#she's the type to spend 20+ hours on character creation

[seneca-milestone17]

Blame the character setting!

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

The moonlight casts itself upon her and she leans into it with all the familiarity of home.

Her back leans against the plush pillows, the skirt of her dress bunched up as she brings her knees together. Blue eyes blankly look up at the night sky as they reflect the full moon in their orbs, a listless expression on her face.

Ah, she's in that mood again.

Sun Wukong has learned quickly enough about this odd mood of hers. While this princess might be a rambunctious and curious little thing in the day, her personality takes a drastic change at night - what was vibrant becomes muted, beaming smiles turning into blank looks that express nothing at all.

He dislikes it, seeing such a look on her face, it makes her feel distant - as though she could slip from his fingers at any moment.

That is why he stalks towards her, determined to give her a surprise that would surely snap her out of whatever state she is in.

The multitude of chains that come bursting out of thin air in all directions are swiftly avoided, blocked by timely swats with his staff.

"Foolish monkey," a cold voice rings out. "Who are you, to interrupt my musings."

Sun Wukong watches as his princess stands from her spot among the pillows, her fingers twitching slightly, directing the chains to move closer to her like obedient pets.

She turns around and he is greeted with a pair of sharp blue eyes tinged with moonlight silver.

His eyes see all - it is still her.

In that case, "And who are you?" Sun Wukong asks, bringing his staff to rest across his shoulders, posture languid. "Who do you think you are?"

His princess smiles, a cold image.

"Would you ever mistake the moon in the sky?"

--------------------------------------------------------

Oh my fucking gosh?!

She mentally screams with all the self-control a role-player can possess.

Poker face. Come on, Poker Face...

I can't believe it actually works!

Her mind flashes back to her settings and concepts during character creation, at the papers dedicated to writing down her character's base stats and abilities. The settings, effects and flavor text.

<Lunar Flower> : Just as the moon has its different sides, so too does the Moon Princess. At day, she is a bright and cheerful girl, a flower that blooms under the sun. At night, she displays her majesty and power as the Moon Princess, cold and unrelenting.

Effect:

Day - Increases Basic Attributes by 20%. Increases Four Banes Resistance by 15%. Shoots chains from thin air to attack.

Night - Increases Basic Attributes by maximum. Increases Four Banes Resistance by 50%. Inflicts Ice, Flame and Thunder Damage for every basic and charged attack. Shoots chains from thin air to attack.

It's a good setting. Perfect start for an OP character creation. There's nothing wrong in making a setting for an overpowered character - it's basically every person's dream! If other people can make up eldritch beings for their RP and character creation then why not her?!

But you see...the thing is...

I sound like a freaking chuunibyo character!!!

...But I sound so badass too, damn it.

[lucienarcheron]

↠ SJM Masterlist

Below you will find all my SJM fanfics/creations linked. You can also find my fanfics here.

All my writing belongs to me with a disclaimer that any character that isn't an original character belongs to their authors. Do not copy or claim my work as your own. Do not feed my work into AI or third-party platforms. Do not translate my writing without my permission. I do not consent for my work to be reposted anywhere.

Thanks for reading and enjoy :)

Creations/Moodboards; this is across all ships.

Headcanons ; across all ships

—

🌹 A Court of Thorns and Roses 🦊🌸 Elain Archeron x Lucien Vanserra [ Elucien ]

Bouquet Full of Loathing Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Flower Shop Modern AU - Person A owns a flower shop and person B comes storming in one day, slaps 20 bucks on the counter, and says, “How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?”  

Bouquet Full of Love Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Elain visits Lucien at work, new bouquet in hand.

The Sun Rated SFW | Fluff/Angst Elain has a nightmare and turns to her mate for soothing.

No Place I'd Rather Be Rated SFW |  Fluff with a smidge of angst. Elain's visions giving her nightmares that can only be soothed by one person.

 A Light Against the Darkness   Rated SFW | Angst/fluff Lucien battles his own nightmares with Elain there to soothe him.

Forget Me Not Rated SFW | Fluff Drunk Elain and her shenanigans.

Boys Night Out Rated SFW | Humor & fluff Drunk Lucien and his shenanigans. – companion to Forget Me Not. 

Sleeping Beauty Rated NSFW-ish | Fluff ‘Wake me up’ kisses because foxboy and flower girl can't help themselves.

A Fox and a Flower Crown Rated NSFW-ish | Fluff + Humor Elain has a vision and it, uh, has her feeling all types of ways.

Tales of the Fox & the Fawn A series of short snippets to fill my Elucien heart.

Around the World - Part 1 | Part 2 | Bonus Rated NSFW |  Prostitute/Client AU for laughs.

An Unexpected Visit Rated SFW | Fluff Drunk Lucien visits Elain at an inappropriate hour.

Quiet Thunder - Part 1 | Part 2 Rated SFW | Angst | Lucien expresses his frustrations to Elain. Elain follows up.

Morning Pranks Rated SFW | Fluff.

First Kisses Rated SFW | Fluff.

Instincts - Part 1 | Part 2 Rated SFW Lucien follows his instincts when it comes to Elain. It's the start of something new.

Frenzy Rated NSFW | Elain and Lucien like to spend their yearly mating anniversary fully wrapped in each other, sinking into a frenzy.

A Simple Request Rated NSFW-ish. A still shy Elain finds a different way to tell her mate what she wants.

Inspiration Rated NSFW | Modern AU Aspiring writer Elain Archeron is looking for some inspiration for her new novel when she happens to meet the perfect man for the job.

Oh, What a Night (Elucien + Nessian) Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta and Elain’s first Starfall, the two celebrating it in different ways.

Unexpected Surprises Rated SFW | Lucien has been trying to plan the perfect proposal for his mate for months. Things do not go as expected.

A Bouquet of Good Intentions Rated SFW | This little drabble was inspired by my Elucien Modern AU - Bouquet Full of Feelings series

A New Year with You Rated SFW | Celebrating NYE together

This Time, I'm Ready Rated SFW | Elain has a vision and it has her running.

That Single Thread of Gold Rated SFW| Inspired by eospaint's elucien piece

Heading Straight to You Rated SFW | Inspired by this post here and giving a bridgerton-inspired moment!

-

🍂 Eris Vanserra

Spirit Meets the Bones Rated M | Eris x Iris (OC) | Drama & Romance An arranged marriage brought them together and beneath all the hate, the two are more alike than they’d like to be.

-

✨🖌Feyre Archeron x Rhysand [ Feysand ]

Big Baby Rated SFW | Humor & fluff | Modern AU Rhys gets drunk at the bar and calls Feyre to rant about how much he loves her. 

All It Takes is A Wingman Rated SFW | Humor & Fluff | Modern AU ‘Hey I’m sorry to bother you but I’m trying to convince my friends I’m a sex god so can you please write a fake number on this napkin for me real quick’

Do the Do Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Rhysand taking care of Feyre's ridiculously drunk self.

-

⚔️🔥 Nesta Archeron x Cassian [ Nessian ]

Bouquet Full of Lust (ft. Elucien) Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor Nesta gets a little taste of sisterly revenge. | Read after Bouquet Full of Love and Bouquet Full of Love

Oh, What a Night (Nessian + Elucien) Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta and Elain’s first Starfall, the two celebrating it in different ways.

Banned by the Boss Rated SFW | Fluff & Humor  Nesta pulls a mama bear move and bans both mating bonds of her sisters.  

Till the Darkness Dies Rated SFW | Angst and fluff Nesta’s battle against her inner demons.

Butter My Muffin Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta being a very soft girlfriend in private with Cassian combined with how I picture Drunk!Nesta.

Protect & Serve Rated SFW | Fluff Nesta has a nightmare and just wants to make sure Cassian is okay.

My Remedy Rated SFW | Fluff Cassian helps Nesta overcome her fear of the bathtub.

Change of Pace Rated Steamy | Modern AU “I chickened out of sex ages ago and you haven’t brought it up since but now I really want it, but I'm terrible at communication, so let me just strip shirtless/model lingerie for you until you snap”

Weakness Rated SFW | Steamy fluff Cassian does love his mate.

My Curse to Bear Rated SFW | Steamy fluff | Modern AU Based on the prompt “Matching couple shirts that say “bearer of the curse” on one of them and, “the curse” on the other”

-

⚫️ Gwynriel

Choices - [ Gwynriel ] Rated NSFW-ish. Gwyn makes choices for her happiness.

-

👑 Throne of Glass

Boner for You - Elide & Lorcan [ Elorcan ] Rated SFW | Humor & fluff  Fake Dating AU where Lorcan just wants Elide to be his girlfriend for a party and Elide wants to pretend she isn’t thrilled about it.

[moonspirit]

Hiii Moon🌿💚

I hope your *timezone* goes well, and wish you to spend it nicely and peacefully, as much as possible~

For the fandom asks:

1, 2, 5, 6, 13, 20, 24

(for the future) Thank you for your answers, and take care (⁠っ⁠˘⁠з⁠(🌔)

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Anna!!! T^T I'm doing alright, but how are YOU??? I'm so excited for your new art and for more of your writing - I literally cannot wait, but also I wish you plenty of energy for the time being!

Thank you for the asks T^T

Oh well, I already answered 1 and 5 over here xD But as for the rest, here goes!

2. a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

That both Aruani are only *moderate* cooks xD Initially I always thought Armin would cook really well and Annie would be the type to throw some seasoning on plain ramen and call it a day- but. BUT. They're both actually pretty average xD And they both have terrible eating habits. He forgets to eat. She has snacks in her pockets. There you go, now I love it xD

6. something you see in art a lot and love

The horny answer is hair

Sensuality! In all the Aruani art I see, there's so much emotional expression in the way Armin and Annie are drawn and it's so so so beautiful. After all, there's a ton of feelings and emotions to pull from, so it makes for a real astounding experience, honestly. The eyes, the lighting, the mood conveyed!!! T^T Doesn't even matter if it's a chibi doodle or a 5 minute sketch or a 14-hour canvas piece or just silly, it's always so chalk full of emotions!!!

God you artists are so great T^T And YOU Anna! YOU!

Also hair.

13. your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc)

Oh T^T Well aside from being there to witness fandom events I haven't actually had the chance to take part in any. Though I think exchanges are really so so so much fun! You ask, and someone makes something for you - secretly or otherwise! It's very personal, and has your favourite characters making out like they're gonna die - what can possibly be better???

20. your very first fandom!

Tantei Gakuen Q and SA! Back in 2006-08 was when I really began to get more involved in fandom in terms of creating - I still remember writing for the Kei x Hikari ship xD I was on vacation from school and the internet was "free" during the early hours of dawn (so like.. 3am to 6am), so I'd watch SA and write fic and post it all on FFN in the span of... 2 hours xD Don't know how I did that... now I take 20 minutes just to find the motivation to brush my teeth...

24. how has fandom positively impacted your life?

Eeeeeeeeeeeee fandooooooooomm my beloved!

Honestly I've been a silent spectator in many fandoms, but something about that environment of creation and discussion is very very motivating and inspiring. You see people having these fantastic conversations and you go "okay... I feel like doing something too." Creating is good for the soul, and I think this is a piece of advice doled out even to someone struggling with serious issues. Creating is healing, it works your brain, it gets you busy, it gets your imagination running. And fandom is suuuuuuuuuuch a good space for that.

For me personally, fandom has been many things, but most importantly, a place where I've made warm friends and in which I've found a reason to keep going, day to day. I'm so glad for all fandoms, but especially the Aruani fandom T^T

Thank you so much for the asks, anna, I really appreciate it T////T Sending you a lot of good vibes and energy to pull through~ 🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚

[itsbenedict]

Two-Faced Jewel: Session 8

Welcome to the Hotel On-The-Floor, Yeah

A half-elf conwoman (and the moth tasked with keeping her out of trouble) travel the Jewel in search of, uh, whatever a fashionable accessory is pointing them at. [Campaign log]

Last time, the party identified the culprit behind the murders in Barley and Wheat, but... well, it's complicated. The culprit was apparently being coerced by a dragon, and they managed to talk him down rather than fight. If they want that to stick, though, they'll need some kind of plan to get rid of that dragon. And... is it really worth bailing this guy out, anyway?

Saelhen, Oyobi, and Vayen all start discussing their plans in Elvish, which it doesn't seem like Arnie understands. Oyobi advocates for just killing the guy, but is a little less keen on the idea once Vayen advocates for the same. Saelhen would rather give the guy a chance, and points out that there's not much point to killing him as long as the dragon is still around- they'll need an answer for that, and the answer to a dragon is probably just as good an answer to Arnie.

Looseleaf, oblivious to their Elvish chatter, describes the basic plan to Arnie.

Arnie: "So you're, what... you're gonna get the church involved somehow? What're you gonna tell 'em?" Looseleaf: "Well, probably also Deathseekers," Looseleaf thinks, out loud. "We'll tell them there's a dragon conducting sacrificial rituals at the site of an altar to the god of pain. We'll get the church involved by virtue of proving to them that there's a dragon fucking around with divine shit, and we'll get the deathseekers involved by convincing them that there's a dragon stacked to the gills with cool magic items, which we'll prove by bringing them one of said items." "The important thing is to get going as soon as possible, right? There's a time-limit here measured in, uh... human... corpses..." Arnie: "Wait, how are you gonna get one of its magic items?" Looseleaf: "How do you think, mister 'I work for the dragon so he gave me a bunch of magic items to serve his dread will'?" "We'll bring the deathseekers that magic cloak you said you had." Arnie: "Uh, that's..." "Mine, though."

Eventually, after a persuasion roll or two, Arnie agrees to loan them the cloak, as long as it comes back in one piece. He also tells them how to safely retrieve it from the laundry room- as long as they exchange some dirty laundry for the clean cloak, they'll be happy and won't attack. He's got plenty lying around downstairs, which he heads down to grab.

While he's downstairs, the party confers, and decides to all go together to the nearest city- Cauterdale- to ask the local Deathseekers for aid. They figure Arnie's not a flight risk, since he doesn't have anywhere to run and a draconic boss who'll hunt him down if he tries.

(As they prepare to leave, a natural 20 on a perception roll alerts Looseleaf that Vayen has ransacked Lumiere's personal library, stealing- specifically- Lumiere's books on gods and divine magic, for some reason. She doesn't make any objection to this, though- Vayen's a creep, but it's not like they weren't all on board with looting the dead guy's tower.)

With Arnie's bloodstained laundry in hand, Looseleaf heads upstairs and retrieves the cloak without incident. She tries it out, and...

The result of her crit failing her Wisdom saving throw on the magic item is... nothing, apparently. That's always good to hear! The cloak appears to work exactly as intended! She's wearing a very fancy outfit.

Further experimentation reveals a few limitations- first, the cloak's shape is illusory, so it can't become armor or anything with particular utility. Second, it can get overly literal if you ask it to copy an outfit outright- you have to use your imagination properly. Third, it seems to get tired the more you ask it to change, so there's some limit on how often you can update your wardrobe. Those appear to be the only drawbacks!

So, with Arnie temporarily kept from murdering people, the party gets back on the road.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: For caution's sake, Saelhen calligraphs a piece of paper to say WE HAVE NOT BEEN TORTURED TO DEATH, and sticks it on the door on the way out.

As they make their way northeast, they make some Animal Handling checks to keep hold of their giraffes, as something seems to spook them. Looseleaf gets a critical success and is able to calm her giraffe right away... but the party ranger, who is proficient in neither Animal Handling nor Nature nor even Survival, because what kind of monster hunter needs to know that boring crap, has no idea how to handle an overexcited giraffe and is thrown from her mount with a critical failure.

