Steel Sponge

where's "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims???

I'm a rabbit dentist, so I will perform mouth surgery.

Oh yeah, Catscratch - a childhood favorite unfortunately tainted by its problematic creator.

Dr. Rabbit (dentists are doctors, right?)

This thread is very tradgic.

May he rest in SnailPo

Hey everyone. It has been a while since I’ve committed myself to writing up one of these, haven’t I? For those who have been paying close attention to what I talk about on Discord, or for anyone noticing my recent...ish writing activity, I’ve found myself a flagship series in an animated show titled 101 Dalmatian Street. And I’m sure by that point most of you are aware of it. With March 18th essentially being 101 Dalmatian Street day, that gives me the opportunity to talk about the series in greater detail. As of this writing, it has been seven years since it premiered...and six years since it ended, as it didn’t last more than one season. There’s been a lot of theories as to why, with my most accepted one being that Disney never really cared enough about it (Likewise, 101DS has been referred to by some as “The one animated series Disney hid from the public”). The second most-accepted theory is that since its main hub got shut down (Disney Channel UK), there was no longer an incentive for continuing it, although that didn’t stop Disney from putting it on Disney+ and later Disney XD for a brief period for American viewers – which could’ve sparked more interest in the series, but neither platform accomplished that. So that now begs the question of how can I possibly see so much in a show that is so short-lived? And why this random-ass continuation spin-off of a beloved Disney animated classic of all things? Let me start by saying when I first watched 101DS, it was on a whim. I decided to commit to getting as far as I could with the series to see if it will keep my interest in the long run. To my own surprise, I was feeling more engaged with it than I thought I would. Sym-Bionic Titan had this similar effect on me – it left a lot to be desired, but in a positive way. The moment 101DS ended was when it was just starting to open itself up to more opportunities for new developments with its characters, its stories, and its connections to the original animated feature film classic it’s based off on. By some means, 101DS shouldn’t have worked. The concept isn’t unique because The Loud House already came out with a concept like it. Hell, Bluey premiered the year before 101DS and easily overshadowed it as the go-to wholesome dog cartoon. The basic premise in which it focuses on the distant descendants of Pongo and Perdita, let alone in modern-day London, was going to alienate some people. And of course, being a slice-of-life comedy of sorts with the occasional toilet humor, not all the jokes were going to land well. The appeal of 101DS all boils down to one aspect – identity. The more I’ve watched 101DS, the more it felt like it had an identity that goes beyond the OG 101 Dalmatians. The original movie was focused on Pongo and Perdita, their human owners, and their quest to bring back home their puppies from the main villain, Cruella. 101DS diverts from the human aspect and prioritizes its perspective on the dogs themselves, who live independently without a human and rely on the two eldest siblings of the family, who are coming of age and are trying to make the most out of their lives as the primary caregivers to their multiple siblings while their parents work, all while establishing the relationships between these characters that otherwise make them come across as human in spirit. At this point, I might be overstating my thoughts, but what I’m trying to say is that I’ve come to really like and even identify with these characters for the surprising amount of depth they have. They all mostly have their own distinct personalities and they don’t come off as one-note. And it’s not just the Dalmatians I feel this way about. The side characters and how they interact with the Dalmatians are all worth mentioning too. Even if there are some things that don’t seem to make sense about how the new Dalmatian family functions at face value, 101DS does its best to make it make sense. And how about that art style? I can’t say it’s for everyone, but because of 101DS being a rare Disney series not produced by them in-house, Passion Animation Studios and Atomic Cartoons gave it a distinctive and colorful sort of creator-driven look that goes beyond the typical black and white of the spotted dogs. These are all key factors that give 101DS its own identity. So yeah...uh...there’s a lot I have to unpack when it comes to my thoughts on 101 Dalmatian Street. I’m surprised as some of you are that this became one of my main fixations. It