Lifely Recap - Finishing Edits, Lots of Painting, Even More Fangirling, and I’m Back!

WELL HELLO THERE.

Guess who’s back from her hiatus???? Did you miss me? Did you even notice I was gone? Do you even remember who I am? Do *I* remember who I am? *has mini existential crisis*

Ahem.

Anyways! Apparently May is no longer with us (wow, that sounds like May got murdered or something. Then again…that would explain why it just vanished suddenly, hmmmm), and since I did say I would be returning in June, well, HERE I AM. And my goodness, have I missed you guys! I feel like so much has happened since I was last here on the ol’ bloggy producing content and chatting with you guys. And because of that, I decided for my return I’d do a bit of a lifely recap. You know, recaps, those things every blogger and their mother’s dog does and I…never get around to? Yeah, that! I can be a cool kid, too! *whips out sunglasses* *accidentally pokes eye with them*

Erm, anyway…

Life has been a chaotic jumble of amazing and stressful and awful and wonderful for the past two months. So I’m going to talk about April also because a TON happened then as well. Really now, April and May needed a serious chill pill.

 

 

. . . LIFE . . .

APRIL

April swooped in with big plans of finishing my edits on Burning Thorns and having a fun, eventful, awesome month. Then Life was like HAHA.

- The month actually started off with a lovely note, as Easter landed on April 1st. And it was happy day of food and family and remembering Jesus and His beautiful Sacrifice. I’ve always loved Easter—the transition of winter to spring, the bright colors and Easter egg dye, families gathering, good food being eaten, the celebration of the Resurrection. It’s always a joyful day.

- Our library had its annual sale which is my faaaave. Though this year it was smaller than it has been for the past couple of years. I didn’t come home with much. But still. LIBRARY SALE. My life’s blood basically.

 

The finds from that day.

- I had to go out of town for a cardiologist appointment and some tests. (I have a severely deformed mitral valve and have to get it checked yearly. Don’t worry, I’m not dying or anything!) Which was a day-long thing and kind of felt like 3 days…or years… Doctor appointments are always fun. Yaaaay. >.>

- I was so relieved to have all that done and thought things could settle and be good. Well, right after I got home, my beloved poodle Navi was having lots of health problems. She had been having them for a few months, but things were getting worse, and we ended up having to put her down. And I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I felt like my best friend died. I’ve had her for 11 years and she’s never been just my pet. Navi was my world. I didn’t actually know it was possibly to love an animal that much before I had Navi. I still can’t seem to accept that she’s gone. But I am so grateful for those 11 years God blessed me with my Navi girl. I wouldn’t have changed it for anything.

 

I so miss this spoiled ball of fluff. <3

- Thankfully,  I had plans for a week-long trip to go stay with my bestie that landed literally the day after we put Navi down. It couldn’t have been more perfect timing. Because I am not one who needs time to herself to mourn. If I’m heartbroken, I need PEOPLE and distractions. Just being in my room by myself thinking about how sad I am makes things worse for me personally. So I was beyond relieved to have this trip planned. It helped ebb the sorrow so, so, so much. And ooooh my goodness, I had such a lovely time with my friend. Life turned around at this point and my hopes for a good month finally started coming true.

- The week included eating pizza every single day but one that whole week. What? you think I’m kidding. I do not kid when it comes to pizza! (Okay but my friend’s aunt, uncle, and cousins owns a pizza restaurant and it’s literally my favorite pizza in the world and I only get it when I’m there (boo on living in different cities from your bestie! *sniff, sniff*) so I always try to get as much of it in my system as possible during my visits. #NOREGRETS). Book shopping. #necessarypartoflife Drinking probably more coffee than is healthy. #stereotypicalwriter Makeup tutorials. (My friend is the master at makeup!) Many movie nights. Hanging out with so many of my favorite peoples. And just in general loving every second of being with my best friend. It filled me up.

- By the time I got home, April was coming near an end and I had a lot to catch up on and ponder over. As far as editing? AHAHAHAHA! Nooot much got done in April. It was one of those terrible/amazing months and by the end of it my mind was whirling from it all. But as life settled back into a new normal, I was ready to tackle the next month with new vigor.

MAY

My productive April plans transitioned well into May. The month wasn’t quiiiite as eventful as April, leaving me enough time to get things done. (But I’ll talk more about the writerly things in a minute.)

- With May came painting my brother’s room, something we’ve been meaning to get to for a while. I hate painting with every fiber in my being buuuut it is so very satisfying seeing a room freshly painted.

- Mother’s Day of course came. And I’m totally bias and think my mother is the bestest one on this earth (becausesheabsolutelyis), so celebrating and giving her some extra love was a joy.

- For a week I got to go over and feed our neighbor’s cat while they were out of town. Which I didn’t complain about one little bit because KITTEH! He’s such a snuggly, precious kitty and I loved going every evening to feed and pet him. <3

- Then the last week of May was the busiest, being as how my sister and I decided to switch rooms for various reasons. And I wanted to repaint hers before I moved in. (Another paint job. Hurraaay. >.>) I didn’t think it’d take too terribly long. Ahahaha! Why do I disillusion myself?? It turned into a week-long event of painting and moving and cleaning and rearranging and yeah. It was hard work, but actually turned out to be pretty fun in the end. And the best part is her room has way more wall space from my previous room which means I can have an entire BOOKSHELF WALL. Something I’ve aaaalways wanted, but never had the space for. Once I get everything arranged just right I maaay have to do a room tour. (As of right now I don’t even have pictures hung on the wall yet and I may buy another bookshelf and tweak things.) Buuuut I will give you a peek at my book wall…

 

It’s definitely subject to change, but I’m pretty happy with it for now.

And I have another shelf on the other side of the room, but it needs more work. It’s a bit messy looking as is.

 

Don’t mind my typewriter on the floor. Like I said, I’m still arranging things.

I’m being so indecisive about my shelves. I’d LOVE to arrange them by color because #aesthetics. It’s the thing now and I think it’s beautimous. Buuuut, at the same time, my perfectionist self can’t bear the thought of breaking up series. DECISIONS. #HALP I’d also absolutely love to get some fake flowers and fairy lights to decorate around the shelves with. If you guys know of any great places to acquire fairy lights (and what type I should get) SUGGEST AWAY!

- The month ended with us wrapping up our room switch, and now I’m comfortably settling into my new room and ready for yet another (hopefully) productive month to come. But May proved to be quite the month of writerly things, which I was counting on. As hard of a decision as it was to take a full month off of blogging, it was the right one. It gave me just enough time to wrap up some big projects of mine.

. . . WRITING . . .

- As of May 25th, I FINISHED EDITS FOR BURNING THORNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GUYS. I’ve been working on this 2nd round of major revisions since January. AND NOW IT IS DONNNEEEE. I couldn’t be happier! I may have to make another post about my editing journey (because I have quite a few thoughts and this post is becoming a monster as is), but for now I’ll just say this revision was tons of hard work and one of the biggest ones I’ve ever done. And…I kind of loved every minute of it. I’m thinking I’d like to go over the story one more time and check for any inconsistencies and do a typo sweep, but that shouldn’t take long. What matters is the big rewriting phase is done (for this draft anyway ehehehe). AND I JUST WANT TO DANCE IN ALL THE CONFETTI.

