The AIO Fan's Life

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You've Probably Guessed It, But. .

. .but I'm going to no longer update this blog. It's time to move on to bigger and grander things, like writing books, competing in the NaNoWriMo, searching for PopTarts, and the like. Oh, and pretty soon college.

To be honest, I'm a bit sad. I've been blogging for quite a few years, and I'm definitely going to miss making fun of Emily and Buck, and ranting about Penny or Wooton, or being snarky. It's been fun. 

BUT.

It's not over!

Some of you have doubtless been following or reading on my other blog, Josh the Normal. I'll be posting there at least twice a month starting next year. And I'm still around in the Interwebz elsewhere. I'm always around. Just like Big Brother. 

So to everyone who's been with me since 2009, muchas gracias! Thank you for not hating (and for hating), and for coming back even when I bashed your favorite characters. For putting up with my awkward immaturity in my earlier years (and who's to say it's completely gone now, EH?). For coming back even when I took forever in responding. I thank you.

And let it never be said that I ended something on a serious note, because. .

. . .

. . .

I just lost the Game. And so did you.

--Marvin 

Groundhog Jay

Because I feel so nice. .I'm actually gonna review Groundhog Jay. Feel special, random person who's reading this.

Okay, so before I start this, I just wanna say--why are all these inventions coming back in overkill? We've had Matthew's 2-episode adventure in the Imagination Station,  Emily's really short adventure in the IS, and Barret's 3-part adventure in the Room of Coincedences--er, Consequences. Why? Everything comes in huge doses nowadays. First we get a bunch of new characters--and always the same ones, for the most part--and now a huge amount of some of Whit's inventions, which, for the most part, haven't been used on the air since Album 50. BUT WHY NOW?

Anyways. So we begin with Barrett and Priscilla--who sounds like a typical teenage girl who doesn't like talking a lot. Meh. As usual, Jay is my favorite character--quite possibly out of ALL the characters since the relaunch. "Tata, cheerio, and all that." Awesome. 

So, Jay sets them off onto an adventure to goodness knows where (how does Priscilla know he's started it if she doesn't "do it"? Hmm?)--and they wind up outside of Whit's End. Not somewhere with King Arthur. Boo. 

"Open Sesame!" Jay goes, quickly deciding that he doesn't wanna stick around. But why not try going to the RoC again? And take an adventure? And see what happens? In fact, if I were them, why not talk to Whit and tell them that this was an adventure that they were in?! Wouldn't it be cool?! Er. Harry With the Slightly Distracting Unibrow apparently knows Jay from somewhere, somehow, and is mad with him, so he takes him out to have a "discussion". .when everything resets. Whaa?
 
So Priscilla is a smartie and figures out that this is supposed to happen when everything repeats, and quickly figures out that Jay is actually supposed to be Barrett. But in comes Harry With the Slightly Distracting Unibrow. Again. Yay. QUICK YOU GUYS FIGURE IT OUT.  And then. .the program resets. Again. Oh, joy. 

Once again. They're at the start. Jay, who's getting annoyed, demands that Priscilla figure out the solution. Together, they try to put the pieces together. Harry is upset about something that Barrett called him about, so Jay runs as fast as he can. Connie doesn't spill the soda floats this time, so is that a sign? So Priscilla decides that something's happening at the moment they arrive, so they need to do something. .and it resets again. *sigh*

So now it's what, time #4? Jay vows to make sure that Harry With the Slightly Distracting Unibrow will RUE THE DAY! *loved the reference* So Priscilla says they should go out the front door as opposed to the back door. .and see Harry-bruzer. Why does Jay know bushes, though? He likes to sneak around? They listen to the conversation Harry has with his little brother, and so they follow the little kid for more clues. .involving presents =o So they follow the kid, and Jay is impressed that Priscilla has a secret side. .and they listen in on the conversation Mikey has with the store clerk. More info is gleaned about this. .stolen present *blinks* But what decision is Barrett supposed to make? 

As they keep following Mikey, Jay suddenly decides to quit ("Every action has an opposite fraction," he says), and he runs from Harry the Barbarian. .into the bushes. Again. And they see Harry. .with Jay. WHAT? Mikey comes out, and the real Jay critiques the RoC Jay on his manly looks. But then we find out what the surprise is! It's a bike! And right here, I think I've figured out what Barrett wants to do. He wants to give Harry money to get a new bike for Mikey. Maybe? *is still listening* The real Jay gets ready to see RoC Jay get beaten. .not. The real Jay goes out and demands that Harry lets go of the RoC Jay--who the real Jay calls Mr. America--and grab him, the real one (but not too tight, mind you.)  The real Jay tells Harry to threaten to pound him. .and they reset. 

