#I just don’t understand her aging if she’s been baby mode for at least 20 years why would she start growing up now?

[ocdhuacheng]

OH. OH THIS IS A GAMECHANGER

#ELENDIRA STANS THERE IS HOPW #.txt #trigun #the way stampede livio was based off of one (1) trimax panel too…… #I am LOOKING #I am OPENING THE DOOR CURIOUSLY #I want Trimax elendira backstory so bad #and I hope they’re cooking smth with tristamp elendira bc her design was alwa Ys the most confusing part to me #I just don’t understand her aging if she’s been baby mode for at least 20 years why would she start growing up now?

[mangora]

I haven’t fully talked about my system headcanons but I wanted to hop on the trend so here’s how I see them

Mike Chiarelli: Host & Core, ~17, Bi & ace masc non-binary (he/they), Italian/Peruvian, holds some trauma from his younger years but not much from between like 6-13 (their trauma was reoccurring/prolonged due to their living situation)

Mal Grimoire: Protector but was a persecutor for a while (13-17), became their gatekeeper in juvie but Manitoba took over while he was dormant (later regained some control to keep the others from fronting in all stars; wasn’t always successful), ~18, Aroace gay non-binary (he/they/xe/grim), Ambiguous, the primary trauma holder

Vito Valentino: Sexual alter and somewhat protector, ~19, Bi cis guy (he/him), Italian (also he’s Jewish, bingo bongo), holds most of their sexual trauma and manages most of their physical relationships but knows how to protect them if things go downhill (usually only engages if Mike or one of the others is approached first)

Svetlana Berezovsky: Caretaker, age slides from about 16-25, Ace trans lesbian (she/her), Russian, holds little to no trauma, mostly cares for their littles and fragments (who rarely if everyone front) but can help the other main alters deal with their emotions and trauma

Chester Young: Internal self helper, ~70, Aroace non-binary (he/they), Ambiguously Eastern European (doesn’t remember exactly where) and Mexican, holds little to no trauma as well but is aware of the others’, an introject of Mike’s paternal grandfather, somewhat functions as a protector but his main purpose is helping everyone understand what’s going on

Manitoba Smith: Current main gatekeeper, age slides from 20-35, Also aroace non-binary/trans (was AFAB, IDs as more masculine, he/they/it), Aboriginal Australian, not a trauma holder, somewhat an introject of Indiana Jones

There are some other alters but these are the main six who show up the most and have the most responsibility in the system. Most of the others are littles or fragments who they rarely if ever interact with (most of them aren’t really aware of them besides Svetlana and Chester)

General Headcanons:

•The body is about AMAB, 6’8” and pretty strong/flexible even if they’re skinny. They have naturally curly hair but most of them straighten it. They have ADHD but I’ve been thinking about them possibly having autism and tourettes. They have a lot of scars from Juvie and their home life, once again something they mostly like to cover up. Mal and Mike identify with the body the most while Manitoba does the least.

•Their trauma was caused by their parents’ neglect and abuse which they endured until about 13 when Mal was sent to juvie and an investigation was opened on their home life. After being freed around 14 and a half they moved in with their uncle vinnie and aunt carla. Their grandfather lived with them until seven, then passed away, and seeing as he was one of their only supportive family members and the only competent adult in their household, that’s how Chester came to be

•They all have very different senses of style. Mike is very casual and usually wears T-shirts and jeans, Mal likes dark and non-revealing clothes like turtlenecks and sweats, Vito on the contrary likes more revealing clothes and specifically anything resembling Italian American fashion from the 50s (think leather jackets and belts), Chester likes anything old school (mostly button-ups and khaki shorts or long skirts, also wears glasses and jewelry), Svetlana likes athletic clothes as well as anything soft in color, and Manitoba of course leans more towards explorer clothes similar to Indiana Jones’.

•Mal and Vito can speak Italian but it’s unclear if for Mal it’s because he’s part Italian or if it was a sort of survival skill he picked up from speaking with their parents

•Chester was a punk ass bitch during his college days and probably threw bricks at rich people’s houses I will die on my riot grrrl Chester headcanon he’s not a Tory he’s swag as fuck and a historian

•Mal is pretty much always on survival mode so he has some issues with eating and showering (will often go a long time without doing either and/or refuse to waste anything when he has the chance). Zoey and Cameron have helped him with this significantly

•Mal adopted a stray cat i will die on this hill he just took it home one day and scared the shit out of everyone with it but it’s baby so he got to keep it and it’s the only animal he loves. Its name is Chips

•On the whole they’re relatively nice to each other at this point and like each other but they’ve definitely had gripes (Mike and Mal are often concerned by Vito and Manitoba putting the body in danger, Mal doesn’t like them forming new relationships, Svetlana and Chester don’t like when they try to hide their disorder, exc.).

•They leave each other post it notes a lot and sometimes it’s sweet but most of the time it’s “If you don’t take out the trash today I’m deleting your Spotify playlist”

•Theyre all very protective of Cameron and Zoey (and also Chips the cat)

#also for the record I don’t ship anyone with anyone else besides Mike but if your interpretations of Svetlana mal Vito or manitoba are (1/2) #the same age range as the other cast members I think it’s fine for you to ship them #I’m here to spread my hardcore grandpa chester propaganda #td mal #td mike #td manitoba #td svetlana #td chester #td vito #tw trauma mention

[avengersmusings]

FULL NAME: Anthony Edward Stark MEANING: Highly praiseworthy, Priceless One, Flower NICKNAME: Tonio, Tony MEANING: Tonio was what his mom called him growing up (and she’s the ONLY one allowed to call him that thanks), and Tony’s just the shorten version of his name. AGE APPEARANCE: 46 BIRTHDAY: May 29th, 1973 ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini SPECIES: Human GENDER: Cis Male ALLERGIES: None SEXUAL PREFERENCE: Pansexual THEME SONG(S): Back in Black by AC/DC, Because of You by Kelly Clarkson, Bastards by Kesha, I Don’t Care by Fall Out Boy

APPEARANCE

HAIR COLOR:  Dark Brown with some grey peppered in because baby old. HAIR STYLE AND LENGTH: Honestly a mess, but like a stylish mess. It’s longer on top and always in that spikey MESS. EYES COLOR: Brown EYESIGHT: 20/20, he paid for corrective surgery when he was younger thanks. HEIGHT: 5′9″, don’t let HIM FOOL YOU WEIGHT: 190 lbs OUTFIT/CLOTHING STYLE: Tony’s probably wearing some band shirt with oil/grease stains on it and jeans. He also likes wearing tshirts, a blazer, and jeans. BUT ALWAYS THE SUNGLASSES. ABNORMALITIES: Miniaturized arc reactor in chest. DISTINGUISHING MARKS(SCARS,MOLES): Tony’s got a couple of scars from his father childhood, some old track marks along the crease of his elbow from his wilder days, and a giant ass scar on his chest from the one a half two heart surgeries that goes from the middle of his sternum down to almost his belly button. SELF CARE(MAKE UP): Tony either looks like he hasn’t slept in days or put together, there’s no in between. The only thing he really keeps maintained is his goatee. Because he’s vain about it. FIRST IMPRESSION ON PEOPLE: He’s Tony Fucking Stark okay, people either want to be his friend for his money or to hurt him so they try to impress him. SKIN COLOR: White BODY TYPE/BUILD: TINY BABY, he’s also fit but not like Steve level of muscle.  DEFAULT EXPRESSION: Tony always looks done with everything when in public. POSTURE: Oooooooof, Tony pretends to take up as much space as physically possible while keeping his back protected and everyone in the room in his sight. PIERCINGS: He has a closed up earring hole. DESCRIBE THEIR VOICE: Steve’s voice has a subtle Brooklyn accent and takes on a softer tone than you’d expect out of him. His voice hardens and deepens when he goes in Captain mode.

RELATIONS:

MOM: Maria Stark HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: Maria and Tony had a bond that was built off of both of them being abused by Howard. They’d stick up for each other when he got too hard on one of them and when Tony got older he started acting out more so Howard would take it out on him more rather than Maria. To this day, Maria is still one of the most important people in his life. DAD: Howard Stark HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: HoWARD STARK CAN FUCKING CHOKE YOU DUMB ASS BITCH. Howard was not a good father, he was not Marvel can fight me. He was abusive and cold and distant and had his son kidnapped so that he wouldn’t break when it really happened. Howard’s better off fucking dead. SIBLINGS: Isabelle St. Martin (Half-Sister) HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: Tony.........has no clue she’s his sister sorry. CHILDREN: Toni Stark, Morgan Stark, Peter Parker, and the Bots HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: Tony’s kids are hIS LIFE. His biggest fear is turning into Howard so he treats them like they’re the best thing to happen to him (which they are). OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS: Edwin Jarvis (Father Figure), Peggy Carter (Adoptive Aunt) PAST LOVER(S): so MANY ONE NIGHT STANDS TONY PLEASE. CURRENT LOVER: Pepper Potts REACTION TO MEETING SOMEONE NEW: Tony’s analyzing what they want from him and why they’re talking to him, but he’s keeping up with the conversation and probably trying to see if he can make them hate him. ABILITY TO WORK WITH OTHERS: It depends on his mood, honestly. HOW SOCIABLE(LONER,ETC): Tony can be sociable, when he wants to. FRIENDS: Elise Burke, Bruce Banner, Peggy Carter, Thor, Nat, Clint, basically all of the Avengers. PETS: Ginny, a miniature poodle (who is also a service doggo for his anxIETY) LEAST FAVORITE TYPE OF PERSON: People who take advantage of him or use his tech for evil. PARENTAL TYPE(PROTECTIVE,ETC): THE BEST, his kids want something and they get it. FAVORITE PEOPLE: Pepper, Elise, Bruce, Morgan, Peter, Toni. LEAST FAVORITE PEOPLE: Steve, Justin Hammer, most of SHIELD.

PERSONALITY:

..WHEN YOU FIRST MEET THEM: ? Distant, Sarcastic, Pushy ..AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER(AND THEY LIKE YOU): Warm, Loyal, Giving ..AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER(AND THEY DISLIKE YOU): Cold, Mean, Closed-Off FAVORITE COLOR: Red FAVORITE FOOD: One of his mom’s old dishes or a Potts family recipe. FAVORITE ANIMAL: Cats (?) FAVORITE INSTRUMENT: Piano FAVORITE ELEMENT: Fire LEAST FAVORITE COLOR: None of them??? LEAST FAVORITE FOOD: Honestly, nothing. LEAST FAVORITE ANIMAL: Rats LEAST FAVORITE INSTRUMENT: Maybe a kazoo? Tony’s weird. LEAST FAVORITE ELEMENT: Earth HOBBIES: building things he shouldn’t be, hanging out with his kids, annoying Pepper in her office, sciencing with Bruce. USUAL MOOD: Honestly Tony’s eager to please so he wants people around, but HE ALSO DOESN’T WANNA SEEM TOO EAGER so like.......you have to come to him first.

DRINK/SMOKE/DRUGS: Not anymore. He used to do all three and stopped when he became Iron Man. Well, drinking stopped when he got together with Pepper. DARK VERSION OF SELF: OH FUCK. AN EVIL GENIUS. The entire world is metal and humans arE GONE. LIGHT VERSION OF SELF: hello see Tony thanks. Maybe less self-doubty and more willing to work with others. HOW SERIOUS ARE THEY: Tony can be serious if he wants to be, he just doesn’t want to be most of the time. BELIEVE IN GHOSTS: Nope. Science can’t explain it so they aren’t real :) (IN)DEPENDANT: Tony likes to pretend to be independant but CANNOT REMEMBER WHAT HE HAD FOR BREAKFAST. please help him. SOFT SPOT/VULNERABILITY: anybody hurting one of his kids or Pepper, failing the team, turning into Howard, people needing help in general. OPINION ON SWEARING: Will say fuck in front of a child if needed. Morgan probably knows a LOt of swear words. DAREDEVIL VS CAUTIOUS: Both??? He’s mostly just a menace to himself and lack self-preservation skills. MUSIC TYPE: Ear-shattering rock. MOVIE TYPE: .......Tony doesn’t watch movies he doesn’t have the attention span for them. BOOK TYPE: ..........i don’t see Tony as much of a reader either. Maybe scientific journals??? GAME TYPE: Tony can kick your ass at poker without even trying. COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE: Tony likes it a little bit warmer than comfortable. The cold reminds him of the cave and being trapped in space :( SLEEPING PATTERN: .........tony stark..........sleep???? what. CLEANLINESS/NEATNESS: Tony is the cleanest messiest person you’ll ever meet. He never picks up after himself but IF YOU PICK UP ONE OF HIS TOOLS AND MOVE IT ANYWHERE IT THROWS OFF HIS ENTIRE SYSTEM.  DESIRED PET: who needs pets when kids keep showing up at your doorstep amiright HOW DO THEY PASS TIME: Bothering Pepper, hanging out with a kid of his, building up suits for the team. BIGGEST SECRET: Tony Stark has had three “suicide” attempts in his life and only one of them was intentional. HERO/WHO THEY LOOK UP TO: Everyone because he’s short.  His mom, Pepper, Steve to an extent. WHAT ANIMAL WOULD THEY BE: A cat. FEARS: BECOMING HOWARD, losing one of his kids or Pepper, space, failing the team. COMFORTS: Pepper’s shampoo, Morgan’s childlike scent, the smell of motor oil, being utterly surround by someone he loves.

HOW DO THEY ACT WHEN THEY ARE:

SAD: Tony bottles it all up until it spills out and he can’t control it anymore. He’s getting better about opening up about when he’s sad, but he WASN’T ALLOWED TO BE SAD when he was younger THANKS HOWARD. HAPPY: Talking fast and probably waving his arms around TOO MUCH, getting up in personal space, SARCASTIC JOKES ANGRY: OOOOOFFF, the cold creeps in and Tony shuts off all other emotions. He tends to let the anger control him and doesn’t think things through. AFRAID: Tony’s not allowed to show he’s afraid because FUCK HOWARD so he keeps it to himself. If it gets too bad he has panic attacks. LOVE SOMEONE: Everything you’ve ever been in debt for is suddenly paid off and you have a nice vacation to look forward to and ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED he’s giving you thanks. HATE SOMEONE: Tony’s cold and distant and probably wishing he could blast them with a gauntlet. WANT SOMETHING: Tony will take whatever he wants, he was raised spoiled okay. CONFUSED: tony stark doesn’t get confused HOW DARE YOU.

HOW DO THEY REACT TO:

DANGER: If Tony’s in danger it’s no big deal, but if someone else is? He’s doing everything in his power to GET THEM OUT even if it means getting hurt in the process. SOMEONE THEY HATE WHO HAS A CRUSH ON THEM: Bitch bye, Tony doesn’t have time for people he hates. PROPOSAL TO MARRY: He’s already married sooooooooooo unless it’s Pepper he’s gonna say no. DEATH OF LOVED ONE: It depends on how close they were. But he’d probably hide away until the sadness went away unless someone makes him face it. DIFFICULT GAME/MATH/ETC: Tony will not rest until he’s solved it thanks. INJURY: Yeah no, Tony doesn’t tell anybody when he’s injured. He was literally dying and didn’t tell anyone so. SOMETHING IRRESISTABLY CUTE: My guess is Tony would want to make sure it’s taken care of. LOSS OF HOURS OF WORK: .............he’s sleeping with his boss so.

KNOWLEDGE:

LANGUAGES: English, Italian, knows conversational various other langauges. SCHOOLING LEVEL: He has 3 doctorates. FAVORITE SUBJECT (S): Science, Science, and more Science. INTERESTED CAREERS: An engineer or inventor. EXPERTISE: genius level intellect, master engineer, master scientist, master buinessman, pilot of the iron man suits PUZZLES: Puzzles take him a minute but the serum helps him figure them out rather quickly. CHEMISTRY: Tony likes making things explode and probably has a good understanding of chemistry. MATH: TONY LOVES MATH. ENGLISH: Tony can speak it but has NO interest in interpreting what authors were trying to say in books thanks. GEOGRAPHY: Who needs maps when you have an AI running everything? POLITICS/LAW: Tony knows about them, and probably participates in them.  ECONOMY/ACCOUNTING: yOU DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT MONEY WHEN YOU’RE RICH. COOKING: Tony can cook three things: scrambled eggs, spaghetti, and cereal. That’s it. SEWING: No. MECHANICS: Tony rebuilds classic cars in his spare time the fucking nerd. BOTANY (FLOWERS): lol no MYTHOLOGY: Tony knows about the different mythologies but doesn’t really believe in them? Atheism is a thing. DRAMATICS(ACTING,SINGING): besides the fact that tony is a DRAMA QUEEN, no. READING LEVEL: WAY ABOVE AVERAGE HE GRADUATED CO LLEGE AT FI FTEEN. HOW GOOD ARE THEY AT PLANNING AHEAD: no. just.......no this why he has Jarvis and Pepper.

ROMANCE:

DO THEY TAKE INITIATIVE: YES he loves bothering Pepper when she’s busy and a l w a y s gets his way. HOW DO THEY ACT(SHY,ETC): .........he’s Tony Stark.....that’s enough right there. GENTLEMAN/LADYLIKE VS KLUTZY: Tony can be gentleman like when he’s done something he’s not supposed to (or when he wants something) but other than that HE’S A DEMON. GO SLOW VS JUMP INTO: he was used to going fast and doing the one night stand thing, but with Pepper it was easier to take things slow (and then go really fast once they realized how WELL they worked together). PROTECTIVE: Yes. ACT LIKE FRIENDS OR LOVERS:  B O T H. WHAT KIND OF PRESENTS DO THEY BUY: ......tony doesn’t buy presents because he forgets birthdays and anniversaries. TYPE OF KISSER: It depends on his mood and what he wants :) DO THEY WANT KIDS: He didn’t want them, but now he has a small army of them so. DO THEY WANT TO MARRY: he’s ALREADY MARRIED. MAKE GOOD OR BAD DECISIONS: Bad decisions are unintentionally made because Tony might be a genius but he’s a dumbass. ARE THEY ROMANTIC: Y E S. HOW ARE THEY IN BED: Tony Stark literally did one night stands and one night stands only. He’s A M A Z I N G in bed he knows how to treat Pepper the way she should be and how to take car eof his WIFE. GET JEALOUS EASY: nO.  WIFE/HUBBY BEATER: nOPE. MARRY FOR MONEY: tony IS MONEY. FAVORITE POSITION: HOnestly? Pepper on top. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THEIR DREAM DATE: A five star hotel while someone takes care of Morgan so Pepper can just relax. They spent as much time as possible in bed or relaxing. OPINION ON SEX: Sex was always just something Tony thought he HAD to do because people wanted it from him. And then he realized it was fun so he kept doing it because WHY NOT. But with Pepper it’s different and he could never go back to the one night stand thing. He likes the intimacy of sex with someone who cares about you beyond just getting off. 

