#SEVEN TWO THREE TWO THREE... SEND (dash commentary)

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ "You know, it is quite amusing to think about it now. But I was and am actually considered to be tall, as far as the average female au ra goes. Needless to say, when I was called beyond my homeland I was quite taken aback upon espying a woman roegadyn for the first time."

[countercharmda]

#countercharmd: you gain the ability to use magical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects.

a study in support classes, boosting morale, playing a part out of necessity, family vs. legacy, bardic audacity, self ascension, trust over love.

an independent rp blog for a fandomless original character. fantasy-based, with a bg3 verse. low activity, queue-forward. recorded by stella ( 25+ / he/him / white / CST ).

travels with: @bolyde

interest tracker. | rules ( as of aug 15 ) under the cut. | about / lore.

‼️PLEASE READ MY RULES/ABOUT BEFORE YOU FOLLOW! I will know if you don’t‼️

RULES. DNI. i have a list of users on my DNI list. while i have the necessary urls blacklisted, i will probably not follow you if i see you interacting heavily with them. i will also not be writing with any muses from fandoms such as s.tranger things, h.arry potter, or h.azbin hotel / h.elluva boss.

ONE. obligatory 'don't be a dick' rule. bigotry will not be tolerated; nor will godmodding or harassment. if you can't respect my original character's identity, then do not follow me. i will also be writing with muns who are 21+ for my own comfort.

TWO. my activity fluctuates based on how inspired i am to write on tumblr. i will try to keep my queue full of replies so that the blog will stay active on low activity days. my activity is low for my sanity, and i do prioritize people who are interested in writing with me and show me this.

THREE. i tend to softblock over hardblock. if i softblock you, then it means that i don't mind you following me back at a later date! if i hardblock you, then it means i do not want to continue the mutual.

FOUR. i only have access to the beta editor, and my formatting is typically small text, single space, with italics and colored text. if you can't read any of this, let me know and i'll change it for you when i reply to you!

FIVE. as said above, please plot with me! the more we talk about xyz, the more confident i'll feel about writing you something. my tumblr IMs are open to mutuals, and i am always willing to give out my discord if that's easier for you!

SIX. i will be accepting 3 to 5 mains of canon characters; at this moment, i am not practicing exclusivity. just because i don't do this, doesn't mean that i am 'collecting' canon characters. if this changes, and i do accept exclusives, then i expect that enthusiasm and energy to be reciprocated.

at the moment, in ren's bg3 verse, my main gale and shadowheart portrayals on this blog are quake's (bolyde). any mention of these two characters in threads will be referring to these portrayals, excluding threads with other gales or shadowhearts. this does not mean exclusivity! serendipity's default epilogue in bg3 is where he is married to (quake's) gale.

SEVEN. i love shipping! be it romantic or platonic. serendipity and i are over 21. serendipity is also a trans gay man. if you have a trans muse and are wondering about romantic things, the question for you is: does your muse experience dysphoria by being described as the partner of a gay man? no? then it's on the table! i have also been known on occasion to write smut on this blog, if the mood takes me. everything in that vein will be tagged as '#suggestive cw' and/or '#nsft cw'. i will also not be writing any polyamorous ships with serendipity, as he would not be comfortable in them. (this is a him problem, and not a problem with polyamory as a whole.)

EIGHT. i don't have any triggers for you to tag, but i do ask that you tag answered asks and such with the url of the sender. i also ask that you tag dash commentary things, since i blacklist those. i tag everything with '#[subject] cw' ! i am not interested in exploring love triangle plots or angst for the sake of it. this blog will also explore themes of abandonment, escapism, and family abuse. please curate your space!

NINE. when it comes to memes, i generally don’t care about reblog karma. this does not, however, apply to ‘how am i doing / send in a nice thing’ memes. if you can not think of something nice to send me, then reblog the meme from the source or someone else.

[tcmpestes]

tcmpestes. independent + private fantasy original character. has a general dnd verse; can be adapted to other mediums. low activity. high selectivity.

rules under read more | about

DNI. i have a list of users on my DNI list. while i have the necessary urls blacklisted, i will probably not follow you if i see you interacting heavily with them. i will also not be writing with any muses from fandoms such as s.tranger things, h.arry potter, or h.azbin hotel / h.elluva boss.

ONE. obligatory 'don't be a dick' rule. does not tolerate bigotry or harassment. i will only write with muns 21+.

