Life Update // Quarantine Sucks!

Wowza. It’s been quite a while since I posted. Had to dust off the old monitor, brush off the keys, and hope that all of my friends haven’t abandoned me. XD

As I’m sure absolutely everyone knows, the world’s going through a bit of turmoil currently. Millions and millions of people are sitting at home, going insane from lack of sunshine and fresh air (oh, that’s just me?) The Virus™ is causing quite a panic and I’m really, really sick of hearing the word…*coronavirus*…EVERYWHERE. You have no idea. I want to bash my head into the wall any time I hear or see that word.

my genuine reaction

So I have abundant amounts of free time, what with college being placed on hold, and I’ve been trying to entertain myself from the confines of my home (which you wouldn’t think would be too hard, being an introvert and all, but WOW it’s actually really hard).

So, to fight the boredom and utter insanity of it all, I’ve devised a list of 15 things to do while stuck at home.

1. Read

Now’s the perfect opportunity to catch up on the million unread books lying on your shelves! At one point, I was in the middle of reading 5 different books…wouldn’t recommend that.

2. Write

It’s kind of hard to feel motivated to do anything during this time, but writing is a great distraction from all the craziness going on outside. I’ve made some great progress in a few story ideas of mine, and hey, look at me, I’m blogging again!

3. Video Games

I love playing video games, but I always feel guilty about playing them when I could be doing something more productive. Well, with more hours available in the day, now I can play freely without being crushed by guilt! XD A couple games I suggest that really suck you in would be Terraria (yeah, I’m old), Omensight, Portal, and Undertale. Probably not Plague Inc. though…a bit too soon.

4. Watch

As with video games, I never really felt like I had time to watch movies or TV shows. But now that I have nothing to do, I can enjoy some screen time. I watch so many cartoons (Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated is actually really good, shockingly), but I’ve been experimenting with some live-action shows too, like A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Office and Parks and Rec is always good too.

5. Learn Something New

Maybe you want to feel a bit more productive and not have your face glued to a screen all day. Understandable. So how about learning something? I’ve been getting into animation recently (even though I can’t draw), and I’ve been learning a lot about onion-skinning, layers, and coloring. Duolingo is a great app for learning new languages, and Mimo is a lovely app used to learning coding. There are a lot of great resources out there, you just have to pick an interest.

6. Games

I’m not talking about video games. I’m talking board games. Card games. Games to play as a family and laugh and forget about your troubles for a while. LIFE, Apples to Apples, and Clue are always fun. If you’re just playing with yourself, solitaire is a fun one that gets your brain working.

7. Discord

Discord has been such a great thing in that it makes it so easy to talk to people without physical interaction. It’s not quite the same as being face-to-face, but it’s better than nothing, and you can send each other funny memes. So. I mean, why not?

8. Clean

It’s spring cleaning time, and that means going through your room and throwing stuff away! I seriously couldn’t believe how cluttered my room had become before my Dad pointed it out to me and helped me spruce things up. It made a world of difference and helped improve my mood immensely.

9. Chill With a Pet

It’s scientifically proven that sitting with a dog or cat can improve your health. If you don’t have a pet…I mean, I guess stuffed animals work too?

10. Music

Music can get you through a lot of hard times. So be sure to play it all the time, sing out loud, and dance like nobody’s watching. Because no one is. Because you’re in quarantine. XD In all seriousness, I’ve discovered some great new artists just by browsing Spotify and YouTube.

11. Cook/Bake

Food makes everything better. Homemade food is the pinnacle of the human existence. Make it often. Get creative (especially since the grocery store probably doesn’t have half the things you need). Just don’t get frustrated and end up creating a massive explosion of butter in your microwave. (Yes, I have experience.)

12. Exercise

Now more than ever exercise is incredibly important in keeping healthy and happy. It doesn’t have to be strenuous. Just go for a walk. Run on a treadmill. Dance to some music. Even host your own indoor Olympics (it’s a lot of fun, really).

13. Grow Closer to the Lord

It’s a gloomy, hard time right now, and I believe that the Lord puts us through hardships in order to make us stronger. Pray without ceasing, morning, noon, and night. Read your Bible daily. Do a devotional with your family and/or friends. And read some good Christian non-fiction. I recommend Morning and Evening Devotionals by Charles Spurgeon, and The Spirit-Filled Life by Charles Stanley. They’re both really, really good.

14. Write Letters

Snail mail is a dying art form that I think we should resurrect. Send your friends and family handwritten letters. Maybe include some cute origami in the envelope too.

15. Podcasts

This is a recent interest of mine. There are so many informative, funny podcasts out there, and they can be listened to while you do pretty much any kind of mindless work. I listen to them while I’m exercising or cleaning. It makes the time go by so much quicker. One podcast I really love right now is The Create Unknown. It’s a laid-back, conversational format where the hosts bring in different creators, specifically YouTubers, and discuss how they got to where they are now. It’s really interesting.

