Easeful Days, Dreamless Nights

No, no, please! Don't drop the bomb, don't drop the bomb, DON'T DROP THE BOMB!

Furaha! Furaha, wake up! You've been having one of those nightmares about that elderly couple caught in a nuclear blast again, haven't you?

No, about a few days ago Sybil partnered you and me up with Pikachu and Mew. That was from when our family was extended, but now it still happens when my family is small, but there are other members scattered round the world. Pikachu, you and me were sent on a mission to stop an evil villain from launching a nuclear bomb on the UK.

%*$^ temporary war agents. They should know better than not to touch nuclear weapons.

You're right, Orko, nuclear war is wrong, but Raymond Briggs made that book, and pow, the world was saved. All we have to do now is meditate and think about you, me, my mama and my papa relaxing in a lavender meadow in a soft, comfortable hammock on a clear Spring evening, with you gently playing with a butterfly and then placing a lavender plant behind one of your pointy ears.

Aaaaaaah. Just the kind of thought I wanted.

Wait - Orko, I just thought of something.

What is it, Furaha?

Well, all those times I wanted to get my face painted, I was rejected because my face was too furry, plus I would be difficult to recognise because the light orange covering up my yellow furry face would expose it.

Fear no more, Furaha, I've got something that can help you be accepted.

(Orko magically pulls out a face paint kit from inside his sleeve)

Yay, Orko!

Now, which one is the right colour? Hmmmmmm....ah! There it is! Light orange! And black for the stripes, and pink for-

Use red!

Oh, okay, red for the nose.

Tigers always have red noses. It's a well known fact.

(So Orko paints Furaha's face to look like a tiger...)

Minutes later...

There! What do you think?

Wow! I look fierce, chique, sexy...

What about your roar? Aren't you going to show the blog users what you're made of?

Okay. Ahe-he-hem.

RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!

Alright, okay! Wow, that was awesome!

Awesome pawsome!

(Both laugh)

Wait - what about me? I want to get my face painted too.

But your face is exposed, Orko. Tell you what -  I could use your face paint to paint your arms, hands and ears green and purple, and then you can become a peacock. How would you like that?

Oh yes please!

(So Furaha paints Orko's hands, arms and ears to look like he's a peacock)

Well, what do you think?

Wow! I look so beautiful! Not like any transgender people who are reading this blog.

Orko! Don't be offensive!

Sorry.

I suppose we do look a lot different than what we're supposed to.

Why is it that in so many picture books, especially Winnie The Pooh, characters use the same word many times?

Because children have feeble minds, Orko, they're used to things being shown again and again. Sybil has had a horrible afternoon yesterday, what with a noisy family and-

*STATIC*

When Sybil looked out into the garden, she knew the loud people weren't there after all!

*STATIC*

WHAT WAS THAT?!

I don't know, some random channel flip or something.

Yeah, probably just someone changing the channel. Hey you out there! If you want to change the channel, try to stay focused on the present day for a change, right, mate?

"You bet I will, dude!"

Seriously, those channel changing guys who are offscreen are rubbish. Remember when your old self appeared on Robot Chicken?

Yep, ho boy, I could almost remember my stop motion self changing from an innocent little wizard to a strong man who beat the Lord Scar's kingdom out of (lion roar to censor Skeletor's name). Then there was the time my '80s self met Snarf from the Thundercats. Imagine if I, my 2002 self, and the 2011 Snarf met.

I guess you can't both be different after all. Anyway, did you hear the frog chorus this morning? They've been cheering on about Moonie Moo, a cow celebrity who is currently under development at Factory Create.

Moonie Moo? Haven't heard of her.

Oh yes you will, listen to these frogs, they're the frogs Sybil was obsessed with (lion's roar to censor out the word 'yesterday'). Listen!

"Moo..."

"Nie..."

"Moo."

"Moo.."

"Nie..."

"Moo."