Thanks to Jay's smartness AND good looks, they're back in Whit's End. Jay takes the sodas from Connie, sets them down, and then tells Priscilla everything. He and Vance saw Mikey's bike, and Vance decides to take it. .well, Jay does. So why does Barrett take the adventure?  And then Jay realizes! He tells Harry-bruzer/the Barbarian that the kid named Jay Smouse took it. .and that he's sorry. Again, really. JAY HAS A HEART. Between that little escapade with the old woman in Album. .54? And this? And his worrying over Uncle Wally? Jay's good. 

And so the adventure comes to an end! At last! And Barrett tells Jay everything. .but really? This was the best way to go around it? Sneaking to make sure Jay does what's right? Blah. 

Still, I'm glad we had an episode with Jay, although the point seemed kinda. .meh. Do the right thing. We have a lot of episodes about doing the right thing, but at least it was done in a more creative way. And so I give this episode a 7/10. 

Au revoir,
Marvin




Of Episodes and Blogs, and the Like

Okie days. First thing. General thoughts over the episodes I've missed, no? Which aren't. .that many, actually =P

Child's Play--I heard the first half at Christian's house, and didn't finish it until far later =P However! It was nice to see Eugene and Katrina with kids for an extended period of time. It added some. .depth to them. Especially after what happened in "To Mend and Repair." I really do hope at some point they decide to have kids, although Eugene is slightly more. .scary as a parent. 

Something Old, Something New--I heard this episode when I was in New York, but only the first one. Since I already knew what was going to happen and was positively annoyed, I had no desire to hear any more of Mitch. In fact, I didn't listen to part 2 until September, quite some time after Christian gave me Album 56. Honestly. .it was just meh. Frankly, anything with Wooton and Penny is, for starters. And then Emily. And then Mitch. Yes, the whole thing about regrets was okay, but really? Why drag Mitch in just to have him tell the world he's getting married? Why wouldn't he have kept in contact before? Then there's the end, where Whit talks to Connie. I didn't like it. I'm never going to get used to Andre, but whenever he's discussing something that he, the actor wasn't around for, it feels. .wrong. Whatever. 

Thus ends Album 55. 56 started just recently. .and while the premiere was great, the next 2 episodes were. .not so great. 

The Perfect Church--Finally! The Imagination Station! Just like what Kelly did during her adventure. The door thing is interesting, although it seems we jump quickly through time now. It's great to hear from actors who we don't normally hear from, and it was very realistic. The Pentecost scene was so. .real. It was almost as if I was actually there. From healing the lame man to the discussions the characters had, it had a lot of depth and meaning to it. But for some
reason, the 2nd episode didn't have the same feel as the 1st. There was a lot more talking, and everything seemed to jump around in time, and the scenes moved quickly. The only part which I actually somewhat liked was the end with Stephen.

Great Expecations—Okay. Emily. EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL BEFORE THIS D: As soon as she walks in, she sounds. .giggly. Like Buck’s around again. Then again, that’s Emily. I’m so glad to hear from Joanne, but if they’ve been in town, why haven’t they ever been around? It’s what really annoys me about the relaunch. We had all these characters—Marvin, Tamika, Grady, Mandy, Trent, Kelly, and some of the older ones like Jimmy, Curt, Jack, Lucy, and Jared, but just like that they’re gone. All their work. .and we don’t hear from them? Not even one? instead, we’re overrun with the Parkers and Jones and the occasional friend practically every episode, and it makes me wonder if anyone ELSE visits Whit’s End now. Anyways. The Imagination Station adventure was in no way a classic for me. I disliked it. First, it was too short, and secondly, the scenes jumped around so quickly, and was so disjointed it made little to no sense at all. There was no connection, and because of the time before and after the adventure, there was so little time dedicated to the actual adventure it felt like we were missing out. Ultimately, I felt as if there was nothing gained, and other than hearing Joanne again (and hearing Whit’s gonna take flying lessons. .), that was it. Also, I feel something needs to be done about Whit. They can’t freeze him in time permanently. He’s younger already, and, assuming he fought in World War II at the age of 20, by now he’d be. .far older than he is =P More like, 90.

Now. A quick look at Odyssey in general. Album 51 and 52 were, for the most part, pretty bad. There were a few good episodes here and there, but generally, nothing redeeming. Then 53. It was okay. I’m glad the mystery didn’t center around Matthew and Emily, but at the same time. .well, if any of you have read my 1,000+ word reviews on those, you know my feelings. 54 and 55 definitely were far better, but there’s always a feeling of. .longing. For things to return to how they were. They never will, obviously, but with all the new characters, what can we expect? It also seems more targeted at younger kids now, something it didn’t do as heavily before. I do hope that there’s some change. Somehow. Maybe. =P

SECOND SUBJECT OF CONCERN.