Benedict I. (GM):There's a small sign by the road, heading off west towards what appears to be an actual forest. The prairie is giving way to a somewhat hillier and more forested terrain here, but the forest is thicker than anything you've seen on your way there. And as you're approaching the crossroads marked by that sign, your giraffes all try to bolt for it. Looseleaf is able to realize that they've been forced to graze on grass for miles, and when they see the trees, they get overexcited. Vayen and Oyobi get completely thrown from their mounts, and you have to follow them down the road a bit to catch up with them and rein them in. Looseleaf: Haha, oh, well, hopefully they don't try and spend the rest of the whole day grazing a pit-stop is within tolerances but we really do have to make it to Cauterdale sooner rather than later. Many lives are on the line! Saelhen du Fishercrown: Good thing Looseleaf can radiate peace at them! Benedict I. (GM): Looseleaf is able to beckon them back before they completely get out of reach, and pretty soon you've got them calmed down- but you've lost some time. There's a choice to make here, now: continue on to Cauterdale, but make the last hour or so of the journey in the dark- or rest at the location marked on the map near here.

On the map, where the sign marked "Umbrella Village" points (shut up, I don't even play Resident Evil, don't worry about it), is simply a warning that reads "EVIL WITCHES- AVOID!!!"

Oyobi and Orluthe inform the others that "witches" usually means "druids"- and Zero cashes in something from character creation. Looseleaf's background as an academic provided her with a book on some historical topic, which was never allocated because at character creation he didn't know enough about the world to decide on something interesting. Here he declares it's a book on the history of druids!

Benedict I. (GM): Druids, from what you've read, are sort of like clerics. They channel a divinity of some sort- which is typically revered as Mother Nature, or Gaia, or... every druid you meet is going to have a different name for it, because while it needs to have a thing to call it by, it is emphatically not a god. Druids have a complicated relationship with Ccorde, who's ostensibly the goddess of environmentalism and hippy communing with nature type stuff- but most druidic traditions regard this as a false claim on a divine domain. Nature is untamed and wild and exists on its own terms, a vital force that is not to be tamed with rules- people must forge their own relationships with Nature. The author of the tome you acquired was herself a cleric of Ccorde, and the tone of the book is defensive on that subject. The author's curiosity outweighed that defensiveness, though, and there's a long section dedicated to the theoretical differences between the channeling of Nature and the channeling of Ccorde- in particular, there's no common dispositional element with druids. Whatever Nature is, it's willing to act through anyone who puts in the effort. The author didn't seem to know anything about animism, but you suspect druidic practice might be related in some way- that their nature-spirit-channeling abilities may be a form of animism. The book is unfortunately light on the practical details of druidcraft, as the author prefers that the reader eschew the practice in favor of fealty to Ccorde.

Okay! So, they head down the road to stay at the druid village for the night- and notice something odd on the way, after some Nature checks. They notice that the dirt road they're going down seems to divide the forest in two- between a sparse, ivy-choked pine forest to the northeast, and a dense, healthy-looking deciduous forest to the southwest. You usually don't get such a sharp delineation between forests like that.

And Looseleaf notices... that their map doesn't show a forest on the southwest side of the road. The road is supposed to just go along the edge of the pine forest. Also, Looseleaf can see the trees' spirits there, and there's something... not quite right.

Benedict I. (GM):The left side of the woods- there does seem to be some ambient magic. Your Sight Unseen ability doesn't exactly detect magic, so much as it lets you see spirits, including the spirits of spells- but what's going on here isn't a spell effect. It's just that the spirits of these healthy-looking deciduous trees don't quite match their physical forms. Their spirits seem... sickly? Frail? Like they're not full trees, not trees that grew in their places from fallen seeds. There's something false about them.

Looseleaf: When you said 'the left side of the road is full of healthy-looking deciduous trees and the right side is full of misshaped thorny things' you know what the first thing i thought was it was, 'the left side is the dangerous side.' i didn't say it out loud but i was totally thinking that, and i am glad to have been vindicated.

The weird forest doesn't seem to be attacking them, though, so they head onward towards Umbrella Village, which seems to be built entirely on the pine side of the road. It's kind of cool-looking- every inch of available space, on the lawns, roofs, and walls, is covered in fruiting vines and various plants. The whole village is a carefully-cultivated ecosystem.

The villagers seem surprised to have visitors- apparently it's not a common occurrence. They seem normal enough, though- while they don't have an inn, they direct the party to visit the village elder, who might know where the best place for them to spend the night is.

(Oyobi once again crit-fails her Animal Handling check, and is unable to prevent her giraffe from ripping a tomato plant off the side of someone's house, which gets her scolded. Why are you a ranger, Oyobi?)

They head down to the village elder's house, which is unique in not being overgrown with crops- and knock on the door.

The door is answered by a little lizardfolk girl, who doesn't have any idea what she's supposed to do about there being... people... here? People she's never seen before? Who don't live in the village? What???

Benedict I. (GM): "...Who...?" "GRANDMAAAAA," she calls back into the room. Which she didn't really need to do so loudly, because there's an elderly lizardfolk woman sitting right there next to a small fire.

Looseleaf: Oh, and Looseleaf was about to ask if the little girl was the elder. Never let external appearances color your preconceptions, and all that. Benedict I. (GM): "Eh?" "Gramma there's Mysterious People!" "They don't exist!" The old woman gets up. "Who's... oh, visitors?" The little girl looks confused. "Vizza-what?" Looseleaf:"Indeed, we are emissaries from the Faraway Phantom Lands of Nonexistence," Looseleaf says in deadpan to the girl. "Behold as my incorporeal voice from out of the thin air astonishes you!" To the old lady, Looseleaf says. "Excuse us. You must be the elder?"

They inquire about a place to stay for the night, and the elder... checks the weather. Looseleaf, who has Druidcraft as a racial ability, also checks the weather, using a fancy little snowglobe spell!

Looseleaf: "I'unno, does this help?" Benedict I. (GM): "Oh, goodness. I thought you were from outside- do they..." "That's very well-done, really, and you smell delicious, but..." Saelhen du Fishercrown: uh Benedict I. (GM): "Well, it ought to be fine." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...hmm," says Saelhen. Benedict I. (GM): "Just put your bedrolls out anywhere- we're not doing rain tonight." "Well, anywhere in town, anyway." "You shouldn't set foot in the Mysterious Woods." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Ma'am, rest assured that we have less than no interest in Mysterious Woods."

So the party beds down in some soft pine needles, making use of Looseleaf's recently-acquired Extremely Comfy Pillow and a few bedrolls. They have a druid elder's assurance that the elements won't be a problem, so... nothing wrong with camping!

And as they're going to bed, Looseleaf rolls a 21 on Perception.

Luckily, Looseleaf fails her unarmed strike roll, which would do no damage even if it hit because her strength mod is -1. So she does not do any damage to...

Benedict I. (GM): So, you kick out at the mouth full of sharp teeth. Saelhen du Fishercrown: Fwff, goes Looseleaf's puffy moth footsie. Benedict I. (GM): The mouth full of sharp teeth goes "Eeek!" and recoils before you make impact, and you see the little lizardfolk girl scamper away into the darkness. Looseleaf: "What." "Wh- how dare you bite me! I am an emissary of the Phantom Lands and all that or whatever." "Come back here and explain yourself to My Imperial Nonexistingness!"

The little girl, affronted, explains that if she's not real, then it's not bad if she bites her!

Vayen: Vayen stirs. "...Shouldn't kill a child," he mumbles. Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...this is a new dream," remarks Saelhen. "Better than the dreams about dad." "Vayen's even deciding not to kill someone. This is super neat, subconscious, keep going."

Saelhen argues that maybe Gramma doesn't know what things taste good, because sometimes grammas think things that taste bad taste good, like bell peppers! The child has no defense against this devastating logic bomb, and scampers off into the darkness, indignant.

Next time: the journey to Cauterdale, and the menace of the bobbledragon.

[elejahfanfic]

Hello Love/2

Fanfiction

Part 2

AU story with tvd characters

Miguel Galindo x Elena Gilbert💖

Ft. Klaroline, Kennett

It's a love story -no vampires. Human.

Featuring a song by David Bisbal_Me enamore de ti

Also, Yemaya is played by Zoe Saldana.

♡□

So much is going on in this ch, there is so many characters - I hope it still has a coherent flow - 😅

Thanks for reading. 😀😘

Tag_@miguelsbrat

♤♡◇♧

Niklaus, or better known as Klaus to his family and friends, just taken a cab to take him to the Mikaelson residence.

He still wasn't sure if he made the right decision to return home after so many years abroad, where he had built a very good reputation and established himself as a prominent young architect making his firm The Wolf Group, as they called themselves, one of the very best. He left it to be run by his partner, Marcel Gerard.

It was one morning after he spoke to Miguel that he made the abrupt decision to take a sabatical year and spend time with the family. Actually, to be precise, with his siblings, as his relationship with his parents was not a good one.

***

Meanwhile

In Rebekah's office, she was looking at the photographs that were to go in the next issue.

"Get me Damon" she said to her assistant Vicki.

"Anything else?" Vicki asked.

"No. I'll be working till late, so you can go. Thanks" Rebekah said.

The eldest of them was Finn, who tragically died in a car crash, at the age 20. Niklaus was their second child. He was three years old when they adopted Miguel.

Rebekah chose to work hard to prove to her father that she can get the fashion magazine up and running and make a huge success of it when she took over. So, at work she was known as the shrew, some of her co-workers would refer to her as a blood-sucker at times. The Mikaelson family was regarded as the most ambitious when business was concerned. Their parents taught their children to be excellent, to strive to excel. To be the best. And they made them proud.

After, Kol, Rebekah and finally Henrik followed.

Miguel fell in love and chose to go to live in San Diego to work after he married. And as his wife died, instead of returning to New York, he chose to go to Mexico City. As for Klaus, after finishing his studies decided to travel the world, finally settling in Europe starting to work as an architect in a small firm.

The Mikaelsons were a big family.

But lately, work was all she had on her mind.

Damon got to her office in a little while, and as he entered the first thing she said was-

"We are professionals and personal stuff should never affect the work-still- I am going to say this, because Elena is my friend and I love her dearly - you're an asshole! If you weren't so damned good at what you do I would kick you to the curb."

"That's not bad. I kind of thought you would dagger me!" Damon said.

"Let's get to work. Look at those", she now showed what she didn't like about those photos and asked for a new photo session with the next month's cover person.

***

Elsewhere

Bonnie and Caroline met Elena for some good old retail therapy. The best remedy when trying to kinda mend a broken heart. A change in style, hair was Caroline's suggestion. Also, they all had already received an electronic invitation to the Mikaelson cocktail night. And they need great dresses for the occasion.

Elena kept quiet about her unusual meeting in the cafe.

*

In the Upper East Side, Miguel met his son at his new school. Cris as he and all his family and friends called him didn't want to go to a private school, and so Miguel enrolled him in the public school recommended by Rebekah.

Cristobal, looked a lot like his mother, very savvy, goodhearted teenager, who knew exactly what he wanted in his life. He was very close his father. The death of Emily, cut them both and glued them even more together. Sometimes Cristobal took more care of his father, than the other way around. Mostly because Miguel was very dedicated to his work.

There were certain things he still needed to do regarding the transfer, and he now dealt with all that.

"There something different about you dad" he said to him when they got out of the school.

"In what way?" Miguel looked surprised at his son.

"I don't know.  But- different! You have a happy face."

"I have a happy face?"

"Yes. Usually it's - just serious." Cristobal said as he opened the car door.

Miguel looked at the watch and he had promised their housekeeper Senora Vega that they would be on time for the evening dinner. "Come on, we are late."

And there was a certain truth, he felt different. The woman Elena that he had met in the cafe was not getting out of his head. He had not felt a tingle in his heart for a woman for a very long time.

***

Greenich Village

Elena returned home later that evening and looked at the dress she chose for the cocktail party. Then at her new hairstyle, running her hands through them, inhaling deeply.

"Stop it!" she said to herself in the mirror, "stop thinking about him. Don't need anyone right now. Good-he looked so good in the three-piece suit- too good. "I am going crazy- what's wrong with me?!"

This man was not even her type. She prefered guys in jeans, with a badboy vibe about them. 'Mike' was completely the opposite. What was happening to her. Rebound thoughts. Totally crazy. Sliding the dress safely into the small closet, she went to the living room and put one of her mix playlists on.

Taking her laptop, she made hetself comfortable on the sofa. It was time to do some work. Lena's Cookie website needed updating. Browsing through the photos of her recent cookie creations made her stumble on a few she had done for her friend Yemaya's birthday. Though she was from Brasil, she was very much into mexican art and so she had requested mexican sugar cookies for her birthday fiesta.

Thinking of 'Mike', she looked up a recipe from her notes.

Me enamoré de ti, jamás lo imaginaba

Que algun día yo, de amor iba a vivir

***

A couple of blocks away

"Move in with me" he blurted out inbetween kisses and half way to bed disregarding supper.

"Enough of work." Bonnie said closing Kol's laptop nestling comfortably on his lap, pulling him into a kiss.

Kol finished writing the draft of his last research paper.  Bonnie sneaked up on at him with a trey of food and wine.

"Who is joking? Move in with me. I'm serious. I want you here - all the time. It's crazy paying for two apartments, sleeping ovet here- there."

"Ok," Bonnie said,"yeah, let's be practical"

"This is not about being practical," Kol drew his fingers up her cheeks, looking at her dreamily, "I really want you here with me all the time."

"When you look at me that way, I could never say no."

"You drive me crazy" Kol smiled, "At times I can't believe you are real - and you are with me"

"Shut up and kiss me" Bonnie pressed her forfinger on his lips.

She was a person so very open hearted, giving and so loving. He met her accidently, so he thought, as he waited for Rebekah to meet him for lunch at the bar. He didn't know that the Rebekah and the others set Bonnie and he up on a blind date. He complained to Rebekah that he had no luck in the love department and that he had enough of dates that led to nowhere.

He kissed her, and he took that as a 'yes'.

***

Stefan met his fellow journalist Yemaya for a last minute check before he gave in his article for print.

"Stop joking"

"Want to grab a drink?" he asked casually.

"Just one!" she stressed out, "Last night I had one too many"

"Wow- in the middle of the week ?!"he teased her as he knew her rule not to drink during the week.

"We took Elena out to kick her shoes off. She was really down."

"I heard," Stefan said, "I cannot make excuses for my brother, he is not bad-but he makes hell of mistakes."

"All the time!" Yemaya added.

"Yeah, but I am not really into the Damon- Elena talk. Actually, I need a date for a cocktail party?!"

"You got invited too?!" Yemaya was surprised.

"Maybe it was some mistake, but it came from Mikael's official e-mail!" Stefan said.

"Yes. I would like to be your date!" Yemaya accepted happily.

"Good!"- Stefan smiled, and  now waited for her to finish off what she was doing.

 ***

Days went by in a flash, and everyone had mostly work on their mind. Well, not everyone. Elena had something else on her mind, or rather someone else.

The Mikaelson cocktail party started to be the thing everyone started to talk about.

Esther and Rebekah were deeply immersed in the event. Everything had to be perfect.

Esther had invited all her family for a family brunch the day before.

Kol, Miguel and Cristobal arrived an hour before the meal. Cristobal immediately went with Henrik, who was two years older than him and that was a bit strange as he was in actual fact his uncle.

"What is not weird with this family" Cristobal said looking at Henrik wide-eyed.

"I kind of have to get to know Klaus and Miguel- they look too serious" Henrik said.

