#four victorians on a roller coaster | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

victorluvsalice · 1 year

Text

A Gush About Valicer

So this is probably a bit of a weird post for me to make, given that it’s literally just me gushing about the weird OT3 I’ve had for less than a year, but -- it’s Thanksgiving, and I feel like it’s weirdly appropriate to start talking about a ship that I’ve grown to be very fond of over the past few months. I’m thankful that it’s in my life. So, yeah -- I’m taking this opportunity to say it --

I fuckin’ love Valicer.

I mean that. I’m the first person to say that I don’t understand how or why I got so into The Smiler coaster at Alton Towers, and I especially don’t get why I went from trying to use the roller coaster for some Valice AU funtimes straight into shipping a human/humanoid (depending on the AU) version of said coaster with Victor and Alice, but even with that. . .I just love it so much! Smiler’s been a fun coaster OC to develop through Sims and the Not-Incorrect Quotes posts and generally all the weird situations I’ve come up with for them in my head. They’re so different to Victor and Alice by being extroverted and loud and generally cheerful, and yet they love their boyfriend and his girlfriend so much and want to see them happy. . . Granted, they want to see everybody happy, but still. And Victor and Alice love them, despite their differences, and they have such a great dynamic! I really feel like Smiler brings out Victor and Alice’s more fun-loving, jokingly-feral sides (as seen in the Not-Incorrect Quotes), and it’s great. :D I love all the little variations I’ve made up for them:

-->The Sims trio, living in their haunted farmhouse: Smiler working on robots in the barn and sending out bursts of vampiric happiness, Victor tending to his plants in the greenhouse and practicing his magic, Alice painting on the porch and coming to grips with being a werewolf

-->The Modern AU with all of them in college, with them starting out just as friends and becoming more after that one awkward hypnosis session with Victor, and transitioning into a very happy polycule with a nice support network of Smiler’s friends and family and Victoria and Emily (excellent for dealing with Victor’s shitty parents)

-->The Londerland Bloodlines AU where Smiler initially looks like an antagonist, but as it turns out they’re being manipulated by their “friends” and they do have some ethics under their “I can manipulate emotions to help people be happier, so why shouldn’t I?” exterior. Smiler wanting to atone after Victor gets kidnapped just for knowing them and they see some of the horrors the Setites were visiting on the people they wanted to help, and slowly being integrated into the vampire/ghoul/zombie polycule in the process

-->The Fallout of Darkness AU where I actually lean the closest to the ride’s actual theming (with The Smiler itself being a mind control device run by an eldritch being), but even then Mar-Mal has enough ethical sense to understand that you don’t kill the people you’re trying to make happy, and enough sense of humanity to enjoy Victor and Alice’s company and want to stay in their robot form with them, and Victor and Alice go from being kind of scared of the robot run by an eldritch being to seeing it as a friend they want to stick around -- and possibly, if Mar-Mal gets a handy Gen-3 synth body at any point, friendship might become something more. . .

-->The multi-fairy-tale AU with Victoria and Emily, featuring Smiler at their Fae best, just wanting to do nice things and make fun deals with these mortals to spread some joy, and slowly being sucked into genuinely caring for them, to the point where Victor’s “death” by poisoned apple nearly breaks them; Alice going from just surviving her awful tenure in Bumby and the Tweedles’ hell-house to having actual friends and loved ones; Victor and Victoria both escaping their toxic parents and finding that a simpler life, if harder, agrees with them SO much more, and finding so much love in that life; Emily reclaiming the happiness that she used to have on land, and finding real love after Barkis tricked her with his poisonous version

-->The upcoming Holistic!AU, where Victor and Alice are practically soulmates thanks to the universe bringing them together; and then Victor falls in with Smiler and their friends thanks to being kidnapped by Kelman and finds that his social circle doesn’t have to be just Alice, that the universe will let him have more friends and more loved ones, and Smiler’s happiness sense keeps giving them mixed signals about how okay it is to kiss Victor -- until Alice finally shows up for the rescue and lets them know it’s all right, she’s willing to share (as are Victoria and Emily, who are actually starting to appreciate this mad ride)

