Is it just me, or do the adults tend to react to things immaturely while the kids constantly portray vast wisdom beyond their years? It is a most unrealistic portrayal of life. With age comes experience, and these movies are getting the message across that children are superior. This could make young viewers enter a hesitant state at the thought of growing up, while giving them a false sense of security about their youth and a lack of respect for their elders. Don’t follow me? Fine. I will elaborate on examples that undervalue the adults while glorifying the likes of youth.

In movie number three, there was a problem in the Great Valley- a lack of water. The adults handled this by arguing for an extended period of time, which accomplished nothing. The kids also had a problem- their peers, or, the bullies, were heading into danger. Littlefoot did not hesitate, left the valley, then saved the mean teenagers. So, in retrospection, the adults couldn’t handle their problem while the kids jumped right into theirs and solved it. Isn’t that teaching kids that careful planning is a waste of time and rushing into danger is the solution? Furthermore, it might make kids not worry about being reckless, as their parents will just fix everything. I mean, I once made a thread in this section comparing The Lion King to The Land Before Time. Well, here’s a difference, making The Lion King’s example of this more appropriate for developing minds.

In The Lion King, Simba recklessly charges into the unknown, and because of that, he was nearly killed. The gang of five was also nearly killed for wandering off. So what was the difference, you ask? Simba got a royal scolding from his father. Mufasa gave a huge lecture that taught kids what can happen if you head into danger. The adults in The Land Before Time? Hm. “This is no time to go exploring.” Really? Is that all? Just like the adults failed to respond to a problem, they failed to chide their children and reveal just how wrong it was for them to leave like that. Hyp got reprimanded the worst, but the only complaint his father made about him leaving was that his departure was a distraction to solving the water problem. “Duh, dad?” “Yeah?” “I’m going to enter a near death situation.” “Nah, don’t do that! It might distract me!” The full concept of the danger was never passed down from parent to child. The parents simply took care of the sharpteeth, and all was fine. So, kids were glorified as being the ideal characters and the authority and wisdom of adults was thrashed in this film by making it seem like not planning is the way to get things done, and doing dangerous things will simply cause your parents to bail you out. Did the head writer have parent issues…?

In movie number four, a resident faced death. Yet, no adults would go because it was too dangerous. Wait, what did I just say!? In movie number four- No, I heard myself! I just couldn’t believe my ears. What better reason to face danger than to save a loved one! Some cousins they were! Here is another example of how The Lion King shines and The Land Before Time, well, doesn’t. When Simba was in danger, his father risked everything to save him. He was the ideal adult, holding life sacred enough to put his own well-being at stake to save that of another. I mean, TLBT was laughable! The adults just murmured to themselves, and the Old One felt it was too risky. Well, she wasn’t as smart as some thought she was, because if a pack of kids can handle it, it would have been cake for adults to retrieve the healing flowers. In the end, the kids are shown to be exemplary for going off to the Valley of Mists, while the adults are portrayed as ninnies. Sure, it wouldn’t have been as great an adventure for adults to help, but there are tactical ways to prevent the adults from helping without making them seem likes heartless meanies! Maybe there was a cave in where the only big entrance to the VoM was, so adults couldn’t fit through. Heh, I thought of that, and I’m not even some big time, paid writer. This shows kids that adults just don’t care, so when they want something, they should get help from other kids. What a wonderful message! Don’t go to your elders, go to your peers! So sad…

In movie number five, the adults argued to the point that they decided to split. It was the kids that kept everyone together. Oh my gosh! Are the children and parents role playing that their roles are switched? I mean, this is one of the most blatant reversals of how families work. Kids fight and tension rises, yet the wise parents settle things and bring ties back together. It’s almost like the writers forgot which characters were the grownups and which were the little ones. This shows kids that children are peacemakers and adults cause tension that has to be fixed by the younger generation. Let me guess. When Littlefoot grows up and has children, he’s going to get in fights and HIS kids will set things right. This was just a total role annihilation.

In movie number six, the adults were going to run Doc away because of their superstitions. Littlefoot realized how silly this was. See the role confusion again!? Sure, his grandfather didn’t believe it either, but still, while practically the whole Great Valley felt that the weather problems were caused by a dinosaur, Littlefoot knew better. Huh, who’s there? Oh, hello there! You’re professor Xavier, from the X-Men, right? I knew it! What’s that you say? You’ve been trying to find Storm’s X gene at the source, and you traveled back in time after tracing it to a dinosaur? Wow. Oh, and you say his name is Doc? Oh my. Boy, do I feel silly for criticizing the grownups now. It makes perfect sense. Doc is really a mutant who can manipulate the weather. Thanks, professor X! No, but seriously, they were foolish for thinking Doc was the cause of their trouble. Once again, adults + LBT = incompetence while children + LBT = sense.

In movie number seven, Ducky is kidnapped. Do a bunch of adults rush to save her? You guessed it- nope! It’s the kids who leave to find Pterano. Adults didn’t show up to help until the very end. The kids save the day but nearly perish from the nearly-too-late arrival of those grownups. What is this teaching kids? Adults procrastinate, and kids are the real ones to turn to when there’s trouble. Good night, can’t you get adults and kids straight one single bloody time!?