has a fairly dedicated fan community too and it has motivated me to write a fanfic for the series as my own way of giving the series the closure I felt it very much deserved. Spoiler alert, this series is definitely going to land somewhere in my top 10 list for 2019 in animation whenever I finally get around to it, and it’s going to be hard to reiterate why I’ve ended up liking this series without repeating myself too much, but that’s enough talk. As a way of putting my thoughts more into perspective, I’m going talk about my top 10 episodes from the show. So let’s begin with...the honorable mentions. London, We Have a Problem 101DS started with “Boom Night” and “Dog’s Best Friend.” It technically started with this episode, which served as the basis for the pilot but then got reworked to bridge the gap with the season’s developing Hunter De Vil storyline within the first half to lead us all up to the reveal of Cruella’s possible return. Being slightly reworked from the pilot, there was bound to be some inconsistencies, with my one nitpick being how Dylan gets easily deceived by Hunter. Granted, from the rewatches I’ve done, I’ve been aware of Dylan having been shown not be smart when it comes to interacting with humans, but I feel like he would’ve sensed something was off after he noticed his baby sister Dorothy somehow ended up in Hunter’s grasp. I also felt that Dylan’s internal conflicts with trying to find time for himself from his siblings were easily resolved or ignored and I felt that aspect should’ve been dramatized a bit more so that’d give him more of a motivation to try and befriend Hunter other than, well…Hunter making Dorothy a hostage. It’s not a perfect setup, but it’s still an enjoyable high stakes type of episode for what it’s worth. It’s My Party Next is the episode that aired right after the one above. This episode focuses on Triple D, but the plot revolves around the three identical triplets wanting their own birthday party, with Dolly having to plan a party for Destiny, Dylan and Dawkins having to plan one for Dallas, and Diesel having to plan one for Deja Vu. So while this episode gives us a perspective on how distinct Triple D can be despite them being identical triplets, it’s the episode’s humor that really stands out for me. The episode also ends on an odd yet also satisfying note, so I assure you guys this will be a fun watch. The Walls Are Alive This is one of the few horror-inspired episodes from the series, which focuses on the power in the Dalmatian house suddenly going out, prompting for them to figure out the source of the problem, only for them to then disappear one by one due to a mysterious force until Dolly is alone and is forced to find everyone, while she was the one who arranged to play a game of ‘Sardines’ before the episode’s plot kicked in to high gear. There were some decently funny jokes in this episode, mainly from Deja Vu, but it’s how the episode applies its suspenseful tone that keeps my investment. Dawkins Strikes Back Here we have Dawkins’ only focus episode from the series. The episode starts off with Dylan and Dolly leaving Dawkins in-charge of the house while they attend a workers’ strike alongside their dad, Doug, but after returning home and requesting Dawkins to do several different tasks, missing the whole point of what they experienced, Dawkins goes on strike himself, seeing how much the duo have been constantly taking advantage of him. The plot then focuses on Dylan and Dolly failing to keep the utilities in the house under control without Dawkins’ help. But what makes this episode stand out is Dawkins’ plot, in which he tries to learn how to relax when he hasn’t been used to doing so. This leads up the Canal Crew helping him find comfort, and on top of that, they also completely take his side and help out with working out a deal between him and his eldest siblings. Needless to say, the episode ends in a fairly cathartic fashion for Dawkins, and it helps that the sentiment of this episode still feels very relevant today. Don’t Push Your Luck This one is for the non-Dolly fans in the back, whoever they might be, because if you want a well-written example of Dolly showing herself to be a very caring older sister figure to the Dalmatians, I recommend watching this episode. In this episode, Dolly participates in a skateboarding competition but has to compete against her crush, Hansel. Big Free, one of the animals of the Canal Crew, convinces her that she can be her good luck charm. Big Fee uses this opportunity to profit off this success, and eventually Dolly loses all trust towards Big Fee when she has the audacity to sell the Dalmatians’ tickets to watch her performance, the turning point in which Dolly decides to throw the match for the sake of her fam. There’s also an amusing