#elliot mermaid theory

[nyxdrabbles]

STARDEW VALLEY ELLIOT MERMAID THEORY

1. First Appearance

As it’s already known, Elliot lives in a little cabin on the beach and has long hair (unlike any of the other male villagers), which are common when it comes to writing a lot of mermaids type of characters.

In a lot of movies when it comes to creating mermaids / mermans, they always tend to have them written with long colorful hair just as Elliot has.

2. His Schedule

Whenever it rains, in Elliot’s schedule — unless it was changed in the recent Stardew update, he never really goes out and instead stays inside his cabin. Almost like he avoids getting wet.

So, perhaps if he ever did really go out during the rain, would some of his mermaid features (scales) be revealed if he ever did get wet?

3. His Connection

The closer you get to Elliot in relationship, the more open he is with you about himself. And when he does talk about himself, along with his childhood, he mentions his connection to the sea quite a lot.

Even reminiscing about his past, mentioning to you about how the sea reminds him so much of his youth, and impressed him a lot as a child.

Really, that could mean he just simply is so passionate about the sea itself and really cares for it, but with the amount of other information I’ve gotten from him — I really do think he could be a mermaid, who is giving it a shot at having a human life.

It’s not entirely impossible either, as during the Night Market, you could see an actual mermaid performing inside of the Mermaid Boat. And there are many more other mythical “creatures” in Stardew Valley like Krobus, Grandpa ( as a ghost ), Dwarf, etc.

Also, his liked / loved gifts are mostly things that are related to the sea and beach itself. Like lobster, shells, squid, crab cakes, etc etc. Except for sea cucumber.

4. Conclusion

A lot of my reasonings could be minor inconveniences / coincidences, but when it comes to the villagers, every single one of them almost has a backstory except for Elliot.

Like, we barely know much about him / his past besides the fact he enjoys the sea as company and really likes to write.

I don’t think in really any of his dialogue that he talks about his relationship with Leah, which I find a bit odd, since you would want to know who he’s close with amongst the villagers and he just never talks about it. Unless they are just simple drinking buddies who enjoy to dance with each other at the flower dance?

Is he friends with anyone besides Leah, or is he some sort of outcast for some reason? Does he feel like he’s too different from most of the other villagers and just never made the time to connect with any of them? How did he end up in Pelican Town?

Genuinely, I wanna know more about this man.

[wizardiest-wizard-of-oz]

if anyone wants I have a musicals playlist that's over 200 hours that has I think around 205 musicals here's an alphabetized list let me know if I'm missing any I should add (I don't like Andrew lloyd Webber musicals and I'm also not a huge fan of jukebox musicals more specifically mamma Mia) and if anyone wants a link please ask me

13

21 Chump Street

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

35MM

36 Questions

42nd Street

The Addams Family

Aida

Aladdin

Alice by Heart

Allegro

Amelie

Anastasia

Ani

Annie Get Your Gun

Annie

Anything Goes

Avenue Q

Back to the Future

Bat Boy

Beauty and the Beast

Beetlejuice

Be More Chill

The Big One-Oh

Billy Elliot

Black Friday

Bombshell

Bonnie and Clyde

Book of Mormon

Brigadoon

Bring it On

Once More With Feeling (Buffy musical)

Bugsy Malone

Bye Bye Birdie

Cabaret

Camelot

Carousel

Carrie

Catch Me if You Can

A Catered Affair

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Chess

Chicago

A Chorus Line

Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein)

The Colour Purple

Come From Away

Company

Crybaby

Curtains

Damn Yankees

Days of Wine and Roses

Dear Evan Hansen

Desperate Measures

Dog Man

Dreamgirls

Dreamland

Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog

Drowsy Chaperone

Duolingo on Ice

Elegies

Epic (all released sagas)

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Falsettoland

Falsettos Revival

Firebringer

Flora the Red Menace

Follies

Fosse

Frankenstein

Frozen

Fun Home

Funny Girl

A Funny Thing Happened

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Grand Hotel

Grease

The Great American Trailer Park

Grey Gardens

Gutenberg

Guys and Dolls

The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals

G*psy

Hadestown (broadway)

