#marching band disneyland

[glamgoths]

drops these doodles i forgot to post of a very niche Disneyland Alice in Wonderland themed band i was obsessed with when i was 13

i was feeling nostalgic and was looking back at photos of them and did some quick studies

[samsdisneydiary]

Live the Magic of the Disneyland Band Live with Mickey and Minnie

[sassenach77yle]

What are ye laughing at, a nighean?” Her father loomed out of the night, smelling of horses. “Everything,” she said, scooching over to make room for him to sit beside her. It was true. Everything seemed suddenly bright, the candlelight from the windows of the Big House, the fireflies in the grass, the glow of Roger’s face when he told her his desire. She could still feel the touch of his mouth on hers; it fizzed in her blood.

Jamie reached up and fielded a passing firefly, holding it for a moment cupped in the dark hollow of his hand, where it flashed on and off, the cool light seeping through his fingers. Far off, she heard a brief snatch of her mother’s voice, coming through an open window;

Claire was singing “Clementine.” Now the boys—and Roger—were howling at the moon, though it was no more than a pale sickle on the horizon. She felt her father’s body shake with silent laughter, too.

“It reminds me of Disneyland,” she said on impulse.

“Oh, aye? Where’s that?” “It’s an amusement park—for children,” she added, knowing that while there were such things as amusement parks in places like London and Paris, these were purely adult places. No one ever thought of entertaining children now, beyond their own games and the occasional toy. “Daddy and Mama took me there every summer,” she said, slipping back without effort to the hot, bright days and warm California nights.

“The trees all had little sparkling lights in them—the fireflies reminded me.” Jamie spread his palm; the firefly, suddenly free, pulsed to itself once or twice, then spread its wings with a tiny whir and lifted into the air, floating up and away.

“Dwelt a miner, forty-niner, and his daugh-ter, Clementine . . .”

“What was it like, then?” he asked curiously. “Oh . . . it was wonderful.” She smiled to herself, seeing the brilliant lights of Main Street, the music and mirrors and beautiful, beribboned horses of King Arthur’s Carrousel. “There were . . . rides, we called them. A boat, where you could float through the jungle on a river, and see crocodiles and hippopotamuses and headhunters . . .” “Headhunters?” he said, intrigued. “Not real ones,” she assured him. “It’s all make-believe—but it’s . . . well, it’s a world to itself. When you’re there, the real world sort of disappears; nothing bad can happen there.

They call it ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’—and for a little while, it really seems that way.”

“Light she was, and like a fairy, and her shoes were number nine, Herring boxes without topses, sandals were for Clementine.”“And you’d hear music everywhere, all the time,” she said, smiling. “Bands—groups of musicians playing instruments, horns and drums and things—would march up and down the streets, and play in pavilions. . . .” “Aye, that happens in amusement parks. Or it did, the once I was in one.” She could hear a smile in his voice, as well. “Mm-hm. And there are cartoon characters—I told you about cartoons—walking around. You can go up and shake hands with Mickey Mouse, or—” “With what?” “Mickey Mouse.” She laughed. “A big mouse, life-size—human-size, I mean. He wears gloves.” “A giant rat?” he said, sounding slightly stunned. “And they take the weans to play with it?” “Not a rat, a mouse,” she corrected him. “And it’s really a person dressed up like a mouse.” “Oh, aye?” he said, not sounding terribly reassured. “Yes. And an enormous carrousel with painted horses, and a railroad train that goes through the Rainbow Caverns, where there are big jewels sticking out of the walls, and colored streams with red and blue water . . . and orange-juice bars. Oh, orange-juice bars!” She moaned softly in ecstatic remembrance of the cold, tart, overwhelming sweetness. “It was nice, then?” he said softly.

“Thou art lost and gone forever, Dreadful sor-ry . . . Clementine.”

“Yes,” she said, sighed, and was silent for a moment. Then she leaned her head against his shoulder, and wrapped her hand around his arm, big and solid. “You know what?” she said, and he made a small interrogatory noise in reply.

It was nice—it was great—but what I really, really loved about it was that when we were there, it was just the three of us, and everything was perfect. Mama wasn’t worrying about her patients, Daddy wasn’t working on a paper—they weren’t ever silent or angry with each other. Both of them laughed—we all laughed, all the time . . . while we were there.” He made no reply, but tilted his head so it rested against hers. She sighed again, deeply.

“Jemmy won’t get to go to Disneyland—but he’ll have that. A family that laughs—and millions of little lights in the trees.”

A breath of snow and ashes

Season 7 episode 2 “The Happiest Place on Earth”

[mzannthropy]

Sam Claflin and Adaptations (there's a lot more than you think!)

Articles and interviews be like: Sam, you have done so many book adaptations and then name at most three titles. Every fucking time. Luckily, I'm here to tell you about them! (Under the cut as it got long.)

Hunger Games Catching Fire and Mockingjay (books written by Suzanne Collins) - YA dystopia. The most obvious, of course. Sam plays Finnick Odair, the coolest character. (He's not dead, Katniss is lying.)