And I just discovered the website for Moonie Moo. She's going to become so famous, she'll make knickers drop around the globe. Hey, speaking of which, while you're at it, why don't you check out her developing website?

https://mooniemoo.io/

https://mooniemoo.io/story/

Ooh, she makes cheese with her own milk? Furaha, imagine how disgusting it would be if humans had to make cheese using their own milk.

Eeeewww, I wouldn't imagine that.

I've never seen a cow on Eternia, but I have thanks to you.

And you must learn, Orko, that cows produce milk and cheese for human consumption. We must let all the cows know that going vegan is a second option, and that milk and cheese should be shared with everyone.

You're right, Furaha, sharing is important.

And you know where else cheese goes?

Where?

Pizza of course, Sybil's going out with her support worker to get some delicious pizza!

Oh boy, pizza! I haven't had pizza in Eternia, just stuff like meat and organic food. No wonder *whispers* He Man *normal voice* and his friends stay strong and healthy. I took a peek into Sybil's He Man Mad Libs and discovered you need to eat bacon sandwiches to become as strong and healthy as the old bully brute. She also wrote down that I had smooth skin! What was the deal in that?

It was only her thoughts and opinions, Orko, but I wouldn't worry about your skin. It's so light and smooth it could outmatch a hippo's. Roll up your sleeve, please.

(Orko rolls up his sleeve. Furaha begins to nuzzle his arm, purring. Orko begins giggling, feeling ticklish)

No, no Furaha, sto-ho-hop! It tickles!

That's what I think of such soft skin as your's, Orko. Eh - oh no!

What is it?

Our face paint! It smudged together! Now I have your body paint on my face, and my face paint on your skin! I look ridiculous!

Me too!

Wait - that means something more. Being forced to wear messed up make up is such a lot of fun, it'll make quite a lot of sense wearing it.

Make some sense? Furaha, you know that I have the DNA of a tiger....

...and I have the DNA of a peacock!

WE'RE WILD BEASTS! RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!

We're off to cause a little mischief now, but don't worry, we'll keep you updated throughout the day!

Well, it looks like Sybil has finally had her big scream and cry at last.

That's right, Furaha, earlier ago she had an almighty screaming fit because she couldn't go out for pizza.

Imagine that, eh? Crying over a stupid little thing like a pizza!

(Both laugh)

But don't worry, Sybil will be back with her teeth sinking into pizza tomorrow!

BOTH: Hooray!

I'm so happy for Sybil now, aren't you, Orko?

I sure am. She once told us that nature might make us forget about pizza until tomorrow.

Sure, and if anyone asks, there are lines down my eyes where the face paint is because I've been crying too. Luckily, Orko here comforted me and said that it's okay to have a good cry and scream whenever something doesn't get your way all the time. He even gave me a hug!

Aaaawww...

And it gives me great pleasure to realise that it was THOSE PESKY GRANDCHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN RUINING SYBIL'S AFTERNOON YESTERDAY!

We'll burn their house down!

You bet we will, Orko!

Got your fire powers ready?

Ready. Let's go!

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Er....unfortunately we can't.

Why not?

Because they might stay with their grandparents forever, and then imagine the amount of noise it might make.

Yeah. Let's leave it for now.

Aaaaaaaaaah. This is the life.

Hey, Furaha, what are you doing sitting in a rocking chair and reading a lion magazine?

Don't you see, Orko? There are no screaming kids or sports days around here anywhere, so we're having peace at last.

Good. So, how are we going to spend this time of peace?

It happens every day except yesterday, Orko, this is why Sybil has told me she prefers to sit down with a mug of milk and somehow, a Bluey magazine.

Hey, I know her! So does Sybil know Bluey well?

Yes. I overheard a conversation with her. Sybil had told Bluey that she was going to read her Five Minutes Peace as a bedtime story if she gets to have an easeful day. Yes, she did have the chance.

Er...

And the lion magazine I'm reading isn't a lion magazine at all. Okay, maybe it is. But it contains a shortened version of Five Minutes Peace inside.

Oh! You hiding a magazine from me turned out to be a Friends magazine!

Why do they always have Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly as workbooks? And Paw Patrol too.

Not to worry, Furaha, at least this peaceful time is spent...