In movie number eight, a herd nearly starves, but one child senses food and saves them all. This shows young viewers that kids are more resourceful than grownups. They even literally say that Spike saved the herd. It was like he has a super dinosaur sense of smell. Is this showing that adults don’t smell very well? Heh, get it? Anyway, the leader of the spiketail herd, the bloody leader for crying out loud, was totally lost but a little kid lead them all to safety. This may make kids undervalue the perception of those in authority, thinking they can possibly do a better job. As usual, the adults were incompetent compared to youth, and the kids were portrayed as the superior characters. Can they ever get roles- Okay, you know what? Forget it. They will never get roles straight so I’m just going to stop asking.

In movie number nine, it made adults seem like coldhearted folks who don’t care about helping those in need. The kids politely ask for help with Mo, and they get a refusal simply because Mo is a stranger and they’d have to venture to the Mysterious Beyond. Okay, I can kind of get the wariness of strangers thing, but they lived in the MB for most of their lives, so what harm is a little journey, especially if someone needs the assistance? The adults just seemed mean here. Now, guess what! I bet you’d never imagine, based off of all the things I’ve said thus far, who actually does the right thing and helps. The kids! Told you you’d be surprised. Now, the what this teaches can be taken two ways, actually. It not only shows that it’s not right to withhold help from those who need it, which the adults did, but it teaches kids that going with strangers is safe, which the children did. Littlefoot and company left their home to travel with someone they’d never met. Kids should never do this! So this time, the kids strength of heart is also a weakness. The writers mixed up the elements of helping those in need and trusting strangers. So the children did the right thing and the wrong things at the same time. Uhhh… Okaaay… It was nice to make the kids have a blatant fault and all, but if you’re going to make their behavior wrong, then make it wrong! Don’t add a hidden positive in the background of their deed that makes the concept confusing.

In movie number ten, eh, well, I think that they actually got the roles right here. Littlefoot got upset and his father comforted him. Cera couldn’t cross a river without the help of Pat. Littlefoot would have died if not for Sue. I think that the adults and children were finally portrayed as they should be. And there was much rejoicing. Yay!

In movie number eleven, things went right back to the role confusion. Why, oh why, couldn’t you keep things right when you had them that way? Oh well. What’s done is done. Let’s take a look at the damages. Hm, not much to really say about this one. The kids accepted the tinysauruses while the adults feared them and wanted to drive them away. The kids were like John Smith from Disney’s Pocahontas, the tinysauruses were the Indians, and the adults were the other white men. Both groups could not accept the other on equal terms and wanted to be as far away from each other as possible. The white men (the LBT grownups) wanted to drive away the Indians (the tinysauruses) while John Smith (the kids) found peace with both sides at once. Whoa, hold the phone. This isn’t LIKE the Pocahontas movie. It IS the Pocahontas movie. The savages song from Pocahontas is just like the creepy crawlies song from the LBT movie. I can just see the director, trying to think of a plot for movie eleven, then his little daughter tugs on his pants and asks him to watch a movie with her. He refuses for days, then finally accepts, having found no ideas. As he watches Pocahontas, his eyes lights up, and he calls the writer team up. Sadly, the father never finishes the movie with his daughter. I mean, seriously, the plot theme was just like that Disney movie, although they kept the original formula of the kids being superior in intellect to the adults. The movie downright mocks adults. One chases her tail, and one gets stuck. This just piles on the incompetent notion of adults to young viewers, and also shows them that adults look for trouble while it’s the kids that want peace with things. Another example of the bad role reversal of adults and kids, and to make things worse, the plot isn’t even original. Okay, I stand corrected. There really IS a lot to say about this one- sadly.

In movie number twelve, there is a system erected to be followed by young flyers. When they start acting out of line, Petrie’s mother says that the day of the flyers will never be the same. How awful! This is showing kids that they can bend rules set by elders and they’ll just be amended to fit. The adults foolishly let the kids take charge, not judging like they were supposed to. Sure, it’s nice to show that kids can make a difference too, but it’s not so great when they go against the parameters of the guidelines that authority has prepared for them. The judges were just too passive, showing that kids can get away with things. As for the kids being too adultish, it was Guido who gave Petrie the best advice, not his own mother, showing that parents aren’t the best source to turn to for sage counsel. Nice going, writers!

Finally, in movie number thirteen, whew, this was probably the clearest role reversal of them all. The adults acted like five year olds and Littlefoot acts like an old man. Need I say more? Eh, I will anyway. The adults were totally lost without the kids. Littlefoot and company showed them the right way to go. Having adults being the lost souls and the kids being the guide is a silly thing to show young viewers. Sure, there are kids that know places that adults don’t, but this went beyond knowledge of the area. The grownups just had no common sense and no sense of direction. The kids were shown as being more logical and leaderly than the adults were. This could cause insecurities about the judgment of elders in young viewers. Sure, there would have been no adventure if the yellowbellies knew where to go, but such a loss wouldn’t sadden many people.

I got two words for you: wow. Okay, okay, so it was just one. I’m tired; cut me some slack. After the original, there have just been far too many role reversals that can give kids the wrong idea. In some cases, it makes a bit of sense, but in most, it’s just silly and uncalled for. There can be many adventure while kids act like kids and adults act like adults. They didn’t have to degrade the name of adults and give the children an exaggerated sense of superiority over their elders. I find this to be a flaw in The Land Before Time series. Say what you will, but that is my stance.