Alsoooo I will probably be doing a beta call sometime after Realm Makers (perhaps early August?) soooo yeah. Keep your eyes peeled for that. *wriggles eyebrows* Speaking of Realm Makers…

- I made some good headway as far as my giant DO BEFORE REALM MAKERS LIST goes. Editing BT was the biggy. But with that major task done, I’m now looking to getting other things done. I’ve scratched a few things off the list though.

- I made business cards! Super excited about that. I used Vistaprint because it was cheap and easy and I was quite happy with my design. Although the pictures I uploaded came out rather dark on the physical cards, as if they printed them wrong or something. It’s not too bad, I’m gonna live with it, just thought I’d warn you guys. I got matte cards, so it could be something to do with that? *shrugs*

- I sent in the first 10 pages of BT for a scheduled critique for Realm Makers. (SCARY STUFF.)

- I also scheduled appointments with 2 agents for RM. (MORE SCARY STUFF. Butalsoexciting.)

- I’ve been making planssss for a cosplay costume, since one night at RM we’ll all get to dress up. I’ve got the dress ordered, and have most of the rest of the costume figured out. It’s still a work-in-progress, but it’s coming together. I’M EXCITED. I think I’ll leave it to be a surprise though. *grins*

- Overall the Realm Makers prep is coming along nicely. Next up is perfecting my blurb for Burning Thorns, making a one-sheet (any tips, links, suggestions, etc. are always appreciated! I’m not even sure what kind of paper to make them out of and what size???), and work on a pitch for BT. Once I get those things done and my costume fully together I’ll be mostly prepared I think. I hope because WE’RE LOOKING AT LESS THAN TWO MONTHS NOW, PEOPLE. *SHRIEKS*

. . . BLOGGING . . .

Wait. Wasn’t I on a blogging hiatus for May? Well, yes. BUT…

- I did a guest blog post! The ever brilliant Savannah @ Inspiring Writes asked me to do a guest blog post for her Fairytale Retelling Month she did in May. Being as how I’m a huge fairytale retelling nerd (I mean, duh) I jumped at the chance. I wrote a post alllll about why YOU should write a retelling and why they’re cool. *puts on sunglasses successfully this time* So if you want  me to forcefully push convince you to join the fairytale bandwagon, you can read my post: 5 Reasons to Write a Fairytale Retelling

Also GO GIVE SAVANNAH A FOLLOW. Her blog, Inspiring Writes, is so well named. I come away from her posts inspired every single time. She makes the most motivating posts, will fill your plot bunny stash up by the millions, and she also interviews other amazing creatives. It’s seriously the best place to go fill up that creativity tank. Plus Savannah is the sweetest, most enthusiastic bean ever. <3

- I fiiinally got a more professional looking photo of myself for the blog (and other social media places). You probably noticed the new photo up there. *points at the top right sidebar* I’ve only been meaning to do that foreverrr, but I realized I needed it for my business cards, so that pushed me to get it done. Kudos to my amazing mom for capturing the photo. ^_^

. . . READING . . .

I probably don’t even deserve to have this section. Reading has been so slow these days. Like EMBARRASSINGLY SLOW.

- I did read the whole Storm Siren trilogy by Mary Weber though. Something I’ve been meaning to do for aaaages. But being as how she’s the keynote speaking at Realm Makers, I wanted to make sure I had read her books before then.

The stories were quite good. I got extremely fond of Nym and her cute impulsive behavior and deep desire to not harm anyone, as well as the rest of the cast (Eogan though <3). I also ADORED the world. It was like medieval fantasy slowly transitioning into steampunk times. Um. YES PLEASE. Such a unique and fun setting. Plus you can’t go wrong with a protagonist who literally creates storms. It was hilarious whenever Nym got angry and thunder would rumble in the sky.

The plot itself was pretty exciting buuuut…I don’t know. It almost felt like something was missing. Throughout all three of the books I was waiting for…more. It just kept feeling like the setup of a story and would get more exciting eventually, but it never really did. And yet at the same time it was chock full of war and emotion (THE FEELS) and life-threatening battles and the world threatening to end and airship fights (YES) and all that good stuff. So…maybe it’s just me? I think I’m becoming a picky reader and it’s a problem.

Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy quite a lot, but it didn’t quite blow me away. I’d probably get the trilogy 3 and a half stars all together.

That was all mostly May reading. I read barely anything in the whirlwind that was April. SAD I KNOW.

 

. . . WATCHING . . .

- INFINITY WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Naturally I saw it the weekend it came out and and and AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! No spoilers here, don’t worry. But yeah. o.o I can’t decide if I utterly loved it or hated it. SO MANY FEELS, GUYS. I’ve been screaming about it with my sister and friends for a month now. I WILL NEVER RECOVER FROM THIS MOVIE. EVER.

- THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. Confession: I’m not a huge musical fan. *ducks from the flying tomatoes* I probably just lost a few followers for saying that. I KNOW IT’S SHAMEFUL. I don’t dislike musicals, I’d just rather my entertainment not be interrupted by one song after the next. It takes away from the realism for me when everyone breaks out into song. So when I saw all this hype for The Greatest Showman I was more than skeptical. (I also can’t stand Zac Efron so…yeah.) WELL. My friends convinced me to watch it with them and… *shifty eyes* I loved it. I LOVED IT. Absolutely, completely LOVED. Every. Single. Minute. The whimsical feel, the amazing chorography, the beautiful setting, the emotion, the sweet characters, the absolutely breathtaking songs. It utterly enraptured me and had me lost in the story from that first goosebump-inducing opening scene to the credits.  NOW I AM HOOKED. So I shall swallow my words of not liking musical for this once and proceed to rewatch this amazing movie over and over again. Sometimes hypes are there for a reason. WHO KNEW?

- MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. I’ve been intrigued with this movie for a while, so was excited when some friends all decided we should watch it together. First I will say, this movie is NOT for the weak of stomach. It’s brutal. And gory. Good gracious. o.o If you’re looking for a fun, family-friendly flick THIS IS NOT IT. Two scenes in particular I really wish had not been there. BUT. I kind of loved the movie. It’s one of those movies that sticks with you long after the credits have rolled. I saw it over a month ago and am still pondering it. The strength and determination of the characters was awe-inspiring, the post-apocalyptic setting was fascinating (I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic/survival storylines), and the plot delivered an extremely powerful message about hope and sacrifice and never giving up and doing the right thing and treating all of humanity with respect, without ever once shoving it in your face. I seriously loved it. But again, viewer discretion EXTREMELY advised.