...together.

(The two hug softly)

Me, You, And...

Orko woke up in an unfamiliar place, away from Eternia or anywhere else on his home planet. He was in a quiet, secluded place known as the rainforest. He scratched his pointy blue ears and scratched the skin hidden under his soft, velvety cloak. "Where am I?" he asked to himself. "What happened?" At first he had no memory of what happened, because he was in a new place that wasn't like Eternia or anywhere else. Then he remembered: his so called friends, including Prince Adam, had banished him from Eternia because they thought his magic was deemed useless. He could also recall being thrown into a pod and rocketing off to earth.

Earth! That's it! Earth! He had ended up on earth! Poor Orko was still all alone, and knelt down and cried. Just then his sobs were drowned out by the sound of a baby crying. He floated towards the scene of the noise, and slowly peered through the leaves. To his surprise, he found a baby lioness cub lying in the grass, crying. Feeling sorry for the poor little lass, he floated up towards it and tickled its little furry tummy. The young cub looked at the Trollan magician closely. She could already see through his mayonnaise-yellow eyes that he wasn't a foe, but a friend. She began to reach out for his exposed face, and in the end, Orko picked up the little cub and cuddled her. She stopped crying and began to purr softly as Orko stroked her. Her tiny paw touched Orko's smooth blue hands, and he sighed gently to feel such tender love that no one had ever given him. "I promise I'll take good care of you," said Orko, tickling the young cub under her chin. "Now, what shall I name you?"

At this precise moment, they heard a horse neigh and looked around to see a pure white stallion standing in the leaves. It trotted up to the young cub and sniffed it, causing the cub to laugh. Orko felt very nervous. He had never seen a stallion before. "What shall I name her?" he asked the stallion. At once, the stallion's eyes began to glow white, and a voice spoke through him. A gentle, deep voice. One that belonged to the great lion god Lord Mufasa, creator of earth and all its nature. "Furaha." he said, "Her name is Furaha." "Furaha?" asked Orko softly. The stallion turned to Orko. "Orko…you are the only one who can care for this cub. You are now her brother." "Brother?!" gasped Orko in shock, "But I've never been a brother before!" "It is your job to care for the cub since her parents have been killed by a leopard. You must care for her, nurture her and protect her. And most of all, you will see the beauty of nature through her eyes, as she will see your new life through your's. Farewell, young Orko." The stallion ran off, and in a flash of blinding white light, it was gone.

Orko put the baby back onto the ground and knew what he had to do. He took off his medallion, one that gave him full responsibility as a court magician when he lived a cruel life in Eternia, and used his magic to make it vanish forever. He next held the baby close to his chest and hugged it. The baby purred some more, so soft and sincere, and it nudged him, causing him to laugh with her. His new occupation as a big brother to the baby was easier than it looked.

He went into a meadow near the rainforest, and watched the sun go down slowly. It shone its gentle light on him and the baby cub, so much that Orko felt warm and comfortable living in this peaceful place. The cub began to yawn and nestle into her big brother's arms. "Must be time for bed," yawned Orko, and he floated back into the jungle carrying his baby sister in his arms. When night fell, he found a jungle clearing where he and his sister could spend the night. He sat on the soft grass that made up the clearing and snuggled and hugged the little one softly. He then lay down and held Furaha up over him, causing her to laugh in joy. He then held her close and said: "We're both so small, but someday you'll grow up, and you'll be proud of it. You'll stay a kid forever." He placed Furaha next to him and used his magic to conjure up a soft, comfortable duvet which he could cover him and his sister with. He held Furaha close, whispered "Goodnight," then snuggled down to sleep, with his sister beside him.

Blueberry Muffins

Just had a horrible afternoon, but I'm making some scenarios to see me through. What do you think of this one?

Luke, Resus, Cleo and Sophie help Mrs Watson make blueberry muffins for Aunt F and cousin Six, who are coming to stay.

Anyway, I'll be posting more in the next couple of days!

This Sunday...

....something amazing will happen to Fluttershy. I persevered, so I will do it!