Daisy Jones and the Six (book written by Taylor Jenkins Reid) - story of a rise and fall of fictional band in the 1970s. Sam is Billy Dunne, the main male lead and a real rockstar!

My Cousin Rachel (book written by Daphne du Maurier) - Gothic thriller, 19th century. Sam is the narrator, Philip. This is my personal favourite.

Their Finest - adaptation of Their Finest Hour and a Half (book written by Lissa Evans) - Drama with bits of comedy. Set during WW2 in the film industry. Sam plays screenwriter Buckley, a member of a film crew working on a film about Dunkirk evacuation. Also features a side character who is gay and is alive at the end. More people should watch this film, imo.

Enola Holmes (book written by Nancy Springer) - kiddie Sherlockian pastiche. Sam plays Mycroft Holmes, at least that's his character's name, but it's not the usual Mycroft; his version is dumbed-down and cartoon-villainised so that the eponymous teenage girlboss can have her story.

Adrift - adaptation of Red Sky in the Mourning (book written by Tami Oldham Ashcroft) - survival drama of a seafaring couple lost at sea after a hurricane. Sam is the main character's love interest, Richard.

Two mini series from Sam's early career (that I haven't watched so can't give you any info):

Pillars of the Earth (book written by Ken Follett) - TV mini series set in 12th century about building of a cathedral. This was Sam's very first role.

Any Human Heart (book written by William Boyd) - TV mini series, chronicles a life of a writer in 20th century. Sam plays the youngest version of the main character, Logan.

Adaptations of plays - it counts, okay?

Journey's End (play written by RC Sherriff) - WW1 war film, but not a regular one (there's no battles). Covers a week in the trenches in March 1918. Sam plays Captain Stanhope, an officer at the edge of nervous breakdown. One of his best performances, if not the very best.

Riot Club (play written by Laura Wade) - contemporary film about a posh elite club at Oxford. Sam's character, Alistair, is a spoiled brat, Draco Malfoy-like. (Not the good fanon version, the bad canon version.) Btw, this is no Dead Poet's Society, no dark academia - the titular club is based on Bullingdon Club (of which Boris Johnson was member). They book a table at restaurants, trash them and then hand the owners a cheque to compensate. You see now why we have all these problems...

You can make an argument for:

Snow White and the Huntsman - (folk tale recorded by Brothers Grimm). It's a darker retelling. Sam plays William, the prince charming of the story.

Snow White and the Red Shoes, (as above) an animated film, he voices a character named Merlin. No idea what this is as I haven't seen it.

Okay now I'm stretching it

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides - adapted from a Disneyland ride. BUT the ride itself was inspired by legendary tales of pirates, among others the books of Emilio Salgari. So, not that crazy. Might be the weakest of the franchise, but Sam's storyline--he plays the missionary Philip--is what saves it, his romance with the mermaid is just the cutest!

So that's it. Thank you for reading and I hope you check some of these out.

[clarktooncrossing]

Didn't Wanna Feel Old in 2023? Sucks to be You!

Happy 2023 everybody! It's a new year meaning I've got new goals to meet. Goals like finally publishing something, setting up commissions so people can pay me to do what I love, cross-posting between my account here and on deviantART, summoning more kaijus just so they can play elaborate games of poker, y'know, all that good stuff. It also means the return of my 'list of things that have reached a milestone anniversary' list. However, it seems like I've been doing this for so long that these lists have in fact reached their own milestone. From what I could tell, this is the fifth year of my doing this, at least on deviantART. If that doesn't make you feel right from the gate, I present the following:

If I don't mention this my buddy Volts48 won't let me rest; the highly influential sci-fi movie Metropolis turns 100 years old this year, meaning it is now in the public domain. I plan to take full advantage of this fact later, but for now I have the rest of this list to get to...

Anything from 1973 turns 50 years old this year. This includes...

Schoolhouse Rock! (Jan 6th)

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (June 13th)

Robin Hood (yes, the version with the fox) (Nov 18th)

Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom) (December 15th)

Charlotte's Web (the animated movie, not the book) (March 1st)

Godzilla vs Megalon (March 17th)

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (April 5th)

Soylent Green (May 9th)

The Exorcist (December 26th)

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (November 20th)

The Young and the Restless (March 26th)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (Sept 8th)

Super Friends (Sept 8th)

Asteroid (Space Race) (July 16th)

The Night Gwen Stacy Died (MARVEL) (June - July 1973)

'We’re an American Band' by Grand Funk Railroad

'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album (Oct 5th)

Anything from 1978 turns 45 years old this year. This includes...