- PETER PAN (2003). Only my FAVORITEST MOVIE EVER (next to Lord of the Rings). This is a movie I saw in theaters twice, bought on DVD the very day it released, and proceeded to watch it until my disc nearly got worn. The movie that still gives me chills when it comes on despite the fact that I can quote it word-for-word. This movie means the world to my best friend and me. Watching and liking this movie is basically our rite of passage to being our friend. XD (Juuuust kidding…sorta.) So naturally while I was staying with her, we had to show it to friends who had never seen it. We hadn’t watched it together in the longest and AAAHHH NOSTALGIA. It brought back every bit of our preteen and teen years. And, shockingly, this movie holds up. There’s really nothing about it that feels old and cheesy. It’s a beautiful, whimsical, magical movie and if you have not seen it YOU ARE MISSING OUT. Like…I can’t even put into words how enchanting this movie is. It’s one of the very, VERY few movie adaptations I like just as much as the book. Yes, I like this movie equal to my beloved Peter Pan book. I TOLD YOU IT’S GOOD.

I probably watched a gradrillion other things that I’m not thinking of, but this post is already a million years long and those were the highlights. (Plus I have the memory of a goldfish and don’t keep up with what I watch month to month so…)

I feel like there’s a million and twelve more lifely bits and pieces I could tell you about these past couple of months. Like I said, they’ve been a doozy! Buuut being as how this post is already long enough to circle the world, I think I should end it eventually.

Overall, life has been hectic and stressful and heartbreaking. But at the same time? Between seeing my bestie, finishing edits, getting some Realm Makers planning finished, celebrating Easter and Mother’s Day, and switching rooms with my sis, it’s been an utterly thrilling ride. I’m ecstatic to be back to blogging (I’VE MISSED YOU GUYS!!!) and can’t wait to produce some new and (hopefully) exciting content for you all. And I’m muchly looking forward to seeing what all June has in store. I think we should make it an epic one, don’t you?

 

TALK WITH ME!

WELL THEN. Now that I’ve blabbered on to nearly the end of time, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What have you been doing while I’ve been away? Do you have any fun summer plans? Have you seen any of the movies I’ve listed??? (I NEED TO FANGIRL WITH PEOPLE.) I have missed you all and want to discuss ALL the things!

NaNoWriMo Week Three: Explosions, Frozen Fingers, and Christmas Decorations

WE. ARE. ON. WEEK. FOUR. OF. NANOWRIMO.

WEEK FOUR.

AND ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT.

WE’RE LITERALLY NEARING THE END OF THE MONTH PEOPLE.

It’s a little shocking, to be honest. Didn’t this month just start???? HOW ARE WE PAST THE HALFWAY POINT?

I had an absolutely fantastic Week Three myself! Both on the writing front and with lifely things. *le gasp* Am I saying I actually did LIFE stuff this week? That happens during NaNoWriMo?? Bwahaha! Of course not. What an absurd thought. I just happened to glance over the top of my screen and accidentally take note of the real world for half a second. Scariest half second of my life. (Okay, okay, yes, I did step away from my novel a couple of times this week, but we’re getting to that.)

 

WEEK THREE HIGHLIGHTS 

WRITERLY-NESS

I passed the halfway mark of my novel. This is both something to jump up and down and scream excitedly over AND something that makes me want to curl under my bed and cry for a million years. Becaaause, I hit the halfway mark of my novel at 76k words. Which means…I have around 76k more words to write before this monstrosity is finished. *diiiies*

BUT. Currently I’m at 91k words, and so far I’ve managed to write around 30k every week. So I think I can finish this within the next few weeks. …If I survive that long. 30k a week is no joke. Z_Z I’m noticing my enthusiasm to go write has been fading, but once I do start writing I enjoy myself. I’m just kinda ready to, well, start living again and enjoy the Christmas holiday. But I’ve been working on this series every NaNo for SEVEN YEARS. I think I can give it a few more weeks. And then I’ll be DONE. FOREVERRRR. (Let’s just pretend rewrites don’t exist for now, okay???) I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

Fortunately, like I said, I enjoy myself for the most part once I do start writing those words. This book is seriously the MOST. FUN. THING.

This week’s writing sessions included…

 

• Bryth single-handedly killing three bad guys. I haven’t written a fight scene with Bryth in a long time, and I was just sitting there cackling to myself as I remembered what a deadly force she is. (I’m perfectly normal, I promise.) (Actually that’s a total lie. I’m a writer. “Normal” doesn’t come with the title.)

 

• Airen and Eryth doing a rescue mission together. Airen and Eryth together. AIREN AND ERYTH!!!!! Only my favorite ship out of my all characters. *coughity cough cough* Okay, technically last week was when a ton of the Airen and Eryth things took place like…THEIR REUNION. Since they haven’t been together since the beginning of BOOK ONE. I’ve only been waiting for this reunion for 7 years. Let’s just ignore the fact that they’re not an official “couple” yet. Psssh, details.

 

• There may also be a slight love triangle that played a part during this week’s writing. Oops? It’s only slight. And I think this is my first love triangle to ever write…? *actually likes love triangles*

 

• Not just one humongous battle but TWO. Whyyy??? I AM NOT GOOD AT BATTLE SCENES. Do I look like I know how to fight? That I have any knowledge at all how to maneuver around entire armies??? NO. And yet I do it all. the. time. I should count one day how many fight scenes have occurred in this series. I honestly bet it’s nearing 100. Just…so many fights! And this week I had entire, ridiculously large battles going as full KINGDOMS were trying to be freed and just… *collapses* Battle scenes overwhelm me because I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING. (Let’s not talk about how the whole climax will be one enormous battle scene with, like, the whole WORLD fighting. *dies*) Okay, actually, these battles weren’t too hard, and sometimes I do have fun with them. I put on fast paced, epic, ear-bleeding music and just type probably utter nonsense (because, again, I don’t know how to fight), BUT IT IS EPIC NONSENSE SO THERE.

 

• EXPLOSIONS. Well I did say there were battles, now didn’t I? What good is a battle without EXPLOSIONS??? Never mind this is a medieval fantasy novel. I will still find ways to explode things. *cackles*

 

• Reunions. So. Many Reunions. ALL THE REUNIONS. Okay, okay, not all of them. BUT A LOT. In fact, I’m rapidly nearing the section of the book where alllll meh babies FINALLY get together. I’ve got most of them in one place. IT ONLY TOOK 7 BOOKS. But I’ve done it! Just a few more and then they can have a big ol’ party before the world ends.

 

• Did I mention reunions? I feel like it deserved a second point. I LOVE REUNIONS OKAY. That’s the biggest reason this book is so FUN. I’ve never had all these characters working together so much, and it’s a chaotic, amazing mess. Literally, for a couple of scenes I had to make a list of who all was there because I couldn’t keep up with everyone. o.O IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND ABSURD AND I LOVE IT.

 

• Also three semi-major deaths happened. Huh? What? I said nothing!

 

• Character developmeeeent! Quite a few of my babies had some major breakthroughs this week and I AM SO PROUD. :’)

 

• I also had a certain one of my ships sail away happily into the sunset this week. (No, it wasn’t Airen and Eryth.)