Hadestown (off broadway)

Hairspray

Hair

Hamilton

Harmony

Heathers

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hello Dolly

Honk

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (this one is just for Patrick page)

How to Dance in Ohio

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Hunchback of Notre Dame

In the Green

In the Heights

Into the Woods

In Trousers

It Shoulda Been You

Jekyll and Hyde

Kimberly Akimo

The King and I

Kinky Boots

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Legally Blonde

Lempicka

Les Miserables (english and french)

The Lightning Thief

The Lion King

Little Do They Know

The Little Mermaid

A Little Night Music

Little Shop of Horrors (english and german)

Little Women

Lizard Boy

Love in Hate Nation

Love's Labours Lost

Mad Ones

Make Me a Song

Mame

A Man of No Importance

March of the Falsettos

Marguerite

Martin Guerre

Mary Poppins

Matilda

Mean Girls

Merrily We Roll Along

Miss Saigon

Monty Python's Spamalot

The Music Man

My Fair Lady

My Heart Says Go

My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Nerdy Prudes Must Die (I only have one song because I'm waiting to watch it with my friend before adding more)

A New Brain

Newsies

New York, New York

Next to Normal

Nightmare Time

Nine

Octet

Oklahoma

Oliver

Once On This Island

Once Upon a Mattress

Only Murders in the Building (Death Rattle Dazzle)

The Pyjama Game

Parade

Pippin

The Prince of Egypt

Prodigal

The Producers

The Prom

Ragtime

Ride the Cyclone

The Rink

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Schmigadoon

Schmicago

Scottsburo Boys

Seussical

She Loves Me

Sherlock

Shrek

Shucked

Six

Smash

Some Like it Hot

Something Rotten

The Sound of Music

South Pacific

Spiderman Turn off the Dark

The Spitfire Grill

Spongebob

Spring Awakening

Starship

State Fair

Sunday in the Park with George

Superhero

Sweeney Todd

Sweet Charity

The Theory of Relativity

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Tick Tick Boom

The Time Traveller's Wife

The Trail to Oregon

Twisted

Urinetown

A VHS Christmas Carol

The Visit

Waitress

Wait Wait Don't Kill Me

West Side Story

Wicked

Water for Elephants

Wizard of Oz

The Wiz

Zombie Prom

Zorba

[charlotterenaissance]

wait, what if charlotte was a ghost?

my evidence:

her backstory includes a fire at her old school

the only people who interact with her are: 1. her mother, who is her mother 2. cleo, rikki, and emma: mermaids who have spent a lot of time with magic 3. lewis, a guy who is best friends with mermaids 4. elliot and kim who are kids. 5. max, a man who has known about the supernatural for fifty years. These are all people who would be more likely to believe/see ghosts

she's never mentioned again after passing on leaving the gold coast

whenever she's in a public area, she's hardly ever interacting with someone. the most we see is at lewis's party, and even then the only time i can't explain is when she says to hide and everyone does. everything else i can explain away:

- don doesn't really talk to charlotte at the dinner, and he's not gonna blow a potential client asking why she's talking to someone who isn't there. same mostly goes for the camping episode

- her mother put together the party for lewis at her behest, and charlotte is shown talking to people, but at a distance. they could easily not be talking to her

the instances i can't fully explain is don introducing her as cleo's tutor and their gym teacher announcing she was the fourth volleyball member, as well as the game itself. maybe she was able to make herself corporeal for that

new theory: charlotte died in a fire at her old school, which they more or less buried. annette moved to the gold coast because it's familiar and home and it's like charlotte never left. charlotte meanwhile is sort of wondering why nobody really talks to her but she's new and a little nervous anyway until she meets the others and the rest is history

[the-modern-typewriter]

Good day! Just writing to let you know; I love your podcast! It's the perfect length and I learn so much about writing and analysing stories. Toodle-o :)

Ah, thank you so much! :) I’m (and my co-presenters when I passed this message on) so glad you are finding it helpful. 