little subplot with Dylan and Dawkins trying to disprove Big Fee’s luck only for her dice to always land on two sixes. The twist for that is not surprisingly, but it’s still fun. Dante’s Inferno And here is my #11 of my top 10. It’s the episode that brought the Hunter De Vil storyline to its climax point, and it’s a focus episode for Dante, the doom and gloom Dalmatian of the family. When Dante realizes that his exotic predictions are making him a nuisance to his folks, he begins to feel really down, so Dylan and Dolly to try and lift his spirits by staging some of his predictions to come true. But when Dante accurately predicts Hunter’s return, he gets too excited and briefly gets himself captured by Hunter as a result. Upon saving Dante, the Dalmatians would then also find out Hunter somehow gained dog-like senses and gained the ability to understand them, leading up to the next episode where they try to use his new traits to their advantage. It’s a little bit all over the place, which is why it’s not in my top 10, but I’ve enjoyed the chaos for what it was. Should also give special mention to Kyle Soller’s performance as Dante in the episode, let alone for the rest of the series. I may as well spotlight Soller after he received his flowers for playing Syril on Andor. Now, to state the obvious, I already showed my top 11 list as part of a King Neptune request from Zaid. But this time, I’m going to be talking about WHY these episodes are in my top ten. So, let’s get straight to it… STEEL’S TOP 10 101 DALMATIAN STREET EPISODES For those who don’t know why I’ve been glazing this series for a while, now you know the bigger picture. I don’t expect this long-winded piece to accumulate any new interest in watching the cartoon, but I can only hope I did my best with this write-up. 101DS can be streamed on Disney+, and only on Disney+ currently (or you're free to pirate it, if you're tired of Disney's pro-AI leanings like I am, but also the subscription's gotten very pricey anyway). It’s sad to admit this, but in this current climate of the entertainment industry, it’s hard to imagine 101DS coming back during this period, especially when so much has changed in seven years. And I’ve since gotten used to the idea that the potential 101DS had contained in just one season is what makes short-runners like it feel so special even though they’ve long since come to pass. From Sonic SATAM to Clerks to Making Fiends to Sym-Bionic Titan to this very series to what will eventually receive that same fate further down the line…I think you all know where I’m getting at here. Even if I am part of the revival campaign, I am already satisfied with what I got out of this series, as I am also happy with where it’s gotten me. It’s a corny note to end it on, but anyway, that’s all, folks.

coming soon-ish

where's SpongeBob in Tehran?

36. The Truth of Gold (Making up for the lack of story updates for my own works over the course of this year by reposting my entry for 2024's (and final) Snowcember writing contest.) T’was a normal day at the Krusty Krab, when all through the day, not a Plankton was scheming, but customers were there to pay. It all seemed to be a normal day in Bikini Bottom, but the only difference was that it was winter, which of course was required to set up this story. Mr. Krabs, once again, was keeping the thermostat untouched and charged customers to be able to keep themselves warm. “Darn that crummy cheapskate for not heating up the restaurant during the coldest months,” the grouchy octopus cashier named Squidward complained. “It sure would be nice if I had some gold and then I’d never have to work again.” “If I had some gold, I’d have me business blooming,” Mr. Krabs remarked. “Why are you two talking about gold all of a sudden? Is it time for another one of our wacky adventures?” SpongeBob asked. “It would be an adventure that I would want no part of,” Squidward jeered, “but it means being far away from you, I’ll take a prospecting job in a heartbeat.” “Nice try Mr. Squidward, but the Yukon Gold Rush has been a long gone era and the deep blue has never felt a money craze of that sort of magnitude for ages.” Mr. Krabs replied. “Besides, if there is gold, I ought be the first person to know…” As tempting fate would have it, two oddly specific incidentals came bursting through the doors of the restaurant to conveniently share their exciting news.Z “Hey everybody, we found gold!” Nat announced. “Yeah right, you’re pullin’ me pegs!” Mr. Krabs argued. “Come and see it for yourselves and you’ll know that there’s no fooling!” Evelyn added. “Well, what are all standing here for, boys? Let’s peep this out!” Mr. Krabs said as he dragged his two employees to the site where the gold was found. As Mr. Krabs and his crew had arrived at the spot, they