Noon. Of course it wasn’t packed. But people everywhere seemed to be in a good mood. People looked like they actually wanted to be at Dillard’s. The cops in uniform and those dressed in plain clothes with walkie talkies were doing their thing throughout the mall, but the only time I felt truly uncomfortable had nothing to do with shoppers, it was the desperate and aggressive kiosk people.
I wanted to get some cute pool flops from Old Navy, but just as I was walking past Sephora I spotted this kiosk woman shouting at a woman trying to slow her down, “Hey sexy lady I’ve got just what you want right here,” trying to jam a piece of paper into her hand. I turned right back around. And that’s what I remembered I hated so much about how Hanes started to change in the mid-90’s…those awful, aggressive kiosk people. Imagine being 13, awkward, trying not to draw too much attention to yourself, and here comes these people. From Abercrombie to Penney’s was just the worst back in the day. Like mall Jehovah’s Witnesses of sorts, just a sea of them trying to force themselves on you, what they’re selling. Cringe. Get rid of those people for another start at redemption.
As I was getting into my car, I noticed the woman in front of me walking around her rig looking in every window just to make sure nothing of valuable was visible. The “Hanes Once Around.” But hey, that was a thing in the 80’s too. The roads from the Belk area to Stratford were dangerously filled with potholes, especially near the railroad tracks.
Final thoughts: it looks like there’s some hope left. Shoppers and the shop workers I saw were lovely. I just wish we could find ways to resolve the big issues that remain, and make going to Hanes feel fun again. And for the love of god please doing something about the kiosk demons.

i’m so sick and tired of the hate eddie and the stranger things fandom is getting because of a trend that came from tiktok when season 4 came out. it literally makes my skin crawl on how mean people can be even though it was a viral trend to reenact some of the popular scenes eddie munson was in on the show. VIRAL, people from even outside of the fandom was doing it. shows like wednesday when everyone was doing the dance and making the hand gesture for thing never got hate like this. i honestly think they are just ticked off because of the pedestal people put eddie on and for good reason. when he was brought on it showed him as representation of outcast of our society and how people like in high school put as at the bottom of the pecking order and eddie showed for a different side to it and people that we deemed as outcast like eddie found comfort in the character. it’s not all about all the female caulking to him like a wild dog (even thought he is really cute). like people need to get a firm grip to reality. of course people are going to upset and want him to come back for the 5 season, the creator made him lovable and we should love them for that not hate. you don’t win a prize because you “never found him attractive” like come onnnn
edit- i also can’t stand the people that were like “i did it cuz it poplar blah blah blah” like girly be so fr and even if you were then you’re the problem, no one forced you to like the character, get a grip.

If y’all did wedding welcome bags, what did you put in them? Drawing blanks here! Between full time work and grad school my brain is fried 😭 this isn’t really a destination wedding, we’re getting married in Mobile, Alabama. I just wanted something cute for hotel guests

NARRATOR: (Black screen with text; The sound of buzzing bees can be heard) According to all known laws of aviation, : there is no way a bee should be able to fly. : Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. : The bee, of course, flies anyway : because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. BARRY BENSON: (Barry is picking out a shirt) Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. : Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little. JANET BENSON: Barry! Breakfast is ready! BARRY: Coming! : Hang on a second. (Barry uses his antenna like a phone) : Hello? ADAM FLAYMAN:
(Through phone) - Barry? BARRY: - Adam? ADAM: - Can you believe this is happening? BARRY: - I can't. I'll pick you up. (Barry flies down the stairs) : MARTIN BENSON: Looking sharp. JANET: Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those. BARRY: Sorry. I'm excited. MARTIN: Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son. : A perfect report card, all B's. JANET: Very proud. (Rubs Barry's hair) BARRY= Ma! I got a thing going here. JANET: - You got lint on your fuzz. BARRY: - Ow! That's me!
JANET: - Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000. - Bye! (Barry flies out the door) JANET: Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house! (Barry drives through the hive,and is waved at by Adam who is reading a newspaper) BARRY== - Hey, Adam. ADAM: - Hey, Barry. (Adam gets in Barry's car) : - Is that fuzz gel? BARRY: - A little. Special day, graduation. ADAM: Never thought I'd make it. (Barry pulls away from the house and continues driving) BARRY: Three days grade school, three days high school... ADAM: Those were awkward. BARRY: Three days college. I'm glad I took a day and hitchhiked around the hive. ADAM== You did come back different. (Barry and Adam pass by Artie, who is jogging) ARTIE: - Hi, Barry!
BARRY: - Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good. ADAM: - Hear about Frankie? BARRY: - Yeah. ADAM== - You going to the funeral? BARRY: - No, I'm not going to his funeral. : Everybody knows, sting someone, you die. : Don't waste it on a squirrel. Such a hothead. ADAM: I guess he could have just gotten out of the way. (The car does a barrel roll on the loop-shaped bridge and lands on the highway) : I love this incorporating an amusement park into our regular day. BARRY: I guess that's why they say we don't need vacations. (Barry parallel parks the car and together they fly over the graduating students) Boy, quite a bit of pomp... under the circumstances. (Barry and Adam sit down and put on their hats) : - Well, Adam, today we are men.
ADAM: - We are! BARRY= - Bee-men. =ADAM= - Amen! BARRY AND ADAM: Hallelujah! (Barry and Adam both have a happy spasm) ANNOUNCER: Students, faculty, distinguished bees, : please welcome Dean Buzzwell. DEAN BUZZWELL: Welcome, New Hive Oity graduating class of... : ...9: : That concludes our ceremonies. : And begins your career at Honex Industries! ADAM: Will we pick our job today? (Adam and Barry get into a tour bus) BARRY= I heard it's just orientation. (Tour buses rise out of the ground and the students are automatically loaded into the buses) TOUR GUIDE: Heads up! Here we go.
ANNOUNCER: Keep your hands and antennas inside the tram at all times. BARRY: - Wonder what it'll be like? ADAM: - A little scary. TOUR GUIDE== Welcome to Honex, a division of Honesco : and a part of the Hexagon Group. Barry: This is it! BARRY AND ADAM: Wow. BARRY: Wow. (The bus drives down a road an on either side are the Bee's massive complicated Honey-making machines) TOUR GUIDE: We know that you, as a bee, have worked your whole life : to get to the point where you can work for your whole life. : Honey begins when our valiant Pollen Jocks bring the nectar to the hive. : Our top-secret formula : is automatically color-corrected,
scent-adjusted and bubble-contoured : into this soothing sweet syrup : with its distinctive golden glow you know as... EVERYONE ON BUS: Honey! (The guide has been collecting honey into a bottle and she throws it into the crowd on the bus and it is caught by a girl in the back) ADAM: - That girl was hot. BARRY: - She's my cousin! ADAM== - She is? BARRY: - Yes, we're all cousins. ADAM: - Right. You're right. TOUR GUIDE: - At Honex, we constantly strive : to improve every aspect of bee existence. : These bees are stress-testing a new helmet technology. (The bus passes by a Bee wearing a helmet who is being smashed into the ground with fly-swatters, newspapers and boots. He lifts a thumbs up but you can hear him groan) : ADAM==

• What do you think he makes? BARRY:
• Not enough. TOUR GUIDE: Here we have our latest advancement, the Krelman. (They pass by a turning wheel with Bees standing on pegs, who are each wearing a finger-shaped hat) Barry:
• Wow, What does that do? TOUR GUIDE:
• Catches that little strand of honey : that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions. ADAM: (Intrigued) Can anyone work on the Krelman? TOUR GUIDE: Of course. Most bee jobs are small ones. But bees know that every small job, if it's done well, means a lot. : But choose carefully : because you'll stay in the job you pick for the rest of your life. (Everyone claps except for Barry) BARRY: The same job the rest of your life? I didn't know that. ADAM:

What's the difference? TOUR GUIDE: You'll be happy to know that bees, as a species, haven't had one day off : in 27 million years. BARRY: (Upset) So you'll just work us to death? : We'll sure try. (Everyone on the bus laughs except Barry. Barry and Adam are walking back home together) ADAM: Wow! That blew my mind! BARRY: "What's the difference?" How can you say that? : One job forever? That's an insane choice to have to make. ADAM: I'm relieved. Now we only have to make one decision in life. BARRY: But, Adam, how could they never have told us that? ADAM: Why would you question anything? We're bees. : We're the most perfectly functioning society on Earth.
BARRY: You ever think maybe things work a little too well here? ADAM: Like what? Give me one example. (Barry and Adam stop walking and it is revealed to the audience that hundreds of cars are speeding by and narrowly missing them in perfect unison) BARRY: I don't know. But you know what I'm talking about. ANNOUNCER: Please clear the gate. Royal Nectar Force on approach. BARRY: Wait a second. Check it out. (The Pollen jocks fly in, circle around and landing in line) : - Hey, those are Pollen Jocks! ADAM: - Wow. : I've never seen them this close. BARRY: They know what it's like outside the hive. ADAM: Yeah, but some don't come back. GIRL BEES: - Hey, Jocks! - Hi, Jocks! (The Pollen Jocks hook up their backpacks to machines that pump the nectar to trucks, which drive away)
LOU LO DUVA: You guys did great! : You're monsters! You're sky freaks! I love it! (Punching the Pollen Jocks in joy) I love it! ADAM: - I wonder where they were. BARRY: - I don't know. : Their day's not planned. : Outside the hive, flying who knows where, doing who knows what. : You can't just decide to be a Pollen Jock. You have to be bred for that. ADAM== Right. (Barry and Adam are covered in some pollen that floated off of the Pollen Jocks) BARRY: Look at that. That's more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime. ADAM: It's just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it. BARRY: Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it. (Barry waves at 2 girls standing a little away from them)
ADAM== Those ladies? Aren't they our cousins too? BARRY: Distant. Distant. POLLEN JOCK #1: Look at these two. POLLEN JOCK #2: - Couple of Hive Harrys. POLLEN JOCK #1: - Let's have fun with them. GIRL BEE #1: It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock. BARRY: Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom! : He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me! (Slaps Adam with his hand to represent his scenario) GIRL BEE #2: - Oh, my! BARRY: - I never thought I'd knock him out. GIRL BEE #1: (Looking at Adam) What were you doing during this? ADAM: Obviously I was trying to alert the authorities. BARRY: I can autograph that.
(The pollen jocks walk up to Barry and Adam, they pretend that Barry and Adam really are pollen jocks.) POLLEN JOCK #1: A little gusty out there today, wasn't it, comrades? BARRY: Yeah. Gusty. POLLEN JOCK #1: We're hitting a sunflower patch six miles from here tomorrow. BARRY: - Six miles, huh? ADAM: - Barry! POLLEN JOCK #2: A puddle jump for us, but maybe you're not up for it. BARRY: - Maybe I am. ADAM: - You are not! POLLEN JOCK #1: We're going 0900 at J-Gate. : What do you think, buzzy-boy? Are you bee enough? BARRY: I might be. It all depends on what 0900 means. (The scene cuts to Barry looking out on the hive-city from his balcony at night) MARTIN:
Hey, Honex! BARRY: Dad, you surprised me. MARTIN: You decide what you're interested in? BARRY: - Well, there's a lot of choices. - But you only get one. : Do you ever get bored doing the same job every day? MARTIN: Son, let me tell you about stirring. : You grab that stick, and you just move it around, and you stir it around. : You get yourself into a rhythm. It's a beautiful thing. BARRY: You know, Dad, the more I think about it, : maybe the honey field just isn't right for me. MARTIN: You were thinking of what, making balloon animals? : That's a bad job for a guy with a stinger. :
Janet, your son's not sure he wants to go into honey! JANET: - Barry, you are so funny sometimes. BARRY: - I'm not trying to be funny. MARTIN: You're not funny! You're going into honey. Our son, the stirrer! JANET: - You're gonna be a stirrer? BARRY: - No one's listening to me! MARTIN: Wait till you see the sticks I have. BARRY: I could say anything right now. I'm gonna get an ant tattoo! (Barry's parents don't listen to him and continue to ramble on) MARTIN: Let's open some honey and celebrate! BARRY: Maybe I'll pierce my thorax. Shave my antennae. : Shack up with a grasshopper. Get a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"! JANET: I'm so proud. (The scene cuts to Barry and Adam waiting in line to get a job) ADAM: - We're starting work today!
BARRY: - Today's the day. ADAM: Come on! All the good jobs will be gone. BARRY: Yeah, right. JOB LISTER: Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring, stirrer, front desk, hair removal... BEE IN FRONT OF LINE: - Is it still available? JOB LISTER: - Hang on. Two left! : One of them's yours! Congratulations! Step to the side. ADAM: - What'd you get? BEE IN FRONT OF LINE: - Picking crud out. Stellar! (He walks away) ADAM: Wow! JOB LISTER: Couple of newbies? ADAM: Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready! JOB LISTER: Make your choice. (Adam and Barry look up at the job board. There are hundreds of constantly changing panels that contain available or unavailable jobs. It looks very confusing)
ADAM: - You want to go first? BARRY: - No, you go. ADAM: Oh, my. What's available? JOB LISTER: Restroom attendant's open, not for the reason you think. ADAM: - Any chance of getting the Krelman? JOB LISTER: - Sure, you're on. (Puts the Krelman finger-hat on Adam's head) (Suddenly the sign for Krelman closes out) : I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out. (Takes Adam's hat off) Wax monkey's always open. ADAM: The Krelman opened up again. : What happened? JOB LISTER: A bee died. Makes an opening. See? He's dead. Another dead one. : Deady. Deadified. Two more dead. : Dead from the neck up. Dead from the neck down. That's life!
ADAM: Oh, this is so hard! (Barry remembers what the Pollen Jock offered him and he flies off) Heating, cooling, stunt bee, pourer, stirrer, : humming, inspector number seven, lint coordinator, stripe supervisor, : mite wrangler. Barry, what do you think I should... Barry? (Adam turns around and sees Barry flying away) : Barry! POLLEN JOCK: All right, we've got the sunflower patch in quadrant nine... ADAM: (Through phone) What happened to you? Where are you? BARRY: - I'm going out. ADAM: - Out? Out where? BARRY: - Out there. ADAM: - Oh, no! BARRY: I have to, before I go to work for the rest of my life. ADAM:
You're gonna die! You're crazy! (Barry hangs up) Hello? POLLEN JOCK #2: Another call coming in. : If anyone's feeling brave, there's a Korean deli on 83rd : that gets their roses today. BARRY: Hey, guys. POLLEN JOCK #1 == - Look at that. POLLEN JOCK #2: - Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday? LOU LO DUVA: Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted. POLLEN JOCK #1: It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up. (Puts hand on Barry's shoulder) LOU LO DUVA: (To Barry) Really? Feeling lucky, are you? BEE WITH CLIPBOARD: (To Barry) Sign here, here. Just initial that. : - Thank you. LOU LO DUVA: - OK. : You got a rain advisory today, :
and as you all know, bees cannot fly in rain. : So be careful. As always, watch your brooms, : hockey sticks, dogs, birds, bears and bats. : Also, I got a couple of reports of root beer being poured on us. : Murphy's in a home because of it, babbling like a cicada! BARRY: - That's awful. LOU LO DUVA: (Still talking through megaphone) - And a reminder for you rookies, : bee law number one, absolutely no talking to humans! : All right, launch positions! POLLEN JOCKS: (The Pollen Jocks run into formation) : Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! LOU LU DUVA: Black and yellow! POLLEN JOCKS:
Hello! POLLEN JOCK #1: (To Barry)You ready for this, hot shot? BARRY: Yeah. Yeah, bring it on. POLLEN JOCK's: Wind, check. : - Antennae, check. - Nectar pack, check. : - Wings, check. - Stinger, check. BARRY: Scared out of my shorts, check. LOU LO DUVA: OK, ladies, : let's move it out! : Pound those petunias, you striped stem-suckers! : All of you, drain those flowers! (The pollen jocks fly out of the hive) BARRY: Wow! I'm out! : I can't believe I'm out! : So blue.
: I feel so fast and free! : Box kite! (Barry flies through the kite) : Wow! : Flowers! (A pollen jock puts on some high tech goggles that shows flowers similar to heat sink goggles.) POLLEN JOCK: This is Blue Leader. We have roses visual. : Bring it around 30 degrees and hold. : Roses! POLLEN JOCK #1: 30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around. : Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick. (The pollen jock fires a high-tech gun at the flower, shooting tubes that suck up the nectar from the flower and collects it into a pouch on the gun) BARRY: That is one nectar collector! POLLEN JOCK #1== - Ever see pollination up close? BARRY: - No, sir. POLLEN JOCK #1:
(Barry and the Pollen jock fly over the field, the pollen jock sprinkles pollen as he goes) : I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there, : a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic. BARRY: That's amazing. Why do we do that? POLLEN JOCK #1: That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar, more honey for us. BARRY: Cool. POLLEN JOCK #1: I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow. could be daisies. Don't we need those? POLLEN JOCK #2: Copy that visual. : Wait. One of these flowers seems to be on the move. POLLEN JOCK #1: Say again? You're reporting a moving flower? POLLEN JOCK #2: Affirmative. (The Pollen jocks land near the "flowers" which, to the audience are obviously just tennis balls) KEN: (In the distance) That was on the line!
POLLEN JOCK #1: This is the coolest. What is it? POLLEN JOCK #2: I don't know, but I'm loving this color. : It smells good. Not like a flower, but I like it. POLLEN JOCK #1: Yeah, fuzzy. (Sticks his hand on the ball but it gets stuck) POLLEN JOCK #3== Chemical-y. (The pollen jock finally gets his hand free from the tennis ball) POLLEN JOCK #1: Careful, guys. It's a little grabby. (The pollen jocks turn around and see Barry lying his entire body on top of one of the tennis balls) POLLEN JOCK #2: My sweet lord of bees! POLLEN JOCK #3: Candy-brain, get off there! POLLEN JOCK #1: (Pointing upwards) Problem! (A human hand reaches down and grabs the tennis ball that Barry is stuck to) BARRY: - Guys! POLLEN JOCK #2: - This could be bad. POLLEN JOCK #3: Affirmative. (Vanessa Bloome starts bouncing the tennis ball, not knowing Barry is stick to it)
BARRY== Very close. : Gonna hurt. : Mama's little boy. (Barry is being hit back and forth by two humans playing tennis. He is still stuck to the ball) POLLEN JOCK #1: You are way out of position, rookie! KEN: Coming in at you like a MISSILE! (Barry flies past the pollen jocks, still stuck to the ball) BARRY: (In slow motion) Help me! POLLEN JOCK #2: I don't think these are flowers. POLLEN JOCK #3: - Should we tell him? POLLEN JOCK #1: - I think he knows. BARRY: What is this?! KEN: Match point! : You can start packing up, honey, because you're about to EAT IT! (A pollen jock coughs which confused Ken and he hits the ball the wrong way with Barry stuck to it and it goes flying into the city) BARRY:
Yowser! (Barry bounces around town and gets stuck in the engine of a car. He flies into the air conditioner and sees a bug that was frozen in there) BARRY: Ew, gross. (The man driving the car turns on the air conditioner which blows Barry into the car) GIRL IN CAR: There's a bee in the car! : - Do something! DAD DRIVING CAR: - I'm driving! BABY GIRL: (Waving at Barry) - Hi, bee. (Barry smiles and waves at the baby girl) GUY IN BACK OF CAR: - He's back here! : He's going to sting me! GIRL IN CAR: Nobody move. If you don't move, he won't sting you. Freeze! (Barry freezes as well, hovering in the middle of the car) : GRANDMA IN CAR== He blinked! (The grandma whips out some bee-spray and sprays everywhere in the car, climbing into the front seat, still trying to spray Barry) GIRL IN CAR: Spray him, Granny! DAD DRIVING THE CAR: What are you doing?! (Barry escapes the car through the air conditioner and is flying high above
the ground, safe.) BARRY: Wow... the tension level out here is unbelievable. (Barry sees that storm clouds are gathering and he can see rain clouds moving into this direction) : I gotta get home. : Can't fly in rain. : Can't fly in rain. (A rain drop hits Barry and one of his wings is damaged) : Can't fly in rain. (A second rain drop hits Barry again and he spirals downwards) Mayday! Mayday! Bee going down! (WW2 plane sound effects are played as he plummets, and he crash-lands on a plant inside an apartment near the window) VANESSA BLOOME: Ken, could you close the window please? KEN== Hey, check out my new resume. I made it into a fold-out brochure. : You see? (Folds brochure resume out) Folds out. (Ken closes the window, trapping Barry inside) BARRY: Oh, no. More humans. I don't need this. (Barry tries to fly away but smashes into the window and falls again) : What was that?
(Barry keeps trying to fly out the window but he keeps being knocked back because the window is closed) Maybe this time. This time. This time. This time! This time! This... : Drapes! (Barry taps the glass. He doesn't understand what it is) That is diabolical. KEN: It's fantastic. It's got all my special skills, even my top-ten favorite movies. ANDY: What's number one? Star Wars? KEN: Nah, I don't go for that... (Ken makes finger guns and makes "pew pew pew" sounds and then stops) : ...kind of stuff. BARRY: No wonder we shouldn't talk to them. They're out of their minds. KEN: When I leave a job interview, they're flabbergasted, can't believe what I say. BARRY: (Looking at the light on the ceiling) There's the sun. Maybe that's a way out. (Starts flying towards the lightbulb) : I don't remember the sun having a big 75 on it. (Barry hits the lightbulb and falls into the dip on the table that the humans are sitting at) KEN:
I predicted global warming. : I could feel it getting hotter. At first I thought it was just me. (Andy dips a chip into the bowl and scoops up some dip with Barry on it and is about to put it in his mouth) : Wait! Stop! Bee! (Andy drops the chip with Barry in fear and backs away. All the humans freak out) : Stand back. These are winter boots. (Ken has winter boots on his hands and he is about to smash the bee but Vanessa saves him last second) VANESSA: Wait! : Don't kill him! (Vanessa puts Barry in a glass to protect him) KEN: You know I'm allergic to them! This thing could kill me! VANESSA: Why does his life have less value than yours? KEN: Why does his life have any less value than mine? Is that your statement? VANESSA: I'm just saying all life has value. You don't know what he's capable of feeling. (Vanessa picks up Ken's brochure and puts it under the glass so she can carry Barry back to the window. Barry looks at Vanessa in amazement) KEN:
My brochure! VANESSA: There you go, little guy. (Vanessa opens the window and lets Barry out but Barry stays back and is still shocked that a human saved his life) KEN: I'm not scared of him. It's an allergic thing. VANESSA: Put that on your resume brochure. KEN: My whole face could puff up. ANDY: Make it one of your special skills. KEN: Knocking someone out is also a special skill. (Ken walks to the door) Right. Bye, Vanessa. Thanks. : - Vanessa, next week? Yogurt night? VANESSA: - Sure, Ken. You know, whatever. : (Vanessa tries to close door) KEN== - You could put carob chips on there. VANESSA: - Bye. (Closes door but Ken opens it again) KEN: - Supposed to be less calories.
VANESSA: - Bye. (Closes door) (Fast forward to the next day, Barry is still inside the house. He flies into the kitchen where Vanessa is doing dishes) BARRY== (Talking to himself) I gotta say something. : She saved my life. I gotta say something. : All right, here it goes. (Turns back) Nah. : What would I say? : I could really get in trouble. : It's a bee law. You're not supposed to talk to a human. : I can't believe I'm doing this. : I've got to. (Barry disguises himself as a character on a food can as Vanessa walks by again) : Oh, I can't do it. Come on! : No. Yes. No. : Do it. I can't.
: How should I start it? (Barry strikes a pose and wiggles his eyebrows) "You like jazz?" No, that's no good. (Vanessa is about to walk past Barry) Here she comes! Speak, you fool! : ...Hi! (Vanessa gasps and drops the dishes in fright and notices Barry on the counter) : I'm sorry. VANESSA: - You're talking. BARRY: - Yes, I know. VANESSA: (Pointing at Barry) You're talking! BARRY: I'm so sorry. VANESSA: No, it's OK. It's fine. I know I'm dreaming. : But I don't recall going to bed. BARRY: Well, I'm sure this is very disconcerting. VANESSA: This is a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, you're a bee!
BARRY: I am. And I'm not supposed to be doing this, (Pointing to the living room where Ken tried to kill him last night) but they were all trying to kill me. : And if it wasn't for you... : I had to thank you. It's just how I was raised. (Vanessa stabs her hand with a fork to test whether she's dreaming or not) : That was a little weird. VANESSA: - I'm talking with a bee. BARRY: - Yeah. VANESSA: I'm talking to a bee. And the bee is talking to me! BARRY: I just want to say I'm grateful. I'll leave now. (Barry turns to leave) VANESSA: - Wait! How did you learn to do that? BARRY: (Flying back) - What? VANESSA: The talking...thing. BARRY:
Same way you did, I guess. "Mama, Dada, honey." You pick it up. VANESSA: - That's very funny. BARRY: - Yeah. : Bees are funny. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry with what we have to deal with. : Anyway... VANESSA: Can I... : ...get you something? BARRY: - Like what? VANESSA: I don't know. I mean... I don't know. Coffee? BARRY: I don't want to put you out. VANESSA: It's no trouble. It takes two minutes. : - It's just coffee. BARRY: - I hate to impose. (Vanessa starts making coffee) VANESSA: - Don't be ridiculous!
BARRY: - Actually, I would love a cup. VANESSA: Hey, you want rum cake? BARRY: - I shouldn't. VANESSA: - Have some. BARRY: - No, I can't. VANESSA: - Come on! BARRY: I'm trying to lose a couple micrograms. VANESSA: - Where? BARRY: - These stripes don't help. VANESSA: You look great! BARRY: I don't know if you know anything about fashion. : Are you all right? VANESSA: (Pouring coffee on the floor and missing the cup completely) No. (Flash forward in time. Barry and Vanessa are sitting together at a table on top of the apartment building drinking coffee)
: BARRY== He's making the tie in the cab as they're flying up Madison. : He finally gets there. : He runs up the steps into the church. The wedding is on. : And he says, "Watermelon? I thought you said Guatemalan. : Why would I marry a watermelon?" (Barry laughs but Vanessa looks confused) VANESSA: Is that a bee joke? BARRY: That's the kind of stuff we do. VANESSA: Yeah, different. : So, what are you gonna do, Barry? (Barry stands on top of a sugar cube floating in his coffee and paddles it around with a straw like it's a gondola) BARRY: About work? I don't know. : I want to do my part for the hive, but I can't do it the way they want. VANESSA: I know how you feel.
BARRY: - You do? VANESSA: - Sure. : My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor, but I wanted to be a florist. BARRY: - Really? VANESSA: - My only interest is flowers. BARRY: Our new queen was just elected with that same campaign slogan. : Anyway, if you look... (Barry points to a tree in the middle of Central Park) : There's my hive right there. See it? VANESSA: You're in Sheep Meadow! BARRY: Yes! I'm right off the Turtle Pond! VANESSA: No way! I know that area. I lost a toe ring there once. BARRY: - Why do girls put rings on their toes? VANESSA: - Why not? BARRY:

• It's like putting a hat on your knee. VANESSA:
• Maybe I'll try that. (A custodian installing a lightbulb looks over at them but to his perspective it looks like Vanessa is talking to a cup of coffee on the table) CUSTODIAN:
• You all right, ma'am? VANESSA:
• Oh, yeah. Fine. : Just having two cups of coffee! BARRY: Anyway, this has been great. Thanks for the coffee. VANESSA== Yeah, it's no trouble. BARRY: Sorry I couldn't finish it. If I did, I'd be up the rest of my life. (Barry points towards the rum cake) : Can I take a piece of this with me? VANESSA: Sure! Here, have a crumb. (Vanessa hands Barry a crumb but it is still pretty big for Barry) BARRY:
• Thanks! VANESSA:
• Yeah. BARRY: All right. Well, then... I guess I'll see you around.
  : Or not. VANESSA: OK, Barry... BARRY: And thank you so much again... for before. VANESSA: Oh, that? That was nothing. BARRY: Well, not nothing, but... Anyway... (Vanessa and Barry hold hands, but Vanessa has to hold out a finger because her hands is to big and Barry holds that) (The custodian looks over again and it appears Vanessa is laughing at her coffee again. The lightbulb that he was screwing in sparks and he falls off the ladder) (Fast forward in time and we see two Bee Scientists testing out a parachute in a Honex wind tunnel) BEE SCIENTIST #1: This can't possibly work. BEE SCIENTIST #2: He's all set to go. We may as well try it. : OK, Dave, pull the chute. (Dave pulls the chute and the wind slams him against the wall and he falls on his face.The camera pans over and we see Barry and Adam walking together) ADAM:
  
• Sounds amazing. BARRY:
  
• It was amazing! : It was the scariest, happiest moment of my life.
  

ADAM: Humans! I can't believe you were with humans! : Giant, scary humans! What were they like? BARRY: Huge and crazy. They talk crazy. : They eat crazy giant things. They drive crazy. ADAM: - Do they try and kill you, like on TV? BARRY: - Some of them. But some of them don't. ADAM: - How'd you get back? BARRY: - Poodle. ADAM: You did it, and I'm glad. You saw whatever you wanted to see. : You had your "experience." Now you can pick out your job and be normal. BARRY: - Well... ADAM: - Well? BARRY: Well, I met someone.
ADAM: You did? Was she Bee-ish? : - A wasp?! Your parents will kill you! BARRY: - No, no, no, not a wasp. ADAM: - Spider? BARRY: - I'm not attracted to spiders. : I know, for everyone else, it's the hottest thing, with the eight legs and all. : I can't get by that face. ADAM: So who is she? BARRY: She's... human. ADAM: No, no. That's a bee law. You wouldn't break a bee law. BARRY: - Her name's Vanessa. (Adam puts his head in his hands) ADAM: - Oh, boy. BARRY== She's so nice. And she's a florist! ADAM: Oh, no! You're dating a human florist!
BARRY: We're not dating. ADAM: You're flying outside the hive, talking to humans that attack our homes : with power washers and M-80s! That's one-eighth a stick of dynamite! BARRY: She saved my life! And she understands me. ADAM: This is over! BARRY: Eat this. (Barry gives Adam a piece of the crumb that he got from Vanessa. Adam eats it) ADAM: (Adam's tone changes) This is not over! What was that? BARRY: - They call it a crumb. ADAM: - It was so stingin' stripey! BARRY: And that's not what they eat. That's what falls off what they eat! : - You know what a Cinnabon is? ADAM: - No. (Adam opens a door behind him and he pulls Barry in)
BARRY: It's bread and cinnamon and frosting. ADAM: Be quiet! BARRY: They heat it up... ADAM: Sit down! (Adam forces Barry to sit down) BARRY: (Still rambling about Cinnabons) ...really hot! (Adam grabs Barry by the shoulders) ADAM: - Listen to me! : We are not them! We're us. There's us and there's them! BARRY== Yes, but who can deny the heart that is yearning? ADAM: There's no yearning. Stop yearning. Listen to me! : You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. Thinking bee! BARRY: - Thinking bee. WORKER BEE: - Thinking bee. WORKER BEES AND ADAM: Thinking bee! Thinking bee!
Thinking bee! Thinking bee! (Flash forward in time; Barry is laying on a raft in a pool full of honey. He is wearing sunglasses) JANET: There he is. He's in the pool. MARTIN: You know what your problem is, Barry? (Barry pulls down his sunglasses and he looks annoyed) BARRY: (Sarcastic) I gotta start thinking bee? JANET: How much longer will this go on? MARTIN: It's been three days! Why aren't you working? (Puts sunglasses back on) BARRY: I've got a lot of big life decisions to think about. MARTIN: What life? You have no life! You have no job. You're barely a bee! JANET: Would it kill you to make a little honey? (Barry rolls off the raft and sinks into the honey pool) : Barry, come out. Your father's talking to you. : Martin, would you talk to him? MARTIN:
Barry, I'm talking to you! (Barry keeps sinking into the honey until he is suddenly in Central Park having a picnic with Vanessa) (Barry has a cup of honey and he clinks his glass with Vanessas. Suddenly a mosquito lands on Vanessa and she slaps it, killing it. They both gasp but then burst out laughing) VANESSA: You coming? (The camera pans over and Vanessa is climbing into a small yellow airplane) BARRY: Got everything? VANESSA: All set! BARRY: Go ahead. I'll catch up. (Vanessa lifts off and flies ahead) VANESSA: Don't be too long. (Barry catches up with Vanessa and he sticks out his arms like ana irplane. He rolls from side to side, and Vanessa copies him with the airplane) VANESSA: Watch this! (Barry stays back and watches as Vanessa draws a heart in the air using pink smoke from the plane, but on the last loop-the-loop she suddenly crashes into a mountain and the plane explodes. The destroyed plane falls into some rocks and explodes a second time) BARRY: Vanessa! (As Barry is yelling his mouth fills with honey and he wakes up, discovering that he was just day dreaming. He slowly sinks back into the honey pool) MARTIN: - We're still here.
JANET: - I told you not to yell at him. : He doesn't respond to yelling! MARTIN: - Then why yell at me? JANET: - Because you don't listen! MARTIN: I'm not listening to this. BARRY: Sorry, I've gotta go. MARTIN: - Where are you going? BARRY: - I'm meeting a friend. JANET: A girl? Is this why you can't decide? BARRY: Bye. (Barry flies out the door and Martin shakes his head) : JANET== I just hope she's Bee-ish. (Fast forward in time and Barry is sitting on Vanessa's shoulder and she is closing up her shop) BARRY: They have a huge parade of flowers every year in Pasadena? VANESSA: To be in the Tournament of Roses, that's every florist's dream!
: Up on a float, surrounded by flowers, crowds cheering. BARRY: A tournament. Do the roses compete in athletic events? VANESSA: No. All right, I've got one. How come you don't fly everywhere? BARRY: It's exhausting. Why don't you run everywhere? It's faster. VANESSA: Yeah, OK, I see, I see. All right, your turn. BARRY: TiVo. You can just freeze live TV? That's insane! VANESSA: You don't have that? BARRY: We have Hivo, but it's a disease. It's a horrible, horrible disease. VANESSA: Oh, my. (A human walks by and Barry narrowly avoids him) PASSERBY: Dumb bees! VANESSA: You must want to sting all those jerks. BARRY: We try not to sting.
It's usually fatal for us. VANESSA: So you have to watch your temper (They walk into a store) BARRY: Very carefully. You kick a wall, take a walk, : write an angry letter and throw it out. Work through it like any emotion: : Anger, jealousy, lust. (Suddenly an employee(Hector) hits Barry off of Vanessa's shoulder. Hector thinks he's saving Vanessa) VANESSA: (To Barry) Oh, my goodness! Are you OK? (Barry is getting up off the floor) BARRY: Yeah. VANESSA: (To Hector) - What is wrong with you?! HECTOR: (Confused) - It's a bug. VANESSA: He's not bothering anybody. Get out of here, you creep! (Vanessa hits Hector across the face with the magazine he had and then hits him in the head. Hector backs away covering his head) Barry: What was that? A Pic 'N' Save circular? (Vanessa sets Barry back on her shoulder)
VANESSA: Yeah, it was. How did you know? BARRY: It felt like about 10 pages. Seventy-five is pretty much our limit. VANESSA: You've really got that down to a science. BARRY: - Oh, we have to. I lost a cousin to Italian Vogue. VANESSA: - I'll bet. (Barry looks to his right and notices there is honey for sale in the aisle) BARRY: What in the name of Mighty Hercules is this? (Barry looks at all the brands of honey, shocked) How did this get here? Cute Bee, Golden Blossom, : Ray Liotta Private Select? (Barry puts his hands up and slowly turns around, a look of disgust on his face) VANESSA: - Is he that actor? BARRY: - I never heard of him. : - Why is this here? VANESSA: - For people. We eat it. BARRY:
You don't have enough food of your own?! (Hector looks back and notices that Vanessa is talking to Barry) VANESSA: - Well, yes. BARRY: - How do you get it? VANESSA: - Bees make it. BARRY: - I know who makes it! : And it's hard to make it! : There's heating, cooling, stirring. You need a whole Krelman thing! VANESSA: - It's organic. BARRY: - It's our-ganic! VANESSA: It's just honey, Barry. BARRY: Just what?! : Bees don't know about this! This is stealing! A lot of stealing! : You've taken our homes, schools, hospitals! This is all we have! :
And it's on sale?! I'm getting to the bottom of this. : I'm getting to the bottom of all of this! (Flash forward in time; Barry paints his face with black strikes like a soldier and sneaks into the storage section of the store) (Two men, including Hector, are loading boxes into some trucks) : SUPERMARKET EMPLOYEE== Hey, Hector. : - You almost done? HECTOR: - Almost. (Barry takes a step to peak around the corner) (Whispering) He is here. I sense it. : Well, I guess I'll go home now (Hector pretends to walk away by walking in place and speaking loudly) : and just leave this nice honey out, with no one around. BARRY: You're busted, box boy! HECTOR: I knew I heard something! So you can talk! BARRY: I can talk. And now you'll start talking! : Where you getting the sweet stuff?
Who's your supplier? HECTOR: I don't understand. I thought we were friends. : The last thing we want to do is upset bees! (Hector takes a thumbtack out of the board behind him and sword-fights Barry. Barry is using his stinger like a sword) : You're too late! It's ours now! BARRY: You, sir, have crossed the wrong sword! HECTOR: You, sir, will be lunch for my iguana, Ignacio! (Barry hits the thumbtack out of Hectors hand and Hector surrenders) Barry: Where is the honey coming from? : Tell me where! HECTOR: (Pointing to leaving truck) Honey Farms! It comes from Honey Farms! (Barry chases after the truck but it is getting away. He flies onto a bicyclists' backpack and he catches up to the truck) CAR DRIVER: (To bicyclist) Crazy person! (Barry flies off and lands on the windshield of the Honey farms truck. Barry looks around and sees dead bugs splattered everywhere) BARRY: What horrible thing has happened here?
: These faces, they never knew what hit them. And now : they're on the road to nowhere! (Barry hears a sudden whisper) (Barry looks up and sees Mooseblood, a mosquito playing dead) MOOSEBLOOD: Just keep still. BARRY: What? You're not dead? MOOSEBLOOD: Do I look dead? They will wipe anything that moves. Where you headed? BARRY: To Honey Farms. I am onto something huge here. MOOSEBLOOD: I'm going to Alaska. Moose blood, crazy stuff. Blows your head off! ANOTHER BUG PLAYING DEAD: I'm going to Tacoma. (Barry looks at another bug) BARRY: - And you? MOOSEBLOOD: - He really is dead. BARRY: All right. (Another bug hits the windshield and the drivers notice. They activate the windshield wipers) MOOSEBLOOD== Uh-oh! (The windshield wipers are slowly sliding over the dead bugs and wiping
them off) BARRY: - What is that?! MOOSEBLOOD: - Oh, no! : - A wiper! Triple blade! BARRY: - Triple blade? MOOSEBLOOD: Jump on! It's your only chance, bee! (Mooseblood and Barry grab onto the wiper and they hold on as it wipes the windshield) Why does everything have to be so doggone clean?! : How much do you people need to see?! (Bangs on windshield) : Open your eyes! Stick your head out the window! RADIO IN TRUCK: From NPR News in Washington, I'm Carl Kasell. MOOSEBLOOD: But don't kill no more bugs! (Mooseblood and Barry are washed off by the wipr fluid) MOOSEBLOOD: - Bee! BARRY: - Moose blood guy!! (Barry starts screaming as he hangs onto the antenna) (Suddenly it is revealed that a water bug is also hanging on the antenna.
There is a pause and then Barry and the water bug both start screaming) TRUCK DRIVER: - You hear something? GUY IN TRUCK: - Like what? TRUCK DRIVER: Like tiny screaming. GUY IN TRUCK: Turn off the radio. (The antenna starts to lower until it gets to low and sinks into the truck. The water bug flies off and Barry is forced to let go and he is blown away. He luckily lands inside a horn on top of the truck where he finds Mooseblood, who was blown into the same place) MOOSEBLOOD: Whassup, bee boy? BARRY: Hey, Blood. (Fast forward in time and we see that Barry is deep in conversation with Mooseblood. They have been sitting in this truck for a while) BARRY: ...Just a row of honey jars, as far as the eye could see. MOOSEBLOOD: Wow! BARRY: I assume wherever this truck goes is where they're getting it. : I mean, that honey's ours. MOOSEBLOOD: - Bees hang tight. BARRY:

• We're all jammed in. : It's a close community. MOOSEBLOOD: Not us, man. We on our own. Every mosquito on his own. BARRY:
• What if you get in trouble? MOOSEBLOOD:
• You a mosquito, you in trouble. : Nobody likes us. They just smack. See a mosquito, smack, smack! BARRY: At least you're out in the world. You must meet girls. MOOSEBLOOD: Mosquito girls try to trade up, get with a moth, dragonfly. : Mosquito girl don't want no mosquito. (An ambulance passes by and it has a blood donation sign on it) You got to be kidding me! : Mooseblood's about to leave the building! So long, bee! (Mooseblood leaves and flies onto the window of the ambulance where there are other mosquito's hanging out) :
• Hey, guys! OTHER MOSQUITO:
• Mooseblood!

