers with the group I was in there, all the while getting worse physically, having to excuse myself from lessons suddenly to go and be sick and having headaches so bad that I had to lay my head down on the desk. Walking to and from college (which was literally a ten minute walk from my house) become more perilous as my balance became affected...on one occasion, I was crossing the road and a car was approaching faster than I anticipated. I tried to run the rest of the way over but my legs immediately collapsed from under me and I fell flat onto the road, about six feet in front of the car. Thankfully, the driver had seen what was going to happen and had the foresight to slow right down. However, I couldn’t get myself off the road because I was dizzy and my legs didn’t want to cooperate and no one stopped to help me or to see if I was alright. I walked the rest of the way home in tears. I didn’t know what was going on and was obviously shaken from what had just happened as well as the sheer rejection from the public who just acted like I was invisible even though I was in dire need of help. Sadly, after a few more months of this deterioration, I had to stop going to college because I was too poorly to make it through lessons and the journey to and from college was way too risky. From one end of the day to the other, I laid flat on the settee and was just enveloped in a complete world of pain. I persisted with my GP, insisting that there was something physically wrong with me, as opposed to it all being ‘in my head’ (ironically) and that the medication he had put me on my own wasn’t doing anything to stop the headaches or the vomiting. He wouldn’t listen to me and even got cross with me at one point and basically told me to stop putting it on to get attention. I felt defeated - I KNEW my own body and I KNEW that there was something very wrong but no one would listen to me. I could see and feel that it was getting worse. My balance became worse still, my weight had plummeted because I couldn’t keep any food in my system, I was still being sick multiple times a day and by the end, just bringing up water because my stomach was empty. I was accused of having an eating disorder and once again, doing this all to myself for attention. My headaches had got so bad that one time, I was laid on the floor in the living room because my head was too painful to stand or even sit up and suddenly my body started to move of its own accord. It was like I was rolling down a hill but I was on a completely flat surface. My body kept trying to roll to the side as if to balance itself if I was on a slope. It was completely out of my control and certainly one of the scariest parts of pre-diagnosis. I phoned for an appointment with my GP again, ready to stand my ground and insist once more that my symptoms were the result of something physical. I was angry, in incredible pain 24/7, weak, scared and I just wanted to be heard. When I went to the doctors, not feeling the most confident, I was told that my GP was off that day and I would be seeing one of the junior doctors instead. This made me feel a tiny glimmer of hope but I repressed it just in case he was of the same mindset as my regular doctor and he also accused me of being an attention seeker. When I was called into his office, I took a seat and I was asked to describe my symptoms. As I told him, the doctor started to look more and more concerned. He did some balance tests on me, which obviously I was incapable of completing and within five minutes, he told me that in no uncertain terms that my symptoms were way too severe to be merely a figment of my imagination and that he agreed that there was something physically wrong with me. He told me he’d book me in for an MRI. Finally. Someone listened. Someone believed me. I cried, partly from relief and elation that I had a chance of being saved from whatever it was that was destroying me from the inside out - and partly from fear because there really, truly was something wrong with me. Something seriously wrong with me, according to the doctor I had just seen. The following few months are a blur to me and I can’t remember any real details about what happened or the order in which things happened. I just remember going to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham multiple times, being prodded and poked and being sent for more scans and then I saw a man who warned me that no matter what a man called Mr White said to me, I should REFUSE to have brain surgery. Under no circumstances should I listen to what he was saying and carry on as I was. He also asked me outright if I thought I had an eating disorder (basically, that I was causing myself to be sick and lose all of this weight - which was getting on for four and a half stones (63lbs) by the point - and made me feel like I had to concede that there was a possibility that could be the case, even though I knew it wasn’t. Of course, being in the sorry state that I was, I couldn’t understand this path of logic and neither could my parents. It turns out the Mr White was one of the leading brain surgeons in the country, specialised in rare brain conditions and would be the one to perform my surgery if I consented. We (as in me and my parents) met him shortly after and well, basically me and Mum fell in love with him. Lol. He was very softly spoken, gentle and kind - completely different to the man we had seen previously. Mr White was the one who told me I had Chiari Malformation Type 2 and what that meant. I was 18 years at the time (bear in mind my symptoms had started when I was 15) so he took his time with me, was very patient because he could see how terrified I was about what he was telling me and told me everything I needed to know and answered any questions I had. He explained why I was experiencing the symptoms I had and how the surgery would at the very least hopefully stop the progression of them getting even worse. He also told me that alongside the ACM, I also had hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and this was putting extra pressure on my brain and squeezing it into an even tighter space. This also meant I had a rare version of a rare condition (as it was known now - the classification of the illness has now been upgraded to ‘uncommon’, which means it’s not as rare as once thought but often misdiagnosed) so any surgery that would be carried out on me was not guaranteed to have the same level of success as if I hadn’t had the hydrocephalus. In fact, my cerebellum (the part of the brain that controls the nervous system, balance and coordination and reactions to external stimuli) had been wedged behind the top few vertebrae of my spine, which was what was causing the disabling headaches. Despite what the other man had advised me to do, I agreed to the surgery. There was no other way I was going to get better. It was scary either way and the decision was completely mine to make. Mr White was extremely concerned as he could see how poorly and fragile I was and was pushing for me to have the surgery before Christmas (I think we went to go and see him at some point in November). However, I was frightened and I just wanted one more Christmas before going through such a huge life event. I wasn’t sure I’d make it out the other side so I wanted just one more big celebration. Even though he wasn’t best happy with me wanting to wait until after Christmas, he agreed but he said he would book me in for as soon as possible afterwards. Basically, time was of the essence, I had a ticking time bomb in my head and it could have detonated at any second. I was too young and too frightened to understand at the time but me choosing to have the surgery a month or so later than was wanted by the surgeon could have cost me my ability to walk entirely or my life if my health had taken another slump.