Tear of Acceptance

Mo:

“Fun fun fun!
Mo love to play!
Mo will join game,
At any time or day.
Mo hope that not annoy Cera…

Laugh laugh laugh!
Mo love a good joke.
Mo tell them sometimes,
And listen when they spoke.
Mo hope that not get on Cera’s nerves…

Swim swim swim!
Mo love to move.
Mo do jumps and stands;
Mo really in the groove.
Mo hope that Cera not get disturbed…

Help help help!
Mo love to be of use.
Mo save the day,
When bad swimmer on loose.
Mo hope that Cera appreciates it…

Blow blow blow!
Mo love making bubble face.
Mo’s will be biggest!
Yeah, it’s a race!
Mo hope Cera doesn’t mind…

Squeak squeak squeak!
Mo love to talk.
Mo talk to anything!
Well, maybe not a rock.
Mo hope Cera doesn’t get irritated…”

Cera (having heard):

“Mo! I see you love fun,
And enjoy to play.
That you exchange jokes,
During any old day.

It’s clear you like to swim;
You really get going.
You offer your help,
Without ever slowing.

Creating lots of bubbles,
Is something you do.
You never cease to talk,
All the day through.

Well let me tell you!
(Mo cowers in fear.)
If I had to name,
A friend who was dear,
That I love and admire,
I’d name one who’s here.
Can’t guess who it is?
Then let me be clear.
It’s you, Mo, I adore.
So don’t worry or fear.”
With that, they did hug,
Both grinning from ear to ear.
As Mo’s heart leapt with joy,
Down his cheek, flowed a tear.

Today I’m trying something unique again. I know that many people have written six line per verse poems where the odd lines rhyme, but the creativity here is in the patterns I place throughout. Every verse begins with “When.” The second lines always begin with a first person promise, except the last verse. The fifth lines always begin with a second person assurance of being innocent using different wording, save the last verse. The sixth lines are literally the same in all, save the last verse. Every single rhyme is of the long E sound. As you can see, only a few things change in each verse, as I’ve built up a number of walls to confine my writing.

It wasn’t my Fault!

When I had lead that herd away,
I promise I did so blissfully.
When we were victims of attack,
My heart was struck with melancholy.
I say to you, it wasn’t my fault!
Oh woe to one such as me.

When I questioned that young boy,
I promise I did so carefully.
It was my friends who had come along,
And spoke to them all so cruelly.
I assure you, it wasn’t my fault!
Oh woe to one such as me.

When I had coerced my nephew,
I promise I did so pleasantly.
It was he who made his friends angry,
So the blame’s his for departing painfully.
I pledge to you, it wasn’t my fault!
Oh woe to one such as me.

When we took the one who had heard,
I promise I did so very gently.
On her, I wouldn’t allow a bit of harm,
And when she fell, I moaned so ruefully.
I guarantee you, it wasn’t my fault!
Oh woe to one such as me.

When we gave chase to the kids below,
I promise I was dragged so unintentionally.
It was I and I alone who ignored the taunts,
Yet my friends were the ones who rushed angrily.
I swear to you, it wasn’t my fault!
Oh woe to one such as me.

When I at last found the stone,
I promise my intentions flowed positively.
I had the greater good in mind.
I meant not for things to go so dreadfully.
I ensure you, it wasn’t my fault!
Oh woe to one such as me.

When comes the time for you to judge,
Promise to do so considerately.
My heart is noble in every way,
And for good, I acted consistently.
Believe me, nothing was my fault!
Don’t you feel sorry for me?

I keep trying slightly new styles to keep a sort of variety and lack of dullness with my poems, even if the differences are very small. I’ve tried lines two and four rhyming a few times in four line verses that have minor changes here and there. I’ve tried all two line verses and a few others. Today, I came up with something different. I call it my “staircase style,” as I have never seen a poem like this before, so I have no official name for it. The reasoning behind my title should become clear shortly as the poem is read.

FlipperBoidSkua, one of my favorite writers, this poem is dedicated to you and your love of this egg-stealing couple.

Strut’s Lament

I love my brother will all my heart.
When he has a job, I do my part.
No matter the time, together we start.

His obsession with eggs can be a pain.
He hunts them down, even in rain.

Our life is never easy.

I can’t understand why he doesn’t see,
The kind of brother I’d like to be.
Not in his image, but just being me.

He makes me eat his favorite food;
He won’t ask my preference in any mood.

I always feel so trapped.

I try my hardest to make him glad,
Yet whatever I do, to him it’s bad.
I dream of the happiness we never had.

I care a lot for that brother of mine,
But things between us are far from fine.

We seem to drift farther apart.

His violent tendencies are always here.
My brother is sadly a guy to fear.
I look for kindness, but it’s nowhere near.

I had an idea for that Longneck’s death,
But oh, it ended with huge Sharpteeth breath.

I can never please my brother.

He despises every kid we meet.
His answer to disputes is just to beat.
The amount of cruelty is quite a feat.

I wish in peace we could settle down,
Yet every day he greets with a frown.

Ozzie should never be a dad.

I only wish my brother the best.
I always give him most of the nest.
After just a few bites, I give him the rest.

He never thanks me for the things I do,
But no matter the case, I see things through.

If only he would seem pleased.

This is my story, but don’t get me wrong.
Though I’d love our life to sing a new song,
I will follow my brother, since he is so strong.

I will wait forever for him to show love.
Someday, his heart will have light from above.

Until then, I will suffer in silence.

If it wasn't clear, I call it my "staircase style" because the number of lines go:
***
**
*
just like a staircase does.