were already met with a large crowd, forcing Krabs to tunnel through, using his pincers like a pair of buzzsaws. “Look at that beauty, boys,” Mr. Krabs remarked as he and his employees got a closer look at the excavation filled with gold. “Soon, it will be all ours.” “What do you think we’ll do with all that gold, Mr. Krabs?” SpongeBob questioned. “I’m seeing so many dollar signs just thinking about all the ways that I could use this gold, I can hardly contain meself!” Mr. Krabs said. “I think there’s plenty enough gold to share with everyone else, do you think so, Mr. Krabs?” SpongeBob added. “Who said anything about sharing the gold, boyo?” Mr. Krabs replied as his head creepily turned 360 degrees towards SpongeBob like an owl. “With all this gold, I could press them into tributes of the $50 buffalo gold coin and sell them to suckers who’ll think it’s the real thing, struck from .9999 pure 24 karat gold and all.” “That’s a lot of nines.” “Yes, that’s four nines, boyo, and not only will I be the richest crab in the world, I can turn me restaurant into a conglomerate...no, I can make it an empire!” “I’m sure that sounds nice for you, but Bikini Bottom has a serious shortage of health clinics and recreational services for pets and children, so I think the gold could be put to good use for helping them, and we can use the rest of that wealth to give food and shelter to the homeless.” “…That be the dumbest idea I ever heard from you, boyo.” “I’m pretty sure everyone else has already thought of dumber ways to use up that gold,” Squidward remarked. “Look at all that gold, Karen. If we could get our hands on it all, we can run Krabs out of business in an instant!” Plankton said. “Didn’t you tell me yesterday that you had your single-celled eye on that anniversary USB drive?” Karen deadpanned. “Oh, but I...uh, wouldn’t forget to spend some of it on you, my darling,” Plankton replied. “I could finally buy all the things daddy wouldn’t let me have!” Pearl remarked. “I say, I think all that darn gold could make good use of bein’ spent for scientific research,” said Sandy. “Why, with that much fortune, maybe we could cure any disease! Although…I ain’t should be getting myself too greedy, but my treedome could use an expansion of sorts so I could have more room for my experiments.” “I don’t know what it is, but I want to exchange it for all the dried-up caramel in the world!” Patrick declared. The crowd of Bikini Bottomites continued to ramble on about what would they would plan to use the gold for, until a landowner stood in front of the gold mine alongside Nat and Evelyn. “If I could have everyone’s attention…” the landowner announced, “as it should appear, since these two were the ones who had discovered the gold, I’ve ultimately decided that I bestow this gold mine to them.” After a collection of groans and jeers from the crowd, they would be silenced once again as Nat gave himself the chance to speak… “Citizens of Bikini Bottom, we hear your concerns,” Nat spoke, “We know how much you all wanted a piece of this gold mine. Evelyn and I have decided…" “...We’ve decided that we’re going to keep this gold all to ourselves, suckers!” Evelyn finished. Nat and Evelyn’s statement was met with a wave of angry banter, while SpongeBob and Squidward watched as their boss’ spirit sank, frozen from his immeasurable disappointment. “Hey, wait a minute, that’s the guy that you bribed to say that he liked my chum!” Plankton said to Karen. “Why does he and that other background character get all the gold to themselves?” “Did you think he was going to share the gold with you?” Karen argued. “Well, that was the biggest waste of eleven minutes I’ve had all day,” one of the incidentals remarked as the crowd left the excavation site in disappointment, leaving SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs by themselves. “What’s wrong with Mr. Krabs?” SpongeBob asked. “Whatever it is, I want no part of it,” Squidward remarked. “Boys…” Mr. Krabs said with gritted teeth, “I have a very important job for the both of ye…” “What is that, Mr. Krabs?” SpongeBob questioned. “We’re going to take away all that gold from those two no-good freeloaders,” Mr. Krabs continued, “and we will not stop...until WE GET WHAT’S OURS!” “And what do you want us to do about it?” Squidward pointed out. “I don’t even know who those two nitwits are. For all I care, they can just keep the gold.” “You know what, Squidward? I’ve changed me mind about not sharing the gold with SpongeBob or ye,” Mr. Krabs replied. “Besides…if you help me, I can help achieve your dream of being a world famous clarinet player, or whatever it is that’s got your head in the clouds.” “What’s in it for us? How much of the gold will you promise to give us?” “How’s about this? You and SpongeBob can keep one