In case people are wondering, this is our podcast. It’s free to listen to.

Each week we read aloud a short story - sometimes we’ve written it ourselves, and sometimes it’s from one of our favourite classic authors. Then we discuss our thoughts and give some critical analysis.

You can find all episodes here, on our website, including links to listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and a bunch of other places which is why I have mostly avoided other links below.

So far our episodes have been:

1) The Magic Shop - H.G Wells In the first ever episode, Matt, Mel and Simone read and discuss a quirky story from H.G. Wells, renowned for his work in science fiction including his novels War of the Worlds and The Time Machine.

2) Poison - Matt Bowles An original piece by my co-presenter, and friend. If you just want to read the story, you can do so here.)  Poison is a dark, horror-romance about a half human, half goddess of the Underworld. We also discuss literature and how it can be used.

3) Nyarlathotep - H.P Lovecraft This week, Donald McGregor joins us to talk about H.P. Lovecraft. We talk about the concept of cosmic horror, how H.P Lovecraft came into being, and the difficulties of adapting his work to other formats.

4) When the Tide is High - Melody Bowles  An original piece by other co-presenter, and friend. You can read the story here.) When The Tide Is High is a mysterious mermaid story, and if you get a LGBTQ vibe…so did I. We chat about that and discuss how myths and legends should be used in modern storytelling.

5) The Adventure of the Speckled Band - Arthur Conan Doyle We read and discuss Conan Doyle’s favourite of the Sherlock Holmes stories. We discuss the mechanics of the detective fiction genre, debate Watson’s usefulness, and talk about how Conan Doyle himself viewed his work and his success.

6) The Garden Party - Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield was one of the most prominent short story writers of the early 20th century, and this week we’re looking at one of her most famous stories. We give our own interpretations of the ending and discuss the context of her life.

7) And they all lived happily ever - Simone/the-modern-typewriter It’s me! I did a separate post about my story here, including links to read and listen.) But you can read it here.  The episode deconstructs the fairytale ‘happily ever after’, discusses satisfying story endings, using footnotes in fiction, tips for writing dialogue and more.

8) The Tell Tale Heart - Edgar Allen Poe We discuss Poe’s most infamous story, with a focus on unreliable narrators, prose style, and tropes of gothic fiction. Find out why his death is still a mystery – and did he really know how the universe was created?

9) Henry and Eliza - Jane Austen This week’s story is ‘Henry & Eliza’ from Jane Austen’s Juvenilia collection. The story is a savagely comedic parody which takes aim at the ‘virtuous heroine’. We discuss Jane Austen’s life, the themes she wrote about and more.

10) Bearskin - The Brothers Grimm The Grimm Brothers are renowned for their dark fairy tales, collected from across Europe. We look at a slightly unconventional one and discuss their distinctive style, modern adaptations of fairy tales, and why bears are good at dancing.

11) Mr and Mrs Elliot - Ernest Hemmingway  This snappy relationship story from Ernest Hemingway has multiple interpretations. We discuss how time has changed how we look at it, Hemingway’s distinctive style known as iceberg theory (or writing in negative space) and how very many cats he had.

12) Nelly’s Hospital - Louisa May Alcott This story was written by Louisa May Alcott to educate children about the war. We discuss the story’s themes, Alcott’s life and why we love Jo March from Little Women.

13) When I was a witch - Charlotte Perkins Gilman Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story When I Was A Witch features a female protagonist from New York whose wishes start to come true. We discuss villains, poetic justice, fake news and more.

14) A drama in the air - Jules Verne The ‘father of science fiction’ tells unusual tales that break the conventions of modern storytelling. We examine this air ballooning escapade and discuss its vibrant characters, the structure of the story, the importance of translation, and how genres are defined.

15) The Gift of the Magi - O Henry O Henry’s most famous story about a young couple buying each other the perfect Christmas gifts. We discuss sacrifices in romances, writing the perfect twist and more.