TWO. low activity, as stated above. will attempt to be queue-forward. i will prioritize writing partners i am familiar with from time to time; if i am following you, i want to write with you.

THREE. i don't mind if you softblock me over hardblocking me. in the case that i break the mutual, i will look at your rules and will act accordingly, but i tend to softblock myself. if i follow you and you do not return the follow in a week, i will unfollow.

FOUR. i use beta editor, small text and colored text in my replies as a default, but i will change any of this if requested by a writing partner.

FIVE. i prefer writing with people who communicate with me and have a genuine interest in my character and myself. DMs are open, and if we establish a rapport, then discord is on the table as well.

SIX. at the moment i am not interested in having mains of canon characters, though a lot of this blog's canon is intersected with quake ( bolyde ) 's characters, most of all their gale. this will be present in the writing i do on this blog, with very few exceptions.

SEVEN. this blog prioritizes shipping and is unapologetic for it. this includes romantic and platonic ships, and everything in between. serendipity is a trans gay man; as both he and the mun are over 21, there will be nsfw content present as well. for other trans muses: if your muse would like to kiss him, and does not experience dysphoria at being the partner of a gay man, then it's on the table! suggestive content will be tagged with [ # suggestive cw ] and outright smut will be tagged with [ # nsft cw ] for blacklisting reasons. at the moment i am not interested in writing polyamorous ships with serendipity.

EIGHT. these aren't necessarily triggers, but i would appreciate anything related to dash commentary be tagged. please also tag any answered asks or threads with the url of your roleplay partner. i tag everything with [ # subject cw ] for blacklist reasons. i am not interested in exploring love triangles, or angst for the sake of it. this blog will also explore themes of abandonment, escapism, and family abuse.

NINE. when it comes to memes, i generally don’t care about reblog karma. this does not, however, apply to ‘how am i doing / send in a nice thing’ memes. if you can not think of something nice to send me, then reblog the meme from the source or someone else.

[tsarisfanfiction]

"By the Mysterons, who can replicate anything that's been destroyed and recreate it under their control," Lieutenant Green finished, sounding absolutely horrified. "How did we miss that?" Captain Blue asked, a little faintly. It was John's turn to swear. "Oh no they fucking don't." I'd love to know your thoughts baout this section - it was so exciting and I really enjoy rereading it ! 5/5

Send me a section of one of my fics to get a behind-the-scenes commentary on it

I'm just gonna copy out the whole section with formatting here rather than screenshot the chain of asks as this was the only one that contained anything other than the fic quote. My commentary will be right underneath!

John didn’t quite swear, but Scott figured he wasn’t far off. “No- that’s not- no-” “John, what-” he started, before a flood of light entered the villa.  Light that was supposed to be blocked out by the tsunami defences. The tsunami defences that were sliding back down into the sea. “Kayo!” “I don’t know why!” she protested, struggling with the controls.  “It’s not responding!” “Uh… is your swimming pool supposed to be moving?” Captain Blue asked. “What?”  Scott dashed over to the balcony to see that, sure enough, the swimming pool was retracting as though Thunderbird One was about to launch.  He leaned against the glass doors, trying to look down to see if Thunderbird One was underneath, but before he could tell, the doors moved, retracting and returning the villa to its usual open air status. “We must have been hacked!” Kayo said, still wrestling with the controls. “How?” Gordon asked, casting around wildly as though he’d be able to find a way to stop it.  “That’s not-” “Does anything have access to your systems?” Lieutenant Green asked.  “Anything at all?” “Not anymore,” John said, waging his own war against the system from the desk, if the way his fingers were little more than a blur was any indication. Both Colonel White and Mel had vanished, Scott noticed distractedly as he stumbled back from the suddenly-open doors. “What do you mean, anymore?” Captain Blue demanded. “The communication hub?” Captain Scarlet asked. “That had access to everything,” Scott confirmed, watching John and Kayo fight with the systems and feeling frustrated that it was a battle he couldn’t help with.  “But it was destroyed.” “Destroyed,” Captain Scarlet said, flatly. “Destroyed… by the Mysterons,” Captain Blue added.  Scott almost snapped at them to stop repeating useless information they already knew, but something about their body language made him pause. “By the Mysterons, who can replicate anything that’s been destroyed and recreate it under their control,” Lieutenant Green finished, sounding absolutely horrified. “How did we miss that?” Captain Blue asked, a little faintly. It was John’s turn to swear. “Oh no they fucking don’t.”