percent of the gold.” SpongeBob and Squidward shook their heads with a ‘I don’t think so’ type of scornful look. “How about I double that offer?...Triple?...Okay, fine, I’ll split it 25 to 75.” “That sounds generous enough to me,” said SpongeBob. “So, what’s our plan?” “Plan, who said anything about having a plan, boyo?” Mr. Krabs asked. “Coming up with a detailed plan is past me own budget.” “Well…I do have one idea. We could ask Nat and Evelyn nicely if they could give us the gold,” SpongeBob suggested. In an instant, SpongeBob was shown to have confronted Nat and Evelyn in front of the gold mine they were keeping watch of. “Hey Nat, hey Evelyn, I hate to pile this on you, but my boss, Mr. Krabs would really love to have the gold that you found, so I needed to ask, would you be willing to give it us?” SpongeBob asked. Nat and Evelyn looked at SpongeBob, then at each other, and burst into spiteful laughter. “Wow, get a load of this guy, Evelyn! Oh, please, please, can we please have your gold?” The last sentence Nat uttered in a mocking tone. “Yeah, run along, short-stuff, we found this gold together, so it’s ours, and ours only!” Evelyn tormented. “Like they always say, finders keepers, losers weepers!” Nat teased. SpongeBob sadly walked back to Mr. Krabs to inform him that his attempt at a civil compromise didn’t work. “Big deal, if they’re not going to be civil, then we’re just going to have play dirty!” Mr. Krabs said. “I’m going to bring out the big guns for this one!” It was then that Mr. Krabs’ attempt of plan was to have his whale daughter Pearl show up in front of Nat and Evelyn. “Hey, daddy says he wants you two to give him the gold, or I’ll have to make things difficult,” said Pearl. “Oh yeah, and what are you going to do about it?” Evelyn asked. Pearl then proceeded to assault the two with her signature wail. However, Nat and Evelyn were able to ignore her crying by plugging up their ears until Pearl couldn’t cry anymore. “Cry all you want, but we’re not letting up,” said Evelyn. “Better luck next time,” Nat tormented. “Hey, why didn’t you come back with me gold?” Mr. Krabs asked Pearl. “Forget the gold, dad! You should be getting me some eye drops!” Pearl scowled. “Okay, if that’s how it is, then we’re just going to have rely on dirtier schemes,” Mr. Krabs said while rubbing his claws together. “If we can’t get Nat and Evelyn to move, then we’ll make them move, and I just thought of the best possible plan to do that, ar-ar-ar-ar!” “Nope, no way, I refuse to comply…” said Squidward. SpongeBob and Squidward were then shown carrying a large cake towards Nat and Evelyn. “A cake, just for us?” Nat wondered. “Wait a minute...what is in that cake?” Evelyn asked. “All the ingredients of an ordinary cake, I’m sure,” “It’s got buttercream, candles...frosting, and absolutely nothing inside of it that’s suddenly going to take take away all your gold. It’s specially made just for you two, so don’t worry about sharing!” “Wow, you didn’t have to do this for us,” said Nat. “Mr. Krabs said to tell you that this is his way of saying sorry for all the times he tried to steal away the gold that you both deserved to keep,” SpongeBob replied. “No, I mean you didn’t have to this because we already have the precautions to make sure there isn’t attempts of betrayal of sorts.” Evelyn said as she sent called for a pack of guard worms to inspect the cake. SpongeBob and Squidward then both exchanged looks of instant regret. “So what of cake is this anyway? Crab cake? As you should know, they have a pretty good nose for crabs,” Nat taunted. With no other option than to reveal himself, Mr. Krabs popped out of the cake. “If you were expecting me, then ye’d be right! There’s nothing in it except a gold-snatching crab and some explosives!” On cue, the cake exploded right in Mr. Krabs’ face before he could be able to do anything. “SpongeBob...I thought I told ye to set a timer for that,” Mr. Krabs deadpanned. “Chase em’ way, guys, make sure they never get anywhere near our gold again!” Evelyn instructed towards the guard worms, prompting for the Krusty crew to run off and brainstorm yet another plan. “They’re just going to keep all that loot to themselves and I won’t sleep until I get it all of their greedy little fins,” said Mr. Krabs. “What are we going to do now, boys?” “What can we do? You were so petty that you had to resort to recycling one of Plankton’s schemes,” Squidward pointed out. “That’s enough backtalk from you, Mr. Squidward,” Mr. Krabs replied. “I’d hate to do this, but there’s one other method we can use to trick Nat and Evelyn into giving up their gold. We’re just gonna have to scare it off them. SpongeBob, you know those cheap costumes from our last Krustoberfest we kept in the supply room?” “Huh? But I thought this isn’t a spooky-themed