#Otter House Studios

[citizenhullabaloo]

July 19th 2024 - Sleepwalk

Keep reading for all pictures I took of the bands!

Statik Vision #1-30

More pictures through reblogs!

[emiliamildner]

Crescent City Postal Service 💌🦦🌙

‼️DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION!

[lumitycanon]

[newriverartist]

Interesting Name!

Autumn Beauty from Sharp Top Original 20″ x 16″ oil painting $640 Wall Prints and Prints on other items available with the link https://kendall-kessler.pixels.com/featured/autumn-beauty-from-sharp-top-kendall-kessler.html A print of one of my Fall paintings, Autumn Road, was sold to a great patron in Galashiels, Selkirkshire. What a mouthful. I copy pasted the name from my Sales list so I…

[pixierainbows]

Hello dear!

The mushroom watercolour is so good ❤! Did you do it with the bokeh mushroom 'Let's make art!' Tutorial, by any chance? Because I just printed out the outlines a few minutes ago! What a coincidence??

and now I just need a quiet hour to tackle it. I hope mine will turn out half as nice as yours!

Have you done any other lets make art projects in the past? I loved the otter!

Stay awesome 🌈👋

Yes actually, Pixie begin learn how paint watercolor with Let's Make Art . just start for little more than 1 year . ( because . covid pandemic made Pixies art studio closed . and . Pixie need art to be happy … )

Pixie painted many Let's Make Art tutorials , Most can see Pixie's Tumblr , "original art" tag . and . on deviantart . Pixie just start working on house cat tutorial yesterday , so hard but really really fun Pixie really like painting so so very lots

[scolbert22]

Slobby bear being controlled

Watch Fob Slob

Alek had meant well enough when it all started.

There was a sidewalk sale going on in the antique store below his apartment, and he was always looking for a new piece of furniture to brighten up his sad little studio, so he popped down. He had only just gotten to the bottom of the outdoor staircase connecting his door to the pavement below when he saw it glinting in a cardboard box marked "FREE". He reached into the box, curious.

When he withdrew his hand he saw he was holding a tiny medallion with a miniature painting of a lapdog on it. On the back, there was an inscription in a sturdy, archaic font:

OBEDIENCE

"That's a very unique piece," said a voice behind him.

Alek turned around to see Mrs. Lexington, the fiery little woman who ran the antique store.

"It is very beautiful, I love the little portrait!" Mrs. Lexington smiled, but there was a glint in her eyes he didn't recognize.

"Something tiny like that in a big old place like this is something special, only reveals itself to the person who ought to own it!"

"Do you know what it's purpose was?"

"It's a watch fob, kiddo! you attach it to a watch chain. And one like that is very unique indeed, the dog represents loyalty and obedience."

"Well, I don't own a watch with a chain, but..." Alek reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He plucked off a phone charm, some anime character his nephew had given him, and with some effort he attached the fob. "There!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"You be careful with that, it's more responsibility than you know..." Mrs. Lexington said, her face deadly serious.

"Of course, Mrs. L. I would never lose something I got from your shop, how would I live it down?" Alek laughed. "Oh shoot, you know I forgot my wallet! Let me run back upstairs and I'll be right back down. You know I've had my eyes on that chaise lounge!" He was marching back up the wood stairs when he felt a sudden softness below his left foot and then a terrible snapping sound as his leg plunged through the rotten plank.

"AAAAHHH" Alek cried as he stumbled. Thankfully he was only on the third step, and pulled out his leg with a bit of effort. "This stupid staircase should have been repaired years ago, I could have been hurt!" he fumed. He took a photo with his phone and headed toward his landlord's house, a block away.

____________________________________________________________

Tony Marucci was sitting back in his easy chair watching March Madness when he heard the aggressive pounding on his door. He got up and waddled over to the door, pulling his basketball shorts up over the three inches of exposed, fur-lined ass crack. The giant man had been a college athlete himself once, 10 years ago. However, the multiple properties he inherited from his dad coupled with his natural laziness had slowly but surely the Italian Stallion into a lumbering bear. He opened the door and looked down at the angry little otter who lived in his property stood there with fire in his eyes.

"What can I do you for, Alex?" Tony asked easily leaning against the doorway on one arm. He flashed a hairy, unwashed pit and his wifebeater rode up. He scratched his fuzzy midriff and watched the poor little guy's resolve falter. Tony wasn't queer or nothin', but he always loved attention, especially if he could use it to shut up whiny tenants.

The yappy little dude ran a hand down his bearded face quickly and his anger had returned. "I just stepped through one of the rotten planks on my staircase, which I told you needed to be replaced! You need to get someone to fix those immediately or-"

"Listen Adam," The giant man bowled over the irritating little tirade. "All complaints must be put in writing and submitted via email, we've talked about this."