So as you can see, it was a very productive week.

 

LIFELY THINGS

Like I said, I actually acknowledged the real world a teensy itty bit this week. But it was for a good cause! Because…

We decorated the house for CHRISTMAS!!! Only one of my favorite things to do ever. Is there anything happier than putting on the Christmas music and decking the house out in all the festive, wonderful thiiings. I THINK NOT.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS AND I AM NOT ASHAMED.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been really feeling the Christmas spirit because the weather hasn’t been cooperating. It’s a little hard to bellow out the Christmas tunes while you’re MELTING. Buuut apparently the weather finally remembered what season it was (perhaps it’s doing NaNo too and got distracted writing…?) and this weekend was COLD. Like, I got freeze warning alerts on my phone kind of cold. I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER. Cold weather is my faaaave! It finally feels like the proper holiday season. Excuse me while I go put on my boots and scarves and blast the Christmas music and eat all the cookies and hug a Christmas tree because THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS HEERE. Not that I’m excited or anything.

 

LESSONS FROM THE WEEK

The cold is perfect initiative to write fast. Oh yes, I’ve come up with a solid new way to get those words out quickly. Go outside and don’t allow yourself to return to the warm indoors until you’ve met a certain wordcount. Then type as fast as you can before you freeze and die. Genius! BONUS POINTS: Meet your word goal before your fingers go numb and chip off.

So maaaybe I’ve been writing out in the freezing cold this week. Do I regret it? Neverrrr! I am the ICE QUEEN. (The cold doesn’t effect your brain, does it? Naaah!)

Ooookay, so I did actually learn something useful this week.

Near the end of the week, my creative barrels were getting dry. My writing was bland and I had to painstakingly force out every. single. word. I had been writing so MUCH every day, and was getting really tired. But I told myself I had to keep going, I had to keep writing. This book is gonna be LONG. I have to write and write and write if I ever hope to get to the end. No matter what.

Then Friday came and I had to go to work, which forced me to stop writing for a little while. Work was slow that day, giving me some relaxing time, I even got to read a little (something I really haven’t done since NaNo started… o.o). After work, I got myself a vanilla latte at McDonald’s (#obsessed) and dove back into my novel.

Suddenly, the words flowed without any effort, and they came (I think) in much more quality than I had been producing. That evening, I easily finished up a chapter, and the next day I wrote a whole 6k words without any trouble. While any other day I write 6k, I have to really push myself to get in that many words, and am dead by the end of it.

That’s when I realized: TAKING BREAKS IS A GOOD THING. A necessary thing. You only have so much creative energy before it’s completely run out. If you keep pushing yourself, all you’re doing is scraping at the bottom of the barrel which is slow, tedious work. The best way to refuel those juices is to put a little distance from yourself and your novel (or whatever your creative pursuit may be). Read a book, watch your favorite show, take a walk, go shopping with friends—just step away for a while. When you come back, you’ll be shocked at how reenergized and inspired you feel. Now, I understand it is hard stepping away to do something else when you could be using that time to write. But, in the end, you may find you write faster once you’ve refilled yourself, meaning you didn’t waste any time at all.

And yes, I realize this is something we hear all the time, and something I know, but experiencing it this week reminded me of how true it is.

Unfortunately, I never learn my lesson and will probably once again pour myself out to the bottom of the barrel, and refuse to take breaks because I MUST. FINISH. THIS. NOVEL. But I’m not anything if I’m not a useful role model of what not to do. You’re welcome.

 

CONCLUSION…

I had a very good Week Three of NaNo! And I also write the most absurd, unorganized posts during NaNo. I really don’t know what this is, guys. I promise, once I’ve finished this monstrosity of a novel the blog will return to actual subjects and not just what it looks like in the inside of my brain (as in: a thousand different thoughts with sooo many caps and question marks).

Who am I kidding? My blog is always full of rambling chaos. (Just maybe a liiittle less during non-NaNo months? Yes? Anybody???)

I hope everybody has an amazing Thanksgiving week! And to my non-American friends, I hope you have an amazing week period! I hope you all do! JUST BE THE AMAZING PEOPLE YOU ARE.

How did your NaNo Week Three go???? What is something exciting that happened during your writing session this week? (Did you kill any of your characters?) Is anyone else already pulling out the Christmas decorations? (DO NOT BE ASHAMED.) And, just for fun, what’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish? (I’m allll about that dressing.)

Flash Fiction - Into the Rift

Confession: I never write flash fiction. I basically never venture out and write anything but whatever current novel I’m working on at the time. I always feel guilty writing something else when I already have a novel that needs my attention, so I. . .never do. BUT right now, since I finished Burning Thorns, I don’t actually have a current writing project going. I’m free. So I did the unthinkable. I wrote a flash fiction piece. Bum bum BUMMM.

My Pack (my online writing group of fabulous girls) has this thing called “Writer Dares” where we post random writing prompt pictures and write little flash fiction pieces should one of the prompts inspire us. Except I never write any. (See above paragraph.) But a picture was posted a couple days ago that was too intriguing to pass up, and I want to keep my writing muscles strong even though I’m on break, so I spontaneously sat down and started writing. The result was something far different than I’ve ever written, but I think that’s what made it fun. Now I see the appeal of this whole flash fiction business. I had a BLAST writing this thing. It’s bizarre and probably makes no sense, but it was fun nonetheless, so I thought I’d share it.

I do hope you enjoy!

The prompt pic that inspired the whole thing.

Into the Rift

She was stuck.

He shouldn't have used the watch, he shouldn't have tried to bring the auburn haired girl back with him.

She was stuck, and it was his fault. He knew, he knew and he did it anyway…

Time was not to be tampered with.

That was the number one rule in the Organization, ingrained in each student's brain—taught, spoken, written, again and again and again to the point that they mumbled it in their sleep.

Do not tamper with time.

But how could he keep her in that horrible future?

How could he leave the girl with auburn hair?

The girl he fell in love with.

Trying to ignore the tremors in his deep breaths, Lucas gripped the cursed copper watch in one hand and with the other thrust the syringe's needle in the crook of his arm. There was no time to try to fall asleep, he had to use something to knock him out instantly.

Because the girl he loved could only be found in his nightmares.

As consciousness slipped away, hot energy vibrated from the watch. The mildewed walls of the abandoned subway snapped away like a light switching off and then he was there once again, standing in the midst of crumbling, burning buildings and cracked streets. By now he knew every scream, every buzz of the drones circling above, with OTT painted in white on their wings and their weapons pointed at her.

She stood in the middle of the chaotic street, facing her coming death bravely. Bravely, just as she faced the corrupt rulers of this wretched future and dared defy them.

Lucas watched himself rush by, straight for her, twisting the dials on the watch as he ran. Just as he grabbed hold of her arm, the current Lucas, the real Lucas, looked away. He had relived this nightmare too many times. Even with his eyes shut tight he still heard her scream, and the flash of blue light pierced through his eyelids.

He had tried to take her to the past, to his present, away from this future she lived in.