Oh, this passage. This passage was so much fun like you wouldn't even believe. Scott and the rest of IR doing their damndest to keep Spectrum as in the dark as possible while everything is literally exposing itself, and of course Spectrum being smart cookies who are noticing things and taking note of everything. Everything. I had so, so much fun, here.

Sorry, Scott.

Balancing all the characters in this scene was a little tough (the fic as a whole, actually). I do best when I'm dealing with maybe four, five at a push, characters in a scene - preferably two or three, so having *counts* seven characters who all refused to go underground/were needed for plot reasons running around in what was supposed to be a high-charged scene full of tension was a challenge. If you're wondering why Virgil, Alan, Brains, Grandma and the Angels were stuffed out of the way for most of the fic - that's why. Anyone else in this scene would have ruined the balance. As it was, it was a bit like walking on a tightrope, but the intention here was to focus on two or three characters in particular - Scott, as this chapter's narrator, John, and to some extent Captain Blue, with the others providing more of a support role.

John starting this scene by definitely not swearing because John doesn't swear unless it's the literal apocalypse under normal situations but ending the scene (and the chapter) by swearing because he's just realised his precious Thunderbird is being used to kill them was a little bit of self-indulgence.

And actually, let's talk about that. One of the biggest things I had to figure out when I was writing this fic (as @janetm74 and @gumnut-logic know because they were the unfortunate souls on the receiving end of my endless musing on the topic) was how the Mysterons were actually going to try and kill IR. Thunderbird Five's destruction and recreation under the control of the Mysterons took a little while to come to me as a work-around for Tracy Island's defences. Originally I was thinking something like how am I going to sneak a Mysteron agent onto IR to sabotage them from the inside? The brainwave that was Thunderbird Five (why sneak an agent in when they literally have IR's supercomputer in a position to be under their control?) was the sort of thing that had me literally bouncing around the room when it occurred to me. I was so smug about figuring that one out! Actually, I'm still really proud of that little plot twist... which I'm not actually sure anyone saw coming, judging by the various comments on the fic.

As for actually writing this scene - it was one of those I was full of glee about. I'm sure any fic writer will tell you there are moments in fics that you're just chomping at the bit to unleash on your poor, unsuspecting readers, and this scene was that for me in this particular fic. The way it starts with John not-panicking, and then IR's secrets starting to crumble, and the rest of them joining in on the panic while Spectrum desperately try and pry the relevant information out of them, before we finally get all the pieces of the puzzle and the glaringly obvious hole in their security that they'd have noticed if IR hadn't been quite so tight-lipped about their secrets (Captain Blue's sheer disbelief that they missed something that should have been so obvious, Lt. Green being the one to spell it out like the communications officer he is, all three of them putting everything together the moment they heard that the destroyed communications hub was so intertwined with IR's systems while IR were a half-step behind because they don't really know the Mysterons... Although John was more like a quarter-step behind because it's John and his little "waged war" on the system would've revealed TB5 as the culprit very quickly, especially to him of all people).

It was important to me in this fic to not make either organisation seem like they were "better" than the other. IR and Spectrum do very different things and they're both the best at what they do, but when it comes to overlapping into each other's jurisdictions... well, it's not quite so smooth sailing. Scott's youth and relative inexperience work against him a little in places, but on the other side, his reasonings are solid and he's constantly being underestimated by Spectrum because of his youth.

I also really, really wanted a John and Lt. Green tag-team. Kayo was a necessary evil in this fic (she's IR's head of security and decent with tech, there was no way to justify leaving her out), but John and Lt. Green? Rather a terrifying combination and the one I was most excited about writing out of all of them (although the cautious military interactions between Military Bros and the two Captains was also a fun game of "who's gonna crack first").

Poor Gordon in this scene, though. He had literally nothing to do but he was important earlier and was never going to leave Scott to fend off the two Captains alone (although Scott was equally useless and mad about it, in a mirror with Captain Scarlet, because I really wanted a plotline where for once he had to sit back and be useless and frustrated about it, much like poor Captain Blue ends up being most of the time in canon...)

But yeah, this was the twist reveal scene and I was lapping up the reactions to this as they came in! I'm so glad you found it as exciting as it was intended to be :D

[robertkstone]

2018 Best Driver’s Car: A Record-Breaking Year

There is a heavy stillness in the air, the weight of expectation.