Plot holes aren’t a pleasant filler for thoughts. I, as I often get before starting a story, grew bored so thought I’d try my hand at explaining a data gap in the series. I scrounged around fanfiction.net but didn’t see any other attempts at what I had in mind. Therefore, I went ahead with my plan- to somewhat fill the gab between The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists and The Brave Longneck Scheme.

My story takes place a little while after the movie ends and ends a little while before the episode starts. Those who are used to FlipperBoidSkua’s quality, I apologize in advance for falling short. If you want some real mind candy, check out her stories. Nonetheless, I did my very best at this story, from beginning to end. So as not to delay you any further, here is my take on Ali and Rhett’s meeting:

The Arrival of Friendly Deceit

   “What’s the matter, dear?” a mother asked her daughter. “You’ve been hanging your head and remaining silent for quite a while now.”

   “I’m sorry, mother. I’m just so tired of being the only kid in this herd. I know that you and the Old One are the only female Long Necks here, but I just wish that there was a way of having more kids around.”

   Ali’s mother nuzzled her gently. “I’m the one who’s sorry, my little one. I shouldn’t have let your father go scouting the area alone. If I’d only insisted he bring some of us along, he’d still be-” but then she stopped speaking, beginning to get choked up as she thought about her late husband.

   Ali reared up and hugged her mother’s leg.

   “Don’t stop walking you two. This is no place to be taking a rest. We’ll come to a halt when we reach the lake that’s not far from here,” the Old One called back to them.

   Ali stuck out her tongue, but her mother quickly put her leg in front of her so the Old One wouldn’t notice it.

   “Now, now, none of that, Ali. I know that she can be a bit overbearing, but she is our leader after all.”

   “Yes, mother.”

   “Would you like to ride for a bit?”

   “Would I!” Her mother lowered her head and scooped Ali up in her lips, setting her down on her back.

   The winds began to pick up, causing the few nearby trees to start swaying abruptly back and forth. The Old One sniffed the air. The weather was just going to get worse, she just knew it.

   “We’re picking up the pace,” the Old One called to the others. They groaned, but she ignored them.

   Ali clung tightly to her mother’s back. The wind was getting strong enough to blow her off if she wasn’t careful.

   “We’re nearly there,” the Old One called back. Since she had turned to her followers for the announcement, she temporarily wasn’t looking where she was going. A tiny dip in the ground caused her to stumble and she fell onto her side.

   “Old One!” one of the males called out, rushing to help her up. When she tried getting back on her feet, she grimaced. She had managed to injure her ankle.

   “It looks like we’ll be stopping early after all. I need to rest my foot for a bit. It doesn’t seem too serious, but I can’t walk on it much right now. However, we should move away from these trees. I can limp just enough to get enough away from them. Come on.” With that, the hobbling leader began moving away from all the trees in the area, and everyone followed her.

   The winds were getting even more violent, and the Old One’s fear came true. A large tree broke free from its roots and went hurdling through the air and was going to land on Ali’s mother’s back. She would have normally let it happen, as even a large tree would barely faze her strong body. However, she had a passenger…

   She quickly jerked her head around so it took the full force of the wooden plant. Ali was saved, but the impact dazed her, and she stumbled to the ground. Ali jumped off right before she would have been crushed by her mother’s body and started to panic.

   “Mother? Mother? Mother!” she cried out.

   Though her eyes were open, she did not respond to her daughter. The concussion was still in full effect. Three males stepped forward, each lowering his head against her back as they started pushing her against a cliff wall, well away from any more trees. Ali was ecstatic, but the Old One calmed her.

   “She’ll be just fine. A bump on the head injury doesn’t last very long. Why, when I was a youngster like you, I fell off of a ledge and hit my head pretty hard. I was up and about within minutes.”

   “Thank you, Old One.” Now Ali was feeling guilty about sticking her tongue out earlier.

   After Ali’s mother was safely situated, everyone else gathered around her and lied down. Ali went right beside her mom and cuddled beside her.

   “Get some rest, little one,” the Old One instructed. “There is no reason to stay up and worry. We’ll look after her.”

   “Okay, I’ll try.”

   As the young Long Neck tried to sleep, she was haunted by guilt. It increased her heart rate and made her restless. If she hadn’t been on her mother’s back, she wouldn’t have had to move her head to protect her. Much as she found it hard to accept, her mother was hurt because of her. She clamped her eyes shut as hard as she could, but that only made it harder to fall asleep. Eventually, her list of reasons for being unable to rest increased. Loud noises could be heard not far from there. Dinosaurs were fighting.

   Several of the males started to run in the direction of the action. The rest of them stayed with the Old One, Ali, and her mother.

Off into the distance…

   “That’s it! Drive these vicious Sharpteeth away!” an adult, male Long Neck was coaxing as he and two other males were fending off two grown Sharpteeth. One of the beasts lunged at one of the Long Necks, but he dodged, and the meat-eater ran head first into a cliff wall. The other Sharptooth leapt onto one of their backs and was about to bite down, but another Long Neck came over and head butted him off. It wasn’t enough force to completely knock her off, but she soon lost her balance and tumbled off of the Long Neck. Before she could get up, another Long Neck slammed into her with his tail. She scooted back abruptly and managed to stand up. Her and her mate gave up the fight and started to run away. However, the herd of Long Necks wasn’t about to abandon a fight where they had the upper hand.