UPDATE FROM FLUTTERSHY:

"I'm sorry to inform you that this story is cancelled. Luckily, Sybil is doing more blog posts - one for every day. She'll keep you updated, just wait and see!"

A Family Divided

Me, You, And...has a new origin story! Orko wakes up in a rainforest, remembering that Prince Adam and everyone in Eternia banished him for his magic deemed worthless. He finds a baby lioness cub in the forest, and raises her as his little sister under the guidance of Lord Mufasa, who asks the little defenseless wizard to stay in the jungle and care for her, nourish her and protect her. He does well, from watching her take her first steps to teaching her the ways of the jungle and sometimes making her laugh. She finds his magic to be quite useful after all, and later Lord Mufasa realises it's not good for the two friends to be alone, so when Furaha is a kid, she is given two parents named Kiburi and Ua, and other family members who are scattered round the earth. Now never again will she and Orko have to be lonely.

'80s Cartoon Sidekicks

Orko is one of the many, many, MANY characters featured in this fun list of cartoon sidekicks from the '80s. There's nothing from Transformers, but luckily we have Uni, Spike, Penfold and Snarf. Oh boy, are these characters fun to play with, especially the little red cloaked prat Orko!

https://www.tor.com/2018/11/15/a-definitive-and-authoritative-ranking-of-1980s-cartoon-sidekicks/

Me, You, And He Man Episode 1 - Stranger In A Strange Land script

EXT. ETERNIA PALACE - ROYAL GARDEN - DAY.

Prince Adam and Teela are engaged in battle training together. Teela swings her staff, but Adam rolls out of the way and fights back. Suddenly, they hear sarcastic clapping and stop. Reveal:

ORKO, who is impressed by what they're doing. All the characters in this world look exactly like they do in the 2002 He Man series. Orko floats over to them, impressed.

ORKO

Still working on your training, Adam?

PRINCE ADAM

I think so, Orko, I have to be ready when danger strikes.

ORKO

Then maybe I could use a little magic to liven thing up around here.

Wha? Prince Adam and Teela are shocked. Nervously, Orko tries again:

ORKO

Er…erm…maybe a little…

Prince Adam is not too happy, and neither is Teela.

ORKO

Okay, well, heh-heh, how about a-

PRINCE ADAM

Orko, you know the rules of this kingdom now. You are no longer needed.

ORKO

Why?

TEELA

Because a little wizard like you can't even lift up a huge rock using your weak levitation.

Prince Adam and Teela walk off. Orko follows after them, desperate.

ORKO

WAIT! Can't I just do a tiny little bit of magic?

PRINCE ADAM

Orko….your magic just makes things worse.

Orko sadly walks off in the opposite direction.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. PALACE COURTYARD - THAT SAME DAY.

Orko peers out from behind a tree and sees Ram Man putting up a poster with a storm cloud on it. Ah, this looks like a useful target.

ORKO

Ram Man! Maybe he can find my magic useful.

Orko floats up to Ram Man, calling out:

ORKO

Ram Man! Ram Man!

RAM MAN

Not right now, Orko, I have to warn everyone in Eternia about a fierce warp storm that's heading for Eternia.

ORKO

Warp storm? Wow, that's scary.

RAM MAN

I don't want to be outside if I were you. The warp storm occurs every year in Eternia. People are looking for shelter right this minute. Maybe you should go inside. Your magic is too useless for the storm.

Orko sighs and floats off out of frame.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PALACE - ORKO'S BEDROOM - DAY.

Orko is sitting on his bed alone and upset. Nobody wants to let him use his magic anymore.

ORKO

Everyone's more concerned about the storm than me. What am I going to do?

Orko thinks for a minute…then looks under his pillow. His old wand is under there.

ORKO

Yes! My wand! I could use it to convince Man-At-Arms I could be useful.

Orko floats off out of his room.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. MAN-AT-ARMS' WORKSHOP - DAY.

Man-At-Arms is doing some work on a sword when Orko floats into frame, holding his wand.