There you go, some ideas to keep you busy. It’s been a wild couple of months for me, and now all this virus business is enough to tip me over the edge, to be honest. XD How are all of you bloggers doing? I’ve been trying to keep up with everyone. What do you think of this COVID-19 mess? Let me know!

A Little Update (I’m Not Dead!)

Hello guys! Wow…it’s been quite a while…Do you even remember me? Do I even remember me…?

Anywho, this post is just a little update, half an explanation of why I’m not posting, like, at all, and half an update of what’s happening in my life.

Well, to begin, the short answer to both of those questions is:

College.

Yeah, college is kind of taking up a lot of my time…more time than I anticipated it would. Which is really sad, because I haven’t had the time to really write, read, blog, or do any of the things I really want to do.

I’m going to an online school, so I’m able to set my own hours and work at my own pace, which is really nice for me, but it also means I tend to…overwork myself sometimes. Still trying to find a good balance between regular life and school. XD

But aside from it taking up my entire life, I’ve actually been enjoying it a lot. I’m majoring in graphic design, so that means designing websites, advertisements, logos, brand identities, all that good stuff. I’m also kind of growing an interest in animation (which is hilarious, because I am…well, how shall I put this…not the beeeeest artist ever XD), so that’s been kind of fun. I’ve been experimenting with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, all kinds of software, and it’s been really interesting!

In short, I’m still trying to figure out this whole college thing. I’m kinda stinking at it. Hence the lack of posting here.

I haven’t been able to devote the kind of time I’d like to, reading my friend’s blogs, socializing on social media, all the stuff I was pretty capable of doing before college hit.

So that’s why I’ve been away. It’s not forever. But until summer rolls around, it’s gonna be pretty quiet around here. Thankfully I get a winter break, so I get to give you a little update (man, I forget how much I love just blogging XD).

I hope you have all been doing well. I see all of your posts, and they always make me smile. I have a list post going up on my other blog Reel Thoughts sometime soon, and a book review coming out on Goodreads soon as well.

Thanks for reading! Do you have any wonderful plans for Christmas? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! I’ve missed you all! ❤

And the Winner is… // Winner of the Most Mischievous Imp Award!

The day has come. I swallow, nerves and excitement warring in my stomach. The contestants are hanging out behind the curtains as I wait for the proper signal to send Pippin out.

I glance back at the unusual group. Pippin is making rounds, introducing himself to each of the nominees and chatting with them a bit. I see him talking with Crispin, who Lionheart seems really fascinated by.

Twinkle looks disgusted at the two men’s fascination, and stands in a huff, arms crossed. Sage attempts to entertain Twinkle, rolling his coin across his knuckles, apparently not realizing that Twinkle is a grown wizard who is simply be disagreeable.

Nidawi’s lioness (which I told her not to bring but she did anyway) gives a slight growl in my direction, and I take a step back.

This night is a disaster waiting to happen.

Pippin finishes his lively chat with the group and turns to me. “That Crispin fellow is quite the interesting chap! Did you see what he can do?”

I nod. “I’ve seen. But you should get ready. It’s nearly time.”

“Splendid! This is going to be a wonderful ceremony!”

I stare at him, sensing hidden meaning behind his words. But I brush it off with a helpless sigh. “Let’s get this over with.”

The contestants head out the back way, to their assigned seats, just as Pippin prepares to go out on stage.

I rub my temple. Something bad is going to happen, I just know it.

I hear Pippin’s voice echo and bounce around the enormous room. “Welcome, gentlemen and gentleladies, to the most spectacular ceremony you will ever see!”

The crowd claps wildly. They are in for an interesting night.

“Before I announce the winner, of the Most Mischievous Imp award, let’s give an explosive round of applause for each of our dazzling canidates!”

Wait a minute. I whip my head out from behind the curtain and immediately my attention darts to the back of the room where a thousand glimmering fireworks are about to be set off.

Are you kidding me?

I dash from behind the stage, arms waving like mad. “Stop!” I screech, but it’s too late.

The fireworks soar through the air with an ear-piercing shriek and the audience screams and ducks for cover.

I glance over at Pippin, who has the most delighted smile on his face. The fireworks fly about the room, surprisingly never hitting anyone. He’s planned this, I realize.

I should have known.

“You all may be seated,” Pippin shouts, “I assure you, as long as you remain seated, no harm will come to you!” I hear him mutter, “I think, anyhow.”

The audience seems calmed by this affirmation and settles down, just as the fireworks die off.

“And with that fantastic display, let’s put our hands together for our first contestant, the lovely Nidawi, the Everblooming!”

Nidawi stands, and waves majestically, her lioness giving an astoundingly loud roar. I fear the audience will go into a tizzy again, but they only seem to think it part of the act.

“Very lovely. And now, a truly fantastic wizard, How…er, I mean, Twinkle!”

Twinkle bounces from his seat and after glaring at Pippin for nearly ruining his disguise, he gives an adorable bow and plops back down in his chair.