   They gave chase and two of them whipped their tails along the ground, knocking the two Sharpteeth down once again. They continued thumping their tails down with great force until the Sharpteeth no longer took breath. By then, the males from Ali’s herd had caught up to them, but they quickly saw that their help was not required. When the two groups were gathered together, a discussion broke out between the adults. Eventually, the only child in the herd, a young boy, stepped forward and looked at the fallen Sharpteeth. He grinned deviously and climbed up one of them, starting to jump up and down on his chest.

   “Cut that out, Rhett!” his father scolded.

   “Aw, I’m not hurting anything, and he’s dead, so there’s no danger,” he replied.

   His father sighed. The fact that there was no danger was irrelevant. He told his son to do something so he should be doing just that. He wished his son was a bit more mindful of authority.

   Little Ali couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to know what was going on around the bend ever so badly. Some adults were looking after her mother, she wanted something to get her mind off of her guilt, and was awfully curious, so she took off in the direction that those grown-ups had gone. When she finally arrived, she saw some members of her herd talking to some other Long Necks, but what really caught her attention was a young boy pouncing on a dead Sharptooth.

   “What happened to these Sharpteeth?” Ali asked him. The boy was startled and nearly fell off. After regaining his footing, he slowly climbed down and came over to her.

   “Oh, they were killed,” he told her.

   Ali wanted to roll her eyes. Obviously they were killed! But she remained polite and added, “Okay, but how?”

   “Well, my herd-” but then he stopped. He hadn’t met a Long Neck his age in a long time. He wanted to make a good impression. Instead of explaining that his herd killed them, he had another idea… “My herd was in terrible danger, so I took down those pesky Sharpteeth myself.”

   “How?” Ali asked, not sure whether or not if he was joking.

   “Uh, well,” he began, then eyed the cliff. “I climbed up on that cliff and jumped down on oneës head. The force killed him right away. When you came by, you were watching me jump on him some more to make sure he was really dead.”

   “Wow! But, how did that other one die then?”

   “Oh, right. Well, um, this huge tree was uprooted by the wind, and I saw it hurdling through the air. After jumping on this guy, I tail-whipped a rock at the other one, getting her attention, and when she came at me, she got right in the way of the tree, just as I had planned, and it took her out.”

   Ali was clearly impressed. She had never met a kid that could take out grown Sharpteeth.

   “What is your name?” she asked the boy. “Mine’s Ali.”

   “I’m Rhett.” Then he paused. “Rhett the brave, scarer of the Sharpteeth.”

   Ali giggled at his grandiose title.

   “It’s nice to meet you, Rhett.”

   “I’ll bet,” he replied, putting on a heroic expression.

   This time, Ali didn’t hesitate to roll her eyes, but Rhett didn’t notice. Just then, the adults stopped talking and approached the children. Rhett cringed slightly, hoping no one from his herd would say anything about the Sharpteeth fight. He had nothing to fear.

   “Well, kids, we have some news,” one of the adults from Ali’s heard spoke up. “We’re going to merge with this herd. It is relatively small, and they’d been hoping to increase in number someday.”

   “What does ëmerge’ mean?” Ali asked. Rhett wondered too but was glad that Ali had asked. He didn’t want her to know that he didn’t know something. His first impression was going perfectly.

   “It means to combine, Ali,” the adult replied. “We’re all going to be migrating together from now on.”

   Both Rhett’s and Ali’s heart leapt for joy. They had always been the only child in their herd, and now, now they’d have someone their own age to play with. The lot of them started walking back to the others from Ali’s herd. When they got back, Ali’s face brightened all the more. Her mother was up and moving around. The Old One was right; she was fine.

   “Mother!” she cried happily. She ran over, and her mother nuzzled her gently. Rhett walked over to them and Ali introduced him. “Oh! Mother, this is my new friend, Rhett. Him and his herd will be traveling with us from now on.”

   “Eh?” the Old One cut in. “What’s this about others coming with us?”

   The male who had explained things to Ali spoke to the Old One as well.

   “We came across another herd, a small one, and both of our groups thought it best to merge.”

   “I see…” the Old One replied. Then she slowly walked over to him and got in his face. “Never, ever make a decision that big without talking to me first! I’m the leader of this herd, not you, not anyone else. You’re fortunate that I’ve wanted to increase too.”

   “M-many apologies, Old One,” he stammered.

   Rhett shivered slightly. Something about that old Long Neck scared him. He’s never seen an adult talk that way before, especially to another adult. He was going to have to be careful with her in charge.

   The bright circle was nearly out of sight at this point, so any more traveling would have to be done quickly. The Old One turned to her old herd and the newcomers and said what was going to happen.

   “There isn’t much light left of the day. If we’re going to get to that watering hole then find a safe place to rest, we need to keep moving now and at a brisk pace.” The pain in the Old One’s hurt ankle had been walked off, and so she started making way as the others followed.

   Ali sighed. She hated when they moved quickly, as she had to nearly run to keep up. She didn’t dare ask her mother to carry her for a while, as guilt still lingered in her heart. As they all started to move out, Rhett came over and walked beside her. Ali was relieved to have someone her age to talk to as they went along. Rhett started the conversation.

   “That wasn’t the first time I saved my herd from Sharpteeth, you know,” he began. He had made a great first impression but didn’t want the prestige he’d gained to stop there.

   “Oh?” Ali replied, having genuine interest.

   “Yeah. One time, my herd was being chased by a group of Fast Biters. At first, I didn’t know how to save the others. But just then, a bolt of sky fire struck a tree and it burst into flames. So I went over, broke off a burning branch, and started running into that Fast Biter herd with the stick in my mouth.”