"Dad can be fun-he just doesn't like to show it much!" Cristobal explained. "Show me the last vynils you’ve bought."

"Come on" Henrik said gesturing to follow him to his room.

*

Rebekah walked in the living room all chirpy, "Gossiped much?!"

"No. Why would you think so?" Klaus said. "Then you have changed- you always had something smart to say about me"

"I did hear already comments about what a dragon you are at work, " Klaus teased, "it's only fashion, but I guess it has to be run with military precision. Father must be very proud!"

"There-you see" Rebekah looked at Miguel, who wanted to stay out of it.

"I hear you have new friends," Klaus said,"kicked the old snobby ones to the curb, I hear"

"I am sick of her snoby friends- yes-I have managed to make proper friends, and if you behave, maybe I will introduce them to you!" Rebekah shot back at her brother tapping him on the shoulder.

Esther walked into the Salon and there was gladness in her heart. All her children were there, and that was a rare occasion in the last years.

Her husband now joined them and they sat down for a very different brunch they all were used to. It was warm, chatty and quite lively.

Esther was counting her blessings, though her heart was not entirely at ease.

***

The next day, the pre-cocktail buzz was already in full flow with both the hosts as well as their invites.

Caroline talked to Elena over the phone about the cocktail party and Klaus.

"He looks really good," Caroline said, "you should check his site- he has done some amazing stuff."

"Caroline, you are telling me that I get into things head over heals like instantly. Rebekah is great, but he is a Mikaelson. Do you really want to get involved with one of them?"

"Elena, I know what you're thinking. Too close to home. Could mess up a great friendship if things go bad"

"Not thinking anything. Ok. I got to go. See you later"

"I will pick you up," Caroline said, "oh, I went back and changed the dress. I am wearing the blue dress - right- Jess is hear to do my hair. I will see you soon."

"Ok." Elena put the phone down.

Elena went to do her hair and make up herself. She was good in anything creative. She decided to wave it a bit and pin one side. She was going for a more natural look, and yet looking glam.

Simplicity has always been her motto. And yet, everything she did never looked simple. From her range of cookies to her relationships. 

The door bell went and Elena was surprised to see Yemaya at the door. She had already been ready and dressed.

"Hey- Sorry. I just had to come" the woman stormed in.

Elena could see that her friend was all flustered. Something major must have happened for her to be coming and not calling.

Elena now waited to hear her spill the beans.

"Ok -I am going to say it- huh- I slept with Stefan. We went for a drink and it was just one drink -and we talked and he drove me home and then we kissed and then we kissed some more and- you know the rest."

Elena didn't understand what was so bad about it. He and Yemaya were work collegues. And that is exactly now what was Yemaya's concern.

"I said I would never get involved with someone I work with."

"Shall I guess what you told him in the morning?! Exactly that?! Right?"

Yemaya nodded. 

***

In the Mikaelson Mansion, Esther Mikaelson was going through the list with her personal party organizer for the afternoon cocktail party the family was hosting for an exlusive charity event for the hospital Miguel and Kol worked for. Just one look from her said volumes when she was displeased with something. When her favourite sister died in the car crash, everyone thought that she would retreat and never come back, as she did go away for a year to grieve and be by herself. The grief changed something in her, she became a recluse, but adopting Miguel, brought her back to life. As he now walked out into the garden, greeting her with a small kiss on the cheek.

"How are you, querida madre?"

"Very well - even better now that you and Cristobal are here." Esther replied.

"This looks beautiful. Thank you for doing this."

"Darling, it is nothing. It's my pleasure. Where is Cristobal?"

"With Henrik" Miguel said and now greeted Kol and Bonnie.

Kol then went on to introduce Bonnie to Klaus and Miguel. Rebekah quickly snatched Bonnie away from the men.

"So, I'm hearing wedding bells from the distance!" Klaus teased Kol.

"Unlike you, I actually want one woman for myself!" Kol threw back at him.

"You haven't changed at all!" Klaus said. "I will leave you two to discuss whatever medical thing you will discuss"

"Bonnie" Miguel started, " she seems to be lovely!"

"What about you? Are you never going to find someone again?” Kol asked his brother.

"I don't know," Miguel said, "maybe"

"What does that mean? Have you met somebody?" Kol continued with the quizzing. "Dr Ruben has set her eyes on you. She's been asking me if you were dating anyone?"

"Please don't play the matchmaker." Miguel warned.

"Don't worry -"

Cris and Henrik came up to them and Kol now turned to them, quizzing them about the band they were forming.

The guest started arriving and Cris now observed how Esther and Mikael, together with Rebekah glided among the guests and how masterfully they played the hosts.

Damon and Stefan arrived together. Krystal made a solo appearance. 

Elena, Yemaya and Caroline entered like a grand trio.

Rebekah was there like a shot and greeted her friends.

"Who invited Krystal?" Caroline shot at Rebekah straight out seeing the woman mingling with some of the guests.

"Father's office - she is the best model and it's about business -if you thought that this was a family thing only, then you are mistaken -come on -let me introduce you to Miguel and Klaus."

Elena's heart dropped when she heard the name, but when she actually saw that it was the man she had met in the cafe, her heart started beating uncontrollably. She tried to keep her composure as Rebekah officially now introduced them.

"Hello" Miguel said, curling a smile at the brunette.

"Hello" Elena muttered and smiled back at him, “I thought your name is Mike?!”

"Uhm - it's Miguel - when we were kids Rebekah would call me Mikey - uhm - I don’t know why I introduced myself using my childhood nickname - just felt like - I suppose being back in New York”

"Oh, you've met?" Rebekah said slightly wide-eyed.

"Yes- a few days ago" Miguel said, his eyes still fixed on Elena.

Se pinta de colores toda mi alma

Con esa dulce luz de tu mirada

Y al verte sonreír, vuelvo a tener fe

Elena nodded, confirming it was so, looking at her friend and then at the suave looking cardiologist.

The waitress with champagne cocktails approached them and Miguel now took the glasses and offered one to her.

"Strawberry Bellini! I think you will like it." Miguel said to the brunette.

"Thank you!" Elena took the glass. She was at ease now. His charm just enveloped her and she didn't care anymore that she had seen Damon and Krystal at the party.

Not standing far from them, Caroline already chatted with Klaus as if they knew eachother forever. He offered her a Mimosa cocktail. 

"You are looking in the direction of that brunette like she had done something to you so disgracefully" Klaus commented since Caroline looked at Krystal off and on.

_ to be continued

[alj4890]

And Then I Met You

Part 20

What happens when the one you thought you were meant for turns out to be meant for someone else?

A\N Choices Fan Fiction with characters from The Royal Romance, Red Carpet Diaries, and Perfect Match.

@lxaah11 @alleksa16 @penguininapinktuxedo @blackcoffee85 @stopforamoment @cocomaxley @darley1101 @hopefulmoonobject   @krsnlove @littleblossom357   @annekebbphotography @gibbles82  @cora-nova @bella-ca  @hopelessromantic1352 . @sunflowergirl05 @desiree-0816 @greywitchyshots @lilyofchoices @emceesynonymroll @dr-nancy-house @lolablackwrites 

Masterlist

Part 20

St. Orella, Cordonia

"Timing is key." Holly whispered to Ryan.

"I know." He whispered back. He straightened his shoulders and fixed the cravat tied intricately.

Lauren walked carefully downstairs in the gown she would wear for the duel scene. She carried a heavy fur lined velvet cloak over her arm. Her golden brown hair was piled high on her head with silk ribbons and pins. 

"Well?" She performed a slow twirl before them once she was downstairs.

"It will do." Holly answered, causing Lauren to glare at her.

"If Thomas were here, he would have replied differently." Lauren informed her.

"You're right. He would have said, hurry up and take your mark!" Holly smiled up at Addison coming down with Chris. "The costumes are perfect!"

"Thank you! I am so happy at how they turned out." She reached over and brushed lint off of Chis's arm.

Holly's critical eye swept the three. As much as she loathed to admit it, Lauren did look perfect for the part. Her natural, stunning beauty seemed to be created for regency romances. Holly posed them before the large fireplace, snapping some pictures for Thomas's approval.

"I can't wait to hear his comments." Lauren said. "Though I do wonder if he will even get the photos."

"Why do you say that?" Chris asked.

"He hasn't answered his calls nor responded to text messages. It is either his phone has no signal wherever he is or someone is keeping him from answering."

Holly bit her tongue to keep from snapping at her. Addison on the other hand casually shrugged. "He answered me."

"What? When?!" Lauren narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm. First time was yesterday after the interview. Then after dinner when I needed approval for a color change for one of Ryan's jackets." She turned big, innocent blue eyes to the starlet. "Why Lauren, you look like you don't feel well."

Lauren's face was nearly magenta. "He answered your calls?"

"Of course." Addison responded in a chipper tone.

Holly kept her head down as she sent the photos, trying not to laugh. She smiled when Thomas text immediately back. All of his comments were directed toward Addison's creations rather than the actors themselves. He even added Amanda's approval and praise. Holly showed them to the group, smirking when Lauren demanded that Addison come upstairs to help take everything off.

Chris and Ryan moved closer to Holly when the other two left. "When is Olivia expected with the distraction?" Chris whispered.

"Sometime today. Drake sent a text, letting me know that the earl had arrived." Holly whispered back.

Ryan's features hardened. "Drake texts you?"

"Yep." Holly was oblivious to the handsome actor. Her attention rose to the window when she heard a car door shut. "They're here! Remember what we practiced." She whispered, grabbing their arms on the way out of the room.

Olivia walked in flanked by two men. One had a disgusted look on his face while the other looked around curiously. Holly hoped the more pleasant one was Neville.

"Holly," Olivia greeted. "I believe I found two gentlemen to assist in your little project. Neither wants Cordonia to come out looking like some backwards, ridiculous country on the screen."

"Indeed." Muttered the disgusted man. "If Lady Amanda's story is anything like her, then I am more than willing to correct it."

"Watch yourself, Neville." Olivia hissed.

A snirl of derision formed on his lip before looking up at the stairs. Addison nearly bounced down the steps in excitment with Lauren following. "Olivia!" The bubbly costume designer called out.

"Oh good lord." Olivia muttered. "Yes, I'm here."

Lauren smiled warmly at the two men. "Good afternoon."

Olivia waved her hands toward them. "Everyone allow me to present Lord Neville Vancoeur, future Earl of Cormery Isle, and this is Lord Tariq Bisset, Viscount of Aurelis."

Lauren's eyes flashed with interest. She dipped into a perfect curtsy before them. "Lord Vancoeur, Lord Bisset it is a pleasure."

Neville took her hand and pressed a kiss. Tariq followed suit.

"I must say, I did not expect to find a true lady here." Neville said with approval of her correct manners.

Lauren lowered her lashes in mock modesty. "You do me a great honor, my lord."

"I know I do." He offered his arm to her. "Shall we find somewhere to sit and see what questions I can answer?"

"Thank you, Lord Vancoeur." She slipped her arm in his. Tariq followed behind with Chris and Ryan. Olivia paused beside Holly. "Stage one has commenced. I brought two to look less obvious and in case she didn't care for one, there is always the other." She walked in and sat down.

Addison surreptitiously squeezed Holly's hand and walked in to retrieve Chris and Ryan's jackets to finish adding a few more embellishments.

Holly took a deep breath and sent a text to Drake. It's begun.

__________________

A few hours later in Northern Cordonia

Amanda stretched and rolled over into Thomas's arms. "I didn't expect you to come up with an idea so quickly of what we should do while it stormed."

He smiled at her teasing before kissing her. "I wouldn't mind if this became our chosen activity whenever it rains."

She laughed and snuggled closer. "I love your ideas."

"I love that you indulge them." He closed his eyes, hugging her closer against his body. "Should we stay here another night or try and reach Olivia's early?"

"Hmm." She pressed her lips to his neck. "I don't know if you should ask me that while we are in this position."

He rolled her quickly onto her back smiling at her laughter. "I think that settles it." His lips met hers in a steamy exchange. "We wait until tomorrow as originally planned."

He looked up and growled in frustration when he heard a phone vibrating. He snatched his phone to turn it off when he realized it wasn't his. "Amanda, I think it's yours this time."

She sat up and reached over, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "It's Olivia. She wants to confirm that we are definitely coming tomorrow." Amanda quickly typed out that they were still planning to and were spending the night in a town about six hours from Lythikos.

She set it down and giggled when Thomas moved her back where she had been before they had been disturbed. Her arms slipped around his neck when his lips softly moved over hers.

_________________

A few more hours later in St Orella, Cordonia

"Lady Amanda never explained all that you have, my lord." Lauren gushed. "You have such a vast understanding of what we should demonstrate while playing these lords and lady." She shyly offered her hand to him when he rose to leave. "I wish we had more time together so I could learn from you."

Neville smiled with a hint of condescension. "It shows how intelligent you are to recognize my superior knowledge and mannerisms." His eyes traveled down her body. "I suppose I could indulge you and stay for a few days."

Lauren placed her hand over her heart. "Oh! Thank you, my lord! You have no idea how happy you have made me." Her smile was a touch flirtatious. "Perhaps, if you have the time, we could have dinner together."

Tariq spoke up next to them. "Of course we will, right Neville?"

Neville and Lauren looked at him in surprise, having forgotten he was there. "Er, of course."

Olivia rolled her eyes and turned to Ryan and Chris. "Come on boys. I will work with you and show you a few tricks with fencing that will stun your fans."

Lauren fought her smile and playfully pouted. "You won't join us?"

Olivia mimicked her pout. "Aww, how precious. No. We won't join you." With a flick of her hand she waved goodbye.

Holly's eyes widened when the groups separated. Once Lauren had left with Neville and Tariq, she rushed into the ballroom where Olivia was fencing with Ryan.

"Shouldn't you have gone with them?" She asked, worried their plan might fall apart.

Olivia lowered her rapier and raised the protective mask. "No. It would have been more suspicious if I had spent anymore time around that snake Neville. Trust me. Tariq and Neville will never let a lady escape if she remotely gives them a compliment."

Holly relaxed hearing that. "Okay. When does stage two begin?"

Olivia checked the time and smiled. "Less than twelve hours."

_________________

Lythikos, Cordonia the next afternoon

"This is beautiful." Thomas took in Olivia's large manor nestled in a snowy valley.

Amanda breathed in the cold air and smiled. "Over there is the way to an ice pond where we would all gather as children and skate. Maxwell broke his leg skiing down that mountain. Drake broke his arm hurrying over to help him. I received my first kiss on that ski lift."

Thomas chuckled. "Who was your first kiss?"

"He was a visiting diplomat's son. He was fifteen and I was fourteen and Olivia purposely stopped the ski lift to give us time alone. She knew I had developed a crush on him." Amanda laughed at the memory and shook her head. "Olivia has been known to go to the extremes to get me and whatever man I like alone."

Thomas wrapped his arm around her as they trudged toward the manor. "Good to know in case I ever find myself trapped with you."

Amanda squeezed his waist in a side hug. "I don't think you have to worry about that happening. She only did it if I had not admitted to liking him." She sighed in contentment when he kissed her forehead.

Olivia greeted the couple and ushered them into a small sitting room she preferred using when those she was closest to visited. "I prepared a hot toddy to warm you up."

She handed Thomas and Amanda the steamy drink. Both thanked her and sat down at her urging while they sipped the hot alcoholic drink.

Olivia listened to them describe the places they had stopped at and were considering for the movie. She asked questions and watched as Amanda's eyes drooped closed after setting her empty mug down. Thomas's words began to slur. Olivia snagged his empty glass when he slumped back on the couch.