ORKO

Man-At-Arms! I can be useful! I'll defeat the storm!

MAN-AT-ARMS

And how would you do that?

ORKO

Using my old wand of course!

Man-At-Arms is very angry. He snatches Orko's wand and snaps it in two aggressively.

MAN-AT-ARMS

And that will take care of the storm!

ORKO

(distraught)

No! Please!

MAN-AT-ARMS

Your magic just makes things WORSE!!!

Man-At-Arms resumes his work. In tears, Orko sadly floats off.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. PALACE COURTYARD. DAY.

The sky has turned grey and cloudy, and just as Orko has made his way outside, it begins to rain. Cringer bounces up to him, wanting to play. Orko can feel a slight angst coming in where his usual cheery personality has been held.

ORKO

You hate me too?

Cringer backs away nervously.

ORKO

(out of anger)

YOU HATE ME TOO?! IS THAT IT?! EVERYONE CALLS ME USELESS AND SO DO YOU!!!

Orko violently slaps Cringer round the face.

ORKO

(now on the verge of crying)

Go away, Cringer, I don't think this palace needs me anymore.

Orko floats away into the rain. Cringer turns and walks back inside.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ETERNIAN RAINFOREST. DAY.

Orko sits near the lake, alone in the heavy rain. He is crying mournfully.

ORKO

That time when I thought about running away back to Trolla…I was wrong to refuse. Now I'm just the palace's punching bag. They have no need for me? Well I don't need them anymore. I have my own path in life, and I'm going to prove it to everyone, even if they aren't there!

Orko slams his fists into the mud, breathing heavily. He then gazes at his reflection in the rippling water, and hears a gentle, soft voice calling out to him, the voice inside his head:

ORKO'S MOTHER

(VO, echoing)

Orko…

Orko looks around for the voice. It isn't there.

ORKO

Must be something else.

Suddenly, the ground begins to rumble under Orko's knees. He looks around, and sees what he cannot believe. It's the warp storm, giant warp beams coloured pink that destroy everything and warp up everyone in their path. Orko screams and floats off quickly from one warp beam charging straight towards him. He grabs hold of a large rock nearby, and starts breathing in a panic. Suddenly, the warp beam starts to beam him up into the light, and he calls out in fear:

ORKO

HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

OPENING TITLE: ME, YOU, AND HE MAN

EPISODE TITLE: "EPISODE 1: STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND"

CUT TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

EXT. AFRICAN SAVANNAH. DAY.

It is all quiet and peaceful. Furaha, the lioness cub is sitting on a large rock watching two zebra foals playing together. She feels lonely and misunderstood. Her brother Upendi runs up to her.

UPENDI

Hey, Furaha, what's up?

FURAHA

Nothing.

UPENDI

Nothing? There must be something going on in your mind. Whatever it is, feel free to speak about it to me.

FURAHA

Speak about it? I'll tell you the real problem: every friend I've ever met while roaming the plains…they don't feel like they want to be a part of my family anymore.

Sybil's Good News - Teletubbies Everywhere & Cocomelon

Hey everyone, welcome to another fun-filled edition of Sybil’s Good News! This week, we’re going to be taking a look at something very important. Cocomelon was known to be as bad for kids as Caillou is because of its fast cuts and pace, but if you compare to a show I vaguely remember from when I was younger, Teletubbies Everywhere, this live-action show introducing early learning concepts to toddlers has long shots which just involve the Teletubbies walking around different coloured backgrounds, drawing shapes and dividing themselves up as the narrator counts them. In fact, there had been many incidents involving tantrums trying to switch off Cocomelon, from screaming toddlers to outright zombies. Now, I’ve felt like this when Scream Street was taken off the air and found its new home on BBC iPlayer. It took me two whole years for me to realize Scream Street was on iPlayer, and Scream Street made me multitask, throw tantrums and feel stressed. No! Wait! It was CBBC that made me do it - its programmes are becoming more and more American and more annoying than ever. If you want to learn more about how Cocomelon rots children’s brains, read this Reddit section here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/comments/rh62oq/cocomelon_is_overstimulating/