"I did that! Two months ago! And you ignored me! Now I have come in person to tell you if you don't get someone on it immediately I will withhold my rent, which I think you will find is within my rights in this city!" Tony didn't know if he wanted to punch the little dork or give him a noogie like he was an annoying little brother. He took in a deep breath and sighed.

"Do you have photographic evidence of the damage?"

The little dweeb practically jumped out of his skin getting his phone. "Yes indeed I do, I'd like you to take a look at these! I could have been killed! And Mrs. Lexington is my witness, these stairs need to..."

The yapping continued incessantly as tony looked down at the photo of the hole in the step. He rolled his eyes at the minor damage when something glinted just outside of his vision. What is that? He thought absently, his eyes following the dangling charm on his tenant's phone. So prettyyyy.... The charm twirled around and a word flashed across his eyes and burned deep into his brain:

OBEDIENCE

The slob's scruffy jaw went slack, falling open. A string of drool slowly spooled as the little man in front of him continued to emphatically prattle in his direction.

_____________________________________________________

"I bet I could get some of your other tenants together and start a strike, I'm sure you treat them just as neglectfully as you treat me, is that what you want Mr. Maru- ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME MISTER MARUCCI?" Alek was red in the face from his one-sided argument. when he finally looked at up at the landlord, the man was staring at nothing with his face and arms slack.

"listeninggggg" groaned the entranced bear.

"Wha- what are you doing?" Alek said, suddenly worried the handsome slob was having a stroke.

"Obeeedieeent" he crooned in reply, giggling dumbly.

Alek was confused for a second, and then remembered the word on the watch fob. "Are you...no, that's insane..." He regarded his landlord suspiciously. "Stand up straight."

The entranced goon in front of him immediately complied, his arms at his sides and his feet together. His jaw snapped shut, and he looked like a chubby toy soldier. Alek didn't know how to react, and he laughed frantically. He ushered his unwitting victim into his own house. I wonder what I can get away with, he thought to himself.

"Take off your shirt" He commanded imperiously. The bear complied, peeling off his sweaty wifebeater and revealing his hair peppered belly, chest, shoulders, and back. Alek reached out gingerly. He was scared of breaking the spell, but as he felt the warm, pliant flesh of his landlord's belly, the man simply leaned into his touch and hummed a single, needy note in the back of his throat.

"Do fifteen jumping jacks." The man instantly followed instructions, bouncing in time in a way that waws nearly hypnotic to Alek. His silky basketball shorts slowly migrated down his hips as he jumped, revealing that he was going commando, and that he had never heard of manscaping. Finally, with most of his pubes and half his ass hanging out, he stopped and stood up straight. "Behave normally."

Tony seemed to snap out of it with a snort, but he was still clearly fully absorbed by Alek. "Hey Alek! Don't worry about that staircase, I'll someone out there as soon as possible, I promise."

"In the meantime, I can stay here with you." Alek suggested.

"In the meantime, you can stay here with me!" Tony smiled, as if he'd come up with it.

"It could take a month for someone to get out there so I'll make myself at home." Alek smirked

"It could take a month for someone to get out there so please make yourself at home." Tony parroted hanging off his tenant's every word so much that they felt more like his true thoughts than his actual internal monologue.

"I can take your bed obviously, rent-free, and I can use your body however I see fit. You'll love whatever I do to you."

"You can take my bed obviously, rent-free, and you can use my body however you see fit. I'll love whatever you do to me" The mindfucked landlord grinned stupidly back.

"I'm so glad to hear it, Mr. Marucci, or should I say Tony" Alek grinned. Now why don't you show me to the bedroom, and you can show me just how sorry you are for breaching our contract?" In a flash, the giant bear was leading his new owner to his bed to start the beginning of his new life.

A life of Obedience

[princesssarisa]

Asking people for their favorite filmed performance of Carmen would be too divisive, so I'll just ask people which one was their first. Which ones introduced the most of us to Bizet's opera?

[miras-false-pr0phet]

I Paired Songs with Every Single Animal Dance in Animal Jam Classic

This doesn't include the patterned versions, like Snowflake Arctic Wolf, Autumn Coyote, Jamaaliday Deer, etc.

BIG ol' list with song links below!

BY THE WAY: Most of these songs are probably explicit! I was focusing mostly on unique takes, beats/BPM, and just general goodness.

Arabian Horse - FΛSHION (Britney Manson)

Arctic Fox - All Men Are Pigs (Studio Killers)

Arctic Wolf - The Night (Voltaire)

Bunny - Fine (Lemon Demon)

Camel - Animal (*repeat repeat)

Cheetah - 8 now (food house)

Clydesdale Horse - Here Comes the Hotstepper (Ini Kamoze)

Cougar - Imma Be (Black Eyed Peas)

Coyote - Crank It Up (Joey Valence & Brae)

Crocodile - Good Vibrations (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch)

Deer - Hey Ya! (Outkast)

Direwolf - Rock It For Me (Caravan Palace)

Dolphin - Booty Swing (Parov Stelar)

Eagle - Lay All Your Love On Me (ABBA)

Elephant - Rasputin (Boney M)

Falcon - The Outside (Twenty One Pilots)

Fennec Fox - Let's Groove (Earth, Wind & Fire)

Flamingo - Funkytown (Lipps Inc.)