Odyssey blogs.

Can you guess what I’m gonna say?

There’s too many. Now, I am NOT saying all the new blogs are supposed to close down. That wouldn’t be fair. But at the same time, I’ve looked around all the various blogs on my Kindle, and there seem to be so many I can’t tell one from the other! The only one I really visit is the Odyssey Scoop and The Voice of Odyssey, and I also go to Old Judge’s on occasion since it’s the only other one that really sticks out. But when there are so many blogs that all practically write the same thing the other ones are doing, what’s the difference? And before you say I’m being a hypocrite, I’ve wondered if I was doing it xD In fact, I’ve considered closing this down. .but for now, I won’t. There’s this one blog I stumbled over that had lots of fan-drawn art, I believe. That’s different. Something unlike the other blogs. It stood out to me. If the other blogs found something that set them apart, it would make them more. .unique. interesting. Instead of reporting the new devotional Odyssey’s bringing out, just like the other 39 blogs are doing. Does anyone understand? =P

FINAL SUBJECT OF CONCERN.

The Official Podcast.

. . .

I think I’ll save that for another day, since everyone probably hates me for what I already said.

Marvin

Hey peeps.

That's right. I'M BACK. AND I'M HERE TO STAY. 

However, I feel too lazy to review any episodes right now. In fact, I haven't even heard  Great Expectations yet. NaNoWriMo is starting soon, and so is school, and there's plenty of housework, so we'll see how things work.

But I'm not going anywhere now ;)

Marvin  

Yes, I Still Live. .

. .is anyone still around? *brushes off dust and turns on a light*

Good. This thing still works. I remembered my password. .

Yep. I'm alive.

The last few months have been  quite busy, and it's only now things have slowed down. .but I won't be blogging, still :P I just thought I'd post for the few people who actually still check *coughs* But! I got to see Christian again last week (it seems much longer. .) before we left, which was pretty cool, since we didn't think it would work out.

I also have been listening to the Album 55 episodes again (since I didn't review them, nor plan to), but I will say Odyssey is definitely better than the earlier albums. .except for Whit. I don't think I'll ever get used to Andre Stojka. Ever.

*vanishes to the beaches again*

Marvin 

And it's finally here. .

Hey gaise.
I leave tomorrow. Today's our last full day here. We've been busy all day long, and I was ready to go to bed at 4 p.m. This last week has been one of the busiest ever, second only to the week before camp. We're all tired, stressed, and cranky =P Anyways, we leave for the airport around 6 our time, and the flight takes off at 10:15 p.m., which is 6:15 ET. It's a direct flight with United Airlines to Chicago, with a technical stop at Washington DC. After that, we're in Missouri. .we arrive Tuesday afternoon, I think. On Wednesday I meet with an internet friend. .and on May 4 I arrive at Christian's house.
Here is the thread you can keep updated (at least, when I do update.) 
So if anyone could pray, it'd be appreciated. Thanks guys! 
Marvin 

Hiatus! Sort of. .

So for now. .my blog will be on hiatus. You may go ahead and cry now. 

Or not.

I will, for those of you who are curious enough, post again to give you a link to which I will ocassionaly post what's going on as I travel. I'll probably update sometime when I'm at Christian's house, and who knows when?

Also, I've added a Blog Archive thing on the side, so you can search by months :P Hope you're happy Christian.

That's all for now, folks.

Marvin 

[Insert snarky/clever title which I don't want to make up]

I have returned. Again. With a bucketload of reviews. Okay, maybe not. I have no idea how long my resolve is going to last. So, what better way then to just get started?

I listened to 3 episodes from Album 54 last week--I've only heard a few of them--and I thought I'd give my thoughts. (Get it? Laugh.)

Unbecoming Jay--This was an episode I couldn't decide if I hated/liked it. First, Cindy. I KNOW I didn't like her. Jay also got on my nerves, and I really don't like Barrett and Priscilla. The ongoing romantic saga between is. .blech. I don't like it. I wish they'd stay just friends. I *did* like the plot, however, but another thing I don't like is Mr. Whitaker. Yes, I said it. I don't like Andre Stojka as Whit. I might write a short post about that, but I doubt I'll have the time. Ultimately. .it was not a good episode, except for the ending scene. 