-->The Blades In The Dark-inspired thing I’ve been poking at -- this’ll get a proper write-up at some point, but the gist of it is that, after some incidents involving Victor getting kidnapped by a ghost bride on the eve of his wedding, Alice finding out Dr. Bumby’s horrible plans for the Houndsditch orphans, and Smiler just trying to help them both out, they end up as a criminal gang focusing on stealing from the rich so they can do things like create a community greenhouse (which I appreciate isn’t QUITE how you play BitD but this is fanfic not me actually playing XD) and go from friendly acquaintances to polycule in the process

-->All the various half-formed AUs that float through my head at night -- Victorian AUs where Victor and Smiler meet thanks to Dr. Kelman dragging their “son” to a Van Dort party and end up secret lovers for a time, before either Smiler gets banished to rural Lithuania and Victor has to go through some Forgotten Vows-style shenanigans before they can get back, and Alice has to deal with the fact that this is Victor’s ex who still clearly loves him, but does that mean she has to give Victor up? (Nope, as it turns out, she doesn’t), or the two run away together to avoid Victor’s arranged marriage and end up meeting Alice in the process, and Smiler has to deal with the fact that Victor clearly thinks Alice is attractive, and she’s nice, and are they ready to share Victor with someone else? (Yup, they totally are.) Or modern AUs where Alice and Smiler were friends first, and they both meet Victor, and discover they’re both falling for him, and initially they try to be noble and push him toward each other, until finally Victor reveals he’s in love with BOTH of them and they realize that they don’t HAVE to give him up. All the different ways they can meet, and become friends, and fall in love that I can think up.

And this is getting REALLY long, and I’m not sure how coherent it is anymore. XD Just -- the point of it is, having all this strange and wonderful Valicer (and Four Victorians On A Roller Coaster) stuff has really made me happier over the past year, and I’m really glad it’s part of my life now. I love my silly little Smiler OC, and I love my ship with them and my original OTP. So I hope you guys like it too, because it’s gonna be sticking around. XD

#valicer #four victorians on a roller coaster #smiler alton #smiler always #the smiler #I just #it's hard for me to articulate how happy the trio makes me?#Valice has always made me happy and continues to make me happy #but it's so much fun to add in Smiler now too #I love them as a trio #how Smiler and Alice are such good friends #and how much they both love Victor #and Victor loves them both in return #and they're just silly and fun together and #*heart heart heart*#the Sims versions give me the serotonin #once I have more mental energy I will be talking more about Valicer stuff #so yeah brace yourselves XD #queued

7 notes · View notes

fulcrumahsokaamidala · 4 years

Text

Sunday Spectacular #24

Happy Sunday!!! So this is me thanking awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and all the time they put into their fics. ♥️ I want to recommend spectacular fanfic stories I read this week! ♥️ They are posted in the order I read them. All posts will be tagged #spectacular fic rec

Last week I didn’t post because it was my last week before spring break. I had so much homework that I didn’t read fic almost at all. I’m just adding what I read the week before to this post.

A Soul Lost at Sea by @tinaday3w | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Olicity Victorian AU - Five years after pirates attacked his ship, Royal Navy sailor Oliver Queen returns home to England to find his affluent family in financial ruin. So when he’s presented with the opportunity to marry Felicity, eldest daughter of the ridiculously wealthy Noah Smoak, Oliver doesn’t hesitate to capture her hand…even though he has no idea if he can capture her heart. Or if Felicity could ever possibly learn to love a soul lost at sea.

Pieces of Always by @so-caffeinated | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows.Ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. You do not need to have read FiCoN to enjoy this, but it will spoil the end.

A Surefire Guide to Getting Over Your Ex by lilbluednacer | Arrow | Completed

Summary: Felicity and Oliver can totally start sleeping together without ruining their friendship… right?

An Island Of His Own Making by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Oliver broke up with Felicity and Tommy because it was the right thing to do, at least, that's what he keeps telling himself.

The Green Arrow Did It by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: Tommy is on the other side of the country. Oliver is at work. Felicity is home alone with the twins. The twins might be ninjas.

Pas de Deux by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: With Oliver gone, Felicity and Tommy need to figure out who they are as a couple.