Fox - Break It Down Again (Tears For Fears)

Giraffe - still feel. (half•alive)

Goat - Get It Right (Left Boy)

Great Horned Owl - Say It Right [Violin] (Joel Sunny)

Horse - Pretty Ugly (Tierra Whack)

Hyena - Genghis Khan (Miike Snow)

Kangaroo - High (Sir Sly)

Koala - Call This # Now (The Garden)

Lemur - Monkey Tree (Mother Mother)

Lion - Talking, Sleeping, Waiting (JHAS)

Llama - Dancin [KRONO Remix] (Aaron Smith)

Lynx - Upside Down (Oliver Tree)

Monkey - Cool City (Danny Elfman)

Moose - Americano (Lady Gaga)

Octopus - Tennis Court (Lorde)

Otter {Land} - Reflections (MisterWives)

Otter {Underwater} - Sharks (Imagine Dragons)

Owl - Lost In The Rhythm (Jamie Berry)

Panda - Bulletproof (La Roux)

Penguin {Land} - Deceptacon (Le Tigre)

Penguin {Underwater} - My Type (Saint Motel)

Pig - Null 2 (Graham Kartna)

Polar Bear {Land} - Boreas (The Oh Hellos)

Polar Bear {Underwater} - Death Is A Girl (Mini Mansions)

Raccoon - Drunk-Dazed (ENHYPEN)

Red Panda - Space Ghost Coast To Coast (Glass Animals)

Rhinoceros - Birthday Suit (Cosmo Sheldrake)

Sabertooth - Demigod (KT Tunstall)

Sea Turtle - 90210 [Acoustic Ver.] (blackbear)

Seal {Land} - Shotgun (George Ezra)

Seal {Underwater} - Shotgun (George Ezra)

Shark - Wriggle [Edit] (Cosmo Sheldrake)

Sheep - Droopy Likes Your Face (C418)

Skunk - The Russian Music Box (Soon Hee Newbold)

Sloth - Burn The House Down (AJR)

Snow Leopard - Circular Road (Heathers)

Tiger - American Money (BØRNS)

Toucan - Riptide [FlicFlac Remix] (Vance Joy)

Wolf - Roll with the Wind (Alexander Rybak)

[unikittybigbrightworldau]

Citizens of Swan Lake

Let’s twirl on over into Swan Lake next!

Angela is Swanna’s mom and a ballet instructor. She has taught the dance to many students over the years. She’s easygoing and helpful, plus very elegant. Swanna goes to visit her at her studio whenever she can. Christopher, Swanna’s dad, is an expert trumpeter who has played the music for lots of dance productions. Like Swanna, he is quite stylish and experiments with his clothes. There are three things he often wears to represent his family: a bow tie for Swanna (that she made herself), a belt with zig zags on it for Ziggy, and dancing shoes for Angela. He’s quite the go-getter; he puts his all into everything. He and Angela met when they were out running errands.

Ziggy is Swanna’s little brother, and he’s a lot younger than her. His name comes from cygnets. Because he’s a young swan, his feathers are grayer than Swanna’s. He has a huge amount of energy in him. Wherever he is, he’ll zip around the place like a zig zag. He listens to music at full blast. He comes to stay with Swanna from time to time, but he zips around and digs in her stuff a lot, so she has trouble containing him.

Philson Philson, who's commonly called Phil, is an expert on emotions and feelings, as people say. As intelligent and straightforward as he is, though, he doesn't call himself that. He's very knowledgeable about the emotional states of people and how their feelings change. He has trouble wording his sentences every so often. Phil is friends with Dr. Fox's dad, Benton. They met when they started working as ice harvesters, traveling to Ice Cream Land to cut ice and dig up ice cream.

Marmotter, who goes by Armot, is a marmoset/otter hybrid who was friends with Phil in college. Phil majored in emotional psychology while Armot majored in statistics. He currently lives with Phil in his house, and he gets pretty antsy whenever Phil has guests over. He's easily frightened and doesn't do well in crowds, or other spaces where there are many people. Phil is the only person he's seen talking to most of the time.

Lila Fox-Beryl is one of Dr. Fox's cousins. She's a fox/gemstone hybrid who lives by herself. She's got her own sense of style, always trying to pick clothes that match her sparkly crystal half. She has a good memory and helps others remember things. To help people remember their dreams when they wake up in the morning, Lila invented the Sleeper Theater. It's a bed that records your dreams and lets you watch them on a screen.