   “Wow! Were you afraid? What happened then?” Ali was really impressed.

   “Well, I ran right into their group and started waving the branch around. Some of the cowered and backed up, but some tried to bite me. I flung the stick around and managed to burn most of them. Realizing they couldn’t get to me with my fiery branch, they retreated, and my herd was saved. And no, I wasnët frightened at all.”

   “You’re amazing, Rhett!”

   “I know. Another time, my herd was walking through this deep ditch for some shade when we were attacked by a huge Sharptooth. They all started to run back, as there wasn’t any place to climb out nearby. I, however, ran right through that Sharptooth’s legs and continued moving forward as he chased my herd.”

   “Why would you do that?”

   “Stop interrupting!”

   “Sorry…”

   “You see, there were puddles of water on the ground, so I just knew that this ditch used to be a deep river. Therefore, something must be blocking the water, and I was determined to get it flowing again. I finally found a large pile of rocks sitting on top of a fallen tree. I looked back and saw the last of my herd climbing out, and the Sharptooth wasn’t far behind. There was a bunch of water stopped up on the other side, so I pushed and shoved on the pile and it finally broke free. Water began gushing out and it quickly started filling the ditch. By then, my herd was safely out, but as for the Sharptooth… He was swept away, never to bother us again.”

   Ali hesitated, not wanting to interrupt again, but unsure if he was finished speaking. After a few seconds, when he turned to her and grinned, she was certain that he was done and said what was on her mind.

   “You have to be the bravest kid I know!” Ali exclaimed. “Tell me more, please! Your adventures are just so fascinating.”

   Rhett paused, struggling to think of another story. His imagination was getting really worn out. Thankfully, the herd finally came to a stop at a large lake, and Ali’s thirst stole her attention away. She ran over and started lapping up water so fast until she hiccupped and started to cough.

   “Easy there, Ali,” her mother told her with a laugh. “The lake isn’t going anywhere.”

   “Hee hee. Sorry mother. I just hadn’t been this thirsty in a long time.” Then she hiccupped once more.

   “Today has been quite a day, dear. Both the Old One and I got hurt, we nearly doubled the size of our herd, and you made water give you hiccups instead of helping to make them go away.” Both Ali and her mother giggled at that account.

   Rhett had grown bored from listening to Ali and her mother chat. He had gotten a big drink of his own and finally walked over to them, eyeing Ali as if he had something on his mind.

   “Oh, mother, before we move on again, may I play with Rhett?”

   “Of course, dear. Have fun.”

   Ali trotted over to Rhett and gave him a smile.

   “Ready to play?” she asked him.

   Rhett tried to be cool about it.

   “I don’t play with kids I don’t know, but now that we’re in the same herd, I’ll be getting to know you whether I like it or not, so I guess so.”

   Ali grew silent. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to be funny or if he was being rude, so she ended up just replying with an short, awkward laugh before they moved a little ways away from the herd.

   “What shall we play?” she asked him.

   Rhett paused in contemplation. He had rarely even spent time with other kids, so his knowledge of games was rather limited. Tag isn’t much fun with two dinosaurs, and there weren’t enough places to hide in this area for hide and seek. Then it dawned on him.

   “Let’s play rescue.”

   “How do you play? I’ve never heard of that.”

   Rhett was making this up as he went along, so he hoped he would end up with a good idea.

   “You pretend to be being attacked by Sharpteeth, and then I’ll come over, and then we’ll make believe I’m taking them out.”

   “Sounds like fun!”

   Rhett let loose a sigh of relief.

   “Okay, now move a little ways away and shout for help, but not too loudly, or else the grown-ups will think you’re really in trouble and might get mad.”

   “Got it!”

   Rhett moved behind a tree as Ali stepped farther away from the herd.

   “Ah, help me!” she cried. She muffled her voice slightly so the shout wouldn’t be heard too far away.

   “Don’t worry, I’ll save you!” Rhett exclaimed. He ran over and reared up then swung his tail around over and over.

   “Nice job, but here comes a Fast Biter!” Ali continued to role play.

   “Not a problem!” Rhett replied as he rammed his head into thin air. Then he turned around and stood on his front feet, kicking his two back legs up.

   “Ooh, you got that Fast Biter good!”

   “Of course I did! I’m Rhett the brave, scarer of the Sharpteeth!”

   “Uh oh, two Flying Sharpteeth are heading our way!”

   Rhett grinned. “She’s good at this,” he thought to himself.

   He started wiping his tail along the ground then moved away and repeated.

   “What are you doing?” Ali asked him.

   “I’m gathering a pile of rocks. Those Flying Sharpteeth won’t know what hit them!” He then started whipping his tail around abruptly.
   
   “Yay, you got one!” Ali cried in delight.

   “Now for the other one. I’ll smack two rocks at him at once!” Rhett pulled his tail back and let loose so hard that the air made a whooshing sound.

   “Wow, you got him with both rocks! Nice shot, Rhett.”

   “Why thank you.”

   “Kids?” a voice called from the lake.

   “Yes, mother?” Ali asked back.

   “The Old One says it’s time to find a sleeping place for the night. It’s getting pretty dark.”

   “Okay, coming!” Ali replied.

   The two of them ran back to the herd, and they all started moving again. They didn’t go far though. They soon came across a small group of trees growing near a cliff wall. The adults immediately began settling themselves in, finding a comfortable spot that wasn’t too close to anyone else. Rhett started to go to his father’s spot, but Ali stopped him.