MOOSEBLOOD: I knew I'd catch y'all down here. Did you bring your crazy straw? (The truck goes out of view and Barry notices that the truck he's on is pulling into a camp of some sort) TRUCK DRIVER: We throw it in jars, slap a label on it, and it's pretty much pure profit. (Barry flies out) BARRY: What is this place? BEEKEEPER 1#: A bee's got a brain the size of a pinhead. BEEKEEPER #2: They are pinheads! : Pinhead. : - Check out the new smoker. BEEKEEPER #1: - Oh, sweet. That's the one you want. : The Thomas 3000! BARRY: Smoker? BEEKEEPER #1: Ninety puffs a minute, semi-automatic. Twice the nicotine, all the tar. : A couple breaths of this knocks them right out.
BEEKEEPER #2: They make the honey, and we make the money. BARRY: "They make the honey, and we make the money"? (The Beekeeper sprays hundreds of cheap miniature apartments with the smoker. The bees are fainting or passing out) Oh, my! : What's going on? Are you OK? (Barry flies into one of the apartment and helps a Bee couple get off the ground. They are coughing and its hard for them to stand) BEE IN APARTMENT: Yeah. It doesn't last too long. BARRY: Do you know you're in a fake hive with fake walls? BEE IN APPARTMENT: Our queen was moved here. We had no choice. (The apartment room is completely empty except for a photo on the wall of the "queen" who is obviously a man in women's clothes) BARRY: This is your queen? That's a man in women's clothes! : That's a drag queen! : What is this? (Barry flies out and he discovers that there are hundreds of these structures, each housing thousands of Bees) Oh, no! : There's hundreds of them! (Barry takes out his camera and takes pictures of these Bee work camps. The beekeepers look very evil in these depictions)
Bee honey. : Our honey is being brazenly stolen on a massive scale! : This is worse than anything bears have done! I intend to do something. (Flash forward in time and Barry is showing these pictures to his parents) JANET: Oh, Barry, stop. MARTIN: Who told you humans are taking our honey? That's a rumor. BARRY: Do these look like rumors? (Holds up the pictures) UNCLE CARL: That's a conspiracy theory. These are obviously doctored photos. JANET: How did you get mixed up in this? ADAM: He's been talking to humans. JANET: - What? MARTIN: - Talking to humans?! ADAM: He has a human girlfriend. And they make out! JANET: Make out? Barry!
BARRY: We do not. ADAM: - You wish you could. MARTIN: - Whose side are you on? BARRY: The bees! UNCLE CARL: (He has been sitting in the back of the room this entire time) I dated a cricket once in San Antonio. Those crazy legs kept me up all night. JANET: Barry, this is what you want to do with your life? BARRY: I want to do it for all our lives. Nobody works harder than bees! : Dad, I remember you coming home so overworked : your hands were still stirring. You couldn't stop. JANET: I remember that. BARRY: What right do they have to our honey? : We live on two cups a year. They put it in lip balm for no reason whatsoever!
ADAM: Even if it's true, what can one bee do? BARRY: Sting them where it really hurts. MARTIN: In the face! The eye! : - That would hurt. BARRY: - No. MARTIN: Up the nose? That's a killer. BARRY: There's only one place you can sting the humans, one place where it matters. (Flash forward a bit in time and we are watching the Bee News) BEE NEWS NARRATOR: Hive at Five, the hive's only full-hour action news source. BEE PROTESTOR: No more bee beards! BEE NEWS NARRATOR: With Bob Bumble at the anchor desk. : Weather with Storm Stinger. : Sports with Buzz Larvi. : And Jeanette Chung. BOB BUMBLE: - Good evening. I'm Bob Bumble. JEANETTE CHUNG:

• And I'm Jeanette Chung. BOB BUMBLE: A tri-county bee, Barry Benson, : intends to sue the human race for stealing our honey, : packaging it and profiting from it illegally! JEANETTE CHUNG: Tomorrow night on Bee Larry King, : we'll have three former queens here in our studio, discussing their new book, : Classy Ladies, out this week on Hexagon. (The scene changes to an interview on the news with Bee version of Larry King and Barry) BEE LARRY KING: Tonight we're talking to Barry Benson. : Did you ever think, "I'm a kid from the hive. I can't do this"? BARRY: Bees have never been afraid to change the world. : What about Bee Columbus? Bee Gandhi? Bejesus? BEE LARRY KING: Where I'm from, we'd never sue humans.
  : We were thinking of stickball or candy stores. BARRY: How old are you? BEE LARRY KING: The bee community is supporting you in this case, : which will be the trial of the bee century. BARRY: You know, they have a Larry King in the human world too. BEE LARRY KING: It's a common name. Next week... BARRY: He looks like you and has a show and suspenders and colored dots... BEE LARRY KING: Next week... BARRY: Glasses, quotes on the bottom from the guest even though you just heard 'em. BEE LARRY KING: Bear Week next week! They're scary, hairy and here, live. (Bee Larry King gets annoyed and flies away offscreen) BARRY: Always leans forward, pointy shoulders, squinty eyes, very Jewish. (Flash forward in time. We see Vanessa enter and Ken enters behind her. They are arguing)
  

KEN: In tennis, you attack at the point of weakness! VANESSA: It was my grandmother, Ken. She's 81. KEN== Honey, her backhand's a joke! I'm not gonna take advantage of that? BARRY: (To Ken) Quiet, please. Actual work going on here. KEN: (Pointing at Barry) - Is that that same bee? VANESSA: - Yes, it is! : I'm helping him sue the human race. BARRY: - Hello. KEN: - Hello, bee. VANESSA: This is Ken. BARRY: (Recalling the "Winter Boots" incident earlier) Yeah, I remember you. Timberland, size ten and a half. Vibram sole, I believe. KEN: (To Vanessa) Why does he talk again? VANESSA:
Listen, you better go 'cause we're really busy working. KEN: But it's our yogurt night! VANESSA: (Holding door open for Ken) Bye-bye. KEN: (Yelling) Why is yogurt night so difficult?! (Ken leaves and Vanessa walks over to Barry. His workplace is a mess) VANESSA: You poor thing. You two have been at this for hours! BARRY: Yes, and Adam here has been a huge help. ADAM: - Frosting... - How many sugars? ==BARRY== Just one. I try not to use the competition. : So why are you helping me? VANESSA: Bees have good qualities. : And it takes my mind off the shop. : Instead of flowers, people are giving balloon bouquets now. BARRY:
Those are great, if you're three. VANESSA: And artificial flowers. BARRY: - Oh, those just get me psychotic! VANESSA: - Yeah, me too. : BARRY: Bent stingers, pointless pollination. ADAM: Bees must hate those fake things! : Nothing worse than a daffodil that's had work done. : Maybe this could make up for it a little bit. VANESSA: - This lawsuit's a pretty big deal. BARRY: - I guess. ADAM: You sure you want to go through with it? BARRY: Am I sure? When I'm done with the humans, they won't be able : to say, "Honey, I'm home," without paying a royalty! (Flash forward in time and we are watching the human news. The camera shows
a crowd outside a courthouse) NEWS REPORTER: It's an incredible scene here in downtown Manhattan, : where the world anxiously waits, because for the first time in history, : we will hear for ourselves if a honeybee can actually speak. (We are no longer watching through a news camera) ADAM: What have we gotten into here, Barry? BARRY: It's pretty big, isn't it? ADAM== (Looking at the hundreds of people around the courthouse) I can't believe how many humans don't work during the day. BARRY: You think billion-dollar multinational food companies have good lawyers? SECURITY GUARD: Everybody needs to stay behind the barricade. (A limousine drives up and a fat man,Layton Montgomery, a honey industry owner gets out and walks past Barry) ADAM: - What's the matter? BARRY: - I don't know, I just got a chill. (Fast forward in time and everyone is in the court) MONTGOMERY: Well, if it isn't the bee team.
(To Honey Industry lawyers) You boys work on this? MAN: All rise! The Honorable Judge Bumbleton presiding. JUDGE BUMBLETON: All right. Case number 4475, : Superior Court of New York, Barry Bee Benson v. the Honey Industry : is now in session. : Mr. Montgomery, you're representing the five food companies collectively? MONTGOMERY: A privilege. JUDGE BUMBLETON: Mr. Benson... you're representing all the bees of the world? (Everyone looks closely, they are waiting to see if a Bee can really talk) (Barry makes several buzzing sounds to sound like a Bee) BARRY: I'm kidding. Yes, Your Honor, we're ready to proceed. JUDGE BUMBLBETON: Mr. Montgomery, your opening statement, please. MONTGOMERY: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, : my grandmother was a simple woman. :
Born on a farm, she believed it was man's divine right : to benefit from the bounty of nature God put before us. : If we lived in the topsy-turvy world Mr. Benson imagines, : just think of what would it mean. : I would have to negotiate with the silkworm : for the elastic in my britches! : Talking bee! (Montgomery walks over and looks closely at Barry) : How do we know this isn't some sort of : holographic motion-picture-capture Hollywood wizardry? : They could be using laser beams! : Robotics! Ventriloquism! Cloning! For all we know, : he could be on steroids! JUDGE BUMBLETON: Mr. Benson?
BARRY: Ladies and gentlemen, there's no trickery here. : I'm just an ordinary bee. Honey's pretty important to me. : It's important to all bees. We invented it! : We make it. And we protect it with our lives. : Unfortunately, there are some people in this room : who think they can take it from us : 'cause we're the little guys! I'm hoping that, after this is all over, : you'll see how, by taking our honey, you not only take everything we have : but everything we are! JANET== (To Martin) I wish he'd dress like that all the time. So nice! JUDGE BUMBLETON: Call your first witness. BARRY: So, Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden
of Honey Farms, big company you have. KLAUSS VANDERHAYDEN: I suppose so. BARRY: I see you also own Honeyburton and Honron! KLAUSS: Yes, they provide beekeepers for our farms. BARRY: Beekeeper. I find that to be a very disturbing term. : I don't imagine you employ any bee-free-ers, do you? KLAUSS: (Quietly) - No. BARRY: - I couldn't hear you. KLAUSS: - No. BARRY: - No. : Because you don't free bees. You keep bees. Not only that, : it seems you thought a bear would be an appropriate image for a jar of honey. KLAUSS: They're very lovable creatures.
: Yogi Bear, Fozzie Bear, Build-A-Bear. BARRY: You mean like this? (The bear from Over The Hedge barges in through the back door and it is roaring and standing on its hind legs. It is thrashing its claws and people are screaming. It is being held back by a guard who has the bear on a chain) : (Pointing to the roaring bear) Bears kill bees! : How'd you like his head crashing through your living room?! : Biting into your couch! Spitting out your throw pillows! JUDGE BUMBLETON: OK, that's enough. Take him away. (The bear stops roaring and thrashing and walks out) BARRY: So, Mr. Sting, thank you for being here. Your name intrigues me. : - Where have I heard it before? MR. STING: - I was with a band called The Police. BARRY: But you've never been a police officer, have you? STING: No, I haven't. BARRY:
No, you haven't. And so here we have yet another example : of bee culture casually stolen by a human : for nothing more than a prance-about stage name. STING: Oh, please. BARRY: Have you ever been stung, Mr. Sting? : Because I'm feeling a little stung, Sting. : Or should I say... Mr. Gordon M. Sumner! MONTGOMERY: That's not his real name?! You idiots! BARRY: Mr. Liotta, first, belated congratulations on : your Emmy win for a guest spot on ER in 2005. RAY LIOTTA: Thank you. Thank you. BARRY: I see from your resume that you're devilishly handsome : with a churning inner turmoil
that's ready to blow. RAY LIOTTA: I enjoy what I do. Is that a crime? BARRY: Not yet it isn't. But is this what it's come to for you? : Exploiting tiny, helpless bees so you don't : have to rehearse your part and learn your lines, sir? RAY LIOTTA: Watch it, Benson! I could blow right now! BARRY: This isn't a goodfella. This is a badfella! (Ray Liotta looses it and tries to grab Barry) RAY LIOTTA: Why doesn't someone just step on this creep, and we can all go home?! JUDGE BUMBLETON: - Order in this court! RAY LIOTTA: - You're all thinking it! (Judge Bumbleton starts banging her gavel) JUDGE BUMBLETON: Order! Order, I say! RAY LIOTTA: - Say it! MAN:

• Mr. Liotta, please sit down! (We see a montage of magazines which feature the court case) (Flash forward in time and Barry is back home with Vanessa) BARRY: I think it was awfully nice of that bear to pitch in like that. VANESSA: I think the jury's on our side. BARRY: Are we doing everything right,you know, legally? VANESSA: I'm a florist. BARRY: Right. Well, here's to a great team. VANESSA: To a great team! (Ken walks in from work. He sees Barry and he looks upset when he sees Barry clinking his glass with Vanessa) KEN: Well, hello. VANESSA:
• Oh, Ken! BARRY:
• Hello! VANESSA: I didn't think you were coming. : No, I was just late. I tried to call, but... (Ken holds up his phone and flips it open. The phone has no charge) ...the battery... VANESSA:

I didn't want all this to go to waste, so I called Barry. Luckily, he was free. KEN: Oh, that was lucky. (Ken sits down at the table across from Barry and Vanessa leaves the room) VANESSA: There's a little left. I could heat it up. KEN: (Not taking his eyes off Barry) Yeah, heat it up, sure, whatever. BARRY: So I hear you're quite a tennis player. : I'm not much for the game myself. The ball's a little grabby. KEN: That's where I usually sit. Right... (Points to where Barry is sitting) there. VANESSA: (Calling from other room) Ken, Barry was looking at your resume, : and he agreed with me that eating with chopsticks isn't really a special skill. KEN: (To Barry) You think I don't see what you're doing? BARRY: I know how hard it is to find the right job. We have that in common.
KEN: Do we? BARRY: Bees have 100 percent employment, but we do jobs like taking the crud out. KEN: (Menacingly) That's just what I was thinking about doing. (Ken reaches for a fork on the table but knocks if on the floor. He goes to pick it up) VANESSA: Ken, I let Barry borrow your razor for his fuzz. I hope that was all right. (Ken quickly rises back up after hearing this but hits his head on the table and yells) BARRY: I'm going to drain the old stinger. KEN: Yeah, you do that. (Barry flies past Ken to get to the bathroom and Ken freaks out, splashing some of the wine he was using to cool his head in his eyes. He yells in anger) (Barry looks at the magazines featuring his victories in court) BARRY: Look at that. (Barry flies into the bathroom) (He puts his hand on his head but this makes hurts him and makes him even madder. He yells again) (Barry is washing his hands in the sink but then Ken walks in) KEN: You know, you know I've just about had it (Closes bathroom door behind him) with your little mind games. (Ken is menacingly rolling up a magazine) BARRY:
(Backing away) - What's that? KEN: - Italian Vogue. BARRY: Mamma mia, that's a lot of pages. KEN: It's a lot of ads. BARRY: Remember what Van said, why is your life more valuable than mine? KEN: That's funny, I just can't seem to recall that! (Ken smashes everything off the sink with the magazine and Barry narrowly escapes) (Ken follows Barry around and tries to hit him with the magazine but he keeps missing) (Ken gets a spray bottle) : I think something stinks in here! BARRY: (Enjoying the spray) I love the smell of flowers. (Ken holds a lighter in front of the spray bottle) KEN: How do you like the smell of flames?! BARRY: Not as much. (Ken fires his make-shift flamethrower but misses Barry, burning the bathroom. He torches the whole room but looses his footing and falls into the bathtub. After getting hit in the head by falling objects 3 times he picks up the shower head, revealing a Water bug hiding under it) WATER BUG: Water bug! Not taking sides!
(Barry gets up out of a pile of bathroom supplies and he is wearing a chapstick hat) BARRY: Ken, I'm wearing a Chapstick hat! This is pathetic! (Ken switches the shower head to lethal) KEN: I've got issues! (Ken sprays Barry with the shower head and he crash lands into the toilet) (Ken menacingly looks down into the toilet at Barry) Well, well, well, a royal flush! BARRY: - You're bluffing. KEN: - Am I? (flushes toilet) (Barry grabs a chapstick from the toilet seat and uses it to surf in the flushing toilet) BARRY: Surf's up, dude! (Barry flies out of the toilet on the chapstick and sprays Ken's face with the toilet water) : EW,Poo water! BARRY: That bowl is gnarly. KEN: (Aiming a toilet cleaner at Barry) Except for those dirty yellow rings! (Barry cowers and covers his head and Vanessa runs in and takes the toilet cleaner from Ken just before he hits Barry) VANESSA: Kenneth! What are you doing?! KEN== (Leaning towards Barry)
You know, I don't even like honey! I don't eat it! VANESSA: We need to talk! (Vanessa pulls Ken out of the bathroom) : He's just a little bee! : And he happens to be the nicest bee I've met in a long time! KEN: Long time? What are you talking about?! Are there other bugs in your life? VANESSA: No, but there are other things bugging me in life. And you're one of them! KEN: Fine! Talking bees, no yogurt night... : My nerves are fried from riding on this emotional roller coaster! VANESSA: Goodbye, Ken. (Ken huffs and walks out and slams the door. But suddenly he walks back in and stares at Barry) : And for your information, I prefer sugar-free, artificial sweeteners MADE BY MAN! (Ken leaves again and Vanessa leans in towards Barry) VANESSA: I'm sorry about all that. (Ken walks back in again)
KEN: I know it's got an aftertaste! I LIKE IT! (Ken leaves for the last time) VANESSA: I always felt there was some kind of barrier between Ken and me. : I couldn't overcome it. Oh, well. : Are you OK for the trial? BARRY: I believe Mr. Montgomery is about out of ideas. (Flash forward in time and Barry, Adam, and Vanessa are back in court) MONTGOMERY-- We would like to call Mr. Barry Benson Bee to the stand. ADAM: Good idea! You can really see why he's considered one of the best lawyers... (Barry stares at Adam) ...Yeah. LAWYER: Layton, you've gotta weave some magic with this jury, or it's gonna be all over. MONTGOMERY: Don't worry. The only thing I have to do to turn this jury around : is to remind them of what they don't like about bees. (To lawyer)

• You got the tweezers? LAWYER:
• Are you allergic? MONTGOMERY: Only to losing, son. Only to losing. : Mr. Benson Bee, I'll ask you what I think we'd all like to know. : What exactly is your relationship (Points to Vanessa) : to that woman? BARRY: We're friends. MONTGOMERY:
• Good friends? BARRY:
• Yes. MONTGOMERY: How good? Do you live together? ADAM: Wait a minute... : MONTGOMERY: Are you her little... : ...bedbug? (Adam's stinger starts vibrating. He is agitated) I've seen a bee documentary or two. From what I understand,
  : doesn't your queen give birth to all the bee children? BARRY:
  