The Amazing Loser--Okay, this was better than the last. .except we had Barrett and Priscilla. Again. Characters feel overused on the show. It's always Whit and Connie and Wooton and Eugene, and for the kids, it's Matthew and Jay and Barrett and Priscilla, with the occasional appearance of other characters. It also didn't help that although there were other kids in the scavenger hunt we only stayed with those same 4 characters. What I DO like is the constant tension between Barrett and Jay. The little girl made me melt, even if she was lying =P I'm a sucker for little kids. *cough* MOVING ON. As for the end with Whit. .as I said, I really don't like him. There's something about him that's just completely different and doesn't make him Whit. Also, I wish that Barrett and Priscilla hadn't won, because those who do the good stuff almost always--in stories at least--get the happy ending. Ah, well.

You're Two Kind--VALERIE. OH NO. HIDE. She sounds most annoying. .and annoys me. We need fewer of these types of girls on the show and more of our original characters. Whatever happened to them? And huzzah for other kid characters! It was good to hear from Ryan, and I really enjoyed that half of the episode. Brad sounds like a character they should have around more, even though he doesn't seem as if he's a Christian. As for Katrina and Connie's little 'scheme', it kind of bugs me. They're basically doing something sneaky to get someone else to confess. .which was the same thing Whit did in the the maltball episode. What he did was wrong, too. Sure, the kids had done wrong, but Whit had no right to go hide them to 'force them to confess', and then act as if he had no idea what had happened to them. So, that was an average episode.

Next up, the conclusion to The Labyrinth. I don't want to write a full-out review of that because I've already spent a lot of time on the above three. I'm just going to sum it up *very* quickly. I knew Mycroft would make the right decision, and ultimately, as it all built up, I finished chewing all my fingernails--and up to now, they haven't quite grown again; one of my fingers is purple after getting into an accident with the bread machine. The whole capture scene with Dale and Ann was ruined by Ann, who reminded me far too much of Wooton in the Green Ring Conspiracy. We do NOT need this now. No. No. No. I do hope we hear from Sew again--she has more potential than Valerie Swanson or Cindy would. And finally, the conclusion. I'd read about what Billings would do, so it was no surprise when it happened. It was MUCH better than him secretly working for Mr. Grote and just pulling this off, and to be honest, I kind of actually wanted him to get rid of Grote that way. The whole scene was one of the best scenes ever, and when Jason told Billings to get ready to shoot him, I almost hoped it would happen. Now, in NO way do I not like Jason, but so far, few major characters have ever died on the show, and at the moment, only Karen comes to mind. Mitch doesn't count, either. Having a character like Jason die on the show would be. .interesting in Odyssey. Anyways, we never did find out how Jason stopped Billings, which was good/bad. If they'd done it, it probably would have been something lame. Then again, I somehow wished that they had told us what had happened. Then comes the final scene, and the possibility of Jason settling down seems actually. .possible. I'm not sure, though. He said he wanted to that in the Novacom saga, but he also said in The Decision he couldn't stay in Odyssey for good. In Malachi's Message he felt restless. Then comes the part about praying. Will he quite ever learn? The same thing happened in the Blackgaard Saga, and he mentioned it in the Novacom Saga. Also, AIO always puts more emphasis on prayer, which is good, but they always stop there. There's so much more than just praying. Jason asked Sue if she prayed, and what if she said yes? Would that imply she were a Christian? I know people who pray but aren't saved. There's more to it than just that. Regardless, without having the new Whit, and few characters, an epic plot, British accents, and an amazing ending, this episode gets a 9.5/10 stars.

You probably are all bored with me, but there is one more episode to review. .today's. I was one of the first people to listen to it as I listened to it early morning our time, which was still. .before midnight, California time :P 

So Eugene's busy again. .reminds me of the days after Katrina left. When Whit told Connie the news that we've all been dying to know, I felt. .normal. For two reasons. One, I'd figured it out, and two, there wasn't enough emotion from Whit, nor was the scene continued there. It wasn't as effective as it could have been. However, when Katrina was watching the real time fishing. .there it became real. She sounded different, she didn't want to go out. .that was what made it real. Then Mrs. Kramer. .I like her. We should hear more of her in the upcoming days. The book club was just a bad scene. What was the point? Have something realistic, actually. And then Whit and Eugene had their talk, and some sense was knocked into him. Right at the end, when he sort of broke down, I was glad. As in, that it happened. It made the whole thing more serious. We rarely ever spend much time on Eugene's emotions, so that was quite possibly one of the best parts. Now, don't forget Barrett and Priscilla. Again. *sigh* Why did they make it a big deal to read the announcements? *anxious* and I do hope Priscilla actually just got nervous, and that she does know the Pledge. That's like, knowing your name. Like she said =P The scene with Connie and Priscilla was deep enough so that it showed us that it's not all fun with those two. I did wish, however, the episode was only on those two, but I suppose this was done to make it not too. .serious? However, by far the best scene was the very last one. It was nice to actually listen to Katrina and Eugene have some. .quality time, and his being an answer to prayer. It was a very good episode, and I'll give it an 8/10, mainly lowered due to the Barrett and Priscilla part.