Do not tamper with time.

Taking someone, especially someone as important as her, away from their timeline would alter all of time. So the cursed watch tried to fix his mistake and froze her, imprisoned her in the Rift, the place in between time. She was stuck there, and even after half a dozen times trying to get her out he was no closer than when he started.

But he wouldn't stop trying.

Forcing his eyes back open, he darted for the blinding blue light encompassing her and his past self. The only way into the Rift was to revisit his past through his dreams, or nightmares. The watch read his conscious and, as long as he put himself in the exact spot she entered the Rift, it would transport him there. At least until the watch drained of energy.

He gritted his teeth as searing pain tore into his whole body, pulled him away from time and into the in between. She had felt this pain, she experienced this burning, ripping sensation. He had tried to save her and instead caused her agony.

"Lucas!"

Hands caught him before his legs gave way, and when he met her golden-brown eyes the pain ebbed.

"I told you not to come again," she said, her brow etched in worry.

"I had to."

"You're killing yourself! Your body can't take many more trips like this."

"I don't care."

"Lucas!"

"Raina." He gently moved a stray strand of that bright auburn hair out of her face, calming her.

They still stood on the cracked streets, but all was silent. Time hung suspended around them. The people who had before scattered to get away from the attacking drones were now frozen in place, their mouths still opened in silenced screams. Walls collapsing from the fire had stopped midair. The threatening buzz of the drones had quieted. And yet even in the stillness the world quivered. Blurred around them, like looking through a windshield in a rainstorm.

Such was the Rift.

Lucas studied this unnerving world. Though almost identical to his memory, his nightmare, a few small details were different. Such as the man to his left holding the little girl with her face buried in his shoulder. And in his memory the building just in front of him was half collapsed, but here it stood almost whole.

None of this was surprising. After all, everyone's memories were different. And he no longer stood in his own memory, but hers. He had entered Raina's world, and somehow he was going to get her out.

He set the watch again for the far future and snagged her hand. He had tried so many different combinations in the past, maybe the future would work instead. It didn't matter where they ended up, as long as they were together and she was safe.

"Lucas, please don't. It's not going to work. You have to let me go."

"Never." He squeezed the watch and the world flashed around him. More pain, more screams, then darkness.

His eyes adjusted to the dim light and he found himself in an all too familiar dank subway. Alone. He hissed and slammed a fist into the wall. The watch wasn't powerful enough to transport anyone from the Rift. Not away from their own timeline. And so each time it sent him back to his last location. In the abandoned subway he now called home as he hid from the Organization.

He broke the number one rule, and if they found him he would pay.

When he applied for the Organization of Time Traveler's school two years ago, he had no idea he was stepping into a world of corrupt, power hungry maniacs.

The watch had to recharge, and each time he had to wait those two hours was pure agony. The minute the blue light indicating full power blinked on, he snatched up the watch, shoved the needle in his arm, and returned to his nightmare. He embraced the blue light and was with her in the still, blurry world once again.

Without even looking at her, he began adjusting the watch to a new time, but his fingers trembled violently over the dials and white spots obscured his vision.

"Lucas, stop."

His eyes moved to hers and found tears rimming them.

"You're dying." Her voice was so quiet, so defeated. She slid her hand to his and hovered a finger over the watch clutched in his palm. "It wasn't meant to be used like this. Your body can't handle coming here over and over again."

"I'm not going to leave you. Don't you see, Raina, you won't even age. There is no time here. You'll be imprisoned in this place of nothing for eternity."

"I know. And that's why you have to let me go."

He swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "I…I can't."

"It's the only way. Everything will go back to normal. Both our timelines will be sorted, you won't even be on the run anymore."

"But you'll die." He could not mask the crack in his voice.

"Lucas." She pressed a hand against his cheek and smiled through her tears. "Before you came, I was so lonely, lost in the hate of the world. You showed me what it is to be loved. Now it's my turn to show you."

Before he could stop her, she snatched the watch out of his hand and backed away.

"Raina, no!" He dove for her but it was too late, the watch was already doing what it so desired to do. Her fading body glowed with blue light. "No, you can't. You can't! You'll die. Those drones will kill you!"

Wind stirred around her and whipped up her auburn hair, and her body became more and more transparent. And yet she smiled. A wide, gleaming smile that had captured his heart from the beginning.

"Even a time traveler can't predict the future," she said. "But you can change it. Never forget that." Her last words came in a whisper. "I love you, Lucas."

Then his world exploded into excruciating light.

 

Lucas snapped up with a gasping breath. His eyes swiveled from left to right, but there was no deadly drones, no collapsing buildings, dark subways.

No Raina.

Instead he sat in a bed in a stark white room.

A familiar room.

Snatching up the tablet at the bedside table, he checked the time and date.

June 23, 2319. 7:08 a.m.

This was the day he had stolen the watch, the day he changed everything, the day he went to the future and met Raina.

But it hadn't happened yet.

He once more took in the white room. His room, at the Organization.

Time had reset.

Everything was back to normal, before he tampered with time.

But he still remembered. His fingers balled into a fist. He remembered and he would never forget.

Throwing off the covers, he jumped out of bed, slipped his shoes on, and headed for the door. A bright yellow sign to the right of his door halted his steps.

DO NOT TAMPER WITH TIME.

He read the white words, the number one rule. And then he ripped the whole sign down and dumped it to the floor.

Because every single person ever born tampered with time. That's what people did. They changed the world, they changed the future. He could tamper with time without using a time traveling watch. Instead he could use his current life to make a difference, like Raina did.

He could strive to stop the corruptness of this organization.

After all, those drones with their guns pointed at her had been sent by the Organization of Time Travelers. The future version of the Organization he stood in now. The one that would eventually use their power of time to take control of the world and murder the girl he loved.

But not if he could help it. He'd stop them now and make the future a better place.

A place the auburn haired girl could live in.

He couldn't predict the future, but he could change it.

That Time Christine’s Brain Went Missing and Other Odd Tales

This morning I woke up to a note on my pillow—

Gone to Hawaii for the week. Have fun without me.

                                                                Signed,
                                                                         Your Brain

It could have given me a week’s notice or something. Sheesh. So here I am, brainless, trying to write a blog post. It’s obviously not going well.

Or I may have contracted a minor cold and am a little out of it today, but I still think my brain went off on vacation without me. Do you know how trying it is for a writer to be left brainless? I have all these character running willy-nilly in my head and now that I don’t have my own thoughts they’re taking over the place and making a horrid mess. I can’t even keep up.

My calendar tells me we’re halfway through June. Um, excuse me, Calendar, but I did not give you permission to jump that far ahead. But since it’s so insistent on being on that little halfway marker, I suppose I could recap what June has looked like so far.

Hot for one. And stormy, I hear thunder out my window this moment even though the sun in shining. I’m pretty sure the weather has been as confused as I have lately. We’ll step out, everything all bright and sunshiny, and the whoosh! Rain! Thunder! Lightning! “I’m going to kill you allll!” the weather crackles menacingly. “Nah, changed my mind.” Sunshiiiine. Uh, what? Literally moments ago it was raining and THERE WERE NO CLOUDS. Doesn’t that defy the laws of. . .stuff? I don’t even know anymore.