Odetta Swan is the prime minister of Swan Lake, and she leads the land in her own right. She is known to be one of its most poised people. She has worked for the government of Swan Lake for years. She lives in a huge mansion with the other ministers, or as they're called, her sister swans. She has rather simple tastes, as shown by her everyday clothes, and she's very nonchalant. Siegfried is Odetta's husband who lives with all the lady swans. He's charming and suave, plus very polite, but he's also just as frivolous as she is.

Fiona is a perceptive swan girl who lives near the river harbor. She's always able to tell whenever visitors are sailing in from the river that leads out of Swan Lake. Edmund is her brother. He's full of determination and resolve, but he's easily grossed out. (I should note that in Swan Lake, it's considered proper for everyone to wear clothes.)

[pentagonieslut]

m.list !!

lee huitaek/hoetaek (hui):

[hui's high pitched screams are in place of no works. - cube staff]

jo jinho:

ko/go shinwon:

yeo changgu (yeoone):

yanan:

[causing silent chaos somewhere, lurking]

yang hongseok:

adachi yuto/yuuto:

kang hyunggu:

[embarrased he has to match hui and shinwon, hiding]

jung wooseok:

kim hyojong (e'dawn):

i will write romance + smut for him on request. he just got out of a relationship with hyuna. be nice.

all members:

kim hongjoong:

[ran away to the studio to work on something]

park seonghwa:

[poor mama can't catch a break]

jung wooyoung:

[he's trying to get rough-talked again because he likes it]

jeong yunho:

[him and minjae are going around and calling each other brothers]

song mingi:

[just being happy little mufasa]

kang yeosang:

[ordering as much chicken as he can]

choi san:

[being a sex demon again]

choi jongho:

[breaking apples and singing tears]

moon taeil:

[being a grandpa, he's sick of this shit]

qian kun:

[yelling at the younger members starting from 99s-jisung]

seo johnny:

[he's eating chicago pizza and crying]

lee taeyong:

[febreezing all the fucking dorms]

kim doyoung:

[he's hiding in his room]

kim jungwoo:

[he's being a puppy to get taeyong to cook]

dong sicheng (winwin):

[running from taeil's monstrous love]

nakamoto yuta:

[eating taiyaki and sharing with shotaro]

jung jaehyun:

[he's preparing to work overtime]

chittaphon leechaiyapornkul (ten):

[ENGLISH TEN, ENGLISH NO NOT THAI]

wong yukhei/wong xuxi (lucas):

[freaking out about the discovery of nana and nearly crushing louis]

na jaemin:

[reminding lucas he's nana for the third year in a row]

xiao dejun (xiaojun):

[jasmine is really muscular]

wong kunhuang (hendery):

[he's in macau touring with big byung]

liu yangyang:

[he's freaking out in german, give him a second]

zhong chenle:

[flexing his money again]

huang renjun:

[he's planning the death of a dream member]

lee mark:

[my baby said she wanna dance she wanna leave me, huh? FUCK]

lee jeno:

[let him recover from being tied up and being ridden]

jung sungchan:

[he's playing games with your heart, i'm sorry]

lee donghyuck (haechan):

[consistent with his 37.5% show rating]

osaki shotaro:

[he's being the cutest fucking otter alive and you're here for it]

park jisung:

[he's on his way to becoming a tiktok fuckboi]

moon hyunbin:

[casting a spell for peace, maybe?]

choi seokwon (tan):

[can put you in a chokehold but has a cute face so like- I TAP OUT]

kim byeonggun (hwi):

[cupid is making him do secretary work]

terazono keita:

[still waiting on the phone papa rain promised him]

yeom taegyun (tag):

[leave mans alone, he's doing highschool rapper 4 n stressing]

gil dohwan:

[he's yodeling..somewhere]

park sungwon (won):

[snuck out for a poetry slam]

son seungjun (castle j):

[producing some type of track]

nam seungmin (bic):

[he's not a pen, promise]

song minjae:

[dammit minjae..you're so tall, i mistook you for yunho!]

no huijun:

[getting a black belt in taekwondo]

bang junhyuk (win):

[he's making your brain rot with his deep voice like felix]

lee hangyul:

[putting you in a choke hold with his all day performance]

park junseo:

[he's dancing his bones off]

jeon minwook (j-min):

[trying to go to the olympics in professional flexibility]

jung gun (yoojun):

[making 'fuck you' necklaces to choke bit with]

kim hyunwoo (muzin):

[trying to meditate before he goes off]

ryu yeongseo:

[trying to become the next twice member]

na gyumin (doha):

[drawing webtoons about the chaos of this group]

noh minjae (bit):

[tormenting yoojun and j-min with cucumbers]

nam dohyon:

[auditioning for SMTM with his milk mixtape]

lune:

[he's so pretty they're making him model schoolgirl uniforms]

heechan:

[he's being hyper again...MOOM]

e-chan:

[his mind is blank leave him alone]

yuku:

[eating dango and watchinge veryone with a happy smile]

junseo:

[lurking somewhere

D1:

[he's telling everyone he's not a athlete]

harry-june:

[flustered about something]

teo:

[working out again]

GK:

[chicken GK, chicken GK, chicken GK]

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss

So how did the storytelling around the bonfire go?