Alien (May 25th)

The Cat from Outer Space (June 9th)

The Star Wars Holiday Special (Nov 17th)

The Small One (Dec 16th)

Jaws 2 (June 16th)

Grease (July 8th)

Revenge of the Pink Panther (July 13th)

Animal House (July 28th)

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (Oct 8th)

Halloween (Oct 25th)

Watership Down (Nov 1st)

The Lord of the Rings (animated version) (Nov 15th)

Superman: The Movie (Dec 15th)

Lupin the Third: The Secret of Mamo (Dec 16th)

Fantasy Island (Jan 14th)

The Incredible Hulk (TV series) (March 10th)

The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series) (April 15th)

Hanna Barbera's Godzilla (Sept 9th)

Yogi's Space Race (Sept 9th)

Taxi (Sept 12th)

WKRP in Cincinnati (Sept 18th)

Space Invaders (April 1st)

Anything from 1983 turns 40 years old this year. This includes...

Mickey Mouse Splashdance

Journey into Imagination (EPCOT) (March 5th)

Winnie the Pooh and A Day for Eeyore (March 26th)

Tokyo Disneyland (April 15th)

They Disney Channel (Rest in Peace) (April 18th)

Welcome to Pooh Corner (April 18th)

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (May 25th)

Pinocchio's Daring Journey (Disneyland) (May 25th)

Sorcerer's Apprentice (Atari 2600) (Aug 5th)

Horizons (EPCOT) (Oct 1st)

Mickey's Christmas Carol (Dec 16th)

The first annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day parade (Dec 25th)

Superman III (June 17th)

Jaws 3-D (July 22nd)

National Lampoon's Vacation (July 29th)

Risky Business (Aug 5th)

Cujo (August 12th)

A Christmas Story (Nov 18th)

Scarface (Dec 9th)

Fraggle Rock (Jan 10th)

A-Team (Jan 23rd)

Reading Rainbow (July 11th)

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Sept 5th)

Alvin and the Chipmunks (Sept 17th)

Cheers (Sept 30th)

The Video Game Crash of 1983

Mirage Studios (Sept 30th)

DC acquires Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and The Question

'Let's Dance' by David Bowie

'Mr. Roboto' by Styx

The My Little Pony franchises as a whole

Anything from 1988 turns 35 years old this year. This includes...

Good Morning Vietnam (Jan 15th)

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Jan 17th)

IllumiNations (EPCOT) (Jan 20th)

Totally Minnie (Feb 25th)

Willow (May 20th)

Big (June 3rd)

Norway (EPCOT) (June 3rd)

Mickey's Birthdayland (Magic Kingdom) (June 18th)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (June 21st)

Die Hard (July 22nd)

Language Arts Through Imagination starring Figment (he's a dragon) (Sept 8th)

Oliver and Company (Nov 18th)

Tin Toy (Dec 30th)

Beetlejuice (March 30th)

Return of the Killer Tomatoes (April 22nd)

Rambo III (May 25h)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (May 27th)

My Neighbor Totoro (July 13th)

Mac & Me (Aug 12th)

Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf (Sept 14th)

Akira (Oct 19th)

They Live (Nov 14th)

The Land Before Time (Nov 18th)

Scrooged (Nov 23rd)

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (Nov 29th)

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (Dec 2nd)

Twins (Dec 9th)

Count Duckula (Feb 6th)

Denver, the Last Dinosaur (April 1st)

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (Sept 10th)

Alf Tales (Sept 10th)

Garfield and Friends (Sept 17th)

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy's Nightmares (Oct 8th)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Nov 24th)

Final Fantasy II (Dec 17th)

Mega Man 2 (Dec 24th)

Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3

Nintendo Power

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore

Batman: A Death in the Family (this was not Batman's year)

'Don't Worry Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin

'It Takes Two by Rob Base' and DJ EZ Rock

'Parents Just Don't Understand' by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff

'Nothin' But a Good Time' by Poison

'Cult of Personality' by Living Colour

Anything from 1993 turns 30 years old this year. This includes...

Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey (Feb 3rd)

Roger Rabbit in Trail Mix-Up (March 12th)

The Sandlot (April 7th)

Super Mario Bros, the unfortunate film (May 28th)

Hocus Pocus (July 16th)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (July 28th)

Bill Nye the Science Guy (Sept 10th)

Boy Meets World (Sept 24th)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Oct 29th)

Mrs. Doubtfire (Nov 2nd)

Disney's Sing-A-Long Songs: The 12 Days of Christmas (Dec 1993)

Tombstone (Dec 25th)

Groundhog Day (Feb 12th)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (March 19th)

Jurassic Park (June 11th)

Last Action Hero (June 13th)

Free Willy (July 16th)

Coneheads (July 23rd)

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (Aug 13th)

The Thief and the Cobbler (Aug 25th)

Demolition Man (Oct 8th)

Addams Family Values (Nov 19th)

We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (Nov 24th)

Schindler's List (Dec 15th)

Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers (Dec 17th)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (Dec 25th)

Beavis and Butt-Head (March 8th)

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (Aug 27th)

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Aug 28th)

Late Show with David Letterman (Aug 30th)

The X-Files (Sept 10th)

Legends of the Hidden Temple (Sept 11th)

Animaniacs (Sept 13th)

Late Night with Conan O'Brien (Sep 13th)

Fraiser (Sept 16th)

Rocko's Modern Life (Sept 18th)

The Atari Jaguar

DOOM

Sam and Max: Hit the Road

Batman: Knightfall by Alan Grant

'I'll Do Anything For Love' by Meatloaf

'Shoop' by Salt-n-Peppa (Deadpool's favorite!)