Because the weather is apparently on an emotional rollercoaster, I’ve done my best to avoid it as I do most summers. This involves taking safety precautions by staying safely inside away from the glaring, ominous, deadly ball of light in the sky that laughs maniacally every time it looks upon my pale skin. Then of course I use a protection spell called A/C and crank it up to its ultimate power. Take that ridiculously high temperatures! (I just really hate hot weather, okay? Reeeeally hate.)

But summer has not been so bad thus far. Honestly, I rather like summer as long as sunscreen, A/C, and my laptop are always at hand.

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, I’m doing a JuNoWriMo goal of 30k words this month. I hit 15k words yesterday, so I’m keeping to par. Life keeps laughing at my goal and insisting I fall behind, but I’ve stayed on top. . .for the most part. And writing in general has been going quite well. This week I experienced writing through the point-of-view of a particularly bratty character named Marigold for the first time and giggled to myself through almost the whole chapter. Turns out being inside the head of a brat isn’t as terrible as it sounds. It’s quite entertaining, honestly. And then you thrust one brat with my impish character Larke and. . .well. . .

"That? That's our destination?” Marigold said. “The thing looks like it'll collapse if I breathe on it!"

"So don't breathe, then."

Don’t give me that sassy face, Larke.

Yeah, it’s been interesting.

I’d probably get more written if not for the call of the TV. We’ve been rewatching ABC’s Once Upon a Time (and yes, I used a character from that show as Larke’s face character, do not judge) and enjoying it just as much as the first time through. But I’m totally calling it writing research because if I could weave a tale as well as those writers, book contracts would be exploding through my windows. Yep, definitely writing research. *nods* (Or more like Christine sobbing over all the ridiculously good writing, but research sounds better.)

I’ve also been running on Hobbit feels. For the past couple of weekends my sister and I have rewatched the first two Hobbit movies. And by watching I mostly mean me providing a very lively commentary about allll the things that should or should not have happened. Said informative commentaries involve going as far as pausing the movie to supply very detailed Middle Earth history with the occasional threat to throw rocks at Tauriel’s head.

Thank you, Legolas.

Ahem. Yeeeah, I may not be the most fun person to watch the Hobbit movies with. But my ever patient sister assures me I’m quite entertaining. She agrees with me on my theory that they should have tried petting Smaug before provoking him. A good rub on the tummy may have been all the poor dragon needed. *I* certainly would have tried. Petting a dragon is on my bucket list after all.

Yesterday we watched the last Hobbit movie. It was my first time to see it since theaters, and my sister’s fist time period, so (other than making many gagging sounds during Tauriel/Kili moments *chokes*) I kept quiet and behaved myself. I was very proud. Besides, it’s a bit difficult providing a commentary while gasping back sobs because of certain deaths. But I digress! (Whoa, I almost rhymed.)

The Hobbit movies are fabulous, I simply hold a loyalty as fierce as a dwarf’s to the book.

Yes, your wonderful book that certain movie makers ruined.

IT’S RAINING WITH THE SUN OUT AGAIN, GUYS. So beautiful, but so strange.

Where was I? It’s so hard to know without a brain. June! Right. I believe that covers the highlights. Missing brains, emotionally compromised teenage girl-type weather, lots of writing, long exposure to unfairly good TV, Hobbit feels—yep, it’s been a good month thus far. *nods, nods* Hopefully the second half of June shall bring many more words and adventures Bilbo-style. (Because I really want to find a dragon and pet it, okay??)

And that, children, is why I should never attempt writing a blog post with a cold. I better post it now before my brain comes back and scolds me for even thinking about posting this. (And if you see a lone brain vacationing somewhere could you send it back my way? Thanks.)

What has the first half of June looked like for YOU? Come across any dragons to pet? I firmly believe they’re grumpy all the time because everyone is poking them with sharp objects instead of showing them affection. Don’t you?

I really should delete this.
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
*posts*

Naps, Roses, and Hobbitses

I’ve been staring at the screen for several minutes trying to think of a clever way to open up this post, but my brain’s all, “Haha, nope. Go take a nap or something.” I tend to ignore my brain, but a nap sounds awfully nice.

So Thursday my throat started feeling like murder, and then as the day progressed I slowly seeped into a state of death. Then over the weekend it all came in full force—fever, a throat that felt like a dragon was lodged inside trying to claw and burn its way out, a headache akin to a volcano ready to erupt, all that fun stuff. So yeah, if it has appeared to anyone like I’ve disappeared off the planet, I haven’t. My brain feels like it’s floating through space, but I promise I’m still here. Just been sick. Still am, actually, but I’m slowly improving. I do tend to relapse all the time though, so any prayers that I’ll get well soon and actually stay well would be such a blessing to me!

Last Saturday (the 13th) I officially finished my Beauty and the Beast novella for the Rooglewood Press Contest! Writing it went surprisingly well and I’m rather happy with it, but it is going to need a fair amount of editing. I was planning on tackling said editing last week, but we were gone for the first half of the week and then I got sick the last half, resulting in zero editing. All my brain’s been good for is staring blankly at the television these past few days. Not exactly the best time to be perfecting a story. Scary thought, really.

I was really hoping to have it written and edited up for my beta-readers by the end of this month, but now I’m not sure I’m going to have time. Which also means it probably won’t be completely finished by the end of October like I was planning. My hopes were to have it done and sent off before NaNoWriMo. Ah, plans, how you do like to explode on me. Or just laugh hysterically. Ah well, if I have to send it off in November it won’t be the end of the world (I mean, it could be the end of the world, but I promise it wouldn’t be my doing). I’ve been trying to accept life as it comes and not put it on a schedule. I can get pretty stressed when my plans go kaput. I’m learning to just roll with it. Still a WIP, but I am trying.

I know I haven’t really said anything about the actual story. Since it’s for a contest I don’t want to give too much away. And since it’s short, explaining the plot would pretty much spoil the majority of it, you know? But if you’re all that curious about it, it does have a Pinterest board that you’re welcome to peruse.

Also I listened to THIS SONG while writing most of the last section of it. It’s one of the most gorgeous songs I’ve ever heard. Seriously, go take a listen. Thank you, Pandora, for hooking me up with beautiful music! I declare that site reads my mind.

I must get well soon. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is literally sitting in our house right now from Netflix and I can’t watch it. My brother and I like to watch those movies in his room with his nice TV and surround sound system but I don’t want to germinate his room, so the disc is just sitting there, tantalizing us. Being sick is so very not fun. Who cares if I technically saw it in theaters. I NEED to see it again! Because, obviously, I need my heart ripped out and torn into a million pieces again. You understand, right? RIGHT?

Speaking of epic movies, MOCKINGJAY PART ONE TRAILER. My excitement levels are so very high.

And while we’re on the subject of movies and things. . .