As mentioned previously, reader, yours truly and companions of Crazy Claws decided to have a bonfire on a recent cool evening at CC's Lake Delton retreat, drinking on hot mulled apple cider, staying warm--and swapping a few stories. Nothing of the horror sort, know, because with Scooby-Doo getting hackneyed (or so it must seem), we didn't want to muddy the waters seriously.

As well as spoil things with some of the better moments of autumn, Thanksgiving in particular, coming along as well.

(Oh, and did I mention my winter diving vacay with Peter Potamus and His Magic Divers somewhere in the Caribbean?)

At any rate, think of our bonfire conversation as a "bull session" of sorts in the face of a misty autumn's evening, just letting ourselves be ourselves story-wise. And while Crazy Claws really sent us laughing with his pun-driven tales of past romance as went nowhere, yours truly matching such with all the attempts with Lila and the odd run-in with Betty Makaska ... followed by Pixie and Dixie taking things close to off-tangent with their plantings of genetically-modified catnip to give Jinksie disincentive to chase "those meeces" ... perhaps some of the weirdest tales had to come from Touché Turtle, who (as Dum-Dum explained it once) can tend to take things a little too far, and "probably to attract attention," naturally enough.

And perhaps the finest specimen Touché offered was when he was walking casually down the street with Dum-Dum in some seedy neighbourhood, and, noticing a couple of children in distressing circumstances playing outside, was led inside by a girl who could not have been younger than nine years of age ... and for some reason, Touché's bent-tip foil managed to pick through the lock of what turned out being something of a Chamber of Horrors in the form of a rather vile, smelly, unkempt even, bedroom which had no less than six children sharing same. Dum-Dum and Touché led the victims out, pretty much all of them wearing filthy rags, and Dum-Dum arranged for the police to take the children over to the local shelter.

And as it emerged, Touché revealed a "tip of the iceberg" scenario: That particular house they entered was found to be nothing less than a sheer House of Horrors, especially with such adult figures otherwise supposed to be in charge out for some reason and basically leaving the kids in charge. Yet Touché and Dum-Dum were somehow modest about "doing what they had to do," for it emerged later that such was nothing less than an ur-studio for child pornography, and on The Dark Net even ... and were those behind the setup ballistic(!!) when they found "their darlings" removed from the house and the premises raided and plundered, not to mention invoking Ayn Rand!!

(Fortunately, Touché and Dum-Dum were at the offices of Child Protective Services to assist in the enquiries and give details, and soon afterward asked to leave town "to avoid possible reprisals." Followed by a few days somewhere in the Otter Tail Lakes region.)

Touching, I had to acknowledge ... yet I had to wonder how it was possible for Touché Turtle to use the bent tip of his foil as a lock pick.

"You just pick up on these things somewhere," Touché was quick to add.

*************

@warnerbrosentertainment @hanna-barbera-land @railguner34 @jellystone-enjoyer @archive-archives @themineralyoucrave @thebigdingle @princessgalaxy505 @thylordshipofbutts @screamingtoosoftly @warnerbros-blog1 @theweekenddigest @indigo-corvus @ultrakeencollectionbreadfan @warnerbrosent-blog

[citizenhullabaloo]

June 21st 2024 ||| The Metal Menagerie @ The Meadows

[bonfire-at-the-crossroads]

Got a message this morning from the lady who asked me to make a drawing of otters…

It’s been over a couple of years now, and as she is very far away - we’ve never managed to meet and complete the transaction.

Spent this afternoon framing it up for her (I wish it was perfect, but my materials and tools work against me) - but it’s done and ready for her visit on Friday. How will I manage to clean the house and prepare the studio for an overnight visitor?

Beats me.

[thelemonzone42]

Mia Floppyear

Jess, Lily and Jess’s pet kitten, ‘Pixie’ were having a snowball fight. During the fight, Lily’s mom reminded her to check on the animals once they’re tired out from snowball fighting. Suddenly, they saw large cat paw prints that lead to the badger sett. It was Goldie, she was napping by the badger. Jess and Lily had a feeling that she wanted them in The Friendship Forest. Jess placed Pixie into the house so she could not escape. Then they were off.

Crossing Brightley Stream and to The Friendship Tree, they entered The Friendship Forest.

Usually, the weather is warm and toasty, but now it is cold and snowy. Goldie explained to them that it’s the annual Frost Festival, the one of the few times that snow spreads all across Friendship Forest. They found some of the baby pets having a snowball fight and waved, ‘Hi’ at them. One of the baby pets was a rabbit named, ‘Mia Floppyear’ who was practicing for the big dance show at the end of the festival.

She took Jess, Lily, and Goldie to the three Winter Wonders(Which makes The Frost Festival beautiful every year. The Sugarplum makes sure all the food is tasty, The Snowflake makes sure that the gifts are perfect, and The Snowdrop makes sure that they have a decent amount of snow.