Workouts and Babbles by ElasticMonk | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Oliver comes to the rescue of one cute blonde at his gym just as Felicity stumbles upon one handsome mayor at her gym. They both have something in common, but will it bring them happiness?

The Daughter That Was Left Behind by @laxit21| Arrow | WIP

Summary: Before the Gambit, Oliver Queen met QC intern Felicity Smoak. When he boarded the Gambit, he left something behind. Now, five long years later someone is waiting for him.

Artemis by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: When the Queen’s Gambit sank, two people were stranded on Lian Yu. Five years later, four came back.

in another world (just the two of us) by @inlovewithimpossibillity | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: She knows she has no right, no place here to say anything about it, but she can’t help the images that flash through her brain. A different Connor, with a kinder face and no facial hair, a different Mia too for that matter, in a completely different place. Somewhere darker and grimier, as if the filter that seems to shine over Star City has been removed.

[When Dinah and Laurel restore the rest of FTA's memories, Mia and Connor talk through some of their issues... or at least they try to. It's a little hard when you have two lives' worth of memories in your head.]

The Miracle of the Avenging Angel by @realityisoverrated-fic | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: It's a typical weekend in the Merlyn-Queen-Smoak household. Temple on Friday night, church on Sunday morning, and a whole lot of smut and confusion in between. It's the 20th anniversary of the arrival of the Green Arrow in Starling City and Prue has an unusual interpretation of her superhero father.

(your love is) always on my mind by @inlovewithimpossibillity | Arrow | One-shot

Summary: She’s clearly taken some time to get ready and that thought alone has Oliver’s heart beating out of his chest at an abnormal rate. The concept that she wanted to look nice for him makes his heart glow in a way he’d forgotten it even could. And good lord, she looks so much more than nice.

[An evening set between 6x03 and 6x04 because we all know these two couldn't keep their hands off one another]

Baby Daddy by more0rLessJess | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Bartender Oliver Queen was living his twenties to the fullest, he lived with his best friend John Diggle, and his brother in everything but blood, Tommy Merlyn just moved into their apartment as he started his professional baseball career for the Starling City Rockets. On top of that, his childhood best friend Felicity Smoak, who was no longer goth and instead blonde and beautiful, was back in town and they were hanging out again. Oliver thought his days were going to be filled with partying, one night stands, and boys weekends while also spending quality time with the girl everyone kept telling him he was in love with. Until his ex-girlfriend dropped a baby on his doorstep who turned out to be his son. After a lot of thought and Felicity Smoak pep talks, Oliver decides to keep and raise his son with the help of his friends. Or the AU fic inspired by the Freeform sitcom Baby Daddy that no one asked for but I needed to write. Aka Oliver and Felicity are childhood friends and are hopelessly in love with each other and everyone knows but them, oh and now they’re raising a baby. What could go wrong?

It’s in the Air by @emmilynestill | Arrow | WIP

Summary: December 23, 2016. It’s Mayor Queen’s first-holiday party and love is in the air.

No, wait, that’s tension in the air. Bitterness. Regret. Painful longing for one’s former love. Awkward interactions with current significant others. A little humiliation mixed in. Yup, this was one great party.

Then the gas came.

Maybe love was in the air afterall.

**Just my usual lock Oliver and Felicity in a room with a mind-altering substance with a dash of holiday magic thrown in. And, by magic, I mean Sex Pollen. And maybe a little Truth Serum to stir things up.**

Always Been You by @smoaking-greenarrow | Arrow | WIP

Summary: On Oliver's last night in Starling, Tommy throws him a yacht party. When his little sister and her best friend show up, Oliver has a hard time hiding the torch he's always carried for Felicity. But he's leaving in the morning... They both know it can only be a one-time thing...

From Russia with Love by griever11 | Arrow | Completed

Summary: Rookie FBI Agent and resident IT extraordinaire Felicity Smoak has just landed the assignment of a lifetime. Together with Supervisory Senior Agent Diggle, she returns to Starling City undercover in an attempt to flush out the elusive Odessa gang that has been a thorn in the Bureau's side for many years.

Leader of the Russian mob Oliver Queen stumbles upon a piece of information that unfortunately requires a certain set of hacking skills that no one he knows seems to possess. Lucky for him, he comes across an unusual criminal hacker who has mysteriously turned up in Starling and funnily enough, seems just right for the job.

How's that for perfect timing?

All Her Firsts by @callistawolf | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Felicity Smoak visits Starling with her high school decathlon team, prepared for a week of intellectual rigors. What she doesn’t expect is the emotional roller coaster that follows as she begins to fall for her host- the totally-out-of-her-league Oliver Queen.

Almost Lover by lust_muffin | Arrow | WIP

Summary: After the siege, after the whole mess with Slade Wilson, after telling Felicity he loved her without meaning it (but totally meaning it), things hadn’t been great between them. Tension was running high, they had problems communicating when that was something that never happened before and Laurel… Laurel was making everything worse. Until one night, she went too far. And that was the point that changed their lives forever.

Or a “what would Oliver and Felicity’s life be like if they got together sooner?”

It's A Long Corgi... by @alexiablackbriar13| Arrow | One-shot

Summary: William accidentally, secretly adopts a corgi puppy.

Felicity and Oliver eventually find out. Eventually.

Daughter of the Demon by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: What if in 1988 while traveling through Las Vegas Ra’s al Ghul bumps into a nice waitress named Donna Smoak and they have one-night stand together? A little bundle of joy named Felicity Smoak is the result. In 2014, the Demon Head becomes aware of his youngest daughter’s existence.

The Ravager by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Slade Wilson’s plan for revenge against Oliver took time, money and no shortage of lives to pull together. His plan didn’t anticipate Felicity Smoak. How will his plan change now that his lost-lost daughter is working with the very man he’s trying to destroy?

Felicity of Themiscyra by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: Years ago, Donna Smoak left the island of Themiscyra and her sister Queen Hippolyta behind to live in man’s world. She never told Felicity the truth about where she came from. As a result of the Undertaking, Felicity discovers some of her Amazonian abilities and makes an interesting new friend: Diana Prince.

I Scream But No Sound Comes out by @laxit21 | Arrow | WIP

Summary: When Oliver returns from Lian Yu after five years, he comes back different. What happened there damaged more than just his body. How will his friends and family deal with this new Oliver?

#spectacular fic rec #weekly fic recs

46 notes · View notes

raeynbowboi · 5 years

Text

Dating Disney: Pinocchio

I won’t lie, this is far from a personal favorite. In fact, I don’t particularly care for this film. I would say I haven’t seen it in at least ten years. But, I got a private ask wanting me to do a Dating Disney on it, and I like to please my fans so here we go.

The Origins

The Adventures of Pinocchio is an Italian children’s book written by Carlo Collodi in 1883. That means the story was 57 years old when Disney adapted it into a children’s movie. The book, as is common with Disney films, is far darker than the movie. Pinocchio is extremely ill-behaved, being a full blown brat, whereas the Disney version is a generally good kid making bad decisions. No sooner than he’s created, the book version kicks Geppetto, gets him arrested, and then throws a hammer at the Talking Cricket and kills it. Geppetto gets released from prison, and Pinocchio promises to go to school, but the following day sells his school books to buy a ticket for a marionette show. On his way home to give the money he has to Gepetto, he’s stopped by a Cat and Fox who decieve him into thinking that if he plants the gold coins in the Field of Miracles that they’ll grow into gold trees, then use his money to gorge themselves on a feast and ditch him, only to return disguised as bandits and hang him from a tree. The Turquoise Fairy (renamed the Blue Fairy in the movie) retrieves his body, stating that she is dead and waiting for a hearse. The fairy invites Pinocchio and Geppetto to live with her in the forest cottage, but on his way to meet up with his father is met by the cat and fox again who remind him of planting his coins in the Field of Miracles. Pinocchio does so, and the Fox and Cat dig up the coins and flee. Pinocchio tries to report them, but is sentenced to four months in prison for foolishness. After he’s freed from prison, he tries to return to the fairy’s house in the woods, but stops to steal some grapes and is caught in a weasel trap and forced to be a guard dog. He stops weasels from stealing the farmer’s chickens and is rewarded by being set free, and makes his way to the good fairy’s house where all he finds is a gravestone, believing her to be dead. A pigeon gives Pinocchio a ride to the shore to meet up with his father, but his father is eaten by The Terrible Dogfish, and Pinocchio goes to the Island of Busy Bees for help, but can only earn food through labor. There, he meets the Turquoise Fairy again, this time looking old enough to be his mother. She tells him that if he’s a good boy for a full year, he’ll become a real boy. He studies hard to rise to the top of his class, but his jealous classmates trick him into playing hookey, and a fellow student is harmed by one of Pinocchio’s books despite him not throwing it. He meets Candlewick who takes him to the Island of Toys where boys never have to work or study, and they wake in the morning to find themselves turned into donkeys. Pinocchio is sold to a circus but is sold when he sprains his leg. The man throws him into the sea, but fish eat the donkey skin, leaving Pinocchio a puppet again. Pinocchio jumps back into the sea where the Terrible Dogfish swallows him, and he finds Geppetto has been living inside of the beast on a wrecked ship. The pair escape, and pass the cat and fox who have become beggars. They find a home with the Talking Cricket, and Pinocchio finds work with a farmer. After months of hard work, he’s saved up money for a new suit, but hears that the fairy is ill, and uses the money he saved up for medicine for her. He awakens to find he has become a real boy, a new suit has been left for him, a fresh stack of school books, and his forty pennies are newly-minted gold coins. Normally, I don’t tend to go into the original version, but unlike the original versions of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, not as many people tend to talk about the original version of Pinocchio, so I figured it was worth sharing how utterly messed up 19th century kids stories are.

Clothing

Both Pinocchio and Geppetto appear to be wearing Lederhosen, which originated in Bavaria, and were commonly worn as typical young boys’ clothes in Germany, but also appeared in Austria, Switzerland, and northern Italy, though less common in Southwestern Germany and Switzerland.

Jiminy Cricket can be seen wearing tailcoats, cravat, and waistcoat with a top hat. Tailcoats, waistcoats, and cravats rose to popular fashion between the 1840s to the 1850s, and Top Hats saw popularity between the late 1700s until the middle of the 1900s. We later see Honest John and Giddy wearing top hats as well, meaning they are currently popular.

Technology

Geppetto is packing a blunderbuss pistol, known as a dragon. By the mid 19th century, the blunderbuss had fallen out of use as a military grade firearm, but still saw private civilian use as a protective firearm, as we see Geppetto use it.

Geppetto’s workshop is full of clockwork music boxes and cuckoo clocks. Music Boxes date back to the 19th century where they were predominantly built by skilled watchmakers, with the first factory popping up in 1815. They were produced primarily in Switzerland. Cuckoo clocks, first invented between 1740 and 1750, are often falsely attributed to Switzerland, but flourished primarily in Germany.

We see Geppetto playing an offshoot of the accordion called the Concertina, first invented in 1844. The smaller size, however, seems to be more in the English style than the bulkier German style.

On Pleasure Island, we see a number of wonders, including a Ferris Wheel, a carousel, a roller coaster, and a pool hall. The Ferris Wheel was first constructed in Chicago in 1893. The first steam-powered Carousel was invented in 1861, though the one in the movie looks more like the kinds that came in the 1870s. The modern roller coaster popped up in Coney Island in 1885, before being patented in 1886 by LaMarcus Adna Thompson. The boys are playing Eight-Ball Pool, an American subtype of the pool game likely invented in 1900 (first documented in 1908). The boys arrive on Pleasure Island via a Steamboat, which date back as far as the 1700s.