Upcoming next is The Star Child by Oscar Wilde and The Dream by Mary Shelley. 

We will also be doing more original story episodes in the next few months, starting with Matt this month (March), Melody in May and me in very early June. 

If you have questions or thoughts you can either message me on here, or talk to any one of us on Twitter at:

Matt: @mattbwriter

Mel: @ficcaholic

Simone: @T_M_Typewriter

[opalsiren]

some bella x emma (bemma) headcanons under the cut:

the first time they meet is in the moon pool after emma returns from her travels. bella was meeting the girls there to help with the repair effort, while emma was hoping to surprise the girls there the moment she got home. despite having only spoken the once on a skype call with dodgy signal, they recognise each other instantly. they have a 'you must be bella!' / 'you must be emma!' moment and an instant connection. the girls had given emma the bare bones of the comet eva story, but bella is the one who has to explain the full extent of the damage to the moon pool before cleo and rikki get there

lewis runs into emma and her family in the US on their travels while studying. it occurs to him at that moment that emma and bella are kindred spirits who would get on really well, and he tells her so. emma never would have guessed just how much she would grow to like bella

emma feels a little lost when she returns home with everything that's changed and all she missed out on, not to mention guilty for not being around. emma feels like cleo and rikki don't really need her anymore with bella around. conversely bella feels insecure about her place in the group when emma is welcomed back with open arms, the girls sporting their lockets again. bella feels like cleo and rikki don't need her anymore now that emma is back. they confide their fears to one another one day trying to fix the moon pool and reassure each other about their places in cleo and rikki's lives i cannot stress enough how little this ends in pointless girl rivalry

with cleo soon to study marine biology at university and rikki planning to take classes at a local college, emma feels a little lost upon returning home. she had managed to graduate high school while travelling, because of course she did, but doesn't feel college is for her right now and wants to travel some more. bella also feels lost with will away on an extended holiday with his sister and the band's imminent break-up when summer ends. they both decide to go travelling together at the end of the summer, bella insisting on emma seeing the irish sea caves, while emma knows of this gorgeous romantic little patisserie in paris she's dying to take her to

somewhere between fixing the moon pool, planning their trip, and hanging out with the others at the café, they start to catch feelings for one another. they probably start to fall at around the same time but i think bella realises her feelings first (she has known she's liked girls for a long time, whereas emma still isn't really all that comfy with the concept of fancying girls). i'm inclined to say cleo, rikki, and even lewis know that emma fancies bella before emma herself knows. bella is scared to cause a potential rift in the group but slowly starts to insert 'she' pronouns into the band's songs and even has the nerve to be a little more touchy-feely with emma than the others. emma is the stereotypical clueless sapphic who has no idea that bella is flirting with her, even after she realises she herself likes her. eventually rikki uses one of the thousand favours zane owes her to lock them in the café's storeroom and force them to admit their feelings for one another

when they start dating emma freaks out about coming out to her parents. the others reassure her that coming out may not be necessary, but emma has such a hard time lying to her parents and even told them about her tail before they went travelling. bella assures her that, if they're okay with their daughter being a mermaid, they should be okay with her being gay, promising to be as involved as emma wants. in the end the coming out is out of her hands: elliot catches a vibe between emma and bella and essentially tells their parents to stage a family meeting to show her they love and support her no matter who she dates. the meeting itself is long and filled with happy tears and lots of hugs. they are completely accepting of her sexuality and basically treat bella like another member of the family. elliot starts a gsa at school and the whole family go to pride events together every june. bella, not close with nor out to her parents, is overwhelmingly grateful and jokes about taking emma's last name when they get married

emma and bella are quite different on the surface, but ultimately bring out the best in one another. bella is the zen member of the group and gets super into yoga and meditation. she helps emma deal with her anxiety and lets her know that it's okay to just be, that she doesn't have to perform to high standards of perfectionism all the time. emma is for sure the extrovert of the relationship and helps to bring bella out of her shell when she wants to retreat into shyness, allowing her confidence and assertiveness to flourish. when emma is quick to anger, bella calms. when bella doubts her worth, emma reminds her just how valuable she is. they are both deeply warm, empathetic, and compassionate people who are loyal to a fault, and these traits only grow the longer they are together