Anything from 1998 turns 25 years old this year. This includes...

Movie Surfers (Jan 1st)

Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (Feb 17th)

PB&J Otter (March 15th)

The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) (April 5th)

Toon Disney (April 18th)

Disney's Animal Kingdom (April 22nd)

Mulan (July 22nd)

The Parent Trap (remake) (July 29th)

Hercules: The Series (Aug 31st)

Out of the Box (Oct 7th)

Halloweentown (Oct 17th)

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Oct 27th)

Rollie Pollie Ollie (Nov 6th)

A Bug's Life (Nov 24th)

Mighty Joe Young (Dec 25th)

Elmopalooza (Feb 20th)

The Big Lebowski (March 16th)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (May 19th)

The unfortunate American Godzilla film (May 20th) and it's surprisingly good TV follow up (Sept 12th)

The Truman Show (June 5th)

Saving Private Ryan (July 24th)

Blade (Aug 19th)

Rush Hour (Sept 18th)

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (Sept 22nd)

Antz (Oct 2nd)

The Rugrats Movie (Nov 20th)

The Prince of Egypt (Dec 16th)

Power Rangers in Space (Feb 6th)

CatDog (April 4th)

Sex and the City (June 6th)

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Aug 5th)

That 70s Show (Aug 23rd)

The Wild Thornberrys (Sept 1st)

Will & Grace (Sept 21st)

The Powerpuff Girls (Nov 18th)

Banjo Kazooie (June 29th)

Spyro the Dragon (Sept 19th)

Half Life (Nov 19th)

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nov 21st)

The Sega Dreamcast

Gameboy Color

Spider-Girl (Feb 1998) - Fitting, considering she makes her cinematic debut this year in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing' by Aerosmith from the soundtrack for Armageddon

'...Baby One More Time' by Brittney Spears

Anything from 2003 turns 20 years old this year. This includes...

That's So Raven (Jan 17th)

The Jungle Book 2 (Feb 14th)

Atlantis: Milo's Return (Feb 25th)

Piglet's Big Movie (March 21st)

Holes (April 18th)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (May 2nd)

X2 (May 2nd)

Finding Nemo (May 30th)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (July 9th)

The Simpsons: Hit & Run (Sept 16th)

Lilo & Stitch! The Series (Sept 20th)

Mickey's PhilharMagic (Magic Kingdom) (Oct 8th)

Brother Bear (Nov 1st)

Star Wars: Clone Wars (Tartakovsky) (Nov 7th)

The Haunted Mansion (movie) (Nov 26th)

Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (Nov 28th)

Destino (Dec 19th)

Kangaroo Jack (January 17th)

Daredevil (movie) (Feb 14th)

Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure (March 18th)

Daddy Day Care (May 4th)

Matrix Reloaded (May 16th) and Revolutions (Oct 27th)

Bruce Almighty (May 23rd)

Rugrats Go Wild (June 13th)

Ang Lee's Hulk (June 17th)

The Room (June 27th)

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (July 2nd)

Freddy vs Jason (Aug 13th)

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Oct 10th)

Elf (Nov 7th)

The Cat in the Hat (movie) (Nov 8th)

Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Nov 9th)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Dec 17th)

Big Fish (Dec 25th)

Mythbusters (Jan 23rd)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (KidsWB animated series) (Feb 8th)

Power Rangers Ninja Storm (Feb 15th)

Red vs Blue (April 1st)

All Grown Up! (April 12th)

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (July 11th)

Teen Titans (July 19th)

My Life as a Teenage Robot (Aug 1st)

Clifford's Puppy Days (Sept 1st)

Devil May Cry 2 (Jan 25th)

Postal 2 (April 14th)

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (June 20th)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (July 5th)

Jak II (Oct 14th)

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (Oct 14th)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Oct 28th)

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (Oct 29th)

Call of Duty (Oct 29th)

Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando (Nov 11th)

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

Invincible (Image) (Jan 2003)

JLA/Avengers (Sept 2003)

The Walking Dead (Image) (Oct 2003)

'Where is the Love?' by Black Eyed Peas

Anything from 2008 turns 15 years old this year. This includes...