#rare illness #Arnold Chiari Malformation #chiari #brain surgery #chronic illness #surgery

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the-nights-parade · 4 years ago

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Ocean Park | Hong Kong's Largest Theme Park

Ocean Park is Hong Kong's largest theme park. In fact, it is Hong Kong's only theme park. With its 35 attractions and rides, the park has won several awards, including "The World's Seventh Most Popular Amusement Park" and "33rd Most Visited Tourist Attraction in the World". These are not statistics that I would necessarily brag about, but maybe that's just me.

Ocean Park is a 10 minute taxi ride away from our home, and Sadie has been at least a dozen times with her friends. In fact, her school did a trip there earlier this year and attempted to sell it to the parents as a physics lesson. Right.

I am reasonably informed that watching a teacher get spun around until they puke is the height of entertainment for a teenager. Anyway, I had never been before. I'm not sure why this is, but I guess that it is partly to do with David's lack of interest. I guess I can understand that. Any roller coaster becomes Space Mountain when you are blind, and although I love Space Mountain, I'm not sure that I'd want to spend the whole day riding on it. David is in the UK though, and I thought it might be a fun thing for Sadie and me to do.

This is the latest in a long string of my attempts at mother/daughter bonding. I try to kid myself that Sadie and I really have a close personal connection, that she loves and respects me as much as I do her, and that she actually enjoys my company when in reality what I perceive as bonding is probably just Sadie playing along to get something she wants. Regardless, if that's all I can get, I'll take it.

So, off we went to Ocean Park. I had to queue up for the ticket as Sadie already had a season pass that paid for itself if the first month. The price was comparable to other them parks - about £20 for the day. Now it is time for me to fess up about the real reason I wanted to go to Ocean Park. It has two different sections, one of which has animals, an aquarium and kiddie rides and the other which has thrill rides. The animal section has PANDAS! For a long time, seeing pandas has been on my list of 100 things to do before I die* and I was finally getting to do it!

I am marginally embarrassed by my passion for pandas. I have seen Kung Fu Panda three times and that is really not something of which to be proud. I am completely suckered in by their furry, fat cuddliness and those big black circles around their sad eyes. To be fair, I was also completely suckered in by Pete, the dog from the Little Rascals too. Something about a black circle around an eye. I like to think of myself as mature, urbane, sophisticated, cool and more than a little cynical. Loving cuddly panda bears blows that image. It's like Henry Kissinger saying he loves "My Little Pony". I guess I am out of the closet now.

Anyway, back to Ocean Park. I decided to prolong the expectation for as long as possible, so we visited the aquarium first. It is a pretty good aquarium as these things go - maybe even in the top 50 aquariums in the world.

I couldn't really contain my excitement much longer though. I had to see the bears. I spotted the Panda House from several hundred metres away. I knew it was the panda house because there were 10 metre tall plastic pandas waving to us from the roof. For one brief moment, I actually thought that they were real and waving just at me. We walked up the ramps and into the house. There are three panda enclosures, each with its own panda. They are solitary creatures and don't like to mix much. Thank goodness. The sight of two pandas cuddling or playing might just might be more cuteness than an ordinary human could bear (ha ha - I swear that wasn't on purpose).

There are two parallel ramps in front of the enclosures, and you are encouraged to stroll down one and up the other, giving everyone a good chance to have a look. Good manners went out the window as soon as I walked in the door. I stopped, creating a domino effect of panda watchers behind me. I couldn't move. I was spell bound. There in front of me was a giant panda sound asleep on a wooden platform. He was on his back, mouth open and with all four paws up in the air. I couldn't hear it, but I am absolutely sure he was snoring.