• Yeah, but... MONTGOMERY: (Pointing at Janet and Martin)
  
• So those aren't your real parents! JANET:
  
• Oh, Barry... BARRY:
  
• Yes, they are! ADAM: Hold me back! (Vanessa tries to hold Adam back. He wants to sting Montgomery) MONTGOMERY: You're an illegitimate bee, aren't you, Benson? ADAM: He's denouncing bees! MONTGOMERY: Don't y'all date your cousins? (Montgomery leans over on the jury stand and stares at Adam) VANESSA:
  
• Objection! (Vanessa raises her hand to object but Adam gets free. He flies straight at Montgomery) =ADAM:
  
• I'm going to pincushion this guy! BARRY: Adam, don't! It's what he wants! (Adam stings Montgomery in the butt and he starts thrashing around)
  

MONTGOMERY: Oh, I'm hit!! : Oh, lordy, I am hit! JUDGE BUMBLETON: (Banging gavel) Order! Order! MONTGOMERY: (Overreacting) The venom! The venom is coursing through my veins! : I have been felled by a winged beast of destruction! : You see? You can't treat them like equals! They're striped savages! : Stinging's the only thing they know! It's their way! BARRY: - Adam, stay with me. ADAM: - I can't feel my legs. MONTGOMERY: (Overreacting and throwing his body around the room) What angel of mercy will come forward to suck the poison : from my heaving buttocks? JUDGE BUMLBETON: I will have order in this court. Order!
: Order, please! (Flash forward in time and we see a human news reporter) NEWS REPORTER: The case of the honeybees versus the human race : took a pointed turn against the bees : yesterday when one of their legal team stung Layton T. Montgomery. (Adam is laying in a hospital bed and Barry flies in to see him) BARRY: - Hey, buddy. ADAM: - Hey. BARRY: - Is there much pain? ADAM: - Yeah. : I... : I blew the whole case, didn't I? BARRY: It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive. You could have died. ADAM: I'd be better off dead. Look at me. (A small plastic sword is replaced as Adam's stinger) They got it from the cafeteria downstairs, in a tuna sandwich.
: Look, there's a little celery still on it. (Flicks off the celery and sighs) BARRY: What was it like to sting someone? ADAM: I can't explain it. It was all... : All adrenaline and then... and then ecstasy! BARRY: ...All right. ADAM: You think it was all a trap? BARRY: Of course. I'm sorry. I flew us right into this. : What were we thinking? Look at us. We're just a couple of bugs in this world. ADAM: What will the humans do to us if they win? BARRY: I don't know. ADAM: I hear they put the roaches in motels. That doesn't sound so bad. BARRY: Adam, they check in, but they don't check out!
ADAM: Oh, my. (Coughs) Could you get a nurse to close that window? BARRY: - Why? ADAM: - The smoke. (We can see that two humans are smoking cigarettes outside) : Bees don't smoke. BARRY: Right. Bees don't smoke. : Bees don't smoke! But some bees are smoking. : That's it! That's our case! ADAM: It is? It's not over? BARRY: Get dressed. I've gotta go somewhere. : Get back to the court and stall. Stall any way you can. (Flash forward in time and Adam is making a paper boat in the courtroom) ADAM: And assuming you've done step 29 correctly, you're ready for the tub! (We see that the jury have each made their own paper boats after being taught how by Adam. They all look confused) JUDGE BUMBLETON:
Mr. Flayman. ADAM: Yes? Yes, Your Honor! JUDGE BUMBLETON: Where is the rest of your team? ADAM: (Continues stalling) Well, Your Honor, it's interesting. : Bees are trained to fly haphazardly, : and as a result, we don't make very good time. : I actually heard a funny story about... MONTGOMERY: Your Honor, haven't these ridiculous bugs : taken up enough of this court's valuable time? : How much longer will we allow these absurd shenanigans to go on? : They have presented no compelling evidence to support their charges : against my clients, who run legitimate businesses. : I move for a complete dismissal
of this entire case! JUDGE BUMBLETON: Mr. Flayman, I'm afraid I'm going : to have to consider Mr. Montgomery's motion. ADAM: But you can't! We have a terrific case. MONTGOMERY: Where is your proof? Where is the evidence? : Show me the smoking gun! BARRY: (Barry flies in through the door) Hold it, Your Honor! You want a smoking gun? : Here is your smoking gun. (Vanessa walks in holding a bee smoker. She sets it down on the Judge's podium) JUDGE BUMBLETON: What is that? BARRY: It's a bee smoker! MONTGOMERY: (Picks up smoker) What, this? This harmless little contraption? : This couldn't hurt a fly, let alone a bee. (Montgomery accidentally fires it at the bees in the crowd and they faint
and cough) (Dozens of reporters start taking pictures of the suffering bees) BARRY: Look at what has happened : to bees who have never been asked, "Smoking or non?" : Is this what nature intended for us? : To be forcibly addicted to smoke machines : and man-made wooden slat work camps? : Living out our lives as honey slaves to the white man? (Barry points to the honey industry owners. One of them is an African American so he awkwardly separates himself from the others) LAWYER: - What are we gonna do? - He's playing the species card. BARRY: Ladies and gentlemen, please, free these bees! ADAM AND VANESSA: Free the bees! Free the bees! BEES IN CROWD: Free the bees! HUMAN JURY: Free the bees! Free the bees! JUDGE BUMBLETON: The court finds in favor of the bees!
BARRY: Vanessa, we won! VANESSA: I knew you could do it! High-five! (Vanessa hits Barry hard because her hand is too big) : Sorry. BARRY: (Overjoyed) I'm OK! You know what this means? : All the honey will finally belong to the bees. : Now we won't have to work so hard all the time. MONTGOMERY: This is an unholy perversion of the balance of nature, Benson. : You'll regret this. (Montgomery leaves and Barry goes outside the courtroom. Several reporters start asking Barry questions) REPORTER 1#: Barry, how much honey is out there? BARRY: All right. One at a time. REPORTER 2#: Barry, who are you wearing? BARRY: My sweater is Ralph Lauren, and I have no pants.
(Barry flies outside with the paparazzi and Adam and Vanessa stay back) ADAM: (To Vanessa) - What if Montgomery's right? Vanessa: - What do you mean? ADAM: We've been living the bee way a long time, 27 million years. (Flash forward in time and Barry is talking to a man) BUSINESS MAN: Congratulations on your victory. What will you demand as a settlement? BARRY: First, we'll demand a complete shutdown of all bee work camps. (As Barry is talking we see a montage of men putting "closed" tape over the work camps and freeing the bees in the crappy apartments) Then we want back the honey that was ours to begin with, : every last drop. (Men in suits are pushing all the honey of the aisle and into carts) We demand an end to the glorification of the bear as anything more (We see a statue of a bear-shaped honey container being pulled down by bees) than a filthy, smelly, bad-breath stink machine. : We're all aware of what they do in the woods. (We see Winnie the Pooh sharing his honey with Piglet in the cross-hairs of a high-tech sniper rifle) BARRY: (Looking through binoculars)
Wait for my signal. : Take him out. (Winnie gets hit by a tranquilizer dart and dramatically falls off the log he was standing on, his tongue hanging out. Piglet looks at Pooh in fear and the Sniper takes the honey.) SNIPER: He'll have nausea for a few hours, then he'll be fine. (Flash forward in time) BARRY: And we will no longer tolerate bee-negative nicknames... (Mr. Sting is sitting at home until he is taken out of his house by the men in suits) STING: But it's just a prance-about stage name! BARRY: ...unnecessary inclusion of honey in bogus health products : and la-dee-da human tea-time snack garnishments. (An old lady is mixing honey into her tea but suddenly men in suits smash her face down on the table and take the honey) OLD LADY: Can't breathe. (A honey truck pulls up to Barry's hive) WORKER: Bring it in, boys! : Hold it right there! Good. : Tap it.
(Tons of honey is being pumped into the hive's storage) BEE WORKER 1#: (Honey overflows from the cup) Mr. Buzzwell, we just passed three cups, and there's gallons more coming! : - I think we need to shut down! =BEE WORKER #2= - Shut down? We've never shut down. : Shut down honey production! DEAN BUZZWELL: Stop making honey! (The bees all leave their stations. Two bees run into a room and they put the keys into a machine) Turn your key, sir! (Two worker bees dramatically turn their keys, which opens the button which they press, shutting down the honey-making machines. This is the first time this has ever happened) BEE: ...What do we do now? (Flash forward in time and a Bee is about to jump into a pool full of honey) Cannonball! (The bee gets stuck in the honey and we get a short montage of Bees leaving work) (We see the Pollen Jocks flying but one of them gets a call on his antenna) LOU LU DUVA: (Through "phone") We're shutting honey production! : Mission abort. POLLEN JOCK #1: Aborting pollination and nectar detail. Returning to base. (The Pollen Jocks fly back to the hive)
(We get a time lapse of Central Park slowly wilting away as the bees all relax) BARRY: Adam, you wouldn't believe how much honey was out there. ADAM: Oh, yeah? BARRY: What's going on? Where is everybody? (The entire street is deserted) : - Are they out celebrating? ADAM: - They're home. : They don't know what to do. Laying out, sleeping in. : I heard your Uncle Carl was on his way to San Antonio with a cricket. BARRY: At least we got our honey back. ADAM: Sometimes I think, so what if humans liked our honey? Who wouldn't? : It's the greatest thing in the world! I was excited to be part of making it. : This was my new desk. This was my new job. I wanted to do it really well. :
And now... : Now I can't. (Flash forward in time and Barry is talking to Vanessa) BARRY: I don't understand why they're not happy. : I thought their lives would be better! : They're doing nothing. It's amazing. Honey really changes people. VANESSA: You don't have any idea what's going on, do you? BARRY: - What did you want to show me? (Vanessa takes Barry to the rooftop where they first had coffee and points to her store) VANESSA: - This. (Points at her flowers. They are all grey and wilting) BARRY: What happened here? VANESSA: That is not the half of it. (Small flash forward in time and Vanessa and Barry are on the roof of her store and she points to Central Park) (We see that Central Park is no longer green and colorful, rather it is grey, brown, and dead-like. It is very depressing to look at) BARRY: Oh, no. Oh, my. :
They're all wilting. VANESSA: Doesn't look very good, does it? BARRY: No. VANESSA: And whose fault do you think that is? BARRY: You know, I'm gonna guess bees. VANESSA== (Staring at Barry) Bees? BARRY: Specifically, me. : I didn't think bees not needing to make honey would affect all these things. VANESSA: It's not just flowers. Fruits, vegetables, they all need bees. BARRY: That's our whole SAT test right there. VANESSA: Take away produce, that affects the entire animal kingdom. : And then, of course... BARRY: The human species? : So if there's no more pollination,
: it could all just go south here, couldn't it? VANESSA: I know this is also partly my fault. BARRY: How about a suicide pact? VANESSA: How do we do it? BARRY: - I'll sting you, you step on me. VANESSA: - That just kills you twice. BARRY: Right, right. VANESSA: Listen, Barry... sorry, but I gotta get going. (Vanessa leaves) BARRY: (To himself) I had to open my mouth and talk. : Vanessa? : Vanessa? Why are you leaving? Where are you going? (Vanessa is getting into a taxi) VANESSA: To the final Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena. :
They've moved it to this weekend because all the flowers are dying. : It's the last chance I'll ever have to see it. BARRY: Vanessa, I just wanna say I'm sorry. I never meant it to turn out like this. VANESSA: I know. Me neither. (The taxi starts to drive away) BARRY: Tournament of Roses. Roses can't do sports. : Wait a minute. Roses. Roses? : Roses! : Vanessa! (Barry flies after the Taxi) VANESSA: Roses?! : Barry? (Barry is flying outside the window of the taxi) BARRY: - Roses are flowers! VANESSA: - Yes, they are. BARRY: Flowers, bees, pollen!
VANESSA: I know. That's why this is the last parade. BARRY: Maybe not. Could you ask him to slow down? VANESSA: Could you slow down? (The taxi driver screeches to a stop and Barry keeps flying forward) : Barry! (Barry flies back to the window) BARRY: OK, I made a huge mistake. This is a total disaster, all my fault. VANESSA: Yes, it kind of is. BARRY: I've ruined the planet. I wanted to help you : with the flower shop. I've made it worse. VANESSA: Actually, it's completely closed down. BARRY: I thought maybe you were remodeling. : But I have another idea, and it's greater than my previous ideas combined. VANESSA: I don't want to hear it!
BARRY: All right, they have the roses, the roses have the pollen. : I know every bee, plant and flower bud in this park. : All we gotta do is get what they've got back here with what we've got. : - Bees. VANESSA: - Park. BARRY: - Pollen! VANESSA: - Flowers. BARRY: - Re-pollination! VANESSA: - Across the nation! : Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, California. : They've got nothing but flowers, floats and cotton candy. : Security will be tight. BARRY: I have an idea.
(Flash forward in time. Vanessa is about to board a plane which has all the Roses on board. VANESSA: Vanessa Bloome, FTD. (Holds out badge) : Official floral business. It's real. SECURITY GUARD: Sorry, ma'am. Nice brooch. =VANESSA== Thank you. It was a gift. (Barry is revealed to be hiding inside the brooch) (Flash back in time and Barry and Vanessa are discussing their plan) BARRY: Once inside, we just pick the right float. VANESSA: How about The Princess and the Pea? : I could be the princess, and you could be the pea! BARRY: Yes, I got it. : - Where should I sit? GUARD: - What are you? BARRY: - I believe I'm the pea. GUARD: - The pea? VANESSA:
It goes under the mattresses. GUARD: - Not in this fairy tale, sweetheart. - I'm getting the marshal. VANESSA: You do that! This whole parade is a fiasco! : Let's see what this baby'll do. (Vanessa drives the float through traffic) GUARD: Hey, what are you doing?! BARRY== Then all we do is blend in with traffic... : ...without arousing suspicion. : Once at the airport, there's no stopping us. (Flash forward in time and Barry and Vanessa are about to get on a plane) SECURITY GUARD: Stop! Security. : - You and your insect pack your float? VANESSA: - Yes. SECURITY GUARD: Has it been in your possession the entire time? VANESSA: - Yes.
SECURITY GUARD: Would you remove your shoes? (To Barry) - Remove your stinger. BARRY: - It's part of me. SECURITY GUARD: I know. Just having some fun. Enjoy your flight. (Barry plotting with Vanessa) BARRY: Then if we're lucky, we'll have just enough pollen to do the job. (Flash forward in time and Barry and Vanessa are flying on the plane) Can you believe how lucky we are? We have just enough pollen to do the job! VANESSA: I think this is gonna work. BARRY: It's got to work. CAPTAIN SCOTT: (On intercom) Attention, passengers, this is Captain Scott. : We have a bit of bad weather in New York. : It looks like we'll experience a couple hours delay. VANESSA: Barry, these are cut flowers with no water. They'll never make it. BARRY:
I gotta get up there and talk to them. VANESSA== Be careful. (Barry flies right outside the cockpit door) BARRY: Can I get help with the Sky Mall magazine? I'd like to order the talking inflatable nose and ear hair trimmer. (The flight attendant opens the door and walks out and Barry flies into the cockpit unseen) BARRY: Captain, I'm in a real situation. CAPTAIN SCOTT: - What'd you say, Hal? CO-PILOT HAL: - Nothing. (Scott notices Barry and freaks out) CAPTAIN SCOTT: Bee! BARRY: No,no,no, Don't freak out! My entire species... (Captain Scott gets out of his seat and tries to suck Barry into a handheld vacuum) HAL: (To Scott) What are you doing? (Barry lands on Hals hair but Scott sees him. He tries to suck up Barry but instead he sucks up Hals toupee) CAPTAIN SCOTT: Uh-oh. BARRY: - Wait a minute! I'm an attorney!
HAL: (Hal doesn't know Barry is on his head) - Who's an attorney? CAPTAIN SCOTT: Don't move. (Scott hits Hal in the face with the vacuum in an attempt to hit Barry. Hal is knocked out and he falls on the life raft button which launches an infalatable boat into Scott, who gets knocked out and falls to the floor. They are both uncounscious.) BARRY: (To himself) Oh, Barry. BARRY: (On intercom, with a Southern accent) Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain. : Would a Miss Vanessa Bloome in 24B please report to the cockpit? (Vanessa looks confused) (Normal accent) ...And please hurry! (Vanessa opens the door and sees the life raft and the uncounscious pilots) VANESSA: What happened here? BARRY: I tried to talk to them, but then there was a DustBuster, a toupee, a life raft exploded. : Now one's bald, one's in a boat, and they're both unconscious! VANESSA: ...Is that another bee joke? BARRY:

• No! : No one's flying the plane! BUD DITCHWATER: (Through radio on plane) This is JFK control tower, Flight 356. What's your status? VANESSA: This is Vanessa Bloome. I'm a florist from New York. BUD: Where's the pilot? VANESSA: He's unconscious, and so is the copilot. BUD: Not good. Does anyone onboard have flight experience? BARRY: As a matter of fact, there is. BUD:
• Who's that? BARRY:
• Barry Benson. BUD: From the honey trial?! Oh, great. BARRY: Vanessa, this is nothing more than a big metal bee. : It's got giant wings, huge engines.