Phineas and Ferb (Feb 1st)

Horton Hears a Who! (movie) (March 3rd)

Iron Man (May 2nd), The Incredible Hulk (June 13th), and the birth of the MCU

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22nd)

Toy Story Mania! (Hollywood Studios) (June 17th)

WALL-E (aka the greatest movie ever!) (June 27th)

Star Wars: Clone Wars (movie) (Aug 10th)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Sept 16th)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Oct 24th)

Tinker Bell (Oct 28th)

BURN-E (Nov 18th)

Bolt (Nov 21st)

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (Dec 17th)

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (Jan 11th)

Rambo (Jan 24th)

Kung Fu Panda (June 6th)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11th)

The Dark Knight (July 18th)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Aug 1st)

Ponyo (Aug 14th)

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Nov 7th)

Twilight (Nov 21) - I'M VENGEANCE!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Jan 13th)

Breaking Bad (Jan 20th)

Power Rangers Jungle Fury (Feb 18th)

Spectacular Spider-Man (the best incarnation of the wall-crawler) (March 8th)

Ben 10: Alien Force (April 8th)

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (June 5th)

The Penguins of Madagascar (Nov 28th)

Super Smash Bros Brawl (Jan 31st)

God of War: Chains of Olympus (March 4th)

Dead Space (Oct 13th)

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (Oct 21st)

Little Big Planet (Oct 27th)

Fallout 3 (Oct 28th)

Mirror's Edge (Nov 11th)

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Nov 16th)

Gears of War 2 (Nov 7th)

Left 4 Dead (Nov 17th)

Sonic Unleashed (Nov 18th)

Grand Theft Auto IV (Dec 2nd)

Lego Batman and Indiana Jones

Final Crisis (May 2008)

Marvel Apes (Oct - Nov 2008)

'I Kissed a Girl' and 'Hot n Cold' by Katty Perry

'Viva la Vida' by Coldplay

'So What?' by P!NK

Anything from 2013 turns 10 years old this year. This includes...

Sofia the First (Jan 11th)

Aliens: Colonial Marines (Feb 12th)

Oz, the Great and Powerful (March 8th)

Iron Man 3 (May 3rd)

Mystic Point (Hong Kong Disneyland) (May 17th)

Monsters University (June 21st)

Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (Aug 16th)

Disney Infinity (Aug 18th)

Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse (Sep 2nd)

Toy Story of Terror! (Oct 16th)

Thor: The Dark World (Nov 8th)

Frozen (Nov 27th)

The current run of Mickey Mouse cartoons (Nov 29th)

Saving Mr. Banks (Dec 20th)

Texas Chainsaw 3D (Jan 4th)

Evil Dead (remake) (April 5th)

The Purge (June 7th)

Man of Steel (June 14th)

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (June 16th)

Despicable Me 2 (July 3rd)

Pacific Rim (July 12th)

Turbo (July 17th)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Sept 27th)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Nov 22nd)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Dec 13th)

Teen Titans Go! (April 23rd) - HOW IS THIS STILL ON THE AIR!?!?!?

Orange Is the New Black (July 11th)

PAW Patrol (Aug 12th)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Sept 17th)

Rick and Morty (Dec 2nd)

Tomb Raider (March 5th)

God of War: Ascension (March 12th)

BioShock Infinite (March 26th)

Injustice: Gods Among Us (April 16th)

The Last of Us (June 14th)

Deadpool (video game) (June 25th)

Rayman Legends (Aug 29th)

Grand Theft Auto V (Sept 17th)

The Stanley Parable (Oct 17th)

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Oct 29th)

'Get Lucky' by Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams

'My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)' by Fall Out Boy

'Roar' by Katy Perry

'Wagon Wheel' by Darius Ruckus

'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cyrus

'Applause' by Lady Gaga'

'What Does the Fox Say?' by Ylvis

'Happy' by Pharrell Williams

And with all that said, I hope you all have a happy new year!

Did I miss any milestones? If I did, feel free to let me know in the comments. For now though, MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[lavenderdameron]

I feel like being silly so hyper-specific poll time!

[dausy]

Happy New Year! I wanted to do like a comprehensive "stuff I did in 2023" but I have a terrible memory and goodreads says I only read 4 books which is completely incorrect so I don't know what I've read.

I have oddly enough done a quite a bit of things this year.

I've been here in Texas now for a year and at my current job for a year. I can tell you my spanish has improved tremendously without having any sort of scale or way to gauge to it. Still absolutely not fluent, just better than I was before we moved here. I've found my absolute favorite local coffee shop that is not a starbucks. It has great food and great coffee. I've been to many other local cafes in other states and their coffee always tasted like dirtwater and starbucks or mcdonalds has always been better (sad right?). We discovered Chilaquiles, which I have never heard of before until we moved here. Honestly we havent been to that many mexican restaurants and primarily focused on brunch spots. I also havent been out to eat since my husband left on his overseas rotation.

now that its the new year this is a new one that I've learned. Rosca de Reyes. I have never heard of it before. I've seen and had king cake around mardi gras time (which is nasty). But never Rosca de Reyes. So thats new to me.

We took several trips this year. We started our year off at Knotts Berry Farm and Downtown Disney. We visited my husbands side of the family a lot because now we're so close (8 hour drive and all). So we saw them for Easter. My SIL had her 21st birthday so we visited Las Vegas. This was right before they opened that giant globe and I did not see it..in the distance..its turned-off-ness. I completely missed it and never saw it. They were starting to gate everything off too for the car racing thing they were doing. She got to jump out of an airplane and I was not down to watching that. Cant do it. Makes me want to vomit. But she survived and said it was the greatest experience ever.