Pippin grins nervously, but keeps going. “Next we have Sir Lionheart, perhaps better known as Leonard the Lightning Tongue, a most jovial jester, the best bard of all!”

Uproarious applause sounds as Lionheart stands up on his chair and does an impressive bow.

“Excuse me!”

I look toward the indignant voice. It seems to come from the back of the crowd.

“I take offense to that! How could you say something so bold yet untrue?”

I roll my eyes as Eanrin stands from his seat, a fist raised. “I’ve worked hard for my title, and you think you can simply toss the phrase ‘best bard of all’ to an amateur fool? I won’t have it!”

“Eanrin, I apologize,” Pippin says, grinning. “I had no idea you felt so strongly about the subject. Perhaps he is only second best then?”

Eanrin crosses his arms and falls back into his seat. “Say what you will, however I can’t stand by calling a simple fool ‘the best’.”

“Oh pleathe,” Twinkle pipes in. “Can’t we jutht get on with thith? We could be here all day if Eanrin had hith way!”

“A splendid idea, H-…Twinkle!” Pippin nods and gestures toward the seat beside Lionheart.

“And in our next seat, we have the spectular Sage! Watch your pockets, folks!”

Sage stands, grinning and gives a quick bow before returning to his seat. As the audience claps, a bit more uneasily than before, I glance at the empty chair where Crispin should be, but is not.

What’s going on now?

“Pippin!” I whisper-shout, trying to catch his eye. But he goes on without so much as a glance in my direction.

“Unfortunately, Crispin cannot be with us at the moment, as he is attending to some very important time matters.” He gives a wide grin. “He may not be here, but rest assured, he is with us…in spirit.”

The audience gives a disappointed sigh, but claps anyway. I clench my fists.

What is going on?

“Now, with that out of the way, let’s announce our winner, shall we?” Pippin gestures for the crowd to cheer, and excited shouts fill the air.

“My award scroll, if you will, Madeline,” he announces, holding out his hand.

I stare in disbelief. “I gave the scroll to you,” I say.

Pippin’s face grows fearful. “Why, I don’t remember taking, not at all!” He checks his pockets, front, back, side, everywhere. Yet no scroll is found.

“I accuthe Thage of thtealing the thcroll!” Twinkle shouts, leaping from his seat. He dashes over to Sage, who quickly jumps out of his seat and bolts down the center aisle.

“Someone! Anyone! Stop this madness!” Pippin says, bouncing off the stage and pointing.

I squint my eyes, skeptical. I turn to the two boys running from the room. “Howl!” I shout. “Would you please stop Sage?”

“Who’s Howl?” Twinkle screams, snatching at Sage’s arm.

I face-palm. Yep. This is a disaster.

“Howl, quite flailing about and stop Sage this instant!” Sophie shouts. Her voice echoes, and the room goes silent.

Twinkle freezes, rolling his eyes so far they almost look like they’ll roll right from his head. He holds out a hand. “Thtop right now!” he yells. Sage pauses.

“All you had to do was ask,” Sage mutters. Twinkle makes grabby hands for the scroll, but Sage keeps it out of reach and stalks back up to the stage and hands the scroll to Pippin.

That was…too easy. I narrow my eyes.

This was a distraction.

Pippin wipes fake sweat from his brow. “Well, what an exciting chase, wouldn’t you say? Now, let’s announce the winner of this years Most Mischievous Imp award!”

The audience cheers, now eager and impatient to hear the winner.

Pippin unrolls the scroll with a grand sweep and flick of his wrist. And his eyes nearly bug out of his head. “And…and the…the winner is…”

“Me!”

I swing my attention to the rafters, where Crispin is swinging his feet, the glimmering Silmaril in hand.

“I have the gem, I won!” Crispin whoops and tosses the ribbon in the air, barely catching it before it falls.

The crowd turns toward Crispin in shock, gasping and shuffling in there seats.

“He thtole it!” Twinkle exclaims.

“Crispin!” Pippin shouts, waving madly. “Wait! Come down, there’s been a mistake!”

“I hardly think so!” Crispin leaps from the rafters. The crowd screams as Crispin falls, but a portal quickly opens beneath him and he disappears inside.

The room melts into an uproar. “This is ridiculous!” “We can’t have any sort of composure here, can we?” “This is crazier than last year’s ceremony!”

But I can only smile. Because I know what happened. So I decide to sit back and watch the chaos ensue.

“Gentlemen, ladies, please, calm yourselves! I assure, you everything is alright!” Pippin frantically gestures for the crowd to calm, but everyone has grown indignant.

“I’m back!”

Crispin appears from a portal, Silmaril gripped tight in hand. “Wow, I rather didn’t expect that to work! Yet here I am!”

Relief floods Pippin’s face. “Crispin, there’s been a mishap…”

“I know, I know, quite a funny one as well.” Crispin turns toward the audience. “So sorry for that little jumble, but it was all in good fun, yeah? Just a joke! I didn’t actually win. I just stole the Silmaril to mess with you all! Tell them, Pippin!”