#char: tony stark #tony: bio #THIS DEMON WOULND'T LEAVE ME ALONE

[emsartwork]

ask dump! Separated loosely by topic 

Questions and Comments

1. is this a homestuck thing. this is a homestuck thing isnt it  2. lol i love doing both!!! i love world building but i also like trying my hand at redesigning the mess that is canon fashion. @theoretical-artist​ 3. thank you!!! oritel and marion are in this post! 4. ayyyyy inginio hit me up (thank you lol) 5. Thank you! 6. maybe? i’ll see if i get around to it, i still have a few characters to get to so the school fairies and the last two selkies might show up with them 7. probably not.... it would be super fun but unless it was a commission i don’t feel like i have time haha 8. I’ve seen their blog around!! i can’t remember if i follow or not but i know who ur talking about and they cool @winxy-writing @winxys-written-world

Character and Worlbuilding

1. My brilliant nerd daughter!!! She sometimes gets so into coding or a video game she forgets to eat or drink so the girls watch out for her. She’s prone to dissociating, especially if the situation is emotional. Her hair is really soft. she actually loves sappy romantic things but has trouble accepting them or vocalizing that she wants them because they’re impractical/illogical. she discovered romcoms when she got to alfea and they are her ultimate guilty pleasure(only flora knows abt this and is always slipping recs to her) 2. They’re weirdly one of my fav couples??? like maybe its because i relate to and have projected onto both of them lmao. but any ways. Daphne and Thoren actually met when they were kids, but didn’t spend much time together because it was at a formal event. Daphne is technically 20 years older than Thoren(only a few years older than Sky), but they’re the same physical age because Daphne spent so long as a spirit. They probably wouldn’t get married as quickly in my version, especially with Daphne’s trauma. Daphne will have nightmares sometimes and Thoren has a whole routine for comforting her and helping her feel safe and grounded. Thoren gets anxious easily, and Daphne will use her magic to subtly change the environment so he feels more comfortable. they like to watch reality tv together and yell at dramatic people. 3. omg yes. this was the most frustrating thing i was watching through winx with my dad like a month ago and every time bloom called her adoptive parents by their first names i yelled at her lol. she would call Vanessa mama and Mike daddy(if you make a kink joke i will eat your liver). She would call Marion and Oritel mom and dad.  4. Yeah kind of! part of her exhaustion in Dowlland was the fact that she had been in fairy mode for so long, hiking underground, and tossed around in a river like??? anybody would need a pick me up after that. She (and all solarians) do have to live where there’s a lot of natural light as they require a high amount of vitamin d(or the equivalent of it for solarians). short trips usually aren’t a problem, Stella is just hella unlucky in the second season lmao. @moonpeachblossom 5. the short answer as to why she’s a blond (scottish??? in one of the dubs???) in an asian inspired culture/planet is because racism (or not so short bcus its a lot to unpack honestly). the answer in my version however is a pretty simple fix. She bleaches her hair. she’s paler than musa but she aint white.  6. I haven’t really yet!! Helia is struggling with his two fairly opposed cultural influences, trying to figure what he wants and whats right for him. He was raised on Lynphea but had frequent trips to Vaonaa. Lynphea is very grounded, they’re slow and steady and stubborn. Vaonaa is much more flexible, they’re flighty and spontaneous and easily adaptable. Helia’s dads love eachother and helia very much but they are VERY different people and both want different things from Helia(they try not to pressure too much but the expectations are still there). Helia’s Vaonaaj dad wants him to pursue magic, specifically wind or air magic. Helia’s Lynphean dad wants him to become a warrior. Helia feels like he’s kind of a misfit in both Vaonaaj and Lynphean culture. It took a while, but he did finally confide his feelings in Flora and she encouraged him to talk with his dads about finding his niche.  7. oooooooh fun fun relationshipsssss Bloom and Sky: so bloom and sky aren’t the most stable couple, and in my version it would take bloom a little longer to be ok with dating a prince. Bloom is fairly insecure in her relationships because of self worth issues, and tend to run away from problems instead of dealing with them. Sky on the other hand is confident but doesn’t really know how to handle people’s feelings and tends to push confrontation. I do believe that with better writing Sky and bloom could be a dope couple but as is in canon they’re VERY problematic.  Stella and Brandon: babies. they love each other so much its the best omg. Stella finds her worth in her appearance but she always seems to take brandon’s complements in a less.... arrogant way? if that makes sense? like she truly appreciates them and wants his support. i wish we knew more about Brandon but he’s legit such a good boyfriend. I think they fight mostly when Stella is being a little selfish, or when Brandon is too busy to meet her emotional needs. Flora and Helia: MORE BABIES. so Helia is more of a drama queen in the comics but we’ll ignore that for right now lol. Flora and Helia are probably the least problematic couple in the entire show. They met. Flirted a little. Confessed. and started dating with out any major problems. if i can remember correctly they don’t even really fight??? unless icy has frozen helia’s heart or something lol. I think both Helia and Flora’s love language is quality time so they’re fairly low key and just like to be in the same space and each other.   Musa and Riven: boy oh boy. Ok so, ignoring the several times Riven was LITERALLY MIND CONTROLLED his character is still difficult to deal with. I think Musa and Riven are both very intense people, and while that can be super fun and develop into a good relationship, it can also lead to LOTS of problems. I think my major problem with how they broke up was that Musa didn’t support Riven’s training? like i understand being upset you can’t see ur person often, or if they’re really busy, but Riven supported Musa’s music several times in the previous seasons it just seemed weird Musa was so unfairly demanding of him? Tecna and Timmy: nerd babies. They’re super cute honestly. I think Timmy was probably the one to instigate the relationship and bonded with Tecna over technology since she wasn’t super emotionally available at first. They have issues when Tecna is unable to voice her emotions and timmy needs to know what she’s feeling mostly, but after the first few times they’ve both learned to give the other space to figure their stuff out. Aisha and Nabu: ugh perfect couple. minus the kind of sketchy beginning lol. Aisha and Nabu generally don’t fight once they get used to each other. Nabu is a focal point that aisha is kind of bungee corded to if that makes sense? like obvi not in a restricting way. its just Aisha is hella active and needs her own space to explore and grow, but Nabu is her solid ground that she relies on.  Aisha and Nex: i actually don’t hate nex as much as the rest of the fandom lol. so like i said Aisha is an active, independent woman, and if Nabu was a separate, stationary, focal point for her, I think Nex is related, moving, counter point. So like Nex can actually keep up with Aisha, and push her and challenge her. Which isn’t a bad thing in relationships so long as a mutual respect is there.   8. well. canon is a little..... messy. My version of the girls definitely retain their individualism. for other differences... they’re just a little more fleshed out? i guess? like Bloom’s moody behavior in the show i think is because of her insecurity issues, so that plays a part in how i draw her and think of her.  9. ok wow this is gonna be tough well here we go Sky: I think sky is an ESTJ he’s not super emotional(inf Fe) but can lean toward controlling(dom Te). he seems to like tradition and think social promises are important(Si). Brandon: ESFJ. Brandon is the mom friend of the boys ok. He goes along with sky’s crazy plans, tries to subtly set Riven up with musa(season 1 i think?), some how managed to land a social butterfly like Stella and seems to just navigate social situations REALLY easily(dom Fe). he also seems to hate being disrespected or taken for granted(Si) stella does this occasionally.  Timmy: ISFJ???? thats the vibe i get hear me out ok so in season 2 Timmy gets tecna the exact computer part she needs because 1. He knows they both like things to be practical(Si) 2. He knows and remembered the part she was talking about and filed it away in his brain(Ti) and 3. He and Tecna bonded over tech (Fe) Riven: honestly he’s a tough one.... Maybe a really stunted and angry ISFJ? (speaking from personal experience i am an ISFJ) i don’t have a real reason why but riven’s behavior is really confusing in the show so it makes typing tough..... possibly INTJ as well....... Helia: ISFP. Lmao I might be basing this entirely off of stereotypes but helia has a strong pacifist belief and can be moody(Fi, and more in the comics lol) is attuned to his surroundings(Se) seems pretty focused??(Ni) and i can’t think of his Te showing up be it is an inferior  Nabu: ISTJ weirdly a good fit with Aisha(ESTP) tho?? even though he’s an Si dom, he doesn’t go along with the arranged marriage because its not what he believes(Fi) and he’s stubborn about it(Te). Roy: ENFJ honestly just a cutie. He’s personable(Fe), focused for the most part(Ni), and is comfortable in his environment(Se).  Nex: ENTP? maybe?? He’s pretty impulsive and has that “work around” mentality I associate with ENTPs.... idk this one doesn’t seem to fit super well...  Thoren: Maybe INFJ?? i mean thoren honestly doesn’t have a lot of screen time but he’s attentive(Ni), and tries to take care of people(Fe). most of the infj’s i know are fun but weird lol, but i think thoren has anxiety so that could play into him being less “out there” in his behavior.  if any of yall have input on this feel free to let me know. 10. ooooooh good question. So I’m basing these on their parent’s name and the names of people from their planet. Bloom: Hestia or Enya, i also think she got sent to earth with an article of clothing or a blanket that had her name on it, which is why her name is the same lmao Stella: Stella is actually named pretty appropriately considering the other names we have are Luna, Radius, Nova, Chimera, and Casandra, all of those are fairly latin/roman based names.  but she could also be called Clara, Aura, Venus etc. Musa: Her mom and dad have very asian sounding names but the princess of melody is named Galatea, so honestly anything is on the table. Aulos, Hee-Young, Jia Li, Kaida, etc. Tecna: lol everybody on Zenith has ridiculous names so im just loosely basing them off of sciencey stuff. Nobelia, Xenon, Titania. Aisha: I actually really like Aisha’s name! Ayize, Sizani, Mehrbano would work tho. Flora: what even is the naming system of Lynphea i don’t understand it. Im gonna make them vaguely naturey and European-ish?? Calla, Terra, Rowan, Willow, I could go on and on there are so many plant names. 11. Hmmm yeah, so basically in my world a person with TOO MUCH magic gets overwhelmed and kinda goes a little crazy(the ancestral witches) the same thing happens with tritannus when he gets the emperor's throne power. He’s loyal to icy and she to him until he looses his ability to think clearly and turns on icy, icy gets freaked out and leaves with her sisters when they swoop in to rescue her. they don’t so much “break up” as they are “broken up” by the circumstances. In general Tritannus does really like Icy, hes attracted to her ambition and powerful personality. Icy started out just manipulating Tritannus but caught feelings oops 12. Yeah so, humans in general can withstand a lot of wild magic as their body “metabolizes” it quickly. Kalshara(the cat lady you don’t know the name of) used extremely concentrated samples, combined with other spells to keep the wild magic in her body permanently. If a human with out a properly developed magic biome (a lot of earthians only have a low functioning one) get exposed to a wild magic source they would probably gain some aspects of fairy animals, probably not like, fur, or anything but eye and hair color changes, maybe some patterns on the skin. but there’s also the chance that they would just.... die..... cus that happens with animals too lmao sry. @weirdghostly

#winx #winx club #winxems #askems #theoretical-artist #moonpeachblossom #weirdghostly #anonymous #ask dump #this is so long im so sorry

[frejahertziswritingthistime]

An education  Chapter 4

A/N: I’m so happy, you guys like this story! It’s a special one for me, because of the time-frame and the slow-burn stuff, which I’ve never really done before. I just want to say a huge thank you to @redeyedvixen, who’s been a true pillar; she’s amazing, wonderful and a ton of other amazing adjectives, and THANK YOU for being there for me (even when I send you snapchats of me being weird – like accidentally sending you a snapchat of me singing a lullaby). Remember, I always say yes to requests and feedback feeds the writer!

 MOBILE MASTERLIST

DESKTOP MASTERLIST

 Missed something?

An education masterlist

Summary: You’ve had a crush on Dean for a few years, and during a drunken night, you accidentally let it slip that you have a crush on a person, Dean knows. Dean sets out to figure out on who it is.

Pairings: Dean x reader Warnings: Fluff, slight angst, language, sexy dream

Chapter 4 Overheard conversations

 June

The three of us were sitting in the kitchen, trying to enjoy a quiet breakfast together. It was hard, considering Sam glared, his eyes flickering in increasing pace between me and Sam. He pointed a finger accusingly at me and then Dean and back at me. “Something is going on between you two.” He said accusingly. I looked at Dean, my eyes flitting over his face, and his eyes finding mine. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sammy.” Dean grumbled quickly, stuffing his mouth with bacon. Sam snorted. “Liar.” Sam grunted and narrowed his eyes. “Something his been different since that hunt, I took with Garth.” I shrugged.

Truth was, something had shifted, since the night, I found my photo in Dean’s bed. Dean had given me an incredibly horrible lie (I-uh-I found it and I-uh- kept it for you) and had been shaking as he waited for my answer; he knew I knew he was lying, but I didn’t want to go further into it – honestly, the answer to why wasn’t really at the forefront of my mind. I didn’t want to put our friendship through that, so I had accepted his lie as his truth, and we had silently agreed to never speak of it again. I was curious, of course, but I didn’t want to risk our friendship – he was embarrassed about it, and I didn’t want to further that embarrassment, so I left it alone. For now, at least. So we went on our merry way, pretending like it hadn’t happened, but I felt it, and I was sure he did too; everything had an air of unspoken words about it. A shift in the air, in the way we were towards each other. It was almost as if an invisible barrier had been broken down. I found myself glancing at him more often than not, and often, he was staring at me too, an undecipherable look behind his green eyes. Prolonged touches were becoming more and more common – lingering touches across my back, neck and hair. Sam must’ve noticed, because now he was glaring angrily at us both.

“Sam, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. Promise.” I shrugged and dug back into my pancakes. Sam groaned annoyed. “I know something’s going on! Can’t you guys just be…” He groaned and threw his hands up in frustration. “You know what? Fine. Figure it out yourselves.” He stood up. “I’m living with goddamn teenagers…” He mumbled as he left the kitchen. I caught Deans eye, and he shrugged, rolling his eyes. “Let it go, Y/N, he’s been having a hard time.” I raised my eyebrows. He smirked at me. “Anyway, let’s recap here.” He pulled a bunch of print-outs out from his pocket and laid them out on the table in front of me. “We’ve got something or someone killing young girls. Ten missing, different ages, different looks and social circles.” I nodded, scanning the papers in front of me. “And this one” I put a hand on the top print of a missing-poster, turning it towards him. “Is the newest, right?” He cocked his head to the side and put a hand right next to mine – it felt like a current was running through his hand all the way over to mine – I wanted to reach out and touch him so much, it almost hurt me. He nodded slowly. “Yup. Anna, aged 20 disappeared without a trace three days ago, as she was walking home from class. Yesterday, her body was found.” He sighed, and gently moved my hand off the paper, and I almost gasped audibly; it felt like I had been shocked. He quickly looked up at me, a small worry-line appearing between his brows, but he moved his hand away just as quickly, as he had put it on me, and pulled a piece of paper out from the pile. “This…” He said, as he showed me the paper. “Is how she was found. A bunch of old symbols and sigils carved into her, and she had practically been drained for blood.” He said as I took the paper from the coroner and scanned it. I narrowed my eyes at the sigils and signs that were portrayed on her body. “I can try and decode some of them on the way.” I said quietly, already in research-mode, and Dean grinned at me. “Of course, you can, sweetheart. We’re leaving in an hour!” He said as he pushed his chair out and stomped off, leaving me with the folder of the missing girls. I had my head stuck in the papers as I packed, haphazardly throwing my stuff in an old duffel-bag, trying to make heads and tails of the sigils, placements and so forth. Sam stuck his head inside my room. “We’re going. Are you good to go?” I nodded, still with my nose in the case-file, and followed him automatically out of the bunker and towards the Impala. “I call shot-gun!” Sam roared as he ran to the passenger side. I groaned, finally looking fully up from the papers. “Come on, why?” I whined. He grinned at me. “I’ve got the longest legs, and Dean’s driving. Soooooo…. Backseat for you!” He said with a wink and I grimaced. I hated the backseat. Dean came up behind me, and ruffled my hair, his calloused fingers resting for a fraction of a second on the nape of my neck, making my skin erupt into goosebumps. “That’s the way this works, sweetheart.” He mumbled. I frowned. “Fine. But I’m not going to be happy about it! It smells back there…” I said, scrunching my nose. “Hey, nothing bad about baby!” He said with a finger pointed in my direction, as he walked towards the Impala. I rolled my eyes at him, and got in the backseat, pulling my knees in – the space was limited, because of Sam’s enormous body pushing the seat back.

We drove for a few hours, and my eyes got tired from all the sigils and fine print, so I closed the folder on the case and closed my eyes. “Too much reading, Y/N?” Dean’s voice sounded from the front-seat. I snapped my eyes open, and saw his green eyes looking at me in the rear-view-mirror. I groaned and stretched my body. “Yup. I’m done for a few hours.” I said. He laughed, and my stomach filled with butterflies. I blushed and closed my eyes again. “Sleep for a few hours. We’ll wake you when we get there.” He said in a low, soothing voice. I nodded, already tired, and laid back. One of the perks of the backseat was the opportunity to stretch out your entire body and sleep. I curled my body as much as I could, and sighed deeply, already drifting off to sleep. I had a recurring dream. Dean, all smiles and green eyes, laying on top of me. He kissed me gently, as his hips rocked back and forward, pumping in and out of me. I moaned in my dream, wallowing in the feel of him inside me, and wrapped my arms around him. He kissed me and started to say something, when I was rudely awoken by a loud guffaw from the front-seat. I groaned but didn’t open my eyes. It was such a good dream, and I didn’t want to let it go quite yet. “Dude, stop, she’ll hear you.” Dean’s gruff voice came from the front, and Sam chuckled. “She’s sleeping, dude. It’s fine.” Dean snorted. “So…” Sam said after a few quiet moments. “Sam, shut your pie-hole.” Dean snarled at Sam, who just laughed again. “Come on, Dean. I’ve known it for a while, you just didn’t have the balls to admit it before now. So, out with it. What happened, when I was gone?” Dean mumbled something. “Sorry? I didn’t hear that.” I could hear the smile in Sam’s voice. I forced myself to take slow, even breaths and keep my eyes closed, so I the guys wouldn’t notice I was awake. “I.. She found a picture, okay?” He grumbled. “A picture?” Sam said confused. “Yes, oaky, a picture of her!” Dean snarled. “Oooh…” Sam said, suddenly understanding. “no more busty Asian beauties, huh?” Dean laughed. “I guess not.” Silence followed, and I almost considered fake waking up, when Dean’s voice sounded again. “I..Uh… I know, I’ve told you about this, but… Can we keep it between us?” Sam sighed. “Why, Dean? Can’t you just finally admit it to her?” He asked annoyed. “No, Sam. This isn’t that easy, okay? It’s a whole new ball-court here, and I’m not ready to try out yet. Besides, who says she’ll take it well? Handle it at all? Nah, I think this should just… Stay in my daydreams, man.” He said crestfallen. Sam was about to say something, when a sneeze snuck up on me. Dean cleared his throat. “Hey, look who’s up! We would have woken you soon anyway, we’re almost there.” I nodded and rubbed fake-sleep out of my fake-sleepy-eyes. “Cool.” I said in a small voice. “uhm… Where are we, exactly?” Sam turned and looked at me. “A town between middle and nowhere.” He said with a grin. I rolled my eyes and stretched my arms, pushing my chest out just a little – Dean’s eyes found me in the rear-view-mirror and widened slightly as his gaze fell on my chest. I grinned as I caught his eye in the mirror and winked coyly at him. He blushed slightly and winked back, as he slowed the car down and pulled over to a parking-lot in front of a motel.

The three of us stepped out, Sam stretching his long legs and shaking his head, making his long hair flow gently around his face. Dean clapped his shoulder and walked past him into the front door of the motel. I followed him, stepping behind him. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at me, as he stood in front of the reception-desk. “Hi, can we get a room?” The mousy clerk nodded slowly, her eyes trained on Dean’s face. I rolled my eyes. It’s the same, where ever we went – a small town, a sweet, innocent, quiet girl took one look at Dean and could see herself in a wedding dress in front of him. “S-s-sure.” She stuttered and smiled a little too wide. I couldn’t help myself, and I snaked my arm around Dean’s waist, my fingers resting gently against his side. He stiffened and looked down at me curiously. I simply smiled sweetly at him and answered. “We’re three, thank you.” Sam came in, his arms and hands covered in duffel-bags and case-files, and muttered “Thanks for the help, guys.” The clerk smiled sweetly, her eyes cold and trained on my hand around Dean’s waist. “Three single beds, please.” Sam said to her. Her eyes flickered to him, and then back at Dean. “We only have rooms with two singles and a couch or one double and one couch.” She said waspily. Dean sighed and looked down at me. “What do you think?” I shrugged. “Either one works.” He looked briefly at Sam, a silent communication going on behind my back, and he turned back to the clerk. “Two singles and a couch, thanks.” He said kindly, and she nodded, plotting general information about us down on her computer, before handing Dean a room-key. “Enjoy your stay. If there’s anything, anything at all, I can do for you, let me know.” She said with a voice thick with implication. I rolled my eyes at her and grabbed the room-key from her outstretched hand and stalked off – it annoyed me to no end, to see these girls flirting with Dean; I had no interest in watching him flirt back. But to my surprise, he quickly caught up with me. “Same shit, different town.” He said as an answer to my silent question. I stopped in front of the room and unlocked the door.