Today is Bilbo’s and Frodo’s birthday!

Who doesn’t love those two hobbitses? The one who was determined to stay in the comforts of his hobbit hole only to stand face to face with a dragon. And the unlikely hero to save all of Middle Earth. Both of whom remind us that however unworthy and small we may feel, we can conquer anything if we put our minds to it (and aren’t afraid to accept help, occasionally from very unlikely friends). Sometimes I need the inspiration of those two. So happy birthday, my dear hobbitses!

To all you Whovians, what do you think of the new season of Doctor Who and the 12th Doctor? Because I kind of instantly fell in love with 12. I am SO excited. I honestly didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t against Capaldi, but I had never seen him in anything and had no clue what type of Doctor he’d be. But. . . *incoherent squealing*

He’s great! Speaking of which, I haven’t watched the newest episode yet. Another thing my brother and I like to watch together but can’t right now. I need to get wellll! I need a Doctor! (See what I did there?)

Well, I think I’m off to read or nap. Or, you know, something that allows me to ignore the world. My brain is still a little too dead to accept the fact that my inbox is exploding and I need to edit my novella and do some critiquing for other people and start on a guest blog post. Hopefully in a day or two I’ll be a bit more back on my feet and can begin tackling these things. But for now I’m just like derp.

And yes, this post has absolutely no point or order to speak of. But sometimes I like to just type and talk and let my random thoughts roam free. A dangerous thing, but it takes a lot of effort keeping them locked away inside my head all the time. Plus, between linkups and reviews and tags and whatnot I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve written about just life. Every now and again I need some random posts. I do hope you don’t mind. Hopefully next week my brain will be more functional and can work out something actually tangible.

So what kind of posts do you guys like reading in the blogsphere? Do the random, life-oriented posts interest you, or do you rather more focused articles? And what types of posts do you like writing more?

Have a hobbit-filled day! (Because hobbits make everything better.)

The Olaf Award

My dearly blogging friend Kiri nominated me for a very fun tag. . .like a few weeks ago. *cough* But better late than never, right? (And technically I have at least 3 other tags passed my way as well, but I might wait until July to get to those when things have hopefully settled down for me AKA when I finish the book I’m tirelessly writing.)

This tag, as described by the maker, is “a blog award dedicated to the glories of Disney animation.” Pretty epic, is it not? Who doesn’t love the Disney animated movies?

Because everyone loves Olaf!

~Rules~
1. Answer the award questions.
2. Pass the award on to however many bloggers you choose, using the same or your own questions.

Quite simple!

~Questions~

1. What is your favorite Disney movie of all time?
That would absoluuutely be Tangled! It’s got Flynn, a way fun heroine, Flynn, frying pans, Flynn, a hilarious horse and frog—ahem chameleon, Flynn, awesome plot, and did I mention Flynn? Okay, okay, I don’t love it just because of Flynn (but Flynn <3).

2. Of the three newest Disney films (Tangled, Brave, and Frozen), which is your favorite?
*points up* I think I’ve got this question covered. But Brave and Frozen are completely delightful!

3. Do you tend to prefer Disney films made prior to the 2000s or those made more recently?
Hmmm. . . That’s an interesting question. Tangled, Brave, and Frozen all happen to be 3 of my favoritest animated movies of all time, BUT then you got Winnie the Pooh, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmatians, The Aristocats, Robin Hood. . .I mean, come on, people! All those classics are AMAZING. So I guess maybe possibly I’d say prior to the 2000s, even though Tangled is my favorite.

4. Who is your favorite character in Frozen?
My. . .favorite. . .character. . .? WUUUUT? WHAT. I think I love Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven equally! They’re all so spectacular in their own special way and just asdlkjflskjdf. I CAN’T CHOOSE. I love ALL the characters!!! *huggles them* Except Hans. I do not love Hans. . . >.>

5. Everyone loves Disney music. Any movie whose soundtrack you particularly enjoy? Limit yourself to three.
TANGLED. (Seeing a pattern here?) I listen to that soundtrack practically daily (and if I ever get married highly considering having “I See the Light” at my wedding). As for two more. Um. . . Probably The Little Mermaid, she always had my favorite singing voice of the princesses and the songs in that film are just so fun. And thennn Robin Hood, maybe? Who doesn’t love those songs? But maybe Beauty and the Beast. . .or Frozen? GAH. I don’t KNOW. I don’t really have a top three!

“I have dreams like you no really,
Just much less touchy feely,
They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny!
On an island that I own,
Tan and rested and alone,
Surrounded by enormous piles of money!”

Because we all know that’s the best.

6. In your opinion (similar to Question #3), has the quality of Disney's film-making decreased as time has gone on, or has it only improved?
Wellll I think it’s increased a bit just for the fact that they’re bigger now, have more recourses, etc. But I also think the classics are so amazing because, well, they’re classics. It’s what we grew up on. Some our parents grew up on. They have this nostalgia to them that the new ones don’t because, ya know, they’re new. But the new ones have deeper, richer stories, while the classics are happy and nostalgic. And I’m not really going anywhere with this, am I? I’m mainly talking it through with myself because I don’t exactly have an answer. As I first said, their quality has increased due to better storytelling, bigger budgets, and more advanced technology, but there’s something about the classics that you just can’t remake, even when they try. Have you seen some of the sequels they made to the classics? No thank you! So, to answer the question (yes, you may sigh in relief), I wouldn’t say they’ve overly increased or decreased, it’s just different. Not necessarily in a bad way or a good way, just different.

7. Favorite Disney couple?
Want to take a guess at this one?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FLYNN AND RAPUNZEL.

Shocked, right? The obsession goes deep, people, deep.

I mean. . .

Can you get anymore adorable?

8. Favorite Disney sidekick?
*sputters* Sidekick? MEH. WHY THESE QUESTIONS SO HARD??? Does the Mad Hatter count as a sidekick? I’m not sure he really does. But he is one of my favorite fictional characters in the history of ever, in all his forms. (Am I babbling to put off this question? Why yes I am!) ERM. *pulls at hair* Sidekicks. . .sidekicks. . . Maaaaybe Maximus. (Yes, another question answered with Tangled. Are you not surprised?) Who doesn’t love that mischievous horse? But then there’s Olaf, who is, well, Olaf. He doesn’t need a reason to be favorited. But then MUSHU. Who is just fabulous and hilarious in every way possible. And Dug, from Up. SQUIRREL. And does Dory count as sidekick? Can we just say ALL the peoples?