The audience stares at Crispin. I cover my mouth with my hand, muffling a snort.

Pippin fingers his collar, swallowing. “Um…Crispin, you…you actually won.”

I’ve never seen wider eyes in my entire life than the ones on Crispin’s face as he takes in this sudden turn of events. “I…but…I thought…I didn’t…” His face turns a shade of red I have never seen before.

Pippin suddenly bursts out laughing. Soon, the whole audience is laughing too.

Crispin can only stand in bashful embarassment, a shy smile on his face.

“We had this whole grand scheme!” Pippin says between laughs, addressing the audience. “Sage and Twinkle created a distraction, while Crispin got a hold of the Silmaril and made off with it! We were going to play it for laughs.” He gives Crispin a soft punch to the arm. “And then you go and actually win the award. It’s quite a funny predicament, isn’t it?”

Crispin shrugs and smiles. “I suppose it is.”

“Now go on! Put your medal on! You deserve it!”

The crowd gives a standing ovation as Crispin slides the Silmaril over his head. He gives a deep bow. “Thank you all! You’re a right nice audience!”

I stand and clap, shooting a smile in Pippin’s direction.

Never a dull moment when you’re presenting an award for tricksters, that’s for sure.

Thank you all for nominating and voting in this years Silmaril Awards! We appreciate it so much, and we hope you stick around to see tomorrow’s winner over on Tracey’s blog!

 

Silmaril Awards 2019 // Voting Form

First of all, I’d like to give a huge thank you to all of your lovely fantasy lovers who commented on the most mischievous imp post. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

And now, it’s come down to the top five nominees. *drum roll* And they are…

Crispin Beasley, a lively young British man living in 1920s England. He has amazing time powers that allow him to control the flow of time and open portals to different places and time periods. He’s very high energy, can be a bit immature, but he has a good heart and a cheerful attitude.

Nidawi, the Everblooming, used to be an immortal faerie. She can change forms, transforming from a young child into a beautiful lady as she wills. If she sees something she wants, she will try to get it, no matter what (even if that something is to marry a man she just met wandering the woods!)

Twinkle seems to be a normal child. He has beautiful blue yes, bouncy blond curls, and the cutest lisp. But don’t let his adorable looks fool you. He gets into his fair share of mischief, enough to drive Sophie up the wall! But when it’s revealed that this little angel is actually Howl in disguise… well, I’m not surprised, are you?

Sage is about as sarcastic and snarky as a young boy can be. He’s a street urchin, who just so happens to be an excellent pickpocket as well. He always manages to get himself hurt in one way or another, climbing buildings and sneaking around at night, and he isn’t afraid to stand up for people, (or even sass the grown-ups!)

Lionheart, perhaps better known by his alter-ego, Leonard the Lightning Tongue, is a master of jokes and mischief. He played a jester for a time and shocked and delighted many people with his sharp wit and fiery tongue. Sadly, he struggles with fear and cowardice, making all the wrong decisions and being controlled by his fear. But deep down in his soul, there is courage and compassion, even if he doesn’t realize it at first!

Voting ends Friday the 13th at midnight*! Oooooooooh, spooky! Follow this link to choose from the finalists!

*(If we’re being technical, it’s actually Friday 11:59 that the form will close, but Friday the 13th and midnight sounds much more dramatic. 😀 )

 

Thank you again for the wonderful turn out, and stay tuned to hear who wins this years Silmaril Awards!

2019 Silmaril Awards // Nominations

NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS!

Yes, my good friends, it is that time once again. It’s time to nominate your favorite fantasy characters!

This year, I will be hosting the award for…

Most Mischievous Imp!

This character must be a trickster, a joker, a wise guy (or girl)! Someone who is always getting into trouble and just barely getting out of it. Someone who perhaps loves a good prank, but really has a heart of gold. Or maybe someone who has no good intentions and instead rather enjoys causing more problems than solutions.

Rules //

• NO Lord of the Rings characters. Most of them will be presenting the award winners, and, well, how awkward would it be to accept your own award?
• No previous winners. If you don’t know who those previous winners, check it out on our site!
• Only fantasy characters are available for nomination. If a solid argument can be made for a certain book or series that you think is technically in the fantasy genre…we’ll allow it.
• Be sure to mention which book/series the characters are from. Us mods consider ourselves fantasy experts extraordinaire… but we haven’t read every single fantasy book out there. It really helps us out!
• Nominate and second as many characters as your dragon-loving heart desires. All you have to do is comment down below! The top 5 MOST seconded characters will go on to the final round, so seconding is important!
• Authors are NOT allowed to vote for their own characters. But you can definitely encourage your fans to vote for them!
• Be sure to use the hashtag! This isn’t mandatory, but it helps to spread the word! #silmawards2019! And check out our Facebook group too! It’ll be a blast! 😉

And be sure to nominate your favorites in the other categories too!