Well. That was certainly a long post. Kudos if you read it all. And I looked through it, and I don't think there was anything funny, so I apologize xP 

Marvin

I'M LATE I KNOW BUT HERE IT IS!

Okay peoples.

I haven't reviewed any of the last 3 episodes, I know. IN MY DEFENSE. .I'm busy. Yes, I know, that's lame. But I am. I'm considering shutting this down. .until the end of October :P At the moment, I have an abortion paper to edit and prepare for a presentation next month, a video presentation to work on, and a story to finish edit. Not to mention housework and school. That, and the fact that I'm very sick. 

BUT TO BE NICE. I shall hastily rush through reviewing the episode. .not that many of you even care that I do/do not review them, anyways xD

Okay. I listened to Episode 1 when it came out. .and the last 2 today. And to sum them all up, they're totally awesome. Why? IT TAKES PLACE IN FREAKING LONDON, FOLKS. That's ENGLAND. HOME OF DOCTOR WHO! *dies* Every time I watch a Dr. Who episode, I feel compelled to walk around the house talking in a British accent. AND WE HAD FISH AND CHIPS! *dies again* FISH AND CHIPS! Ahem. 

So besides it being in England. .we have Jason! And no Penny/Wooton/Whit/Eugene/Connie! Seriously, they've become the major characters of the show, and it's quite annoying. It was nice to have only Jason, and a brand new host of memorable characters: Sew, Agent Billings, Mycroft, Mr. Grote, and all the others. And of course, we can't forget Dale and Ann. 

Let's talk about Dale and Ann really quickly. To be frank, I disliked Ann for the most part. She sounded far too young to be Dale's wife, more like his daughter. Also, she seemed to be that. .comical character. Seriously, AIO? Seriously? Wooton's enough. In the middle of danger, we don't need another Wooton-ripoff! After a dangerous escapade, she's all "OMGSH THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME LETS DO THAT AGAIN ROFL!!" (I exaggerated. A little.) For example, when Dale and Jason had their talk, she interrupts, "I still can't believe Reggie Finger's a real name." Now, I'm like, "QUIET, WOMAN! GO BACK INTO THE KITCHEN AND MAKE ME MY SAMMICH."

Now, to the actual adventure itself. Yes, London. Instant epic points. The MI5? More epic points. Awesome accents that sound FAR better than the annoying Jacques? UBER MEGA AWESOME POINTS. So we open up with Agent Billings and. .the other agent *goes to check who it was* ah, yes, Agent Florin are talking. I find it quite nice that we have little back story and jump into the adventure quickly. .with a bunch of weird names. The Grinder? Reggie Fingers? I instantly liked Reggie Fingers because of his sense of. .sarcasm and his weird name. And then we meet Sue. She. .wasn't a character I liked that much, but her wit for such a young age made her. .a dimensional character. 

*fast forwards now rapidly*

Jason calls Whit. .but nothing ever came out of that. Interesting. And then we're introduced to Dale and Ann. .and BOY, has it been a long time. I only wished we could have had Melanie and Robyn after all this time. Dale and Sue end up going to the hotel to retrieve the suitcase. .and there's some lying, as expected. We keep dealing with this theme so much that it's almost. .repetitive. That was basically GRC, and now this again. All "the labyrinth". ENOUGH OF IT ALREADY. 

Sue fits in a suitcase? Seriously? That's a little. .impossible. I mean, no matter how small. .I don't really think that's possible. And of course, we have a good old fashioned chase. .and we jump into the next episode.

Hmm, we had a previously segment. I like. But it was far too long, peoples :P WE DON'T NEED AN ENTIRE RECAP! Then we see what's in the briefcase. .along with smart remarks from Ann and Sue -_- Nice stuff, though. .and then the Alamo. Most interesting. It was a little predictable that Jason would ask Ann to hide it somewhere that he wouldn't know as that's what they always do =P

Then we had the auction scene, which was quite reminscient to the GRC scene, along with the one with Wooton and Victoria. For once Ann played a useful role and gave Jason some information, so she's better than Wooton, just by that. SORRY, WOOTON. OR NOT. The conversation Jason had with Lord Brownlow was an interesting one, especially after Jason had to untie the poor driver at the end. I immediately felt suspicious of the Lord, and for hopefully obvious reasons. The US President? Niiiice. Now, I was just thinking, because this is fictional and all, how does this relate to real life? I mean, President Obama never went over there. .and nothing like this ever happened, so how far to the edge of fiction does Odyssey push it all? 