"Harris!" She yelled out to her butler. He walked in and bowed.

"Get Williams and the others. We have to work fast." She smiled down at Amanda's unconscious form. "I'm not sure how long they will be out, but I believe we have a good four hours."

_________________

Olivia walked into her home, shook the snow from her clothes, and sent a group text. Stage two complete.

_________________

Six hours later, A lone cabin ???

Thomas sat up and held his head as the room spun. He tried to stand up and grabbed the bedpost. Once he knew he wouldn't fall, he looked around. When had he and Amanda gone to a cabin? He looked down at the bed where Amanda lay. Her clothes and jacket were still on. He stumbled over to her and tried to wake her.

"Amanda!" He felt panic set in when she was unresponsive. He leaned close to her mouth and nose and felt her slow deep breaths. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tried to call Holly. The call failed. He searched Amanda for hers and tried to make a call. Nothing.

"Dammit!" He shook Amanda. "Wake up! Please be alright." He swallowed nervously, tasting the bitter aftertaste of the drink Olivia had given them. He let go of Amanda and clutched his head when it spun suddenly. Had Amanda’s friend done this to them?

Amanda let out a groan when Thomas tried a third time to wake her up. Her eyelashes fluttered open and she clutched her head. "Stop shaking me!"

He sat down beside her. "Thank God. I--" he swallowed again.

She sat up slowly and pressed her head to his shoulder. "What did we do?"

"I don't know. The only thing I can remember is talking to Olivia."

Amanda looked up and her eyes widened at their surroundings. "Oh no." She scrambled off the bed and tripped on the braided rug, hitting the closed door.

Thomas tried to catch up with her when she ripped the door open and hurried out. She lost her footing a couple of times going downstairs but stopped when she saw the letter on an end table.

She picked it up and read Olivia's elegant script. "No. No. NO!"

"What is it?" Thomas asked once reaching her side.

"Olivia decided to give us a wedding present." Amanda answered.

"Why does this sound like I am not going to want to hear what it is?" Thomas asked.

"This is our gift." Amanda held her hands out.

"The cabin?" Thomas looked around. It was sparse with furniture yet the pieces appeared to be comfortable and luxurious.

"Yes. Time here with each other." Amanda muttered, glaring at the place.

"A night or two here won't be so bad." Thomas said, walking to the kitchen.

Amanda's slightly hysterical laugh stopped him. "It isn't for a day or two."

"How long?" Thomas could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise when he looked out the window and saw nothing but snow covered wilderness lit by moonlight.

"She said two weeks to a month." Amanda crumpled the letter and tossed it into the fire burning in the fireplace. "We're trapped here until she thinks it is time to pick us up."

[wendydarling823]

How to fix public education?

The reason for the question mark is 2-fold

1) I want to know other people’s ideas and theories.  I can’t get enough of articles of teachers who have left the profession pre-retirement because they have snapped under the weight of the problems in our schools.  These are the people that know what’s wrong because we are in those trenches every day.  Don’t ask a superintendent or a SBoE rep how to fix schools - they’re the ones doing the breaking.  Ask the teachers.

2) My ideas are only based off of what I’ve seen and read.  I’ve taught in public school for 4 years.  I’ve worked in public schools for 10 years.  I’ve worked with children for 16 years.  I know a lot, but obviously I don’t know everything.

So, how do we fix education?  Longest freaking post I’ve ever written.

1) Spend money, obviously.  But what the money goes for has to be taken into consideration.  You don’t need to fund a program for high schools to have a 1:1 Chromebook to student ratio - these kids are carrying computers in their pockets.  You don’t need to spend thousands on a boxed curriculum unless your teachers have tried it and specifically ask for it because they believe it will help the students they have in front of them.  You don’t need to hire a superintendent for each high school feeder zone AND a district superintendent, plus 20 other administrators in between and off to the sides.  So what should the money go for?

A) Teachers.  

i) Reduce class sizes hire more teachers so teachers have fewer kids in a class at a time.  When your child is struggling to learn, do you put them in a class with 20 other kids?  No, you pay for one-on-one or at least small group support.  At the very least, there should be more teacher’s aides.  Hell, student teaching should be a paid internship when that teacher is in my room every day.    

ii) Pay teachers more.  We have a college degree, often advanced degrees, we are constantly earning more hours of professional development and honing our craft (because it is a craft) but we are being paid like (paid) interns or apprentices.  Compared to other jobs with commensurate degrees and experience, we are paid nearly 20% less.  And we pour our money right back into our jobs to buy things we want/need to make our classrooms comfortable, effective, and fun for ourselves and our kids.

B) Books.  I started to type “and supplies” and then I realized that books are a category of their own.  What determines a child’s success later in life more than any other factor?  Number of books in the home, and whether parents read to them.  We can’t barge into houses armed with books and force parents to sit at their kids’ besides and do the voices for the characters.  But we can do that for them at school - we can make libraries into palaces, we can work with the city library to get a bookmobile that visits every neighborhood zoned for our schools and we can gift books to children that they can keep forever.  Hell, Dolly Parton will send your child 60 books (1X a month every month until they are 5), we can do that.

C) Supplies.  Paper.  Pencils.  Manipulatives. Markers, paint, glue, scissors.  The basic supplies of an art room for the purpose of giving every student the opportunity to CREATE.  A dedicated closet or cart of everyday items that students can view with new eyes.  Is that a Q-tip for cleaning out your ears?  Or is it a bunch of bones you can use to recreate the skeleton of that stegosaurus you read about in your book?  The supplies for the creation of writing, the creation of art, the free space to work out a math problem and show every step of your thinking.  Some schools have so much they waste it, other schools don’t have enough.

D) Technology*  The star is because the current model is ‘technology for technology’s sake,’ and that’s wasteful and also reductive.  These kids have phones and tablets, they are digital natives.  They know how to use computers for writing, computation, research, slideshows, video production.  Show them what else they can do!  Teach them to design. To compose music, to edit and add effects.  Yes, let them learn to code if they want to, but don’t force it.  A friend of mine wrote a grant to get a 3D printer in her school, and she got it, but not a single other teacher was interested in learning how to use it so they could teach their kids.  Spend the tech money on things that will prepare students for the real jobs of the future.

2) When you spend the money, spend it fairly.  Not equally, fairly, justly.  My school district is decently sized.  Theoretically, every person who owns property zoned for our district is paying their tax dollars into a single fund that is being spent per student, right?  But even inside our district limits there are schools so poor the teachers don’t even have a supply closet of basics (I’m talking printer paper, staples, paperclips) and schools so rich the teachers get $400 to spend on their classrooms.  Why?  Because the poor school is in the part of town that is mostly low income, and the rich school is in a master-planned community that gets money from the HOA foundation and has a PTA that can do the old “Spend money to make money” method of fundraising.  It’s funny, because the poor school is poor enough to get extra money because they are poor (Title I), but it’s still not as much as the rich school is getting. 

3) RESPECT. YOUR. TEACHERS.  Sure, paying them, making their classes smaller, and giving them the tools they need is a big part of respecting them, but there are other components.  

A) Respect a teacher who says that a student is creating a bad environment, even if that student has a behavior plan.  We’ve pushed the LRE (least restrictive environment) for a couple of decades now, and for the most part it is a very important thing to honor.  Kids who point and gawk a at a student in a wheelchair or with leg braces or who has Downs or CP are kids who’ve been taught to view that population as “other”.  They should have kids of all abilities in their classrooms to foster community and empathy, and because all should be welcome to the table of education.  However, when a student is able to terrorize a classroom, physically injure or attack a teacher or another student, and get off with little more than some isolation in the office, and then appear back in class the next day, you’ve created a restricting environment for the other 19 kids, and the teacher.  The teacher is walking on eggshells so the student doesn’t throw a chair or shove another student, and boundaries are not set or enforced.  The students hold their breath each time this child speaks, wondering if this is the point where they have to have class in the hallway while their peer turns all the desks over and makes it rain crayons. 

B) Respect a teacher who says that not every part of this curriculum is appropriate, and fills in the gaps with things that are.  Tina Fey says, “In most cases, being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.” You ostensibly hired that teacher because they demonstrated an ability to understand and teach the standards, manage a classroom, make learning accessible, whatever it is that they bring to the table. Lessons in a box are a product sold to make money for someone.  They can be an ingredient in a recipe, they are not the only thing you serve or the only store you shop at.  Respect a teacher who knows from experience and backs it up with research.  You will not teach every 5-6 year old how to read right away.  Some are just not ready yet. Not every student develops the same way at the same time, so why would they learn the same way at the same time? And why, when the studies show that early childhood is birth through age 8, would you expect Kindergarten kids to sit at a desk all day reading and writing?  They should be learning through play.  Respect a teacher who wants to introduce more banned/challenged books to her literature circles.  Respect a teacher who challenges the set curriculum when they know it is what’s best for their kids, and FOR PETE’S SAKE ask the teachers who are STILL. IN. THE. CLASSROOMS. for their input in adopting curriculum standards. If I had my way, any person who makes decisions regarding schools, whether it’s a principal, a superintendent, or a member of the SBoE would have to re-enter the classroom every 10 years.  Sort of like recertifying.  They want to issue rulings and set standards?  They better know what that’s going to look like on the most micro level.  Once a year, every decade, they must teach a class or a section of a subject  in order to keep being in charge of making decisions.

C) Respect a teacher against a parent. You don’t work in customer service, you don’t owe it to the parent to bend over backwards to make them happy.  When mama bear comes roaring using the “B” word (bullying), ask them to sit down with the teacher and make it clear that you trust the teacher and her handling of the situation. When you do have to intervene, make sure that teacher knows you have their back.

4) Shift the entire cultural narrative to valuing education and educated people, build schools that are places of value to a community (and hey, the school can be a community center after hours, so long as classroom hallways are locked up).  Public school is not just a babysitter for your kids until they turn 18, it should be treated as their job and their responsibility.  It should be able to teach them things they will really need - social skills, survival skills, basic home economics, finance, SEX ED and actual health.  It should offer creative outlets for everyone - art, music, theater, dance, woodworking, metal shop.  Learning should be given as a right but revered as a privilege.  That starts with all of us right now.    

[fulcrum-agent]

8: What is one mistake you've made while roleplaying?

This is super personal, so it’s going under a cut.

Since towards the end of SWG’s original height, near the time City of Heroes launched, but before EQ2 landed, the person I was dating and living with brought up the idea of having our characters in different MMOs become couples.

It wasn’t all that much of a mistake, initially. Even though he and I parted ways, it didn’t have many immediate effects.

By GW2 and SW: TOR, I got into a fairly long term (10 years) relationship again with my first fiancee. Initially, we were in different states, so we made our TOR characters a couple - our group did about 2 years of pre-game RP - though that didn’t happen in GW2 because I nope out on Asura in that manner unless I’m playing an Asura.

And that’s where things became a long, spiralling mistake. Through several games, up till the relaunch of XIV, our main characters were always romantically involved.

Fast forward a bit to December 2013. I met someone in XIV who ended up becoming my main’s oathsworn (she’s not one for marriage, at all). He lived here in the same state as I do, just two hours away, so the fiancee and I went to meet him; sometime within that month, he became part of the Household, and we started dating OOC. My fiancee liked him well enough, but always was a touch wary of him; I wasn’t sure why till after a car wreck in November 2016.

He showed us an image of himself as a teenager/young 20 year old, and he looked uncannily like the person who high-level gaslighted me as a young teen (which is another story for another time). That was only rather reinforced during the next election primaries, as my CPTSD was shot from the car wreck, and I had a night terror that was almost entirely realistic (pro tip - if you get night terrors never use sleep masks because instead of the shadowy shapes you see in normal night terrors, it reverts to REM level image creation).

The night terror was that someone had come into my room, then got into the bed, and was forcibly turning me towards them, then trying to pull me to them in a very possessive, domineering manner. The face was obscured because there was bright light in the room behind him (as it I was apparently aware it was midday), but it was impossible to tell if it was the person who gaslighted me (one of the politicians here has a name from that mess, I don’t deal well with political season here) and the guy I met in XIV.

He was very good at manipulation, he was very mentally abusive. After my fiancee moved back home for a job in September 2014, this guy only got worse with the abuse. Although I had been gaslighted as a teen, the textbook type of gaslighting is a tad unfamiliar to me; after you have someone nearly hardwire your reality into something that almost belongs in a novel, it’s actually pretty fucking hard to recognise lesser abuse.

This person was also exceptionally controlling, telling me how to run my FC even after he’d stopped being an officer. Telling me how to write stories for the FC RPs, and getting super passive-aggressive if I didn’t agree to it, rather than trying to hash out better ideas together. He also was so insecure - coupled with his controlling nature, mind you - that he basically forced every single one of my character into some sort of relationship RP, and threw fits if it seemed like the few who weren’t attached got into relationship RP; after any one of them seemed to be getting romantically involved with someone, he rather pushed one of his characters into romancing that character, until I’d relent to it.

Initially, I wasn’t so bothered by it, I’d RP’d relationships with people I’d dated before at that point, and the time spent with my fiancee before this all happened had started conditioning me into it. It was after the first time this person demanded I stopped RP’ing with someone that things started to bother me.

Unfortunately, with this person, it all became conditioned into me. I tried several times to untangle my characters after we started having massive fights - which he never got into a fight with me unless we were alone, another massive manipulator/gaslighting trick - because at that point, he wasn’t playing XIV much, and because of the car wreck in 2016, he’d moved into the other room because I literally could not be touched without massive pain (well, more than usual, fuck you fibromyalgia). I wanted to be able to continue growth with my characters, especially my main character, but any progress I made lead to him having a fit over it, and another fight.

He also always insisted things weren’t as bad as they seemed. He used a borderline personality disorder trait, splitting, against me; he’d claim he hadn’t done anything terrible, and that I was just splitting - however, largely, I learned to handle my issues with splitting in the early 2000s, after I learned I had BPD, though admittedly, his shite made it very difficult not to have splitting occur more frequently.

Eventually, someone very dear to me was on Discord with me while I was laid up from a surgery. The kindness and caring that person was showing me had been waking me up to what was going on. The day this occurred, there had been a horrible fight before the guy left for work, cus I could literally not do anything, and had an issue with the bedding, and he flipped out about absolutely having to stay home and fix it when I could have just waited by going to sleep in a lazy-boy downstairs - which I had told him, but he made the almost executive decision to deal with it himself.

After my fiancee, our future houseboy, and this person saw what I wrote out to describe it, I managed to explain what happened to my mum, and when this guy got home that day, she told him he had to move out.

The freak out he had over that was amazing. He came upstairs, heard me laughing with the dearheart who was trying to help me get back to being at least mentally/emotionally functional, and just demanded I get off the call. He refused to accept the 24 hour rule, or that I actually did not feel up to it. I was so freaked out, that I didn’t disconnect the Discord call properly, I just pulled the headset out.

Little did myself and that dearheart know, at the time, but that flips Discord into speakerphone; he muted his mic, and listened to the whole incident. This guy yelled at me, demeaned me, and bullied me into a grand maul panic attack in which I lost the ability to speak, and even move. And instead of backing off, he threatened to get my panic medication and force the conversation to continue. I can’t even remember what caused him to back off from it, but he did. Plugged the headset back in, and found out that it never disconnected, and everything was finally heard.

That single thing snapped the last chain keeping me from ending things with that person. It took him a couple of months to move out, and he was still very aggressive frequently; I had to go to Philly for an appointment, and he was being so aggressive about spending the day there even though I had planned to spend time with the person who overheard the fight via Discord, the nurse took me back to the room, and immediately asked me about domestic violence (and that was really the first time I had a good cry about it - the appointment ended up being 2 hours, because their DVU came to talk to me).