rikki likes to take credit for their entire relationship for the stunt at the storeroom, while lewis is certain he is responsible since he told emma that she would like bella. cleo claims that, if she never got into zane's zodiac all those years ago they never would have become mermaids together, therefore she should be credited for emma and bella's entire relationship. chaos ensues

during their extended world tour, they find half a dozen other moon pools and meet ten or fifteen other mermaids. with consent they send their details on to the others back home in the hopes of gaining further understanding around magic and mermaids

bella uses her gifts to make emma lots and lots of jewellery. in the early stages of their relationship she can be found proudly wearing a dozen or so different bracelets, necklaces, and anklets at any given time. for their first anniversary bella makes her a rose made of crystal from the water in the moon pool

emma doesn't have the same sense of creativity as bella, but years of taking elliot to oboe practice, reading music theory for fun, and even her grasp of english grammar conventions helps her to help bella write songs. if bella is stuck on a particular line or needs a second pair of ears, emma is the first person she goes to with her problem. when the record deals start flooding in, emma also helps to decode the legal jargon and acts as her manager until a more permanent replacement can be found

bella is lowkey obsessed with emma's mum's extensive crystal ware collection. she likes to make one-of-a-kind, totally unique crystal sculptures for her using her powers. it takes mrs. gilbert a little while to make the connection

when emma starts to study medicine and bella goes on tour, they have to do long distance for a little while. long distance with a mermaid's tail isn't quite so bad, though, as they frequently meet in the middle of the ocean to spend time together between more land-oriented visits

both emma and bella are deeply connected to the environment. when emma is a little older with an established medical practice she uses her money and connections to campaign for environmental protections. when bella gains success as an artist she, too, uses her platform to promote environmental awareness, LGBT rights, women's rights, and a whole host of other issues

they propose to each other at the same time, out for dinner near the marina. right as bella presents emma with the diamond ring elliot helped her pick out, a clumsy waiter spills a jug of water, and bella has to leg it to the water so as not to expose the secret. emma finds her crestfallen at the moon pool and quickly surfaces to console her, revealing the moonstone ring she’s had hidden behind the rocks for weeks. suffice to say, they said yes

despite her best efforts, emma never really got over having to abandon her swimming aspirations due to her tail. similarly a part of bella always mourned the childhood she never got to have since she became a mermaid, nor any chance of a relationship with her family. in the end they are both able to make peace with their fate: it brought them to each other

(bonus: shameless self plug of my bella x emma oneshot aka the only bemma fic in existence. god bless)

[missei]

my favorites elliot and theres this theory that he was once a mermaid and its my favorite thing

i can never find that little bitch when i need to do my daily chat 😐😐😐😐😐

[ccwritesstuff-oldblog]

Twenty-One Question’s game!

So I got tagged for this game by @drown-in-lava-choke-on-rubies for this tag game, so thank you very much! 

1: What is your eye color?

Blue

2: Who is your favorite person?

My cousin

3: What is your favorite snack?

As of late, it’s been fruit-roll-ups

4: Following

151 people

5: Writing motto

Write what you want to write

6: Favorite tv shows?

NCIS, Brooklyn 99, Big Bang Theory, Magnum P.I.

7: Favorite fairy tail?

Alice in Wonderland (Don’t know that many fairytales, believe it or not)

8: Favorite song?

As of Late, Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez

9: Languages I’m fluent in?

English, Spanish (I guess)

10: Languages I can count to ten in?

English, Spanish, Korean 

11: Top five mythical creatures in order

Werewolves, mermaids, kitsunes, fairies, dwarves

12: Favorite sport?

Swimming, Tennis, and soccer are my top three 

13: Favorite musical character?

John Laurens, Hamilton 

14: Favorite TV character

SHIT... uhh, close tie between McGee, NCIS, and Jake Peralta, B99

15: Favorite book character?