Up to this point, I wasn't all that impressed with the episodes. .besides the accents :P It still seemed somewhat childish, but it took a turn starting with the toxic chemical spills. SOUND THE ALARM! IT'S TIME! Jason initiates the Alamo, and one of the best scenes (second only to the next-to-last scene of Episode 3) happens right there. The Alamo ended in tragedy. .just like this could. And Jason agrees. I died right then. .and chewed more fingernails. (As I type this, all my fingernails are gone :P I ate them all *coughs*) 

And he's off to the hospital, and once more Sue saves the day. .I do wonder what had happened before in the hospital, though. Nothing good though. And then, BOO! Agent Billings! AW YEAH. WE HAVE A SCUFFLE! #winner There was none of this in GRC. .we really need this :P And then we learn all about Koflax. .which reminds me just a little bit about Ruku. Everything starts to fall in place now, and the climax (sort of) begins. Billings leaves, Sue comes up to Jason and tells him she's sorry. Now, in retrospect, I wonder. She said she was sorry, twice here. Could it be that she began to feel guilty when she saw him then and apologized later? *shrugs*

Now for the final scene of this episode! We finally meet *drum roll* MISTERRRRR GRRROOTTEEEEE. And to be frank. .he didn't impress me much :P His first line was okay, but after that. .he was *not* that impressive. His voice just tuned me off. I WILL give him credit because he kept his cool despite everything Jason said--smart cookie, that Jason. And then the conclusion: Use whatever methods you need to get the truth. My goodness. EPIC WIN. This got better and better. .

Okay. That ended up being long. And there's another episode. BUT WORK CALLS. SO! If at least someone says something, I shall try to write the conclusion. I know, it wasn't sarcastic, really. .but I HAVE REASON, OKAY? 

To end this all off, here is some of the background music I was listening to while working:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKqjz8ZHU6c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scjl7wi1BS4

Yes, foreign music. There was Danish, Dutch, and Japanese as well. ENJOY.

Marvin

 

The Deep End

The final episode summaries for Album 55 have been revealed! Something Old, Something New I and II are the last two.

Penny brainstorms ways to promote Connie's wedding planning business and one of her schemes dramatically backfires. Meanwhile, Matthew and Emily investigate a woman who may be trying to scam Jacque Henri.

So Penny again? I can't say I'm that excited about her, but I'll manage. And Jacque Henri. .I'll be frank. He annoys me. With his over-exaggerated French accent, he gets on my nerves. I know native French people, and they sound nothing like him. 

Anyway! I just realized we have a 4-parter, 2 3-parters, and one 2-parter episode, leaving us with only 2 normal length episodes. That will be most interesting. I'm anxious to listen to The Labyrinth. I haven't listened to the first episode, but I already know who comes back. Yes, I spoiled it. On purpose. 

The episodes are now available for download, but like many, I'll be waiting =P I can keep my self-control, and I really don't have that much of an urge to listen to it (which is not to say that I wouldn't take it if someone gave it to me!)

Now, The Hunger Games movies, on the other hand. . .

Yes, MAINE, this was for you :P (I also downloaded a movie shot of Peeta, and it's my wallpaper xD) 

Marvin

 

A Totally Random Post

Sometimes it's good to have a totally random post that has nothing, and I mean nothing to do with AIO. But since this is an Adventures in Odyssey blog, there must be some of it in here. So I must add something. Or should I? Because just above I wrote out AIO. Does that make this post AIO-related? So I won't be sued, here is some AIO news: Album 52 airs in just a few days!! 

 

This is part of a new story I'm working on. This is a section of it, and it starts right after...well, you don't need to know.  But, 'I' knows there are other worlds...or that they should exist. 

As I walked around, my heart started beating faster. I felt like something was going to happen. 
Now, in the books, people normally vanish with music and it’s so dramatic. Or they’re pulled away or everything shifts. This was different. 
I had seen this tree before. Quite often in fact. But this time, because my mind was whirling with the facts that Claudia and the rest had told me, it seemed like I was drawn to the tree. And strangely, I’d been here only in my dreams. I found myself walking towards it. This tree was a huge oak tree, around 400 years old, it was said. The roots were massive, and there were several branches. On occasion, I would sit on the lowest branch, but now, I reached it and started climbing all the way to the top. Up, up, up I went. 