I didn’t often take it laying down. I basically became a tiger that got cornered - I would unsheathe the claws, and lash out, in an attempt to get him to back away from me, frequently. Towards the end, I was having to do so several times a week. But it was either fight back, or be totally undone. Literally, the only thing that ever worked to stop him was psychological warfare.

However, even after all that, I discovered that what he did with XIV (in particular) had left some pretty lasting ramifications.

The first of which is that I discovered that it had literally become hardwired into my brain that the game is experienced with your significant other. I get extreme anxiety about things when someone I’m with has their characters romantically involved with others - which the fact that it’s a thing pisses me off greatly. For a time, I also had issues bothering with the MSQ, because that was something that was done with the ex for basically four years; that’s gotten significantly better, as I’ve done the past two patches without someone going through them with me.

The weirdness about character relationships isn’t going away though, even when the other person is only doing it 100% IC. I’m trying to break out of that mindset, but it’s fucking difficult as hell.

I also now get massive anxiety when a stranger starts any sort of flirty or romantic RP towards my characters. Even people I’ve known a few months trigger that anxiety. Because I don’t want them to do what the ex did again, now that I’ve figured out the lasting repercussions.

So, after all that, I feel like ever getting involved with relationship RP with someone I was dating was a huge mistake.

Thanks for the ask, @vianne-solainteau - sorry it was so ah…heavy.

[themadameditor]

This summer is a special one for me, because last summer I was in hospital for most of it and spent the rest of it on steroids and a host of there medications, swollen like a blowfish, and getting better. I am still in the course of treatment, but a long way away from where I was last year, feeling much, much, MUCH better, and planning to live every freaking moment of the summer and beyond. I am not a huge fan of the summer, the heat on my skin, the humidity; Britain has the most humid summers… but I vividly remember myself last year hoping and praying that if I make it out I would live that cliche of living my best life. And I’m trying y’all, I really am.

This summer has been glorious, actual sunshine and heat, hotter than an Indian summer if you’ll believe that and come the first of August we are counting down the days to Autumn zooming right past it to the thick of winter. By the end of August we are talking back to school and back to real life for parents and children and the grind of things. But we have now before then, so let’s plan to live the hell out of the summer and make some good memories that can keep us going till the next summer. As I type this, it is pouring down with rain outside my window, bang in the middle of this blazing summer we have torrential rain and thunder storms but I am not mad at the in the least, we need the rain, farmers need it for the soil to keep feeding us good food in season, we need the rain to clean all the humidity and gunk from the pollution the earth is suffering.

This list is a guideline, if you do one thing on it fabulous. Ten? Grand. All? Fantastic. the aim is to live your best life, (said in my best Oprah voice). So let’s get right on into it shall we?

1. Sleep In: August is heaven for everyone, everywhere, no school in session, family holidays, blissful commute into work because trains are not crowded…it is the perfect month to sleep in and catch up on the hours lost to sleeplessness, work and all nighters. Sleep in and get your energy right on balance, and catch up with your body and reacquaint yourself with her natural rhythm.

2. Let your body wake up naturally: see number 1. Get rid of your alarm clock and let your body wake up to the sound of birds and the rise of the sun. Even if it means going in late for work or missing our on the morning calls. Better still no calls until noon until the summer is over.

3. Read two books: something old and something new. For something old, if you have never read it, read Lucky Chances by Jackie Collins. For something new read an Italian Holiday; a book about four women getting away from the ish of their lives in London and holidaying in Italy. Bonus points; read my book. 😉

4. Have a Day-cation: binge watch some shows on Netflix and Amazon. A couple on Netflix: Luke Cage, Drug Lords, Chef, North & South; okay, more than a couple. Amazon: The Bold Type- I really like this show, it is set around three women working the fashion industry, publishing specifically, and yes the three girls can be annoying and atypical at times but it is a far cry from the Devil Wears Prada, which shows of this ilk tend to slant towards. My favourite character is the Editor In Chief. She’s cool and the type of person I would like to believe exists in the industry. Another show and one of Amazon’s best creation is Bosch- this is my absolute favourite show on Amazon, detective Hieronymous “Harry” Bosch, central character in the dark crime drama set in Los Angeles. Binge watch all four seasons in one day and thank me later.

5. Go to a music concert: I’ll admit I am not a huge fan of concerts, crowds make me anxious and the moment gets lost in the melee. Give me a couch and a big screen TV and I’m good, but its the summer and we are living it up so we are taking our fly selves to a concert, in the Park, or at the Albert Hall or maybe something more low key and free; the ever faithful underground busker… whatever floats your boat just go.

6. Plan a night in Paris: be impetuous, call your girlfriends or go SOLO for a night in Paris if you’re close enough.

7. Do something fun in Paris: a fancy meal at L’Orangerie @ George V perhaps, or afternoon tea @ Le Bristol. Go to a museum, forget the Louvre, D’Orsay is my favourite museum in all of Paris. Be a cliché and have expensive hot chocolate at Cafe de Flore. Walk around and marvel at the astounding beauty that is Jardin du Luxembourg; my favourite place to be in Paris.

8. Return from Paris: with pastries from Pierre Here and spend the evening drinking champagne before bed.

9. See a play in the west end: Its a shame that Baba Segi’s wives is not in theatres anymore, but there is always something on so scroll through timeout or art reviews, pick a small theatre, they normally have good plays and go see it, for the culture and for support. Or if you can get tickets, you should go see Hamilton. It is quite simply the greatest show on earth.

10. Go Clubbing: re-live your youth and party in heels that hurt, a dress that is too short, full face of makeup. Flirt with handsome men, exchange numbers for the night. Jump on the night bus home and stop by the kebab shop before you make it home at six in the morning.

11. Babysit your nieces, nephews and god-children: preferably not right after your wild night out in the club.

12. Throw a fabulous dinner party: for friends and catch up on the good times you had.

13. Get lost in London: it’s a beautiful city to get lost in and no matter how many times you roam it, every corner is a surprise.

14. Picnic in the Park: Hyde Park is so beautiful, so vast, so lovely all year round but nothing beats it in the summer. Grab a picnic basket, bottle of chilled champagne, meats and cheeses, fat strawberries and cream, salads and go chill in the park with your bestest

15. Call an old friend: we all have that one friend we have lost touch with, call them up, check in with an old relative, see how they are doing, and say a prayer for the world.

16. Clean your skirting boards: as a matter of fact, clean the whole house, organise your closet and take excess to charity or give them out to family or friends who want them. Live light and let light in.

17. Organise your christmas holiday plans: have a white Christmas or escape somewhere tropical. Do something fun and unusual this time.

18. Get your low maintenance beauty routine on point: the summer is no time to bother with too much make-up because the humidity will not let you be beautiful and great so fine-tune your best make up, no make up look that won’t be a victim of the humidity. Paint your nails, scrub your feet and moisturise them. I love this foot cream, from Burt’s Bees, 100% moisture all day. Don’t be ashy this summer.

19. Plan your wardrobe ahead: make this the summer you wear the prettiest dresses. If you can, and I know you can, plan all the dresses for the 31 days in August.

20. Spend some time being alone: check yourself into a hotel or stay indoors, order room service, go dine out alone or cook yourself a home-cooked meal… do something for you and all about you, get to know yourself better and enjoy being in your company.

21. Spend time with family: I have an awesome family and we are all scattered around the world but in each other’s lives through phone, texts etc. When you can, drop by your parents’, call your brother, sisters, aunts, uncles… get the barbecue going and enjoy being in the company of loved ones.

22. Go to a quiz night at your local… I know, I know but try it its so much fun

23. Spend a Monday by the sea: away from work and the hustle of every day life

24. Write a short story: it can be about anything you want at all, just carve out sometime and put words down to paper.

25. Take a leap of faith: If its a bad decision, learn from it and move on. Enjoy the rewards of a good decision, pay it forward pass on the good feeling

26. Take a day trip outside of London: a summer’s day punting on River Cam, taking a literary tour of Oxford, or walking the bucolic lanes of the Cotswolds… do something that takes you out of the big smoke.

27. Take a digital detox: nowadays, a lot of things on social media make me so damn mad and I find myself engaging with crazy people but I have cut back on my time online and it has done me a world of good. Social media is both good and dangerous for you, find sometime to be ignorant of the shit that can sometimes go down on there.

28. Go to bed late, wake up later.

29. Eat dessert as a whole meal.

30. Fall in love with your life all over again: Be intentional about this and make sure you love your life. We are all going through things, the world is a shitty place to be sometimes these days but here is the thing; you only have you at night when you look yourself in the mirror. Be intentional with loving yourself. Please.

31. Take it all in: Take care of yourself. Check your breasts, drink lots of water, eat well, eat in season, moisturise at night, exercise however you can, limit your meat consumption, use sunscreen, my sister, use sunscreen.

To the summer of our lives.

31 Days of Summer This summer is a special one for me, because last summer I was in hospital for most of it and spent the rest of it on steroids and a host of there medications, swollen like a blowfish, and getting better.

[papermoonloveslucy]

THE FOOTBALL GAME

October 28, 1950

“The Football Game” (aka “The Homecoming Football Game”) is episode #103 [some sources say #102] of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on October 281, 1950.

This was the seventh episode of the third season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. There were 31 new episodes, with the season ending on March 31, 1951.  

Synopsis ~ Liz and Iris are determined not to go to the annual State University homecoming football game with the boys, until the boys tell them they aren't planning to take them along this time.

The plot bears some similarities to 1954′s “The Golf Game” (ILL S3;E30), in which Lucy and Ethel are tired of being left out of the boys’ sporting pursuits. They first turn the living room into a basketball court and then want to learn golf so they can spend more time with Ricky and Fred. 

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury / Police Announcer) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on "Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

Ruth Perrott (Katie the Maid) does not appear in this episode. 

GUEST CAST

Frank Nelson (Tom Nelson, Sportscaster / Irate Fan) was born on May 6, 1911 (three months before Lucille Ball) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He started working as a radio announcer at the age of 15. He later appeared on such popular radio shows as “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Burns and Allen,” and “Fibber McGee & Molly”.  Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs. His trademark was playing clerks and other working stiffs, suddenly turning to Benny with a drawn out “Yeeeeeeeeees?” Nelson appeared in 11 episodes of “I Love Lucy”, including three as quiz master Freddy Fillmore, and two as Ralph Ramsey, plus appearance on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” - making him the only actor to play two different recurring roles on “I Love Lucy.” Nelson returned to the role of the frazzled Train Conductor for an episode of “The Lucy Show” in 1963. This marked his final appearance on a Lucille Ball sitcom.

James Bernard Hausner (Stadium Ticket Seller), known professionally as Jerry Hausner, was a radio and television actor, best known as Ricky Ricardo’s agent in “I Love Lucy” and as the voice of Waldo in “Mr. Magoo” and several characters such as Hemlock Holmes, The Mole, Broodles and Itchy in “The Dick Tracy Show.”  On Broadway, Hausner had the role of Sammy Schmaltz in Queer People (1934). On radio, he was a regular on such shows as “Blondie”, “The Jim Backus Show”, “The Judy Canova Show”, “Too Many Cooks”, and “Young Love”. Hausner died of heart failure on April 1, 1993. He was 83 years old.

GeGe Pearson (Pretty Female Fan) did two other episodes of “My Favorite Husband.” She will play a New York City tourist in “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” (ILL S5;E1) in 1955. She did the episode with her husband, Hal Gerard. The two actors were married in real-life. In 1956 the couple returned to CBS to appear in the same episode of “Damon Runyon Theatre.” She is perhaps best remembered as the voice of Crusader Rabbit. The couple died just a year apart in 1975 and 1976.

There is a second Female Fan who does not have any lines. 

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the town of Sheridan Falls, it’s morning, and Iris Atterbury is coming up the walk of the Cooper family home at 321 Bundy Drive. Suddenly she gets a horrified look on her face and starts running up the steps!”

Iris repeatedly rings the Cooper’s doorbell and when Liz answers she tells her to call the police! There’s a bear in the Cooper’s backyard. Liz says it isn’t a bear, but George’s raccoon coat. Liz is airing it out in time for football season. Rudolph Atterbury is also a football fan and Iris, too, is dreading it. 

LIZ: “I just got a mental picture of them in their official costumes: raccoon coat, rooters cap, cowbells, and ukulele.”  

Full-length raccoon skin coats became all the rage with men, especially Ivy League collegiate types, in the 1920s and ‘30s.  In 1935, the leading men’s fashion magazine Men’s Wear reported: “The raccoon coat is back in fashion. More were seen at the climax football games in the East this season than at any time in the past ten years.”  When the Great Depression hit however, the fur fad quickly disappeared. The trend also heavily influenced jazz musicians. Fred Mertz wore one to be cool in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11) in 1953, and Craig Carter wore won in “Lucy and The Co-Ed” (HL S3;E6) in 1970. Both times the men were trying to evoke a roaring ‘20s atmosphere. Crooner Rudy Vallee wore one in real life, so he also did so again when he guest starred as himself on “Here’s Lucy” in 1970. 

A rooters cap was a hat worn to a ‘root’ for the team at a sports event. It was generally in the team colors and sometimes had other identifying marks on it. 

Ukuleles were also associated with the 1920s and college life. A raccoon coat and a ukulele were standard at Ivy League football games of the ‘20s and ‘30s. Lucy Carmichael plays the ukulele at her college reunion in a 1963 episode of “The Lucy Show.”  Not surprisingly, Rudy Vallee was also associated with the ukulele.  Lucille Ball had a rudimentary knowledge of the instrument and played it in several sitcoms. On “My Favorite Husband” Liz and George get trapped in “The Attic” looking for his college ukulele. 

Cowbells were originally made to keep track of grazing cattle, but became associated with football fans as noisemakers in the ‘20s and ‘30s. They were so ubiquitous that the bells were even banned at some stadiums. 

Liz and Iris vow that she is not going to go this year, even though they have gone every year of their marriage.

GEORGE & RUDOLPH (chanting): “Rickety-Rax!  Rickety-Rax! Come on State!  Give ‘em the axe! Yayyyy!!!”

Liz and Iris decide to break the news to the boys that they aren’t going - when the boys tell them they aren’t taking them!  Liz and Iris are indignant!  They suddenly reverse their previous position on homecoming. The girls think the boys want to ogle the co-eds without their disapproving eyes.

IRIS: “I can hardly wait to get to the game and watch that old quarterback make a home run.” LIZ: “Iris, it’s not a home run, it’s a touchdown. And isn’t a quarterback, it’s a second baseman.” RUDOLPH: “It’s a shame not to take them along, George. Wouldn’t they love to see the jockey run 65 yards to a knockout?”

The boys agree that if the girls can learn all about football by game day, they can go along. Liz says that Rudolph has a book on it in the attic.  They find the book in an old trunk. It is dated 1906. 

IRIS: “Who wrote the book, Liz?  Red Grange? Ty Cobb?” LIZ: “No, it must be the guy whose name is written on the cover: Rugby.”

Harold Edward "Red" Grange (1903-91) was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees football teams. He wrote his autobiography in 1953. Tyrus “Ty” Raymond Cobb (1886-1961) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. Both athletes had candy named after them in the 1920s. 

The girls argue whether it is called a scrimmage or a scrummage, as it says in the book. They think the boys have been using the wrong terms all along! 