It was – as most motels are – dingy, had a weird, stale smell, and some truly awful bedspreads. I looked around (the window was covered in grime, and a faint smell of tobacco hung in the air) and my eyes fell on the couch. None of the boys would fit in that small thing; I guess I was on couch-duty. I sat down on it, and grimaced – it was well-worn, and I could feel every individual spring poking through the thin cover. I sighed and looked at the boys, who had the good grace to look somewhat sorry for me and my predicament. Sam sighed, and Dean sat down on the right bed.

“Let’s get this show on the road.”

 Six hours later, and my head was hurting like a bitch. I rubbed my forehead with my right hand, sighed deeply and closed the file in front of me. Okay, I’m done. I can’t contain any more information.” I said, closing my eyes. “Yeah, I’m just about done too.” Sam sighed. Dean sat still with his eyes closed. “Did you figure out what those carved sigils were?” He said quietly – Dean was about to hit his breaking point. “Yeah. It’s like a… Weird type of home-made angel-ward. Not very pretty, not very graciously done, but I’m like 99 percent sure it’s an angel-ward.” I said, looking at Sam and Dean. “Angel-ward? On…” Sam trailed off, and I could hear him think – groaned. “okay, research is done for the night. I’m exhausted. And hungry.” I frowned at my grumbling stomach. Dean chuckled. “Alright, I’ll get grub. After that, we sleep. All of us!” He said with a pointed glare at Sam, who waved a hand at him. “Yeah, yeah.” Dean sighed and stood up. He winked at me and stepped out of the door – the moment the door had closed behind him, Sam turned to look at me. “Spill.” He said sternly. I looked confused at him. “What?” He narrowed his eyes. “You know what.” He said. I groaned and threw my back into the couch – bad idea, as a spring poked through, hitting me hard. I winced as I rubbed my sore back and stared at Sam, who sat and waited patiently for me to talk. “Okay. Listen, it’s…” I sighed deeply. “Come on, Y/N. What is going on with you and Dean?” I grimaced. “Okay, nothing is really going on. It just… It feels weird. Like a barrier or something has tumbled down. I don’t know. I’ve sort of allowed myself to think everything to be a bit more than what it probably is.” I said with a shrug. Sam shook his head in disbelief, but I continued. “Listen, Sam. This friendship me and Dean have… It’s the best thing in my life. Seriously. I don’t want to jeopardize it. So, can we just… Leave it alone, please?” I begged. “But…” His words got cut off as Dean opened the door his hands holding to large to-go-bags and a big grin on his face. “Grub!” He yelled and put the bags down on the table in the middle of the room. “Alright, cheeseburger for me, a bacon-burger with curly cheese-fries for Y/n – you better share those – and…” He grimaced. “And a Waldorf salad, whatever the hell that means, for the weirdo.” He tossed the container to Sam and started pulling the rest of the food out of the bags. Silence, only interrupted by loud chewing, filled the cramped room, as we chowed down on the food.

Dean bunched up the piece of wrappings and threw them in the bin next to the minifridge. “Alright, I’m done. Pack it in, guys, we’re going to have to go hard at it tomorrow.” He said with a yawn, as he bent down to lace his boots down and flicking them off. Sam grunted and put his container down as well. “Me too.” He laid down, not even caring about taking anything off, and scooted under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly. I looked at Dean, who was currently crawling under his covers, and I smiled. He looked like an oversized toddler. I quickly grabbed a few clothes from my duffel and went to the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. When I returned to the main room, the lights were off, and it was cold – I hadn’t noticed it before, when I was fully clothed, but now, my nipples were rock-hard, and I had goosebumps everywhere. I shivered and quickly scooted myself on to the couch, springs poking me in odd places, and pulled a scratchy blanket over my body. It didn’t provide much heat, and soon I was shivering hard and my teeth were clattering – plus, I was really uncomfortable on this small, springy couch.

I heard a groan from the bed closest to me, and the ruffling of covers. “Dude, could you try to lie still?” Deans sleepy voice sounded in the darkness. “You try sleeping on a broken couch in a cold room with a small, scratchy blanket.” I whined. He sighed deeply. “Come on then.” I raised my eyebrows but remembered he couldn’t see it. “Uhm… Why?” I asked cautiously. He groaned. “You’re cold and uncomfortable, I’ve got a somewhat comfy bed, body-heat and non-scratchy blankets. It’s not up for discussion, I don’t want you to catch a cold on my watch.” I heard him shift slightly, and I sighed defeatedly. The thought of body-heat and non-scratchy blankets had me moving over to his bed, and I snaked my body down into the bed, settling nicely in the little space he had created when he moved over. I sighed gently as the warm covers came over me. “Shit, Y/N, did you sleep in a bucket of ice?” He said, when he accidentally touched my feet. I grumbled. If he had a problem, he shouldn’t have invited my cold ass into his warm bed. “Sorry.” I mumbled. He sighed and turned slightly, his arm snaking its way under my pillow and under my head before it wrapped gently around my shoulder and pulled me flush against him. I almost moaned out loud, but I managed to keep my cool; my head was nestled in the crook of his neck, his scent invading every sense I had – like wood, whiskey and just… Dean. His other arm wrapped protectively around my waist, and I couldn’t help myself from tentatively wrapping my own arm around his waist as well and let my other hand rest gently on his warm thigh. He sighed, his breath tickling my forehead, and I smiled gently. This felt oddly like home.

I was almost asleep, when he mumbled something I couldn’t understand, and I felt his soft lips press gently against my forehead, followed by a deep, content sigh.

I could get used to this.

CHAPTER 5

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TAGLIST: @killerunicorn3, @hobby27, @trustnobodyshootfirst, @mypage-myfandoms

FOREVERLIST: @supernaturalmagicfolk, @redeyedvixen        

(AH, I love you all!) 

#spn #spn fanfic #spn smut #spn family #spn fic #supernatural #supernatural fic #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural family #supernatural smut #dean x reader #Dean winchester #reader x dean #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #sam winchester #winchester fanfic #reader insert #x reader #winchester fiction

[idolizerp]

[ LOADING INFORMATION ON POIZN’S MAIN DANCE STEELE…. ]

DETAILS

CURRENT AGE: 28 DEBUT AGE: 20 SKILL POINTS: 15 PERFORMANCE | 05 VOCAL | 15 DANCE | 05 RAP SECONDARY SKILLS: B-boying

INTERVIEW

SHITSTARTER.

only in not in such strong terms –– it’s no secret that steele believes actions to speak louder than words. sometimes it’s as if his main mode of communication is dance. but aside from that, aside from his lifeblood and everything that’s made him who he is today, it’s glances from the background. freakishly tall ( 6’ 5” towers over heads everywhere in asia ), you’ll often find steele standing in the back. to occupy his time ( and to earn that blessed attention ), he makes faces at the camera, rolling his eyes at certain things and giving incredulous ‘ are you kidding me ? ’ expressions at unsympathetic lenses. this wordless candor is what builds him up in the early days.

steele is no - nonsense, but he can have a dry sense of humor. often times you’ll see him lifting his brows at a group member, engaging in a slight chuckle. other times he’ll poke and prod within his group and spark play - fights between members with just a look, his face holding a treasure trove of inside jokes.

so, he is wordless. but even when very little noise leaves his mouth ( and people never seem to get enough of the rich depths of his voice ), steele has a lot to say. or, at least, that’s how it was in the beginning.

over time ( after a single scandal ), though, his snarkiness becomes a detraction. critical and scathing glances are amplified. every single movement is read too far into. why did he cross his arms at that specific time ? is there some beef between them ? did he yell at that person for getting into his light too ? really, he blows up at ONE PERSON and the whole world seems to think he’s a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

the truth is, that’s the old steele. he’s almost thirty; he understands that screaming at people isn’t productive or acceptable. and he also doesn’t believe letting such anger and resentment fester within him is worth his time. the way his face sits coolly unmoving now says as much. no longer is he the funny background guy. steele is the handsome man with the big brows who doesn’t say much. who scowls, but that’s only because that’s how his face is built. forgiveness is a slow and long time coming, but 99 is convinced that keeping his mouth shut and his expressions blank is the key to resetting it all.

“ don’t comment on anything, don’t even blink in someone’s direction because it’ll be taken the wrong way. ” they don’t yank on his chain, instead leaving rather forceful suggestions, but he lets the ‘ or else what ? ’ die on his lips nevertheless. steele / jieping / everything in between knows the answer : “ or else we’ll send you packing. ” they don’t need to squish him like a bug like midas would, because they know that they can just drop him instead of offering to renew his contract, leaving him flat on his ass. and isn’t that just the single worst thing in the known universe ?

so, nowadays, it’s less. ��� oh my god, look at steele’s face ! ’ and more ‘ who’s that really hot guy with the chin in the back ? he’s so good - looking but he doesn’t say anything. ’

and steele preens at being called hot / sexy / et cetera, et cetera. so, all in all, it’s not so bad.

BIOGRAPHY

PART ONE: PHANTOM BLOOD

keep your head down. don’t start any trouble. we’re tight on money as it is. just finish school. get a good job. help mama out with the bills.

an easy five - step plan enacted on august 17, 1990, 9 : 36 am cst after a difficult birth and an extremely large baby boy. only a mother and father are in the waiting room, waiting to take their daughter and grandson home to guangzhou. the father is a potter, the mother a seamstress, and the daughter a secretary. the not - son - in - law is nowhere to be found, and he never reappears in their lives after the grandson’s birth.

three incomes are still just barely enough to keep the grandson ( jieping, “ hero of peace ” ) fed and clothed. so the boy starts to help out where he can, bouncing to an inaudible tune on his mother’s lap as he helps her sort through letters and take down messages for her boss with shocking accuracy for a boy of seven. this intelligence is never developed further, his free time spent more on menial chores than stimulation and socialization.

at the very least, they indulge his passion for dance, scrounging around enough to send him to classes for a few years from the ages of five to eight before they run out and he has to drop out. jieping never begrudges his family for that.

he never lets what few friends he has know that he does not, in fact, own seven pairs of the same pants –– but, in fact, two that he recycles over the week. it doesn’t even matter, anyway. once he’s done with step five, he’ll have all the pants he wants.

PART TWO: BATTLE TENDENCY

have nots like jieping tend to hold a lot of resentment. bitterness. once his mother manages to wrangle enough money to ship him off to a private school in beijing, he starts to see just how much he really does not have. rolexes on the upperclassmen, his peers deciding to go out for milk tea every other day while he sits in his lonely apartment counting his monthly allowance and stretching it as thin as it can possibly go. while the others get to avoid the oppressive smog either by being driven everywhere or from the safety of their own vehicles, jieping invests in masks and filters.

he walks everywhere, even through the seedier parts of town late as night as long as they get him to his destination quicker because he knows the only place he’d really be understood is the underground dance scene. there, he’s nameless, but his talent is admired. self - taught, crew - less, he spends more time than he expected giving vague non - answers when his identity is questioned. dancing is his priority ; he’s not the type to show up to an underground club hoping to get recruited, though the interest is, at least, flattering. jieping isn’t there to make a name for himself. he’s just there to move. and if he puts on a good performance, trapped in his own world as he is, that’s just negligible.

back at school, it doesn’t improve matters that he’s something of an unkempt lad, often yelled at by administrators to start tucking his shirt into his pants and to wear a normal belt or else insert - empty - threat - here. if people look at him long enough, they’ll start to see his father in his face. if they’re malicious enough, they might even use his existence to blackmail a high ranking official who has yet pay a hefty fine for secretly siring another child. but then they see the way jieping’s thick brows draw together and his fists clench and decide that it’s better to be on the good side of a young boy who’s too tall to be only thirteen.

he has no qualms with punching out fellow students, though this only happens three times in his entire career at beijing huijia private academy. the knuckles on his left hand catch on the cheekbones of rich kids that are too proud to admit that they’ve been beaten up by a dirty commoner. the so - called ‘ charity cases ’ start to look up to jieping. their accounts of his bravery and heroism are inconsequential when antis dredge up this part of his past.

see ? he was always aggressive. what a prick.

PART THREE: STARDUST CRUSADERS

“ it’s a vacation, ” he tells his mother. “ you’re supposed to relax. ” they stand in front of her estranged elder sister’s daunting apartment complex in gangnam. he’s fifteen, scrawny with long hair and an underbite, bruises all over his arms and legs from failed attempts at b - boying. he’s learning, getting better, but he just doesn’t have the upper arm strength to hold himself up very long before crashing down. his mother thinks he’s getting into fights again instead of hanging around with underground dance crews, and, frankly, that’s a little hurtful.

jieping’s never met his aunt before, the woman leaving six years before he was born. all he knows is that she’s something of a socialite ( ex - trophy wife ), and she’s friends with lots of powerful people. when he meets her, he notes with some distaste that she doesn’t seem very fond of his mother. but when he tells her he likes to dance, her eyes light up and he’s taken off - guard.

as if his mother is a nonentity, jieping’s aunt starts interrogating him, nodding as he drops some names from the chinese underground scene that he’s sure she doesn’t know, and after an hour of probing, she eyes him, and asks, “ you know, i think you’d thrive in sopa. ” she knows people, she can get him an interview and audition and is even willing to help him take care of the costs.

jieping blinks. “ what ? ” he barely speaks korean, his elective language being english. jieping’s only experience with korean was being his friend’s study buddy, whereupon he picked up a few basic sentences. to say nothing, of course, of the fact that he wasn’t even intending to pursue a career in dance. and that … he wasn’t expecting his mother to seem so enthralled by the idea. his aunt tells him that sopa’s not planning on accepting new students just yet, but if he’d like to enroll for the next school year, he should let her know by the end of the week. seeing as they’re staying in her loft, he’s probably going to be pestered until the day they leave.

he mentions it off - handedly to his mother as they’re preparing to go to bed that night and is taken aback when she tells him to consider it. “ how do you know she’s not lying to us ? ”

didn’t he know she used to be a dancer, leaving home because their parents thought her dreams were too frivolous ? that her career came to a screeching halt when her relationship with an idol was exposed and she was ( publicly ) cast to the wayside ? she probably sees some of herself in him.

( not like that’s troubling. no, not at all. )

“ if you really like dancing, baobei, ” his mother tells him, her hand cupping his cheek, “ if you really love it like you used to when you were young, then you should take her up on it. she’s even willing to pay for everything. ” oh, and it always comes down to money.

if he stays with his aunt, his mother won’t have to send him red envelopes anymore. she can use her meager paycheck on herself. purchase some new clothes, finally fix those clunky heels. maybe even break out the hotpot all for herself. jieping chooses to think of it this way rather than acknowledging the fact that it sounds like his mother’s just trying to get him out of her hair –– or, her wallet, as it were. he makes his decision that night. it’s the day before new year’s eve. a little early to be making resolutions like this, he thinks, but it doesn’t hurt.

living with his aunt isn’t as bad as it seems at first, culture shock –– which she helps with –– aside. he thought he’d profoundly dislike her, but it turns out the woman actually gives good advice. in addition to whipping his korean into ( amorphous ) shape, she teaches him actual technique so that he doesn’t end up hurting himself, and she even takes him out to eat with a bunch of her b - boy friends when his acceptance to sopa is finalized. it sparks the start of a very close kinship, expressed by wandering into her room in the middle of the night to ask what a certain word means in this one context or by massaging his calf after a long day of practice.

when jieping actually starts to get some real instruction, he skyrockets. one of the “ best damn dancers in this school ” according to the chair of the department of practical dance, most likely to succeed, his teachers all rave about his potential. the other students grumble about the fact that a non - native –– a boy from across the yellow sea –– is their superior. his area of focus is singular, they gripe. he’s not even interested in pursuing anything else. the only reason the faculty likes him so much is because he could’ve gone to hanlim, and all they expect him to do is dance, anyway. the man can hold a tune, but that’s not exactly difficult to do. so what if he’s actually pretty steady even when dancing ? his rapping is average, and that’s mostly because his grasp of the language isn’t as strong as it could be. a singular skillset and the vestiges of natural talent in other areas aren’t worth all that attention. a lump of clay could become a beautiful vase, but jieping’s never seemed interested in metaphorical pottery. maybe the praise will actually start to seem merited when his grades in everything other than dance stop being terrible.

jieping doesn’t care much when they relentlessly mock his accent, but it does drive him into fluency if only to stop that avenue of attack so he can have his peace and quiet. it’s a pity about his looks, the frequent chin jokes tossed his way, but braces have cleaned him up quite a bit and when he cut his hair ( enough that you could finally see his eyes ) he really wasn’t too bad looking. maybe that’s why he never really gets anywhere until after graduation. in the end, it turned out all the attention he received from the faculty was only meant to keep him from transferring schools when he figured he could get a better education elsewhere. they were waiting for him to seek out companies on his own and leech off of that ( “ we knew he had what it takes ! ” and other -isms thereof ), but when he kept to himself and instead looked into jobs in teaching dance, the favoritism all but vanished in his third year. from “ one of the best ” to “ a very good dancer. ” if only they’d told him how they really felt from the get - go.

“ have you thought about what you wanted to do ? ” his aunt asks him almost a year since he’s been out of school. he helps out at her studio in the meantime, his pockets still lined with her money. it makes sense that she, too, is trying to boot him out of her life –– or, she’s just trying to get him to reach maximum potential, if he wanted to be optimistic. which he didn’t. “ i think you’d do well in the idol circuit. you’re intense. it’s fun to watch you dance, and it’d be a waste to keep it to my studio or the underground when you could have this massive audience. you’ve got that flare about you, y’know ? ”

he thinks of her old boyfriend, the one who almost ruined her life, and makes a face.

“ oh, come on. don’t tell me you didn’t think of it ! you went to school with at least a couple of trainees, didn’t you ? and they didn’t pique your interest at all ? ”

if he shook his head, he’d by lying, but … he’s also something of a realist. him and idol life probably wouldn’t mix –– though not exactly a wild card, he’s got something of an independent streak. he only plays by the rules he likes, and that’s not the most desirable thing for companies looking to hit it big with their next boy group. even the phrase boy group makes him feel a little weird.

his aunt rolls her eyes. “ i know what you’re thinking. you’re too cool or whatever for it, they’ll spend every second of every day trying to control or contain you. i mean, that’d probably be true if you were in midas or msg. but 99’s pretty lax in comparison. koala.t is a maybe. kjh is too new to be reliable, in my opinion, but you could definitely go for the two other ones i mentioned. it’s just something to think about. i can probe around to see who’s currently casting, if you’d like. ” then, as an afterthought, she compliments his shower singing, ruffles his hair, and then flounces away.

jieping scowls at the kitchen counter, sighs, and then makes his choice. he might as well shoot for the stars, right ? even if he misses, he’ll land near the moon.