Soon I was on the highest branch, and I could see to the highway. I smiled, but that strange feeling made me look in a hollow of the tree. It was like magic. It sounds funny unless you’ve experienced it. It feels like something’s calling you oh so softly, yet you can’t hear or see it. And as you walk, you seem to know where you need to go, even if you’ve never been there before.
Suddenly, I found a parchment that was in there. It was old and musty and yellow. It was probably hundreds of years old. Some of the letters were changed, like the f’s and the s’s. I read it out loud slowly, and this is what it said:
If thou art reading this parchment which I hast taken great measures to experience and hide it, it means that thou art one of the chosen to enter this world. What thou art holding is the first and only written documentation, which runs by magic so that those which see it shall be taken to the world of Imaginus. Thou art holding the key to enter this world. The key is in thy hands!


First the birds stopped tweeting, and everything grew quiet and froze. I stopped walking too. But then, it was just like I was watching a photo slideshow, and the ‘forest’ was the picture. It changed to a fancy looking stable, and everything resumed. 

There wasn’t much noise now: some wind whistling, an occasional bird cry (which sounded rather different), and trees brushing against other trees. But what caught my eye was the magnificent stable in front of me.
It looked like a castle, but it wasn’t one. There was one huge ground level made out of bricks. The bricks weren’t a sort of red, but a dull yellow that faintly shimmered. Every several yards, there was a tower sticking out of the stable. At the top of each of them stood strange creatures which looked like they had a bird’s head, but the body of a huge feline. Yet somehow, they had a humanoid appearance to them. 
My gaze shifted back down to the stable itself. It stretched over a hundred yards, with many, many towers. In fact, I couldn’t see the end! However, there was only one door in sight. And I felt drawn towards it, just like I’d been drawn to the tree. For a moment I hesitated; would the guards come after me? Shrugging, I entered the place.

Inside the stable was much different than the outside. For one, it looked bigger from the inside than it did from the outside. Also, it was even brighter in there than it was when I’d first arrived to...wherever I was. There was nobody in the room to my front, but there were mirrors, tables, closets, and such. It was regal. Very regal. Everything looked like it was made out of gold. And it stretched on and on. There appeared to be nothing in there but all sorts of the things I mentioned.
“Welcome, stranger,” a voice said.
I jumped and turned around, then gasped. 

In front of me stood a strange creature. It had a human head, but its body was a stallion. A black stallion with a tail and hooves and everything a normal stallion would have. It was powerful, sleek, and handsome. There were wings that were a pale yellow on the animal’s sides, but they were now folded. My attention was then drawn back to the face. The face was that of a beardless man who appeared to be in his mid-30s, but how could I tell? He looked stern, but at the same time, not angry. Its tail flicked, and I was unsure whether to call this...thing a human or an animal. He or it?

“I am Cylanius one of the few Yertilites still alive,” the Yertilite said with a toss of its head. Because it looked also like a horse, it looked as if Cylanius was tossing his mane.
I nodded. “And I’m Joshua, stranger to this world.” 
“I already knew that,” Cylanius told me. “You see, I knew you were coming.”
OK...am I going to play a role here? Because this is so Passages like. Clichéd. Puh-leeze don’t let this happen to me.
The Yertilite smiled, “No, you don’t have to ‘fill in anyone’s shoes’ or do something here.”
He can read my thoughts?!
“Yes, I can read some of your thoughts. Not all though. If it is needed for me to know, The One will let me know what you are thinking.”
Scary. Positively scary. I wonder who The One is. 
“Don’t worry; you will get used to it,” Cylanius said. “Please, take a seat.” He gestured with his hoof to behind me.”
Turning around, I saw nothing. For a moment. Suddenly, there was a whiz, and a chair appeared. Interesting...I wonder why he said nothing about who The One is. I bet The One—whoever he or that is—didn’t think he needed to know. Good to know some of my thoughts are still private.
“Are you hungry?” the alien creature asked. 
I shook my head; I was still full from eating in my world. 
“Perhaps it would be useful for you to know some of our history. Thousands of years ago, there was a Being named The One. He has existed since before time began. He existed before the stars were used to guide us. He was there before the trees grew and the Light came forth. He was always there. The One was, is, and is to come.”
Nice speech about The One. Back to the story? 