VANESSA: I can't fly a plane. BARRY: - Why not? Isn't John Travolta a pilot? VANESSA: - Yes. BARRY: How hard could it be? (Vanessa sits down and flies for a little bit but we see lightning clouds outside the window) VANESSA: Wait, Barry! We're headed into some lightning. (An ominous lightning storm looms in front of the plane) (We are now watching the Bee News) BOB BUMBLE: This is Bob Bumble. We have some late-breaking news from JFK Airport, : where a suspenseful scene is developing. : Barry Benson, fresh from his legal victory... ADAM: That's Barry! BOB BUMBLE: ...is attempting to land a plane, loaded with people, flowers : and an incapacitated flight crew. JANET, MARTIN, UNCLE CAR AND ADAM: Flowers?! (The scene switches to the human news)
REPORTER: (Talking with Bob Bumble) We have a storm in the area and two individuals at the controls : with absolutely no flight experience. BOB BUMBLE: Just a minute. There's a bee on that plane. BUD: I'm quite familiar with Mr. Benson and his no-account compadres. : They've done enough damage. REPORTER: But isn't he your only hope? BUD: Technically, a bee shouldn't be able to fly at all. : Their wings are too small... BARRY: (Through radio) Haven't we heard this a million times? : "The surface area of the wings and body mass make no sense."... BOB BUMBLE: - Get this on the air! BEE: - Got it.
BEE NEWS CREW: - Stand by. BEE NEWS CREW: - We're going live! BARRY: (Through radio on TV) ...The way we work may be a mystery to you. : Making honey takes a lot of bees doing a lot of small jobs. : But let me tell you about a small job. : If you do it well, it makes a big difference. : More than we realized. To us, to everyone. : That's why I want to get bees back to working together. : That's the bee way! We're not made of Jell-O. : We get behind a fellow. : - Black and yellow! BEES: - Hello! (The scene switches and Barry is teaching Vanessa how to fly) BARRY:
Left, right, down, hover. VANESSA: - Hover? BARRY: - Forget hover. VANESSA: This isn't so hard. (Pretending to honk the horn) Beep-beep! Beep-beep! (A Lightning bolt hits the plane and autopilot turns off) Barry, what happened?! BARRY: Wait, I think we were on autopilot the whole time. VANESSA: - That may have been helping me. BARRY: - And now we're not! VANESSA: So it turns out I cannot fly a plane. (The plane plummets but we see Lou Lu Duva and the Pollen Jocks, along with multiple other bees flying towards the plane) Lou Lu DUva: All of you, let's get behind this fellow! Move it out! : Move out! (The scene switches back to Vanessa and Barry in the plane) BARRY: Our only chance is if I do what I'd do, you copy me with the wings of the plane! (Barry sticks out his arms like an airplane and flys in front of Vanessa's face)
VANESSA: Don't have to yell. BARRY: I'm not yelling! We're in a lot of trouble. VANESSA: It's very hard to concentrate with that panicky tone in your voice! BARRY: It's not a tone. I'm panicking! VANESSA: I can't do this! (Barry slaps Vanessa) BARRY: Vanessa, pull yourself together. You have to snap out of it! VANESSA: (Slaps Barry) You snap out of it. BARRY: (Slaps Vanessa) : You snap out of it. VANESSA: - You snap out of it! BARRY: - You snap out of it! (We see that all the Pollen Jocks are flying under the plane) VANESSA: - You snap out of it! BARRY: - You snap out of it!
VANESSA: - You snap out of it! BARRY: - You snap out of it! VANESSA: - Hold it! BARRY: - Why? Come on, it's my turn. VANESSA: How is the plane flying? (The plane is now safely flying) VANESSA: I don't know. (Barry's antennae rings like a phone. Barry picks up) BARRY: Hello? LOU LU DUVA: (Through "phone") Benson, got any flowers for a happy occasion in there? (All of the Pollen Jocks are carrying the plane) BARRY: The Pollen Jocks! : They do get behind a fellow. LOU LU DUVA: - Black and yellow. POLLEN JOCKS: - Hello. LOU LU DUVA: All right, let's drop this tin can
on the blacktop. BARRY: Where? I can't see anything. Can you? VANESSA: No, nothing. It's all cloudy. : Come on. You got to think bee, Barry. BARRY: - Thinking bee. - Thinking bee. (On the runway there are millions of bees laying on their backs) BEES: Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! BARRY: Wait a minute. I think I'm feeling something. VANESSA: - What? BARRY: - I don't know. It's strong, pulling me. : Like a 27-million-year-old instinct. : Bring the nose down. BEES: Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! CONTROL TOWER OPERATOR: - What in the world is on the tarmac? BUD: - Get some lights on that!
(It is revealed that all the bees are organized into a giant pulsating flower formation) BEES: Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! BARRY: - Vanessa, aim for the flower. VANESSA: - OK. BARRY: Out the engines. We're going in on bee power. Ready, boys? LOU LU DUVA: Affirmative! BARRY: Good. Good. Easy, now. That's it. : Land on that flower! : Ready? Full reverse! : Spin it around! (The plane's nose is pointed at a flower painted on a nearby plane) - Not that flower! The other one! VANESSA: - Which one? BARRY: - That flower. (The plane is now pointed at a fat guy in a flowered shirt. He freaks out and tries to take a picture of the plane) VANESSA: - I'm aiming at the flower!
BARRY: That's a fat guy in a flowered shirt. I mean the giant pulsating flower made of millions of bees! (The plane hovers over the bee-flower) : Pull forward. Nose down. Tail up. : Rotate around it. VANESSA: - This is insane, Barry! BARRY: - This's the only way I know how to fly. BUD: Am I koo-koo-kachoo, or is this plane flying in an insect-like pattern? (The plane is unrealistically hovering and spinning over the bee-flower) BARRY: Get your nose in there. Don't be afraid. Smell it. Full reverse! : Just drop it. Be a part of it. : Aim for the center! : Now drop it in! Drop it in, woman! : Come on, already. (The bees scatter and the plane safely lands) VANESSA: Barry, we did it! You taught me how to fly!
BARRY: - Yes! (Vanessa is about to high-five Barry) No high-five! VANESSA: - Right. ADAM: Barry, it worked! Did you see the giant flower? BARRY: What giant flower? Where? Of course I saw the flower! That was genius! ADAM: - Thank you. BARRY: - But we're not done yet. : Listen, everyone! : This runway is covered with the last pollen : from the last flowers available anywhere on Earth. : That means this is our last chance. : We're the only ones who make honey, pollinate flowers and dress like this. : If we're gonna survive as a species, this is our moment! What do you say?
: Are we going to be bees, or just Museum of Natural History keychains? BEES: We're bees! BEE WHO LIKES KEYCHAINS: Keychain! BARRY: Then follow me! Except Keychain. POLLEN JOCK #1: Hold on, Barry. Here. : You've earned this. BARRY: Yeah! : I'm a Pollen Jock! And it's a perfect fit. All I gotta do are the sleeves. (The Pollen Jocks throw Barry a nectar-collecting gun. Barry catches it) Oh, yeah. JANET: That's our Barry. (Barry and the Pollen Jocks get pollen from the flowers on the plane) (Flash forward in time and the Pollen Jocks are flying over NYC) : (Barry pollinates the flowers in Vanessa's shop and then heads to Central Park) BOY IN PARK: Mom! The bees are back! ADAM: (Putting on his Krelman hat) If anybody needs
to make a call, now's the time. : I got a feeling we'll be working late tonight! (The bee honey factories are back up and running) (Meanwhile at Vanessa's shop) VANESSA: (To customer) Here's your change. Have a great afternoon! Can I help who's next? : Would you like some honey with that? It is bee-approved. Don't forget these. (There is a room in the shop where Barry does legal work for other animals. He is currently talking with a Cow) COW: Milk, cream, cheese, it's all me. And I don't see a nickel! : Sometimes I just feel like a piece of meat! BARRY: I had no idea. VANESSA: Barry, I'm sorry. Have you got a moment? BARRY: Would you excuse me? My mosquito associate will help you. MOOSEBLOOD: Sorry I'm late. COW: He's a lawyer too?
MOOSEBLOOD: Ma'am, I was already a blood-sucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase. VANESSA: Have a great afternoon! : Barry, I just got this huge tulip order, and I can't get them anywhere. BARRY: No problem, Vannie. Just leave it to me. VANESSA: You're a lifesaver, Barry. Can I help who's next? BARRY: All right, scramble, jocks! It's time to fly. VANESSA: Thank you, Barry! (Ken walks by on the sidewalk and sees the "bee-approved honey" in Vanessa's shop) KEN: That bee is living my life!! ANDY: Let it go, Kenny. KEN: - When will this nightmare end?! ANDY: - Let it all go. BARRY: - Beautiful day to fly. POLLEN JOCK:

• Sure is. BARRY: Between you and me, I was dying to get out of that office. (Barry recreates the scene near the beginning of the movie where he flies through the box kite. The movie fades to black and the credits being) [--after credits; No scene can be seen but the characters can be heard talking over the credits--] You have got to start thinking bee, my friend! :
• Thinking bee!
• Me? BARRY: (Talking over singer) Hold it. Let's just stop for a second. Hold it. : I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone. Can we stop here? SINGER: Oh, BarryBARRY: I'm not making a major life decision during a production number! SINGER: All right. Take ten, everybody. Wrap it up, guys. BARRY: I had virtually no rehearsal for that.

I cry (quite frequently), when I think about a memory from my school, I was in Grade 9 carrying my art book to the school, and this girl who was in Grade 12, asked me if she could have a look, I gave it to her to have a peek.
And when she was done seeing my horrible 3 drawings in it, she ruffled my hairs, pulled my cheeks gently and called me cute, smiled, and said "Aww that's just lovely". I never really saw her again, but that was the only warmth I have ever felt in my life. If that what loves feels like, I am ready to chop my limbs off just to feel it again. Still makes me cry sometimes in the middle of the night.

Drawing 1 Drawing 2 Drawing 3 The bunny girl has a crush on the Lucario, he feels the same but gets a little embarrassed and blushes when she tries flirting with him

Hey guys!
So I’m trying to oil my wrists again with a little bit of panel practicing!
Want a cute little short story brought to life?
Comment your prompt idea below and I’ll draw it for funs! 🙂 Currently I’m craving some ironic, or aesthetically pleasing panels! But anything goes really (SFW ONLY).
I’m a big fan of the cartoonish design right now (later I’ll hit my manga phase, I just know it), so that’s the style it’ll be in!
Just a reminder as well, it usually takes me around 16-18 hours on a singular panel, so each request will take around 1-2 days.
LETS DO THIS! 😃

This is the story about the first time I had my heart broken
Once my oupa died I had to go back and live with my mom and her boyfriend. He was part of a pool league team so they had parties with youngsters alot and thought they were the shit having these young people around them but in reality they were using them for a pool and a party place in my opinion anyway.
At the time I wasn't around much I ended up going to friends alot.
During my high school career I had 2 best friends one well call Kimberly. She was a nerdy girl at school but she had these beautiful blue eyes , this bright smile and the most contagious laugh I have ever heard. She was dating a guy well call Andrew at the time he was captain of the rugby and cricket team at school a good Christian boy a student you name it the perfect guy. Him and I got on really well. Kimberly and I were every close I would spend alot of time at her house she had 2 younger sisters that loved me to bits and her mom and step dad loved me too for the first time in my whole life I felt like I was apart of a family it was such a good feeling.
One December she went to her dad and things happened to her and her sister.. her cousin molested them but I won't go into detail. Kimberly didn't handle it well and she was put into hospital for a while. I went to visit her with my guy cousin and he said we'd make a cute couple and I was like whaaaat?? We close and loving but I never thought of her in that way... But the moment it was said something inside us changed and I think we looked at each other differently.
The first day she was back it was first period English class I sat by the door waiting yo watch her walk down the corridor and the moment I saw her coming I ran out of class and I wrapped my arms around her and I hugged and took her by the hand as she cried and I walked her into class like I promised I would.
My mom never worked on a Monday or Tuesday and because we stayed far from the school I wouldn't go to school on those days and one day Kimberly freaked out because she thought I was let coming to school she started jumping up into the barbed wire and trying to cut her wrists with scissors and Ilas I took the corner of our quad she ran to me and started shouting at me for not being at school when she needed me. I grabbed her and wrapped my arms around her and told her it's OK I'm here iv got you. She fell weak and I carried her to the bench and I promised her I'd make a plan to be there every day and I did became mom started fetching me know days my mom wouldn't go to work.
From then on we got closer and closer we hung out more and more. It was her brothers 20 something birthday party and she invited me and our friend group and we were smoking weed in the rain out side a burned down house it was kak creepy. Her mom and her moms BFF knew what we were doing but didn't make it obvious. We were all super wasted and high and decided to give her brother a wedgie. He was a hairy mother fucker, his underpants torn and pulled out so much of his hair with it ot was hilarious.
Anyway I was sitting on the couch and her brother decides he likes me and wallets to kiss me ( everyone knew I was gay by clearly he wanted to try get me straight) this was soo funny for everybody me Kimberly and her sisters hold me down while their brother straddles me and shoves his tongue in my mouth as I'm screaming I was using my tounge to push his out and afterwards he tells me I kiss so nicely lol wtf.
Later that night my mom pitches up there drunk as can be and starts kissing the brother infrint of his mom I was horrified that's the dude that just kissed me euw fuck thank God I Got there first. When my mom left she drove over a huge rock and Kimberly's boyfriend hand to pick the car up and we moved the rock out of the water he was crazy strong chiseled body.
That night Kimberly and I go to bed cuddling and she gets up and I think she's gone to pee so I lay there waiting and waiting nothing. So I'm like OK let me go look and see where she is maybe she passed out on the toilet. I walk into the dining area and look into the lounge there she is on the couch with her boyfriend doing 69 and that freaked me out and kinda hurt me but it's her boyfriend what can I do. So I go pee and climb vack into bed.
I wake up to Kimberly getting back into bed and kissed my cheek and was holding me omg I wanted to vomit cos I know exactly what was on her lips and that's the last thing I Wana taste or smell. I never said a word I turned around and went to sleep the next morning I acted like nothing happened and I didn't see anything.
So that December Kimberly asked me to go with her and her sisters to the dad she didn't feel safe going there alone so of course I say yes I want to protect them they my family. I was going to be spending Christmas with them so I was excited and plus we were going to Kruger park.
We get there and it's all chilled but when we get to Kruger things changed.
One night we were drinking red wine and I remethis because her dad played the ub40 song for us between were getting tipsy. We go upstairs to our rooms and showered. That night she walked to the window in her sleep but I didn't know she said look it's a kudu and I got up and lmstood next to her and looked I saw nothing and I turned and looked at her her eyes where closed so I turned her and lead her back to bed and lay her down. I climbed over her to get back into bed and she woke up and looked at me and asked what are you doing so I told her what happened. So she sat up climed on my lap and started kissing me and said she has wanted to do this for a while and me being me I carried on and kissed her back I did find her very beautiful and felt lucky that she wanted me because iv always had a very low self esteem.
We ended up having sex that night I wasn't too experienced I didn't know exactly what I was doing but I did what I knew. So after that night we had a lot of sex in the pool of the lodge in the shower and I'm she even tried to get me to finger her at the back of the bakkie on one of the game drives but I didn't want to because her sister's were right there.
When we went back to her dad's place one day we were busy having sex I was eating her out and her sister walked in Kimberly held my head under the blanket and her sister said Kimberly I'm not ssltupid I know what u doing I laughed because I always laugh when I'm nervous. We also got caught having sex in the pool at her dad's complex by her sisters.
But when our holiday ended we weren't back at school for long and her mom decided they were going to move it broke my heart... no it shattered my heart because we had a secret relationship and they felt like family. She promised me we'd talk all the time and that she'll always love me.
She left and not long after being at her new school I found out she had a boyfriend while leading me on I was so heart broken and then to top things off she told our mutual friend I forced myself on her when she was drunk.
That right there is why I now never touch a drunk woman because I don't want the same story again.
I genuinely loved her for who she was not what I could get from her. And that's how I got my heart broken for the first time. But it was a lesson Learned but unfortunately because I did what I did I lost her forever we wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore. I still chat to her baby sister every now and then and I believe she's a mom. I only wish her happiness.

Hey everyone,
I came out as non binary about a year and a half ago but haven’t really told many of the people in my life except my partner, my younger sibling (who also came out a few years ago), a couple close friends, and recently my mom. They’ve all been supportive, especially my partner she is the actual best. I’m amab and was using he/they at first but the more I leaned into and started accepting myself as non binary the more ‘he’ began to feel wrong and off. I recently switched to they/them and the euphoria of doing so was incredible. It’s like I’m finally allowing myself to be fully myself. I’ve come to realize I’ve been nb my whole life but only just now finding the right vocab to describe my experience.
However …
Now I’m dealing with anxiety and dysphoria, like majorly. I’m 27 and feel like I’m so late coming out, whereas everyone else I know in my life who’s come out it’s been like late teens/early 20s. Been trying to work through the imposter syndrome.. Now that my pronouns are they/them I feel like I need to come out to everyone because I just keep getting misgendered which makes me very uncomfortable but holy shit it feels so scary. I’m already very quiet and have struggled socially my entire life. Now adding the fact that I’ve got to explain to people that I’m not male or female just adds another layer of anxiety. I’ve updated my pronouns on my social accounts so at least some people see it there which makes it easier not to have to explain in person but lots of people still don’t know. Someone please tell me this gets easier? Like how do I just casually come out to people and let them know my pronouns and that it makes me very uncomfortable to be called man, bro, he/him etc ….? I struggle with people pleasing and feel like I’d be being too much for correcting ppl or telling them my pronoun preference..
Also the dysphoria.. I’ve never been terribly uncomfortable with my appearance but at the same time never fully happy with it. I’ve gone back and forth my whole life with growing my hair, cutting it. Growing my beard, cutting it. Now that I’ve come to terms with my gender I’ve realized long hair+no facial hair is what I’m most comfortable with. But now I’m dealing with pattern baldness (woo genetics!) that is slowly creeping in and making me feel very un-cute and lately I can’t stand the sight of the stubble on my face even though I shave daily. I shaved my legs recently and that feels great and comfy and affirming af and I want to shave the rest of my body too but also it grows so fast and am worried about upkeep. Any folks here gotten laser before? I’m considering it now. Any other tips for keeping facial and body hair at bay?
Anyways, back to the anxiety thing - I’ve always tried to remain somewhat in the background due to my anxiety and pretty much only wear black because I feel like anything else draws attention to me. I’ve been slowly updating my wardrobe with more stuff from the women’s section - jeans, shorts, a few cute not super feminine looking blouses, sweaters, and some cardigans. I want to be more comfortable wearing things that are a bit more feminine though like stuff with floral patterns and maybe even dresses and skirts but feel like I will be too scared to go out in that. Just fear of others judgements but also I live in the south US where our government is actively trying to oppress lgbtq folks… I’m about to move to the northwest though, thankfully, where I think I will feel safer.
Anyways, just needed to get all this out. The past few days the dysphoria has been hitting hard as well as the anxiety around coming out. Like I’ve been questioning wether it’s even worth it or if I should just stay closeted my entire life and learn to be ok with being perceived as and called a man. The thing is though, I don’t want to. I’ve been hiding my whole life and I’m tired of it and want to be seen and appreciated for who I am. It all just feels scary and overwhelming though…
Any support, advice, etc would be much appreciated.

S10E1 ; S10E2 ; Scores (provided by my shero bumblebutter123)
Yesterday I got a comment that I shouldn’t be calling George (barf) ugly, so I will now be referring to him as George (-187 points to the stinky producers). The point system will now wrap his scores into production scores because I Said So. Google is your friend. Hopefully he’ll be booted off the island before I have to type all of that out a couple hundred times
Onwards and Upwards my dudes:
The episode starts with the tail end of the first Bombshell Steal of the Season. CATHERINE all caps has just been freed from the grasp of Andre who is 21 and a business owner. Zachariah (not Zach) made the only correct decision and coupled up with her +23 points to Zachariah for appeasing the fanbase ! Zachariah gets a text- him and CATHERINE all caps have been pulled away from the grieving Andre because the stinky producers set them up on a date (Terrace Fruit Plate). +3 points to stinky producers! It’s your job but I appreciate it.
Andre looks shaken AND stirred because he really liked CATHERINE all caps! sad ! He’s with the boys and they’re #mensmentalhealth and supporting him which I Love! + 5 points to all the MEN except not George (-187 points to the stinky producers). The girlies chatter about CATHERINE all caps being picked, Molly (who owns a chicken) said she thought Zachariah (not Zach) would have picked Ella Rose Depp, but he didn’t! -1 point to Molly for being wrong, +3 points to ERD for the ponytail.
On the date (Terrace Fruit Plate), CATHERINE all caps and Zachariah do a little cheers cheers to the first date of the villa. +3 points for being deserving of that title. Also Zachariah pops the bottle in a very smooth way I swear the boy OOZES calm charm. They bond because they're both close with their moms.
CATHERINE all caps asks Zachariah (not Zach) if he knew who he was going to pick before he went up to pick her and he says yes! Very emphatically! +2 points for self assuredness - 2 points to balance my personal pro C&Z bias. They both talk about how “natural” it is when they’re together! cute! CATHERINE all caps is telling him that she’s moving closer to him but doesn’t want Andre to know??? -10 points for guarding her heart +2 points to Zachariah for being comfortable that she’ll come back to him.
Downstairs, Andre is laying in Ruchee's lap, the man is practically in FETAL POSITION and she is patting him on the head and back. They're not exactly cuddling but they're not NOT cuddling. Open your EYES Andre this girl is INTERESTED! Ruchee GET YOUR MAN !!
Back to the terrace: Zachariah is the happiest he’s been, but doesn’t mention if it’s the happiest he’s been all day all year or his entire life. - 2 points for vagueness. They are so cute I’m melting. CATHERINE all caps made Zachariah giggle !!!! She fed him a chocolate covered strawberry and then she ate the rest !! Incredible
George (-187 points to the stinky producers) corners Ruchee on an L couch in a desperate attempt to connect to literally anyone! He tells Ruchee that they vibe and she’s like ??? Where??? -23 points for lying in the pursuit of one more week +12 points to Ruchee for calling him out on it! Ruchee says “I didn’t realize I was like, your type” and George (-187 points to the stinky producers) stutters and tries to come up with any string of words to deny that his type is BHBE (Blonde Hair Blue Eyes) !!! George (-187 points to the stinky producers) accepts his reality and confirms the BHBE theory BUT says he has to be open - also that Ruchee looks very fit. Lame compliment? Ruchee says she is open to it therefore no points in either direction.
CATHERINE all caps and Zachariah (not Zach) come back from their date and everyone in the villa looks exhausted. Zachariah pulls Andre just to check in with him, and I hope this vibe lasts !! Drama is fun but I love a good bromance +20 points to both
Girlies pile onto the daybeds to debrief and discuss the date (Terrace Fruit Plate). CATHERINE all caps was both surprised AND not surprised? Switzerland neutrality we love it. They had a good chat and he reassured her. Allegedly she and Zachariah had good eye contact (I find this hard to believe). All the ladies gasp when they find out there were fruit platters ! I love that they’re genuinely impressed +7 points to the girls. Ella Rose Depp says that CATHERINE all caps looks so happy and she’s right! +1 point for being right. CATHERINE all caps says that she’s happy that she finds herself getting happy to talk about it !! AHHH
Tyrique and Ella Rose Depp are in the kitchen and we get the second cheese toasty of the season. Tyrique tells ERD that he would feel a type of way if Zachariah had picked her. Tyrique says that he’s “not in love” with her but seeds have been planted and the leaves are budding! +11 to both for a new connection.
Andre pulls CATHERINE all caps and they both have sleepy voices!! - 200 to the stinky producers for keeping them up past their bedtimes. He’s avoiding looking into her eyes until the end of their conversation. Very strange and unusual behavior from this man. He is SO 21 and a business owner. +2 points for meeting expectations. CATHERINE all caps is recounting this story to the girls in the dressing room, and she’s right when she says that he didn’t take it very well. The boys are in the bedroom and encouraging Andre to chat with Ruchee. I hope he does because CATHERINE all caps has left the lineup. Blah Blah why do girls take so long to get ready - 22 points to Tyrique !! Let them live !! Skincare takes time !!
Mitchell Red Bottoms doesn’t sing his Time for Bed song - 8 points for inconsistency. No bedtime footage but that’s probably for the best! Thank you stinky producers +2 points
Snoring accusations fly far and wide and YES it’s 6ft5 Zachariah - but CATHERINE all caps finds it cute - 1 point for lying. Andre tries to act chill but I’m not sure it worked. Gender Isolationism continues and they split up into smaller groups for the morning discussion, I appreciate this - bring on the secrets bring on the drama
Molly (who owns a chicken) calls the morning debrief a chin wag +4 points ! Ella Rose Depp, Molly (who owns a chicken), and CATHERINE all caps are on the balcony doing a quick recap of last night with CATHERINE all caps saying she wants to get to know both Zachariah AND also Andre. -9 points for lies and delusion. Also she won’t feel better until Andre moves on ? -20 points for communication style and strategy
Andre and Red Bottoms are on the covered couch outside. Red Bottoms tells Andre that he took last night really well, and checks in on his game plan. Andre is 21 and a business owner, which means he’s not giving up without a fight. Zachariah (not Zach) and Tyrique are on the day beds and Zachariah, once again, reiterates his interest in CATHERINE all caps. But he’s also saying he doesn’t want to close himself off. I think he’s smitten but MEN lie so who knows.
Molly (who has a chicken) speaks with CATHERINE all caps and Ella Rose Depp and confesses that she’s not as married off as she seems. -4 points for delusion. Molly (who owns a chicken) understands that her and Red Bottoms are moving quickly but isn’t opposed to speaking to other guys. Does Red Bottoms know this? Confusing!
Jess (Assistant Director of the Villa Bureau of Investigation) sits with Ruchee on the U couch. Jess (VBI) thinks that Tyrique and Red Bottoms are fit. Ruchee hypes her up and encourages her to switch it up because right now the boys can't tell the difference between intentional flirting and harmless banter. +3 points for Good Advice. Tyrique comes over and flops down next to Jess (VBI). RUCHEE TAKE A HINT! LEAVE THEM ALONE! - 22 points to Ruchee for not reading the room. Spoiler alert- Jess (VBI) does NOT switch it up and immediately falls back into the banter flirting that could be perceived as friends having a LAFF !! She is very witty though, I’ll give her +2 points. Jess (VBI) and Tyrique are legitimately cuddling with Ruchee right there. She’s got her arm around the back if his neck and his hand is on her THIGH!!!! HAND TO THIGH ALERT !!! Ella Rose Depp babes you better watch OUT. Ruchee leaves thank god.
Tyrique says that Ella is cool but he’s not closed off. Then he tells Jess (VBI) that she looks sexy this morning. EXCUSE ME - last night he told ERD that he would feel some type of way if she got chosen and now he’s calling Jess (VBI) sexy to her face !! Bring on the prophecy of the semi-professional footballer !! OMG he told her she’s a good kisser, this escalated quickly, what are the producers not showing us !?!! Jess (VBI) is a little bashful which is cute and fun! +8 to Jess (VBI) for opening her heart <3 Tyrique is in the beach hut saying she’s pretty and easy to talk to, I support this
As the unusually long morning pre-bikini segment of this episode continues, Red Bottoms announces that George (-187 points to the stinky producers) doesn’t miss a beat and he’s right. George (-187 points to the stinky producers) has once again cornered Ruchee, this time in the morning and on the daybeds. The girl is still in her PJs let her rest!! George (-187 points to the stinky producers) is showing interest again, looking for feelers. He tells Ruchee that he’s looking for something a bit serious, and when Ruchee mentions being feisty, George (-187 points to the stinky producers) latches on to that idea and runs with it! Ruchee compares herself to a Chihuahua. Strange ! Ruchee asks him if he’s ever been in love before. Again - everyone is STILL in PJs!! Why are we trying to have a Deep & Meaningful? George (-187 points to the stinky producers) says he is a “good man, I am”. -500 points for not being a "good man, I am". Ruchee decides to give him the benefit of the doubt. Sigh.
They’re in their bikinis now thank GOD. TEXT ALERT - Andre is heading out on a date (beach blanket) with the new bombshell, Whitney. Red Bottoms does a brief daily affirmation with Andres who is 21 and owns a business. We love to see it! +2 points Red Bottoms for #mensmentalhealth. The boys have a little huddle where they hype him up and boost his confidence for the date. +15 points to the boys for being supportive <3
We're introduced to Whitney, 25, a wig seller, which tracks because SHE'S WEARING AT LEAST 40 INCHES & THAT LENGTH DOES NOT COME CHEAP. It looks very good and very heavy. +4 points for bravery and valor. She hits us with the usual Bombshell pre-entry courage and delivers a very convincing "If your man can be stolen then was he really your man?" !!! I BELIEVE HER !! stinky producers you are SPOILING US with this cast + 10 points
At the date (beach blanket), Whitney is looking cute lounging at the bottom of the beach stairs and tells Andre who is 21 and owns a business that he better come down and give her a hug. She is NOT getting up for him. +10 points for MILF behavior. Jess (VBI) watch your back because I have a feeling Whitney is either gonna be your absolute Bestie or absolute Worstie !! She compliments his eyelashes and he calls her a very pretty lady and pronounces his name 3 different ways to remind us, once again, that he's Portuguese. He's into older women (respectfully). Blah Blah blah what's your type, Whitney says she's into chocolate, vanilla etc etc, "if they're giving they're giving" !!
Ella Rose Depp and CATHERINE all caps discuss Andre, CATHERINE all caps is NOT jealous that he's on a date but she's intrigued, because if Andre is Whitney's type then Zachariah might also be her type. Tyrique decides to pull Molly (who owns a chicken) for a chat on the L couch. The two of them realize they haven't spoken one-on-one at all. Molly (who owns a chicken) gets DTB (down to business) and asks him what he's up to/who he's feeling. SHOCKER the semi-pro athlete has lots of girls crushing on him. -10 points for being a semi-pro athlete. He proclaims that he's a flirty character and isn't closed off. Molly brings up Jess (VBI) but Tyrique is Not Into Her - just into the LAFFS.
Mehdi (world class muncher) and George (-187 points to the stinky producers) are on the day beds chit chatting about Whitney the bombshell. They are both excited for fresh girls !!
Back to the date (beach blanket). Whitney is exceeding expectations by roasting Andre and asking him why CATHERINE all caps dumped him LMAO. + 5 points for exceeding expectations. He laughs on the outside (but cries on the inside). Whitney gets the recap and finds out that she's the second bombshell and the first one (Zachariah) stole CATHERINE all caps from Andre who is 21 and a business owner. Whitney can smell the salt coming off of Andres hurt feelings which he denies. Won't dock him this time but sir you are on NOTICE!! Andre tells Whitney that he's feeling her & it looks reciprocated. She is NOT impressed by his age. Whitney is a fire cracker +80 points for being a firecracker.
Meanwhile at the villa- CATHERINE all caps walks over to Zachariah who is laying on a daybed. He greets her with "How ya doing beautiful" +5 points for saying the right thing. He then says that he's definitely happy with the way this is going. Zachariah tells CATHERINE all caps that he's not scared of bugs (he is) and they banter about who's in charge of killing large spiders. -4 points to each for killing spiders.
Molly (who owns a chicken) and Red Bottoms are on the beanbags and she tells him that she choked on a jawbreaker one time. +11 points to the producers for slipping in random moments of connection !! It's your job but I appreciate it. Andre and Whitney return from their date and Molly is immediately obsessed with Whitney! We love to see it !! The girls seem to genuinely compliment her and the vibes look good (not weird or territorial) +12 points to the girls
Andre goes off with the boys and Whitney goes off with the girls. Andre is a STORYTELLER, he is acting out the walk, the way she was laying down, doing a full one man solo performance +16 points for creative writing. The boys eat it up it's very cute. Andre confirms that he's into her bubbly personality and the energy was reciprocal & they had chemistry. Andre says that Whitney is his new favorite which seems like a lie but OK
Whitney with the girls on the U couch- " it was giving beach, it was giving views" CATHERINE all caps is silent but not in a rude way. Blah Blah what's your type Blah blah personality Blah blah funny tall nice smile and then hits them with the "no belly" +5 points for radical honesty.
The Islanders are getting ready and chit chatting. Molly (who owns a chicken) tries to take a bubble bath but can't find any bubble bath so she uses body wash +7 points for making it work. Andre decides to live in reality and confesses that CATHERINE all caps is still his #1. +4 points to Tyrique for getting Andre out of his delusions. Zachariah encourages Andre to chat to CATHERINE all caps "as soon as possible" and YES Tyrique +1 point for being right, it IS because Zachariah wants her to himself for the rest of the night!! Andre & Tyrique pillow fight very fun vibes !!
Girls are getting ready and they all seem to really like Whitney. Mehdi Muncher and Andre are manifesting a good night and Jess (VBI) is yelling again. Andre and Ruchee are sitting on the covered couch talking about manicures, Ruchee is a nail tech and is IMPRESSED with MEN who take care of their cuticles. +6 points to Andre for self care. Ruchee is so funny joking about putting her initials on his ring finger nail +30 points girlie GET YOUR MAN. Unfortunately she is not being as clear as she thinks she is. Either that or Andre isn't interested
Whitney walks over and steals Andre from Ruchee. Queen ! She brings up the fact that he hasn't complimented her yet (banter) and Andre is picking up what she's putting down. "You know that I know that You know that I know that You look nice" This may just be one of the first times in recorded history where an interaction like this LANDS and doesn't FLOP. +4 points to each. Her only minor issue is his age but she's interested in him. Whitney and Andre are vibing but Whitney is NOT in a rush and very open about his age being a speedbump. +10 points to Whitney for radical honesty
Tyrique and Jess are kicking it on a couch and Tyrique mentions that he likes big personalities. Jess has a big personality but Tyrique only sees her as a friend. This man is going to break my poor Jess (VBI)'s heart in TWO. Jess (VBI) is doing what she does best (investigating). She opens up to him that he's the only guy she's interested in, and he's like what are you TALKING about you told me that your type was Joey Essex !! Spoiler alert: Tyrique is NOT Joey Essex. + 7 points for not being Joey Essex. She's like OK then we can be friends but I don't flirt w my friends the way that we flirt +15 points for setting boundaries and he looks a little sad and mopey. He apologizes for leading her on and looks genuinely concerned that he hurt her feelings ...... It's only episode three and he's worming his way into my anti-semi pro athlete bias... + 2 points for exceeding expectations.
Jess (VBI) and CATHERINE all caps sit on the couch and Jess (VBI) confirms that Tyrique friend zoned her. Very impressed that people genuinely like each other this season?? Loving it. Ella Rose Depp and Tyrique chat about Jess (VBI) and Tyrique tells ERD that he ended it w her and shockingly isn't lying? +1 point for not lying. ERD is glad that he made it clear to her and then they kissed. +12 points to both for PDA
CATHERINE all caps and Ruchee are very happy for them AND SO AM I!!! Mehdi Muncher and Whitney sit around the fire pit and they are laughing so hard. She asks Mehdi about Ruchee and gets the whole "she's great but we're not into each other" convo. Blah blah what are you looking for blah blah Mehdi loves a funny strong personality brunette with dark eyes and confidence. Whitney makes a joke about her wig and Mehdi's like "you can have it on you can have it off idgaf" and Whitney cackles. Then she asks him what her best feature is, and says "What's your favorite feature about me", he loves her eyes and smile. She also likes his eyes. In the Beach Hut Mehdi calls Whitney a Boss Lady +1 point for being right
Mitchell Red Bottoms and Molly (who owns a chicken) head to the terrace for a chat. Red Bottoms proposes (ew) in a joking but not joking way. -27 points for being weird and icky. However, Molly (who owns a chicken) is lapping up the attention! Red Bottoms kisses Molly (who owns a chicken) and she is (understandably) a little shocked at how fast he's moving but going with the flow. She is going to BREAK HIS HEART!!!
I refuse to recap the preview for tomorrow because they're BAITING US and STRESSING ME OUT
Thanks for sticking around xoxo cloud_mom

I know what I want from a relationship. I need someone who texts often, checks in every day, cares for my well being. Looks dont really matter, but looking for someone who is already in their career path!
I don’t have much of a life outside of work. I work all day, go home and then do chores and read. I dont have too much time for anything.
I do enjoy playing video games like valorant or minecraft minigames/skyblock so its what I do in the meantime! Bonus points if you do too.
I express my love through attention, and checking in a lot. I also like taking care of people (been told im the mom friend). My love languages are gift giving (not on materialistic things- i like them but even drawings or poems are cute)
if you read this far, yay! pm me!

SUMMARY/PLAYSTYLE

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The main strategy of our deck is to pretty much be somewhat of a glass cannon offense. We like to go second and rely on all the special summoning we can commit, culminating in a pendulum summon of multiple monsters all at once. We continue in this style to swarm the field, then use one of our best spells, Abyss Script - Rise of the Abyss King, to destroy every face-up card in our opponent’s possession. If we didn’t get as many monsters out as we’d have liked and don’t quite have lethal yet, we have other tricks at our disposal, like Abyss Actor - Comic Relief which is capable of stealing an opponent’s monster, disabling them of not only a monster with high ATK, but probably with a very troublesome effect that we can now take advantage of. I call it a glass cannon deck because we are a bit frail; depending on our hand, we can only play through a couple negates, and we rely heavily on hand traps like Ash Blossom and Imperm in order to be able to put in work. Our deck did just get a huge upgrade with, among other things, the L-2 monster Abyss Actor - Super Producer, whose effect allows us to play Abyss Playhouse - Fantastic Theater right out of our deck (which can even be done on our opponent’s turn). This is huge, because we barely had any interruption until now, so we get a way better turn 1. This is very much appreciated because what the theater does is once per turn it will change an opponent’s monster effect to destroy one of our set cards. If you’ve never heard of Abyss Actors you might think that’s not crazy good, but trust me, it’s great for two reasons: one, whatever effect they were trying to do goes out the window, and two, Abyss Actors actually thrive off of their set spell cards being popped as they have additional effects for if this happens. One thing I love about this deck is that our monster effects are slightly complicated, and what I mean by this is there allows some flexibility in our plays, there’s not really just one “correct” line to play every single game. I also greatly enjoy the two gimmicks this deck employs: having pend monsters that can be summoned out of the pend zone, and having monsters that interact alongside their own sub-archetype of spells with effects upon destruction if they are set. Also, this deck xeno locks a lot, so our extra deck plays are very limited and rare (excluding our link monsters). Play Accesscode, Bagooska, Electrumite, Beyond the Pendulum, Linkuriboh, Knightmares, Masquerena, R4NKs and/or 7s…you get the picture.
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MONSTERS

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Abyss Actor - Trendy Understudy (0x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 2*
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Pendulum scale: <8>
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Stats: ATK / 700 DEF / 700
Pendulum effect: When you Pendulum Summon: You can add one face-up “Abyss Actor” that is Level 1 or Level 8 from the Extra Deck to your hand.
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Monster effect: If you have 2 “Abyss Actor” cards in your Pendulum Zones: You can Tribute this card; Special Summon one Level 1 or Level 8 “Abyss Actor” monster from your hand or face-up from your Extra Deck. This effect is hard once per turn.
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The only monsters this card can move or summon is Extras or Evil Heel, neither of which we particularly care to be using or summoning onto the field by trading this one. Even if it was able to summon any AA, the fact that we’re a pend deck and can mass summon all at once basically renders this guy obsolete.
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Abyss Actor - Extras (3x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 1*
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Pendulum scale: <3>
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Stats: ATK / 100 DEF / 100
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Pendulum effect: If your opponent controls a monster: You can Special Summon this card from the Pendulum Zone. This effect is hard once per turn.
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Monster effect: You can Tribute this card: Place an “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster from your deck in your Pendulum Zone. For the rest of the turn after this effect is activated, you can only Special Summon “Abyss Actor” monsters, also you cannot use the Pendulum effect of “Abyss Actor - Extras.” This effect is hard once per turn.
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This card is fantastic because it does not waste our normal summon via its pend effect, and because it pulls any monster straight out of our deck and into the pendulum zone. The classic AA drawback of xeno locking ourselves into not being able to go into the ED for any non AA monster for the rest of the turn does suck, but it’s definitely still worth running this card at 3.
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Abyss Actor - Curtain Raiser (3x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 4*
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Pendulum scale: <7>
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Stats: ATK / 1100 DEF / 1100
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Pendulum effect: If you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone. This effect is hard once per duel.
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Monster effect: If this is the only monster you control, it gains 1100 ATK. Once per turn: You can send an “Abyss Script” Spell from your deck to your GY; add a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster from your Extra Deck to your hand.
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I was skeptical of this card at first when it was released in Duel Links (but that’s another story). I thought it was awkward that its pend scale is 7, the exact level of Superstar. However, I forgot that this card shines when it only stays in the pend zone for a second. Very often it’s your starter to go into Hyper Director. Alternatively, if you have this and any other low-level monster in your hand, you open up the potential for a LINK-2 or R4NK play prior to the xeno lock, provided you still have a way to make Hyper Director via Extras or an early pend summon. The ATK increase is pretty irrelevant because we are trying to spam the board as much as possible, but the Script mill can be nice combined with Abysstainment, which can tribute one of your AAs in order to set a Script from the GY.
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Abyss Actor - Mellow Madonna (3x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 7*
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Pendulum scale: <0>
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Stats: ATK / 1800 DEF / 2500
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Pendulum effect: You can pay 1000 LP: Add an “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster from your deck to your hand, except for another copy of this card. This effect is hard once per turn. After this effect’s activation, you can only Special Summon “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monsters for the remainder of the turn.
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Monster effect: Gains 100 ATK for each “Abyss Script” Spell in your GY. Each of the following effects are hard once per turn:

• When a Pendulum monster you control is destroyed by battle: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.
• If an “Abyss Script” Spell or effect is activated: You can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster from your deck, but it is sent to your hand during the End Phase.

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This is one of the best cards in our deck, but its search effect does come at the brutal cost of not even allowing us to link summon Hyper Director or Super Producer, so be careful about when you time it. The ATK boost is cute, but the cherry on top of Madonna’s effects is the ability to special another monster from the deck to secure the OTK we are aiming for. Being able to special herself is a somewhat rare effect because of the antiquity of battle destruction, but the extra possible protection can never hurt and can even save us in a real bind.
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Abyss Actor - Evil Heel (0-1x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 8*
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Pendulum scale: <1>
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Stats: ATK / 3000 DEF / 2000
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Pendulum effect: You can Tribute an “Abyss Actor” monster, then target a face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses ATK equal to the original ATK of the Tributed monster, until the end of this turn. This effect is once per turn.
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Monster effect: If this card is Summoned: You can target an opponent’s face-up monster; it loses 1000 ATK for each “Abyss Actor” monster you currently control, until the end of this turn. When this card destroys a monster by battle: You can target an “Abyss Script” Spell in your GY; Set that card.
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I’ll be honest - objectively, this card is not very good (I just have a soft spot for it). All of this card’s effects are basically useless, considering our game plan is to pop all face-up cards with Abyss King. Therefore lowering our opponent’s ATK or setting cards from our GY after destroying something by battle is somewhat moot if we’re clearing the board in another way. In addition, using this card, a level 8 monster, almost forces you to have Wild Hope in the pend zone to make its pend summon possible (Twinkle sucks, don’t use her). The reason I play this card as a 1-of is because us AA players need all the ATK we can get, because it can be summoned by other ways like with Hyper Director, and for the unlikely scenario where our opponent has a monster indestructible by card effect, meaning Abyss King wouldn’t work on it, but is not untargetable.
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Abyss Actor - Superstar (2-3x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 7*
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Pendulum scale: <3>
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Stats: ATK / 2500 DEF / 1800
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Pendulum effect: You can Tribute one “Abyss Actor” monster, then target an “Abyss Script” Spell in your GY; add it to your hand. This effect is once per turn.
Monster effect: When this card is Summoned, your opponent’s Spell/Trap cards and effects cannot be activated. You can Set one “Abyss Script” Spell directly from the deck, but it is sent to the GY during the End Phase. This effect is once per turn.
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Another amazing hitter in our lineup, and appropriately so, being the closest we have to a boss monster. This monster’s power lies in the fact that it, and whatever you pend along with it, cannot be floodgated. But it doesn’t stop there: the ability to set any Script we want straight from the deck is also an egregiously spectacular effect. Don’t worry about its pend effect; the only reason we’d be putting Superstar into the pend zone is to cheat it out with Hyper Director. But if you really need it, it’s pretty much more copies of Abysstainment. We’d normally rather not be using this card as a spell, though.
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Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie (0-1x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 4*
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Pendulum scale: <2>
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Stats: ATK / 1700 DEF / 1000
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Pendulum effect: If your “Abyss Actor” monster would be destroyed by battle or an opponent’s card effect, you can destroy this card instead.
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Monster effect: This first time this card would be destroyed each turn, it is not. If this card is destroyed by battle or an opponent’s card effect: You can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower “Abyss Actor” monster from the deck, except another copy of this card. If this card in the Pendulum Zone is destroyed: You can target one Level 4 or lower monster your opponent controls; destroy it.
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You’re rarely, if ever, putting this card in the pend zone (Madonna + Comic Relief is the usual pair), but it’s got a decent protection effect that can proc its other effect, destroying a low-leveled monster in your opponent’s possession. A niche use of this effect could be for Super Producer to destroy it on the opponent’s turn for some interruption, something which our deck has had a lack of until now. However, the main use of this card (besides being another name to get popping with Abyss King) is the sheer annoyance it is to get rid of. Not only will it simply not die the first time it normally should, but on top of that, once it finally is destroyed, well guess what, now we get a float of Wild Hope or Leading Lady for a potential search or ATK reduction on top of having another body to be dealt with, so thanks! This goober is just a little lovable sponge.
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Abyss Actor - Wild Hope (2-3x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 4*
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Pendulum scale: <2>
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Stats: ATK / 1600 DEF / 1200
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Pendulum effect: If you have another “Abyss Actor” monster scaled in your opposite Pendulum Zone, you can change its scale to 9 until the end of this turn. This effect is once per turn. You cannot Special Summon for the remainder of this turn, except to Summon “Abyss Actor” monsters.
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Monster effect: Until the end of this turn, you can have this card gain 100 ATK for each “Abyss Actor” monster you control with different names. This effect is once per turn. If this card is destroyed: You can add one “Abyss Actor” card from the deck to your hand, except for another copy of this card. This effect is hard once per turn.
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Yeehaw, pardner. The slight ATK buff is cute and sometimes may be necessary to get every last drop of power we need to kill in one turn, but the effect we really care about is the search upon destruction. Simple as that! Search with it, pendulum summon it back out, and give it a baboost while you have the max number of AAs on your side of the field to utilize it to its fullest.
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Abyss Actor - Liberty Dramatist (1-2x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 4*
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Pendulum scale: <8>
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Stats: ATK / 1500 DEF / 1500
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Pendulum effect: When an attack is declared: You can discard one card; Special Summon this card to your opponent’s field. This effect is hard once per turn.
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Monster effect: If this card is Special Summoned out of the Pendulum Zone: Reveal 3 “Abyss Script” Spells from your deck. Your opponent randomly chooses one to be Set to your field, and shuffle the others back into your deck. The card Set by this effect will be destroyed at the End Phase. If this card is destroyed: You can shuffle one “Abyss Script” Spell from your GY into the deck. Each of these effects are hard once per turn.
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Alright, from what I’ve personally seen throughout my research on other AA decks out there, this card is a little bit slept on. Up until her release we only had Comic Relief and Fantastic Theater to force the opponent to pop our set Scripts, and I think that any card that reinforces that sentiment is appreciated. Yes, it does suck that you’ll have to discard a card to make it happen - maybe that cost is a bit too much to make her worth running, we can find that out. I also think, though, that its other effect of being able to set a Script upon being summoned out of the pend zone works fantastically alongside Hyper Director. Finally, let’s say you lost access to Abysstainment being able to recur Scripts out of the GY: she can send one back into the deck for you to search, play, or set later on. We also love running as many unique AA names as we can to be sure that Abyss King can get popping. No, I’m not saying she’s the best card to ever come out for AAs, but I think she has a multitude of decent effects and that a chance should be given for her.
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Abyss Actor - Twinkle Little Star (0x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 4*
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Pendulum scale: <9>
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Stats: ATK / 1000 DEF / 1000
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Pendulum effect: You can target one “Abyss Actor” monster you control: During this turn, it can make up to 3 attacks on monsters, also your other monsters cannot attack. You cannot Pendulum Summon monsters, except “Abyss Actors.”
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Monster effect: This card is not destroyed by battle on your turn. This card can make up to 3 attacks on monsters.
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These effects are nothing but more of a detriment than anything, unless for some reason you’re playing 3 Evil Heel and no Abyss King, please don’t put her in your deck. The spiciest play you could make with her is to play Fantasy Magic and swing into up to 3 monsters, but you’re offing yourself in the battle damage you take from it, plus your opponent will just resummon those monsters next turn regardless, making all of that work meaningless. Abyss King is a million times easier and more effective.
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Abyss Actor - Leading Lady (0-1x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 4*
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Pendulum scale: <2>
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Stats: ATK / 1500 DEF / 1000
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Pendulum effect: When you take battle damage from an opponent’s attacking monster: You can activate one of these effects;

• That opponent’s monster loses ATK equal to the damage you took.
• Add a face-up “Abyss Actor” monster from your Extra Deck to your hand with ATK less than or equal to the damage you took. This effect is once per turn.

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Monster effect: When battle damage is inflicted: You can target one face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses ATK equal to the damage dealt. This effect is once per turn. If this card is destroyed by battle or an opponent’s card effect: You can Set one “Abyss Script” Spell directly from the deck.
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Once again, the effects that lower ATK can be counted as backup, assuming we were stopped from getting Abyss King going. Alternatively, moving a monster from the ED to our hand might be nice sometimes. Its monster effect ATK reduction can be a decent way to protect yourself from lethal on the opponent’s turn, for it goes off even if she herself is attacked and before she is destroyed. Looking at the effect offensively, Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion plus Leading Lady (and Evil Heel) can be a cheeky way to deal massive amounts of damage if we do not want to or cannot wipe the field and attack directly for whatever reason. And her replacement effect is nifty. Another easy-to-summon AA name with somewhat okay effects = more pops with Abyss King.
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Abyss Actor - Comic Relief (3x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 3*
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Pendulum scale: <8>
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Stats: ATK / 1000 DEF / 2000
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Pendulum effect: You can target one face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster you control and one monster your opponent controls; switch control of the two monsters, then destroy this card. This effect is hard once per turn.
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Monster effect: This card’s controller takes no battle damage from attacks involving this card. During your Standby Phase: Give control of this card to your opponent (this effect is once per turn). If control of this face-up card changes: Activate this effect; this card’s owner (yourself) can destroy one Set “Abyss Script” Spell on their field. This effect is also once per turn.
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BEST CARD IN THE GAME BAYBEE HA YOU IDIOT TAKE THIS 100 ATK MONSTER IN EXCHANGE FOR THAT BOSS MONSTER YOU SPENT YOUR WHOLE TURN MAKING oh yeah it also is a great tool to destroy your own set Scripts for them to pop off aaand it’s a scale 8 so we can basically pend anything we want with it wooo
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Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian (0x)
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DARK Fiend
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Level: 1*
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Pendulum scale: <8>
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Stats: ATK / 300 DEF / 200
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Pendulum effect: You can Tribute an “Abyss Actor” monster, then target one face-up “Abyss Actor” monster you control; it gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the Tributed monster, until the end of this turn.
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Monster effect: If this card is Summoned: You can make it gain 300 ATK for each “Abyss Actor” monster you control, until the end of this turn. You can target one other “Abyss Actor” monster you control; until the end of this turn, it gains ATK equal to this monster’s current ATK. This card cannot attack the turn this effect is activated. This effect is hard once per turn.
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While we are a bit desperate to get as much ATK as we can muster to push for the OTK we would love to see, it’s not really worth playing a monster whose only function is that, unless you’re going for an attack-oriented aggro Evil-Heel-centered build. You don’t need to run this guy, our little baboosts and monster swarming is usually sufficient.
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Abyss Actor - Hyper Director (3x)
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DARK Fiend
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1 “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster
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Link Rating: LINK-1
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Stats: ATK / 800
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Effect: You can target one card in your Pendulum Zone: Special Summon it, then place an “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster with a different name from your deck or face-up Extra Deck into your Pendulum Zone. For the rest of this turn after this effect is used, you cannot Normal or Special Summon a monster, except to Summon an “Abyss Actor” monster. This effect is hard once per turn.
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A la Extras, here we have a very good L-1 monster that not only sets a pend scale from the deck but also cheats out whatever we want from the pend zone, adding a monster onto our frontrow like we love to do. The big new play that we’re usually gonna want to do is to use Hyper Director and whatever he called from the pend zone in order to link summon the next monster on our list.
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Abyss Actor - Super Producer (3x)
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DARK Fiend
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2 monsters, including 1 Fiend-Type monster
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Link Rating: LINK-2
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Stats: ATK / 1600
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Effect: During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can target one face-up card you control; destroy it, then you can apply one of these effects. This effect is hard once per turn. Place one “Abyss Playhouse - Fantastic Theater” from your deck to the Field Zone. Place one “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster from your deck in your Pendulum Zone.
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Such a wonderful card, as previously mentioned in the summary. Destroying one of our monsters is an effect that we like to see, since it procs Wild Hope’s search, Sussy Rookie’s effect in the pend zone, or Liberty Dramatist’s Script recursion. But that’s just a bonus: the real reason we love this card so is the fact that Fantastic Theater can be played right out the deck (dodging Ash Blossom, since it is not being added to the hand but to the field), negating an opponent’s next monster effect. Super Producer’s effect can be chained onto an opponent’s monster effect, and after the chain resolves, their effect will be changed after Theater hits the field, meaning we can time it to block whatever we want, then reap the rewards of having our set Scripts destroyed by our opponent. Or use the second effect and put something in the pend zone, that effect is also good if we already have Fantastic Theater up.
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》》》》》◆《《《《《
​

SPELLS

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Abyss Prop - Wild Wagon (0x)
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Continuous Spell
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Effect: The first time each “Abyss Actor” monster you control would be destroyed by battle each turn, it is not. You can target one face-up “Abyss Actor” monster you control; your opponent cannot target it with card effects until the end of their turn. This effect is once per turn. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can return all cards your opponent controls to the hand.
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As nutty as this card’s effects seem, one big reason no one runs it is because its name is “Abyss Prop,” not “Abyss Script.” This makes it unsearchable, making it luck of the draw. It also means Comic Relief cannot pop it when it swaps control over to your opponent. Additionally, this card has some oversights and it’s not quite what it may be cracked up to be. For one, I should not have to say that negates or destruction by card effect are extremely common, meaning the one-time protection by battle for our monsters is fairly negligible. While the next effect, temporary untargetability for a monster, may be useful going first to prepare for something your opponent might be planning on doing, unfortunately this effect kind of falls flat on its face because at any other time, all your opponent has to do is chain to this effect, targeting your monster and getting their disruption off anyway. Lastly, while this card does have the potential to bounce your opponent’s entire board, this will only work if they do not destroy this card near the start of their turn or lack recovery. And even if it does pop off, your opponent will simply re-set any backrow that was bounced. Don’t get me wrong, removing every monster off their field they just established would be insane, but it’s not like you no longer have to worry about playing through anything. Anyway, after this long-winded discussion of this debatable card, what follows is a much better spell that we are going to want to use.
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Abyss Script - Dramatic Story (2x)
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Normal Spell
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Effect: Target one “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster you control; Special Summon one “Abyss Actor” monster from your deck with a different name, then place the targeted monster in your Pendulum Zone or destroy it. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can return up to 2 cards on the field to the hand. This card’s activation is hard once per turn.
​
Now this is what we like to see: an actual Abyss Script spell to use alongside the plethora of AA monsters that have effects related to them! In fact, this is the newest one, and its effect goes hard, vastly increasing consistency (I can see a case being made to run 3 of this card, for sure). Now, right off the bat what jumps out to me is that this card special summons from the deck, meaning that it cannot be abused while Ash Blossom is so prevalent. Does that mean we should not play this card at all, for fear of it being negated? Absolutely not. This card does four amazing things all in one - it can summon any monster we need out of the deck, it can set a pend scale for us, it can destroy our monster (let’s say we only opened this + Wild Hope and a bunch of hand traps, we’re definitely destroying Wild Hope for a search to make more plays possible), and it can bounce (non-targeting) up to 2 pesky cards on the field. With the versatility this card provides, I fail to see why it would not be run.
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Abyss Actors’ Dress Rehearsal (3x)
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Normal Spell
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Effect: At the start of Main Phase 1: Add one “Abyss Actor” card and one “Abyss Script” Spell from your deck to your hand. For the remainder of this turn, you cannot Pendulum Summon any monsters except for “Abyss Actor” monsters.
​
Pretty self-explanatory: it’s a search of 2 cards, so it’s quite nice. The caveat of it being usable only at the start of MP1 means we replace Pot of Extravagance for it, and the fact that it prevents us from pend summoning anything other than AAs means literally nothing to us when every main deck monster we want to summon is an AA.
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Abyss Playhouse - Fantastic Theater (1-2x)
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Field Spell
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Effect: You can reveal one “Abyss Actor” monster and one “Abyss Script” Spell in your hand; add one “Abyss Script” Spell from the deck to your hand, with a different name from the one you revealed. While you control a Pendulum Summoned “Abyss Actor” monster, any monster effect activated by your opponent becomes “Destroy one Set Spell/Trap your opponent controls”. Each effect of this card is hard once per turn.
​
I pretty much already explained this card in the summary, so I’ll try and keep it concise. It gives us a search for a Script? Nice. It says “fuck you” to an opponent’s monster once per turn and allows us to take advantage of our Scripts’ second effects? Even better.
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Abyss Script - Rise of the Abyss King (2x)
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Normal Spell
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Effect: Target face-up cards on the field, up to the number of face-up attack position “Abyss Actor” monsters with different names you control; destroy them. If you control a Level 7 or higher “Abyss Actor” monster when this card is activated: Your opponent cannot chain a card or effect onto it. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can add up to 2 “Abyss Actor” cards and/or “Abyss Script” Spells with different names from the deck to your hand.
​
Undoubtedly our best spell in the entire deck, as it makes the OTK possible. Not only that, but the fact that it has Super Poly’s “your opponent can’t activate anything in response to this card” effect while we have a high-level AA out is incredible. Finally, we search 2 if this card is destroyed while it is set and we have an AA in the ED, which is very much welcomed.
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Abyss Script - Abysstainment (1-2x)
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Continuous Spell
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Effect: You can Tribute 1 “Abyss Actor” monster, then target one “Abyss Script” Spell in your GY; Set it to your field. This effect is hard twice per turn. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can Special Summon any number of “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monsters from your deck.
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Pretty good effect, allows you to use Abyss King multiple times in one turn. And not to mention a pretty cracked second effect, literally allowing you to special summon up to 5 monsters right out of the deck in one go.
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Abyss Script - Opening Ceremony (1-2x)
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Normal Spell
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Effect: Gain 500 LP for each face-up “Abyss Actor” monster you control. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can draw until you have 5 cards in your hand. Each effect of this card is hard once per turn.
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The LP gain effect can actually be pretty tremendous since we are continuously going -1K for the Madonna search and we love to swarm the field, making 500 per monster not the worst. However, the real reason I would play this card is because YOU CAN DRAW 5.
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Abyss Script - Romantic Terror (0x)
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Quick-Play Spell
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Effect: Return one “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster you control to the hand, and if you do, Special Summon from your Extra Deck in defense position, one face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster with a different original name from the monster you returned. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can Set any number of “Abyss Script” Spells directly from your deck. This card’s activation is hard once per turn.
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Ehhh this is pretty jank, the summon effect is pretty nothing and the effect to set any Script(s) is unnecessary and slower compared to Abysstainment or Superstar on our turn.
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Abyss Script - Fire Dragon’s Lair (0x)
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Normal Spell
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Effect: Target one “Abyss Actor” monster you control; if it destroys your opponent’s monster by battle this turn, your opponent chooses 3 monsters from their Extra Deck and banishes them. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can look at your opponent’s Extra Deck, also banish one monster from it. This effect of this card is hard once per turn.
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Pretty hollow card. We have no interest in using any copies of it.
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Abyss Script - Fantasy Magic (0-1x)
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Normal Spell
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Effect: Target one “Abyss Actor” monster you control; if it battles an opponent’s monster this turn, but does not destroy the monster it battled, return that monster to your opponent’s hand at the end of the Damage Step. If this Set card in its owner’s possession is destroyed by an opponent’s card effect, and you have a face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monster in the Extra Deck: You can target one card your opponent controls: Place it on top of their deck.
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Now I haven’t seen a list utilize this card and its first effect is pretty useless, I just love that its second effect is spell version of Raiza spin and I think that makes it decent enough to play at a single copy for shits and giggles.
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》》》》》◆《《《《《
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TRAPS

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Abyss Actors Back Stage (0x)
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Normal Trap
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Effect: If you have two “Abyss Actor” cards in your Pendulum Zones: Add two “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monsters with different names from your deck to your Extra Deck, face-up. This effect is hard once per turn.
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This is slow and for literally nothing, wtf
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Abyss Actors’ Curtain Call (0x)
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Normal Trap
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Effect: If an “Abyss Script” Spell or effect is activated this turn: Add face-up “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monsters from your Extra Deck to the hand, up to the number of “Abyss Script” Spells in your GY. Then, you can Special Summon “Abyss Actor” monsters from your hand with different names, up to the number of cards added to the hand. You cannot Special Summon for the remainder of this turn, except “Abyss Actor” Pendulum monsters. This effect is hard once per turn.
​
Too situational and slow. Our ED is only ever gonna have like 1 or 2 face-up AAs in it anyway, so a straight up pendulum summon outclasses this. However, it is searchable off Wild Hope, so I guess I could see this being played at 1 for a defensive strategy if we end up going first, so long as it doesn’t end up being popped before it can be played to its fullest extent, which is ironically something we do encourage our opponent to do. Hence why I find this card somewhat risky and not the best to be running.
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》》》》》◆《《《《《
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SAMPLE DECK - 40 CARDS

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2x Maxx “C”
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3x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
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3x Abyss Actor - Extras
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3x Abyss Actor - Comic Relief
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2x Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie
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1x Abyss Actor - Leading Lady
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2x Abyss Actor - Wild Hope
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3x Abyss Actor - Curtain Raiser
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2x Abyss Actor - Liberty Dramatist
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2x Abyss Actor - Superstar
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3x Abyss Actor - Mellow Madonna
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1x Harpie’s Feather Duster
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1x Abyss Script - Opening Ceremony
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2x Abyss Script - Rise of the Abyss King
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3x Abyss Actors’ Dress Rehearsal
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1x Lightning Storm
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1x Abyss Playhouse - Fantastic Theater
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2x Abyss Script - Abysstainment
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1x Abyss Script - Fantasy Magic
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2x Infinite Impermanence
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》》》》》◆《《《《《
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EXAMPLE LINE (GOING SECOND)

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(Set Extras in the pend zone
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Special Summon Extras
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Tribute to) set Curtain Raiser in the pend zone
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Special summon Curtain Raiser
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Link into Hyper Director
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Set [any AA] in the pend zone
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Special summon [any AA], and set Madonna in the pend zone
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Link into Super Producer
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Search Wild Hope with Madonna
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Set Wild Hope in the pend zone
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Destroy Wild Hope with Super Producer
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Search off Wild Hope + set Comic Relief in the pend zone
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Pendulum summon [any AA] + (Curtain RaiseExtras) + [any AA(s) in hand]
​

If Superstar was summoned:
Set Abyss King

​
​

If Abysstainment was in your hand instead of Superstar:
(Power up Wild Hope if you have one out)
Use Curtain Raiser, milling Abyss King
Use Abysstainment, Tribute something to set Abyss King

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Use Abyss King
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Special summon from the deck if Madonna was on the field
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(Power up Wild Hope if you have one out)
​

If your opponent still has a strong monster: Use Comic Relief, trading Extras for it

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SWING FOR GAME!

As someone who has been on medication for decades for ADHD, I hate seeing posts that glorify ADHD as this personality trait that makes people just the right amount of quirky. I hate the posts that talk about how to turn ADHD into a superpower! I absolutely detest when people use ADHD as a an excuse or explaination for things it has nothing to do with. No, Susan, you not flushing the toilet isn't because you have ADHD. It's because you don't wanna touch the dirty flusher and you are selfish. You don't have ADHD just because you don't understand math.
You know how I was sent to a psychiatrist to get diagnosed? Because at school, my parents were told I have "behavioral" problems. That I am bored in classes, and the school doesn't know how I do well because I'm not any smarter than the average kid, but since I am so bored I decide to pull pranks or start drawing on things and damaging school property or idk cause a disturbance somehow.
So I was taken to a psychiatrist to see what the issue is with me. You know what my school principal told me? "You are a good kid, but it seems like you wanna be bad. You get good grades, so why don't you let your classmates pay attention in class?"
I've only ever been punished for ADHD. It's never been a cute thing. It doesn't make me quirky. It just makes me annoying to others. It isn't a superpower, it has literally only hurt me. Without medication, I'm a disaster. With medication, I'm dysfunctional because I'm now the same as everyone but I've never learned how to be the same as everyone. So now I can't do the normal things even if I'm Normal. The struggle never ends.
Stop acting like it's trendy to have ADHD.

Dunno what I did to deserve someone like her. I remember back in highschool when I used to be saddened over my ex bestfriends, who dropped instantly when they found new bestfriends. I wondered then when I will be enough, and the feeling is still vivid as ever since I wrote it 10 years ago in my journal. I wrote “One day, I will have my bestfriend for life.” Years later, I met her. Funnily enough, her first, middle and last name is the combination of all my ex bffs’ names. Cute.
She makes sure I feel loved when I’m down.
She makes sure she’s there for me constantly.
When we fight, she makes sure there’s space between us so neither of us says anything we’ll regret later on.
She makes sure we have quality time together.
Sometimes when I talk to her, I see how much she loves me and sometimes it makes me cry. I don’t know what I did to deserve her.
Seeing how invested she is in our friendship is overwhelming at times, because again, I feel like I’m undeserving.
My bff, my soul sister. Life is better with you talaga.

I’m very tall, olived skinned, athletic, dark hair, brown eyes.
HAPPY TO VERIFY SEND PICS VOICE CHAT AND VIDOE CHAT.
I’m a daddy dom … I am a strict, fair and flexible type of daddy, but I am very affectionate and emotional.
I am non-sexual and sexual.
I am flexible with kinks.
I am into affection and aftercare, cute activities like colouring in and drawing… for kinks I’m flexible but open to CNC, degrading, edging, dressing up (her), toys, instruction, mental and emotional control, needy (from her), cute things, reassurance (giving). Impact play, bondage… I am very flexible and open to kinks so if there is something that is not desired I’m okay with that, I don’t force if it’s not liked, or happy to adopt more. I’ve been into bdsm since I was 17.
Also I do have a foot fetish! So be warned!
I do love to give a lot of attention so be warned I might seem very active and talkative!
I am just taking things easy so to speak and just trying to enjoy things.
Thanks
:)
🍪

First / Previous / Next
It's still early, so we go and find a cafe and have lunch. Once again, I don't have to use my voice, they just give us our meal for free. I really should get an idea about money though. I know they are called Skys, I know at least part of them are small green metallic coins - actually they look like the same metal the Throne and Chairs are made out of, I wonder if they are - and I know that everyone uses them here to buy stuff. I should ask about banks. We should pay a visit to one. I'm sure they'd be... happy to explain it to me.
That's for later though. For now, we work our way to the dock, and find the internal docking bay that Omar found.
Walking in, it becomes clear that we have a lot of work ahead. High Line is in here thanks to Omar earlier and it's...
It's junk.
Even when it was operating, it was clearly made up of a hodgepodge of between three and five different starships. This thing has been limping along on patches and ad hoc repairs for centuries it looks like.
Human ships from our side of the galaxy tend to be very personalized. Riots of color, patterns, little flourishes here and there that speak to the tastes and preferences of the operator. It's probably a function of the fact that all our ships are AI operated. It's their body, and they decorate and personalize it.
High Line is... downright drab in comparison.
Grey on grey with streaks of soot and... is that rust? It looks like rust. What would rust on a spacecraft hull? High Line is all boxes and blocks stuck together where they fit or where a need was found. I'm much more used to the sweeping, flowing shapes the Starjumpers have. In addition to looking fast, they look much more elegant. Even our smaller ships, the Frigates and Destroyers tend towards looking more like living creatures than... a box.
As I walk around staring at things and - apparently - making a sour face, Starlight, Ocean and River are standing there, looking nervous and worried. "So Empress... Here is High Line. We admit, it's a little more worse for wear than the ship you came to us on, but.." Starlight stands a little taller. "It got my forebears here all those years ago and through all that time put many light-years on it shuttling people around the system and still held air and gravity. It's not much to look at, but it was ours."
I mean, they're right. Maybe I'm being too hard on it. They got centuries of use out of with with barely any maintenance. All the more reason to refit it right and make it soar once again.
Omar seems like he's having a great time. Walking around, taking measurements going in and out. "Melody, it might not be much to look at now, but it's actually a pretty good foundation! We can add some improved thrusters, beef up the armor, add a wormhole generator and some laser batteries and while we won't be able to take on a dreadnought or even a Starjumper, we'll be able to hold our own against anything local we've seen. It's got plenty of room inside too. You won't have a suite of rooms like at the Royal Dawn, but I should be able to make you an... appropriately royal room.
"At this point a starship is better than no starship so I'll take what I can get. How long will the refit take, Omar?"
He looks at the ship, at the Aviens and then at me. "It will depend on their printer and how well we can integrate the designs from my copy of the database but maybe a month? Hopefully less?"
"Well then, you had better get started Omar. You spend your time getting High Line up to your satisfaction, and let me know about your progress. For now, we will be staying at the Royal Dawn. I don't know if there's other royal quarters that we just haven't found or if the hotel is made out of the original royal quarters, but I'm satisfied with our current accommodations. Make your own schedule and if you need something or someone, just let me know. Starlight" - I look pointedly at them - "can help you with any personnel needs you have." Starlight bobs their head eagerly. "If you need to speak to me or the others, you should be able to though the Reach. Just... concentrate and it should work."
"Okay Melody, I'll get on it. Come on Starlight, show me the printer. Ocean, go see what kind of help you can find for us. River, go see about the condition of the other starships. Some of them have to be operable, how else is food getting here?" Omar looks up at us as the Aviens run off in different directions to obey Omar. "What happened to Ottarn, that Mariens who took their ship and tried to run? If nothing else, we could use that ship."
"They went with FarReach. They told me that they scooped up Ottarn and their ship and were going to take them where they wanted to go."
"Hmm, do you think that means back to human space?" Um'reli asks and she's looking at the ship.
"I have no idea, I don't think so? I'm not sure what they'd find out there to benefit them."
This time Ava puts her hands on her hips and stares at us. "You mean, other that some sympathetic ears to listen to their story about a human who has installed herself as Empress in their space and might be willing to lend a hand with a couple of Starjumpers and their assorted lasers and missiles? You did lock the Gate after FarReach left, right?"
Uh oh. I forgot.
"Uh, sure thing Ava, let me just go... double check that it's locked. I reach out and I can feel the Gate from here though it's faint and... fuzzy. The lock was simple enough though I push here... pull that... and...
"Okay, yes, it's locked."
"Good. We don't want Ottarn coming back with reinforcements or something just yet. Later though... let them come. We'll show them." Ava's grin is worrying me a little bit. She seems much too excited about showing off.
I grab Ava and Um'reli "Come on, let's leave Omar to his work. We have other things to take care of. I think we're going to have to hire on some help, but before that we're going to have to figure out money."
Ava scoffs as we walk "You're still going on about money? Just make people help us out."
"Ava we're looking to help out here, not be overthrown in a couple weeks. If I make people help us, the moment we walk away people will start to wonder why they're helping us at all."
"Melody has a point Ava. What is it that we do here?" Um'reli is really good at throwing cold water on Ava's plans. I'm glad she came. Without her I have a hunch that Ava would be talking me into all kinds of bad ideas.
"Builders seem to work like the AIs on Starbases back home. So it's not like we have no job."
"Well then, let's go back to the Throne and do some work. I'm tired of walking around trying to mooch free stuff from people because they're scared of Melody." Um'reli stars walking back towards the Throne. I really don't have anything else to do, so I follow. "You coming, Ava?"
"I guess. I don't have anything else to do." Ava looks around somewhat wistfully and follows. I wonder what she was hoping to do instead. Probably have me order people to give her something.
As we walk into the entryway to the Throne - there's still no back door, I really need to find one or make one - something catches my eye. I walk over and... "It's a shrine"
"What?" Ava peeks over my shoulder "Oh, it's beautiful."
It really is. Someone made a drawing of us in some kind of pastel medium, like pencils or chalk. It's... me at the top, my wings spread wide and I'm glowing. Below that, it's Um'reli, Ava and Omar standing tall and proud looking up. Under that is a decent representation of hundreds of people bowing before us. Written on the bottom in the same local script I see all over it says "May They Protect Us." The drawing is on a little easel and there are flowers and candles all around it in a semicircle.
Protect them from what though?
"These flowers are amazing! I've never seen ones like this before" Um'reli bends down to get a closer look. She takes a deep breath "And they smell so good, Ava, Melody, you should smell them!"
Well if Um'reli, a K'laxi can smell them and not immediately break out in allergic hives, it's probably fine for us to smell too. I bend down low and... they smell... familiar? Why is that?
Ava straightens "These were grown. We need to find out where the gardens are and visit it!"
Um'reli stands as well. "After we get some work done Ava. We need to show everyone that we do something and aren't a drain on resources because Melody can order them around and they can't say no."
"What's the point of all this power if we don't use it!"
"Ava, we 'use it' like you want to and people will come after us with guns and knives. Who was the Empress before Melody?" Um'reli is looking hard at Ava.
"We have no idea."
"Exactly." Um'reli continues up the stairs to the Throne itself. I follow and Ava pouts but doesn't say anything further.
In the Builder room, Um'reli and Ava sit down. Their bodies go distant and they are integrating. "Okay Ava, Um'reli. You get down to work, I'm going to see about finding a bank and talking to them. Any idea where one is?"
"One moment Melody..." Ava is searching. "Okay, looks like a bank is down the street from the Administration building. It's not far."
"Thanks! Just reach out to me if you need anything." I head back out and down the stairs of the throne, passing by the little shine again. It really is cute, though I wish they put something a little more specific about what they wanted us to protect them from. Oh well, with our luck we'll find out soon enough.
It's not actually a long walk to the bank, Ava was right, it was just down the street from the Administration building. As I walk past I see that a couple people are cleaning up the barricades finally. I wave as I walk by, and they stand smartly and bow. Nice.
Soon enough, I come across what I assume is the bank. It's a large building, made out of the same material as the Administration building, marking it as very old. There is a large double door in the front made of what looks like the same metal as the coins everyone uses. The doors stand open with two people (an Azurian and a Mariens) standing out front. With a little wave to them, I walk in.
It's... a bank. Really. Tellers, little booths where people can discuss finance, even a little table before you get in line to fill out small slips of paper. I walk over to an Aviens who is sitting at a desk by the front door. They look up and do a double take when they see me. I'm not wearing my wings and crown anymore, but I still have on the gown from earlier.
"Uh, good day Holy One, what may this one help you with?" Holy One. Interesting.
"I would like to speak to the Bank Manager, please."
They rush to stand and their chair slides back with a squawk. "Of course, Holy One. Please, wait right here." The gesture over to a small group of chairs up against the wall. I can't really think of a reason why not, so I go over and sit.
Next to me is one of the pressure suited people. Up close, I can see how their suits are segmented metal colored bronze and completely decorated in elaborate carvings. They really are quite beautiful. Their helmets are almost completely featureless except for a bar where human eyes would be and there is what looks like a speaker on their neck.
I clear my throat. "Pardon me, I'm so sorry, but I haven't met one of you yet. Can you tell me your name and the name of your people?"
With just the most subtle clank and whir, they turn their head. "I am known as Vaaqo, and here, people call us Falor in your tongue." His head inclines slightly. "That is to say, the language that most people here speak call us Falor. I do not know your word for us in your Builder tongue."
"Falor is fine with me." I say brightly, and then stop. "Unless it is insulting to you or something."
They make a gesture with their hands. The Nanites indicate that they are indicating no. Oh, that makes sense! If they're suited all the time, most body language markers are lost. Hand gestures could take over for a bunch of nonspeaking conversation.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Vaaqo, thank you so much for the information. I have so many questions, but I will only ask one for now. Do you have to stay in your suit all the time?"
The same gesture meaning no. "We are fortunate that the upper sunward lobe of the Reach has a pressure door. We're able to maintain our helium methane atmosphere and higher ambient pressure and live suit free. The remains of our starship are installed up there, and we use it to control our own breathing gas."
They took their ship apart to survive? "Oh but that means you're trapped here! Once we open the gates and build more ships, we can send a message to your people."
Another gesture. The Nanites say it might be a smile "That is kind of you to offer, Empress. Before... well before, we were in the middle of a war. We were offered refuge here and so we do not know if any others of our kind remain. It will be... nice to find out for sure."
They're holding something back. I think they don't want to insult you.
It's fine. I see no need to compel them to tell me what they're hiding. It's probably something embarrassing to them or they think to me.
Luckily for all of us, you have no shame.
Ha ha.
As I argue with my Nanites, a Mariens walks up, looking nervous. "Hol-Empress, what a pleasant surprise. Thank you for taking the time to visit our fine financial establishment! My name is Utaid and I am at your service." He bows elaborately.
I stand and try to tower only slightly. I want to impress, not intimidate. "The pleasure is all mine Utaid, I am happy to have met you. I wish to open an account so that I will be able to pay people for services they render me."
They look shocked. "E-Empress, of course. We will do everything in our power to help. Since... all here is yours that of course includes all the money stored in the different banks across the Reach."
I nod. "While this is true, I am not a tyrant. I wish to make sure that people are paid and that operations continue as closely to before as possible. Please accept payment requests that come in from people in my name and keep records. We will do our utmost to make sure that the money going in is equal to or greater than the money coming out... in the long term."
They visibly relax. I wonder if they thought I was just going to come in and demand all the currency?
"It will be our most sincere pleasure Empress. We are proud that you have selected us to carry out your financial orders in Your name. We shall set up everything and dispatch a runner to you when it has been completed. I assume you are residing at the Royal Dawn hotel?"
"Yes, that's correct. How did you know?"
They look smug and embarrassed? How did they manage that? "Even though Reach of the Might of Vzzx is a very large starbase, rumors still seem to fly faster than light."
"Ah, thank you Utaid for all your help. I await your runners." They bow low again and I walk out.
Huh, that was easy. I guess people are starting to realize that I really am Empress and I really am trying to help everyone. Feeling very happy, I begin to walk back to the Throne.
"Uh, Melody there might be a problem." Um'reli's voice sounds worried in my head. She figured out how to contact me directly, very nice!
"What is it Um'reli?"
"Just a minute ago, I saw what looked like an alert. Ava and I checked it out and there's something going on at the main transit hub station. We either don't understand the alert or can't ready it yet. Can you check it out please?"
"Oh neat! I haven't been there yet. Sure, I'll go down and check it out. You two stay up there and be my eyes and ears."
The transit station is right around the corner from the bank. It reminds me a lot of photos of transit stations back on Earth. platforms, people milling about, advertising. But I see no crowds or anything worrying. I connect to the Starbase and think to Ava and Um'reli "I don't see any problem here, what's going on?"
"It's not here, it's at the main station. Get on the next train and ride two stops, you'll see it."
Oh, okay. Just as Ava finished speaking, a train rolls up. Like a lot of this place, it clearly was very fancy a long long time ago. The fact that it's still working is pretty impressive, even if it looks a bit run down. I walk on, and look around. There are seats all along the walls of the train car and poles along the middle to hang on to. Mentally I shrug and sit down near the door. After a moment, there's a trilling chime and the doors close.
With a lurch and a hiss of brakes, we get moving. I wonder if this train is automated, or if someone drives it. I should ask later. I'm lost in thought for the ride through the first station stop, but then I look around and realize everyone is staring at me.
"Oh, Hello!" I say brightly.
Immediately, the people closest to me drop to the ground, bowing their heads. "Oh, thank you, but you don't have to do that right now, please just sit. I'm just riding the train over to the hub station. My Builders tell me there's some kind of issue and I'm going to check it out."
"But, Empress... Surely you have people that you can send to do that for you?" It's a Mariens sitting across from me. They look amused.
"Oh not right now. I'm... between retainers and assistants right now. One of my Builders, Omar is helping to repair the High Line, that Aviens ship, and my other two, Ava and Um'reli are sitting in their Chairs, assisting with the operation of the Reach." Oh wait. "Do you want a job? I do find myself needing more people to help out with-" I gesture "-all this. I'm not sure how much to pay yet but I did just come back from the bank, so I'll be able to pay you; I'm sure I'll work all the rest out soon enough."
The Mariens chuckles "Thank you for the generous offer Empress, but I quite like my job. If you so order it... of course I'd help. If you're just asking though, no thank you."
"Oh, that's quite all right. I don't want to order you. But, if you know anyone that would like to help, have them come to the Throne chamber tomorrow, we'll see what we can do!" I look around at everyone trying very hard to look like they're not listening in. "That goes for anyone here too! If you want a job, come see us, if you know someone that does, send them. I need help, and I would love for it to be you!"
And with that same trilling chime, the doors open and I'm at the hub station.
Ah. Okay. I see what Ava and Um'reli are talking about.
There's a riot.
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