story-” SpongeBob said. “No, I mean, we’re going to have to drag out the Dickens,” Mr. Krabs clarified. Minutes later, the Krusty crew were prepared to launch their next scheme unto Nat and Evelyn when they approached them in costume. “Nat...Evelyn…you two have both met a terrible fate,” said Mr. Krabs. “I be the Ghost of Bank Statements Past to warn you of what will become of your lives if you kept the gold.” “We know it’s you, Krabs,” said Evelyn. “Oh yeah, then how do you think I know about what happened that fateful day when you called the firemen to save your little Jimmy from a fire?” Evelyn let out a small gasp and responded, “You did?” “Oh I know many things that happen to people who will lead a miserable life,” Mr. Krabs continued. “Nat, I know for sure how guilty you must feel for the one time you wasted all your money on Plankton to contract food poisoning to prove a certain someone right.” “Even if you are really Mr. Krabs, then feel free to enlighten us. Why you think we don’t deserve all this gold,” said Nat. “That’s where one of my other ghostly pals will have to come in.” “Hello, I’m Johnny the Ghost, I’m a wisecracking, trumpet-playing friend!- I mean, I also happen to be the Ghost of Money Present,” SpongeBob said. “I am here to remind you of the harsh realities of when you don’t share the gold to other fish. There are plenty of children and animals in need of the gold, just like this fellow named Tiny Tim…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcSlcNfThUA “No, wait, not that Tiny Tim, I meant this guy!” SpongeBob corrected, showing Squidward dressed in the specific attire, with one of his tentacles on a crutch and all. “Food, shelter, medicine, nourishment! All those things that I need to make myself better and be able to walk with all tentacles like normal again! But alas, I’m afraid that I don’t have much time left to live in this world, and it’s all because no one could give a single dollar to poor ol’ me…” Squidward acted out in his usual over-dramatic flair. “So, have you both changed your minds about the gold yet? Yes or no, we can all agree that you wouldn’t want to have to consult the Ghost of Money Future…” Mr. Krabs warned. On cue, SpongeBob’s pet snail, Gary slithered over to Nat and Evelyn while donned in a black cloak, letting out a single and solemn ‘meow.’ “So, what do you say? Will you put an end to your greedy ways?” Mr. Krabs inquired. Nat and Evelyn looked at Mr. Krabs and then at each other, once again letting out a laugh. “Yeah, right, like anything bad will happen to us,” said Nat. “What’s next, you’re going to tell us that our terrible fate will be getting crushed by our own gold? Evelyn joked. “You don’t even care about the dire consequences of your selfishness, or of the unforeseeable future?” Mr. Krabs asked. “Yeah, we are jerks, and so what about it? Most people in Bikini Bottom are,” Nat replied. “We found the gold and we decided that we’re going to keep it. Deal with it,” said Evelyn. “I’ll make ye deal with it!” Mr. Krabs provoked as he lunged toward the two greedy fish. “Mr. Krabs, I don’t think that was in our script,” SpongeBob intervened. Before any violence could be dealt, however, they were all met with the landowner. “Break it up, all of you, I hate to make this confession now, but it appears that there was never any gold,” he said. Mr. Krabs, Nat, and Evelyn, all froze with disbelief, with the crab then saying, “What...what do you mean there was no gold?” “Look for yourselves,” the landowner continued as he showed the group the spot where all the gold was struck, being completely emptied out all of sudden, with nothing in sight except a certain pink starfish, feeling dizzy from a full stomach. “Turns out all that gold was actually a giant pile of dried-up caramel.” “It was all so...delicious,” Patrick groaned. “It was a bunch of worthless caramel and no one bothered to correct us on that?” Nat rejoinders. “I’m no gold expert, I just owned the plot of land that supplied it,” the landowner ensured. “You should all go home now.” The group of characters just sat in silence in misery over all the time they had wasted fighting over dried-up caramel that was now all inside Patrick’s stomach. “Hello? Can somebody help me?” Patrick asked. “I’m feeling kinda hungry again. I don’t think there was enough salt in that caramel.” Finally, SpongeBob spoke, “So...what have we learned?” “Absolutely nothing,” Squidward deadpanned. “Well, we did have ourselves yet another wacky adventure we could look back at fondly,” SpongeBob pointed out. "I guess you could say that was...the truth of gold!" “Put a sock in yer mouth, boyo,” Mr. Krabs chided. Because there was no other better way to end this crazy tale, the story ends with SpongeBob, of course, putting a sock in his mouth.