• Most Mischievous Imp // Me!
• Most Epic Hero // DJ Edwardson
• Most Epic Heroine // Jennete Mbewe
• Least Competent Henchman // Christine Smith
• Most Magnificent Dragon // Kyle Robert Shultz
• Most Silver Tongue // Deborah O’Carroll
• Most Faithful Friend // E.E. Rawls
• Most Nefarious Villain // Zachary Totah
• Strangest Character // Tracey Dyck
• Wisest Counsellor // Jenelle Schmidt

Nominations will close this Friday, so be sure to get allll of your nominations in before then! And remember to have a blast!

Realm Makers 2019

during Mr. Batson’s continuing session | picture credit goes to Mary!

AGH SO REALM MAKERS HAPPENED. AND IT WAS AMAZING. I honestly don’t even know where to begin. I don’t know if the wonder that happened in those three days could be summed up in a post.

But I guess I’ll try. XD

Thursday I went to the pre-conference about writing series by Robert Liparulo which was SO interesting. I learned about the different types of series, the pros and cons of writing a series, how to plan a series, and how to market a series. It was all so informative and it really helped me, since I’m planning on publishing my first books as a trilogy! I also got to meet with some friends who also went to the pre-conference for lunch, which was SO FABULOUS.

After that, there was an opening welcome and keynote given by the RM faculty and Brent Weeks, which was hilarious and also very encouraging!

Friday was a whole whirlwind of sessions and electives and I loved ALL OF IT. I learned about writing my Christian worldview organically into my writing (Morgan Busse did this class and it was my absolute FAVORITE CLASS of the entire conference, she did SUCH a great job), I learned about writing fairytale retellings with C.J. Redwine (which gave me waaaay too many plot bunnies, if I’m being honest XD), and had a great time in Wayne Thomas Batson’s continuing sessions about balancing life and writing. It really convicted me and made me realize I need to be better about juggling everything.

on our way back from a quick Starbucks break | picture credit goes to Christine!

I also got to hang out with some AWESOME friends! Seeing all of my friends from last year, and also some new faces was THE BEST. I wish I could’ve devoted all of my time to talking and hanging out with all of them, but I had to settle with sitting together during sessions and eating meals together. It was so magical, seeing everyone again. I LOVE YOU GUYS. <333

And then, of course, there was the big Awards Dinner, which is ALWAYS a blast! I must have taken a hundred (blurry, of course) pictures of everybody in their costumes. This was probably my favorite part of the entire conference, honestly. I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time, and when I got back to my hotel, my cheeks hurt.

For this year’s dinner, I decided to dress as a favorite cartoon character of mine…Dipper Pines from Gravity Falls! I was sure hardly anyone would know who I was (and I did get mistaken for a Camp Half Blood resident more than a few times XD), but I was pleasantly surprised by how many people came up to me and complimented me on my choice! I even had one of the waiters bringing food to the tables come up to me and ask me where Mabel was. XD

from top to bottom // Mary as Steampunk Ariel | Tracey as Tris Prior | Christine as Kuzco | Josiah as Phoenix Wright | Savannah as Peggy Carter (though that photo does NOT do her gorgeous outfit justice)

Saturday was the big day. At least for me. XD I decided I wanted to pitch my novel Imprint to Linda Howard at Tyndale publishing this year and my appointment actually went really well! I did flounder a bit, struggling with what to say and feeling all of my nerves strain any sense from brain right out my ears…XD But Mrs. Howard was very nice and understanding, and after talking with here, I would really LOVE to work with her. She was so kind and told me all about Tyndale’s publishing process and she even asked for more chapters of my novel! I WAS ECSTATIC TO SAY THE LEAST.

Before said pitch took place, however, I was a ball of jittery nerves. I could barely eat anything and when I had to leave mid-class (Jill Williamson’s worldbuilding session, which I was a bit bummed to miss 😦 to get to my appointment, I thought I was going to pass out from my body shooting so much adrenaline into my veins. I could barely hold my pencil and when the time came I had to take several deep breaths to keep my heart from pounding out of my chest. I wasn’t hardly as nervous as my body would have me believe I was. But my body does betray me, often times during stressful situations. XD As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about and it went very well.

After another amazing session (Ronie Kendig’s class about capturing your reader’s attention, which was absolutely fascinating), and a wonderful closing keynote by Brent Weeks, I went out to Panera with my buds one last time. It was such a great time and I ALREADY MISS ALL OF YOU SO MUUUUUCH. Then we all went to the book festival together and I had to say my goodbyes. It was so SAD. Thank goodness for the internet, so we can all keep in touch!

from top to bottom // Lisa | Skye | Christine

That last day of Realm Makers was one of the best days of 2019 for me. It was such an incredible time and Sunday morning, it felt like reality just came crashing back down on me. It felt so weird, that it was just…over. But I’ll never forget it. ^_^

Vacation wasn’t entirely over for me just yet though. Me and my family got to go a bit farther down Missouri to Branson, where we got to visit the College of the Ozarks (a college I’ve been considering attending, and now after visiting, I am SO AMAZED by and interested in) and stay at the Keeter Center, which is a hotel run by the students of the college! It was incredibly nice and I’ve never stayed in such a nice hotel. I really felt like a country hick, amazed by everything in the room. XD

After staying there for a few days (going to Silver Dollar City and the Butterfly Palace), we topped off our final day in Branson by going to see Samson live at the Sights and Sound Theater! IT WAS SO AMAZING GUYS. I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT HOW AWESOME IT WAS. You should seriously consider going to a production there. The tickets aren’t the cheapest, but IT IS WORTH IT.