All of the sudden, Grizelda, the evil witch, popped in and made The Winter Wonders vanish into thin air. Determined to keep Jess, Lily and Goldie from finding them, she gave them to three anonymous minions. After Grizelda took off, everyone was snowing cats and dogs(Figuratively and literally). Mia knew how to get through the deep snow. All she had to do was to do her dance routines. Jess and Lily danced along with her to escape.

Through the snow, they ran into their friends, Grace Woolyhop the sheep and Mr. Cleverfeather the speech-impaired owl. They were giving away free wooly hop hats and hotpots. Grace explained that her family is cold-resistant and their winter apparel NEVER gets wet. Above them, Captain Ace the stork announced that the outdoor theater is snowed in. Mia was sad because that’s where she was going to have her dance show. Jess and Lily assured the little dancing bunny that she WILL have her show. Just then, they heard a cry for help at the Twinkletoes Dance Studio, where Mia has her dance classes.

Once they arrived, the quartet made a path of melted snow for them to get into the dance studio and freed the snowed-in dancer. Inside, they met Olivia the hamster, Chloe the otter, Emily the hedgehog, Sophie the squirrel, and their dance teacher, Wendy Inkwing the swan, who is Silvia Whitewing’s cousin. After explaining to Wendy what’s going on, Wendy remembered a special spell that can stop crazy snowstorms, The Snow-Away Dance. Her grandmother taught her this dance as a kid and no one has used the special dance in over thirty years.

Rise up, Rise Down

Rise up and clap, Rise down and clap

‘Snow go away!’

However, nothing worked. The girls HAD to get the Winter Wonders before it’s too late. After they escorted the dancers outside and told them to go home, they saw three bear cubs making an igloo. Even though they were cute, they had The Sugarplum. The three polar bear cubs were Grizelda’s new minions. They needed a way to get to the sugarplum without getting caught. They overheard the bears, ‘Minty’, ‘Pearl’, and ‘Sleet’ that Grizelda promised them a Winter Wonderland in The Friendship Forest if they steal her The Winter Wonders. Now they can play whenever they want. Observing the partially worn-out bears carefully, Jess decided that they should have a snowball fight, just like she and Lily did earlier. Remembering that rabbits have lightning-fast feet, they told Mia to get the sugarplum while they distract the polar bears. During the snowball fight, Mia swiftly grabbed the sugarplum on top of the igloo and made it back to the tree they were hiding in. 

After the polar bear cubs fell asleep after all the snowball fighting, Jess, Lily, and Goldie made it back to the tree and congratulated Mia for being so brave. 

Upon returning The Sugarplum, they could see that the trees had small boxes with snacks in them. Mia suddenly realized that she was hungry and decided to have a little chestnut snack. After snacktime, they decided to stay over for the night.

In the morning, Jess and Lily wondered if their parents were worried about them. Fortunately, they both remembered that time stands still in their world, that way no one could find out that they’ve gone missing. After a hearty breakfast of toast banana sandwiches and hot cocoa, they heard a loud banging by The Tabbypaw’s door. It was Mia. Inside, she wrapped herself up in a quilt and explained that her father was coming home with carrot bread from the Nibblesqueak Bakery when he witnessed the three polar bears by Wide Lake. Now they knew where the polar bear cubs were at.

As they arrived to Wide Lake, they overheard the cubs saying that they hid the Snowflake amongst the lake. Mia decided to practice her pirouettes on the lake. When she started practicing her pirouettes when she accidentally slipped on the lake and landed in the middle. Jess and Lily tried to get her, but winded up on the slippery lake. 

Behind them were Mr. Cleverfeather, robin sisters, ‘Eve and Mary Redbreast’ and a bunch of child animals with figure skates and hockey supplies. Mr. Cleverfeather explained to them that they should make the best of the snow days by having a skating party. He gave Jess and Lily some one-size-fits all Magic Skates and they darted off to rescue a slippery Mia. After placing the OSFT Magic Skates on Mia, they explained the situation and Mr. Cleverfeather and the kids agreed to help while having their skating party. 

Then out of nowhere, the three cubs(Minty, Pearl, and Sleet) were irritated by the trespassing animals. Using their quick thinking, Jess and Lily borrowed The Redbreast Sisters’ hockey gear and tired the cubs with a hockey game. Looking up, they could see ONE snowflake just floating in mid-air. It was The Magic Snowflake. Then in horror, the ice started to get thin. Immediately, everyone evacuated the thin ice as gently and quickly as possible. 

However, Mia stayed behind. Glimpsing at the floating snowflake, skated past the bear cubs, did an aerial quadruple pirouette and grabbed The Magic Snowflake in time. When she got on the snow, the cubs gave in because they were too tired. After the cubs left, everyone decided to go home. They’ve got presents waiting for them.