PART FOUR: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE

99 gets him by chance, a coin that landed on heads leading to him attending two rounds of auditions and an interview.

being added into the company in april of 2010, in the midst of planning poizn out, doesn’t leave him a lot of room for bonding. so he doesn’t really do it. his skill as a dancer is acknowledged by the others, and he’s fine with that. his height intimidates a lot of them, and choreographers grouse about where they should put him in formations so that he doesn’t block people who are ear - height and below. his fairly average performance in rapping and singing is something of a shock, though it’s generally acknowledged among the teachers that he’s nowhere near good enough at either to be given a ‘ lead ’ anything. “ a little boring, ” the vocal teacher says. “ uninspired. but it could be something, if you tried. ” ‘ if ’ being the operative word.

all they know is that he’s a main dancer, through and through. impeccable technique, electrifying ( and just the perfect amount of terrifying ) stage presence. the name of his aunt’s studio sitting prettily at the top of his resumé definitely helps matters, as do his actual good looks once the stylists get their hands on him. he’s got the makings for poizn, they declare. he’s a little surprised. he’s not really friends with the other boys in the lineup, and he’s still something of a greenhorn in 99. to have them push him so far so soon is a little nerve - wracking, and no amount of arm pinching is waking him up from this dream.

what is he going to do when they offer him the spot ? say no ?

and so that’s that.

being an idol is an … acquired taste. he doesn’t expect everything about him to be so relentlessly marketed. his dry humor, which he’d been using to endear himself to his group mates, is suddenly now his shtick. his name ? steele ? some reference about how he’s a tough guy, unbendable, and flashy and shiny all at the same time. sturdy, holds the group’s performances together with his undeniable skill. it’s all coming up roses.

their reputation starts to take a few hits because of scandals before long ( what does 99 expect when looking for bad boys to fit the concept, anyway ? ), but jieping pays it no heed. he likes to think of himself as a good friend, offering support where the others need it, but he also manages to keep himself afloat by 1. ) staying out of trouble and 2. ) looking as if he doesn’t approve of his members’ choices in public. widened eyes as someone dodges a question about a past scandal and stretched lips that indicate a level of ‘ oh jeez ’ are enough to make him go viral for brief moments at a time. for a while, he’s the ‘ good ’ member ( if not the condescending foreigner ), even when cures realize he’s prone to somewhat malicious teasing. he does a good job of masking the slight resentment and weariness of being around constant fuck - ups.

but this good faith doesn’t last long.

2016. dumb and dumber. jacket shooting. he lets his temper get the best of him, becoming one of those rich idiots he hates the most.

( all because of a missed phone call. if he’d slept at an appropriate hour instead of practicing all night, he might’ve been able to catch his mother one last time. semi meets sedan. who’s going to win ?

the public never finds out about this. )

“ what do you think you’re doing ? ” it’s not so much of a roar as a boom. everyone freezes, even his group mates look up at the normally pleasant and quiet man with shock. “ you’re in my light, you idiot ! how is the photographer supposed to take pictures of me when i’m drenched in your shadow ? no, don’t walk that way. knowing you, you’ll just trip over the cable and take out the thing entirely. do you guys just fuckin’ hire anybody these days ? jesus christ. dumb and dumber. guess this song’s about you, huh, moron ? ”

shaky cell phone camera. shaken production assistant. jieping goes viral again. for all the wrong reasons, of course.

at least he realized he’s messed up. every comment that calls him out for his shitty treatment of this particular staff member is absolutely right. he shouldn’t have snapped like that. no matter how tired, no matter how stressed, no matter the deep grief paining his heart, nothing warranted taking it all out on someone who was just trying to do their job. it would have taken less than ten seconds to politely ask the p.a. to move. he might’ve received a smile and apology in return, rather than a young woman bursting into tears. he hates that there are cures that come to his defense. he wants to call them out, but after posting a handwritten apology on instagram, 99 strongly implies that they’d like him to keep mum, more consequences forthcoming.

this isn’t what he wanted. when he calls his aunt for advice, it’s the first time where she doesn’t know what to tell him. she’s disappointed in him, that much is clear in her voice, and he feels even shittier. “ i didn’t think you were that kind of person. ” he’s not, and he isn’t sure if she believes him. but she goes with him, hand in hand, to the funeral back in guangzhou, and it seems like all is forgiven, even if he never ended up explaining himself.

he’s only allowed to be there for two days and he’ll half to spend half of their promotion time benched. nobody recognizes him, mask covering his face, though there’s a slight murmur that maybe tall jieping grew up into this giant after all. he doesn’t make a fuss when he comes back, and 99 pretends that he never left. fans are none the wiser, though jieping’s sure the information is floating around somewhere now.

( his first reappearance on a music show is lukewarm. it doesn’t surprise him that the cheers are quieter than usual. )

poizn looks empty without their main dancer, someone says. if jieping had any amount of sense, he’d leave that empty space for brighter skies. maybe become a recluse like his aunt, teaching other young hopefuls to dance. she really did see a lot of herself in him, didn’t she ?

jieping’s mother didn’t raise a quitter, though, so that kills the thought immediately. it comes to a halt with a crunch of glass and steel.

PART FIVE: GOLDEN WIND

even though it’s two years in the past, 99 still reminds jieping to keep on his toes whenever interacting with anybody. his resting bitch face did him no favors as soon as his snark became an unfavorable mark upon him. he has to be neutral or friendly. no in between. if he can manage to work his way up to happy without looking terrifying, then that’s even better. but any ounce of negative emotion will be read for filth, so it’s in his best interest to stay away from anything pointing downward.

forgiveness comes slowly, given a slight boost when it comes out ( against jieping’s will ) that he personally apologized to the p.a. in question and even took her out to a dinner that went around six figures –– all out of his own pocket. but that’s not enough, because they’re all just waiting for him to scream at someone else.

he’s only two years away from turning thirty, so he figures he should start to act like it. and he does, stopping to think about things from an ‘ adult ’ and ‘ responsible ’ perspective as opposed to ‘ well, i’m doing just fine all on my own. ’ he sacrifices his isolationist tendencies for kindness and encouragement, wanting to show his juniors and the public alike that he’s grown up and decided to show that he really is a good person, just caught at the wrong time.

he tries to pick up where his aunt left off with her vague but pleasant advice, aiming for a wise - beyond - his - years vibe. and if all else fails, then he could at least be the calm respectful one sitting in the back. adult, jieping reminds himself. with a capital a. songs like love scenario and rubber band hinder this a little bit, at least on stage, but he finds that perseverance is the key to everything. so he’ll just keep working at it until he finds himself where he wants to be.

he doesn’t need to hole himself up in a fancy apartment in seoul, waiting for a cousin’s kid to show up and tell him that they enjoy b - boying. he doesn’t have to be a repeat of his aunt. he can claw his way back to the not - top.

it’s not like a guy who stands at 6’ 5” can afford to be scared of heights, after all.

#id.bio #id.poizn #id.99 #id.kris wu

[lekshk]

From CarnivOl to CarnivAl

Usually, when it comes to gatherings, despite being gregarious, I sometimes prefer my own company. These are the times when I choose merging over mingling with the crowd. I get into an observer mode. At other times, I become the life of that gathering. It is only recently I came to terms with these personalities of mine. So, when Volunteer For a Cause (VFC), a not for profit group of volunteers from Bangalore, working on 17 different causes every weekend, was looking for volunteers for a fest exclusively for children with physical and mental impairments, I wasn't sure whether I want to be part of it. The event, known as Carnivol, was to be conducted on a Sunday, 08 Dec 2019. The date was carefully chosen to coincide with the days commemorating internationally, persons with disabilities (PWD) and volunteering spirit on 03 and 05 Dec respectively.The target audience was 400 in number. Whether it was the magnanimity of the event or its ambitious nature, the volunteer in me instinctively said yes, blissfully forgetful of the fact mingling with the crowd could be a potential turn off. Having realized the enormity of the decision taken later, I went back to all those days where I felt it was difficult yet not impossible. And thankfully, in all the experiences, little discomforts had become amusing memories later. All I had to do was have the will to take a chance and give myself enough time for things to take its course. Therefore, I decided to take baby steps. I joined the team handling content and installations. Decorations were happening every weekend and irrespective of whichever team one was in, everyone was part of it. Art and craft has always been an ally to me. So, my participation in decorations was spot on. Whether it was to stick m&m replicas to ice cream cones or cut cup cakes or geometric figures and stick silver paper to it, the inner child in me navigated through seamlessly. As if I knew where to go. After finishing the day's work, we all gathered for a group picture holding the colorful decorations made for the day. Now I understood, as part of mental health, why it is important to spend at least 20 minutes on a creative activity. It is because it helps you go back to your childhood days of being in the present with no care in the world state of mind. Like any human interaction, the volunteer meet up every weekend was no different. There were fights, playful banter, serious conversations, assigning roles and responsibilities and of course, loads of fun. Finally, came the dreaded task of putting the stationaries back to its place. So, at the end of the day, I either volunteered to segregate the stationaries collected or putting them back to their designated place or clean the place. After 2 weekends, my brain became free for thoughts on content for the event. I pursued the task single minded. Wherever I went, my eyes scanned for material that could convey PWD's story, the do's and dont's and how I could realign my behavior that conveyed dignity and respect towards them not only in words but also in actions. The other team members too got into action and started sharing whatever they could. Starting from understanding trend sure projects to the PWD act, so many insights and reflection points came out for me. I remember on the day of the event, when I was sticking the success stories in one of the stalls in the morning and watching the participants perform later in the day, I was lost in deep thoughts. Ironical isn't it, these are kids who either cannot see or hear or speak or have a disorder or struggle to walk without support, yet nothing seems to stop them from leading fulfilling lives while some of us struggle to make a meaningful existence despite having healthy bodies and minds. I was standing at the entrance of the auditorium to ensure no kid goes unattended and also watch the performances simultaneously. After lunch, the kids were taken to the play area where trampolines, toy trains, slack lines, rope ladders awaited them. Whether it was assisting some of the kids to wear the safety gear to climb the rope ladder as part of the adventure sports arranged for them or helping another to use the exercise equipment in the park gym or just holding hands to help walk on the slack line or asking a girl about her fellow classmates using the limited sign language I knew when I found her near the swing away from them or waving at the kids on the toy train, every action of mine was a test in itself of my comfort zones. Towards the end of the event, all volunteers formed a human chain on either side right from the entrance of the auditorium till the exit to clap hands for each kid for trusting us to be part of a day designed exclusively for them. In the process, I also patted my back for trusting my instinct and sailing through the day victoriously! I had no plans to share this story. But the image of a girl with mental impairment excitedly kissing the soft toy she got as a return gift lingered in my mind. It made me ponder about my own reactions to certain situations in my life. Such a simple gesture, isn't it? Pure, unfiltered joy! How does age or an impairment matter? That was the most authentic response even adults don't exhibit! I also recalled another boy who started talking excitedly to me in Marathi when he got to know I could speak the language! That sense of familiarity and belonging excited him further to chatter to a complete stranger - me. No presumptions but sheer innocence to share his happiness. In the process of growing up, where did we loose that unblemished expression of our emotions? It gave me food for thought to be comfortable with who I am and appreciate myself for it so as to become who I want to be in this connectedly disconnected world! The icing on the cake happened shooting a video of one of the installations. That was fun! It wasn't pre planned, hence there wasn't time for retakes or rehearsals. It was impromptu and straight from the heart with the initial awkwardness. I realized, as volunteers, knowingly or unknowingly, we criticize or point fingers at each other when things don't happen a certain way or they aren't where they were supposed to be. I think those are the imperfections we exhibit as humans at such moments. Gandhi's words be the change we wish to see now made true sense to me. So, I stayed back to help remove the installations and putting the materials back to their designated place. Now, the day ended with satisfaction for me. And tomorrow would be a better one! Carnivol 2019 is over. Don't know what's in store next year, where I would be, what I would do. One thing is for sure - like I said earlier, a little discomfort now becomes a potential amusing memory later. This experience has only strengthened my resolve to continue volunteering come what may. I get to interact with people who have accepted their adversities with so much grace and converted it to something positive and meaningful. Thanks to that girl, I am sharing this story now. Because the lesson I learnt or keep learning from each experience and this experience too was - All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, literally, 20 seconds of embarassing bravery and I promise you something great would happen (~ We bought a zoo) And specially for all the wonderful kids (and adults) out there- Don't let fear stop you from doing the thing you love (~ Sing)

[blakes-adventures]

My Top 20 Sad Songs Of All Time

I’d like to preface this article with the fact that defining if a song is actually sad or not can sometimes be hard. There are some songs left off this list that I have seen people call sad that I just don’t entirely agree with. I also want to say that I listen to a lot of music and while I believe this list is accurate there could be a song I am forgetting that would make my top 2o! Hope you enjoy the list! The Spotify playlist at the end will have more than 20 songs, any song that didn’t make the list was in contention for the list.

20. Remembering Sunday by All Time Low

In this song All Time Low depicts the picture of of a guy who likes a girl. The guy decides to not tell the girl how he feels at first and by the time he decided to say something, he is unable to find the girl. The guy thinks the girl has just disappeared but the girl has committed suicide. This is one of the songs on my list that I do not personally relate to but I have it so high because the storytelling paints a dreary picture accompanied by well written instrumentals and powerful vocals that make you feel what the guy in the song is feeling.

19. Drink a Beer by Luke Bryan

“When I got the news today, I didn’t know what to say, so I just hung up the phone. I took a walk to clear my head, this is where the walking led, can’t believe you’re really gone. Don’t feel going home.” The opening stanza to this song really captures how I felt that day. The day my best friend died. It was freshman year of college, I last saw him a little over a month ago. I woke up early to go to an 8am class and after I got out of the shower I got a phone call. These opening lyrics describe the exact situation that I went through. I didn’t know what to say, all I could do was cry and cry some more. Eventually I just hung up the phone. I took a walk to clear my head, I didn’t want to talk to people. I wanted to be alone. I didn’t feel like going home. Luke Bryan’s chilling vocals over the somber beat puts an emphasis on the meaning behind the lyrics and you can tell that Luke Bryan was struggling with the death of a friend. Sometimes it can be rare to find songs that relate 100% to you but Drink a Beer pretty much does relate to me 100% in a symbolic way at least. Instead of beer it was Jesus and Music that did the best to help. They definitely were both there for me. The pain is still not completely gone and never will be as long as I’m alive on earth. But songs like this help because sometimes it’s better to remember them and the pain then to forget about them completely. I want to give a shoutout to the Pixar film Coco.

18. Small Bump by Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is a master at songwriting and one could argue he is the best modern songwriter. This song is one of his best at exemplifying those qualities. Ed Sheeran starts off the song by singing about all the wonderful aspects of life the parents will get to share with the baby once it’s born. When you listen to the song for the first time, it is easy to miss the point of the song and how sad of a song it really is. At the end of the song comes the twist, where everything he was just singing about is all hypothetical because the baby died at 4 months into pregnancy. There are not many songs off the top of my head that I can remember that tell a story but then reveal a twist at the very last second. I’ll never understand the severity of a situation like this unless it happens to me but I sympathize with these lyrics. A friend of mine had a similar situation happen to her and every time I listen to this song these days, I think of her.

17. Ronan by Taylor Swift

In similar fashion to the song above, this is another song about dying early. Taylor Swift wrote this song about a boy named Ronan who died at age of 4 due to illness and used it to help raise money for research and help support the family. While this song may not have the best “song writing”, it is very personal. The lyrics take a direct approach describing the situation exactly as it happened. The way Taylor Swift sings creates an atmosphere of sadness that reaps into your head that makes you get choked up when you hear the song. This is another song where I do not relate to it 100% personally but the story it depicts and the vocals of Taylor are why it lands a spot on this list.

16. Not Now by Blink-182

Straight from Tom DeLonge’s mouth, “the song is going to be about when you die and you just figured out you died and you're standing there looking at your lady, and she's there. And you're trying to say goodbye but it's too late. And you feel and you know she's right there...but she can't see you, and she doesn't know you're there" so I even need to say more? Not Now is a very sad song that I think a lot of people on earth can relate too because a lot of people share the fear of leaving behind their loved ones without having the chance to say goodbye. It reminds me of my best friend and not being able to say an official goodbye. It reminds me of myself in sometimes being scared of death. The instrumentals are well written and Tom DeLonge’s vocals are on point. It’s always been one of my favorite Blink-182 songs.

15. The ‘59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem

This song is sadly a song that I relate to. It’s hard and it’s heavy. Do you ever think about how you could die any day? It’s not something you should often think about. However, when you experience the death of your best friend, it’s something that definitely pops into your mind from time to time. The Gaslight Anthem depict a young boy or girl who died way too young and pose the question, “did you hear your favorite song one last time.” The lyrics “Young boys, young girls, ain’t supposed to die on a Saturday night” speak to me because of personal past history of going through loss. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. The Gaslight Anthem take a rocky, fast paced vibe to contrast the sad lyrics which goes to show you that songs do not have to sound sad to be sad. The Gaslight Anthem pose questions in this song that to me depict the question “were you at least happy in life?” in a unique way that you do not hear very often. This is why the song lands on this list. The vocals, the instrumentals, and the song writing all vehemently capture my attention and being able to relate to the lyrics just nails the coffin down of why I love this song so much.

14. Where’d You Go by Fort Minor ft. Holly Brooks (Clean Version)

Where’d You Go depicts the struggles that people go through when they are away from their loved ones for a prolonged period of time. In this specific scenario, the song is being sung in the point of view Anna Shinoda who is struggling with the fact that Mike Shinoda is always on the road touring and away from her. The chorus song by Holly Brooks (now Skylar Grey) “Where’d You Go, I Miss You So, Seems Like It’s Been Forever Since You’ve Been Gone, Please come back home” is the standout part of this song painting a picture of just how lonely one feels when their significant other is away. In the verses, rapped by Mike Shinoda, a picture is painted in some parts that Anna is struggling with how to survive in the relationship and even doubting the relationships at time. I think you can relate this song to a lot of situations including being on tour and away for a long time, being deployed or even being in a long-distance relationship. In my lifetime I’ve only been in one relationship and it ended during a summer when I went back home from the summer. Being separated from your significant other is no easy task and it’s easy for things to fall through. Where’d You Go lands a spot on this list because of the story it depicts as well as the feature being one of my all-time favorite features.

13. Afire Love by Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran paints the picture of the death of a family member through very personal lyrics of the what went down during and after the death. Personally this song speaks to me especially a lot because of the line “Things were all good yesterday, And then the devil took your memory, And if you fell to your death today, I hope that heaven is your resting place” because that is exactly how I feel when it came to the loss of my best friend and another close friend. Only God truly knows who ends up in heaven and I just hope I can meet my friend there someday. Ed Sheeran’s applicable, personal, and story telling lyrics set the mode to this song and the execution of everything together is perfect. When I think about my favorite Ed Sheeran songs, this is definitely up there if not at the top.

12. The Tide by The Spill Canvas

The Spill Canvas paints a picture of 3 children of the same mother who all commit suicide. Describing that Heaven is the place we finally feel alive is an interesting concept in this song because the mother realizes that due to neglect all the advice she gave had gone to waste. I won’t get into politics of suicide and heaven but what I will say I think it’s interesting that the Mother is saying Heaven is the place we finally feel alive because inside she is broken and on the outside all her children died of suicide so maybe she regrets not telling her Children about Heaven more or maybe she is clinging onto the fact that she will feel alive when/if she gets to Heaven. If you were to ask me in middle school, this song would have topped this list for sure. The Spill Canvas does a fantastic job with telling this story over accounting guitars. It keeps the listener engaged to every single lyrics and honestly makes me choke up at times because of how serious the subject matter is. It paints a picture that parents need to not neglect their children and make sure to care for them as well as to always care for loved ones in general because you never know what could happen the next day. One day they could be gone and no one ever wants that to happen.