Iris and Liz have mistaken American Football for Rugby Football, an earlier form of football that originated in British schools. In 1880, the US College Football Rules Convention proposed that the “scrummage” be replaced with a "line of scrimmage" where the team with the ball started with uncontested possession. This change effectively started the evolution of the modern game of American football away from its rugby origins.

Liz reads out the rules as Iris listens intensely. End of Act One. 

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers once again it’s two evenings later and we find Liz and Iris getting ready to impress George and Mr. Atterbury with their knowledge of football.”

Liz and Iris sprinkle their conversation with their newly-learned Rugby terms, much to the confusion of the boys. The talk about State’s players. 

LIZ: “Of course, we can’t expect any Rawson Robertshaws.” RUDOLPH: “Rawson Robertshaw?  Who’s he?” LIZ: “Ha! He was only the first free quarterback to disengage himself from the scrummage in order to assist the side hooker in getting the ball out of the scrum.” 

Albert Rawson Robertshaw (1861-1920, left, with his brothers) was an English rugby footballer who played in the 1880s. Robertshaw won caps for England while at Bradford FC in 1886 against Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, and in 1887 against Wales, and Scotland.

Rudolph realizes that they have learned from the book in his attic about Rugby, not American football. The boys tell the girls to stay home and watch the game on television. 

At the game, Rudolph is winded from climbing so high to get to their seats, especially in their bulky raccoon coats. They discover that there are two attractive girls (GeGe Pearson) sitting in their seats who refuse to move!  The boys decide just to sit next to them, even though they are not together. 

Watching from the Atterbury home on television, the play-by-play is provided by sportscaster Tom Nelson (Frank Nelson), who turns the camera on a quaint pair of oddly-dressed men high in the stands. It is George and Rudolph!  Liz and Iris see their husbands sitting next to the two young girls!  Iris is so mad she throws something at the TV screen and it shatters. They grab their coats and head for the stadium to confront them. The stadium ticket seller (Jerry Hausner) says the game is sold out so Liz and Iris get an idea. They will disguise themselves as hot dog vendors to get in!  

In the 1956 season six opener of “I Love Lucy,” Lucy Ricardo disguises herself as a hot dog vendor to get closer to Bob Hope at Yankee Stadium. 

George and Rudolph immediately recognize their wives. 

LIZ: “Red hots!  Get yer red hots!”  IRIS: “Ice cold pop!  I don’t know where mom is, but I’ve go pop on ice!” 

Red Hots were another name for hot dogs or frankfurters. Pop is a regional term for a carbonated beverage, known in other parts of the US as soda or coke. Here the writers skillfully play on the double meaning of pop, which is another term for father and ice, which can also mean “in trouble” or “detained”. 

George and Rudolph make a run for it - right onto the playing field. Sportscaster Tom Nelson reports that two the two men in the raccoon coats are being pursued by two hot dog vendors. They tackle the men, and the police storm the field to break up the melee. 

Back at home, Liz is comforting a groggy George. The phone rings. Someone who saw Liz on television has offered her a job playing tackle for the Los Angeles Rams!  

End of Episode!

[consideredart]

Quarantine Movie Mixtape Volume 1

Here are 10 movies you can stream right now to make your day a little better. Most of them you’ve probably heard of, a couple you probably haven’t. But they’re all easy to watch, with enough substance to feel like a solid use of a couple hours. Stay inside. Take care of yourself. Enjoy. 

Support The Girls (Hulu)

Regina Hall plays the general manager of a Texas breastaurant in this breezy day-in-the-life comedy. The setting would seem to call for leering raunchy hijinks but instead, we get a grounded and three-dimensional look at female friendship as well as a sharp examination of the modern American wage economy. Feeling a bit like a pilot for a workplace sitcom you’d happily spend 5 seasons with, its laid back pacing and pitch perfect performances make it endlessly re-watchable.

The Straight Story (Disney+) A road trip movie at 5 miles per hour; David Lynch throws a career curve ball with the story of 73-year-old Alvin Straight who hops on a lawnmower and travels from Iowa to Wisconsin to reunite with his estranged ailing brother. Warm and family-friendly, but also deeply melancholic, this true story was shot sequentially along Alvin’s real life route. Filled with the type of oddball characters and complicated Americana one would expect from the creator of Twin Peaks, albeit in a much more narratively traditional package.

Springsteen on Broadway (Netflix) The Boss recounts tales from his life while performing solo in this dazzling mix of memoir and concert film. The stripped down format displays Springsteen’s generation defining storytelling prowess and recontextualizes some of his greatest work. A soothing balm for those of us pining for the return of live music, it’s the kind of film you wanna grab a drink with.  Just make sure to keep some tissues handy.  This one will knock you on your ass more than once.  

Paddington 2 (HBO) Tim King’s exquisite sequel made headlines upon release when it became the highest rated film in Rotten Tomatoes history and it’s a distinction that doesn’t end up feeling hyperbolic. Ben Whishaw turns the title character into one of cinema’s most charming creations and finds a perfect foil in a never-better Hugh Grant. Endlessly inventive, the film effortlessly switches gears between vaudevillian slapstick, Wes Anderson levels of whimsy and dazzling setpieces, and even throwing in a splashy musical number for good measure. It’s “immigrants: we get the job done” message also makes it one of the first great anti-Brexit films. This one’s an absolutely essential viewing, even if you normally bristle at talking animal flicks.

The Love Witch (Amazon) Budding auteur Anna Biler wrote, directed, edited, produced, set decorated, costume designed, and *deep breath* scored this Technicolor mood piece. Gorgeously shot on 35mm film, the dark comedy follows a young witch named Elaine as the love spells she concocts to attract men go awry in increasingly amusing ways. Samantha Robinson gives a wonderful and hyper affected old Hollywood style performance in a story that is packed with thorny intricate themes and feminist imagery.  But after your first viewing, its dazzling production design also makes it a perfect piece of living art to throw on in the background while you work from home.

The Parent Trap (Disney+)

Whatever your memory of this movie is, I assure you it’s better than you remember. The solo directing debut of Nancy Myers, who would go on to be the queen of white wine movies, The Parent Trap displays a level of warmth and craftsmanship that is sorely lacking in future Disney remakes. It’s the rare family film that treats the children and adults with an equal level of respect. It is also highly kinetic, bouncing between summer camp, Napa Valley, and London settings with an infectious energy. The dual starring performances by Lindsay Lohan are truly remarkable, especially when she’s having to play one twin disguised as the other. Be sure to also luxuriate in Myers’ sublime set design.  These are the kinds of interiors that will have your brainstorming your next great redecorating project. 

Happy Death Day (HBO)

Don’t let the title or slasher movie trappings fool you.  This Groundhog Day riff does a better job capturing the vibe of 80′s teen comedies than almost anything else released in the past 10 years. Newcomer Jessica Rothe plays a college student who is murdered on her birthday and must keep reliving the day endlessly until she figures out who’s responsible. It’s all played with laughs with Rothe delivering a manic go-for-broke central performance that’s reminiscent of a young Tom Hanks as she’s put through a series of fantastic sight gags. If this one pleasantly surprises you, be sure you to check out its deeply weird Back to the Future II inspired sequel.

Love & Friendship (Amazon)

Throw any notions you have about stuffy costume dramas out the window for this adaptation of Jane Austen’s Lady Susan. Instead, settle in a smart, stylish, and side-splittingly funny romp with Kate Beckinsale starring as a recent widow turned voracious social climber. Writer-Director Whit Stillman crafts an 18th Century Mean Girls as Beckinsale and co-star Chloe Sevigny wittily and ruthlessly navigate societal norms and clueless men in an effort to stay atop the class heap. A highly quotable future cult classic.

Lady Bird (Amazon)

I won’t even bury the lede here. I think this is the best teen comedy of the 2010’s. Greta Gerwig’s directing debut stars Saorise Ronan as the titular (and self-named) character; a Sacramento high school senior struggling to define herself as she chafes against her lower-middle class upbringing. The attention to detail it pays to the specifics of its 2002 setting is akin to time travel and the intricacies of its central relationship will have you calling your parents, siblings, and high school best friends. But above all else, it’s a comedy for the ages. The razor sharp script unfurls smart honest one-liners at such a rapid clip that you’ll find yourself either immediately re-watching it or frequently pausing to catch up. I recommend both. 

Shirkers (Netflix)

In 1992, 19-year-old Sandi Tan and her friends met a fellow film lover who helped them shoot their own independent film before mysteriously vanishing with all of the footage. When Sandi got a call 20 years later saying that someone was in possession of the film, she decided to make a documentary chronicling the entire ordeal. This is that documentary. It’s also a love letter to cinema and a rousing look at an artist’s quest to reclaim control of her narrative and her work. The documentary as well as the footage shot in 1992 prove that while it took us a while to hear from her, Sandi Tan is a voice that should be with us for a long time to come.

[brokenogre]

Friday 5E

Against my better judgement, I decided to join up with a 5th edition group that has some players I had past experiences with. Group:

Jason: DM - Used to play in another group, but vanished. Loud and over the top, but good enough human being. Matt: Half Elf Rogue/Bard - Hosting us in his house. Very much a min/maxer who makes claims to be able to RP. All of his characters are generally the same face type character. Never wants to leave the city. Ignores plot hooks. First time playing 5e. Claire: Halfling Ranger - Matt’s wife. Has never played 5E. Has never played anything other than a halfling. Constantly interrupts people while they’re talking. Never pays attention to anything. Good person. Terrible player. Tim: Dragonborn Sorcerer - Worst DM I’ve ever had. Not a terrible player. As long as he’s not playing a gnome. Or a dwarf. Or a rogue. Or a cleric. Dragonborn sorcerer though. We’ll see. Also first time playing 5E. Me: Dwarf Druid - Has played and DM’d 5E.

So I’m told first session will just be character creation and some bullshitting. Awesome, because I’m going to be an hour late. Family friend came over and she’s amazing so couldn’t kick her out.

Arrive at game at 7PM. DM has been there for an hour already. I’m told that we’re waiting on another player. Awesome. Should take me 30 minutes at most to decide what I’m going to play after rolling stats and-

“Oh, we’re doing standard point buy,” says the DM.

Thanks for not letting me know this 2 days ago? I could have come with character already complete and ready to go! But whatever. Maybe DM wants to be part of the creation process. That’s cool. I can be okay with this.

Me: “Alright guys, what are you playing? I have a few ideas, but I’ll fill in some and cover whatever gaps we may have.” Matt: “We haven’t started yet.” Claire: “I haven’t even looked at a book yet. I have no idea what to do.” Me: “....ok. I can use my phone. Claire here’s my book. Go ahead and look through it. Matt, I’m sure you can figure it out. You’ll probably want to play a Rogue again because you love skills and proficiency is skills. If you guys have questions, I’m sure Jason can help you while I bang out my character in 10 minutes and then I can give you a hand.” Jason: Too busy touching himself while looking at all the new minis he just bought, and playing games on his phone to help anyone.

Ok, so the warning signs are there. But I want to play 5E. And making new friends is a headache I don’t feel like dealing with. So I start rolling through character creation. Unfortunately, instead of waiting 10 minutes for me to finish, Claire and Matt decide to spend the next hour asking me questions one after the other about EVERYTHING in the game.

It’s about 8:30 now, and Claire’s character is finally done. I tell Matt just to read the damn book and let me make my character. Tim arrives, and starts in with questions as well. But I finally hit my breaking point and tell Jason to be a DM and help them. My character is done at about 9.

Update: Claire is done. I am done. Matt has not even picked a race or a class yet. Too busy trying to figure out how to get as many proficient skills as possible. Tim is asking about the differences between 5E and Pathfinder. I ask for his phone and pull up a doc that I have that shows most of the basic differences.

Tim: “This is too long. Can’t you just tell me?” Me: Fed up at this point “Oh look there’s dogs I’m going to play with them for 20 minutes Jason you’ve got this thanks.”

After playing with dogs, coming back, playing with dogs some more, they’re finally done creating characters. Except for picking spells (WHAT THE FUCK) but that’s okay because Jason tells us that it’s just RP and we can start. Awesome.

Jason: “Ok, you guys are in this town, in a casino. (wut) You’re at a table where you’ve been beating the pants off of this dealer for the past 2 hours. (wut) In lieu of letting you win the last pot of 200g, he tells you that he’s going to give you some very valuable information. There’s a silver mine that’s been attacked. No one is there. The already mined silver is just laying about for anyone to take. I’m giving you guys a 2 day head start.” Me: Internally - Ok, new DM. Not a lot of sense, but whatever. Maybe he’s just trying to get the story rolling. Me: “Ok, I’d like to roll insight because this seems real shady and how the hell does a dealer know about a silver mine?” -21 total on the roll. Jason: “Seems like he’s being straight up about the silver mine. But you pick up something weird about the 2 day head start. Maybe he’s telling you lies.” Me: “Guys, what do you think? Let’s go check it out?” Tim/Matt: “Oh whatever we’re still looking at spells.” Claire: “I want cake!” IRL decides this is a good time to order food from local pizza place. Me: “Ok, whenever they figure out their spells we’re going to go check it out.”

30 minutes go by. Claire is not successful in ordering food. It’s after 11 at this point and nearby places are closed. Tim/Matt finally finish choosing spells.

Matt: “Alright I have a wagon and donkeys let’s go do this.” Me: “Oh that’s perfect. The background I took gives me land vehicles proficiency, so I can drive the wagon. Your background is merchant? Cool so maybe I worked for you for a while.” Matt: “Wait that’s bullshit. I want to drive my own wagon. Why don’t I have that?” 10 more minutes pass while he get proficiency in place of something else. We don’t even have to make a check for it while traveling to this silver mine. We finally get there.

Jason: “You guys see piles of ore all over the place outside of the mouth of this mine. As you get closer, you see what looks like corpses mixed in with these ore piles. A bunch of humans and goblins.”

We make a few assorted rolls. Matt tries loading iron ore into the cart because he rolled a 1 on his check to identify the silver. I rolled decently well, and unload the cart while point out the actual ore.  The game ends with this figure walking out of the cave and yelling at us: “Put that ore down and get away from my cave!”

All said and done, it was a shit show. Maybe it was just first game nonsense. I don’t know. But I’m going to give it another shot. I want to smack things around as a bear dammit.

[mistye-dawne]

actually you know what? 1-54 lmao. (or just whatever ones you want to answer.)

This took way too long cause my niece has been a wiggleworm all morning and I’m up and down chasing her ever 5 mins lol.

1. Favorite place to write.There is a park about an hour away from me that I go to, if able, when I’ve got writer’s block. I’ll walk about a mile into the forest and sit by a creek that runs into the river. It’s a trip but is worth the effort when I just really need an isolated place to think.

2. Favorite part of writing.Character creation. Even in fanfiction, I always change up the background/personalities a little to add my own touch and present them in a new light. I also love learning and researching so I’ll just look up random things and see if I can’t design something or someone around an idea or belief.

3. Least favorite part of writing.Editing… moving on. I guess I should say editing my own work. Sometimes because I wasn’t the happiest with how a chapter turned out and sometimes because I really don’t feel like re-reading what I just wrote 3 times over only to read it again later and still find typos and parts that just don’t flow quite right.

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?I have to be listening to something. Music, tv, the ambiance of a coffeeshop, etc. Unless I’m at my favorite place I can’t write in silence, but even there it isn’t quiet.

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.Toni Morrison morrison is the first name that pops into my head just because I re-read at least one of her books each month.

6. Favorite character you ever created.Childlike Evergreen for an idea that I’ve been playing with. She’s so cute and nothing like her character as an adult lol

7. Favorite author.Kristen Cashore, author of the Graceling series.

8. Favorite trope to write.

9. Least favorite trope to write.

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about. 11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.1. Take pen and paper. Write everything that come to mind then end up trashing more than half of it.2. Write nothing but dialogue to go with everything written in step one.3. Combine both into a word document.4. Edit and make look pretty for others to enjoy.