And sure enough, they were right. Jess, Lily, and their two animal friends spotted Twinkletail Siblings opening their presents. Amongst the snow was Mia’s father, Mr. Floppyear. He heard about what happened at Wide Lake and is PROUD of his little girl for her bravery and for getting it right on her pirouettes. Goldie saw the sun going down and they decided to have another sleepover. Mr. Floppyear is okay with this, just as long as Mia stays with Jess and Lily.

At Goldie’s Grotto, they could see four presents waiting for them. Mia got a silver ballet charm bracelet, Jess got new colored pencils, Lily got a candy box that refills magically by sharing them, and Goldie got a hot water bottle that activates by saying this special spell.

If you want Cozy Toes

Press my Golden Rose

Pressing the rose, they felt warmth from the hot water bottle. 

The next day, after a delicious breakfast of chocolate pancakes with hot cocoa, Lily, Jess, Goldie and Mia headed off in the stormy snow. It felt like Mt. Everest. In the snowstorm, they could see Captain Ace, the only bird strong enough to handle heavy snow. He explained to them that Harmony Hall, the outdoor theater, is icier than ever, much to Mia’s dismay. He also explained that he spotted the three polar bear cubs by Honeysuckle Hill hiding the snowdrop. However, he didn’t know where they hid it due to the heavy snow. Not wanting to waste time, they dashed off to Mr. Cleverfeather’s shed for emergency inventions.

At Mr. Cleverfeather’s shed, he showed the girls his magical shed, which is strong enough to handle a snowstorm. He then summoned his friend, Mrs. Dappletrot the horse, the only horse strong enough to handle a snowstorm. When they got into the sled, filled with food, rugs, skiis, and a sled and a baby blanket, bubbles started powering up, just like Captain Ace’s balloon. Mr. Cleverfeather stayed behind to get out of the snow. 

After reaching Honeysuckle Hill, Mrs. Dappletrot wished the girls good luck in finding the snowdrop. Lily, Jess, and Goldie skied down the slopes while Mia sledded down, leading the way of course. 

At the end of the hill, they found the polar bear cubs, only to learn that they’ve just hidden the snowdrop. Immediately, the girls, the cat, and the rabbit started looking for the snowdrop in the clear path. Mia dug the deepest because rabbits are great diggers. They tried making snow angels(Which is the first time Goldie and Mia ever heard of them) but no luck. Then Minty, Pearl, and Sleet ambushed them with three giant snowballs and caused an avalanche. After getting Mia out of the snow and a headcount, Mia suggested that they should do Wendy’s Snow Away Dance. Before they could do the dance, Mia remembered the dance didn’t work the first time. It felt like something was missing. Then she figured that since they dance in a group, they can hold hands during the spin.

And just like that, it worked. Most of the snow was melting away. The dance worked. This made the three bear cubs VERY disappointed. When they explained to them that Grizelda promised them permanent playtime if they help her steal the Winter Wonders. They’d also explained that they were tired all the time because they were hibernating. Fearing that they may not make it to their home in the mountains on time, they decided to take them to the Winter Cave, from one of their adventures from the past.

At Harmony Hall, everything was thawed out and it was time for the Frost Festival’s dance show. Wendy Inkwing and her Twinkletoe Dance Students performed the famous ballet, ‘Frost Flowers’. The Fuzzbrush Family did their sacred fox dance, Mr. Cleverfeather did a tap dance routine and finally, Mia did her ballet routine that she practiced so hard for. In the end, everyone gave a standing ovation. They were especially astonished by Mia’s dance routine.

When Jess and Lily returned home, they decided to go check on the animals like they promised. Mrs. Hart.

The End.

[newriverartist]

Not Really

Autumn Beauty from Sharp Top Original 20″ x 16″ oil painting $640 Wall Prints and Prints on other items available with the link https://kendall-kessler.pixels.com/featured/autumn-beauty-from-sharp-top-kendall-kessler.html Our Yoga teacher said she had a more relaxing session planned for today. Yikes! I really can’t sit on my heels for a long time. I thought it was a tough session but I kept…

[thinktosee]

A Cherished Time in Singapore

Two months ago, after finishing a one-week trip to my hometown in Quảng Ngãi Province to visit my Dad, I also considered visiting Dad Mohan in Singapore during the first week of August leading up to the National Day on August 9, 2024. This was a short but welcomed break after my two-month teaching summer course at school. Fortunately, dad did not have many plans during that time, so I was able to stay with him and Aunt Edna. This was to be my second visit to Singapore. The first was to attend and to take enormous pleasure in sister Sara and Hugh’s beautiful wedding last year. 

As always, dad is a superbly thoughtful person. Thanks to his enthusiastic support during my stay in Singapore, I had an amazing time learning new things and expanding my horizons on topics I had never experienced before.