It’s just like how you’d read Horrid Henry in place of Dork Diaries - wheras Dork Diaries has Nikki, the main character, constantly calling out “SQUEEEEE!!” most of the time, Horrid Henry features repetitive dialogue, an insane sense of humor and sensible, less teenage girl dialogue, because Henry constantly screams and shouts a lot. Some people have banned Horrid Henry because it was making children naughty, but Dork Diaries may be well remembered - by me, obviously - for Once Upon A Dork, which features Nikki in a strange fantasy land when she got knocked out by her rival Mckenzie Hollister. Never let your rival knock you in the face, kids, it’s dangerous.

In other news, the other day I saw the most amazing and less flashy documentary on Sky Showcase, cutting me off from Sky Kids for one whole day. I know, there were ads in between each part of each episode, but man was it worth the wait to watch. It was named: Monkeys: An Amazing Animal Family, and featured the host Patrick Aryee roaming around the wilderness in search of our primitive ancestors. One of the most outstanding moments in episode 2 is when Patrick interacts and plays with chimpanzees. The close-up of Patrick and his chimp holding each other’s hands makes me want to envision what Kala said to Tarzan in Disney’s Tarzan:

“Close your eyes.

Now forget what you see.

What do you feel?”

Hearing this soothed my soul as a kid, and now this scene of Aryee and the chimps makes me want to envision him kissing a chimp, only to realize it’s all a dream, only to wake up with various other cartoon women in his bed. Teela, Mrs Goggins and Daphne. Those are the only women I know. Want to know where I got inspiration from? ;).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwrLhHdAt-M

And now for this week’s big thought. Right, this week I’m thinking about a music video for ‘In The Land Of Dreams’ from Acoustic Dreamland featuring Furaha and Orko. In this vision, the Land Of Dreams is a mystical, natural dream world where fireflies flitter in the night sky, snow covered mountains and hills are perfect for sliding down, lion cubs play all the time and the softest nests are covered with moss and leaves. It’s quite similar to the scene where the bush baby and the pangolin appear at night in the place where elephants dream in DisneyNature’s Elephant. I originally wanted Furaha and Orko to awaken in a world inspired by African art, where African animals take them for a ride, and an Aboriginal art kangaroo makes a tremendous boing and begins to fly, with Furaha and Orko riding on his back. Hush now, little Orko, go to sleep sensual breather…

And finally, we have a fact I would like to share from Weird But True USA. The Colorado State Fair hosts a pet rock olympics, including a prize for the best dressed rock. Now ignore all those annoying memes of Elmo raging over Rocco, because it may ruin how I think of the Sesame Street that was around during my childhood. So, imagine this: Zoe, Rocco, Sybil, Luke, Resus and Cleo are going to that fair to participate in the Olympics. During that time, Zoe is haunted by the fact that Elmo bullied her over her rock, so she lets Rocco go the same way Bandit throws his stone out to sea in Bluey’s ‘Stickbird’.

Speaking of Bluey, I named the surfer dog Jonno and added a friend for him, who came from Nimbin. He’s an Afghan hound who wears a white shirt and rainbow tie-dyed shorts. He rides a red skateboard and vapes. Unnatural, even to me, but that’s how my great, yet possible mind works. I can make anything possible. ANYONE can make anything possible if they learn from me. Learning is the best way to teach. And I learned from the best, both in South Woodham and Dornoch…EVEN THOUGH THE KIDS AT MY SCHOOLS WERE REALLY NOISY AND ANNOYING!!!!!

Sorry, am I being a bit of a bother to you?

Okay, I’m out.

The Decider '80s Football Vision Board

....well, part of it anyway. You like it?

My Little Pony Coronation Concert

Well, today's the day of the king's coronation, but before a king took the throne, there was a queen. Well, to celebrate, I have a special surprise for you: The Hub's My Little Pony Coronation Concert, from when Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn!

https://balancingthechaos.com/youre-invited-to-a-my-little-pony-coronation-mylittlepony-hubtvnetwork-thehubtvpr/