After all that craziness, we drove home. And now I’m back and just now getting over the exhaustion. XD It’s going to be tough going back to work and the drudgery of ‘normal’ life, but I think I might surprise myself. It’s always a good feeling getting home from an adventure. 🙂

the gang at Panera | picture credit goes to Jenneth!

That was my experience at Realm Makers, very, very briefly summed up. I could go on and on about what went on that past weekend, but we would be here for ages. XD I miss all you Realmies dearly! I hope we get to see each other again soon! And those of you who didn’t attend this year…I WISH YOU COULD’VE BEEN THERE. It really was a magical time!

A Life Update

Hello guys! You may have been thinking I was dead at this point, but HA I fooled you all!

Anyway, I wanted to give you guys a little update about what’s been going on with me, why I haven’t been posting regularly, etc.

Life

Some of you might know that I’ve been working at the library for almost two years now. While it’s a very nice place to work, it’s not a place I was planning to stay for very long. It’s a part time job and the pay is just above the minimum wage, and I would like to move onto something a bit more permanent (and perhaps with better pay).

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’ve decided to pursue my passion for music. I’ve always wanted to help people using my talents, and so I’ve considered going to school for music therapy. But college is expensive and there are only two schools in the entire state of Minnesota that offer a music therapy degree. And only one of them calls themselves a Christian college. Yeah.

But I didn’t stop there! My parents stumbled upon a school near Branson, Missouri called the College of the Ozarks. They have a Piano Major (which would be AWESOME), but I’ve read they only accept people from the Ozarks region (which I am NOT in).

I’ve also considered just being an independent performer, handing my card out to different businesses and institutions that might want a piano player. I even designed a fun-looking business card!

shhhh i know it’s tiny it’s a business card okay

It’s been an interesting task, trying to find a school or job, and I haven’t made a ton of progress. But it’s in the back of my mind (slowly moving to the front XD).

Writing

I’ve been working hard at editing Imprint and I’m veeeeerrrry close to finishing the thing! AND I’M SO EXCITED. I’ve already got an outline for the second book written up, and I have the third book simmering in the back of my head. IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER AND I LOVE IT.

Aside from Imprint, I’ve also been working on my superhero trilogy idea and a few other ideas that WON’T LEAVE ME ALONE NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY TO DETER THEM. *ahem* Anyway…you can look at the progress of those on my books page if you so desire. 😀

I’ve been thinking a lot about traditional publishing, independent publishing, and self publishing too. I set up an agent appointment for Realm Makers (AND I’M KINDA NERVOUS), but I’ve also seriously been considering self-publishing or independent publishing. I’ve done some research (aka I watched Abbie’s video and looked at like three websites XD) and it’s gotten me thinking about other options.

On the one hand, I think it could be a really great investment if I were to self publish…

…But then on the other hand, I think of all the work and blood and sweat and tears that would happen, and then independent publishing looks pretty good again…

…And then I imagine seeing my book in bookstores across the country…and I look back at traditional publishing. XD

It’s this cycle going on in my head and I’m kind of at war with myself here.

 

the inside of my brain right now

I would LOVE to hear some of your opinions about this topic! Please tell me about your experiences (if you’ve had any) with traditional, independent, or self publishing! I’d love to hear them!

Realm Makers

I forget if I’ve already announced this but I’M GOING TO REALM MAKERS 2019. (As…I mentioned about about the agent appointment. XD) BUT ANYWAY YAYYY!!

I’m sooooo looking forward to seeing you guys again and meeting some more of you for the first time! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL. I’m also kind of nervous because I get kind of quiet around people and I’m kind of an anxious awkward bean. BUT I WILL ATTEMPT TO SOCIALIZE. I PROMISE. XD

me trying to make conversation

I’ve been debating who to go as to the banquet…I’m really stuck between these two ideas I really love and IT’S KILLING ME. But I’m not telling you guys beforehand. I want it to be a surprise. *grin*

That’s…really all.

So much is going to be happening in the next few months, and I’ll probably only be posting twice a month (if I can claw my way from life’s clutches that is XD).

If you haven’t heard, I have a movie blog. It’s pretty fun. I talk about movies I liked and didn’t like, and I think my next post is going to be either a Detective Pikachu review or some kind of topical piece. We’ll see.

Thanks for reading! What’s happening in your life? Is it as crazy as mine right now (doubtful)? Let me know down below!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Tag

HELLO guys! So, as some of you probably, almost positively know, AVENGERS: ENDGAME IS OUT IN THEATERS TODAY. I’m not freaking out, you’re freaking out.