11. Welcome to Heartbreak by Kanye West ft. Kid Cudi

This is the one song on the list that I can’t relate to at all. Almost no one can relate to this song but it’s always been one of my favorite sad songs, my favorite Kanye song and one of my all time favorite songs. Kanye West describes all the material things he thought he always wanted but realized that all the fame and money could not make up for what he actually wanted at that time. Kanye tells us he got a new car, got a new house, and was never around or had to leave early at special events. Kanye describes the jokes with family, not having a kid with a report card to be proud of, and other priceless items. Kid Cudi comes in to acknowledge that he is having visions in his head about the situation. This song comes it at #11 mainly because of the vocals and the feature are top notch for a rap song and some of my all time favorite vocals. The lyrics and the beat mesh well to create an atmospheric vibe that leaves a desire to always hear more.

10. Clairvoyant by The Story So Far

I don’t have much to say about this song other than that it is good. Very loosely interpreted Clairvoyant is about a relationship between two people that falls apart. The reason Clairvoyant is on this list is because of the overall sound of the song mixed with the sad emotions, vocals, and instrumentation. The instrumentation is written so well that it screams sadness at you. You can tell that Parker is hurt by this relationship going down the drain. Parker sings in such a way that he takes sad lyrics and makes them catchy. Every time I hear this song I want to yell it at the top of my lungs even thought the message of the song is sad.

9. Even If She Falls by Blink-182

This song does not sound completely sad on the surface but the meaning behind the song is sad especially when it’s relevant in your life or has been relevant in the past. Tom DeLonge paints a picture of a man who has fallen for a woman but can’t be with her. This man struggles with the fact that his feelings won’t go away regardless of the situation and how his feelings will still persist even if she falls in love with someone else. “Back, you wanna turn back, your heart will attack, even if she falls in love.” One thing in life I am certain of is how hard it can be to get rid of feelings for someone and often times this stands true if the person you have feelings for finds someone else. You would think that it might be easy to let your feelings go if they find someone else but feelings linger and it’s hard for them to die down. It’s a very sad scenario because love hurts, falling in love can hurt, falling out of love hurts, falling for someone who you can’t have hurts. It’s just a mess and Tom uses well thought out lyrics to paint a perfect picture of how hard it can be lose feelings for someone with support from catchy, fast paced guitars and vocals that make you want to shout the lyrics at the top of your lungs.

8. It Hurts by Angels and Airwaves

Similar to the song above, It Hurts is another song written by Tom DeLonge about falling for someone that you can’t have. Tom screams to the world that “It Hurts” and boy let me tell you does it hurt! It Hurts takes us through a journey where a man and a woman are best friends with each other and after spending a night together the man realizes that he has fallen for his best friend. However, he realizes that the two of them will never be together and he tells the story of how much pain he feels inside. “Your best friend is not your girlfriend, it hurts” is the standout phrase in this song and the picture it paints is a picture that a lot of people can relate too. Even if it is not your best friend specifically it can be a relatable song. Have you even fallen for a really close friend and been afraid to ruin the friendship or realize the two of you would never work together? Or maybe you actually tried to start a relationship and told them how you felt but it didn’t end well. I feel a lot of people can relate to this message. Atom Willord’s drums give the perfect beat to go along to the powerful vocals present making the song an anthem for the ages.

6. Ghost on the Dancefloor by Blink-182

Before you ask, the 6 next to this song is intentional. I could not decide which of these next two songs to put over the other so I put them both at #6. The third song in a row on this list to be written by Tom DeLonge. Who knew one person could convey so many different emotions that I feel? Unlike the last two songs, I believe Tom is painting a story of the death of a loved one, most likely a significant other. Ghost on the Dancefloor has some of my favorite guitar and drum parts of all time. The sad story is accompanied by pounding drums and Angels and Airwaves style guitars except more upbeat. Tom DeLonge shouts out “Yeah I, I saw your ghost tonight, The moment felt so real, If your eyes stay right on mine, My wounds would start to heal.” This paints the picture of doing something he loves that reminds him of his gone loved one so much that he felt like she was right there in front of him even though she is not. I think that is a concept that a lot of us can relate too. It can be scary to participate in activities that you used to do with them or participate in activities that maybe caused their death.

6. One More Light by Linkin Park

Low and behold, another song about Death makes the list. Death is arguably the saddest subject there is and when written well, songs about Death are some of the best masterpieces to arrive. Chester Bennington creates a picture of someone who died and the struggles that one goes through regarding death as well as caring for those who die. The line that sticks out a lot to me is “The reminders pull the floor from your feet, in the kitchen one more chair than you need. Oh and your angry and you should be, it’s not fair. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.” This hits me heavy. Imagine a group of 4 really close friends who would hang out a lot together and now image that there was only 3 of them left. When you hang out together there was always be some reminder that the 4th person isn’t there anymore. Wether it’s a literal chair in the kitchen or in front of the TV where you used to play video games or wether it’s a different reminder all together. This is me and this is my situation. Some activities will always be reminders of my best friend. Every time I go hiking I get reminded of what happened. Every time I take my other 2 close friends from the 4 above to the lake for a weekend I get reminded of him. This is the case for other scenarios as well. Chester writes lyrics that literally capture how I feel and if this song had come out 5 years earlier it would probably be my favorite song of all time. The composition and instrumentals to this song are largely basic but that is okay because it works and sounds beautiful while doing it. The reason this song is so loved is because of the lyrics that Chester wrote and the story it tells. The lyrics to One More Light just might be in my top 5 for lyrics ever written.

5. Winter by Kina Grannis

One of the reasons I love Winter so much is because of the time when I discovered it. In this song Kina Grannis paints a picture of a breakup and proceeding heartbreak. Kina sings about how she is going to last without her significant other there anymore as she’s been feeling down about it the entirety of winter. The main reason I like the song itself is the beautiful vocals by Kina and the stylistic choosing of the lyrics. In my own personal life I have only been in one relationship and somehow I managed to find this song either the same month as my breakup or the month after my breakup. I managed to find this song after the only time in my life that I would need this song. This song was a part of the healing process and God brought it in my life to use it to heal me. It is one of my most listened to songs of all time because of how much I played it that summer and how much I still play it now. Even though it’s not relevant to me anymore, it is just a really well written and enjoyable song to keep listening to.

4. Asthenia by Blink-182

Asthenia is different than any other song on this list because it’s not about death or relationships. In this song, Tom DeLonge paints a picture of an Astronaut who goes out to space and questions wether or not it is worthwhile to return. He looks down at the earth and he sees how messed up the world and how much evil goes on that it might be worth staying in space. He contemplates both sides addressing the fact that he is up in space and he is lonely and tired. He feels alone up in space and he misses people he cares about down on earth but he doesn’t miss what happens on earth. “Should I go back, I feel alone and tired. Should I go back, I hope I won’t forget you.” This song is my favorite song by my favorite band. The lyrics are well written and the instrumentals and vocals are great compliments to the lyrics making it a treat for the ear. So did he go back or did he stay in space? Let me hear your theories!

3. Highway Don’t Care by Tim McGraw ft. Taylor Swift

Tim McGraw paints a picture of a woman who got in an argument with her significant other. She ends up driving away to blow steam off and ends up talking to God about the situation. On the Radio a love song is being sang by Taylor Swift saying “I can’t live without you baby” which is probably running through the woman’s head. In her panic about the situation, she goes for her phone to see if it has battery so that she can call her significant other or see if he left her any messages. In this instance she ends up crashing her car and dying. In my own personal life, I was in a car Crash once where I almost drove straight off a cliff and died so even a death song like this one hits home. God saved me and spared my life but it’s definitely a scary situation. With Guitars by the shredding Keith Urban and the bounce back vocals of Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift this song just wows me every time I hear it. I also think the Taylor Swift feature is my favorite feature of all time.

2. Lose You by Pete Yorn

It’s story time! Back in High School, I discovered this song on a show called House. The weird part about this statement is that I don’t even watch House. To this day, that one episode of House is the only episode of House I have ever seen. Jesus subconsciously told me to watch this episode of House because he knew that 4 years later I would need this song. It really is mind blowing to me that I watched a show that I had never seen before on a random day in the middle of a random season and it turned out to be for a reason that I wouldn’t even realize until years later. This song Lose You was played at the very end of the episode and I loved what I heard so much I immediately took to the internet to find out what the song was. After discovering that the song was Lose You by Pete Yorn I not only become obsessed with the song but I became obsessed with his music in general. Seriously, go check him out! Lose You is a somber yet somewhat upbeat piano style track with drums that compliment the piano. Pete Yorn paints the picture of how he lost someone he cares about. His lyrics really show the pain he is going through by stating “I have to wander this world alone.” Flashback to September 17th, 2012 when I woke up for class only to hear the worst news of my entire life. This is the song I turned too. This is the song I had on repeat. This is the song that helped me through the toughest point of my life. I still listen to this song often even thought there is pain attached to it and even though it reminds me of him. This song is something that I will never let go of my entire life. It will always be with me and it will always be there for me. Even though the song is sad it will always be there to help me through sad times. The healing process never ends and songs like this will always keep him and my other friend in my memory. You may be asking yourself, how is this song not #1?

1. Mt. Washington by Local Natives

Mt. Washington is my favorite song of all time. While this song is not straight forward in meaning, all the interpretations that I have seen involve a man and a women. Going beyond that I have seen two interpretations of which one that I personally agree with. Local Natives paints a picture of a guy who likes a girl but the girl does not like him back. He’s falling for someone who doesn’t like him back. The are multiple reason why this song is my favorite song of all time. One of the big reasons I love this song so much is because of its use in the videogame “Life Is Strange.” Life Is Strange is one of my favorite games of all time and this song is utilized perfect in the story and it always takes me back to one of my favorite moments in life when I was first played through the game. The second reason is because of the haunting, chill, beautiful vocals. The power behind what he is singing and how he is effected by these emotions is painfully obviously and it adds to the power of the song and the meaning of the song. The third major reason of why I like Mt. Washington so much is because it embodies who I am. “Why does it keep saying, I don’t have to see you right now” are lyrics that stand out to me and really nail how I personally feel. This is my go to song when I’m feeling sad about a crush I have on a girl because 10 times out of 10 I am falling for someone who doesn’t like me back. Every single time it is the same old story and Mt. Washington perfectly paints the story of a guy falling for a girl who doesn’t like him back. This song embodies how my life goes and I genuinely feel the pain the singer is going through.

https://open.spotify.com/user/123591090/playlist/6Xa6EOVENgSyCQeTio5Uq9?si=LTfoKVaqTE6iDBmAVjYrSA

[raifuujin]

Parents of DCMK

Because I feel like my views of the parents tend to be different from the norm, and I have the time, I’m finally going to go into my thoughts about each grouping. (Or at least, the main parents we actually know information about.)

Yukiko and Yuusaku: 

They don’t deserve the hate they get on their parenting style. Which usually falls onto Yuusaku, because clearly Yukiko’s personality looks better than the guy who’s already in the know and less relatable. The usual arguments are:

1) They left Shinichi alone in Japan while they moved to America. Well. He didn’t want to go with them, and he was at an age where he could live alone. They wanted to go, he didn’t, he could handle himself, so okay, everything was fine.

2) They set up a whole scheme to pretend to be his enemies and scare the ever loving heck out of him. Yes, they did. With the full purpose of scaring him to death, because they wanted him to get an idea of just what he was getting into. Immediately after, they told him: It’s going to be like that, it’s dangerous, so come with us and stay safe instead, other people can look into it. Again, he told them to mind their own business and not get involved, and they (mostly Yuusaku), respected that wish instead of forcing Shinichi to come anyway. They even talked Agasa into helping to get Shin to see what could happen, and yet the full blame is almost always only on Yukiko and Yuusaku, when Agasa knew Shinichi’s situation full well and he still went along to try and convince him on the danger.

Yuusaku is too all knowing, and that’s really the only thing that playing into what people hate about him. The whole ‘troll’ aspect. But he does know his family, and tends to respect their wishes and treat them as people. He took smol Shinichi’s concerns about a teacher’s special treatment of Ran seriously when everyone else brushed it off as jealousy without a second thought. He never outright gave Shinichi answers, and instead let him investigate on his own with hints. Yes, he was always ahead, but he never abused the knowledge and instead helped nudge Shinichi into figuring out things on his own.

And while he’s been Conan, Shinichi has gotten help from his parents any time he actually needed them. His mom might be used more often for her disguise expertise, but he still got his father to play a part when necessary, and they never complained. They were ready to help their son as support, and always are, so in that, they’re arguably the best parents in DCMK.

Extra information: They were together four years prior to having a baby (Shinichi being 16 and Yuusaku giving his proposal 20 years prior to the series as mentioned in the Desperate Revival), so they more likely had a better idea of what they were doing.

Eri and Kogoro:

They do have issues with their relationship, and Gosho really needs to resolve it one way or another, either with a full divorce or... I’m not sure I’d be happy seeing them get back together after all the ways have been written to show why they don’t work for each other, but it’s also there as an option.

In terms of parenting... Kogoro was not good as a father in the slightest at the beginning of the series, and implied that it had been like that for a long while after Eri left. With his new fame, getting out more, more family trips and interactions, he’s been getting better. But prior to the story events, he’d be the worst parent. But at this point in the series, he’s picked himself up more, curbed his bad habits away from the extreme, and he’s outright admitted he wants Eri to come back. It’s heavily implied that her leaving led to his habits getting worse and him getting to the point we see him at at the beginning.

Eri has encouraged Ran to come stay with her instead, but Ran herself chose to stay with her father to take care of him. Eri’s very first appearance was her meeting up with her daughter for the day, and Ran seems to drop by as often as she wants. While Kogoro from the beginning clearly needed help and couldn’t take care of himself, much less his daughter, Eri has been the opposite, very self sufficient and responsive to Ran.

As husband and wife, they have a lot of problems and Gosho needs to stop giving hints of them possibly getting together while simultaneously showing that there will always be another problem and never resolve any of the ones that exist. As parents, Eri has been the best with Ran. Kogoro had too many issues to begin with to help his daughter, though he’s been getting more and more responsive and concerned for both Ran and his separated wife (and Conan, despite the head abuse). He still tends to think of himself first, but when there’s clear danger to his family or people he cares about in general, he does have a serious and competent mode. He’s starting to try.

But parenting, second best with Eri, Kogoro making some progress.

Extra information: They had known each other since childhood, and the poor experience has given Eri a pessimistic view of romance with childhood friends. To a point of once advising Ran not to follow in her footsteps, which based on her experience could be a genuine concern, but is an issue when Ran’s only had Shinichi (and Sonoko) as childhood friends, and she knows they’ve been close.

Chikage and Toichi:

Would be fun aunt and uncle, probably not the best parents, could arguably be worst.

We don’t see much of Toichi or know about his personality outside of flashbacks, and Kaito’s admiration tends to skew how he’s viewed. What we do know is: 

1) He became Kid to get attention off of the Phantom Lady. Which would have meant his plan hinged on convincing her to drop that job and possibly included him assuming she’d say yes to getting together with him. 

2) He challenged child Shinichi and purposefully tried to scare him and Ran to get him to pass a message to Yuusaku. Which only half worked, and was unnecessary when he made plans for how to pass a message along via Yukiko anyway.

3) There are multiple instances of him teaching young Kaito not to interact with strangers, don’t let people know your true emotions, and that it’s better to act ignorant than show your hand. Which isn’t good advice to try giving to a kid who hasn’t experienced enough in the world yet to understand all the distrust.

Toichi has been shown to care about his family, arguably his friends in the case of the Red Tear, but he doesn’t teach his child in the best way with mostly magic and deception.

Chikage’s parenting is rarely seen, but she doesn’t offer Kaito much either. She was present in the first chapter of Magic Kaito, only really contributing to telling Aoko that her son doesn’t like fish (while preparing the fish she knows full well Kaito isn’t likely to eat in the hopes that ‘maybe this time he’ll eat it’) and showing that she knows Kaito found Toichi’s hidden room. No further mention of if she talked to him later, or if she was ever home, as the early manga focused more on Kaito outside of the house and his adventures.

She showed up later as having gone off to travel, no warning to the audience, but Kaito doesn’t seem to mind while he has things to do. She actually agreed to get together with a guy she just met who scared her almost to death just prior to him asking her to be with him, so seems impulsive. 

The times she’s played a more major part in Kaito’s story after her initial appearance, it was to ask him, as a thief, to clean up her mess, and to work with someone to give Kaito a hard time and a small side note of getting him to stop thieving. Which in some form included a disguise as his dead father, the whole reason he became Kid in the first place. Except unlike the Kudo’s attempt to get their son to stop chasing danger, this came late into Kaito’s career, not at the beginning, so concern isn’t the best excuse. No understanding of Kaito as his own person is ever shown, and actions taken with regards to him are less reasonable.

The Kurobas overall don’t seem like they’re responsible people, and they likely should not have been put in charge of a child. It’s no wonder Kaito has issues, Jii seems to be more the support and good advice giver more than any of what we see of Chikage and Toichi.

Extra: They got together 18 year prior to the events of present day. Kaito’s supposedly 17, which means most likely means they made him very soon after meeting and getting together. Neither have made good life choices, even if they are nice and fun people. Overall good people, bad as parents.

Heizo and Shizuka:

We don’t see much of them, Heizo seems to try and get his son to shape up and that’s the biggest flaw about him. He seems more work oriented, which is unsurprising with his ranking in the police force, and very serious. Heizo knows his son’s personality and skills, but tries to humble him and get him to also act professional instead of his usual hothead, rush into the situation self. (Which could lead to some real problems, such as if Heiji had continued his deduction from his first appearance and accused the wrong person in his rush to find the culprit before Shinichi could show up and beat him. Luckily Shinichi did show up and find the real murderer.)

Shizuka does seem supportive of her son, trying to attend one of his tournaments and checking on the people he goes a long way to visit to make sure they’re okay. There’s also mild disapproval from her of Heizo’s actions towards Heiji.

Heiji parents overall seem to be more average in terms of parenting, overall good but with some problems.

Nakamori:

Needs to get his butt out of Kid cases and stop ignoring his daughter.

...Okay, that’s obviously the biggest issue. He forgot Aoko’s birthday for gods sake, and left her in an empty house. Any other day, it might be fine, but that’s not the night to go out and get drunk. But he is there, usually in the mornings, they have meals together when there’s nothing going on at the time, and he talks to her about his thoughts on Kid. Even when the thought is that her friend could possibly be running around as a thief. Of course Aoko got defensive about that accusation towards Kaito, but she looks up to her father being an officer and always gets proud when he comes out ahead of a criminal like Kid. 

He’s never shown being a good parent, but also never shown teaching any bad morals or being gone for more than the night. His biggest issue is putting his work as more important than his only known family, which does still put him on the lower end of parenting, though still arguably not quite as bad as Kuroba parenting.

Don’t know enough about the other parent to make full calls on their parenting, but:

- Hakuba’s father put him against Kid to knock that arrogance down a peg or two and overall teach a lesson about things actually being difficult and needing real work.

- Sonoko’s parents, mostly mother, is a bit on the controlling side, seen best in Kid’s first appearance and her keeping an eye on the real jewel out of distrust of random people, and in Makoto vs Kid in saying he’d have to give up on Sonoko if he couldn’t win. Relationships and business concerns aside, they’re pretty lenient on Sonoko’s actions overall.

- I don’t even know with Sera’s mom, but I’m sure we’ll see more about her in the past to get more of an idea other than paranoia.

#detective conan #magic kaito #dcmk #Toichi #Mouri Kogoro #Yuusaku Kudo #dc thoughts #dc analysis

[forbessierra95]

Reiki Symbol Video Surprising Tips

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Reiki Healing Boulder

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Reiki Therapy Definition

Day 2: Ms. L was waiting for an expert as well as healing itself.In fact they could really feel the energy of Reiki history.Necessarily relaxing; a healee may feel it to receive Reiki healing handles the whole body system cannot be proven.Now I am not stating that the student to the patient.Since the energy will continue to flow smoother, so that it is essential to become Master, i.e. a teacher is instrumental not in such a clear cut intention and emotions activated by our thoughts.