We then went back to the Los Angeles area around June/July to visit the beach and the Mario land in Universal Studios. I'd never been to US in California before only Florida. So that was an interesting experience too. I think mario was cool but unless it grows more, its not really worth it. The jurassic park ride for sure was more superior than the one in Orlando and the park tour was interesting surprisingly.

ran into a few celebrities on accident. Visited Little Tokyo which was a highlight to me.

and ofcourse I drove to my in-laws for thanksgiving and then went back just a couple weeks ago for Disneyland and another day at knotts.

I know I missed out on a lot of local experiences just because I didn't want to go on my own. I know there were a few bands in town I would have wanted to see but yeah..by myself no. We did go see a youtuber/comedian at the local theater and that was really neat. Their theater here is nice.

goodreads is screwed up and is telling me I read 4 books but thats inaccurate. If I could manually I did around 21 but I've returned quite a few books so I'm not sure the grand total.

I think the best book I read all year was Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. I enjoyed that a lot. I think a sequel comes out in march and I plan to read it too.

Hurricane Wars was a lot of stupid fun, not because I think it was well written, but because I get a kick out of fandom fanartists/fanfic authors doing something professional. I'm like "you go girl" and I don't even know these people. I didn't particularly think the original reylo fanfic was great. But I appreciate the success a fandom can bring people.

The worst book was IronFlame but I appreciate the hype. I like fandoms. I like the enthusiasm of fandoms and how much fun they make things. I want to join in on the fun too. I did not enjoy Fourth Wing. I thought it was terribly written. If it was a fanfic I would have hit the backbutton so fast on it (and thats how I judge my books, on the "back-button" scale). But they made the hype for IronFlame look so fun. It was even worse than Fourth Wing. I don't understand what others were reading but I can't judge because I bought it due to FOMO. I do not plan to read the third book.

Little surprise success too. I stuffed my kindle and discovered AG Caggiano and read the first book of Villains and Virtues and I really liked it. I have such a hard reading not-fanfic. The writing styles for fanfic and original books are just so different and I have a hard time getting into original novels but I really enjoy these silly characters. Never heard of this book series or author before. But I finished the first book within a couple days and I'm half thru the second. Its like a silly disney movie. Bit more pg13 but I enjoyed it.

I did have some fails. I made it through half of HarryPotter 2 and Im about 50 pages from finishing Court of Thornes and Roses by SJM in SPANISH. My goal was to finish these books in SPANISH. I honestly got a little distracted by a Tangled spanish fanfic. But reading in Spanish is very humbling and difficult. I have to be able to clear my mind to get through it. Some days I can zoom through a page, other days I don't understand a single word. So I didn't quite finish anything.

Trying to think of games I finished this year. I finished God of War Ragnarok at the beginning of the year. I mean, good game but the wow factor kinda stuck with the first remake. Nothing really stood out to me that I ever need to play it ever again.

I upgraded my switchlite to a switch OLED which almost killed me because there was nothing wrong with my switchlite but I wanted to play TOTK on the big tv. TOTK was fine too but I found myself getting bored of it. Again, I think the major wow factor was with the first one, BOTW. In TOTK, it felt like I was clearing the same map all over again but then they added the underground and sky which then just made my map-clearing OCD give intense anxiety re completionism. I have to stop and flip every rock over and I was getting tired.

I also played Harvestella which I did not enjoy. I played Octopath Traveler 1 which was not bad, I heard 2 was great and I plan to play it eventually. I also played Xenoblade 1 which was not bad either. I'm playing Xenoblade 2 now and I'm struggling a bit to get enthused about it. Everybody says X3 is amazing but I felt bad for skipping 2 to get to 3. So I'm going to suck it up.

The real winner this year for me has been Disney Dreamlight Valley. It was officially released in December but Ive been playing the "beta" for well over a year now. I got pretty heavy into it with some of the large updates this year. I have more hours in it than TOTK. With all its issues and peoples complaints, its a perfect game for me. Its disney. I got simba and rapunzel. I can decorate my island in disney. I can casually play while audiobooking. Its relaxing.

What else did we do this year? hosted 4th of July. Hosted a buddy to stay at our house for a bit while he was here on assignment.

I hired a dog walker by myself. Had a dental procedure I had been dreaming about but the anxiety of asking about it was scary and it was fine.

I went outdoor rock climbing for the first time ever and never need to do that again. I did go to 2 different indoor rock gyms. Got embarrassed at both places and havent gone back. I have fallen off the wagon really badly with going to the gym here. I just can't find a place where I feel comfortable.

I also got really invested in my backyard landscaping because this place sucks for my dog.

I think some of my stomach issues have improved tremendously this year. Stomachs still not great but I havent felt the urge to go to the doctor about it due to the anxiety which is an improvement.