Less than an hour before, our resident pro driver, Randy Pobst, had flung the mighty McLaren 720S around WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 1 minute, 29.78 seconds—the fastest lap ever recorded in the history of our Best Driver’s Car competition. Now, he’s powering the 911 GT2 RS down the infamous Corkscrew, the echoes of the Porsche’s barrel-chested bellow, so much like the iconic 935 racer, cascading through the surrounding hills.

A silent crowd clusters around the giant Racepak monitor in the pit garage. The folks from Porsche North America HQ are here, as are Chevy handlers from Detroit, the McLaren and Aston Martin support teams from the U.K., the Lamborghini guys from Italy, a pair of helpful Honda people, and a posse of Motor Trend editors. We hold our collective breath, transfixed by the real-time trace showing the Porsche’s progress around the 2.2-mile track. The clock deconstructs the lap, by fractions of a second. The 911 explodes onto the front straight and dashes for the finish line.

Distance. Time. Time. Distance. Eyes flicker across the screen; synapses snap the calculus.

Let’s back up. Our Best Driver’s Car shootout is not about a lap time. It’s about confidence: the confidence a car gives you when you take it to the limit, be it your own or the car’s. But when the lineup includes four of the most powerful supercars sold in America, lap times add spice to the competition. At stake? Bragging rights. The fastest car around Laguna Seca may not be Best Driver’s Car. But it will be king of one of the world’s most famous road courses.

Along with the McLaren and Porsche, the big dogs of BDC 2018 include Chevy’s refreshed Corvette ZR1 and Lamborghini’s Huracan Performante. “Seven hundred horsepower is the new 500 horsepower,” Chris Walton muses as he eyes this 2,786-horsepower quartet. And 500 hp is the new middle ground, with the 600-hp BMW M5 and 400-hp Audi TT RS bracketing a group that includes the 460-hp Mustang GT with Ford’s Performance Pack 2, plus Aston Martin’s all-new 503-hp Vantage and the 505-hp Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q4 Quadrifoglio.

Wait … an SUV in BDC? Yep. The Stelvio is so fast and agile, it damn near defies the laws of physics. It’s a driver’s … er, SUV.

Power isn’t everything, however, and the final three cars making the cut this year did so on the quality of their chassis rather than the output of their engines—though with 306 hp from just 2.0 liters, the turbocharged four-banger under the hood of the Honda Civic Type R has the fifth-highest specific output of this year’s field. Joining the Type R are Kia’s Stinger GT, whose poise had impressed us during last year’s COTY evaluations, and Mazda’s MX-5, back with a 17-percent boost in power and other detail tweaks.

Why no Ford GT? Of course we asked, and Dearborn initially agreed to send one of its low-slung, 647-hp supercars. But two weeks before we were due to start testing, Ford suddenly pulled the car, for reasons the PR department requested we not make public. Send your emails to Ford Motor Company. Maybe they’ll tell you why one of the most exciting driver’s cars ever to carry the Blue Oval wasn’t at BDC.

ROUTE 198

As usual, BDC opens on Route 198 in the sun-bleached hills of Central California. Our 4.2-mile test section, closed to traffic by the California Highway Patrol, allows judges to evaluate the contenders on a real-world road, albeit in closed-course safety. Climbing about 1,000 feet and crossing the San Andreas Fault en route to a turnaround point at the top of the hill, it’s a bewitching mixture of quick corners and mid-pace sweepers (if triple-digit speeds can be counted as “mid-pace”), with humps and heaves that test the limits of suspension travel, shock tuning, and chassis balance. The downhill run puts a different set of loads through the chassis and a spotlight on braking, stability, and steering precision.

Route 198 always throws us some unexpected moments. The monstrously fast 911 GT2 RS causes sharp intakes of breath for some judges when they arrive at corners with a wooden brake pedal and no sign of retardation. The culprit turns out to be the ultra-stiff sport setting for the shocks: It’s calibrated purely for track work, and using it on bumpy Route 198 means the Porsche’s front wheels can be in the air at a critical braking point, causing extreme ABS intervention. “Hated this car on the way down the hill!” Frank Markus gripes as his pulse rate returns to normal.

There are sidelong glances at the Corvette, too. Everyone loves the Herculean supercharged V-8 under the hood, its ferocious power accompanied by a volcanic wall of sound. But no one loves the chassis. The massive brakes haul the ZR1 down from dizzying velocities with insouciant ease, and the hyper-aggressive turn-in response is backed up by impressive front-end grip. After that, it all falls apart, the rear axle failing to provide support on corner entry or traction on corner exit. The big ’Vette is a tail-happy handful. We had all seen the footage of GM product development boss Mark Reuss casually looping a ZR1 into the wall while pacing the Detroit Grand Prix. Now we understood how easily that could happen. “The ZR1 needs to come with warning labels,” Ed Loh mutters.

The Audi TT RS seems quick and has that distinctive five-cylinder thrum that has defined performance Audis since the original Quattro Coupe. But the suspension lacks travel and feels underdamped, leaving the little coupe bucking and bouncing its way up Route 198. “A tad disconcerting,” Erick Ayapana notes.

Thanks to the super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that come with the Performance Pack 2, the Mustang GT has a ton of mechanical grip. But it feels clumsier and less composed than the Chevy Camaro SS 1LE that impressed us so much in 2016. “It’s hard to have a lot of confidence in this car,” Mark Rechtin grimaces.

There are pleasant surprises, though, like the Aston Martin Vantage. “It’s fascinating to drive the Vantage on U.S. roads after Jonny Lieberman and I tried it in Scotland,” Jethro Bovingdon says. “Over there it seemed a real monster—wide, stiff, and always shouting at you to drive faster. On 198, it’s different but no less engaging. The whole vibe is one of effortless control, and the car hums with feedback.”

Although at entirely different ends of the BDC spectrum, the McLaren 720S and Mazda MX-5 perform as expected. Those of us lucky enough to have spent time in the 720S beforehand knew the big Mac’s endless surge of acceleration, delicately detailed steering, outstanding brakes, and remarkably fluent ride would impress first-timers. And the MX-5 did what Miatas have always done best: offer one of the purest driving experiences you can get, at any price.

Honda’s Civic Type R is another crowd pleaser, and not just because of its remarkable engine and precise gearshift. At $35,595, it’s the second-cheapest car in this year’s shootout (just a couple hundred dollars more than the Miata), but the chassis feels like a million bucks on Route 198. Tremendous front-end grip is complemented by a rear end that tracks faithfully, regardless of throttle condition and road surface. “Incredibly capable and confident and easy to drive fast,” Scott Evans gushes.

BMWs have underwhelmed us recently, so not many editors expected the new-generation BMW M5 to feel so effortlessly fast and supremely composed. The engine is staggeringly good, a 600-hp iron fist wrapped in a velvet glove. Traction and chassis balance are terrific for a big, heavy sedan. The steering  is linear and consistent though still lacking the delicious tactility that once defined Munich’s best sport sedans. “It’s a family car and a sports car at the same time,” Miguel Cortina smiles.

Kia’s Stinger GT and Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio Quadrifoglio also win hearts, because both outperform our expectations. “Beneath the slightly soft-edged responses is a chassis of real balance and a subtle, nuanced delivery,” Jethro notes after stepping out of the Kia. Chris swoons as he exits the Alfa, impressed by its exhilarating twin-turbo V-6, sure-footed chassis, and sharp steering. “Wow! Way better than I had ever hoped it would be.”

Jonny had been saying for months that the Lamborghini Huracan Performante was a supercar to rival Ferrari’s 488—last year’s BDC winner—and the McLaren 720S. Those of us who hadn’t driven it were skeptical. Flashy, loud Lamborghinis have tended to overpromise and underdeliver; the Aventador’s last place in 2012 is a case in point.

A thigh-high wedge of weapons-grade machismo, the Huracan Performante turns heads wherever it’s parked. The first few turns on Route 198 reveal substance behind the showmanship—superb steering precision, immense braking capability, prodigious cornering grip, lovely chassis balance, and terrific traction. Randy speaks for us all after hurling the shrieking Lambo up the hill and back: “This car makes you into a god. You just get in and you drive like Ayrton Senna.”

Over a sun-blasted roadside lunch from our favorite Tacos La Potranca De Jalisco and dinner at The Cork & Plough in King City, we exchange praise and snark as we rank the contenders after our Route 198 test session. There’s fierce argument over whether the Porsche was better than the McLaren and whether the Aston and Honda really deserved to be ranked as highly as some thought. And what was an SUV doing here?

But there was nearly unanimous consensus as to which car should top the list: The Lamborghini would head to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as the leading contender for the 2018 Best Driver’s Car crown.