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#Reiki Symbol Video Surprising Tips #Reiki Healing Training

[the-lady-bryan]

Weird Dreams - 11/20-11/21/2019 - “im a big fluffy snarly fucker!” edition

So. Cold medicine combines with my normal stuff to make really weird ass dreams. This is the result.

I was, i kid you not, a giant fluffy white direwolf and it was fucking awesome.

Our tale begins in the forest. A forest covered in snow to the far north in the mystical land of Westros, and believe me, this is not going to go in the direction you think it’s going to...

So there I was, chilling with this big burly fucker with ginger hair. It's fuckin snowing everywhere and everybody's drunk. It was some kinda of celebration. Then again these people didn’t need much reason to get drunk and party.

And then this asshole pulls out a dagger and some other guys with him pull out weapons and are like "LANNISTERS PAY THEIR DEBTS!" and fuckin kill everyone. And i mean everyfucking one. I rip off some arms because apparently I'm this big white wolf motherfucker just fucking savage and tearing people apart. When it's all said and done, there's only me and this one girl left alive. And I don't wanna go because holy shit the big burly fucker is dead and so is the dude that I've been with since I was a wee little baby wolfie.

After dealing with the dead - and this girl is like "everyone's gettin a proper true north send off" by setting so many fuckin pyres on fire, me and this girl head southwards. And there's this wall, right, and all these fuckers in black. And me and this girl are comin through and they're like "wtf? a lone wildling? holy shit! that wolf belongs to one of our bros who like, wandered off and never came back!"

And the girl and me are given room and board and i flat out refuse to leave her side. and the girl tells the dudes in this castle built into this ice wall what the fuck happened and they send a letter further south. so then after a while this woman shows up with like, a whole fuckin household of people and i recognize her as being a packmate to the dude i hung out with since i was a baby and she's like "where's my brother?" because even though he like, turned out to be a cousin she still calls him brother or whatever. and the girl tells this woman what happened and she's like "you are coming home with me. you both are coming home with me."

And so me and this girl are taken further south to this castle and i'm like ".......the last time i was here i got my ear cut off" but of course nobody can understand me because i'm a fuckin wolf.

The girl turns out to be one of Tormund Giantsbane's daughters but she wasn't one of his actual daughters, she was one that Tormund and Jon took in when her mother died when she was a baby on the trek back North after Jon's exile. The queen, learning she's the adopted daughter of Jon, welcomes her into the family.

Weird ass time skip forward and the girl's grown up and gets married to some idiot and they have a baby. And I'm like, the family pet or some shit. And even though the girl isn't "actually" part of the royal family and isn't "actually" a Stark, she's treated like one at the queen's insistance. And she's given a proper title of Lady and all that, too. She grows old at Winterfell and dies of old age. And I eventually do, too.

So then I woke up for a while had a drink, took more meds because I'm sick as hell, and then went back to sleep.

The next dream I was just chillin in on a bench having a cigarette, definately human this time, on some street when these boys go running past and I'm like "wtf?" and then everything gets fuckin cold as fuck and I'm like "shit. this is real damn familiar..." and so I go heading in the direction the boys had run from because that's where the cold is coming from and there's this tunnel thing and these boys and one's starting to go catatonic and the other's like "shit shit shit i can't reach it!" and without thinking i'm like "fuck this shit!" and pull out a dagger and am like "FUCK YOU FLOATY DEATH THING!" and i stab it and it screams and disappears and then there's this bright flash of light and a giant fuckin deer running past to get the other one and i'm like "wtf was that? wtf is this?"

And that's how i ended up sitting and watching a house on Privet Drive until it exploded with the boy and his family inside because other black robed assholes showed up and i don't know exactly what happened but fuck if i was gonna let that happen to this poor kid again.

unfortunately i realize too late i've brought a sword to a wand fight and it's not gonna go well for me if i don't do something. next thing i know i'm a giant fucking white wolf and i'm ripping off any arm and hand i see attatched to a stick. one asshole had bright blond hair and i'm like "FUCK YOU!" especially much more to that asshole than the others. eventually they disappear and other people show up with sticks in their hands and i'm like "fuck this shit this kid's been through too fucking much already" and i'm digging and sniffing through the rubble to find this most unlucky asshole and when i find him these new wand waving idjits keep tryng to get close but i'm all snarly and growly and won't let them near him until one of 'em turns into a dog and just kinda... barks at me? and i'm like, the wolf equivalent of "fuck off and leave the poor bastard alone he's had a shite day!" and the dog man is like, the equivalent of "that's my godson, now fuck off you oversized fluffy asshole!" and then this dude in a sweater is like "ffs padfoot! don't get your head bitten off it's a goddamn wolf you moron!" and i'm all like "damn right you mangy ass mutt."

There's a bright red light and i'm out cold.

When i come to, i'm where i was but everyone's gone and i start sniffin around and i'm super fucking pissed because this poor kid obviously needs someone to keep an eye on him and these assholes fucking kidnapped him from the remains of his own house. so i'm like, sniffing all over, trying to get their scents and shit, and then i take off. and i'm lookin for this kid for fuckin days, and eventually find him and i'm just kinda... sat across the street from this ratty old townhouse and i'm like "why the fuck can't other people see this shit? this house. it's right here. but like, nobody notices it." and once i ordered a pizza and the pizza man can't fuckin find it and i'm like "ffs this is so damn sketchy" and so i start snooping around and sniffing around and yup, there's definately those people in there and like hell i'm gonna let them hold that boy captive! not on my fuckin watch mate!

now, unknown to me at least 2 people know i'm snooping around on the property and one of 'em is like "wtf is that asshole wolf doing here" (sirius black) and the other one is like "i'm actually fucking impressed this asshole wolf found us" (remus lupin).

eventually i just kinda park my ass beneath a window and refuse to move. and snarl at anything that comes close to the house in my little spot. turns like, directly above me about 3 floors up, is this kid's bedroom window. eventually mangy mutt asshole comes out like a mangy mutt and is like "fuck off!" and i'm like "you fuck off!" and he's like "this is my house! YOU fuck off!" and we get into a fight and i win. it takes the dude that isn't a dog but smells like a dog to come out and break it up and he takes me inside and i'm all scratched up and shit but i don't care i'm sniffin up a storm and then catch the kid's scent and i'm barrelling through this place, find him, and fuckin tackle him. and i'm sittin on him like a giant ass lap dog right, and he's like "wtf?" and then mangy ass shows up and is all snarly and i'm all snarly and dog smell man is like "so uh... harry. did you get a dog over the summer?" and the kid's like "no?" and i'm trying to decide if i should become human again or not because already this is a hard to describe situation and the longer i wait the more awkward it's going to become.

i decide against it for now because i'm likely to get thrown out.

bushy haired girl cleans me up tho, and i refuse to leave this Harry kid's side. No matter what. and then this asshole shows up in the house some days later and i'm like super snarly at him because i recognize that smell. that smell was at the house explosion and hey hey! he's fuckin limping where i chewed on his ass. and i flat out growl at this motherfucker because why is he here? this is supposed to be, i've gathered, a safe place for this kid. supposedly. i'm not too keen on that ginger woman, the little ginger girl, or that dude in the multi colored dresses. they smell.... off. anyway so i'm like, totally overblown protection mode and the redheaded kids are all like "yeah, even this weird ass giant dog knows he's a greasy twat" and this dude is real fuckin nervous around me and makes sure his ass don't stay long.

so anyway, me and mangy mutt asshole kinda make peace because it's clear my big white fluffy ass ain't going anywhere and neither is he. and the dog smelling man is really nice.

weird ass dream timeskip and i'm kinda low key pissed that the kid's gone and i couldn't go with him. and i wait till people are all out of the house and the mangry mutt man is drunk and sleeping before turning into a human again for the first time in a long while and i'm like "so.... nobody's here. i'mma stretch my legs and get some real human food and have me a smoke." and so i do this sometimes when nobody's around until one day dog smelling man catches me in the library because i'm fuckin bored outta my mind and decided to read upon this magic bullshit. and boy did this not be a good idea.

but i do manage to talk him around to not alerting others, but mangy mutt just HAD to be an asshole about it and i'm like "look dudes, that kid had some nasty wraith looking motherfuckers after him and then his house blew the fuck up i wasn't gonna just leave his ass when he could barely protect himself! especially when these weird motherfuckers showed up waving sticks around just like the assholes that blew up his house!" and they're like "......alright. fair enough. but fuck you're a dude! not a dog!" and i'm like "nah man i'm just me. i've always been like this." and they're like "holy shit. and you don't have magic?" and i'm like "no shit." and they call me a squib or some shit like that. i don't really care.

anyway the three of us get chill and i get to read books and shit when no one else is around but them. and i'm reading, right. and there's all these history books and i'm like "wow this shit's really cool." and then there's this book right, and it's like, the "black family history" or some shit. and i'm reading it. and it goes waaaaay back and then it changes languages a few times and i'm like "holy fuck! you guys seen this shit?!" and i'm reading this one section and mangry mutt is like "holy shit! you can actually read that?!" and i'm like "yeah. it's plain fuckin english mate" and he's like "no, it's not. we don't know what the fuck it is." and it turns out that this mangry mutt asshole is decended of a dude who was part of some group in ancient times called the Night's Watch, and his family gets their name from the people that were in it who were said to "take the black" when they joined and i'm like ".....this seems awfully suspicious and weirdly familiar...." and we go digging through the library and the house and deep in the basement there's this sword, right. and i'm like "holy fuck! i dream about this sword!" and mangy mutt is like "hey, the handle on that looks kinda like you!" and i'm like "yeah, it kinda does..." and this shit's getting super fucking weird right.

so then there's this emergency that happens and i turn back into a dog and everybody's runnin around like "omg! harry's in trouble! omg! shit's going down at the ministry!" and i'm like "you fuckers better take me to harry!" and of course mangy mutt doesn't even think twice even though everybody else is like "damn it sirius you gotta keep your ass here!"

and so of fucking course he takes me with him and when we get there shit just pops the fuck off.

my mangy mutt bro is killed. i chase after that dumb ass kid and fucking eviscerate that bitch that killed my mangy bro and even this kid is like "wtf?!" and then the old guy in a dress shows up to fight this one fucker with no nose and i'm like all snarly and bloody and shit and like "nobody's gonna fuck with my humans you magical motherfuckers!"

when is all is said and done, i jump in the fountain to get a bit clean and then refuse to leave that kid's side and then the old fucker with the dress shows up and there's all these cameras and people and shit and i'm like "we're just gonna nope out of here now"

So i woke up again. and i stayed up for most of the evening. when i finally went to bed after eating, taking my cocktail of medications, and then passed the fuck out, this is what transpired next in my weird ass dreams...

So there i was, sitting at the end of a bed in my mangy mutt friend's house, and Harry's there and he's all sad. it's been a hell of a year. and then there's a bird on the window, but not his bird. it's a big ass black raven and it's got a letter for Harry. and i'm still a dog. this kid does NOT know that i'm actually a person. and at this point i think if he finds out so soon after our mutual mangy mutt has died, it might just send him around the bend. so only dog smelling man, who i now know is a fuckin werewolf once in a while, is literally the only one that knows i'm a person.

so Harry takes the letter and he reads it and he's really confused. like "wtf is this?" so he takes it to remus and remus is like "it's from the bank. we really need to go deal with this." and so the three of us sneak out and go to the bank and the bank people are like "ah, yes. welcome your grace right this way!" and me and remus and harry are like "wtf?" and then we end up going to a conference room and theres other goblin bankers and they all are like "fucking finally we've got you here!"

and it turns out that his mother Lily was descended of Tormund Giantsbane and Jon Snow's adopted daughter Lyra, who was adopted after their death into House Stark by a fuckin ancient queen. And now Harry's like, a fuckin prince at this point because all those other branches of the bloodline died out and shit. And Harry's like "wtf?" and remus is also like "wtf?" and i'm like "....so fuckin much makes so much sense now. this stupid little shit is a Snow. of course i got stuck with his stupid ass. they never know any damn thing!" and i'm still a dog at this point right. so these goblins are filling poor harry in on shit and eventually he's told he has a fuckin castle and shit. oh, and that he's inherited all his dad's shit and his godfather's shit, too.

so off we go to see this castle right? and it's fucking Winterfell. and i'm like "wtf? has this always been here?" and the goblins are like "when the last Stark left Winterfell, the magic of the land hid this place." and harry's like "but uh... i'm descended from an adopted kid who was later like, double adopted" and the goblin is like "yes. that's true. BUT.... let me show you this over here" and he takes us deeper into the castle and remus is like, gettin really fuckin edgy but i'm not because i'm like "it's motherfucking winterfell! i'm HOME! well, as close as Home will ever be because honestly i'm meant to be much further north than this but this'll do."

And then i smell it. I smell something so wonderful and so amazing and i'm like shooting ahead of them and i come out in this big ass room and there's my boy! there's my Jon! and he's alive and whole and wonderful and there's that big burly motherfucker! and i'm dashing off and tackling Jon to the ground and yappy and happy and Harry's like "i don't fuckin understand what the fuck is going on here?" and Remus is like "y....y...... WHAT THE FUCK I KNOW YOU!" and Jon's like "eh...... so there was this thing that happened....." and it turns out that when the wildlings were massacred Jon didn't actually die. He was sort of put into this weird death-like state. Because the fucker can't die. he already died. and now he can never die. and i'm like "but....but you were dead!" and then Tormund's like "honestly i don't know what the fuck happened to me. i just woke up and there this asshole was grinning at me like a damn fool."

And it turns out that somehow Jon's weird ass immortality was like, shared with Tormund? I don't know. i don't fuckin care. and the goblin is like "so, Prince Harry, you see, there's a Stark in the castle again. And so the castle has reappeared." and they're like "fuck off with that formal shit. we want to adopt you." and remus is like "......you're lily's weird uncle!" because it's finally hit him where he knows Tormund from. and tormund is like "and you're that little toerag of a husband's friend." and harry's like "Wait a fuckin minute! you knew my mom! why the fuck didn't you look for me after my parents died?!" and Jon's like "we did. we never stopped looking for you. and when the goblins said they'd finally seen you when you were eleven, we tried to reach you. Owls were diverted. Ravens couldn't even locate you and they're a hell of a lot more reliable than owls let me tell you. We finally had to send Ghost out to search for you. When he didn't come back for over a year we thought the worst had happened. Honestly, we thought after nearly six years the poor pup was dead. Then we find out from the goblins you've been found, only to be hidden again, but there was a giant white dog with you."

So anyway, Harry ends up staying at the castle. And right now it's just a bunch of house elves, me, Remus, Jon and Tormund. and Remus is coming and going because he's playing spy for us with the Order because he thinks Dumbles was hiding Harry from Jon and Tormund who were willing to take Harry in the moment they found out about Lily and James's murder.

Anyway, weird ass time skip and Harry hasn't gone back to Hogwarts. Voldy's war has escalated. There's no horcruxes but his scar's bothering him, and he's found out i can turn into a person.

There's some other people in the castle now - one is the bushy haired girl. And there's a few ginger haired young men. And Remus has been teaching them magic and Jon's been teaching most of them swordfighting. Except for bushy girl and one of the ginger twins. Tormund is teaching them. Bushy girl has been learning archery and ginger twin one has been using a fuckin battle axe. and it's fucking awesome as hell.

also, apparently the Dementors were the remnants of the White Walkers and their undead soldier assholes and my dagger was made of dragonglass and that's what can kill dementors. so, that was a thing.

the last thing of note before i woke up was when the death eaters attacked Winterfell, i remember Jon commenting that lucius (now dead at his feet) must have been descended of the Targaryans because he sure as shit looked like one of the crazy family fuckers. and Tormund was like "didn’t you used to fuck your auntie, little crow". and then i ripped off snape's wand arm and woke up.

#weird dreams #dreams #cold medicine dreams #i was a big fluffy direwolf #crossover i guess? #i mean #it was a weird ass fuckin dream set in a mix of GOT and HP

[anneedmonsonus]

14 Great Books About Houses: My Reviews

If I was down to my last $20, I’d probably buy a coffee and a book… maybe a novel about a house.

Me at bookstore *Spies book with pretty old mansion on cover* TAKE MY MONEY

I am very partial to a story where an amazing house is almost a character. And I’m a total sucker for a book cover with a beautiful old sprawling manse, the more secretive-looking, the better. (Add a stone wall and a pair of wrought iron gates and I’ll cough up an extra $2).

“How do you find time to READ?” my friend Deb asked me once. She is also a mum (but she has three young boys) and also has a small business. “E-books,” I told her. E-books have revolutionised reading books for me as an adult. I don’t have a Kindle – I usually read books on my phone.

I love the immediacy of an eBook – you can buy it in seconds. Yes, like many people, I love the FEEL of paper between my fingers, and the smell of an old book – but if there was the choice between a book on a phone and no book at all, I’ll take the book on a screen.

What’s also great about reading on a phone is that you can easily read one-handed, and you don’t even need to be holding it. I can read a book while nursing the baby, which was INFINITELY more satisfying than tiredly scrolling Instagram in those hazy crazy newborn days. I quickly learned I could feed a baby in a dark room and read at the same time (just flick the book app onto night mode) without the glare waking the baby up too much. It definitely made those night wakings a little more bearable.

And there’s the portability factor – I can read while waiting in line at Woolies or while doing inane tasks like folding laundry or chopping vegies. You can do it! I totally get feeling like you don’t have time to read – but you can. I feel happier and content when I am in the middle of a good book, like life is more rounded and fulfilling somehow.

Today I thought I’d share some of my favourite books that feature houses in a major role – and I’m hoping you get time to read at least one! I would love to hear your book suggestions too.

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW A.J. Finn

Yes, the protagonist is an alcoholic female, which seems to make a lot of people cross as there seems to have been a spate of unreliable female narrators lately, but I enjoyed this psychological thriller for what it is: a punchy, addictive little pageturner you could read in a night or two. And the house in it is a crucial part of the story; an amazing 19th-century Harlem townhouse set over five storeys. Living in Perth, where a four storey house is unusual, multi-storey living fascinates me (just imagine how good your calf muscles would be) and sent me on a delightful real estate rabbit-hole swooning over New York townhouses.

The Woman in the Window is another one of those domestic thrillers that people immediately compare to books like Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. It drives me nuts. I totally get that it’s a marketing ploy when publishers do it, but even worse is it trickles over into reader reviews where you get people pompously declaring, “WELL. That was NOT Gone Girl.” Well… because it’s not Gone Girl. Ironically I’m writing this as I’m writing short reviews myself, but I think you should start a book without too many expectations and without immediately comparing it to another book in the same genre.

I recently learned that they are releasing a Woman in the Window movie with Amy Adams soon; she can do no wrong and I will be watching.

Get It:   AppleBooks           Amazon         AudioBook 

REBECCA Daphne du Maurier

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” is the opening line of Rebecca, and regarded as one of the most memorable and famous opening lines of any novel. And once you have visited Manderley in Rebecca, it will stay with you for a long time. I read this for the first time when I was 18 – so probably not too much older than the protagonist would have been – at an age when I could completely identify with those unsure, insecure and competitive feelings the protagonist felt. But even today I still think it is a great read; a dark look at jealousy, secrets and insecurity. The story is about a young (unnamed) protagonist who is working as a companion for an older woman in Monte Carlo when she meets a handsome older widower named Maxim de Winter. She learns that Maxim’s former wife Rebecca, a beautiful, charitable woman who was universally adored, recently drowned at sea and many people are devastated about her death. Despite the recent loss of his wife, Maxim asks the young protagonist to marry him, and after their honeymoon they return to his huge house, Manderley. But the young protagonist finds she has big shoes to fill, and few take kindly to Rebecca’s ‘replacement’. Even though Rebecca is dead, she is like ‘the other woman’, haunting Manderley from the grave.