I must admit that I’m slow at getting things done, which has led me to develop the habit of staying up late. While everyone in the house was asleep, I would still be awake until almost 2 a.m. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to get up early in the morning, and, as expected, I really could not. I ended up sleeping until almost 10 a.m. every day. However, dad just told me to rest well since it was my holiday, and there was no need to rush. I felt truly relieved, as he was just like my mom. She knows I have to wake up early every weekday to go to work, so she always lets me sleep as much as I can on weekends.

During my stay, Dad Mohan and Aunt Edna accompanied me to lots of intriguing places, like Universal Studios Singapore, East Coast Beach, Pasir Ris Park, Jewel Mall, and more, which filled me with joy and excitement. Each destination offered a unique experience. At Universal Studios, I loved the thrilling rides (if the queue wasn’t too long, I felt like I could ride them again and again). I also loved seeing adorable minions everywhere, as though I was lost in the Minion World. The serene beauty of East Coast Beach provided a peaceful contrast however. At Pasir Ris Park, I delighted in the lush greenery and had fun encounters with several adorable animals, like turtles (it was the first time I saw so many turtles swimming!), fast-running squirrels, otters and even an enormous monitor lizard swimming by—it was super large, and I felt both excited and a little scared! 

Jewel Mall has always dazzled me with its stunning architecture and indoor waterfall; no matter how many times I visit, I’m still truly impressed by its design. Visiting Little India and Arab Street was an exciting and vibrant experience. I felt as if I were in India for real, haha. The rich colors, aromatic spices, and bustling markets in Little India left me with a sense of wonder and excitement. Arab Street's mix of modern and traditional elements, along with its stunning street art and architecture, left me inspired and energized. I also revisited Fort Canning Park to finally see the tree tunnel, which was under construction during the first visitl. These outings were not just fun but also incredibly enriching, as I learned so much about Singapore’s culture, nature, and innovation. At each place, dad always shared many stories about his experiences there with his kids, along with interesting information about those places. Listening to him, I was exceedingly impressed by his keen knowledge. On top of that, I noticed that whenever he shared something, he tended to include historical evidence and examples to back up what he was saying. That’s truly something admirable and worth learning from.

Apart from visiting Singapore this time for leisure, I was especially privileged to have the opportunity to visit Julia Gabriel Learning Center in bustling Orchard Road, where David used to attend his drama course. The appointment provided me with an invaluable chance to enrich my teaching practice as well as to expand my horizons with new perspectives and methodologies that I am eager to implement. Additionally, my circle of friends has grown as I made a new friend, Huda, there. Even though we have just met, she has been very kind to me.

During this visit, I also tried a wide variety of delicious foods. Of all the dishes, I was most impressed by the Indian cuisine, at Banana Leaf Apolo along Race Course Road, with its strong and spicy flavors that I quite liked. Another delightful discovery was my newfound love for raw white radish, thanks to Emily. She prepared a truly delicious dinner with it, paired with some fried fish. Although I’ve eaten white radish many times before, this was the first time I had it raw—it was fresh and cool, and I found it surprisingly enjoyable. I also had the chance to try some Malay and Chinese cuisine, and I liked them all; they were all quite delicious. When Huda and I met for lunch at Penang Culture, she invited me to try some Malay dishes, including assam laksa (the only name I remember from the meal because I felt like I could eat more than two bowls of it, haha) and several other flavorful dishes. Additionally, I enjoyed the ribs soup that Aunt Edna made for dinner—it was incredibly delicious and packed with nutrients. On top of that, the beverages that dad mixed for me—whiskey with soda and Tanqueray with tonic —were perfectly suited to my taste.

Thank you, Dad Mohan, for taking me to so many wonderful places during my visit. Whether it was patiently waiting for me to finish my appointments or making sure I was well-fed with delicious meals, your care and attention made every moment special. I’m grateful for the new things you taught me, from sharing your knowledge about the fascinating places we visited to guiding me through my workouts at the gym. I also can’t forget the thoughtful gift you brought me from Japan—a box of Snoopy assorted sweets, which were super adorable and mouthwatering. For all these things and more, thank you for letting me enjoy my stay to the fullest.

I also want to express my deepest gratitude to Aunt Edna for taking such wonderful care of me throughout my visit. Her companionship was invaluable; she was with me every step of the way, making sure I felt comfortable and at home. I quite enjoyed traveling by MRT, as it is fast and convenient, and with aunt’s help, I’ve become more confident in navigating it on my own. She also has a real talent for photography, capturing exactly the angles I described to her and taking lots of beautiful photos of me. Beyond that, aunt is an excellent cook, always preparing delicious meals. Her attentiveness and skills made my stay in Singapore even more memorable, and I’m truly grateful for everything she did for me.

Overall, my visit to Singapore once again, was a deeply fulfilling experience. Being in the company of such thoughtful and generous people made me feel cherished and supported every step of the way. It was a journey that enriched my mind with new perspectives and left me with lasting memories. The entire experience left me feeling exhilarated and grateful for the opportunity to explore and discover new things.

-  Anh Vuong

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam