DISNEY RECAP

Hi! I'm back! So...Disney World was amazing :)

Hollywood Studios: It's the kingdom where you see all the special effects stuff and very movie-related stuff. They have a show where you get to see an Indiana Jones scene acted out, complete with explosions and amazing fight scenes. It all looks so real.

I rode my first legit roller coaster (the Rockin' Roller Coaster). I got in line with my parents before I told myself what I was getting in line for. I didn't tell myself that the roller coaster went upside down until even later. It was extremely fast and extremely upside down etc.

I have decided that I was born for roller coasters and can't wait to find another one.

I saw a great Beauty and the Beast show.

We ate at this place called the 50s Diner, which is supposed to be so much fun, but I hated it. The food was okay, but our waiter was obnoxious, and the restaurant has RULES. No elbows on the table, and you have to eat all your vegetables to get dessert. -_- It was annoying.

I got my picture taken with Minnie Mouse.

I saw the coolest parades ever.

I experienced snow while wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Disney is amazing. They had a snow machine blowing the stuff from the roofs at one point. It was my own personal dream come true (which is, after all, Disney World's motto): snow when it's warm outside.

Magic Kingdom: Everybody loves Magic Kindgom :) It has Cinderella's Castle and most of the princesses and characters. It's divided into Adventure Land, Frontier Land, Liberty Square and Tomorrowland. It's so fun :D

I MET PETER PAN. :OOOOOO He looked exactly right, aside from the part where he was two inches shorter than me, but what can you expect from a kid who never grows up? I happened to be wearing green, and he complimented me on my color choice. *blush*

I rode Splash Mountain, which I remembered loving. I got soaked and it wasn't as great as I remembered. Drat XD Still fun though.

I went to a store that had M&Ms of every color and I got a pound bag of them. I chose dark teal, light teal, white and brown. They look very pretty :D

I saw Cinderella's Castle get lit up to look exactly like it's covered in ice. I have no idea how Disney is so amazing.

I got delicious pineapple ice cream.

I MET ALADDIN AND JASMINE. Okay, guys...like, I don't even know how to explain how amazing that was. "Aladdin" is my favorite Disney movie, and I loved Aladdin. Jasmine is my second favorite princess. I love, love, love, love, LOVE the whole shabang, so I had high expectations.

My expectations pale in comparison to the real thing.

I don't understand how Disney found two people who look exactly like Aladdin and Jasmine. I swear, they looked EXACTLY like their cartoon versions, and I'm a perfectionist. It only got better from there.

Those of you who have seen "Aladdin" know that Aladdin's voice is pretty distinctive. It's almost a little bit cracky, but not quite. It's just really unique. And the Aladdin I met had the same voice. The VERY. SAME. VOICE. Jasmine did too. She sounded just like Jasmine.

And I'm not done. Not only did these people look exactly right and SOUND exactly right, but they ACTED exactly right.

Most Disney characters, when you go up to meet them and get a picture with them, they say, "Hello, princess/prince, how are you doing today? I like your shirt/necklace/shoes/insert some random article you're wearing. Would you like to take a picture with me?" Then you take a picture and they tell you to have a magical day.

Not Aladdin and Jasmine.

*I walk up*

Jasmine: "Hello!"

Aladdin: *stares at my shirt and reads it:* "Santa's Favorite Brunette."

Me: "Yup."

Aladdin: *blinks and crosses his arms like Aladdin. He looks at Jasmine.* "What's a brunette?"

Jasmine: *raises her eyebrow at him*

Me: *raises eyebrows also* "It's brown hair!" *points to pigtail*

Aladdin: "Ohh...Right.....so, where are you from?"

Me: " >insert my state< "

Aladdin: "We've been there, I think." *looks at Jasmine* "Haven't we?"

Jasmine: "I think so...I don't know, we go so many places. We--"

Aladdin: "I think...if you flew the Magic Carpet back and forth, we've probably been as many places--"

Jasmine: "As Santa Claus."

Me: *raises eyebrows* "Really?"

Jasmine: "But we don't go to Canada."

Aladdin: "Way too cold."

Me: "I heard you don't go to Delaware either." (I'd been listening to them talk to other kids.)

Jasmine: "Oh no, we have been to Delaware--"

Aladdin: "Yeah, just not in the winter. We don't do snow."

Me: "But Canada is too cold all the time?"

Jasmine: "Yes. Always too cold."

Me: *grins and moves in for a picture*

*dad takes a picture*

My mom: "Kendra, you could do your Eliza hands!"

Jasmine: *looks at me* "What's Eliza hands?"

Aladdin: "Yeah, what's that?"

Me: "Well, I was in a play that's set in Siam, and I was one of the dancers, so I had to learn Siamese dancing." *does Eliza hands*

Aladdin: "Ohhhh--"

Jasmine: "Oh, that's kind of like when I hold my scarf."

Me: "Yeah!"

Jasmine: "Here, you do your Eliza hands and I'll do my hands like that too."

Aladdin: "And I'll....well, I'm just gonna stand. Like this." *crosses arms like Aladdin*

Me: *laughs* "Awesome."

*dad takes another picture*

It was...amazing. I know I didn't capture it here, but it was truly...well, magical. It really was. They were so exactly like their real characters that I left them with my head spinning and my heart flying. Some tiny part of me wondered if they might really be the REAL Aladdin and Jasmine. They way they talked, the way they acted, the way they moved...it was all absolutely right. Take your very highest expectations, create in your mind an Aladdin and Jasmine that you think couldn't possibly be out there, and the ones I met were even better than that.

Seriously.

I saw Mickey's Philhar Magic, which will always be amazing no matter how many times I see it. It's the most elaborate 3D show ever, complete with other effects like scents and water splashes and breezes.

I rode It's A Small World, which is annoying, but still somehow really cool.

I walked past a camel statue that spit.

I rode Space Mountain, which is awesome. It's a roller coast that's completely in the dark, except for a few lights that feel like/look like stars and a freaky night sky.

We had breakfast at the Grand Floridian hotel, where Alice in Wonderland, Tiger, Pooh and the Mad Hatter walk around and talk to you and stuff.

Epcot: Epcot is the kingdom where tons of different countries have their own sections. All the stores have items from that country, the people working in that section all have to be from that country, the buildings and food come from that country, etc. It's completely awesome.

I went to a store where you could taste soda from all over the world. Chinese watermelon soda is great btw. So is the stuff from Israel. And I almost got a shirt that says "Coke adds life to me."

I saw a Celtic rock band called Off-Kilter perform, and they were great.

I got a leather bracelet with studs and had it engraved with "Ember" at Epcot in the Canada section. Sorry, I know this post is long, but there's a story with this, too. I was in line to get the bracelet engraved, and in front of me where all this girls. Now, I don't mean to judge, but right away I pegged them as prissy airheads. *puts hands up* Sorry, but I did.

And I turned out to be completely right. Especially about one chick who spent the entire wait time with her head in her hands and her elbows resting on the engraving counter. Why? Because of the admittedly attractive boy running the operation. It only got better when he opened his mouth, because he was FRENCH. I never liked the French much, but I must say I do like their accents.

Anyway.

List of Questions Said Bubble-Head Girl Asked Said Attractive Boy:

1. "Are you French?" (Not a terrible question, because he did sound French, but seeing how we're in the CANADA section...)

2. "Do you live here in Disney World?" (-_- Really? Yeah, he and all the Disney workers just chug on into the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and spend every night...)

And finally, my personal, gag-me-with-a-spoon, she-did-not-just-ask-that, let-me-turn-so-you-won't-see-me-rolling-my-eyes favorite...

3. "Do you meet lotsa pretty girls working here at Disney?" *bats eyelashes, leans forward on counter*

The poor French-Canadian boy didn't know what to do XD It was funny because I didn't know girls were actually that...THAT. I thought movies only caricatured them. But nope. Some girls are really that...just, that.

So I got up there to have my bracelet engraved after the Bubble Brains were gone. The guy, whose name was Felix, btw, asked me to write what I wanted on the bracelet on this little chart. So I did.

He started programming the engraving machine, and said (don't forget the French accent),

"Ember...Zis iz your name?"

Me: "Well...actually no. It's sort of a nickname."

Felix: "Oh."

Me: "My name is Kendra."

Felix: *laughs and looks at me* "Iz not even close!"

Me: *lols* "No...I'm actually a writer, and Ember is a character of mine."

Felix: "Ah."

*he works on the bracelet for a few seconds*

"What iz it zat you write?"

Me: "Well, mostly fantasy...One of my stories is set in a Celtic/Scottish setting, so this bracelet was sort of perfect for 'Ember.'"

Felix: "Ah." *finishes bracelet* "Well, good luck to you. Have a magical day!"

Me: "Thanks, you too."

My dad as we walked away: "He talked to you a lot. And you didn't even have to ask if he saw lots of pretty girls."

Lols XD

I finally met Belle!

I saw fireworks like you've never seen before. They were so loud and so HUGE and so MANY and FAST and BEAUTIFUL and all synced up with music and other lights...You can't explain something like that. It was so incredible...My mouth was open for the entire thing, and I am NOTTTTTTT easily impressed, y'all. I'm really not.

In the Italy section, we ate genuine Italian food and had a genuine Italian waitress, who was so cool.

In Morocco, there was a belly dancer. (Don't freak out, it was perfectly kid-friendly; she had plenty of clothes on.)

Animal Kingdom: Animal Kingdom is what it sounds like. It's actually one of my favorite kingdoms. It has safaris and all kinds of animal-related stuff.

I saw tons of African animals a few feet away in an open-windowed safari van.

I saw this guy who walked around with a guitar and made up songs about people he saw. He was incredible! He'd ask a kid what his name was, and create a whole song about him as he sang! He never stuttered or paused and all his lyrics rhymed. It was very cool.

I saw the Festival of the Lion King, which is great.

Our Disney Dining Plan got us 1 Sit Down Meal, 1 Quick Service Meal, and 1 Snack every day. The meals all include entrees and sides and desserts. Good grief; I've never eaten as much as I did this past week in my whole life.

Basically, this vacation was incredible. It's impossible to be too old for Disney. No one ever grows up THAT much, and if they do, they need to have that fixed as soon as possible! I love Disney World, and I can't wait to go back :)

~Kendra

P.S. I dunno if you've made it this far, but if you have and you're still reading (XD), I'd like to announce that I think I'd like a new Christmas header this year. I still love the beautiful one Bethany made me last year, but I switched backgrounds and I don't know that it fits as well. If you'd like to help me out, that'd be great. I'm no good at that stuff XD

P.P.S. My Christmas Countdown will start tomorrow! I'm so excited!!!!

GUESS WHERE I'M GOING?

I'm doing something great tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day, and the next day until Thursday. You may already know what it is (and I honestly can't remember if I've mentioned it before), but I'm going to give hints. Ready?

Happiness.

Got it? No? -_- Okay.

JOY. And WONDER.

Yet? No?

Here's a big one: four parks.

...not yet?

Fun, excitement, memories, characters.

Anything? UGH!

WISHES AND MAGIC AND DREAMS COMING TRUE. DO YOU HAVE IT NOW? :DDDDDDDDD

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disney World might possibly be my favorite place in the whole wide world aside from...um...nah, it's my favorite place. Wishes, dreams come true, magic, wonder, rides, excitement, fun, memories, characters, PETER FREAKING PAN, rides, food, shows, ALADDIN AND JASMINE, songs and parades and stories and being a kid again and imagination and castles and pirates and shops and BELLE and happiness and happy workers and little kids and Splash Mountain and mermaids and lions and kings and kings that are lions and staying in a Disney resort for the first time and swimming in Disney pools with fake ziggurats and wild animals.

Disney World. Possibly the happiest, most fun, memorable, adorable, creative, perfect place in the world.

Me, tomorrow, Disney.

I am one happy camper.

OMG :D

~Kendra

Audition Results

Well, the cast list for "The King and I" has been posted. I really wanted to play Eliza, the main character in the ballet portion. Of course, this is only my second play, there were several good dancers and the audition instructor had me doing the part of the Angel the whole time, so I knew what to expect when the list was published.

Which is why it shocked me so much when I got Eliza.

I was so shocked when I saw my name next to Eliza. I gasped, jumped out of the chair and covered my mouth XD A pretty cliche reaction, but the truth all the same. Lizzy asked me what was wrong and I told her I was Eliza. She was thrilled for me. I then ran upstairs to share the news with my parents.

I'll be honest, I know I can dance. I'm not pulling false modesty there, I'm a pretty good dancer. But I just knew that someone else would be better, and better suited to the part. I was hoping for Eliza, but not really expecting her.

I just can't believe it. I'm so excited.

If you want to see what I'll be doing, here is the ballet on Youtube.

Part I
Part II

Thank you so, so, SO much for all your prayers! I know they helped!

~Kendra

Valentine's Day...Eve :)

Thanks for following, Amber!

Well, V-Day is closing in on us! Haha, that sounded ominous >:D I don't usually get that into the holiday besides getting candy from my parents and making cards for my grandparents. However, I thought it might be nice to do some festive things on the blog for a couple of days leading up to the big day.

I should have started this sooner. *mentally kicks self* I love countdowns. I can't believe I missed this. Now I have all these cool Valentine's Day Countdown ideas! D: Fail on my part for being out of it.

*tragic sigh, plays violins*

'Kay, so anyway, in honor of the holiday of love, I've decided to post my top ten favorite examples of love in books!

1. "Angel in the Square" - Misha and Katya
The relationship between Misha and Katya is one of my all time favorite portrayals of love. Misha and Katya are cousins, but raised as brother and sister during the Russian revolution. Misha teases and is often scornful toward Katya, and she in turn irritates him and mocks his ways of thinking. You would never know how strong their love for each other is until the revolution parts them. The distance between them only reveals to themselves as well as the reader just how much they cherish each other. Their relationship is so deep and beautiful that I fall in love with them both every time I read the book.

2. "Eragon" - Eragon and Sapphira
Eragon's and Sapphira's love is so fun and unconditional. I just love it. They have no choice but to be in each other's heads 24/7, and they still love each other for who they are. Their relationship is intimate and comfortable and a great example of true friendship. They share thoughts and experiences, and help each other through the tough times.

3. "Lord of the Rings" - Sam and Frodo
I will admit it: I have been known to cry during the LotR movies simply because Sam and Frodo's relationship is so wonderful. I think Sam represents exactly what a true friend should be. He sticks by Frodo even when it's the most difficult and painful thing he could possibly do. Even when Frodo is plain unfair to him and sends him away, Sam looks past that and remains a loyal and true friend.

4. "Betsy-Tacy series" - Betsy and Joe
I love Betsy and Joe, and I love them together :) They make a great and complex couple. They have very similar personalities at some points, but balance each other well at others. Although they don't always get along, they do always end up working things out. Starting out as acquaintances, moving on to friends, and finally realizing their love for each other, Betsy and Joe's story is a wonderful journey to follow.

5. "A Spark of Strenght" - Ember and Coal
Ah, yes. Unrequited, but still strong love. Ember and Coal have an interesting relationship because it is never addressed as a real relationship. Ember silently (well, mostly silently XD) loves Coal, but he never looks at her as anything more than the sparktress (girl) who's always been around. He likes her as a sister, but never in any outward way. Ember and Coal's relationship is a bit hard to handle sometimes because of the silent ups and downs, but still a very intriguing situation.

6. "On to Oregon" - John and his siblings
Such a favorite story :) I fell in love with this book the first time I read it. Anyway, due to unfortunate circumstances, John Sager is forced to lead his six younger siblings across the prairie to get to their father's dream land. John has a hard time expressing his love to his siblings, but the reader easily picks up on the deep feelings of affection and protection that rage inside him.

7. "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" - Addie and Meryl
Princess Addie and Princess Meryl have a really good relationship as sisters and best friends. While complete opposites, they love each other with their whole hearts and would do anything for each other. The loyalty and friendship in their relationship is really great.

8. "The Lily series" - Lily and Art
Especially in the last books in the series, I love the relationship between Lily and her older brother, Art. He's there for her and helps her and gives her advice, but in a very realistic way. I don't like books that portray sibling relationships as really two-dimensional and perfect. Lily and Art have a wonderful love/"hate" thing going on that makes me want to read the books over and over again. He really comes through for her, and she can go to him with her tough problems. A great example of love there.

9. "The Giver" - Jonas and the Giver
I think the mentoring relationship that Jonas has with the Giver is really fascinating. They both benefit from each other, and it's really nice to see Jonas soaking in the wisdom from such a wonderful mentor.

10. "Bible" - God and us :)
The best example of love of all! God loves us more than we can ever realize. He would do anything for you. He would die for you. Oh, wait, he already did! ;) God's love for us is the perfect love. It's all my favorite elements combined!

The protective, fun love of Misha and Katya;
the all-knowing love of Eragon and Sapphira;
the unfailingly loyal love of Sam and Frodo;
the strong, silent love of Ember and Coal;
the sweet, fierce love of John and his siblings;
the friendly love of Addie and Meryl;
the practical, realistic love of Lily and Art;
the wise, mentoring love of Jonas and the Giver.

God loves us in every way possible, and more than we can imagine!

This Valentine's Day, don't just honor the love of two lovers. True love comes in many different forms; let's cherish them all :)

~Kendra

Sol: The Peacemaker and Something-About-Truth (I need help thinking of word for this.)

Meet Sol (and Aiden, but his own introduction is coming later). His God-given power? Sol can discern truth and has a deep desire for peace.

Sit back. Relax. Here's to Sol.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Sol put his head in his hands. All around him the noise of high-schoolers eating lunch and gossiping filled his ears and turned his stomach. Didn’t it bother anyone else how much spitefulness and deceit went on between “friends”?

“Sol?” A boy named Brandon clapped his friend on the shoulder. Sol blinked and raised his head.

“What?”

“Did you hear what I said?”

Sol rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger and grunted. “No. Sorry. What’d you say?”

“I said I talked to Rachel.,” Brandon repeated, obviously impatient. “About what you saw. With her and Michael Hendricks?” Sol felt a frown come together over his nose.

“Yeah. What’d she say?”

Brandon smiled, almost a smirk. “You were wrong. There’s nothing going on between them.”
Sol fought the urge to raise his eyebrows sarcastically. He had never had a good feeling about Brandon’s girlfriend, but after seeing her and the star basketball player locking lips in a corner, he’d had something concrete to tell his friend.

“You believe her?” he asked, almost gently. Brandon’s eyes narrowed.

“Of course I believe her. She’s my girlfriend. And you’re the one who’s always ranting about how relationships are built on trust. Jeez, man.” Sol frowned.

“That’s true,” he admitted, turning away. “I guess if you really think she’s being honest.” Brandon’s eyes narrowed again.

“I do.”

Sol shrugged. “Okay.”

Brandon ignored his moody friend and engaged in another conversation. Sol was secretly relieved. He hated to tell his friend that he knew Rachel was lying. Even if he hadn’t seen the girl making out in a corner, he would have known. Sol considered himself a good judge of character. He almost always was. The minuet he’d seen Brandon’s girlfriend, the word “snake” had popped into his mind.

Sol sighed quietly and absentmindedly ate a Frito.

Suddenly, something happened across the cafeteria, making Sol turn his head sharply to see. He frowned and scanned the back wall of the room, looking for something that would have gotten his attention. Had someone called his name? No, that wasn’t it…No one had dropped a tray or shouted or fallen, or even come into the room. Everything looked perfectly undisturbed.

“What?” Brandon grunted, nudging Sol. “What’re you looking at?”

“I dunno,” Sol said, still searching the room. “Thought I heard something I guess.” Brandon, uninteresting once again, turned back to his conversation. But Sol kept looking in the direction his reflexes had pointed him in.

After another moment, he turned back to his lunch. There was nothing to see. Everything was average in the cafeteria, nothing unusual, unless you counted that boy who’d banged into Ashlyn the other day. He wasn’t looking too good; kind of green and freaked out.

The bell rang; lunch was over. Sol packed his trash into his paper lunch bag and headed for the trashcan. In his back pocket, his phone vibrated. He tossed the brown bag into the garbage and took out his phone. Text message. From…Ashlyn??

Sol frowned and opened the message, walking towards the door.

Fell asleep in English and had a Dream. About you. I think you might be “blessed” too.

Sol stopped in his tracks, making a freshmen girl bump into him. Feelings of shock and almost horror washed over him. Blessed? Him too? With what? He didn’t dream the future. He didn’t do anything special.

He was about to hit “reply” when he turned immediately to the far corner of the cafeteria. His eyebrows rose. It was that boy. He was alone, standing against the wall near the corner of the room. His face was carefully controlled, but he seemed alarmed. Sol sensed his unease strongly, like waves of turmoil washing over him.

Sol frowned. What in the world…?

Everyone was gone from the cafeteria now except for a few stragglers who were on their way. Sol pocketed his phone and warily walked towards the boy.

The boy noticed him almost immediately and pulled out his phone. His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, but Sol didn’t think he was really texting.

“Hey, you alright?” Sol asked when he was almost to the guy. The boy looked up, pretending to be surprised.

“What? Uh, yeah. Why?” He seemed on edge to Sol, like he was trying to play something off.

Sol shrugged, his hands in his jeans pockets. “You looked freaked.” The boy snickered and tossed his slightly long hair out of his eyes.

“Nah. I’m good.” He went back to his fake text message and headed for the door, then turned back to Sol. “Okay, this might sound really weird, but…” Sol waited, silently eager. “…do you have any siblings or something?”

Sol deflated a little. “Yeah. You’ve met Ashlyn, kinda. You ran into her the other day.”

The boy nodded, smiling a half smile, and continued to move towards the door. “Right. Yeah. Thought you looked kinda familiar.”

Sol’s eyebrows twitched in acknowledgement. “I’m Sol.”

The boy snorted. “Hi, Sol,” he said, almost mockingly. “What is this? AA?”

Sol’s eyes narrowed, making him look almost formidable. The boy raised his hand slightly.

“Sorry. I’m Aiden. But really, you should stop going up and playing shrink to people. It’s creepy.” He opened the door with a shoved of his shoulder and disappeared, leaving Sol alone and feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Guess that was weird of me,” he muttered to himself, heading out himself. He mentally kicked himself. When was he going to stop feeling the need to fix things all the time?
~~~~~~~~~~~
PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlease criticize it! :D Or question it. Or point out typos. Or, if you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO, compliment it ;)

~Kendra

Ashlyn: The Prophetess

Today is legit Character Day :D

Okay, I know I'm supposed to do something different ever day, but would you guys mind too much if I focused on those four characters for a while? Sort of a temporary obsession, I guess. Y'all know how I get :)

Anyway, I know the profiles give a general idea of what the characters are like, but nothing captures someone's personality like seeing them in action, you know? So, I think I'm going to post pieces of the story that give you an idea of what each character is like, sort of each character's introduction. Is that okay with you guys? I mean, I know it's my blog, but...I like to post things that interest you!

However, since today is actually Character Day, I'll just go ahead and post Ashlyn's "introduction".

This part of the story takes place near the beginning, after you've gotten to see Ashlyn's power in action. (And apparently Sol and Ashlyn have an older, college-aged sister named Amy. Sorry. They didn't tell me that when I wrote the profiles. *eyeroll* I know, right? Characters.)

Note: Questions, comments, criticism always extremely welcome. I like to hear that you hate my stuff just as much as I like to hear that you love it. Just the fact that you're sharing with me what you think is awesome. Please, don't hesitate :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ashlyn held her mug of hot chocolate in both hands, soaking in the warmth. She felt very small curled up on the couch of her living room. Her conflicting thoughts raged, making it impossible for her tense shoulders to relax.

Dang it, Ashlyn thought angrily, a tear running down her cheek. This is my spring break. My time off of school. My time to relax. So why can’t I?

She knew why. She knew it was the Dreams that wouldn’t let her enjoy church. The Visions that made her push God away in prayer. The Premonitions that made reading the Bible feel hypocritical.

Why was this happening to her? She wasn’t this kind of person! What had she done? How had she gotten into the occult without even realizing it? The Bible condemned psychics. It said they were of the devil, demonic, satanic, didn’t it? How could she be that kind of person?

And then, at the same time, there was that smug love of her internal conflict. That part of her that reveled in the power of seeing the future. That feeling of being superior to other, lowly people who weren’t special like her. She liked the drama of wrestling with her ability.

Ashlyn loved her power, and she hated it. She loved being powerful, but she hated the thought of being damned to Hell because of it.

She frowned. How messed up is that? The only reason I’m not completely in love with my power is because I’m afraid of burning for all eternity?

She brushed away the tears and looked to Sol on the other end of the couch, caught up his book. He looked at peace, like he always did. A fierce, angry jealousy gripped Ashlyn. Why was he so close to God and she wasn’t? Sol never had satanic premonitions that would damn him to the lake of fire. Because being a psychic would do that.

Wouldn’t it?

“Sol…”

He looked up, his wide brown eyes so open and carefree. Ashlyn fought the urge to strike out in jealousy. She felt her face twitch in her efforts to contain her tears. She looked away.

Sol looked surprised. “Ash. Are you okay?” He reached out to her, but she flinched away, sloshing hot chocolate onto her sweatpants.

“Yes!” she snapped, setting her mug on the table. She swiped at the brown spot on her thigh. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I just…” She wound her hand into the front of her hair in frustration. “Sol, the Bible says psychics are satanic, doesn’t it?”

Sol blinked. “Er…y—”

He stopped. Something wasn’t right about “yes”. He was suddenly not sure that was the correct answer.

“No,” he began slowly, beginning to realize something he hadn’t before. “No, I don’t think it does. I think it says you shouldn’t go to them. Don’t seek them out. And I think it depends on what you mean by ‘psychic’.”

“Someone who sees the future,” Ashlyn breathed, her eyes wide and intense. Sol leaned his head back at an angle, slowly taken aback.

“You. You see the future?” He raised his eyebrows as he said it. Ashlyn felt a shock of adrenaline run down her spine. All the anger drained out of her face, leaving only fearful desperation.

“I think I might,” she whispered, not meeting her brother’s eyes. “Don’t tell anyone. Please.”

Sol didn’t say anything for a long time. He believed her—he could always tell when his sister was lying—and he believed that she was right—he could usually tell when something was true or not.

“Joseph,” he said finally. He gave a firm nod. “With the coat of many colors. Joseph was psychic.”

Ashlyn looked up suddenly, meeting Sol’s eyes. “Oh, yeah,” she breathed. “Joseph…”

“God used Joseph for His purpose. That was God-given Sight. There was nothing satanic about that.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“But that’s different from your typical psychic, the ones who try weird stuff like summoning demons and talking to the dead and black magic.”

“Yes…”

“So, no. No, the Bible doesn’t condemn the ability to see the future. Like all power, what matters is where it came from, and how you use it.”

Ashlyn stared at Sol, her eyes wide and clear. Sobs of relief made her body shake. “I think you’re right,” she said through her sudden tears. “So…so, I’m not…a bad person? I’m not un…unchristian or unclean or satanic or damned to Hell?”

Each personal accusation she spoke seemed like a separate blow to Sol.

“No!” he cried, putting his hand on her curled knee. “Ash, no. I mean,” he gave a modest shrug, “I’m not God, I’m not even a pastor, I’m not trained in…Biblical analysis, but based on what I can see in the Bible, and in you, you aren’t anti-Christ.”

Ashlyn covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath. When she lowered her hands, she was the normal Ashlyn: calm, confident, and in control.

“I guess the question now is, what do I do?”

“You might want to put on some clean sweatpants,” said Amy as she walked through the room. “What’s that brown stuff all over your leg?”

Ashlyn wrinkled her nose at her older sister’s back. “It’s hot chocolate, thank you,” she said, sticking out her tongue.

Sol laughed until Ashlyn turned to him with one eyebrow raised. He cleared his throat and tried to put on a serious face. “What do you do? Honestly?”

Ashlyn nodded impatiently. Sol leaned in to her.

“I don’t know.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like I said, questions, comments, criticism...let me know :) Thanks.

Advice Day and Character Profile: Aiden

First, I got the Creative Writing Award from the awesome Pam Calvert! My jaw actually dropped when I got it XD I was quite surprised. Here's the awesome award:

I am now awarding...

Kyle
Sam
KnightWing
Lia (but her blog is private)
and
Chris

Now. Advice Day...

Advice: I advise you to read this post ;)

I know, I know, that's cheating, but there's just one more character to go before I've introduced my little cast!

I'm somewhat having trouble finding a picture to represent Aiden, but this is close:
1. Name: Aiden Jacob Johnson
2. Age: 16
3. Birthday: July 9th 1993
4. Family: Mom; older brother, Brent
5. Hair color: black
6. Hair length: slightly long for a guy
7. Hair style: slightly shaggy
8. Eye color: brown
9. Height: medium, 5'10”
10. Body type: kind of...medium
11. Loves: music
14. Hates: nosy people
13. Strength: usually good self-control
14. Weakness: when his anger does show, he has a very bad temper
15. Sucker for: little kids
16. Irritated by: bullies
17. Wants most: to get rid of his Sight.

God-given power: Aiden can see demons.

Truth Revealed and Character Profile: Skye

Hello :) I didn't have school today. Yay :D

AND I wrote about 2000 words in that story I've been posting about, also yay :D

Okay, now to answer yesterday's Fact or Fiction Day question:

Question: Is marijuana addictive?

Answer: No. Fiction.

Only Tragedy101 and Milli got it right! Good job, you guys!

To answer the question further, it depends on how you define "addictive". Marijuana isn't addictive like nicotine, but it can become a habit. Just about anything can become that kind of "addictive". But technically, nope, marijuana isn't addictive.

However, it does pose tons of obvious health risks, so I would highly recommend you don't go out and start smoking it. Oh, yeah, and it's illegal XD

Now, because I'm really into this story right now, I'm going to ditch Memory Day (*gasp*) and do another character profile :)

1. Name: Elizabeth Skye Daniels (goes by Skye)
2. Age: 15 (almost)
3. Birthday: February 12th 1995
4. Family: Mom; Dad (divorced); little brother, Mark
5. Hair color: blonde/strawberry blonde
6. Hair length: medium-long
7. Hair style: thick and straight with short side bangs
8. Eye color: blue
9. Height: small, 5'1”
10. Body type: petite
11. Loves: languages
12. Hates: kill joys
13. Strength: very smart and cheerful
14. Weakness: innocence
15. Sucker for: foreign languages/accents
16. Irritated by: rudeness
17. Wants most: her parents to get back together

God-given power: Speaking in Tongues (Skye can speak, read, write, and understand any language naturally.)

Fact of Fiction Day and Hybrids

*giggles uncontrollably*

OMGGUESSWHAT?

Due to snow, NO CLASS TOMORROW!!!! WE HAVE A WEEK OFF!!

Y'all cannot even know how awesome that is to me (with the exception of Kyle, who has heard nothing but "woe is me" in various forms all day). I have an extra week prepare for debate, and write a better version of my crappy Introduction to the Classical Period paper.

Halle-freaking-lujah.

I also looked into a morph-your-kid site from Cinderella's blog, and made a Kendra-JaceWayland hybrid child >:D I took this picture of me:
And this one of Jace:
And got this:
Hmm. It's kinda weird, because if I look away, I can see me for a split second...

*is going to make a Darren and Paige hybrid child*

So, okay. Today is Fact or Fiction Day! *cue applause*

Fact or Fiction?

Is marijuana addictive?

Leave a comment and I'll let you know tomorrow, when I'm NOT in class :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Picture Day: Sol

(I had this post prepared last night, but Blogger wasn't letting me post it. So, here's the post for yesterday; today's post coming later :D)

Yes, I realize that using a picture of a character and then talking about the character is cheating for Picture Day. Deal with it ;P I'm too into these guys right now to quit.

Name: Solomon Bricker
Age: 16
Birthday: July 18th
Hair color: very dark brown
Hair style: short, slightly curly
Eye color: brown
Height: 6'
Build: athletic
Loves: practical jokes
Hates: liars
Strength: highly perceptive
Weakness: people-pleaser
Sucker for: honesty
Irritated by: purposeless arguing
Wants most: God's will

God0-given power: peacemaker, truth

Character Day: Ashlyn

Name: Ashlyn Sophie Bricker
Age: 16
Birthday: July 18th
Hair color: very dark brown
Hair style: long, straight, straight bangs
Eye color: murky blue-green
Height: 5'8"
Build: athletic
Loves: action
Hates: goody-goodies
Strength: passion and persuasion
Weakness: lacks tact
Sucker for: flattery
Irritated by: total innocence
Wants most: justice

There's a lot of information about Ashlyn, but the most important thing about this Child of God? That's not something any standard fill-out asks.

God-given power: prophecy

Some people don't believe God still gives out "real" gifts. Tell that to Ashlyn and her twin brother, Solomon. While you're at it, tell their friends Aden and Skye, too. They might disagree.

The Dark Side of Power
In a fallen world, can God show His glory through four chosen teenagers?

Stay tuned for more character clips from my latest project ;)

Character Day: Cosa and Degan

Today has been arguably better than yesterday, and...um, actually, I kinda don't really wanna talk about it.

So, Character Day:

Say hello to my WIP (Work In Progress) twins! I made up the names a long time ago (last February, I posted about 'em HERE and HERE), but they came back to me a couple of days ago. Will they ever amount to anything? It's hard to say, but for right now, they have my full attention!

Apparently I had a plot idea back in February, but that remains to be remembered. It can't have been THAT good then, right? XD

I still don't have a story to stick these two twins in, but they're working on it. In math, I had an idea for a story called "Castles and Cottages" (working title), and I came up with a couple of ideas for it. Maybe Cosa and Degan belong there? *shrug* We'll see.

Cosa
Not a typical Kendra Main Girl Character. For the most part, my characters are strong-willed, kick-butt, pretty and out to break the rules for the greater good. Cosa breaks the stereotypical Kendra Mold.

While she's very clever and not exactly one to go with the flow, she's quieter. Her style is quiet and unassuming, her voice is low. She's stubborn, but more likely to try to change herself than persuade others to change.

Degan
Degan is my attempt at a non-Kendra-stereotypical guy. I've always felt like than in literature lately, the guy twin is the quieter one, the more passive one. I think that was an attempt to break the original stereotype of guys being the louder and more aggressive. However, that original stereotype has been broken, and now there's a NEW stereotype: the guy is the quieter one.

Well, Degan speaks for the twins. He and Cosa are really close, but I guess their relationship and personalities kind of fit the original stereotype...but since that stereotype was broken, does that still make them stereotypical...?

Have I confused you? 'Cause I think I've confused myself XD (Actually, no, that was just being polite. I'm actually not confused. But I am COLD -_-)

Whatever. More about Degan. He is...a bit wild and rash and protective of Cosa. He has a soft spot for little kids, and hates spiders.

(I did NOT just make all that up on the spot... >.>)

Anyway, that was a very jumbled Character Day! Hope you found it worth reading XD

Distracted Post...Character Day and Picture Day

Oops.

As I was going to bed last night (actually as I was writing in my journal), it occurred to me that I didn't blog yesterday. Of course, by then it would have been today anyway if I had posted. I tend to say up kinda late(ish).

Yesterday was Character Day and today is Picture Day. Character Day is my favorite, and I hate that I missed it, so maybe I'll combine the two days and post a Picture of one of my Characters?

You guys have probably all seen Darren and Paige before (if you haven't, you can see them on my book's website HERE), so let's pick something different. Er, someONE different :)
That's Luken. He's in Mirror, too, but I don't think I've posted a picture of him yet. He's an elf (obviously), and slightly arrogant, very mysterious, and determined to find his exiled father.

I know this was a pretty dull post, but I'm in the middle of trying to install a webcam (thanks, Kyle), and trying to win a Write-a-Thon (thanks to Kyle again, LOL) and get my cleaning done before...

WE GOT TO MATT ("little brother") AND KATIE ("little sister")'S HOUSE!

My parents left today for a conference, so we get to be part of Matt and Katie's family for this evening and tomorrow. YAY!!!

But that does mean that I have to finish cleaning before Mrs. Martha (Matt and Katie's mom) gets here to pick us up on her way home from work.

So, mostly that translates into "I gotta go XD"

Two in One...Sorry!!

First of all, WHOA. Thanks for following, Hannah Ross, Miss Zara and LaSara! Y'all rock :) Sorry I couldn't find links for Hannah and Miss Zara, though :'(

Sorry I didn't post yesterday! Gosh, I had the post all ready, really, I just wanted to put some finishing touches on it and never got around to it. Here it is, all finished:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We finished the first season of Alias. Amazing episode, but the worst cliff hanger I've ever seen. Imagine having to wait an entire summer to see the next season!!!!!!

So, Will got tortured, though, and he cried. *hyperventilatingshudder* Y'all know I'm not good with that, but be proud of me; I was okay. I felt like bawling or going into shock (LOL), but I watched it all. I hate how I suck at taking guys' screaming, so I'm working on the whole toughen-up-and-deal-with-it part XD

So, other than that, I went to a Christmas party today! It was kind of awkward, because I don't have mutual friends to talk about with these people, though. They kept talking about people that I didn't know. And they're all masters of innuendos and twisting things. It was pretty okay, though, I'm definitely glad I went. I just hope they don't all think I'm a total dork XD I got a really cute journal and a Hershey bar as a Christmas present, though :)

I've also been doing a lot of serious thinking about lots of people. I should go into more detail so you don't feel like you've bee gypped, but I don't think I will ;P But I could use prayer, and so could one of my friends, if you don't mind? That'd be great :-/

Okay, there are only three days until Christmas. Three.

Tres.

Trois.

Tria.

THREE.

So, what do we do when there are only three days until Christmas?

Christmas Jokes, how about?

1. What did Adam say on the day before Christmas? It's Christmas, Eve. (WOW, that was lame.)

2. What do you get if you eat your Christmas decorations? Tinselitus.

3. Why did the elf push his bed into the fireplace? He wanted to sleep like a log.

MERRY THREE-DAYS-UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, now there are only--get ready for this--TWO DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!! But we'll get to that in a minute.

Today, my family hung out with another family (descriptive, right?). I've mentioned these guys before: Daniel (14, but awesome), Emily (12?), and Caleb (...10?). We went and saw the movie The Blind Side.

Now, no offense to those of you who like them, but I hate inspirational movies. I hate them. To me, they are all the same: the underdog with a bad past gets someone who finally believes in him. They help him out, something bad happens, someone dies, he stops trusting them, and then it ends happily. The entire point of those movies is to make you happy, but to give you the illusion of happiness, they must first make you sad as crap so they can then lift your spirits back up with inspiration.

-.-

Yeah, I hate inspirational movies. Guess what?

I LOVED THE BLIND SIDE.

I mean, WOW. This is an amazing movie. Shockingly *amazing*. I recommend it to anyone. Everything about it was really good. Just see it. It's truly awesome.

Then, my dad dropped Lizzy and me off at good ol' Barnes & Noble, where Cavender and I "happened" to bump into each other XD Yay for texting!

Then, we went to get Matt (little brother) a Christmas present. He had showed me this remote control car he wanted when we were out before. He's very good at subtle hinting. NOT. LOL, his exact words: "Kendra, come 'ere." *drags me over* "This is what you want to get me for Christmas. That one." *points* "See it? That one, right th--No, wait, THIS one...Ooh..."

:)

So, we went to get it. But, it turns out it's a slot car. In the words of Kyle and Cavender, "FAIL." So we ended up getting him a trick kite.

*blink*

I really hope Matt doesn't read this blog secretly...Nah, LOL.

Then, we came home, ate dinner, and decorated a friend's neighbor's house for Christmas. He's having a rough time with his family, lonely for Christmas, so we decided to surprise him with Christmas cheer, LOL :)

I'm freezing and my stomach hurts. But it is all good, my friend(s).

So, anyway, Christmas Countdown!!! Two days :D TWO DAYS. Here we go...

TWO FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS (as suggested by Cavender and approved by Kyle, LOL):

1. The Cross Collection. Every year, someone in my family makes a small cross. Usually, the cross will represent something or be made of something you've done throughout the year. Something that's defined you, or something that you've been interested in lately. The first year my mom taught eighth grade, she made a cross with Greek letters on it, because she had to learn and teach Greek. My dad has made a lot of stuff with woodworking. When Lizzy was little, it was her turn and Daddy helped her make a little cross out of Play-Doh :) Last year, I wrote a cross. It's a poem about the cross, but it's not cross-shaped. I thought it was a cool idea, haha :) This year it's Lizzy's turn again. Wonder what she'll do...?

2. Christmas dollhouse :) I won't go into this more because I've been talking about it a lot lately, but yeah. I love that.

Also, COMING TOMORROW:

AWARDS!!!! :)

MERRY TWO-DAYS-UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

Mr. Sark and 12 Other Characters ;)

Okay, first, let me just say this: See that poll on the right? Can we get all 80 followers to vote? Yes? No? Let's find out. VOTE :)

NOW, let me introduce you to my latest and EXTREMELY STRONG obsession:

Mr. Sark.

*hyperventilates*

I completely do not know where to start. But, as always, I will try :)

Have any of you heard of the TV series "Alias"? It came on TV a few years ago, but I was too little to be allowed to watch it, much less appreciate it. Now my family has it on DVD and I am an avid watcher. If you like spy movies with lots of action, clever dialogue, unparalleled acting, and an amazing storyline topped off with the great director J.J. Abrams, this is for you! Fans of the Bourne movies will love it.

Anyway, Mr. Sark's character was introduced for the first time in an episode I watched today. The episode opens with him, and before I even had time to process anything, I exploded with an, "OH MY GOSH WHO IS HE???"

My parents (who also LOVE the show and watched it when it came on TV) laughed and told me I was going to LOVE this guy.

They were right. He's amazing, and I've only seen one episode with him in it. I haven't the slightest idea what makes him so amazing, I really don't. Something about him makes my eyes glue to the screen and my lips grin, even though he's evil. He's not the hottest guy in the world and he doesn't have particularly amazing eyes, but something about him is incredible. A real "you just have to see him in action" thing.

I.

Love.

Mr..

Sark.

It got better when he opened his mouth. His voice is perfect. Deep, soft-but-hard and--get this--HE'S BRITISH! :O

Okay, now for what you've all been waiting for. A picture. Fascinated ladies and indifferent gentlemen, I give you...

Mr. Sark:
That picture is now my computer wallpaper. Click to enlarge :)

If you're interested, here are a few more:

Another
Another
Another

****IMPORTANT: IF YOU WATCH ALIAS AND KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS, DO NOT TELL ME. I AM ON MY FIRST TIME THROUGH THE SERIES. I DO NOT LIKE SPOILERS ;)****

Okay, I'm done. Sorry. Now to Christmas :D

Twelve days until Christmas. Twelve days. That's like close to ten days, which sounds REALLY close, does it not? Hmm, what shall we do twelve of? Twelve...twelve...AH HA!

Top Twelve Most Popular "Christmas Characters" (compiled by me, haha):

1. Jesus

2. Santa

3. The Grinch

4. Scrooge

5. Rudolf

6. Frosty

7. The Nutcracker Prince

8. Burgermeister Meisterburger

9. Tiny Tim

10. The Sugarplum Fairy (the Nutcracker)

11. Jack Frost

12. Clara (the Nutcracker)

MERRY TWELVE-DAYS-UNTIL CHRISTMAS! And watch Alias. It's good :)

Predictable Love Stories

I saw New Moon for the second time today! (TEAM JACOB <3) I went with Kathleen (my eighteen-year-old cousin) and Lizzy (my thirteen-year-old sister). Lizzy liked it okay, but it was kind of intense for her and she had trouble following the story. *shrug-sigh* Kathleen really liked it.

It was good the second time, but SOO infinitely much better the first. There's nothing like seeing a good movie for the first time. All the lines hit you, and you don't know what's going to happen next. Jacob's line that almost made me bawl the first time didn't bring tears to my eyes this time around. Still, it was good. I don't really want to see it again for a while, but it was good.

Keeping with the theme of love stories, I'd like to talk about something I've been thinking about lately: predictability in romances.

Let's face it: you can pretty much tell who will end up with whom ten minutes into a movie, or four chapters into a book. The average girl and the new guy. The new girl and the bad boy. The rocker and the ballet dancer. The human and the vampire :) We still like the stories and movies, but we often sigh at how obvious the outcome is.

One of my personal goals is to write an unpredictable romance. But then I got to thinking...

That would kind of suck.

I mean, we all clamber for some surprises, and surprises are great, but wouldn't you feel bummed if the main character suddenly ditched the crowd favorite went with the underdog? Some of you scream "NO!". But think about it. Some characters were just obviously meant to be together, and you'd be ticked off it the plot messed that up.

Star Wars: Han Solo and Leia. JUST KIDDING, Leia decides to marry Lando Calrissian instead.
Twilight: Edward and Bella. Edward changes his mind and ends up with Jane Volturi.
Cinderella: Cinderella and Prince Charming. Prince Charming ditches Cinderella and marries Drusilla.
You've Got Mail: Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox. Kathleen decides that Joe's not for her and sticks with Frank.

...wouldn't all that kind of SUCK?

Of course, there are some movies that don't end like we expect them to (Casablanca, Gone With the Wind) and they're still good and famous. But we do feel sort of bummed after seeing them for the first time.

I guess my point is, we complain about predictability, but if anyone ever really writes or films a completely unpredictable story, you leave the theater with a curled lip muttering about how crappy it was.

I think we as humans like predictability, whether we like to admit it or not.

So, my challenge to write an unpredictable love story just got that much more challenging:

Write an unpredictable love story that people LIKE.

:)

FUNNEST TAG EVER!!

I was not tagged, but I couldn't help but do this when I saw it on Earwen's blog! Sorry if this is cheating! I couldn't help myself ;)

First, list twelve characters from any fandom, then answer the questions below.

Characters (pictures conveniently added for your viewing pleasures):
1. Eragon ("Eragon")
2. Darren (from my book, "The Mirror")
3. Paige (from my book, "The Mirror")
4. Luken (from my book, "The Mirror")
5. Jace ("The Mortal Instruments Trilogy")
6. Soraya ("The Farsala Trilogy")
7. Kavi ("The Farsala Trilogy")
8. Shang ;) (Mulan)
9. Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean)
10. Murtagh ("Eragon")
11. Jane Eyre ("Jane Eyre". I'm reading it for school.)
12. Jacob Black (*sigh* Yes, from "TWILIGHT".)

(Yes, I am aware that there are only 3 girls. Stop harassing me.)

Now for the questions...

1. Who would make a better collage prof, 6 or 11?
Oh my goodness, 11 by FAR!! Jane Eyre is actually a teacher! And Soraya is unfailingly impatient.

2. Do you think #2 is hot?
Darren? Shoot yeah! ;)

3. 12 sends 8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed?
I totally laughed out loud. Jacob Black orders Captain Shang on a mission? Hmm, mission: Take down Victoria so she won't kill Bella (let's say Edward is gone). Jacob can't protect Bella himself because he's been ordered by the Alpha for some reason not to. Does the mission succeed? Hmm, I really want to say yes, but no. Vampire Woman against human Captain Shang? No amount of strength, honor and bravery can save him from her!

4. What is or what would be 9's favorite book?
Will Turner's? I don't know actually.

5. Would it make more since for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or the other way around?
Hmm, Darren swearing fealty to Soraya, or vice versa? Darren swearing to Soraya, I think. Soraya is near royalty, and Darren would be a capable aid to her.

6. For some reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should (s)he room with 9 or 10?
I love this one! Should Jace room with Will Turner or Murtagh? I think Jace and Murtagh might get along rather well, actually...

7. 2, 7 and 12 are going out to dinner. Where do they go and what do they discuss?
Darren, Kavi, and Jacob Black. I LOVE THAT! Where do they go? I'm going to go with JP Looneys. What do they talk about? Well, Darren and Jacob are both from here and now, so that's not too hard, but Kavi is from the Middle East-ish and a long time ago...Well, regardless, I bet they find SOME way to talk sports XD

8. 3 challenges 10 to a duel, who wins?
LOLS!!!!! Paige vs. Murtagh? I'm sorry, Paige, but you have no chance.

9. If 1 stole 8's most precious possession, how would (s)he get it back?
Eragon steals from Shang...I suppose Shang would hunt Eragon down and corner him and ask him to give it back. From what you can gather from a Disney movie, Shang is a very act-now-ask-later kind of person. Strength, bravery and honor always.

10. Suggest a story title in which 7 and 12 both attain what they desire.
Kavi and Jacob. What does Kavi want most? The best thing for his people, justice. What does Jacob want? Bella (lol). So the title of the book would be...Love and War.

11. What kind of plot device would you have to use if you wanted 1 and 4 to work together?
Eragon and Luken working together? Well, since Eragon has some experience working with Elves and their peculiarities, that might not be too difficult. Although, Luken's arrogant attitude is enough to drive anyone crazy.

12. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would it go?
KAVI!!! *hyperventilates* I love him!! Well, as a character. Um, it would probably go rather disappointingly, though. He's not a very sociable person and I'm much younger than he is (he's 19-20). I would definitely ask him lots of questions about being a spy and a peasant, etc., but I can't imagine him being more than vaguely interested in visiting.

13. If you could command 3 to perform any service or task for you, what would it be?
Oh, Paige. Um, maybe pull a few strings and get me to Sorayoni?

14. Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11?
Jane Eyre? Um, no. She's not a very well-known character among people my age, lol!

15. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, what side would (s)he choose?
Darren choosing between Luken and Jace? Oh, WOW, this is good. Luken and Jace are very much alike in personality, actually. Jace is much funnier and Luken more serene, though. It would depend on the issue, but in general, I almost think Darren would go with Jace...I think he could definitely relate to Jace much more. Then again, there are some things that would make Darren want to side with Luken...Probably Darren would side with Jace, though.

16. What might 10 shout out while charging into battle?
Murtagh might shout something like, "LOOK OUT GALBATORIX!" No, really, I have NO IDEA. I'm awful at that sort of thing.

17. If you had to choose a song to best describe 8, what would it be?
Shang. Uh, "I'll Make A Man Out of You", duh ;)

18. 1, 6 and 12 are having a dim sum at a Chinese Restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets it?
Eragon, Soraya, and Jacob Black. Soraya most definitely gets it. I can't imagine Eragon caring that much about a pancake, and Jacob (pre-phasing at least) is fairly happy-go-lucky. Soraya is definitely not flexible or selfless by any stretch of the imagination.

19. What would be a good pickup line for 2 to say to 10?
Um, Darren trying to pick up Murtagh...I'm thinking there would be nothing to say, LOL!

20. What would 5 most likely be arrested for?
JACE! I was hoping it'd be him :) Hmm, probably getting super angry and doing some damage to public property...No, more likely he was a smart-alec to a police officer or security guard.

21. What is 6's secret?
*whispers* She's actually still alive and the Daughter of the House of the Leopard!

22. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?
Um, Will Turner vs. Jane Eyre. I'm going with Will. It's hard to run fast in a dress :D

23. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, who would you feel more comfortable walking with, 7 or 8?
*squeal* Kavi or Shang? I'd feel perfectly safe with either. Kavi is quite street-smart, a very good liar and could talk his way out of anything. He'd make you laugh at the same time with his dry humor, too. Of course, he's a good fighter when necessary, but with him, it probably wouldn't be necessary. Shang is your ideal Chinese warrior. Need I say more?

24. 1 and 9 reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4's sinister secret organization. 11 volunteers to help them,but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for 4. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of 5, they seek out 3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fiction?

So Eragon and Will Turner team up to save the world from Luken's secret organization (completely plausible). Jane Eyre volunteers to help, but actually turns out to be a spy for Luken! Meanwhile, Luken has kidnapped Jacob black in an attempt to force his surrender. Following Jace's wise advice (haha), Eragon and Will seek out Paige who gives them what they need to complete the quest.

Title of Book: (I have NO IDEA.)

Wow, I know you probably didn't read all that, but that was SO MUCH FUN!!!

Now, I tag...
Einar
Illunse
Christopher Kolmorgen
Bethany
Hannah
Jake

Have fun!

Character Day and Feeling Much Better

Character Day! I'm going to do one of my own today: fourteen-year-old Kaelie Kayla Morgan (KY-lee KAY-lah MOR-gun).

Kaelie is bubbly, fun-loving and impatient, but also clever and maintains a touch of solemnity when necessary. She's a complex person. She can be giggly and easily distracted one moment, and then come up with a perfect solution to a mind-boggling problem the next. Her favorite things include good jokes, the color periwinkle (she likes the name as well as the color), and friends. She despises stupid people, her brother being right when she's wrong, and long waits.

Appearance-wise, Kaelie's looks match her personality. Her auburn hair and extraordinarily bright green eyes give her a clever and excited look. Originally, her hair was supposed to be kind of scrunched-style and shoulder length. Now I'm starting to like the picture of hair I have below. Kind of a Star Trek-esque ponty-tail thing going on, which fits since Kaelie's story is set in the future. What do you think? Anywyay, she's 5'6" tall and weighs about 124lb.

The color and texture (and maybe length?) of Kaelie's hair:

Kaelie's eyes:

Over-all (she's a bit younger than the girl in this picture):

And there's Kaelie Morgan!

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So, as you might have gathered from the title of this post, I'm feeling a lot better. I guess I was just having a bad few days. I'm still not who I want to be, but that's okay, but God is working on my every day. I'm not *supposed* to be perfect!

Thanks, all of you guys who left such encouraging comments. You can't possibly know how much they help me when I'm feeling down.

I don't want to talk about school. At all. Next topic.

I'm supposed to be reading "Gulliver's Travels" this week for school. So far, it's pretty good. It's not super exciting, but it's not particularly hard to read either. We're supposed to be keeping a record as we read of all the satire in it. I'm really looking forward to that. Satire/sarcastism is definitely a subject I love XD

No writing to speak of. I've been thinking some about my stories, but nothing has struck me as writing material--yet. I'm still waiting.

I haven't written any "Mirror" in a very long time. Like, MONTHS long time. Am I worried?

Nope.

This happened to me in the beginning of "Mirror", too. I wrote about thirty pages, and then it was a good nine or ten months before I read over it and got excited about it again. I'm just taking a break. Sooner or later, I'll start to miss my characters and I'll get a brainstorm or something and BAM! The words will flow.

Play practice tonight :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D I've been a little depressed, though, thinking about the fact that it has to end.

I'm telling you, I SUCK at carpe-ing my diem. I live in the past (I wish I could go back and time and relieve such-and-such) and in the future (it's gonna suck when so-and-so leaves or when such-and-such is over). I've been trying SO HARD to enjoy "Mulan" while it lasts that I've been ruining it for myself.

*MOANGROANSIGHWAILSOB*

I know this is a weird prayer request, and frankly pretty selfish, but if y'all think of me during the day, do you think you could send out a prayer that I will learn to enjoy life RIGHT NOW?

I guess that's about all I've got to say.

Oh, hah, no, it isn't. I lied XD

Fact or Fiction Day was yesterday. The fact/fiction: Eating 2 poppy seed bagels can make you test positive for drugs.

FACT.

Cavender, Bethany, and Gracie all got it right, but Cavender got it right first. Here's your award, Cavender:

I think I'm going to stop giving out awards for this. Awards are supposed to be special, and giving them out twice a week is just making it kind of mundane. And it's kind of a pain to keep cranking out awards, lol XD

Thanks for being there, you guys!

Character Day: Taking Sibling Rivalry To a Whole 'Nother Level

FIRST: Thanks, Lady Brainsample, for following! I love your name.
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Character Day:

One of my own today--a character that resulted from my temporary obsession with Chinese culture.

Of course, to have a story set in actual China would be too simple. I have to create my own fantasy world based on China (see, that way if I get half my facts wrong, it's not wrong because it's MY world. See how it works? XD). I have no idea how exactly Chinese the culture will be. I've added some things, and will probably change some things, too. The one-child rule was ditched because of my obsession with big families.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever written a story about an only child...(Well, Darren is an only child).

Anyway. Back to my character. Her name is Gembira, and she's fifteen years old. She has twelve siblings, including a twin brother.

The culture she lives in is much like China in its system of honor and respect, but I added the rule that your older siblings are also to be honored and respected, and boys are generally valued over girls (not an original concept, especially for Chinese culture).

This creates a very interesting relationship between Gembira and her twin brother, Gan. Gembira is the older of the two, but Gan is a son. Who has more authority? They often have arguments over this, but at the same time share a close mental and emotional bond.

Gembira's personality is curious and unsatisfied with life, but she mostly sticks to tradition and obeys the rules of society. However, in her mind she is constantly questioning the status quo. She's the third daughter in her family, preceded by Darpana, the practical and harsh "oldest daughter", and the long-suffering but unimaginative Fara.

Gembira struggles between trying to be the perfect daughter and wanting to question the family's way of life. She feels that she has just as much to offer as her brothers, but she has trouble accepting those thoughts as legitimate because of her upbringing.

The story (if it goes anywhere) will begin with Gembira's oldest older brother getting married, followed by a terrible fight between her and Gan (her twin brother). The argument becomes so severe that it is brought to the attention of the parents. Father sides with Gan, being a son, and Mother follows his lead. It is decided that [insert something terrible that I haven't decided yet] is to happen to Gembira.

By this time, even Gan is horrified and wants to help his twin sister, but cannot go against his parents. He decides to help Gembira escape somehow.

The story from there is fairly generic in my mind so far: Gembira is thrust into the world where men rule and girls drool, and she probably gets the help of an "unlikely friend" (how cliche, I know), and discovers more about herself and the status quo and how it's unfair.

OR.

Gan might end up going along with her for some reason and that same stuff happens.

It probably won't be that generic, but I haven't thought through the plot very far yet XD

So, there's Gembira, a curious and unsatisfied victim of unfair upbringing struggling to find herself, no thanks to her power-hungry but close twin brother.

:D

For all the other family-and-character-obsessed people, here's a handy list of all the things you didn't need to know about Gembira's family. The list includes the names of her siblings, their ages, and their name meanings. I found some pictures from Google that sort of look like the character. You can click on their name to see the picture (I didn't have much luck at all with the brothers). Sorry Gembira is in a bathing suit. There's no reason for that except that her face looked kind of like I imagined her looking. *shrug*

Name - gender (hey, it's hard to know by the names sometimes!) - age - name meaning

1. Aran – brother - 25 – forest
2. Bien – brother - 23 – sea
3. Eun – brother - 21 – silver
4. Darpana – sister - 19 – mirror
5. Chet – brother - 18 – brother
6. Fara – sister - 16 – flower
7. Gembira – sister - 15 – happy one (Ironic, right?)
8. Gan- brother - 15 – dare; adventure
9. Hikari – sister - 14 – light; shining
10. Izanami – sister - 12 – welcomes others
11. Jun – brother - 11 – obedience
12. Kiet – brother - 9 – honor
13. Lek – brother - 7 – small person
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Gracie and Krevan both got the answer right to yesterday's Fact or Fiction.

China is considering renouncing its one-child law.

FALSE. That law is here to stay, at least for a while. They are, however, allowing families to have two children IF both the mother and father were only children. Interesting, isn't it?

Sorry, Krevan, you were just a little too late! Congratulations, Gracie, for being the first correct guess! Here's your award:

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Today's been fine. It's raining, so that means the church thing was canceled, so that means I can go to play practice!! Yay! As much as I was looking forward to hearing the church band play, I'm glad I get to got to play practice. I really do love it.

I've listened to NOTHING except Mulan (oh, well, I listened to the LotR soundtrack while I did math, as usual) for about 48 hours. I have never, ever, ever been so totally emersed in something in my whole entire life. (With the exception of being consumed by physical science during exam week last year.) I listen to Mulan, think Mulan, read Mulan, quote Mulan, dream Mulan. I've listened to the CD five times in two days (it's 57 tracks long, people), and had Mulan dreams several nights in a row. I've had nothing but Mulan songs running through my head absolutely-no-freakin'-lie-CONSTANTLY for three days now.

Miraculously, I still love it. Completely do. I don't see how it's possible, but I do. (Haha, I've still got three weeks to go, though.)

School is school. *shrug* Nothing really new there. "Pilgram's Progress" = FTL, but maybe a little less than before.

Still drowing in Latin, but not quite as badly.

Writing...well, Gembira's story has been getting on fairly well for me. (Fairly well meaning a page and a half and ton of back story and character sketches, lol!)

Thanks for reading, I love hearing from you!!

P.S. Also, don't forget tomorrow is Question Day! If you have a question, no matter how weird, awkward (within reason XD), random, generic, or silly, I'd love to hear it!