TMNT Battle for New York *Spoilers*

Not gonna lie - I was not expecting this episode. I didn't know it was coming, I hadn't seen promos or heard anything about it, so when Andre mentioned it at the end of his review of Episode 11, I had a major fangirl moment and threw all other plans of getting enough sleep out the window in order to watch it early (thanks, nick.com!)

OH. MY. GOSH. There is so much awesome in this hour-long special! For real! I almost couldn't handle it all!

First off, the Mighty Mutanimals. (Kind of a cheesy name, but y'know...) I wasn't at all surprised to see Slash and Leatherhead return. It was so good to see Slash again. I really love his character. What did surprise me was the return of Pigeon Pete and Doctor Rockwell (characters we haven't seen since Season 1). I noticed right away that Rockwell's voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't until the end of the first part that I realized it was Tom Kenny - the voice of Gibson from SRMTHFG! (And Spongebob, since no one else reading this blog knows what the heck SRMTHFG! is.) It was so cool to hear Tom doing his Gibson voice again. As for Pigeon Pete, I was completely thrown off-guard by his reappearance. I'm not a huge fan of his character, but who knows? I might be surprised a few episodes down the road. As for Kurtsman, their benefactor...how is he not dead? He was shot in the back and somehow only walked away with a broken arm? I don't buy it.

Should I save the fangirl moment for the end? Nah, I'll just do it now - WAS THAT MONA LISA?!?! Ohhhh my gosh. I didn't even notice the first time through, but when I re-watched it with my brother about a week later I saw it and had to pause the video and take it in and proceed to run around the house sqee-ing. Now, I know she looks kind of...weird. BUT I think it was Mona for a couple of reasons. 1) Why would that picture be thrown in there randomly like that? 2) Raph totally liked what he saw. You know he did. 3) The fans have been begging for Mona to show up at some point. I think that was her first appearance! Of course, I can't confirm it, but I'm telling you, that had to have been Mona Lisa. Either that or - ugh - Venus, and I KNOW they wouldn't dare put her in the show. There would be an uprising.

THE TURTLE BLIMP made its first appearance, too! Cowabunga!!

Now for the big question: Was this episode the end of the Kraang?

Hear me out. I know they probably aren't gone for good (although I think Kraang Sub-Prime is toast now), but the way the plot unfolded and wrapped up in this episode made me think, "All right. That's it. No more Kraang." Reason being, their mutagen missile was stopped, every human they'd captured was returned to Earth, and they were all returned to Dimension X. And in the episode following this one, they are not around at all. All we see is whatever they left behind. I felt like this was a good way to wrap up the Kraang issue and focus soley on the Shredder and Karai and HUN (OMG YES) from now on. I understand that they have the rest of this season and a whole fourth season to go, but I was really getting a "this is it" vibe from "Battle for New York." Was this the end of the Kraang? I think it was.

That's all I've got this time, folks. Next week will be a reading / writing wrap-up for March. Stay tuned, and as always, BOOYAKASHA!! (Leo is now the only one who hasn't said it, btw. Watch closely at the end of "Battle for New York.")

In Memory of Terry Pratchett

For those of you who don't already know, renowned fantasy author Terry Pratchett passed away on Thursday, March 12, after losing his battle to Alzheimer's disease. He was most famous for his Discworld series, consisting of 40 books. I have not read many of his them, but a very close friend of mine thoroughly enjoyed the series and admired the man behind the words. He is extremely saddened by the loss of such an amazing writer, so I am dedicating this post to Terry Pratchett for him. Also, for those of you who don't know, Pratchett's final book will be released this fall. It's called The Shepherd's Crown (Discword #41) and it is about Tiffany Aching. For more information, click here.

A loooooong time ago, I stumbled across the Bookshelf Tag and decided I really wanted to do it even though I wasn't tagged by anyone. Months later, I'm finally sitting down to get 'er done. Here we go!

Is there a book that you really want to read but haven't because you know that it'll make you cry?
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I've heard a ton about it, and many of my friends adore the book, but I am so tired of hearing about cancer taking lives. I have seen firsthand what it does to people. I don't need to read about it, too. I hear the story in the book is really inspiring, which piques my interest, but knowing how it ends is enough to make me back away.

Pick one book that introduced you to a new genre.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This was the first dystopian novel I read. (Dystopian is generally based in post-apocalyptic worlds.) I finished the trilogy, but after seeking out other dystopian novels, I discovered quickly that it is not my favorite genre. All the stories are basically the same. They get old and predictable fairly quickly.

Find a book that you want to read.
A Work In Progress by Connor Franta. Oh my goodness. I knew he was thinking about writing a book a while ago, but now the final product is coming out in April and I just really want to read it. Connor was the first YouTuber I subscribed to. It will be cool to hear his story.

Is there a book series you've read but wish you hadn't?
Divergent and its followers by Veronica Roth. No, no, no.

If your house was burning down and all your family and pets were safe, which book would you go back inside to save?
Just one? Oh, jeez. Well, I'll have to go with the first book I thought of and the one I consider my childhood favorite: The School Story by Andrew Clements. I still love this book. It's kind of an inspiring read for me, considering how I want to be a published author someday soon.

Is there one book on your bookshelf that brings back fond memories?
A lot of books bring back fond memories. But again, I'll go with the one I thought of first: Bigger by Patricia Calvert. I don't remember much about the story itself, but every time I see this book, I remember a close friend of mine from Montana and it makes me smile.

Find a book that inspired you the most.
Can I use the same book for two answers? Well, I'm going to. The School Story, as I said above, inspires me still because its protagonist is a girl who wants her book to be published. I can relate.

Do you have any autographed books?
Yes, actually! Roof Oasis by Marie Gilbert and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie are both signed.

Find the book that you've owned the longest.
A good portion of the books on my shelf were given to me as a child, and I simply do not remember which one of those I've owned the longest. Sorry.

Is there a book by an author that you never imagined you would read or enjoy?
I'm going to use a book I've already mentioned again. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a book that I never thought I'd like. I met the author, Sherman Alexie, in October of 2014 and liked him just fine, but when I read the synopsis of his novel I was not looking forward to reading it for my English 1020 class. However, about 50 pages in, I changed my mind and ended up really liking the story.


There you have it! The Bookshelf Tag. Now I'm tagging my grandmom over at Gilbert Curiosities. Have fun, grandmom!

R.I.P. Terry Pratchett.

The Meteor: Are Lyric and Shadow Soon to Follow?

Sonic Boom is back! And I have to say, the last several episodes have been much better. It seems like they've picked up the pace after the break we had in December. Episodes have better plots and are funnier in many ways. Of course, there are still some outright silly ones, but for the most part they have gotten better, in my opinion.

In this post, I want to talk a little bit about the episode "The Meteor" (Season 1, Episode 14). I know that back when the creators were still working on this show, they said that there would be no ongoing storyline and that the world would "reset" every time, but it sure seems like there is some continuity going on. Also, they said that the two Sonic Boom video games would be prequels to the show. If that's really the case, then the Shattered Crystal and Lyric and Shadow are all part of the universe and simply have not shown up on TV yet.

That being said, here's my theory: The meteor we saw in Episode 14 is part of the Shattered Crystal.

The reason I say this is because, as far as we know, not all of the fragments of the Shattered Crystal were found in the video game. That means that there are still some pieces left (duh), and the meteor looked an awful lot like it could be one of them. It had the same color scheme and a weird power that switched Sonic and Eggman's minds. It came from who-knows-where. However, something that could undermine my theory is the fact that none of the characters seemed to know what the meteor was. They just thought it was...well, a meteor. So that's a thing.

BUT, if the games really were prequels to the show, then it is a very likely possibility that the purple rock we saw in Episode 14 was part of the Shattered Crystal. I sure hope so, because if it was, that means that Lyric and Shadow are not far behind.

I really hope that Lyric will appear in the show at some point. I know he was supposedly defeated in the games, but come on. Villains ALWAYS come back. It would be cool to have him in the series and show Eggman how evil is done. (Seriously, the new Eggman is just not the same.) It would really give the show a boost to have him there, plus it would be totally awesome to see Sonic and his friends step up their game and show us all that they are still the epic Freedom Fighters we remember from the Prime universe.

More than anything, though, I WANT SHADOW. Seriously, when is he going to appear? They said he was going to be in the show. I want to know so much about his rebooted character. How does he know Sonic? Why is there a rivalry between them? What's his motivation? Is he an android (rumored)? I would really like some answers!!

I got excited this last weekend because I heard his voice and thought he was going to show, but it was a different villain. I am convinced Kirk Thornton was behind the mic, though. The voice was so similar it's not even funny. How dare you trick me into thinking it was Shadow, show creators!

Ah, well. He will come...eventually.

So there's my newest Sonic Boom theory for you! I strongly believe that "The Meteor" was part of the Shattered Crystal from the games, and that that episode was a precursor to Shadow's arrival in the TV series (possibly Lyric's, as well). Here's hoping!

Spock: Remembering Leonard Nimoy

I discovered Star Trek through my parents. When I was in grade school, they would sometimes send my brother and myself to do our thing while they watched The Next Generation in the living room. Little do they know (or maybe they do and just never said anything), I would sometimes sit on the staircase behind them and watch as well. I didn't know what it was, but I had the theme memorized and it looked neat.

A few years later, I re-discovered Star Trek when the 2009 movie was announced. My parents decided to let my brother and I watch some of TNG with them, and it became the show that introduced me to science fiction. Soon after, I was trying my hand at writing it (a skill I'm still working on, since science really isn't my thing).

It wasn't until the 2009 movie came out that I discovered Spock (played by Zachary Quinto). I liked his character right away. Then it came to that scene in on the ice planet when Kirk was chased into a cave, and Leonard Nimoy was introduced, and my parents told me he was the original Spock. I was intrigued enough to look up some of The Original Series later, and though I didn't entirely care for William Shatner as Kirk, I still really liked the Vulcan.

Then I went on a Star Trek cruise for a while before coming back around to Sonic like I always do. But in that time, I grew to really identify with Spock and enjoy all of his screen time. I even checked out some Star Trek books from the library that were specifically about him just so I could get a deeper glimpse into his character.

Leonard Nimoy was an amazing actor. He lived long and prospered. It was a very sad day in my house when we heard of his passing. Hopefully Zachary Quinto will be able to carry on the legacy that Nimoy started.

TMNT Return to New York *Spoilers*

I was beginning to wonder why on earth the Turtles hadn't gone back to New York yet. I mean, the forest episodes were cool and all, but by the time the Dream Beavers episode rolled around, I was just ready for them to go back to the city.

Then, lo and behold, "Vision Quest!!" I loved this episode SO much. That scene with Splinter in the blue fire just made me fangirl like nobody's business. Seriously, I'm pretty sure my brother was wondering if I was having a seizure. I was begging for that scene to appear somewhere in the series, so when it did, I exploded in a light show of fireworks. Besides the awesome throwback to the 1990 movie, though, there was a lot of really good stuff that happened in "Vision Quest." It was really neat to see Leo's character development as well as the other Turtles each struggling with their own inner doubts and fears. I was so happy to see the main villains return, even if they were just part of the spirit realm. Donnie vs. Tiger Claw was the greatest thing in the world! And of course, there was that famous line from Leo: "We're going back to New York." ABOUT TIME!!

Next up was "Return to New York," in which I had the biggest fangirl moment of my entire life when the new intro came up. HOLY CRAP that was the greatest thing ever!! So many hints as to what is coming up in this season and beyond that I just couldn't handle so much nostalgia all at once. It was awesome. It was interesting and a little sobering to see the Turtles return to a city that was now almost completely empty and devoid of life. However, what broke my heart the most was seeing Splinter in the state he was in. I was of course happy to see him again, but as Baxter Stockman was taunting him from the other side of the cage, I just kept thinking about how wrong and sad it was that everything he'd been through had brought him to that lowest point in his life. And then he turned around and kicked everyone's butt, so that was pretty epic. Either way, the Turtles are reunited with their sensei and home at last.

Finally, "Serpent Hunt." It was good to hear about Karai's condition, as I had been wondering about it for quite some time. It was good to see her reunite with the Turtles again and to see them get right back into the swing of things considering how long they'd been away. Also, the epic battle at the end between the Turtles and all of the major villains was just...epic. EPIC!! I loved the Leo vs. Shredder battle when it came up, brief as it was. Eek! However, despite all that, the thing that I loved most about this episode was the official introduction of Rocksteady and Bebop both as partners and as mutants! We got a closer look at their interesting companionship as well as the reasons behind their mutations in this series. What I find most interesting is the fact that apparently Rocksteady has been friends with Shredder for at least ten years. That, and he was actually introduced way back in Season One. Who knew he'd end up being the rhino? I certainly didn't! Black Nerd had to point it out to me. (Thanks, Andre.)

Anyway, now that BEPOP AND ROCKSTEADY ARE HERE, the show has been put on hold again for now. It will be back soon, and when it is, I cannot wait to see these guys in action. I'm fangirling just thinking about all the awesome that awaits in the remainder of Season Three!! EEEEK!!

Well, that's it for now. This Shellhead is signing off until next time. Booyakasha!

All Things Books

Well, I'm back for week two! Hopefully I can keep up the pace. Sometimes things get kind of crazy when you're in college. (Fun Fact: I am writing this post while working in the students center because...why not?)

I have done my best to focus on more reading and writing this year, and so far I think I'm doing fairly well. I definitely want to use 2015 to get back to work on "Follow the Raven." I have already begun the process of brainstorming for the updated version, since I know the first draft was so scattered I will have to do an entire rewrite before I even think about editing Version 2.0. The rewrite won't change too much about the story - if anything, it will add more to the plot and character development, which will be good.

In addition to my serious writing, I am still working on fanfiction over on Wattpad, though I recently wrapped up my Sonic trilogy (much to the sadness of many of my readers) and began working on my very first TMNT fic, titled "Dude, This is No Vacation." So far it has gotten a good reception. In less than a month I have gained 300 reads, 40 votes, and 20 comments. I have also had new readers tell me they were not expecting the story to be something they liked, but I now have them hooked. Yay for me!

As far as reading goes, I have done quite a bit. My initial goal was to read about four books a month, or one a week. (I took into account the fact that I will be participating in NaNoWriMo 2015 as well.) January went extremely well, but I think that's because I was still on Christmas vacation for most of it. These are the books I read for the first month:

• Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
• Super Human by Michael Carroll
• Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher
• Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island by Mike Tucker

February has not been a failure yet. I still have about nine days to read two and a half books. These are the books I have read / plan to read before the end of the month:

• Halflings by Heather Burch
• Guardian by Heather Burch
• Avenger by Heather Burch
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (whom I met, by the way)

And yes, the first three books are part of a trilogy. I am about halfway through the second book, so you can see why I'm trying to catch up. It's not that the books themselves are slow, it's just that I run out of time to read very quickly in the day. Excuses, excuses. I'll get it done...hopefully.

Well, that about wraps it up this time. If you want to see my reviews for any of the books above, be sure to check out my profile on Goodreads. And if you want to read some totally radical fanfiction, come visit me on Wattpad! Next week will be more of a nerdy post. Until then, I'm up, over, and gone!

What Have I Been Doing?

Well...I'm still alive! Suffice it to say that 2015 has been one crazy year so far, and that's not entirely a good thing. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say this: I fully intend to pick up the pace here on Endless Possibilities, starting right now. As a matter of fact, I plan on writing one post a week! How about that? (We'll see how that goes, but I'm at least going to try.)

First up on my list of things to write about for the month of February is an update on college, as well as life in general.

Here we go.

January was fairly uneventful, up until the 19th and 20th, when I went back to campus for work training. I am now certified in CPR and First Aid until January 2017. Woop! Then on the 21st my classes for this semester began. I am enrolled in:

• Spanish 1020 (My fourth year of Spanish, by the way. Yes, YEAR. Not semester.)
• English 1020 (Which is mostly analytic reading. I like it so far.)
• Historical Geology
• Western Civilization II
• Choir (Again. At the end of this semester, I will make my decision on whether I want to continue with it or not. It's okay, but it pales in comparison to the excellence of my high school choirs. Plus it's only half a credit, so there's that.)

I found out very quickly that this year of Spanish is going to be really easy. I already have an A in the class. I have the same teacher for English that I had last semester, and I enjoy the new class so far. Less textbook reading and more short stories and novels. That's more my style. Historical Geology is decent. I enjoy it WAY more than I enjoyed math last semester. I love Western Civilization II, and I already talked about choir.

So that's my schedule. Between and after classes I am either hanging out with my friends on campus, working, or taking a break from the chaos and just chilling out at home. It's a pretty simple routine. Also, homework this semester is way less stressful and less difficult than last semester. I sincerely think it's due to the fact that I have no math now. My math homework would always take forever because I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

I have participated in a few events on the campus as well. I enjoyed karaoke night, when I sang "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons with my friend Cassie (since I was too chicken to do it as a solo). In addition, I am currently participating in the Blind Date With a Book event at the library. You go in, select a book that is wrapped up so you don't know what it is, then take it home and read it. You can also do a review of it if you so choose. The book I got is called Friday Night Lights, about a football team that inspired a small town. It's not a book I would have chosen for myself, but that's the point, and I'm excited to read it.

As far as the real Valentine's Day goes...well, it's going to be just like previous years. I'll admire my special someone from afar.

And that's it! Sorry I haven't been around yet this year and that this post was brief. I plan to be back here next week with another, longer one. Wish me luck! See you next time.