LAGUNA SECA

Laguna Seca is where Randy shines. He’s hot-lapped every Best Driver’s Car contender for the past nine shootouts, delivering not only a benchmark lap time but also concise commentary on how each car felt at the limit. Randy’s innate talent is an ability to get the best out of a car from the get-go, often extracting its quickest time on his first flying lap.

He’s also remarkably consistent. If Randy’s times fade on subsequent laps, it’s because of tire degradation, brake fade, or a spike in intake temperatures causing the engine to pull power.

Motor Trend therefore has a unique data set at its disposal: lap times for more than 120 performance cars, set by the same driver on the same track using the same methodology. The evolution of performance can be tracked right here.

Over the years we’ve relied on the talents of our in-house Gyro Gearloose, testing director Kim Reynolds, to create and build a multitiered Racelogic Vbox system that captures not only lap times but also key data points that help us understand exactly how a BDC contender behaves during the lap, which enables us to correlate objective information with Randy’s subjective commentary. But for 2018, Kim’s triple-redundancy setup has been augmented with the brand-new Vantage CL1 data-logging system from Racepak.

Racepak’s CL1 multichannel data acquisition unit receives data directly from a vehicle’s OBD II port (including engine revs, coolant temperature, and throttle position) and merges it with any external channels you choose, plus its own highly accurate accelerometer and GPS data (including mph). Then it’s Bluetoothed to (and stored in) a windshield-mounted iPhone so Randy can see, real-time, his speed and how much he’s ahead or behind his best previous lap on its display. Simultaneously, the app sends the data, via cell connection, to a server in Phoenix, where the information is rendered into graphics and overlaid onto a swipeable and rotatable track map. Racepak president Tim Anderson says the highly intuitive graphic interface allows team members to watch, as it happens, a car’s performance from anywhere in the world.

Randy will start Day 1 with the all-wheel-drive cars and lower-powered contenders. For Day 2, he’ll open with the big dogs from PerformanceJunk WP Feed 3 https://ift.tt/2PRhjS6 via IFTTT

[creepykingdom]

Toy Story Land Review

By Grant Duvall

At Disney's Hollywood "studios?" in Florida, Toy Story Land recently opened to the public.  While obviously an appetizer for Star Wars, which opens next year, and seen as a kiddie land, there are some charms that make this worth a detour if you are in Orlando this year!

First off, this land is very pretty.  It feels very much like we are walking through Andy's backyard, that is if Andy's yard had Star Wars towering over it.  The whole theming is that Andy built the land as his homage to theme park lands in his own yard.  Thankfully, he was kind enough to include a restaurant and restrooms.  The land feels open and easy to navigate and is not intimidating.  

The two rides (plus a new entrance for Toy Story Midway Mania) fit in nicely.  Slinky Dog Dash is actually very attractive looking and adds a lot of charm to the land, which was surprising being that it looks more like a traditional Six Flags junior rollercoaster.

The ride that we got to try this time was Alien Spinning Saucers.  ASS (did anyone not put together that acronym?) is a nicely themed, higher capacity spinning whip ride.  This ride is very gentle as it whips you around in circles much like Mater's Junkyard Jamboree at Cars Land in California Adventure.  The queue is very similar to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom/Disneyland/Disneyland Paris/Shanghai Disneyland/Tokyo Disneyland.  Some fun space music plays and you spin around for about a minute.  While not an E-Ticket by any reports, this is a welcome addition to a park that currently has 6 rides.  This will give kids something to look forward to if they can't ride Star Wars attractions next year (they're next door to each other).  This could have been a quickly themed ride like Mater's but they went with a fun covering allowing for light effects.  Overall, as an adult it's about a 4 out of 10 for me, but little kids seemed to love it so the score is probably higher for them.

Andy from Toy Story has a drinking problem.  The kid is in elementary school and packs more booze in his lunchbox than Charlie Sheen brings to a weekend getaway.  Woody's Lunchbox is the quick service restaurant, featuring brisket sandwiches and Monte Cristos.  My wife tried the Monte Cristo and loved it (although it's nowhere near as good as the one at Disneyland).  I didn't eat as I grabbed a Viking Dog at Epcot earlier and was full.  Strangely, they sell booze here which is strange as this is Andy's lunch, so either Andy is sneaking booze or Andy has a really bad mother who sends him to school with alcohol.  I didn't get to try his alcoholic lemonade, but I will next time with a full report next time.  I'll also give the brisket a try, which I've heard is awesome! 