-Playstation 5 (not pictured) -Astro Bot -Used copy of Super Mario Galaxy -Used copy of Drawn to Life SpongeBob -Yu Yu Hakusho Kurama figure -SpongeBob shirt -SpongeBob stickers -Three Pokemon blind box figures -Spiritbox album -Sleep Token album -Winona Fighter album -Sam Fender album

Members: Funniest Member: Wumbo, dman, salmon, Fred, Prez Chattiest Member: WhoBob, Prez, Zaid, jjs, sbl Spongiest Member: BobCarotte, Winter, salmon, WhoBob, Fletcher Best Gamer: jjs, Winter, Cha, Zaid, OMJ Show Stopper: sbl, Kat, Clappy, WhoBob, Aya Geekiest Band Geek: Prez, Fred, Kat, Wumbo, Clappy Most Artistic Member: Cha, Zaid, DarknessDG, Kieran, CF Creative Arts: Best Story: SBC What If’s by crew, WhoBob’s Astonishing Tales by WhoBob, Squidzilla by OMJ, CDCB's Bikini Bottom Adventures by CDCB Best Miniseries: Full SBC 2: Fuller SBC by Zaid, SpringBoob SquirePin by Jjs, SpongeBob's Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Universe by OMJ Best Episode: What if...SBC Was a Todd in the Shadows Community? from What If's by Wumbo, What If...There Was a Third SpongeBob Forum? from What If's by Jjs, The Man Who Murdered Me from WhoBob's Astonishing Tales, Mini Short #10: Story Time from CDCB's Bikini Bottom Adventures, Dignivility from Full SBC 2: Fuller SBC Best Comedy: SpongeBob’s Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Universe by OMJ, Full SBC 2: Fuller SBC by Zaid, Patrick Tries to Vote for Obama by Wumbo, Gone: Patrick Edition by Winter, The Hunt for Puffy Fluffy by Dman Best Character: Mr. Meh (SBC What If's), Bob-E (SBC What If's), Squidzilla (Squidzilla: Football-playing King in Space of the Monsters), Mahmut (WhoBob's Astonishing Tales), Ridley Kemp (SpongeBob's Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Universe) Best Artwork: Make Your Choice by Kieran, SpongeBob Sipping Beer on a Couch by WhoBob, Dia de los Muertos by SBManiac, Modern Marge vs. Classic Marge by Carotte, Halloween diamond art by CF Best Pictionary Drawing: Bart Gets an F by WhoBob, One Krab's Trash by DG, Plankton by Katie, MatPat by Zaid, Toy Story by Prez Hall of Fame: Honorary Creations: Total Cartoon by 4EverGreen and Mabel's Fables by JCM Honorary Staff: Kieran and terminoob Honorary Members: Dman and Carotte Honorary Skin: Gooberberry Surprise and Mystery Dungeon

Episode 38: What If… Lisa Simpson knew what you can do? Hello, SBCers, this is Lisa Simpson. You’re all wondering why some fictional character with no connections to a SpongeBob fansite should have any business being here, but it has occurred to me just how infamous I am for being a Soapbox Sadie type of character – and it’s gotten to the point that some smartass named Steel Sponge thought it would be really funny to make a meme based on my unsubtle and vague response regarding Apu – a meme that has since evolved into multiple other memes about us. Well, I’ve had enough. You’ve all had your fun. As for Steel Sponge, I can only hope he will come out of this ghostwritten episode of “What If’s…” feeling trolled, memed, GIF’d, and dare I say pwned. As you all know, the “What can you do?” meme came about when my mom and I condescendingly addressed the audience with “the stare” for bringing into light that Apu’s character was culturally insensitive, and such a serious issue like that couldn’t be addressed then...if at all (There, I said it). A lot of the criticisms were levied against the people behind the scenes who believed The Problem with Apu was an assassination against his character before they backpedaled on their stances and decided to remove him from the show anyway, even though they had made me their mouthpiece. -- If you know me, then you should know that I would have had done things differently. I’ve always been the one to speak up on topical issues. I’m an environmentalist, I’m a firm advocate for animal rights. I relinquished my faith for my country by writing and speaking an essay attacking the American government and exposing Bob Arnold’s bribes. I tried to preach the truth about Jebediah Springfield, but I cut my losses. I should be the least likely to ask the public “What can you do?” My mom told me some things will have to be addressed at a later date, and I thought why not let that time be now? If you haven’t heard the news yet, the previous showrunner had passed the torch to someone else, which means I now have the free will to let you all in the truth that I’ve never divulged before. The now-former Simpsons showrunner, Al Jean, had forced me to speak on Apu’s