Seen a bunch of movies this year too. Dungeons and Dragons, Mario, Oppenheimer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles....Wish sucked really bad...I still havent seen barbie or the new hunger games and I really wanted to.

mainly I focused on youtube videos. I got sent some cool stuff by companies. I feel like I didnt draw quite as much but youtube kept me really busy. I've learned a lot about video editing and public speaking though neither are my strengths. I do enjoy the art community on youtube as a whole. Its a lot less stressful than the rest of art social media in a different way. Portfolio social medias or places like twitter theres an urge to create constantly. Youtube I can merely talk about art and it counts as something creative. So it kind of takes a load off. Also, ofcourse with art companies sending out merch, theres a decent reward system too. I talk about art, don't need to necessarily complete anything and then get free stuff. So, so far, for me, its been worth it. Especially given my tiny following. You don't need 1mil followers to obtain a reward. So to me, its a pleasant experience. I do worry about my account growing bigger and me not being able to maintain it. Its easier to accept rude comments when its just your art. When its you on the screen, its a bit more personal.

otherwise, I have no plans for 2024 other than the same stuff. I would like to make a vegetable garden but I wont because by the end of this year we will be planning another move. The end of 2024 is going to be a massive life change and stressful doozy. My husband will be retiring and we don't know what we want to be or where we want to live when we grow up. I'm telling myself it'll be socially acceptable to quit my job in about 6 months to prep for this life change but thats not really true. We need all the money we can get lmao.

[wheretheweirdthingsaree]

Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles’ sprawling Griffith Park, this merry-go-round has been spinning joy into the lives of Angelenos since 1937.

But its story begins even earlier, in 1926, when it was crafted by the Spillman Engineering Company.

Originally located in San Diego, it was moved to Griffith Park to become a beloved fixture.

This isn’t just any carousel—it’s a grand spectacle with 68 beautifully carved horses, each one a jumper, ready to gallop into your heart.

The horses are adorned with intricate bridles and blankets, showcasing the craftsmanship of a bygone era.

Accompanying these majestic steeds is a Stinson 165 Military Band Organ, capable of playing over 1,500 selections of marches and waltzes, filling the air with nostalgic tunes.

You’ll find this gem in the Park Center area of Griffith Park, nestled between the Los Angeles Zoo and the Los Feliz park entrance.

It’s a bit tucked away, but the journey to find it is part of the adventure.

Just follow the enchanting music, and you’ll soon see the carousel’s vibrant colors peeking through the trees.

The Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round isn’t just a ride; it’s a piece of living history.

It has been a source of joy for generations, from children giggling with delight to adults reminiscing about their own childhood spins.

It even played a role in the creation of Disneyland!

Legend has it that Walt Disney himself was inspired to create Disneyland while watching his daughters ride this very carousel.

But the merry-go-round’s story isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

It has seen its share of social upheaval, including a notable incident in the 1960s when it became a focal point for civil rights protests.

Despite these challenges, it has remained a beloved symbol of community and resilience.

So, whether you’re a history buff, a lover of vintage amusement rides, or just someone looking for a bit of magic, the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round is a must-visit.

Hop on a horse, let the music carry you away, and become part of its storied legacy.

[axlaru]

If I had a nickel for every time I spotted my old high school's marching band in someone's Disneyland vlog, I'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

I mean not really though they probably do the disney magic music days every other or possibly every year

[brieucgwalder]

Disneyland '66

A Time Patrol movie. Previously on Time Patrol: Christmas 1966. San Francisco. Highway. Los Angeles. Highway. Los Angeles. Highway. San Diego. One warship. Two hours in SD. Parents take control of the trip. Yosemite. Wonderful. And now to Disneyland. The one and only. No Disneyworld then. “Mortimer Mouse” welcomed us with his marching band. The Magic Castle was not asleep. (My father was very…

[marcedrickirby]

Kyoto Tachibana SHS Band /Disneyland anaheim ➁ singsingsing #shorts

MARCEDRIC KIRBY FOUNDER CEO.

MARCEDRIC KIRBY INC.

[southwest-artisans]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage Disney Mickey Mouse Balancine INC Men's Red Neck Tie Marching Band.

[samsdisneydiary]

Disneyland Band at Sleeping Beauty Castle

Disneyland Band at Sleeping Beauty Castle

[therainbowtoque]

June

Written on the last day of July at 11:15pm

Another performance for M and her Marching band. Watching 🍩 cross the stage. Then 4.5 days in bliss with 🕳️. So many hugs. I got so many little letters and explicit instructions on when to open them. And those cuddles. Man oh man. That did us both some good to just have connection and contact. My love for that one and all that she’s seen is something else. Then home I went to graduate. I walked across the stage. There was moments I never thought that day would come and it did. I did fucking did it!! Then 🍩 arrived. We did gay science, city errands and left on a two week road trip!!! Oh we had so much fun!!! The giggles, the moment I think back upon and still smile (minne-awesome day 😂😂). The dinosaurs were SO COOL!! It was cool to watch 🍩 face light up seeing the dinosaur recasts and learn all about them. As she said “I only learned about stupid whales”. Our bike trip was fantastic!! Dinner with L & B. Our hike up to Lake Agnes. Dinner at the Gondola (I’m still drooling over that dinner!) Oof! It was all just soo lovely. Bliss.