To celebrate this long-awaited day, I bring you an EPIC tag made by the EPIC Christine (you should check out her new WordPress blog, it is GORGEOUS). She was kind enough to tag me (THANK YOU SO MUCH CHRISTINE AGGGHHH), and so I will be answering her hopefully-not-to-difficult questions!

Guidelines //

• Feel free to include the above graphic somewhere in your post (but it’s definitely not necessary).
• Take the questions and answer them on your blog (or social media or wherever!)
• Tag up to 5 other Marvel fans!

Let’s dig right into this!

• How were you introduced into the MCU fandom?

Well, this one’s relatively easy. When I was fifteen, my parents suggested me and my brother should watch the Marvel movies. I had never seen any of them, but everyone I knew seemed to love them (they particularly liked Iron Man).

And so it was as simple as that. For the next few weeks, we watched through all the movies, right up until Avengers: Age of Ultron, which I went to see in theaters. My FIRST Marvel movie I saw in theaters. It was a magical experience. I’ve gone to see every movie in theaters since.

• What’s your favorite Marvel film?

ARE YOU KIDDING. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE?

Okay, let’s see if I can narrow this down. XD

Captain America: Civil War was one I really, really enjoyed. Seeing this huge gathering of superheroes for the first time was super neat. And, I mean…Bucky Barnes. Need I see more? I still think about him grabbing that motorcycle and speeding away. That was epic. Bucky is epic.

 

also this knife flip is pretty neato

 

Spider-Man: Homecoming is another favorite. Tom Holland is an AMAZING Spider-Man, and he did SUCH a great performance. If Marvel seemed unrealistic, with world-threatening villains and insane superheroes, Homecoming was the movie to bring things back down to earth. Peter is just an average Joe, just like me, and I loved that I could relate to him.

Doctor Strange is also a really great movie. At first, I was hesitate. This was a character I had barely heard of before, but I liked Benedict Cumberbatch and the movie promised wizards and magic, so I figured it was worth a try. And it was. It was AWESOME. Almost reminiscent of Inception at times (which is one of my FAVORITE movies), and with lots of emotion and action, it was the perfect fit for me.

But, if I’m being honest…I think Thor: Ragnarok is probably my favorite of the MCU. It just works. The humor. The characters. The settings. It all just comes together perfectly for an epic movie. (And…well, Thor and Loki are in it, so…I was just bound to like it. XD)

• Top favorite Marvel character?

I LOVE THEM ALL. Can I just not choose? XD

Okay, let’s see. I really like Bucky Barnes, Stephen Strange, and Peter Parker. But my absolute favorite…would probably be a tie between Loki and Thor. I’M KIND OF A SUCKER FOR BROTHER STORIES. SO. YEAH. Also, how could you not like them, I mean look at that hair.

i know his hair is short now but shhh it’s still amazing

• If you were transported into the MCU and had to trade places with one of the superheroes, who would you choose?

OOH, I like this question! Hmm…I might pick Spider-Man. I think that would be pretty neat. That’d be a pretty chill role. Kind of. Okay, maybe not really. Maybe Hawkeye? Except I would lose the weird haircut. No offense, Clint. XD

• What are some of your favorite quotes from the films?

I could literally go on for hours. Marvel has some excellent dialogue.

• Which crew would you want to be part of the most: Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Revengers?

Though I would love being Avenger, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be on the same team as Thor, Loki, Bruce, and Valkyrie. Come on guys, let’s be real. They would be the most fun people to hang with.

• Favorite and least favorite ship?

Getting to the juicy stuff, are we? XD

Gosh, there are soooo many possible couples in the MCU. I think Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne‘s relationship is pretty gosh darn cute. Although, so are Peter Quill and Gamora…And Tony and Pepper…AGH. I CAN’T CHOOSE.

I do have one specifically that I don’t like, however. And that would be Sharon and Cap. Like, if there was ONE thing I didn’t like about Civil War, it was that stupid kiss scene. Like, really? RIGHT AFTER PEGGY’S FUNERAL? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

 

ARE YOU, CAP?!

 

Also, Bruce and Natasha…just doesn’t really appeal to me either. It’s just kinda meh. And it seems like the directors of Infinity War realized that, because they seem to TOTALLY shrug off the fact that they had feelings for each other.

• Favorite and least favorite villain?

*ahem*

Um. Prepare yourself.

This will probably come as a shock to you.

Ready?

LOKI IS THE BEST VILLAIN. END OF DISCUSSION.

Although, can he even really be called a ‘villain’ anymore? XD

 

he’s basically a hero, right?

 

Least favorite would probably be Thanos. I just wanna punch him in his raisiny little mug.

 

ARGH I HATE YOU

 

• Unpopular MCU opinion?