behalf in the way he directed me to. You see, all this time, I knew what you could do, or in other words, what they could’ve done differently. No more being vague. No more speaking for my clients. And no more blank-staring at the fourth wall. So, what can you do? That is the question. They did NOT have to unperson Apu when they initially believed that they shouldn’t be pressured into writing him off. They did NOT have to try to feebly prove their critics wrong only to go take it all back. Sometimes, the best way to address this issue is to not address it at all. It’s not easy to acknowledge political incorrectness while you’re being viewed as someone who’s commits to it, or used to. But if it had to be addressed though…? That’s a different answer. If the main underlying issue was that Apu’s voice was being provided by someone who wasn’t his color, the least they could’ve done was supply him with the voice of someone of the same race. And this wasn’t an issue just for him, but for multiple other citizens of Springfield as well. Even when this proposal was handed to my clients on a silver platter, they didn’t use the opportunity to bring Apu back, and perhaps portray him in a new, better light. Hell, if my former client Al Jean wasn’t holding me back while I was more culturally aware than he was, I would’ve made this proposal when this problem was coming to light and I wouldn’t have left Apu out of the deal to give him a new voice. And I wouldn’t have waited until a massive cultural shift took place, namely the George Floyd protests (And no, we did not predict it. So stop saying that we did. I don’t even know how or why they fabricated that picture of me). These are just some of the things I could’ve done, but was unable to. It keeps me up at night knowing that Apu’s removal was a mistake on my part, because I didn’t do anything to prevent it except stare at the camera. There’s also the one time I said Elon Musk was perhaps the world’s greatest living inventor, another thing about me people refuse to live down. I’m not perfect, and I don’t try to claim that I am. I hope you’re all still reading this and I haven’t lost you. Just know that I’m doing this mainly for my friend Apu, and not because of Steel- Bart: Hey Lise, are you done rambling yet? Lisa: Go away, Bart. I’m trying to tell everyone in the SpongeBob Community to stop making memes about us. Bart: Well, I thought the “What can you do?” meme was funny. Lisa: I don’t, and if you were aware of the fact that the same community has been meme-ing you to death too, you would feel the same way I do. Bart: Nah, that meme of me they’ve been repeating was pretty funny too. Grow a sense of humor for once. Lisa: If that’s how you feel, then go ahead and say the line. Bart: “I didn’t do it”? Lisa: No, the other line. Bart: Oh yeah…that’s right! Moe: Thank you, Bart. I really needed that today. Seymour Skinner: Ohohohoho, delightfully devilish Seymour! Superintendent Chalmers: Seymour, you’re an odd fellow, but I must say – you steam a good ham. Disembodied voice: On September 28th, one will die… Lisa: ...You see what I meme-MEAN? Are we really just a big joke to the community? Bart: People have been quoting Steamed Hams for years. We don’t always know when to quit. In fact, our show has been going for nearly 40 years and we still get comments about how it needs to end. The least you can do is embrace these jokes. Lisa: If at all. (Lisa and the rest of the Simpsons cast then proceed to stare blankly in front of the camera before Steel Sponge appears on-screen.) Steel Sponge: That’s right. The jokes may not die, but there are times where I can’t continue providing them. It’s been a wild ride being a part of the What If’s team, but when life gets in the way, you got to do what you got to do. Though this is my last episode as a full member of the crew, I promise to go out on a very special note. So let’s bring everyone here… (The Simpsons cast, including Apu, the ghosts of Rabbi Krustofsky, Maude Flanders, all previous incarnations of Snowball, and Larry the Barfly are all later joined by Steel, Jjseymour Skinner, Jesse Ventura, SBC’s MrBeast, Guns ‘n’ Roses, the community of San Jose, and former representatives of ViacomountCBSSkydanceKonamiSiliconValleyIKEA...all to partake in a musical finale: “We’ll Meet Again”): So, remember, before you ask anyone “What can you do?.” consider asking yourself that same question first. I’m Steel Sponge, and this has been another episode of SBC What If’s.