Three weeks later my wife and I decided to go to Toy Story Land in the evening to see the lighting, grab a drink, and check out the Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster.  Once we got to Hollywood Studios (which isn't much of a studio anymore, but hey, maybe there will be a name change in the future), I realized that this park is finally back up to being a half day park, and once Star Wars and Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway opens up it'll be a respectable full day park again!  I'd also like to note that this is a much better addition than the tram tour was.  The tram tour used to be great when the Studios was a real working studio, but it got shorter and shorter as stuff stopped filming, to the point where it was just Catastrophe Canyon and a drive by some props.  

I started by going back to Andy's lunchbox, to enjoy the grownup lemonade that apparently Andy had stolen from his mother.  Strangely, the menu had changed to remove the Monte Cristo sandwich from the menu in a matter of weeks.  The area has only been open for 3 weeks and there have already been changes, so I guess some items must not have been selling well.  The grownup lemonade was nice and refreshing as we decided to wait 75 minutes for the thesis attraction of the land, Slinky Dog Dash.  

The queue is entirely outside, but is incredibly whimsical as we go through Andy's design schematics to build and modify a toy roller coaster so his Slinky Dog could take a ride.  The ride itself is very gentle, with 2 mild launches over the roughly 90 seconds of ride time.  You ride through Andy's backyard past various obstacles and toys as you listen to Slinky give his commentary.  

You also get some great views of Star Wars land, so even if you don't feel like riding a kid's coaster, the construction views alone are great.  You end the journey by passing an animatronic of Wheezy the penguin singing karaoke to "You've Got a Friend in Me."  Overall, this ride is a nice addition to the park (I was very skeptical of it at first as it looked like an off the shelf kiddie coaster, but was proven wrong) and give it a solid 6 out of 10.  The coaster is better than Seven Dwarves Mine Train, although the dwarves ultimately win as it has a nice dark ride portion.  

We also decided to go through the new Midway Mania queue just to check it out.  More toys and new artwork, but it ultimately leads to the same ride that my wife slaughters me on every time.  Last, the place illuminates at night.  Christmas lights give it a fun, fairground feel that works very nicely with the intellectual property it's tied to. 

 Sadly, I didn't get to experience full night as we had dining reservations at 9:00 at they Yacht Club (side note, Ale and Compass at Yacht Club is one of the BEST restaurants on property by far!) and Florida doesn't get dark until much later in summer, but I got the gist of it. 

 Ultimately, Toy Story Land is a nice addition and a great family land to spend time in while we wait for Star Wars.  I wouldn't say you need to rush on over to it or plan a trip exclusively for it, but if you happen to be in Florida, it's well worth checking out!

Creepy Scale 1-10....I'll give this a 2 as it's so family friendly, but some nice shots of Cootie Bugs that, if came to life, could eat you.  Also, Andy stealing alcohol from his mom (or even creepier, giving her son a whole mini bar) is kind of unnerving!

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ "Ha! Flatterer." Despite words au ra would endeavor to take comfort in the fact that youthful appearances have not left her yet.

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ "Candyfruit and fresh buuz are always good reasons to return to the steppe." Odtsetseg may have mixed feelings about her homeland at times, but none could deny that one could find some quality food on occasion. However, pleasantries were soon replaced with a surprised visage.

- "... Wait, there is a minion of me now, too?" She surmised it was bound to happen, eventually. Fortuitously, being a Hotgo member entailed that she change her looks every now and then. Perhaps it was time for a new appearance.

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ "Fret not, we are all biased here."

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ Well, consider her someone with "terrible taste" then.

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ "Your cultures clearly do not practice offering eyeballs to honored guests at your dinner table it would seem."

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ "Believe me, Alphinaud has experienced much madness already. Likely far more than he should, at this age."

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ Odtsetseg has faced multiple apocalyptic threats, at this point in time and she will bring herself to do so again, should the need arise.

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ We do not talk about the Garlemald incident. Not in public, at any rate.

[tenuuchlegch]

❃ Personally, Odtsetseg has yet to see an ugly viera. For all she knows, they do not even exist.

[tenuuchlegch]

        Full glad was she to have expanded her abilities when it came towards healing, for it seemed as if multiple casualties had need of xaela’s assistance. 

         As for Odtsetseg, she was surprisingly unaffected by it all. Turns out there were some unintended benefits to espying Torgud members as a young age.