It would probably be the fact that I really liked Age of Ultron and Thor: The Dark World. They both seem to be universally disliked among Marvel fans, but I really enjoyed them! I thought Age of Ultron was a fun movie that raised the stakes and played right into Civil War, plus we get to see two new epic characters!

The Dark World had some genuinely great parts! Everything that takes place in Asgard was pure fun to watch, Loki was a stellar actor, and that sneaky ending, with Loki sitting on the throne, always makes me smile.

 

this is gold? like, hello??

 

• What’s your favorite Stan Lee cameo scene?

I really think all of them are good. The ones in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok are quite funny. And the one from Captain America: Civil War always cracks me up. XD

It isn’t TECHNICALLY the MCU, but I also think the one at the end of Big Hero 6 is pretty hilarious.

And that’s the tag!

Thank you so much Christine for creating this epic tag and thinking of me when you were tagging people!

And now, I shall tag // Laurel @ We’ll Be Fine | Kenzie @ Smudged Thoughts | and Faith @ The Writer’s Song

I hope you enjoyed! If you’re a Marvel fan, PLEASE consider yourself tagged. And let me know if the comments down below if you’re freaking out because AGH ENDGAME IS UPON US.

Blogiversary the III // A Reminiscence and A Special Announcement

Hello friends, and welcome! If you’ve read the title you can probably guess what this post is going to be about already…

This ol’ blog has been around for a grand three years. It’s seen some changes, both good and bad, but it has come through.

I, as a blogger, have changed quite a bit myself. I’m almost nineteen years old now, and it’s hard to believe I started blogging when I was a wee fifteen-year-old. It seems so long ago…XD

 

Shall we take a gander at an old post of mine? This one dates back to April 4th, 2016, my very first blogiversary.

[Titled Short & Snappy Blogiversary]

Well, it’s been officially one year since I started Short & Snappy. Can you believe it?

It’s been a crazy year. I’ve posted so much, and yet it feels like so little. XD I’ve had a great experience, reading all of your comments, discovering new blogs, and making new friends. It’s been great fun. ^_^

And so, to celebrate, I’m thinking about adding a new segment called Character Conversations, where I’ll (try) to post an interview of my characters every Saturday! What do you guys think?

Thank you guys for making my first year blogging a great one! ❤

Quite painful, to say the least. Did I attempt to put any sort of effort into this post? I’d like to say I’ve grown as a writer since then…XD

This blog has seen a lot of traffic during its lifetime. Over 3,000 of you guys have visited my little corner of the internet, over 170 of you have made the descison to follow my adventures, and nearly 2,000 comments have been dropped on a total of 225 posts. Gosh, that’s a lot of people. I’m truly touched by all of your generosity.

And now, for that special announcement! If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you’ll know that I’ve been considering creating a movie review blog. Well, I’m glad to say that this has become a reality!

Introducing…

Reel Thoughts

I’ve always loved movies, and I love talking about them, so please, considering dropping by and leaving a friendly comment! I’d love to chat with you!

Thank you all for being so supportive of this little blog! I never imagined just how wonderful my stay in the blogosphere would be, and I have only you guys to thank for it! ^_^

Fairy Tale Central // An Exciting New Vista For Fairytale Lovers!

Hello, fellow fantasy freaks and geeks! I’m here to present to you a most fabulous new project put together by three lovely ladies called Fairy Tale Central!

Once Upon a Time… two girls had a dream. A dream of a fairy tale site, an internet library, if you will, for all the fairy tale lovers of the land to gather and converse. To learn, to read, to fangirl/boy, to bask in the goodness that is fairy tales.

As this dream blossomed, the two girls recruited a third. Because, after all, all good fairy tales come in themes of three.

With the third member in place, the girls got to work. The dream began to take shape, until it was no longer just a dream. But something real.

Introducing…

FAIRY TALE CENTRAL

This newly launched site run by Arielle Bailey, Faith White, and Christine Smith, is your source for all things fairy tales.

Every month a single fairy tale will be featured, and posts will include:

• Reviews for retellings/shows/movies/etc.
• Essay, origin, and discussion posts on the featured fairy tale
• Interviews with fairy tale retelling authors
• Galleries featuring fairy tale artists and artisans
• And a whole lot more!

The FTC’s goal is to unlock the magic that is fairy tales and build a community of fellow fairy tale enthusiasts. Arielle, Faith, and Christine are thrilled to share this new fairy tale-centric space and connect with all you epic fairy tale fans!

You can CLICK HERE to find the site and join the Fairy Ring! (Don’t worry, you won’t be enchanted or cursed.) And, if you want to connect even more, you can find the FTC on:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest

(If you’re inclined to share about the FTC in those places too, you may or may not be blessed by a fairy godmother. *smile, smile*)

Do tell a friend, or a dragon, or the fairy living in the hollow tree behind your house. All humans and mythological creatures alike are welcome!

I am SO PUMPED about this project and I cannot WAIT to see what the three fairies who put this masterpiece together dream up next for this site! Please go check out the site and all of the bloggers who worked so hard to make it a reality!