It is not terribly mature or sophisticated to jump up and down and shriek "OOOOH! LOOK AT THAT PANDA! HE IS SOOOOOO CUTE!", but that is what I did. Sadie,even more than usual, pretended that she didn't know me. Finally, someone behind me gave me a good push and forced me to carry on.

The second and third enclosures were empty, so I hurried down to see snoring panda again. Then, just as I was about to go past window number two, out came a beautiful female panda bear. I know it is unspeakably rude, and I am really not proud of it, but I simply would not budge from that spot.

Parents tried to push their eager children in front of me, but I wasn't having it. I figured that I had less time to do the 100 things to do before I die than they did. I took photos and watched her amble around for a good 10 minutes. I probably did more to damage Chinese/Western relations at that point than Tienanmen Square, but my wish was fulfilled. I have seen pandas. I am also the very, very proud owner of a cute, overpriced panda cuddly toy that we have named Bing Bing.

Back out into the sunlight, no other event that Ocean Park could offer could possibly live up to the panda experience. I have to tell you though, that in the dozen or so time Sadie had visited, she had never before seen the bears. She comes for the rides. So, off we went to the other part of the park.

This can be accessed in one of two ways. There is a cable car that offers magnificent views over the southern part of Hong Kong or there is a train. The trip up is unbelievably steep. There are stairs, but it would probably take me the better part of my life to get up them. I don't think that they are even open for public use. We took the cable car, and it was lovely, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it for anyone with height issues.

Once at the top, Sadie said she needed food. There were a number of food options, most of which involved some form of squid. There is something not quite right about eating something that was one of the attractions we had just visited. I am just trying to imagine how this menu would go down at Alton Towers or at Six Flags.

Thankfully, there were other options than munching on Squidward and Sadie was very happy with her french fries and diet coke. This is the ultimate food oxymoron.

During her feast, Sadie had been eyeing the temporary tattoo parlour. "No", I said, "Don't even ask". Of course, a few minutes later we were sat on the chair inside the booth whilst Sadie got her Panda tattoo. Giving in against your better judgement is a big part of the bonding process.

As foreigners, we are used to being stared at sometimes despite the fact that Hong Kong is one of the most cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse cities in the world. Just recently, I was accosted on the MTR by about 20 teenagers demanding to have their picture taken with a foreigner. Of course, I obliged with my goofiest grin.

Sadie actually attracted an audience whilst her tattoo was painted on. There was a crowd of people gathered round, pushing each other out of the way to get a view. When the tattoo lady was finished, Sadie stood up and the crowd actually applauded!

We then moved onto the arcade. This time I was really going to hold firm, and I set about telling Sadie how all the games are rigged and that it is virtually impossible to win a big prize. Then I saw the shooting gallery. OK, it was a Nerf shooting gallery where you shot plastic pegs with suction cups onto a plastic target, but it was still a shooting gallery. My resolve crumbled and I became the world's biggest hypocrite.

When I was about Sadie's age, I went to a summer camp. It was altogether a miserable experience, except for one thing. I discovered that I was really good with a 22 rifle. I've been hooked ever since. I would NEVER shoot at a living thing (I won't even let Sadie go to BB Gun parties when EVERYONE else gets to go), but boy do I love shooting at a target. I bought 10 rounds and sidled up to the bar counter. Everyone around me was doing rapid firing, but I took my time to line up that bullseye in my site. I felt like Clint Eastwood, Annie Oakley and John Wayne all wrapped up into one. Slowly, I pulled the trigger. Bullseye! I took my time with the rest and managed 5 bulls eyes and 5 in the next circle out. God, I'm good.

On to the rest of the park. It was time to do some rides. We headed off to the log flume. On our way, we saw large groups of mainland Chinese wandering around in packs. Some of them had on matching hats. Others had perky little matching bandannas. All of them had little tags around their necks which I can only presume said "If found, please return to Hunan Provence". Hong Kong tourism is big business in mainland China, and the groups are typically made up of older couples. It's sort of like visiting the Florida of the east.

These groups, with their bad teeth, worse clothes and what I can only imagine is the Chinese version of a hillbilly accent, are treated with complete and utter disdain by the local Hong Kong community. I rather like them. I can only imagine what they must have seen in their lifetimes, yet they retain a certain child-like innocence in the pleasure they take in places like Ocean Park. Then we got to the queue for the log flume.

All innocence was gone as these old folks pushed and shoved like they were in the queue for the last kilo of rice at the state rice store. I'm not kidding, they were vicious. They cut in front of as many people as they could, tread on toes and elbowed their way to the front. Then once on the ride, they looked miserable when they got soaked to the skin. What were they expecting? We got soaked to the skin too, but it was fun.