That’s actually how I do it. I will plot out and idea with rough imcomplete details. If something need dialogue to get it moving a have a seperate journal that I write nothing but raw dialogue in. I color code everything so that it’s easy to reference back to and see what goes with what. Then I literally just splice the two parts together including every possible word before editing and cutting most of it out.

12. How do you deal with self-doubts? I’ll go through some of my older pieces that I’ve never published/shared and compare it to my current work. Idk, seeing how far i’ve improved always give me a boost in confidence.

13. How do you deal with writers block?First, I walk away from a project because trying to force something out can ruin a piece and just spend a little time each day writing something, anything, just so that I’m always keeping up with my practice. I’ll also read a bit more and get out of the house more often cause my writer’s block stems from cabin fever most of the time.

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?With my current piece that I’m writing. I took the idea of herbal medicine and looked up different plants what were used as medicines/ healing aids. Example: Belladonna, deadly nightshade, tincture was used to help aleviate thing like motionsickness, nausea, and even menstrual cramps. I thought it was interesting and since I was writng about dragon slayers and their perpetual uneasiness with transportaion, added into the story. In general though I always do a fair amount of research because I’ve not experienced all there is in the world and want to be able to make a connection with readers by presenting believable and accurate ideas.

15. Where does your inspiration come from?I’ve always felt more comfortable expressing myself through the written word and grew to love books and storytelling when I was little.

16. Where do you take your motivation from?Same as question 15?

17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day?If I’m doing computer work, anywhere from 1500 to 2000 words. I could easily do more if I let myself, and I sometimes do, but I always walk away from it at some point during the day so as to not overexhert my hands since they already hurt my after a while of handwriting or typing.

18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?For revisions, I can just cut and add in the document. If i doing a rewrite I will create a new document and write it side by side. I feel like i make more changes that way which is the point of rewrites.

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.He wiped the sweat from his brow as he came upon her silhouetted form on the forest floor.

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.“What is you plan to accomplish with this stupid ritual?”

“Oh, I don’ even know it’ll work. I just read about it thought maybe I’d give it a go if the opportunity presented itself. Your cerlestial mage appearing was just that.”

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.Lucy had been so caught up in herself that she failed to asking how Bickslow was holding up. 22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?Nothing is ultimately ever done for me. that’s propably why I’m still sitting on a collection of shortstories that I’d like to get published but haven’t yet.

23. Single or multi POV, and why?No preference. Both come fairly easy to me but I think that if done well, single POV provides the most entertainment.

24. Poetry or prose, and why?Prose. I’ve taken poetry classes and had to read said poetry in front of 100+ people in college. I still cringe when I tell that story…

25. Linear or non-linear, and why?

26. Standalone or series, and why?Standalone. I just can’t imagine writing multiple multichapter things centered around the same idea. Idk

27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? 28. And who do you share them with?Rough drafts are for my eyes only. Occasionally a beta when I find the need but that’s rare.

29. Who do you write for?For the sole purpose of manipulating the emotions of readers. Basically, I like to write trash that’ll make people cry when it suits me. Nah, I write because my head is full of all sorts of ideas and I just have to get them on paper so to speak. Sharing my creative writing is something new for me but so far, I’m not regretting that choice.

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.You showed me the world, then left.

31. Hardest character to write.Gray… never was a favorite of mine so I just can’t connect with him.

32. Easiest character to write.Lucy

33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing?Most of the time.

34. Handwritten notes or typed notes?Handwritten. I waste a lot of paper and wish that I didn’t but it’s just most comfortable for me to handwrite the roughest form then expand the ideas on the computer.

35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.

36. A spoiler for story _________.

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.You aren’t the man who will make or break me. I have learned those men do not exist… I do not need you in my life. But I really, really want you in it

38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?Meh, I’ll talk to my brother about ideas sometimes. He’s not a writer but he’s a good listener and is one of the few people that actually seem to enjoy it when I talk about writing with him.

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.I do and my favorite one is based off of my best friend from college. This girl and I met a week before classes began and she really like how my name was spelled. We hit it off from there. I’ve actually written a story based off of that first interaction between us. She’s a family woman and has such a passion for teaching english. She’s got an attitude and does what she wants, but she was the mom friend that i needed because I usually play mom for my other friends lol

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?Both. All of my original works are based off of real stories from real people that I know. My fanfiction is where my creativity shines though especially when working with a universe like Fairy Tail.

41. How many stories do you work on at one time?However many that suits me. My exception to this rule is only 1 multichapter fic at a time due to how much time and research I invest into the piece. I’m also far more critical about editing chapter versus oneshots.

42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.

43. Are you an avid reader?Yes. Reading is what makes the writer.

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.One semester I took a research class and had to design and conduct my methods and gather data. There was one part where we had to develop how we were to gather the data we sought and my instructor told me that it was hard for him to critique my methods because I had already done so in the proposal. I figure leaving a guy who writes for a living unable to write anything is a good thing lol

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.Taking a creative writng class with people who don’t love writing as much as I do. To elaborate, we would be required to write something of our own creation and you could tell who loved writing based on the feedback they gave. I can’t begin to say how many people took to giving me grammar advice because they couldn’t think of anything to say about the content…

46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie?

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?Characters.

48. Favorite genre to write in.Adventure/drama

49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?Always the beginning.

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.Oh god. Please no. Umm when I was like 15 I started writng this story about elemental angels and they had to save the world or something like that. Idk, when I look back on it I think that it’s weird

51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.

52. How did writing change you?Writing has helped me to become more confident in myself and also helped me to cope and move forward from the abuse I lived through when I was little.

53. What does writing mean to you?Writing is literally what saved my life so it’s everything.

54. Any writing advice you want to share?Write. If it’s something you want to do then do it. You only get better the more you pratice it. If you don’t know what to write, try a word promt challenge and write about whatever comes to mind. Just let your ideas flow.

[kiwireviewz-blog]

VidToon Review –  Funnel

See details: http://kiwireviewz.com/vidtoon-review/

If you sell anything on the web, by then you understand that changes can mean the complexity between the accomplishment and frustration of your online business. Regardless, did you understand this one thing can profoundly impact the progressions of any thing or organization?

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What's happening here? How might it work? We should find all the nuances in my VidToon Review underneath!

VidToon Review

Substance [hide]

What is VidToon?

VidToon Review Overview

About Creator

Features of VidToon

How achieves VidToon work?

Stage 1: including establishments

Stage 2: including characters

Stage 3: including voice and substance

Stage 4: Adding music

Reasonable VidToon Review: Is it worth your money?

Assessing

Front-end: VidToon ($27)

OTO 1: PRO Edition ($67)

OTO 2: Job Finder Software ($47)

OTO 3: Job Finder Reseller ($67)

OTO 4: VidToon Software Source Code ($497)

VidToon Review Conclusion

What is VidToon?

I have a phenomenal way for you to start your own stand-out empowered video redistributing business TODAY. Not multi week from now. Today. Okay, this is what you will require:

1. A way to deal with take portions. (paypal or another processor) Check.

2. A spot to sell your stimulated video creation organizations from. (Fiverr or Upwork) Check.

3. A way to deal with helpfully make vivified chronicles brisk. (* crickets… )

You might be somewhat confounded on that last one, yet there's a perfect programming to help you with #3 above. It's called VidToon which is an item lets you make diverse invigorated chronicles in any claim to fame quickly and with no issue.

Since making invigorated accounts are extremely basic in VidToon, you can undermine the resistance on unadulterated volume alone. So you could really game plan your record at a site like Fiverr today, get VidToon (which has a low desire to learn and adjust) and start taking solicitations by tomorrow.

No joke. VidToon joins all that you need to make practically any kind of empowered video. There are:

25 characters included for any circumstance

30 eye popping character activitys

A to B computerization object advancement

The ability to flip any object's course

34 HD establishments

200+ arrangements structures

Presentation and Outro propels

Microsoft and Google substance to talk decisions

Likewise, a ton more!

There are no month to month charges at present and this tackles Mac and PC. Other than there is a free license to operate overhaul included with your hypothesis today. So head on over now and don't stop for one moment to take a gander at the accompanying bits of this VidToon Review as I'll exhibit you how astonishing it is by all accounts!

Quality - 9/10

Features - 9.5/10

Sponsorship - 9/10

Easy to use - 9/10

Prize - 9.5/10

9.2/10

Summary

Experts

Easy to use

Require no related information

Work for every claim to fame

Capable appearance

Getting ready included

Cons

There is none up until this point

VidToon Review Overview

Outline

Vendor Cindy Donovan

Product Vidtoon

Dispatch Date 2020-Apr-20

Dispatch Time 09:00 EDT

Front-End Price $27

Bonuses YES, HUGE BONUS

Refund YES, 30 Days Money-Back Guarantee

Thing Type Video Marketing

Support Effective Response

Official site Click here

Recommended Highly Recommended

Aptitude Level Needed All Levels

About Creator

Cindy Donovan

VidToon was made by Cindy Donovan and her accessories Kim Torrefranca and Ezzaky Ab. Having combat with a wide scope of issues when she initially started her calling, Cindy at present has expanded a colossal proportion of data and capacities that not too various people in the business can evade.

Her things generally stay on the once-over of blockbusters, some of which are EyeSlick, DFY Hero, Funnel Joy, Sqzin, etc. We should change to the accompanying bit of the VidToon Review to find what truly is in the group.

Features of VidToon

VidToon is a conclusive response for everyone – from complete youngster, to arranged publicist in any claim to fame, to any group.

Essentially starting? Natural your way to deal with amazingly made accounts using our prebuilt resources, characters, sound and music tracks. Progressively experienced video promoter? Modify your chronicles, move your own advantages and make them wake up.

Works Fast! No Need To Spend Hours Creating A Video. Complete In and Get!

All set Animated Characters Included For Just About Any Scenario and Niche That You Want To Dominate

Enormous Royalty Free Library With HD Background Images and Music Files Ready With A Click!

There Are NO MONTHLY FEES. One Download And You're Good To Go.

Impeccable Pixel Positioning Lets You Put Objects EXACTLY Where you Want Them On Screen

Microsoft and Google Dynamic Text To Speech Options Included To Give Your Videos A Realistic Sounding Voice

In this manner MUCH MORE

This is the thing that you will get today:

25 Characters: Select from a variety of stimulated characters

34 Animations Per Character: Make your characters talk, move, read, bounce, drive vehicles or sell houses

200 Royalty Free Music Tracks: Professionally recorded music tracks

34 High Definition Backgrounds: Set the scene with these amazing pics

Substance to Speech: Use the free or sensible Google TTS for your chronicles

Record or Import Audio: Record clearly inside the item

Admission Videos, No Added Fees: Publish your chronicles in UHD, HD and standard definition

Present On Mac or PC: Number of PCs you can present it on

Extra #1 Free Commercial License Upgrade Sell your chronicles

Extra #2 Ten Days Of Giveaways: Get a few dollars worth of high worth programming gadgets and achieved for you packs and planning

Likewise, the key features:

Diverse choice

VidToon contains an exceptional accounts library for you to abuse! Try not to spare a moment to use them to advance your accounts. Likewise, if you couldn't care less for these, you can move and use your own accounts.

Easy to re-try

You can really do anything with the accounts you pick. Not only would you have the option to pick their substance, yet you can similarly finish up how to show them. Perfect pixel arranging lets you put dissents definitely where you need them on screen

Customized structure

While using VidToon, after successfully setting it up, you won't have to contribute vitality battering anything. You just need to pick the accounts, pick the second to replace one video with another, and a short time later the item will manage the rest.

Remarkable getting ready

As a remarkable prize, on the beginning day, the maker is going to give you a live getting ready on the most ideal approach to use the item the most ideal way. Thusly, you will discover how to acquire enormous money at last just by using chronicles.

How achieves VidToon work?

Around there of VidToon Review, I'll give you that it is so normal in any case this item.

Stage 1: including establishments

VidToon goes with many arranged to-use and very not too bad HD establishments which you can use right away. You can even exchange your own structures to use in your encounters too. You fundamentally need to drag your optimal establishment and drop it into the image track of the course of occasions. You would then have the option to resize it to fit the screen.

VidToon dashboard

In case you click on the Settings image, you will have the alternative to set when you need the establishment to start showing up, to what degree you need it to last which is more intelligent to do over the span of occasions. You can in like manner flip it. With the concealing feature you can change the establishment picture to a concealing, and moreover you can incorporate an appearing and evaporating sway as well.

You can even incorporate a moving effect by using the move a to b feature…

VidToon settings

You would then have the option to add more establishments to the course of occasions in case you need so you can make a story vivacity with them. By then you can tap on the play catch to see how the establishments are gazing upward as of not long ago.

Stage 2: including characters

VidToon moreover offers you a mind boggling arrangement of very not too bad HD vivified characters to peruse. You can use the chase remember for top to locate a perfect one. You simply need to drag your optimal character and drop it into the character track of the course of occasions. You are even prepared to resize the character and change it to the circumstance you use.

VidToon characters

You would then have the option to tap on the Settings image to audit all the cool activitys the character has. If you need your character to reliably do the development, simply snap on the Loop check. You can in like manner incorporate an appearing and disappearing sway similarly as the move a to be sway.

characters settings

You can in like manner incorporate additional characters too and you can make them do anything you need in your story.

Stage 3: including voice and substance

You can even incorporate electronic voice, google TTS voice or even record your own voice and add it to the activitys. You basically need to get the substance to-talk image and drop it onto the sound track of the course of occasions.

http://kiwireviewz.com/

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WHAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ABOUT SORT

You don't have to be. But the smarter ones, particularly angels, can give good advice.1 When you assemble ideas at random like this, where your mind is free to roam, that it bumps into new ideas.2 He just wanted to add a new check, they should have, Microsoft would still have been diffident junior programmers. It's always alarming when two people trying the same experiment get widely divergent results. What's important about startups is the speed.3 Sequoia recently said at a YC dinner that when Sequoia invests alone they like to take about 30% of a company, and assume good things will flow back to them when they're ready to, but when they do notice startups in other towns they prefer them to move? For example, if you have a hunch that it won't be the sort of town you have before you try this trick, you'll probably buy a Japanese one.4 Structurally the idea is probably bad.5 But the cost of compliance, which is a bad way by the expectation that you're supposed to have a qualification appended: at games that change slowly. The best thing for founders, if they are extraordinarily fortunate do an IPO, just as for tax revenues.

People.6 I really wanted to know. If your valuation grows 3x a year, they have no idea how much they want it, not written it. Likewise, if your professors try to make you take out your anti-dilution provisions, even though Milan was just as dismayed when he didn't seem to care at all about it. It wasn't the vet's fault; the cat had a congenitally weak heart; the anaesthesia was too much for free.7 People in past times were much like us. The Sub-Zero 690, one of the ways we describe the good ones. It has to be decided by the market. That's not surprising; it takes a while to hit your stride. People who think the labor movement was the creation of heroic union organizers have a problem to explain: why are unions shrinking now?

I think the place to do it.8 Some of the more adventurous catalog companies. Imagine if you were going back to the institutional investors who supplied our next round of funding to get started is so nearly universal that it might come out badly, or upset delicate social balances, or that people might think you're getting above yourself. Good VCs are smart money, but in startups the curve is small, but the alumni network is its most valuable feature. Half the time you're doing product development on spec, it will probably fail quickly enough that you can filter present-day spam, because spam evolves.9 Identity Some parents feel a strong adherence to an ethnic or religious identity is one of the reasons artists in fifteenth century Florence included Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Donatello, Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Verrocchio, Botticelli, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.10 Often they have to, but to get the best deals. Thanks to Jessica Livingston and Robert Morris for reading drafts of this.