9. What is the worst Disney film you've ever seen?
CINDERELLA 3!!! Remember when I mentioned them making sequels to the classics? NO. You do not touch the classics, you do not remake them, you do not try to change them, don’t even look at them! The classics are my babies and I do NOT appreciate them being tampered with. ESPECIALLY Cinderella, which happens to practically be my childhood. Just NO. Do you know what they did in that movie? Am I even allowed to speak the horrors done? They altered the entire timeline of the first movie, people!!!! Normally time travel and I get along swimmingly, and Cinderella and time travel? Okay, wow. Very interesting. Hahaha. . . NO. They basically erased all the events that happened in the first movie, ERASED MY CHILDHOOD, and changed it and I just can’t. I get so worked up when I think about it (if you didn’t notice) that I can’t even acknowledge the existence of that movie. *shakes it off and moves on*

10. Lastly, what is one lesser-known Disney film you'd recommend?
Uh. . .we’re still keeping to animated stuff, right? Is Oliver and Company very well known? I never see anyone ever mention that one but ooooh my goodness. I watched that so much when I was little it’s ridiculous. That movie is FAAABULOUS. Or. . .I think it is. I can’t even remember the last time I saw it. o.o

Okay, this was spectacularly fun! Hope you all didn’t mind the many rambles. Disney and I run deep. Thank you SO much, Kiri, for passing this on to me!

Now my turn to share it as well. . .

~Nominees~

Deborah (Or Celti as I fondly call her)
Belle
Sarah
Jack
Lisa

And here is the list of questions for you to answer. I’m just going to use the same ones I was given because they’re a lot of fun (and I’m too lazy to come up with any myself *cough*).

~Your Questions~

1. What is your favorite Disney movie of all time?
2. Of the three newest Disney films (Tangled, Brave, and Frozen), which is your favorite?
3. Do you tend to prefer Disney films made prior to the 2000s or those made more recently?
4. Who is your favorite character in Frozen?
5. Everyone loves Disney music. Any movie whose soundtrack you particularly enjoy? Limit yourself to three.
6. In your opinion (similar to Question #3), has the quality of Disney's film-making decreased as time has gone on, or has it only improved? 
7. Favorite Disney couple?
8. Favorite Disney sidekick?
9. What is the worst Disney film you've ever seen?
10. Lastly, what is one lesser-known Disney film you'd recommend?

Don’t forget to be “happy snowmen!” out in these summer months! *wink*

Contradict

Sometimes I like being in the midst of a crowd,
then other times I prefer solitude.

Usually I smile at the sight of sunlight,
yet often I relish the sound of rain tapping on the rooftop.

I love when life takes a busy turn,
but I also enjoy the quiet, lazy days.

Noise—children playing, the TV going, music blaring, people chattering—thrills me,
yet silence comforts me.

I adore lyrical music,
and instrumental.

I’m an extrovert,
but have introvert tendencies.

I really dislike touching,
but I hug everybody.

I love the outdoors,
but I. . .hate the outdoors.

I’m extremely organized,
in a chaotic way.

I’m well known for being very talkative and loud,
I’m notorious for being exceedingly quiet.

I can act like a 4 year old,
or a 93 year old.

Some days, I’m really not sure who I am. My personality, taste, interests is so contradictory I feel as though I break the universe sometimes. I seem to have strange opinions on things, or more like two contradictory opinions on the same thing. I couldn’t really tell you who I am because I contradict myself in almost every area of my life. And yet I’m a pretty consistent person. See? Contradictory!

Sometimes, this fact frustrates me. Why can’t I just be one thing or the other? Why both? It’s weird and confusing. Who AM I?

You know who I am? I’m a daughter of the King. God created me to fulfill His purposes. I am who I am because He made me that way. I’m learning to embrace my peculiar personality (or shall I call it personalities?). In fact, it’s actually rather convenient seeing both sides to almost everything in life. I tend to be the mediator when arguments arouse between my friends or family, because usually I understand each person’s opinions. I can go watch The Avengers with my brother and turn around and watch a Disney princess movie with my sister. I’m content with laying around watching TV all day with one person or go romping through the woods with another.

There’s no rule that claims I have to be one particular thing. I enjoy exploring all the different aspects of life. Being two things at once. Delighting in all of God’s creations.

As long as I’m solid and constant in embracing HIS love, being a little mismatched is okay with me.

Queen Navi the Great commands you all to read her words

Hello, random human people. My name is Navi (I prefer Queen Navi the Great and Wonderful but no one around here ever bothers with proper titles, the insolent peasants. Instead they often resort to horrid nicknames such as “Nav nav”, ‘tis a disgrace to Her Majesty).

Christine is my human. My human has had the audacity to leave Her Greatness for an entire week! By Fido’s tail, you read that correctly. She has left me, her ever gracious, loving, and kind queen, for a week’s length of time. Thus I have taken over this strange thing with the bright screen she spends far too much time using when she should be doting over me in her absence. I raise my paw for you to hold your growls of disgust, because there is far worse to tell. That’s correct, it gets even more atrocious. Not only has my impudent human taken it upon herself to depart without my consent, I have heard tell she has settled herself within a house ruled by yet another poodle! A poodle that isn’t me! Her Majesty’s luscious, silvery hair sticks up on end just thinking of it! Why, my human may be using her hands—hands that are specifically engineered to pamper to the high calling needs of Her Majesty—to. . .to. . .scratch behind his ears! It’s a disgrace! Oh, how my sharp teeth bare.

I demanded she not go. . .

But she left anyway! Rebellious human.

You must all understand that Her Majesty has needs, needs my human was appointed to fulfill. It is a demanding job, mine is, keeping this household (properly known as my kingdom) in order. How anyone ever functioned here without me is a mystery I will never solve. I must assure the other dogs, my subjects, the lesser ones, behave themselves properly and learn from Her Majesty’s knowledge on how to tend to the humans.

The poor dimwitted humans would never know how to survive without us, me more specifically. So, naturally, in return they cater to our own few needs. Not that Her Majesty would ever demand much. Besides which, my human enjoys serving me, that much I know. So why she would leave for many days—humans are so senseless!

Who is going to give me my daily massages? (Which Christine refers to as—I can hardly repeat it—tummy rubs! Humans have such disgraceful names for things.) Who is going to lift Her Majesty up into the bed when Her Majesty’s delicate paws are far too tired after overseeing her kingdom to jump up herself?

And what about my allotted amount of food from each of my human’s meals? I even thank her distributions by licking clean her plate for her until it glistens, and then go as far as to ask Christine’s other family members for their plates so I might clean them as well.

Why would she leave my kindness? Depart from the pleasure of serving me? To a kingdom of another! Scandalous!

My human will have many massages to do and treats to provide once she finally returns from this “visit with friends” so she calls it. Though Her Majesty calls it a disgrace to humans everywhere, instead. What a bad example my human is being to you other humans. Do not follow in her shoes (why do you humans wear those despicable things, anyway? It hurts quite frightfully so when you large, clumsy humans step on our frail paws while wearing such ridiculous devices).  Do you not all realize it is your sole purpose to serve us? You may leave the castle for an hour’s worth of time once a week to purchase our sustenance and items that strengthen our teeth, such as toys, so we may protect you puny people, but otherwise your place is at our side.

Now if you’ll excuse me I believe I hear someone in the kitchen. I must stand right at their feet and clean any morsels the clumsy thing drops. Oh, the things I do for these humans! And then my own leaves me for a week’s time. Disgraceful, just disgraceful.

Her Majesty the Queen,
Navi