“Humans are impatient creatures, are they not?” 
I made a face.
“Then one day The One decided to make our world—the Imaginus—be created. He created the whole world by molding it into existence. In a matter of minutes it was complete. Everything was good. Then he created the races—Yertilites, Tinfins, See-dians, the blasted Geolarks, and all the others.”
Geolarks?
“You will know soon. Many years have passed since that day. Thousands to be more exact. Bur one day, everything that was good changed, and life was never the same again. There was a group of people from the race Voortmixlla who—”
“Voortmixlla? How come they weren’t banned for having such a weird name?” 
Cylanius frowned and paused. When I didn’t speak again, he continued right where he was left off, a peculiar habit. Most people would restart their sentence. “—turned out to cause the most trouble ever. About 1,500 years ago, when the world was over 4,000 years, a Winsloj, a creature with eight legs and one eye, named Dormin was angry with the way The One ran the world.”
“Isn’t Dormin Nimrod spelled backwards?” I queried.
“Yes, it is. Why?”
“Because I know that Nimrod was in the Bible, and Nimrod means rebel. Interesting.”
“Very. What is the Bible?”
“The Bible? Oh. It’s a book written by God through men and was written over a long period of time. It tells us how the world was created, how people lived, and what we should live by. It’s awesome.”

The Yertilite nodded. “I see. As I was saying, Dormin did not like the way The One ran the world. The One made the decisions, and we could talk to him. Dormin revolted and grouped together several people who agreed with him. Demanding a showdown with The One, The One decided to agree to it. He appeared and killed Dormin, but the rest of his groups fled. They vanished for several years, but we heard that they called themselves Geolarks. They have been trying to take over Imaginus for as long as I can remember. And as long as my father, his father, his father can also...even longer.” Shaking his head, he continued, “It’s a pity. We all are truly from one race. We are all Imaginates.” His way of pronouncing the words sounded close to “imagination”. 
“Wait, Mr. Cylanius, I was—”
“Cylanius only.”
“OK, Mr.—I mean, Cylanius. Why was your race chosen to be the leader? I mean, you don’t even have any weapons. No offense, I hope.”
“None taken.” He paused for a second. “This may seem like a bit of bragging, but it’s true. Our race was the most looked upon back then. We were the ones who were agreed on unanimously to rule Imaginus. And as for weapons, look.” The Yertilite shut his eyes. 

Suddenly, he started to grow. Barely. But he was still growing. His muscles expanded and became firmer, and his eyes started moving to give him 360o view. After that bizarre change, his neck elongated a little bit, then grew out. He was a much bigger Yertilite now. His now-elongated tail grew a spike which could easily impale any human; it was to be feared. His human forehead started to harden, and then a horn started working its way out. At over a foot, it also was very deadly. Finally, the Yertilite’s hooves became much harder, providing extra kick. Suddenly, I felt very...weak. 

“Impressive?” the super-creature asked.
“Very. Could you change back?” I said hopefully. 
Shrinking rapidly, the hooves became softer, the spike on the tail fell to the ground and vanished, the eyes started moving, the neck de-elongated, the horn just vanished, and you’d have never known the difference. It only took ten seconds max.
“Now, we’re in the midst of another battle. I told you that you’d no part to play. That is still true. However, as we speak, the Geolarks have convinced a few races to help them fight. Namely, Fortesians, Poelvians, and the Markjips.”
More weird names.
“Your earth names are strange. Baker, Johnson, Smith. Very strange. Take your last name. Asmah.”
I stiffened. He smiled.
“The Geolarks, along with the three races, are fighting against the Imaginates, or as you may prefer so that you aren’t confused, all the other races. The Geolarks want control of the world, and while you may think that four races are nothing compared to all of us, that is not true. The Geolarks have invented a new poison which spreads through the camp, weakening the forces. The Fortesians are fast and are almost invisible, allowing them to fly in on us and attack from the air. The Markjips are huge and made up of bulk, and there are over a million different ones of them, fighting us. 

“I have been sent here to my royal stable to stay here because of the danger of being killed. The Yertilites are numbered; very few of us remain. In fact, there is a 100 to 1 chance that in two hundred years, Yertilites will be no more.” He paused for a second. 
I shuddered. Even though in battle form Cylanius was deadly looking, I still liked him. He was very good.
“As I was saying, I think we need to go and boost the morale of the army, and then leave to go the headquarters of the Geolarks, where the poison is kept. If we—er, I can take it, there will be a chance for us to survive. Are you willing to come with me?”
“Um...I—I guess so,” I stammered.
Instead of him speaking, he was silent.

“Cylanius? Hey, Cyl.” Nothing. Then everything changed and I was back in the forest, on the ground.
Vroom. Claudia drove up and parked her carTVer. Grinning, she got off. “Well, it’s been 10 minutes; did anything happen?”
My mind was still reeling. Would I ever see Cylanius again? Would I return there? What had just happened? “Oh yes, and have I got a story to tell you.”

 

If anybody made it all the way through...great. Comment, if you wish to.

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