   “Thanks for the great time,” she told him, and nuzzled him slightly before laying down beside her mother. Rhett stood there a moment, his face’s redness being hidden by the lack of light. Then he shook his head abruptly to return to his senses and went to sleep by his father.

   Several weeks went by. The two children played rescue everyday, and while Rhett was enjoying it more and more, Ali had begun losing interest in it. He continued to awe her with stories about how he saved his herd, but as he began running out of ideas, his imagination started getting wilder and wilder, and so his tales began getting less and less realistic. Nonetheless, Ali hung on his every word. She loved to have finally found someone her age that could keep her company on her migrating journey, and her elation kept her from even considering to challenge Rhett’s accounts. One day, the Old One had an announcement.

   “Everyone, I have made a decision. We’ll be spending a little time in the Great Valley. I’d like to visit with our cousins.”

   Ali’s eyes widened. She’ll get to see Littlefoot again! Then she frowned. “Rhett doesn’t like playing with kids he doesn’t know,” she remembered. “I hope everything goes okay when Rhett meets the others. Oh, what am I saying? Iëm sure itëll be fine.”

   Little did Ali realize that that visit wouldn’t be as pleasant as she had thought it would be, as tensions will rise, and her eyes will be opened for the first time about what her new friend Rhett is really about…

To find out what happens to Rhett and Ali as they meet up with Littlefoot and his friends in the Great Valley, simply watch the episode “The Brave Longneck Scheme.”

“But, Yittlefoot, you and Mo, so- different. Maybe we shouldn’t…”

“Aw, come on, Mo! We’ll just do it once. There’s no harm in a one time thing. At least, I’m pretty sure there isn’t.”

“Mo could never tell water kin about this.”

“Yeah, and I could never tell my grandparents nor friends. They just wouldn’t understand.”

“Well, if Mo can be perfectly honest, Mo no really understand either.”

“That’s alright! We don’t have to understand our feelings. They’re involuntary; we can’t control what emotions pop into our heads. And most things that happen on their own we have little understanding of. We can’t control the bright circle, nor sky puffies, nor smoking mountains, and as such, we know very little of how they work. The beautiful thing is, we don’t have to understand them, nor do we need to comprehend the inner workings of our hearts. When they burst into song, all we should do is follow their lyrics. They’ll guide is into what we should do. So please, let’s not think about it anymore. Let’s just do it, quickly, before anyone finds us.”

“Well- okay. But just this once.”

I was bored during my lunch break at the university, so I decided to write another poem. It's nothing special, just a little piece about some things to expect when eating in the Great Valley.

Eating in the Great Valley

There’s lots to eat in the Great Valley.
When meal times come, expect a rally.
Wow, the food is good!

Tree stars are a snack of choice.
They cause the children to rejoice.
Boy, they are a treat!

When a dessert is much desired,
A tree sweet is what’s required.
Yes, they are the best!

Living in the valley is a little Sharptooth,
Though his eating habits are a bit uncouth.
Mm, the bugs are spicy!

The very best of the berry bushes,
Were there for the risers of their tushes.
Yeesh, they don’t leave much!

All love the time of the great giving.
It’s a tradition that keeps on living.
Oh, the sharing is grand!

When the snowy cold times come,
The sweet bubbles are more than yum.
Gosh, they’re hard to find!

When a red tree star ends with a pluck,
Petrie will be there, talking of luck.
Ugh, that is so annoying!

When others visit, looking for food,
They’d best be wary of old Three Horn’s mood.
Yikes, he can be mean!

These are a few samples of what may be,
As with eating in the valley, there's much to see.
Yay, it sounds like fun!

Cera is constantly being mean to characters like Littlefoot. Yet, we really don't see him lashing back for the most part. He charged Cera in I, got in a fight in V, argued back in Through the Eyes of a Spiketail, and so on, but those were rare occurences, and Cera is mean almost all the time. I wonder if he is bottling up some negative feelings about her constant treatment towards him. We seem him brush her harsh behavior aside a LOT. That is what inspired this poem.

My Inner Turmoil

I try to hide it everyday.
My emotions swirl in a negative way.
Cera the Three Horn is my friend.
Nonetheless, my heart does rend.
With constant abuse, it cannot mend.
What am I to do?

I knew the proper path to take.
My confidence was not a fake.
I wanted the left but she went right.
Her decision almost a tragic sight,
We nearly did not survive the fight.
What am I to think?

I gained a friend but lost a mother.
With her loving tongue, she did smother.
Now I’m left with a rude little jerk.
Each passing day, I meet her smirk.
I just can’t see her as a perk.
What am I to feel?

She argues with me all the time.
Her company should be a crime.
I try so hard to show her kindness.
But it’s like she suffers from a blindness.
Her constant anger is so mindless.
How should I react?

I try to treat her with respect.
Yet to her dad, I’m just an insect.
What good is coming from my toil?
My kindnesses she just does spoil.
She tramples my feelings just like the soil.
How should I continue?

For mother’s sake, I try to be strong.
But maybe in this, I’m doing it wrong.
About other kinds, maybe mother was right.
I grow weary from this endless fight.
When I’m with Cera, there’s so little light.
How should I behave?

All I can do is harbor my feeling.
To lash out would not be appealing.
Oh, Cera, why are you so mean?
Is cruelty to you so keen?
A bright future I haven’t seen.
I can only take so much.