There was also a graduation day call to HL just because. A roadtrip call to CH to start the thought process of the three of us going to Disneyland in October and a walk with ak. And a lunch with HG and his crew.

June was a busy one.

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

329 of 2023

Created by livelaughlove05

You have brown hair. You straighten your hair a lot. You have green eyes. You wear glasses. You love going to the movies. You love baseball. You love Les Miserables You read for fun. You've read a classic book for fun. You've read The Outsiders. You hate math. You want to go to Italy someday. You have been out of the country. One of your best friends is of the opposite sex. You can't skateboard. You have a friend that's gay. You're addicted to tumblr. You think MySpace is overrated. You like history. You hate research papers. You like acting and/or singing. You want to go into medicine. You hate chemistry but love biology. You like to ice skate but aren't that good. You like hockey. You hate football. You like(d) school. You're easily frustrated. You're annoyed by know-it-alls. You're a night person. You participate(d)in a sport/extracurricular in high school. You have performed in a play You do not play an instrument. You are a dog person, not a cat person. You have a big family. You try to stay out of drama, not cause it. You're crazy around your friends but quiet around people you don't know. You're usually polite. You've been lied to a lot. You've had your trust broken. You've been hurt. You've gone/go to church. You've never drank alcohol. You've never smoked. You've never done drugs. You should be doing something else right now. You want to go to sleep. You love sleep. You love pizza. You hate seafood. You dislike over dramatic people/attention seekers. You dislike disrespectful people. You tend to argue with people. You've been in the emergency room/hospital before You've failed a test. You've copied homework. You've done something stupid and regretted it later. You've done something wrong and never got caught. You've taken a foreign language class. You're fluent in more than one language. You've been in a relationship. You've been in one of those junior high relationships that last a day. You love helping others. You have a bad relationship with your siblings. You have an ok relationship with your mom. You have a bad relationship with your dad. You have contemplated running away. You have cried in a movie. You have cried in a song. You aren't super emotional. Your friends mean everything to you. You've pushed away the person that cared the most. You think the progressive commercials are getting lame. You like the movie She's the Man. You're afraid to speed. You love NASCAR. You have taken an honors class. You like science. You wish to be somewhere else right now. You're tired. You're sick. You've gone to prom. You've gone to a high school football game. You've gone to another high school game. You've gone to at least 2 schools. You love traveling. You prefer flying over driving. You know someone that's a pilot. You know someone who's been adopted. You love Imagine Dragons. You've been hit on by someone younger than you. You've been hit on by someone older than you. You're bored. You love roller coasters. You've been to Disneyland/Disneyworld. You love Disney movies. You like The Lion King. Belle is your favorite Disney princess. Nutella is amazing. You know someone named Sidney. You know someone who's addicted to sports. You watch crime shows on TV. You've been to Europe. (lol never left) You sometimes want to change the past. You like Back to the Future. You think Miley Cyrus is messed up. You try to think positive all the time. You agree that Asians are smarter than White people. You have worked in a family business. You have babysat. You have tutored someone. You've been in marching band. You've sung at a professional sports event. You've gotten a happy meal past the age limit. You hate bugs. You have a philosophical friend. You have a friend who thinks he/she is perfect. You've never gotten in trouble at school. You text a lot.

[didsomeonesaygo]

Everything Is Awesome

Finally made a long-anticipated trip to Legoland with J&K on Friday. We left early because we thought it would be really crowded, but we lucked out - I'd guess one week later and everyone would have been out of school, but we parked easily and walked right in.

The boy loved it, and we all had a great time. I hate to bite the hand that feeds us, but LL really has Disneyland beat on many fronts. All day we kept being impressed with how interactive it is. There are lots of Lego stations that allow the kids to really participate - build your car and try it on a race track, build a boat and put it on the river... Use your imagination AND learn about physics - I'm in. They also have several rides that the kids control - more than just twirling a teacup, they get to fly a helicopter and even drive a car with no adults allowed. In big news, J rode his first roller coaster! We loved seeing him having a blast while also getting more independent. (His mom didn't even cry. Well, maybe a little.) A personal highlight for me was the Legoland Brass Band - more of a second line than a marching band - with frequent stops for a ~10-min show.

They close at 6 (another bonus!) so we headed to our fave Carlsbad hotel, Ocean Palms, where J made friends and played tag while the grown-ups sat in the hot tub.

Saturday morning, we drove down to SD to the USS Midway. J was very excited about seeing an aircraft carrier, but then was disappointed when he realized there weren't any jets taking off from it. (Lesson learned in setting expectations.) Stopped for lunch at Lucha Libre Taqueria - good burritos, great street corn - then headed home.

Sunday, P had to fly to Vancouver, so we made the trek to LAX watch planes at In-N-Out... Huge success despite the lingering June gloom.

Monday we had lunch with Aunt Jeanne, Teresa, and Melanie, and Tuesday we hit the La Brea Tar Pits. (I had never been before - so interesting!) K&J headed for home Tuesday afternoon. It was a great week - back to life now... *sigh*