Inej, Six of Crows. 

16: Dog person or cat person?

I like tiny dogs/fluffy dogs/corgies, but overall, I like cats more

17: Favorite genre?

Fantasy (especially if it contains magic)

18: Who is/are the best teacher(s) you’ve had?

All my elementary school teachers except my 5th-grade teachers, Mrs. Demoss and Mr. Montie, 6th grade, Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Sandars, 7th grade, Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Staley 8th grade, and this year it’s Mr. Klebba and Mr. Elliot 

19: Favorite fanfic authored by someone else?

Honestly, I don’t know; there are so many good fanfics everywhere!

20: Favorite original story (By me)

Probably my main WIP ATR; whenever I find myself trying to write a new idea on the side, I always end up working back on ATR Again

21: Favorite original story by someone else

Well, @cogesque  ‘s story MOTU is really cool from what I have read so far, so you should go chem them (Him? her? I don’t talk with you enough to know) 

Well, that’s it. Hope you enjoyed!

Tagging: @imaghostwriter @stoffsierra @mastery-in-procrastination @lemon-i-scream and @cookiecuttercritter

[theotherdunkel-blog]

Lengthy speculation about “Elliots and Ellens”

Below is some speculation about the latest arc in El Goonish Shive, involving the return of the character Magus. Lots of spoilers:

To recap: Magus (creepy shadowy dude who looks like Elliot) worked together with Sirleck (even creepier vampire thingy) in order to get Ellen to fire her FV5 beam at Elliot, allowing Magus to take over Elliot’s body.  He then used the Dewitchery Diamond to separate himself from Elliot, thus regaining his physical form.  He now wants to use his powers to turn Ellen into a man before he returns to his home universe.

The most recent comic reveals that Magus is, effectively, transgender.  He is CAFAB, given the name “Ellen” at birth, but identifies as a man, and used magic to change his sex.

Shortly before using the Dewitchery Diamond, Magus mentioned that he had to modify the Diamond’s effects before using it.  This causes the Diamond to shatter.

Theory: I wonder if Magus had to modify the Diamond’s effects because he was already enchanted, in order to make himself male.  Maybe that means that Elliot’s body was “double-enchanted” while possessed by Magus: Elliot was “cursed” to take on Magus’s form, who himself was “cursed” to take on a male form.

Therefore, maybe Magus had to modify the Diamond’s effects in order to ensure that he maintain a male form.  Otherwise, the Diamond might have separated him from his own “curse” of being male...resulting in three Elliots?  ...Well, I’m not sure if this is how it really works...

So now I wonder if Elliot has gained the ability to take on Magus’s form, or if he can just make himself blond now?  Moreover, I wonder if Magus gained the ability to spread his “curse” of turning people male.  Maybe that’s how he plans to turn Ellen into a man? 

Or maybe he just gained the ability to turn other people blond... There are lots of possibilities.

Also, I wonder if his magic follows the same rules as the magic of Elliot’s universe.  While driving to the FTAAPLIOPOKFLKNHNbhflmn whatever it’s called... (the facility that stores the Dewitchery Diamond), Sirleck (in Ellen’s body) questions whether Magus’s magic follows the same rules as Elliot’s universe, and how come Magus’s spells work at all in Elliot’s universe.  Magus cannot answer this question. 

So I’ve wondered for a while whether Magus and Terra are from the same universe as Andrea and Tara, the griffins.  It would explain why his spells work-- because the magic energy is the same between the two worlds.  Furthermore, Magus mentions that monsters like dragons and mermaids are common in his universe-- maybe griffins are as well. 

If he is from the same universe as the griffins, then I assume that this means the system of magic is the same between the two worlds, though I am not certain.  Maybe it is a different system of magic, with the same energy?  Or maybe he is not from the same universe as the griffins at all, but for some reason I suspect he is?...  Of all the options, for some reason I lean towards the second: He uses a different system of magic, which still works in Elliot’s universe because it uses the same magic energy / because of the connection between his and Elliot’s world.