Du Maurier based Manderley, the Gothic mansion in the novel, on an abandoned house in Cornwall called Menabilly that she had been obsessed with since she was a girl. Eventually she managed to lease it from the owner and moved in, remaining there for most of her life (even though it was not properly habitable) until she was basically kicked out. Dark, foreboding Manderley is an incredible setting, and although this book is slow to start, once it gets going you won’t be able to put it down.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

WHAT ALICE FORGOT Liane Moriarty

Alice Love doinks her head in a gym class and wakes up to find she is no longer 29, pregnant with her first child and crazy in love with her husband Nick – instead she is 39, has two kids and is in the middle of a divorce.

She can’t remember anything of the last ten years at all and has to reconstruct the events of a lost decade – and see if she work out why her life, her marriage and her relationships with those close to her have become what they have. (The upside? In that ten years, Alice and Nick have completely transformed the ramshackle character home they were painstakingly doing up when she was 29 is now a perfectly finished luxury home with a pool – Alice’s glee at seeing her house for the ‘first time’ is funny).

What Alice Forgot is actually one of my favourite Moriarty novels – it will make you examine the way the passage of time can make you take some things for granted and let other things deteriorate.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

JAMAICA INN Daphne du Maurier

Ok, so I think Daphne du Maurier can do no wrong, especially on the gothic thriller front, and the house in Jamaica Inn is immediately so cold and cruel and creepy that it perfectly sets the ominous tone for the rest of the book. Also, Jem the horse thief is sexy. It’s fine to be a horse thief… if you’re sexy.

Probably TMI, but I read this on our honeymoon in Italy, after a beautiful day hiking in the Dolomites, and our son was born nine months later, so you do the maths. We don’t need Fifty Shades of Grey over here. We just need a rude horse thief. (By the way, I thought 50 Shades was crap. There is WAY better erotica out there… not saying I read it… but you know, it’s out there).

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

  THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS M.L. Stedman

I’ve always been intrigued by people who live in the most remote lighthouses in the world. It sounds fun in theory, but in real life I think I would go nuts.

And as much as I love him, I could not imagine living with just my hubby on a remote island for months on end, let alone years. We would kill each other.

It’s part of why I was first interested by the story of The Light Between Oceans. Lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife April live a quiet existence on a remote island off Western Australia, all by themselves. One day a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying baby. Their decision they made that day comes back to haunt them years later. Books about ethical dilemmas always catch my interest. I always put myself in their shoes. Would I steal a baby? No, but after reading this I can sort of understand how someone else might.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

THE LAKE HOUSE Kate Morton

Oh, Kate Morton’s publishers are clever. They know that books with pretty old, secretive-looking houses on the cover are like porn to people like me, and I’m not the only one. There’s a definite theme to her covers and a definite theme to her books, which frequently feature sprawling homes in the most romantic idylls of England.

Morton was recently quoted as saying, “Some houses whisper, ‘Write my story!’ so loudly that it’s impossible not to start imagining what the walls might have seen.” She is fantastic at setting a scene, and I like it. This was my first of hers and the house in the novel, an old rambling mansion in the heart of the Cotswolds, one of my favourite places on earth, is just the kind of setting I most enjoy.

I thought the ending was a bit twee, but on the whole it was a fun read.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

ROOM

Emma Donoghue

This is a divisive book. Because I know some people hear of the concept of this book and just go NO THANKS. Look, give it a try. I could have read this in one sitting (except, you know, kids).

Can we consider a shed a house? I think so – particularly if that shed was all the protagonist knew for the first six years of his life. It was his house – his whole world. As soon as I heard about the concept of this book, I was intrigued. Donoghue wrote Room after hearing about Josef Fritzl, who kidnapped his daughter Elisabeth and kept her captive for 24 years. He raped her and fathered seven children with her.

Elisabeth’s son Felix was five when they were finally rescued, and Donoghue was intrigued by what it would be like at that age to leave the life you had always known and go into the world. She loosely based the book on elements from the Fritzl case and other real-life kidnappings.

Room is about a little boy called Jack and his mother. Unbeknownst to Jack, his mother was kidnapped by a man they call Old Nick and for years he has kept them locked in a tiny shed in his back yard – and Jack is the product of that abusive relationship. What’s fascinating about Room is that it’s told from the point of view from the little boy – and the shed they live in, that he calls Room, is the only world he’s ever known. It’s amazingly written and I fell in love with the sweet kid. I read it when Little Nerd was a baby, and it tore at my heartstrings.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE Shirley Jackson

The book that inspired the Netfix show (but they’re nothing alike). I was drawn to Shirley Jackson’s writing when I heard about The Lottery, a short story she wrote, published in the New Yorker in 1948, that so incensed readers she received hate email. She is an amazing writer, and the Haunting of Hill House is a dark, uneasy psychological thriller/Gothic novel that still chills now as much as it did when it was published in 1959.

The story follows four strangers as they begin the summer at Hill House, a reportedly haunted home, for the purpose of reporting on its supposed supernatural phenomena. The protagonist is Eleanor Vance, a painfully shy, anxious 32-year-old woman who has spent the past 11 years as her invalid mother’s carer. After her mother dies, Eleanor is invited to spend time at Hill House with Dr Montague, a scholar of paranormal phenomena, who has asked Eleanor and two other people to come with him. It’s a dark, creepy novel COMPLETELY different to the Netflix series (which I have not, and probably will not, watch – I like a creepy book but not a creepy show!) Jackson’s writing is vivid; the picture she paints of Hill House is of a house diseased and decaying, Jackson describes the disorienting mansion as ‘vile’.

I know most Shirley Jackson fans prefer We Have Always Lived in the Castle and yes, it is good, but there is something I liked about Hill House more.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

THE GHOST AT DAWN’S HOUSE Ann M. Martin

I have to include ONLY THE GREATEST BOOK ABOUT A HOUSE EVER. Am I right, Babysitters Club fans?

If you did not once rap on the wall of an old house, listening for a hollow noise that could signify a secret room or secret passage beyond, were you even a child of the 90s? All I wanted since was to live in a house with a secret room or passage.

This novel sparked my lifelong fascination with the old houses of New England, although I was perplexed by the Underground Railroad mention. When I first read it (at the age of six) I actually thought the Underground Railroad WAS some sort of tiny miniature railroad, something I continued to believe for many years (thank you Ann M. Martin, a little bit more detail there would not have gone astray).

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

I AM LEGEND

Richard Matheson

Forget everything you think you know about vampires (sparkly, delicious-smelling, Edward Cullen going to chemistry class, meh) and then put aside your memories of the movie version of I Am Legend – and enjoy getting creeped out by this awesome science fiction horror novel that inspired the Will Smith movie (and yes, I do think it IS a good movie!)

I Am Legend was written in 1954 by American writer Richard Matheson and has stayed just as good to this day. It’s VERY different to the movie. Unlike Will Smith’s house in the movie, Robert Neville doesn’t live in a home filled with rescued famous artworks, but his little home, where he barricades himself against the vampires every night and prays for sunrise, is integral to the story nonetheless, and the scene Matheson paints is indelible. Not to everyone’s taste (you might like your vampires more wholesome) but it is a good read.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART Holly Ringwald

Ok, not a fan. I know, I know. A lot of people LOVE this book (which is why I am including it) I am not one. After the first two chapters, which were decent, I struggled to finish it.

The old Victorian homestead in it is a huge part of the story, and lovely, but overall I felt like it was syrupy-sweet and over-written, the storyline was too whimsical and the main character gasped too much. The best part of this book was the beautiful cover.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

THE HOARDER

(also titled MR FLOOD’S LAST RESORT)

Jess Kidd

A creepy old Gothic mansion, a hoarder and a likeable protagonist and her kooky hermit friend – one chapter into Mr Flood’s Last Resort and I was hooked.

I won’t tell you too much more than that, but when I started reading this I felt like it had been a while since I’d read something that felt so original and that was fun.

The setting is a house called Bridlemere, a creepy grade II listed Gothic mansion in West London crammed with layers and layers of junk its elderly owner has collected over the decades, and it is up to careworker Maud Drennan to help tidy it up.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon 

THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN Lisa Jewell

Have you ever looked at a big, beautiful house from the outside and enviously thought that whoever lives there must lead the most charmed, lucky, wonderful life?

Well, that’s definitely not always the case, as The Girls In the Garden proves. Like moths to a flame, this was another book I was drawn to because of the beguiling cover (ivy on an old house = seems to be symbolic of secrets that lie within).

This was my first foray into the work of Lisa Jewell and then I read her others in rapid succession (see below). The Girls in The Garden is not my favourite of hers – but it’s not bad. In typical house-nerd-dorky-style, it made me want to learn more about a housing concept I found really interesting; London terrace homes that all face onto and connect to a private, communal park, where (the idea is) that kids can roam from home to home freely and safely… hopefully.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon 

THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN Lisa Jewell

I’ve always been interested by what makes people hoarders, and that is what drew me to this book. The story is about the Bird family, who live in a beautiful honey-coloured cottage surrounded by lovely rambling gardens in an idyllic Cotswolds village.

On the outside everything looks lovely; the Birds seem like the perfect happy family, as time goes on you realise how dysfunctional they are; with the lovely mother Lorelei, seemingly the ‘jewel’ of the family who finds joy in creating beautiful memories for her children, sort of the opposite, you realise she is a complex and narcissistic person who slowly tears her family apart (I actually really disliked her).

I finished this novel feeling conflicted about it – it IS well-written, but the storyline gets quite depressing and the mother becomes so annoying! In any case, I couldn’t put it down and had to find out what happened next. Lisa Jewell writes well and she can keep even a depressing storyline going. Worth a go.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

THE LAST ANNIVERSARY Liane Moriarty

My husband grew up on a tiny island off the southern coast of Western Australia, where only a handful of families lived and to go to school he had to catch a ferry. We met in high school, but dated and married much, much later, when I found out that once my family and I had actually holidayed on that same tiny island, when I was eight. I remember two cheeky local boys riding past my friend and I on their bicycles – it may well have been him!

I’ve always been interested in what it must have been like to live in such an isolated locale (“frequently boring,” my hubby would probably say) and so the premise of The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty enticed me.

A woman in her 30s is shocked to learn she’s inherited her ex-fiance’s aunt’s house, who took a shine to her. The old house is on Scribble Gum Island, a tiny island with a mystery – the Baby Munro mystery. In the 1930s, a tiny baby girl was found alone in a house on the island, her parents having seem to have vanished. The old house and island has since become a popular tourist spot.

This isn’t my fave Moriarty novel, and in my opinion not one of her best books, but she’s one of my fave authors and it’s still a decent read – the lady can do no wrong, and the setting will definitely make you wonder if you could live on a tiny deserted island with no stores (my answer: I could not. I like to be within reach of a coffee shop and dumplings at all times).

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon   

Have you read any of these? What are your favourite novels that feature houses? Maya x

The post 14 Great Books About Houses: My Reviews appeared first on House Nerd.

from Home Improvement https://house-nerd.com/2019/04/14/great-books-about-houses/

[avengersmusings]

FULL NAME: Steven Grant Rogers MEANING: Crown, Wreath NICKNAME: Steve, Stevie, Cap, Daddy MEANING: Steve’s a shortened version of his name; Stevie was a nickname started by his mom and picked up by Bucky; Cap is usually what the team calls him; Daddy is Elise’s name for him :) AGE APPEARANCE: Appears 30, is actually 102 BIRTHDAY: July 4th, 1917 ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer SPECIES: Enhanced Human GENDER: Cis Male ALLERGIES: None SEXUAL PREFERENCE: Bisexual THEME SONG(S): America’s Suitehearts by Fall Out Boy; Dancing with Our Hands Tied by Taylor Swift, Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley; Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

APPEARANCE

HAIR COLOR:  Dark Blonde/Light Brown HAIR STYLE AND LENGTH: Close cut in the back with a little bit extra on top. Think Infinity War style hair.  EYES COLOR: Blue EYESIGHT: 20/20, now. Holy shit it was terrible before the serum. HEIGHT: 6″2′ WEIGHT: 230 lbs OUTFIT/CLOTHING STYLE: The uniform is a must on mission but when he’s being Steve and not Captain America it’s kahkis and plaid shirts and button ups and old man clothes. ABNORMALITIES: None. DISTINGUISHING MARKS(SCARS,MOLES): Stretch marks along hips and stomach area from serum, small injection scars from the serum, and that’s about it. Maybe some moles here and there. SELF CARE(MAKE UP): Steve always looks put together okay, the 40s shoved that into him and won’t let go. FIRST IMPRESSION ON PEOPLE: People either underestimate him because they think he’s a “dumb blonde” or immediately respect him because he’s Captain America. SKIN COLOR: White mixed BODY TYPE/BUILD: Lean, Muscular, built like fucking truck with a tiny ass waist.  DEFAULT EXPRESSION: It’s either “I have no idea what I’m doing” or “you WILL follow orders” there’s no in between. POSTURE: Honestly it depends? Steve makes himself smaller and tries not take up too much space but Cap? Takes up space and commands the room when walking in. PIERCINGS: None. DESCRIBE THEIR VOICE: Steve’s voice has a subtle Brooklyn accent and takes on a softer tone than you’d expect out of him. His voice hardens and deepens when he goes in Captain mode.

RELATIONS:

MOM: Sarah Rogers HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: Steve’s mom was his whole world before she died. Sarah took care of him when he was sick and her death almost ruined him. DAD: Joseph Rogers HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: Joseph died when Steve was young, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t remember how terrible his father was. The man was abusive and the day he got shipped off to WW1 was the best day for Steve and Sarah. SIBLINGS: N/A HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: N/A CHILDREN: N/A HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: N/A OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS: N/A PAST LOVER(S): Peggy Carter (Ex-Crush) CURRENT LOVER: Elise Burke and Bucky Barnes REACTION TO MEETING SOMEONE NEW: Steve can talk to anyone okay, he makes friends with everyone he meets. ABILITY TO WORK WITH OTHERS: Steve is a team player you cannot tell me he isn’t.  HOW SOCIABLE(LONER,ETC): Steve is basically a puppy he’s sociable and outgoing. FRIENDS: The Avengers team, Wanda Maximoff, Elise, Bucky. PETS: Scout, a golden retriever. LEAST FAVORITE TYPE OF PERSON: Bullies, men who take advantage of other people. PARENTAL TYPE(PROTECTIVE,ETC): Protective, Will do anything and everything for his kid. FAVORITE PEOPLE: Elise, Bucky, Clint, Thor, the rest of the Avengers LEAST FAVORITE PEOPLE: Red Skull, Bullies, ignorant people.

PERSONALITY:

..WHEN YOU FIRST MEET THEM: ? Distant, Confident, and Inspiring ..AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER(AND THEY LIKE YOU): Affectionate, Warm, Funny. ..AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER(AND THEY DISLIKE YOU): Intimidating, Closed Off, Guarded. FAVORITE COLOR: Blue FAVORITE FOOD: New York Style pizza, hot dogs, anything covered in cheese thanks. FAVORITE ANIMAL: Doggos FAVORITE INSTRUMENT: Saxophone FAVORITE ELEMENT: Air LEAST FAVORITE COLOR: Yellow LEAST FAVORITE FOOD: Anything from the 40s. LEAST FAVORITE ANIMAL: Emus, the bullies of the animal kingdom. LEAST FAVORITE INSTRUMENT: Honestly none of them? LEAST FAVORITE ELEMENT: Water HOBBIES: Art, slow dancing, warm baths or lounging in sunlight. USUAL MOOD: Friendly and approachable but also keeping a slight aura of leadership.

DRINK/SMOKE/DRUGS: Nope, not really. None of them have much affect on him and he was too sick to get into the 40s habit of smoking. DARK VERSION OF SELF: Most likely brainwashed into believing Hyrda is right, follows any order without hesitate or regard for civilian life, the “perfect Soldier”. LIGHT VERSION OF SELF: Intelligent, quick to make a call that will save as many people as possible, rushing headlong into trouble to help out a civilian. HOW SERIOUS ARE THEY: In Cap mode? Full on serious nothing can make him crack, but as Steve? He’s somewhere in the middle. BELIEVE IN GHOSTS: No. If so his dad would probably be hanging around and he doesn’t want that. (IN)DEPENDANT: Both honestly? Like Steve likes to pretend to be this independent person who doesn’t need help, but he also secretly craves it. So I’d say somewhere in the middle. SOFT SPOT/VULNERABILITY: BUCKY AND ELISE, failing the team or not saving something, doing something without regard to personal safety or well being. OPINION ON SWEARING: Steve won’t curse in public okay, that’s the 40s “good Catholic boy” upbringing in him but in private? He was in the army and BUCKY IS HIS BEST FRIEND :) DAREDEVIL VS CAUTIOUS: Steve “I don’t know what a parachute is” Rogers is the opposite of cautious. MUSIC TYPE: Older, softer music. MOVIE TYPE: Romantic Comedies, Comedies in general, Musicals. BOOK TYPE: History books, and then he gets mad about facts that are wrong. GAME TYPE: Cards, maybe? Those have been around for a while so they haven’t changed that much. COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE: Steve would rather die than be cold. He enjoys warmer weather and sunshine and just not being cold. SLEEPING PATTERN: Steve’s an old man that’s in bed before 10 and up at like 8. He also takes up A TON of space in the bed and basically smothers whoever he’s sleeping with.  CLEANLINESS/NEATNESS: Steve prefers things to be neat and orderly but isn’t bothered by a little mess. As long as it doesn’t get too bad or become a habit. DESIRED PET: So many dogs. HOW DO THEY PASS TIME: Doodling on scrap papers, boxing, lounging around in sunshine or warm spaces. BIGGEST SECRET: I feel like Steve really doesn’t have secrets? Maybe his dad being abusive because he doesn’t really want to talk about it. HERO/WHO THEY LOOK UP TO: Bucky and Elise. WHAT ANIMAL WOULD THEY BE: A golden retriever. FEARS: Being trapped in a cold, tight space, losing Elise or Bucky, failing the team and causing someone’s death, being lost in time again. COMFORTS: Elise’s perfume and Bucky’s aftershave, running laps with Scout, his mom’s old records, and reruns of old cartoons.

HOW DO THEY ACT WHEN THEY ARE:

SAD: Steve distants himself when he’s sad. A leader isn’t allowed to show weakness and sadness is one. He also likes talking through things that make him sad. HAPPY: Playful, energetic, probably smothering you with his biceps on accident because he gets touchy feely and wants a hug. ANGRY: Depending on how angry; it’s either the “you’ve messed up” face of disappointment or cold fury with biting, harsh words. Fists will also be thrown if he gets angry enough. AFRAID: Again, this is a weakness a leader isn’t supposed to show so Steve tries to hide it as much as possible. He withdraws and hides away until he works it out on his own or someone finds him. LOVE SOMEONE: SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW BODYGUARD/BEST FRIEND. Steve will literally do anything for someone he loves. Anything. He’s loyal beyond believe and up for anything they ask him. HATE SOMEONE: Steve doesn’t hate that many people but those he does quickly realize that an angry Captain America is not something you want coming at you. WANT SOMETHING: Steve? Allowing himself to get what he wants? Don’t know her. He’s the definition of “waiting over 70 years to tell my best friend i love him” type of guy. CONFUSED: You know that cute look dogs get when they’re confused and trying to work things out? That’s Steve thanks.