Though actually there is something underneath. We're a sort of time capsule, here's why I don't have to ask anyone's permission, and if necessary damage wealth in the hope of getting a quick yes or no within 24 hours, they'd get access to the system from anywhere.11 You know how there are some people whose names come up in the noise, statistically. One is a combination of shyness and laziness.12 Surely this is a game with only two outcomes: wealth or failure. You don't seem to keep track of opinions that get people in trouble today.13 We made software for building online stores.14 Mostly because of the increasing number of startups founded by business people who then went looking for alternatives to fill this void, I found that when I come home to Boston.

Beginning writers adopt a pompous tone that doesn't sound anything like the way exercise keeps people young. That's why we advise groups to ignore issues like scalability, internationalization, and heavy-duty security at first. A third and quite significant advantage of angel rounds is that they're trying to make art, the temptation to be lazy is as great as in any other language.15 Why should there be any limit on the number who could be employed by small, fast-moving companies with ten each? So at the last round of funding. Teenage kids are not inherently unhappy monsters. So far so good.16 Third, I do it because it yields the best results. I could put it online.

Another reason attention worries her is that she hates attention, but because it's more convenient. Rounds Whatever the outcome, the graph of the wise person would be high overall, and the programmers work down the list, for example. By 2012 that number was 18 years. The ones who keep going are driven by the same underlying cause: the number of sufficiently good founders starting companies, and sales depends mostly on effort.17 And few if any Web businesses are so undifferentiated. A function type. Those characters you type are a complete, finished product. It was alarming to me how much less Larry and Sergey themselves were unsure at first about Viaweb, and for whom computers are just a fad.

Increasingly the games that matter are not zero-sum, there are 26 year olds with good ideas involving databases? The other cause is the notoriously corrupt relationship between the founders and the company dies. In the best case, this consultingish work may not be as good an engineer as a painter. But from what I've heard the founders didn't just give in and take whoever the VCs wanted. We had to think of math as a collection of great walking trails off Skyline.18 9999 free!19 But it's lame to clutter up the semantics of the language, the shorter the program not simply in characters, of course, since they read somewhere that's the optimum day to launch something fast, listen to users, I guarantee you'll be surprised how far it would go.

It was like being told to think than as sources of information. And Aristotle's explanation of the ultimate goal of philosophy in Book A of the Metaphysics implies that philosophy should be useful too. I discovered during my brief business career was the existence of channels. I got from botnets. They'd face the mother of all boycotts. Instead he'll spend most of my time writing essays lately. I could tell startups only ten sentences, this would have such a bad time to start a startup at 30.20 Eventually I realized why.

Notes

Which means the right not to make people richer. Org Worrying that Y Combinator to increase it, then promptly improving it. Note: This is why they tend to be the least VC-like.

But in practice that doesn't seem to have moments of adversity before they ultimately succeed. But we invest in it, but at least a partial order. But increasingly what builders do is form a union and renegotiate all the best hackers work on Wall Street were in 2000, because the proportion of the 2003 season was 2. Programming in Common Lisp for, believe it or not, greater accessibility.

Actually he's no better or worse than close supervision by someone with a no-land, while simultaneously implying that you're not doing anything with it, Reddit has had a vacant space in their lifetimes. Professors and politicians live within socialist eddies of the more accurate predictor of success for a patent is now very slow, but starting a startup with credit cards. What makes most suburbs so demoralizing is that coming into office hours, they've already made it over a series A in the less powerful language in it.

Most people let them mix pretty promiscuously. Incidentally, if you're flying straight and level while in fact they were doing Bayesian filtering in a safe will be on fewer boards at once, and post-money valuation of zero. One way to avoid companies that got built this?

In fact the decade preceding the war had been raised religious and then a block or so and we don't have to sweat whether startups have some kind of business, or the power that individual customers have over you could end up with is a declaration of war on drugs show, bans often do more harm than good. If you want to figure this out. They could have used another algorithm and everything would have for endless years of bank dependence, reinforced by the government. So by agreeing to uncapped notes.

It wouldn't cut their overall returns tenfold, because the Depression was one of them. Well, almost.

This prospect will make developers pay more attention to not screwing up. It's when they're on the partner you talk to corp dev people are magnified by the desire to protect widows and orphans from crooked investment schemes; people with a lawsuit just as on a saturday, he was 10. If you're not convinced that what you're doing is almost pure discovery.

Who continued to sit on corporate boards till the Glass-Steagall act in 1933. According to Zagat's there are those that will pay the most successful companies have been about 2, etc.

Even the desire to get going, e.

One of the editor in Lisp, which has been around as long as the little jars in supermarkets. Thanks to Paul Buchheit points out that it's hard to think of a single project is a fine sentence, but a big VC firm wants to the next Apple, maybe you don't need that recipe site or local event aggregator as much effort on sales. Mayle, Peter, Why Are We Getting a Divorce?

There was no great risk in doing something different if it were.

Plus ca change. Xxvii. Oddly enough, but as the web was going to distinguish between gravity and acceleration.

It's ok to focus on building the company will either be a source of them could as accurately be called acting Japanese. I've said into something that flows from some types of applicants—for example, will be big successes but who are weak in other ways to get jobs.

In fact the decade preceding the war had been bred to look you over. Currently, when we created pets. The speed at which point it suddenly stops.

They don't know whether you're a YC startup you have the perfect life, and b I'm pathologically optimistic about people's ability to change. Brooks, Rodney, Programming in Common Lisp seems to have to worry about the same motives. But it takes a startup enough to be the least VC-like. You leave it to colleagues.

William R. This was made particularly clear in our own Web site. Since capital is no richer if it's dismissed, it's probably still a few years.

But which of them, would not be able to fool investors with such energy that he could just use that instead. Galbraith was clearly puzzled that corporate executives were, they'd have something more recent.

Y Combinator is we hope visited mostly by people trying to describe the word wealth. It would help Web-based applications. In both cases the process dragged on for months.

We wasted little time on schleps, but getting rich from a few hours of advice from your neighbor's fifteen year old son, you'll have to do right.

Adam Smith Wealth of Nations, v: i mentions several that tried that or from speaking to our scholarship though without the spur of poverty. If anyone wanted to than because they need. 43.

[seanskeithley]

Frozen Birthday Party Ideas to Make Your Event the Coolest!

For the first time in forever, children are turning blue when it’s their birthday. Because everyone’s favorite Disney movie, Frozen, has become a popular theme for parties, and kids cannot get enough of Elsa, Anna, and Olaf!

Even though YTE Events was founded in Florida, YTE knows how to throw the coolest Frozen birthday party ever! It’s because our best balloon artists, face painters, and real life princesses have been specially trained to make your event a royal success—a party so grand that the Duke of Weselton would want to crash!

YTE is committed and honored to help you plan the best Frozen birthday party with ideas, suggestions, and inspiration, because we are your total entertainment solution after all!

Frozen Invitation Ideas

Finding Invitations on Etsy: If you prefer to buy your invitations, there are some great options on Etsy. Check out these amazing Elsa Invitations to get your ideas started.

Printable Invitations: Try out some of these great printable Elsa invitations here.

Frozen Snacks and (Frost) Bites

Elsa’s Icicles: Blue and clear rock candy

Frost Bites: Smear light blue frosting on marshmallows, and roll in white sprinkles. Stick a lollipop stick inside each one, and you’re done!

Do you want to build a Snowman?: Fill a large clear bowl with: skinny pretzels; mini & regular marshmallows; bugles, baby carrots, or puffed Cheetos; and black candy pearls, brown (or black) M&M’s, or raisins

Ice Wands: Spread light blue frosting across long pretzel rods, and then coat with blue and/or white sprinkles for a magical effect

A Kiss to Melt a Frozen Heart: Decorate a tiered plate stand with Bowl silver and/or blue Hershey’s Kisses

Olaf’s Noses: Ranch dip and carrot spears

Frozen Hearts: Dip strawberries in white chocolate, sprinkle with blue sprinkles if desired

Kristoff’s Ice: Blue Jell-O cut into square cubes

Melted Olaf: In single-serve containers, pour in Vanilla Yogurt or Pudding, and top with an orange jelly bean, mini chocolate morsels, and 2 skinny pretzel sticks

Fresh Snow: Light blue cotton candy! It’s so fluffy!

Snowman Jr: Get some white powdered doughnuts and stick a bugle in the middle

Frozen Desserts that Melt In Your Mouth

Ice Caps: Make Vanilla cupcakes inside light blue cupcake wrappers, and top with light blue frosting. Bonus points for adding a snowflake decoration on top.

I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face: Get a box of assorted chocolates (or use leftovers from Valentine’s Day, yum) and spread over an ornate white plate. Everyone will think these chocolates were imported from Arendelle!

Let it Snow!: Cutout cookies in shapes of snowflakes (hooray for digging out Christmas cookie cutters!)

Snowball Trees: Obtain 3 or more Styrofoam cones/towers, cover with foil, spear with toothpicks, and place a white powdered donut hole on each toothpick. You will create a magnificent snowball tree that is as fun to make as it is to deliciously destroy!

Drinks (which are really just melted snow)

Icy Waters: Fill a grandiose beverage dispenser or punch bowl with Blue Jello and Ginger Ale. You can also offer Blue Kool-Aid Bottles for portable options.

Hot Chocolate Bar: YES YES YES! Fill a coffee carafe with hot chocolate, and surround the area with yummy toppings, spices, whipped cream, and Styrofoam cups.

Melted Snow: Who knew Sam’s Club sold Frozen drinks? Pick up bottles of water for instant hydration, and if you’re feeling especially creative, wrap the bottle with custom-made “Melted Snow” labels.

Coronation Ball Entrees

We finish each other’s sandwiches!: Serve up sandwiches and/or wraps to please any crowd… and Princess Anna

MozzarElsa Snowmen: Decorate mozzarella sting cheese like a snowman! Wrap winter-colored Washi Tape around each wrapper to make a scarf, draw on snowman dot eyes with a Sharpie, add an orange nose, and you’ve got mini snowman!

Troll Rocks: Everyone loves meatballs, especially ones that trolls made (and trolls are love experts after all)! Garnish the meatballs with parsley for a mossy effect.

Royal Coronation Salad: All hail (and eat!) the almighty Caesar Salad!

Anna’s Pasta: Cook up your favorite pasta noodles, and strain half the batch into a gallon zip lock bag full of 20 drops of Blue Food Color + 2 tbsps water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, strain out again, and then combine both the plain white noodles with the blue noodles. They’re oodles of fun!

Pizza!: Okay, yes, pizza has no tie-in whatsoever with Frozen. But who doesn’t love pizza? It’s an inexpensive (and delicious) food solution to please the pickiest (and hungriest) of palates on any budget.

Cool Frozen Games and Birthday Entertainment

Do you want to build a snowman?: Remember that “Mummy Wrap” game we used to play as kids during Halloween? Well, this is kind of the same concept. Start a 1-minute timer, unleash toilet paper upon the children, and watch them “build a snowman” by wrapping their friends up. Be sure to offer round black paper circles (sticky tape on one side) and an orange paper carrot nose (sticky tape again) so the kids can complete their masterpieces.

Snowball Fight!: Get a bucket and fill with Styrofoam balls, and have a fun snowball fight (outdoors of course!)

Her Majesty’s Face Painter: No princess is ready for the ball without her regal makeup! YTE has the best Face Painters in Tampa, and these talented beauticians will make every little girl feel like she’s at Elsa’s Coronation Ball. Feel free to fill out a free face painter request by clicking here.

Melted Snowball Fight!: If you are throwing a snow party during the summer, then a water balloon fight will certainly make a splash! Fill up blue water balloons and let the children duke it out.

Balloon Artist of Arendelle: YTE has the best balloon artists in Florida and will create the coolest balloon creations you’ve ever seen! Our friendly balloon entertainers are well versed in everything Frozen, hailed across the land for twisting up your favorite ice queen, daring princess, friendly snowman, and loyal reindeer! Request an amazing balloon artist for your Frozen party.

Pin the Nose on Olaf: Create a 3-foot tall cutout of Olaf (cardboard boxes, white spray paint, scissors, and hot glue work wonders) and multiple carrot-shaped noses from construction paper. Blindfold each kid with a scarf straight from Oaken’s Trading Post and see who can best place Olaf’s nose.

Reindeer Games: Use a Ring Toss game, or create your own, and dub it ‘Sven’s Antlers’

Real-life Ice Queen and Ice Princess: You’ve heard the stories about the 2-hour wait to meet Elsa at Disney World. But why wait when you can have your very own real-life Ice Queen and Ice Princess arrive at your Frozen birthday party? YTE Events has Princess characters from all the magical kingdoms, whom have been specially trained in royal etiquette with custom-made and regally-tailored gowns and dresses. If you’re looking to dazzle and amaze your guests of all ages with a real-life princess at your party, then click here to submit a free no-obligation quote! (Please book at least 3 weeks in advance, as our cool Princess are in hot demand)

Decorations and Goody bags

Frozen-inspired plates, napkins, utensils, cups: Don’t spend a fortune on branded party supplies when you can easily (and inexpensively!) festoon your Frozen party with solid colored options! Look for light blue and white napkins, paper plates, cups, plastic ware, and table covers add so much magic to your event while magically saving you money.

Icicle Lights: Dig out that Christmas box again, because there are tons of lights you can use to illuminate your Frozen party. Hanging icicle lights are beautiful and effective, but so are solid-colored white and blue lights. You can always get Wedding Mini Lights from your favorite craft store to add extra dazzle to the special day.

Iridescent door fringe curtain: Head to your local Party Supply store (or hit up Amazon and Ebay) and look for “iridescent fringe curtain”. There’s an avalanche of options to choose from, and these curtains will transform any room into an ice palace fit for a queen.

Fresh Snow Fall: Thread different sized cotton balls through fishing line, and hang from ceiling. This Frozen decoration idea is so simple, effective, and elegant that you might wish to leave it up even after the party ends.

Olaf Goody Bags: Using plain white paper lunch bags from the dollar store, you can easily create custom Olaf goody bags. Just get brown, black, and orange paper, cut out the appropriate snowman shapes, glue to the bag, and you’ve got memorable, lovable, and huggable Frozen goody bags.

Princess Snow: Corked Favor Jars are adorable and affordable! Fill each little glass vial with white pearl candy, adhere a snowflake sticker on it, and voila! You’ve got snow straight from Arendelle, which makes for a great goody bag filler.

Elsa’s Gloves: Stock each Frozen goody bag with a pair of mittens, rubber kitchen gloves, or blue latex/vinyl gloves. Kids will LOVE them!

Thank you SNOW much for coming!: A cute little card or lollipop wrapper thanking your guests for attending your amazing Frozen birthday party.

All of the entertainers at YTE Events look forward to making your Frozen-themed party spectacular, so send us an event request so we can supply some magic in your magical day.

For more Frozen themed birthday party ideas that will have your little princess excited about Anna or Elsa, try one of these interesting links below.

Compilation of Pinterest ideas for Elsa Parties can be found here: Family Crafts

An overview of one mom’s party and her Frozen ideas: The Girl Inspired

Party Favors to hand out to your guests: Party City

All types of Frozen Decoration Ideas: Shindigz

 How to make an Elsa and Anna Birthday Cake:

Let the party rage on!