Then I had a really strange experience (as if being jostled by old Chinese people wasn't strange enough). We were in the queue for another ride (Raging Rapids, if you must know), and I spotted someone I knew in the queue. I knew I knew him, but for the life of me I couldn't thing of how. His was not a face I would forget as he looked like a youngish Paul Newman. I stared for about 10 minutes before he looked up and nodded at me and smiled before he turned away to talk to his very young Thai wife/girlfriend. It finally came to me.

It was a close friend of one of my exes whom I like to call Lucifer (No Grizz and Billy, that is not a nickname I have for either of you). It was driving me crazy because I couldn't remember his name. I remembered that he had been born with a really bad name (Malcolm Pratt), but he changed it by deed pole as soon as he was old enough. Who could blame him? So, although I could remember the old name that he changed before I even met him, I simply could not recall his new name. Then it came to me. Pat. His new name was Pat. Just to test out this theory, I yelled out "Pat" to see what would happen. What happened is that Sadie nearly died of embarrassment and the bloke didn't even turn around. I'm certain it was him though. I had heard to had moved to Asia a few years ago for the women to teach.

After a couple hours of different rides, it was time to head back down. This time we opted for the train. We were waiting for the train in a sort of holding pen with a bunch of mainlanders. Several of the women were staring at me and giggling. I smiled at one lady and she came over to me and poked me in the chest several times. Then, she gave two big thumbs up. All the other ladies then started smiling, nodding and pointing at my boobs like they had just won an academy award. I swear to you this really happened.

#ocean park #hong kong

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mapguide-blog · 6 years ago

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Alton Towers: New attractions for the 2019 season

This season isn’t going to be a big one, after the huge investment of Wickerman in 2018. However, we are getting 2 new attractions. The first obviously being the Alton Towers Dungeon, which is rumoured to be in the building where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was. The second new attraction is currently under the name ‘Project Hip Hop’, two junior drop towers in CBeebies Land, located between Tree Fu Tom Training Camp and Mr. Bloom’s Allotment.

So, the Alton Towers Dungeon; thoughts on this attraction are very mixed. Some are glad to see the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory building being put to use; others doubt that this attraction will live up to its predecessors, including ‘Toyland Tours’, a generally beloved and well received attraction. It’s also been speculated that, like the Warwick Castle Dungeons, this attraction will be an extra charge. This theory was further pushed with the release of the ‘Premium Alton Towers Season Pass’ which granted a free dungeons trip with every visit (more on this annual pass in another post). What we know about the dungeons currently is very limited. We know that it will be based on the history of Staffordshire/Alton Towers and that, again like Warwick Castle, it’s designed for guests age 10 and up. While I think it’s fantastic that there’s a new attraction for the children who are too old for CBeebies but not ready for the bigger coasters, it is a shame that it’s probably going to be a paid attraction. As this attraction will be very actor based, it’s fair to assume that it will be an extra charge. However, it will be interesting to see how well this attraction does, a trip to Alton Towers will already cost a family of 4 booking in advance around £130, not including food, drink and merchandise; if the dungeons cost the same as the Warwick Castle dungeon (£9pp), this is an extra £36, which can make an already expensive family day out even more so. Not to mention, there is plenty to do outside of the dungeons, will people see the value in a paid attraction?

I think it’s also important to mention that this may become part of the lineup for events such as Santa Sleepovers, festive breaks and Pirate and Princess week, with it being an attraction more like Extraordinary Golf or the Waterpark. This will obviously add another fun activity and may help families find more value in these expensive stays. I find it hard to believe that this will be a draw to the park, just another thing to do if you get a voucher, much like the now defunct Tree Top Quest.

Now, Project Hip Hop! Personally, I think this was a good investment for CBeebies land, it’s consistently a busy area of the park and having two relatively high capacity junior drop towers will be a good way to soak up the crowds. I don’t think they placed these new drop towers in the best place however. Personally I think they would have been better placed at the food kiosk near Spinball Whizzer, as an expansion to the very tired looking Adventure Land, but I also think that if Spinball Whizzer is going to come down soon anyway, adding to the area wouldn’t really make sense. With the addition of these new drop towers though, what is going to happen to frog hopper? Personally I don’t think they’ll keep it there and I’m hoping that they’ll instead reopen Twirling Toadstool, Wobble World and the cafe and just generally clean up Cloud Cuckoo Land a bit, however, this seems very unlikely, this part of the park has effectively been derelict since Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was removed. What I actually expect to happen is Cloud Cuckoo Land left as it is for a final year of operation, before being renovated in the next closed season. I only think this because the driving school has only recently come back, so it’ll probably last one more season.

I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on the new rides and attractions coming to Alton Towers in 2019! Please give this a like and send me any requests you have on Merlin Attraction themed blog posts! Thanks!

#alton towers #thorpe park #chessington world of adventures #legoland #merlin #merlin annual pass #theme park #family friendly #family #family day out #day out #days out

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