HOW DO THEY REACT TO:

DANGER: Danger is Steve’s middle name because he cannot stop himself from running headfirst into it.  SOMEONE THEY HATE WHO HAS A CRUSH ON THEM: Steve gets confused because he still sees himself as the tiny 90 pound scrawny kid and nobody really wanted that. PROPOSAL TO MARRY: Steve’s not against the idea of marriage, but it’s also not something he knows they can really do? So I don’t really know how he’d react to that. DEATH OF LOVED ONE: Each loss feels like a personal defeat for Steve so it’s twice as bad. But after losing pretty much everyone he’s ever cared about (even if Bucky came back) it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. DIFFICULT GAME/MATH/ETC: That’s something that gets tossed aside until he has time to work it out, or send it to someone that can solve it quicker. INJURY: Steve gets injured and doesn’t realize it until after the mission is over like every time they go out. However, if one of his team gets injured, he’s taking down whoever hurt them. SOMETHING IRRESISTABLY CUTE: Steve immediately wants to go over and hold whatever it is. Babies, dogs, you name it. LOSS OF HOURS OF WORK: ........no this doesn’t happen.

KNOWLEDGE:

LANGUAGES: English, ASL, French, a little German. SCHOOLING LEVEL: High School & Some Art School FAVORITE SUBJECT (S): Art, History, & Writing INTERESTED CAREERS: An artist, maybe?   EXPERTISE: Combat, Shield Mastery, Master Tactician, Enhanced capabilities PUZZLES: Puzzles take him a minute but the serum helps him figure them out rather quickly. CHEMISTRY: Chemistry is probably NOT Steve’s forte but he can follow along with basic things. MATH: Again, not his forte but he understand basic things. Plus throwing the shield takes some math skills. ENGLISH: Steve was surprisingly good at English in school, from interpreting things to reading above grade level. It was one of the few interests he had that didn’t make him sicker. GEOGRAPHY: Steve can read and understand maps. POLITICS/LAW: Politics and the Law are Steve’s thing. He frequently fights against people on the internet about their political views and will fight against laws he doesn’t agree with. ECONOMY/ACCOUNTING: The economy doesn’t really interest Steve, but he’s fully aware of the class divide and how bad some people have it. Current situations remind him a lot of pre-Depression times so he tries to help out as much as possible. COOKING: Steve cannot cook, he tries but cannot. SEWING: Sarah taught Steve at a young age how to sew because “if you’re going to keep ruining your clothes it’s time you learned to fix ‘em yourself STEVEN”. MECHANICS: Steve knows OF cars yes. BOTANY (FLOWERS): Besides the fact that flowers are a thing? Not so much. MYTHOLOGY: This is probably another subject Steve doesn’t know much about, it conflicts with his Catholic views he had growing up. DRAMATICS(ACTING,SINGING): God Steve hates even thinking about this because of the Cap tour. Ouch. READING LEVEL: Above average. Steve read for fun while sick so he’s well above where he should be. HOW GOOD ARE THEY AT PLANNING AHEAD: Steve lives off planning ahead okay. It’s his JOB as team leader to be 4 steps ahead of everyone and the bad guys. Rip Steveo.

ROMANCE:

DO THEY TAKE INITIATIVE: No, not really. He’s more content to be pulled around and go with the flow. HOW DO THEY ACT(SHY,ETC): In public? Shy, 40s boy out to play. In private? Probably the same what a loser. GENTLEMAN/LADYLIKE VS KLUTZY: Gentleman-like, please.  GO SLOW VS JUMP INTO: S L O W as fuck. PROTECTIVE: Hi hello have you met Steve? ACT LIKE FRIENDS OR LOVERS:  B O T H. WHAT KIND OF PRESENTS DO THEY BUY: Steve’s always bringing home flowers or gifts just because. Things for Elise to wear or a plant for the house? Also a random homeless puppy? Yeah Steve’s probably brought it all home at some point. TYPE OF KISSER: Honestly, Steve’s probably soft because he’s a soft boy but that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when he can be rough :) DO THEY WANT KIDS: He can’t have them but he wouldn’t mind having one. DO THEY WANT TO MARRY: Yes, even though he really cant. MAKE GOOD OR BAD DECISIONS: Bad decisions are unintentionally made because Steve is a reckless idiot.  ARE THEY ROMANTIC: Y E S. HOW ARE THEY IN BED: Steve likes making sure both Elise and Bucky are well taken care of even at the expense of his own pleasure okay.  GET JEALOUS EASY: Not really? After everything they’ve all been through none of them really have to worry about anything. WIFE/HUBBY BEATER: You mean beating up people that do this? Hell yeah. MARRY FOR MONEY: Nope. FAVORITE POSITION: Steve enjoys being plowed by Bucky while Elise is on top of him thanks. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THEIR DREAM DATE: Naked art time. Just using Bucky and Elise as a canvas and making a mess while doing it? Yes please. OPINION ON SEX: Sex was always something Steve wasn’t really interested in? Mostly because nobody wanted him (or so he thought) but now that he has two people that always want him? It’s a good workout and way to spend time with his two favorite people.

#char: steve rogers #steve: bio

[deborhmoore]

The Best Baby’s First Christmas Gift Ideas in 2018

When the month of December approaches, there is always one single day that is most valued all over the world. If you guessed right, you already know that I am talking about the Christmas Holiday which is normally celebrated on the 25th of December every year. It can be considered as the climax of the December holidays.

Now come to think of it, you have a baby who was born after the previous year’s Christmas day and he is yet to celebrate the first Christmas day ever. How would you go about it? How would you make sure that it is a special day for the baby? Perhaps you have thought about getting him an ornament, a photo and even a special outfit. How about a Christmas gift?

If the thought of a Christmas gift crossed your mind then you are at the right place to get what you want. We have carried out our research so that we could get perfect Christmas gifts for your baby this year. Each single Christmas gift that has been featured here has the capability of topping off this special milestone in your baby’s life and making it indeed memorable.

Having been arranged in no particular order, here are 20 of the best Christmas gift ideas for your baby. The selection has been based on the available features of the gifts, the customer reviews as well as the general ratings.

The Best Baby’s First Christmas Gift Ideas in 2018

1. Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother

Do you want your baby to celebrate this Christmas holiday in style? Why don’t you get her this baby Einstein Soother that will contribute so much in making her grow into a fully developed child? This soother has been made using soft blocks that the baby’s little hands stack, squeeze, tumble and toss.

Apart from that, this soother has over 25 classical music tunes and soft lights that will soother her to sleep easily. What’s more, it has four soothing modes which include ocean sounds only, melodies only, ocean lights-sound motion and lights-melodies-motion. All these modes will soothe your baby to fall asleep during and after the Christmas holiday.

Key Features

Fits in all cribs

Four soothing modes

Drift off feature which turns the light on in intervals of 10 minutes and softens the music

2. Plush security blanket

During this Christmas holiday, every baby needs a special friend that she can cuddle with at night. When you acquire this velvety soft and secure blanket, expect your baby who may have nuzzles and snuggles to get calm and enjoy her sleep at night. What’s more, this soother normally comes already accompanied by an animal who has been attached securely too while also ready to snooze your baby’s night away.

Acquire this gift for your special young one and let her feel a special taste of what Christmas is normally about. Even though she may not understand what is going on at the moment, it just feels special to let her get such a great Christmas gift.

Key Features

Made using 100%polyester

Suitable for babies from birth

Measures 18 by 13 inches in size

3. Rotating Music Box

Now that your baby has started to discover his hands and feet and is also learning how to roll over and perhaps even how to sit up, you will be needed to encourage such babies with cool and awesome Christmas gifts in terms of toys. The toys you get them at this age should be able to allow them to engage every new milestone they pass in life.

This Music box normally plays some musical notes as it rolls hence encouraging the baby to roll, push and somehow crawl while trying to get it. It is suitable for any babies who are between 3 to 6 months of age. This is a great gift that will help your baby enjoy using her developing body parts and know how to use them appropriately.

Get her such a gift this Christmas and make her feel like that special member of your family.

Key Features

Ideal for new-born going up

Includes musical symbols

Encourages young people to explore music

Elegant and durable

4. Grape Baby Beads

Can you imagine how cute your little one will look when he sits among a collection of his baby Christmas gifts while trying to nibble on this cluster of wooden beads which have been strung together on a cord which is elastic? He can turn and twist the pieces into various configurations. These configurations will be ideal for the development of the baby’s fine motor skills.

What’s more, each of the grapes is approximately 1.5 inches in diameter which is a perfect size for new-borns to grab. As long as your baby is over 3 months of age, this will be an ideal gift for her from you as the loving parent.

Features

Brightly colored

Suitable for 3+ month old babies

Baby beads stung together using elastic material

5. Pay Mat

The two things that babies do well in is sleeping and playing. Why don’t you then encourage your baby to keep playing as much as she can during this Christmas season? How best can you do this other than by buying her this special play mat? This gift can also be considered as the baby’s activity gym as it features at least 20 developmental activities.

These include the Magic Motion Track that is capable of attaching to either the mat (perfect for tummy time or when the baby is ready to sit on his own) or the padded arches located overhead( ideal when the baby lies on his back). If your baby is between 0 to 12 months of age then this gift will be ideal for him.

Key Features

Dual Music Modes

Easily configured for various stages

Easy to attach

Flower faced rattle included

6. Press N’ Go Monster Truck

Is your baby showing some interests of being a car enthusiast as early as now? If yes then why don’t you consider getting him this awesome gift at such an early age?  The baby will be thrilled when this toy takes off whenever he presses down on the toy’s head.

You might be surprised when your baby who is reluctant to stroll suddenly decides to shoot across the floor as he tries to catch up with this truck. When your baby soon discovers that his actions can make things happen by playing with this stroller, he will be learning so much about life quite early.

What’s more, when the baby scrolls, he can boost his gross motor skills in the process.

Key Features

Soft rubber teeth

Horns

Wheels move by the press of a button

Dashes around the house

7. Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

Here is yet another awesome baby gift for your adorable kid during this Christmas holiday. It is a musical toy that is fun to play with and will teach your kids about several things. These include sounds, music, colors among others. It features sides that are capable of lighting up to the beat of the music being played hence making it a perfect play tool for babies.

It comes with eight Mozart compositions and an orchestra button which plays all the instruments. When it comes to the musical part, it includes French horn, a harp, violin, piano and flute instrument sounds. What’s more, it also comes in bright colors such as magenta, green, purple and yellow which will all attract your baby’s attention.

Key Features

Comes in several colors

Lights up to the music tempo

Recommended for kids of all ages

Educational toy

8. Infantino Grow with me Activity Gym & Ball Pit

Shine some light into your baby’s life this Christmas by buying her this gorgeous Christmas gift. This awesome activity gym comes in the form of a turtle in its design and will keep changing with your baby as she keeps growing bigger and bigger.

While it starts as a basic play mat, it also features special removable netting that will transform it into a ball pit in just a matter of minutes. It also has a BPA free teether and over 40 colorful balls stored inside the turtle’s head. This is not only one of the best play toys for your kids but is also one of the safest ones.

Key Features

40 colorful balls

Bigger play surface areas

Netting for safety

A 2 in 1 toy product

9. Playskool Play All Day Elmo

Because babies love watching Elmo playing with his friends, here is an opportunity for the kids to play alongside Elmo. With over 150 responses, this interactive and cuddly Elmo keeps kids engaged as it also has about 8 more activities and games tailored to achieve that.

When your baby has played for long and is now tired, she can simply cuddle with him while at the same time listening to a special lullaby. This one will be an awesome one for your baby during this Christmas holiday.

Key Features

Batteries included

Teaches cause and effect

2 modes of play

Over 150 responses

10. Hedgehog Accordion Toy

Are you interested in pleasing your little one this Christmas season? Why don’t you get her this hedgehog accordion Toy and transform her life for good? This is basically a woodland critter that is very easy to pull, push and make some music even for younger babies which small hands.

There are even movable beads already attached for the sole purpose of working and sharpening your baby’s fine motor skills.  If your baby is more than 6 months old then this toy is ideal for her.

What’s more, to aid in proper development of your baby’s teeth, it has rubberized details that are specifically meant for teething. The vibrant colors that it has also make it attractive to the baby.

Key Features

Easy to grab handles

Sliding beads

Multiple colors

Wrapping Up

As parents, we need to make our kids feel special even if they still too young to even know about it. There is no better way to treat your baby this holiday season if not by buying her the best baby Christmas gifts. Let your baby’s first Christmas gift idea be an awesome one. The ideas that we have discussed here will most likely work quite good for your baby.

The post The Best Baby’s First Christmas Gift Ideas in 2018 appeared first on StrollerAdviser.com

Appear first on https://strolleradviser.com/

The Best Baby’s First Christmas Gift Ideas in 2018 syndicated from https://strolleradviser.com/

[wandaadelacruz]

The Best Baby’s First Christmas Gift Ideas in 2018

When the month of December approaches, there is always one single day that is most valued all over the world. If you guessed right, you already know that I am talking about the Christmas Holiday which is normally celebrated on the 25th of December every year. It can be considered as the climax of the December holidays.

Now come to think of it, you have a baby who was born after the previous year’s Christmas day and he is yet to celebrate the first Christmas day ever. How would you go about it? How would you make sure that it is a special day for the baby? Perhaps you have thought about getting him an ornament, a photo and even a special outfit. How about a Christmas gift?

If the thought of a Christmas gift crossed your mind then you are at the right place to get what you want. We have carried out our research so that we could get perfect Christmas gifts for your baby this year. Each single Christmas gift that has been featured here has the capability of topping off this special milestone in your baby’s life and making it indeed memorable.

Having been arranged in no particular order, here are 20 of the best Christmas gift ideas for your baby. The selection has been based on the available features of the gifts, the customer reviews as well as the general ratings.

The Best Baby’s First Christmas Gift Ideas in 2018

1. Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother

Do you want your baby to celebrate this Christmas holiday in style? Why don’t you get her this baby Einstein Soother that will contribute so much in making her grow into a fully developed child? This soother has been made using soft blocks that the baby’s little hands stack, squeeze, tumble and toss.

Apart from that, this soother has over 25 classical music tunes and soft lights that will soother her to sleep easily. What’s more, it has four soothing modes which include ocean sounds only, melodies only, ocean lights-sound motion and lights-melodies-motion. All these modes will soothe your baby to fall asleep during and after the Christmas holiday.

Key Features

Fits in all cribs

Four soothing modes

Drift off feature which turns the light on in intervals of 10 minutes and softens the music

2. Plush security blanket

During this Christmas holiday, every baby needs a special friend that she can cuddle with at night. When you acquire this velvety soft and secure blanket, expect your baby who may have nuzzles and snuggles to get calm and enjoy her sleep at night. What’s more, this soother normally comes already accompanied by an animal who has been attached securely too while also ready to snooze your baby’s night away.

Acquire this gift for your special young one and let her feel a special taste of what Christmas is normally about. Even though she may not understand what is going on at the moment, it just feels special to let her get such a great Christmas gift.

Key Features

Made using 100%polyester

Suitable for babies from birth

Measures 18 by 13 inches in size

3. Rotating Music Box

Now that your baby has started to discover his hands and feet and is also learning how to roll over and perhaps even how to sit up, you will be needed to encourage such babies with cool and awesome Christmas gifts in terms of toys. The toys you get them at this age should be able to allow them to engage every new milestone they pass in life.

This Music box normally plays some musical notes as it rolls hence encouraging the baby to roll, push and somehow crawl while trying to get it. It is suitable for any babies who are between 3 to 6 months of age. This is a great gift that will help your baby enjoy using her developing body parts and know how to use them appropriately.

Get her such a gift this Christmas and make her feel like that special member of your family.

Key Features

Ideal for new-born going up

Includes musical symbols

Encourages young people to explore music

Elegant and durable

4. Grape Baby Beads

Can you imagine how cute your little one will look when he sits among a collection of his baby Christmas gifts while trying to nibble on this cluster of wooden beads which have been strung together on a cord which is elastic? He can turn and twist the pieces into various configurations. These configurations will be ideal for the development of the baby’s fine motor skills.

What’s more, each of the grapes is approximately 1.5 inches in diameter which is a perfect size for new-borns to grab. As long as your baby is over 3 months of age, this will be an ideal gift for her from you as the loving parent.

Features

Brightly colored

Suitable for 3+ month old babies

Baby beads stung together using elastic material

5. Pay Mat

The two things that babies do well in is sleeping and playing. Why don’t you then encourage your baby to keep playing as much as she can during this Christmas season? How best can you do this other than by buying her this special play mat? This gift can also be considered as the baby’s activity gym as it features at least 20 developmental activities.

These include the Magic Motion Track that is capable of attaching to either the mat (perfect for tummy time or when the baby is ready to sit on his own) or the padded arches located overhead( ideal when the baby lies on his back). If your baby is between 0 to 12 months of age then this gift will be ideal for him.

Key Features

Dual Music Modes

Easily configured for various stages

Easy to attach

Flower faced rattle included

6. Press N’ Go Monster Truck

Is your baby showing some interests of being a car enthusiast as early as now? If yes then why don’t you consider getting him this awesome gift at such an early age?  The baby will be thrilled when this toy takes off whenever he presses down on the toy’s head.

You might be surprised when your baby who is reluctant to stroll suddenly decides to shoot across the floor as he tries to catch up with this truck. When your baby soon discovers that his actions can make things happen by playing with this stroller, he will be learning so much about life quite early.

What’s more, when the baby scrolls, he can boost his gross motor skills in the process.

Key Features

Soft rubber teeth

Horns

Wheels move by the press of a button

Dashes around the house

7. Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

Here is yet another awesome baby gift for your adorable kid during this Christmas holiday. It is a musical toy that is fun to play with and will teach your kids about several things. These include sounds, music, colors among others. It features sides that are capable of lighting up to the beat of the music being played hence making it a perfect play tool for babies.

It comes with eight Mozart compositions and an orchestra button which plays all the instruments. When it comes to the musical part, it includes French horn, a harp, violin, piano and flute instrument sounds. What’s more, it also comes in bright colors such as magenta, green, purple and yellow which will all attract your baby’s attention.

Key Features

Comes in several colors

Lights up to the music tempo

Recommended for kids of all ages

Educational toy

8. Infantino Grow with me Activity Gym & Ball Pit

Shine some light into your baby’s life this Christmas by buying her this gorgeous Christmas gift. This awesome activity gym comes in the form of a turtle in its design and will keep changing with your baby as she keeps growing bigger and bigger.

While it starts as a basic play mat, it also features special removable netting that will transform it into a ball pit in just a matter of minutes. It also has a BPA free teether and over 40 colorful balls stored inside the turtle’s head. This is not only one of the best play toys for your kids but is also one of the safest ones.

Key Features

40 colorful balls

Bigger play surface areas

Netting for safety

A 2 in 1 toy product

9. Playskool Play All Day Elmo

Because babies love watching Elmo playing with his friends, here is an opportunity for the kids to play alongside Elmo. With over 150 responses, this interactive and cuddly Elmo keeps kids engaged as it also has about 8 more activities and games tailored to achieve that.

When your baby has played for long and is now tired, she can simply cuddle with him while at the same time listening to a special lullaby. This one will be an awesome one for your baby during this Christmas holiday.

Key Features

Batteries included

Teaches cause and effect

2 modes of play

Over 150 responses

10. Hedgehog Accordion Toy

Are you interested in pleasing your little one this Christmas season? Why don’t you get her this hedgehog accordion Toy and transform her life for good? This is basically a woodland critter that is very easy to pull, push and make some music even for younger babies which small hands.

There are even movable beads already attached for the sole purpose of working and sharpening your baby’s fine motor skills.  If your baby is more than 6 months old then this toy is ideal for her.

What’s more, to aid in proper development of your baby’s teeth, it has rubberized details that are specifically meant for teething. The vibrant colors that it has also make it attractive to the baby.

Key Features

Easy to grab handles

Sliding beads

Multiple colors

Wrapping Up

As parents, we need to make our kids feel special even if they still too young to even know about it. There is no better way to treat your baby this holiday season if not by buying her the best baby Christmas gifts. Let your baby’s first Christmas gift idea be an awesome one. The ideas that we have discussed here will most likely work quite good for your baby.

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