So I wonder if his spells may be fundamentally different from Elliot and crew’s, and the Uryuom-based TF beams.  In that case, I wonder whether his spells can be undone, or if they cannot be undone, by the magic of Elliot’s world.  In other words, I wonder whether Ellen would be able to undo a gender transformation spell cast by Magus, or if it would be effectively permanent...

I’d love to hear what anyone else thinks about this.

[ivycreativewriting]

Explorer Reflection

1. When I first read the “ehi passiko” definition and the T.S. Elliot excerpt, I didn't contemplate their meanings thoroughly. I was too excited to jump into the book and begin learning how to be “an explorer of the world.” After I finished the book, however, and as I reflected on this question, I’ve come to realize how wonderful these two references are as introductions to what it means to be a true explorer. Smith utilizes these two references perfectly because they both require their audience to think critically and creatively about their meanings. To me, these references express the beauty of wonder and exploration and that there is never a stop light or end point in which your explorative journey should come to an end. If you're paying close enough attention and truly examining the possibility of creativity in “the little things,” you may end up asking brand new questions about the places you explored in the beginning of your journey. 2. Smith’s 13 rules on how to be an explorer of the world excited me greatly after reading them for the first time. Each of them is extremely inspirational and oozes creativity and possibility. My personal favorite is number 6 - “notice the stories going on around you.” As I completed this book and started this class, I’ve tried to incorporate these rules into my everyday habits. For example, as my college application due dates were coming up, I needed to write about ten different essays. I experienced some common writer's block for a long time until I decided to open my eyes. I began piecing together certain images as correlations to my life story (i.e. I discussed laundry in one essay, peanut butter in another, and crayons in the last). I discovered that using these rules/tools from this book allows me to find the absolute crazy or impossible scenario and relate to it. Another time I used these rules was during a meditation. I took out my book, read over the rules a dozen times, and reflected on their meanings for my personal journey. I had so much fun imagining my future self exploring the world as a student, tourist, adult, and writer! It has truly changed my perspective so far as a writer. 3. I have never been a mathematician or a serious lover of science in school. I have always been interested in the English, history, and of course, writing courses. However, when I read page 6, I began to think about how I’ve been an artist but also a scientist throughout my life. I came up with one distinct and important conclusion: I am artist through self-expression, and I am a scientist through curiosity. Scientists, as you know, discover a lot of important data. They pursue theories, ideas, and explorations. They do this because they ask questions. Although I didn't have the best time in my Chemistry Honors course at OLP, I am a scientist because I too ask questions and take risks when I write, when I am with my friends, when I am scared or nervous about the future, or when I am seeking answers. Although I now recognize this quality in myself, my goal for the rest of the semester is to take advantage of my curiosity and continue to help it grow in my writing career. 4. Out of the 8 explorations I completed, the one I consider the BEST representation of “art” would have to be Exploration #32, “World of Magic.” I love this exploration and its representation of Indo-European thinking because it allows imagination to run its course. It requires its audience to collect objects for their potential magic qualities and formulate fictional stories about the objects’ powers. Completing this exercise made me feel like a kid again, young and carefree without judgement and preconceived notions of the world. The possibilities were endless. I ended up choosing magic sea glass from the ocean. When worn around your neck, you are given the ability to swim like a mermaid and hold your breath underwater for hours. 5. As I completed the lovely journey of reading this workbook, there were a few unexpected turns that gave me new perspective. The most prominent moment would have to be when I went on a night walk in my neighborhood one night. It was 7:00 pm and very quiet. I walked for about 40 minutes and during the last 5 minutes coming home, I looked up for the first time. I saw a full moon and a sky full of stars. It was breathtaking. So, I decided to lay on my back in my driveway and stargaze for a little while. I ended up staying out there for another half hour, which worried my parents who came out to get me. That half hour, though, of just being and noticing all the beauty that exists in this world really opened my eyes to idea of possibility. I'm excited to continue this kind of exploration with nature and the world around me.