The Land Before Time and The Lion King are great movies, no doubt. On that note, however, they didn’t perform much differently than each other. Watching one of those is almost like watching the other. The formulas which make up each of these movies don’t have too much variety when looked at side by side. While this probably won’t make for very good discussion, I do believe that this thread will be food for thought. I am going to explain why I believe that these two movies follow the same rode from beginning to end. Disagree with my logic if you will, but here goes:

They both start around the time of the main character’s birth. Both Littlefoot and Simba are born just shortly after the film starts.

A creature tried killing the heroes in each of the movies, also towards the first segment. Someone tries stealing Littlefoot’s egg for a meal, and Scar tries killing Simba via the hyenas.

Each of the main characters lose one parent entirely, while getting separated from the other. Littlefoot’s mother dies and he loses his father not long before the film starts, and Simba’s father dies, and he gets separated from his mother when he runs away.

After losing contact with both parents, each character is depressed until making some new friends. Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa, while Littlefoot meets Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. The new friends help the heroes to overcome their self pity and move on.

Each of the main characters gets advice from an older character that is trying to help them. Littlefoot gets Rooter, and Simba gets Rafiki. After each of them gets a talking to, it takes a while for the information to sink in, then it is accepted later. Littlefoot was still down for a bit after his talk with Rooter, and Simba still wasn’t ready to go back for a little bit after his talk with Rafiki.

The villains are unable to be stopped by the main heroes alone, but with help from a friend, the anti heroes fall at the last minute, when things were looking the worst. Just when that Sharptooth was about to get Littlefoot, Cera rushed in and knocked into that rock just in time. When Scar was nearly about to get Simba, the move that Nala taught him allowed him to win just in time. So without friends like Cera and Nala, neither hero would have had the strength to overcome their final obstacle.

The circle of life theme is discussed in each film. Grandma Long Neck in one, and Mufasa in the other. (Then again, this point may not really count since the grandma instance was in movie four.)

Both characters spent the majority of the movie away from where they needed to be, but finally reached their appropriate home at the end. Littlefoot finds the Great Valley, and Simba returns to Pride Rock.

Each hero loses one parent due to the villain. Littlefoot’s mother dies from that Sharptooth, and Scar orchestrated the death of Mufasa.

Each of the main characters have a troublesome moment between one friend that later gets resolved. Littlefoot has a falling out with Cera who goes her own way, and Simba gets into an argument with Nala and they separate for a bit.

Both of the characters wander off prior to their parents’ deaths. Littlefoot runs off to play with Cera where they meet the Sharptooth who kills his mother, and Simba goes off into that valley where Mufasa dies trying to save him.

Those are all the similarities I can think of at the moment, but as you can see, those movies have a ton in common, making one almost wonder if one inspired the other to a degree. They both flow in pretty much the exact same manner on many occasions. I’m not really sure what there is to add to a thread like this; I just wrote it to show people who weren’t already aware of just how similar those movies are. Being an aspie, I am known for making connections between two things rather frequently. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s an aspie trait. Well, I hope my comparison has been enlightening.

Not too long ago, I set out to write a Land Before Time poem. I was a clueless about ideas for a while, then I came up with the idea of retelling a past event in the Land Before Time world as a poem. I ended up choosing the events of the episode "The Mysterious Tooth Crisis" to retell as a poem. Below is what I ended up with. For those that don't enjoy reading so much but instead prefer to have things read to you, I am also providing a link of me reading it aloud.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1HTRGRn-M

Chomper’s Dilemma

It happened one day,
When Chomper was playing.
He found that his tooth,
Was clearly not staying.

He started to panic,
And be quite dismayed.
Though he didn’t feel pain,
It might be delayed.

Mr. Three Horn came by,
And what did he do?
He gave Chomper a fright,
Made him think he was through.

Chomper didn’t give up,
And sought one who’s wise.
He tried fixing the tooth,
With a great many tries.

Things didn’t look good.
While they came to a song,
That tooth would not stay,
Something had to be wrong.

Ruby came to their mind,
She may be of help.
But she was off soaking,
So they couldn’t yelp.

They set out to find her.
Chomper’s sniffer did guide.
But things were still tough,
As the valley was wide.

They looked quite a while,
Then found a small cave.
But they soon had to run;
Buzzers just don’t behave.

They climbed a tall rock,
But then they all stopped.
Ducky started to stumble
And very near dropped.

Chomper managed to save,
But it came at a cost.
He dropped his dear tooth,
And all was thought lost.

Brave Petrie didn’t think;
He hadn’t time to waver.
He flew down that cliff,
And became quite a saver.

They found the mud pool,
And began making way.
The thought on their mind-
Will Ruby save the day?

Things quickly went bad,
When Chomper fell into sand.
As he started to sink,
Clutched his tooth in one hand.

Littlefoot held out his tail,
Which Chomper did take,
But with only one hand,
Couldn’t pull from the lake.

With shouts all around,
He finally let go.
But without his dear tooth,
His fear started to grow.

While the others got Ruby.
Petrie stayed very near.
Chomper was sad,
And ready to tear.

 When they all got back,
They brought quite the news.
Chomper was normal,
Though all teeth he’ll lose.

When one does fall out,
A new one takes place.
Chomper was relieved,
And it showed on his face.

Chomper burst into song,
What was plain to see,
“It’s like the Bright Circle
Is shining inside of me.”