Conclusion

Although the fairy tale itself is Italian, there are a lot of German elements in the story. However, I feel as though the movie seems more-so set in Switzerland, as the production of both cuckoo clocks and music boxes is more oft attributed to Switzerland than Germany, even if it’s incorrect. Although Lederhosen are less common in Switzerland, Pinocchio and Geppetto are the only characters seen wearing them, making them plenty uncommon. Although the wearing of Tailcoats and Cravats is seen with Jiminy Cricket, most characters seem to be wearing slightly later period clothing, though a bit harder to place. However, I would place their clothing as belonging to the later half of the 19th century. Eight-Ball is the most modern element, but is a bit of an outlier from data that really points harder at the 1880′s, so I’ll place in the movie in 1885, as Pleasure Island has many rides seen at Coney Island, and the Roller Coaster appeared at Coney Island in 1885. The presence of the Ferris Wheel also pushes for the movie to be set later, but the 1890s is a little late for this movie, so I’ll chalk it up as just an anachronism. While the film could be set in Italy as Lederhosen was worn there, the abundance of German elements with Geppetto leads me more toward saying it takes place in Switzerland, although Geppetto could be a Swiss immigrant living in Italy, as he and Pinocchio are the only two with German and Swiss characteristics.

Setting: Switzerland Kingdom: The Swiss Confederation Year: 1885 Era: Victorian Era (1837-1901) Language(s): German, French, and/or Italian

For whatever reason, the Dating Disney I did for Mulan doesn’t tend to show up when I search for it in my archives, so for anyone having trouble finding it, I’ll link it right [here].

190 notes · View notes

victorluvsalice · 2 years

Text

AU Thursday: Fairy Tale AUs Return! (Well, One Does, Anyway. . .)

You can blame @nitewrighter and their incredible “Cindy” AU (check it out, guys, it’s on AO3 now too!) and my friend @nebbychan working on a Valice “Beauty And The Beast” AU for this. XD

Okay, so, back in 2019, I did a series of posts detailing some fairy tale AU ideas I had for some of my favorite ships -- namely, a LizJangles take on Beauty And The Beast; Vemiglot/Everdortmack takes on Snow White and The Little Mermaid; and a Valice take on Cinderella. I concluded it with a post where I detailed that I would LIKE to do some sort of multi-fairy-tale AU for Vemilicia, but I wasn’t sure how to work it with four people and four fairy tales, so I put it on the back burner.

Fast forward to the present, and -- inspired by those above -- I have finally come up with a multi-fairy-tale-AU I rather like! Though I should note, the ship isn’t Vemilicia anymore.

It’s Four Victorians On A Roller Coaster.

Yes, apparently the missing ingredient all this time was Smiler. And now that they’re here (and I’ve finally found a suitable fairy tale for Victoria), this show has gotten on the road so fast it’s a little concerning. There is a LOT of worldbuilding going on in this head of mine, folks, but let me see if I can give you the simple version:

-->The fairy tales and their respective “protagonists” in this world are:

Victor Van Dort - Snow White: Probably one of the obvious ones, really. As usual, Victor’s the son of the king and queen of the small-but-rapidly-upcoming kingdom of Dort, known for its riches thanks to the abundant fish in the oceans off its coast. Nell, in this universe, contracted with a Fae to have a child “with skin as white as snow, hair as black as ebony, quiet and kind and fair.” Nine months later, she was furious to have given birth to a boy. The Fae, Air, told her that maybe Victor would later decide they were a princess -- Nell’s furious response of “I don’t want a boy who thinks he’s a girl, I want a girl” ticked Air off so much that they immediately cursed her to be barren the rest of her days, forcing her to deal with the child she had. Victor grew up very much knowing he was supposed to be a princess, and it hasn’t done good things to his head.

Victoria Everglot - Catskin: What the hell is “Catskin,” you ask? It’s a “Cinderella” variation where the protagonist is a princess/high-born woman in hiding from her parents, and who uses the super-fancy dresses she picked up before going into hiding to attend a series of balls and win the heart of the prince. I chose this particular fairy tale because “Catskin” has the girl on the run from an unwanted marriage (with the fancy dresses being gifts from the suitor that the suitor wasn’t supposed to be able to procure), while most of the other variations of this type have the girl running from her own father’s attempt at an incestuous marriage after the death of her mother. Victoria’s got enough to deal with, thank you! Anyway, she’s the daughter of the rulers of the large-and-old kingdom of Glot, next-door neighbors to Dort, whose fortunes have been slowly but surely dwindling. Maudeline and Finis very much wanted a son and heir, and were extremely disappointed when their child turned out to be a girl -- and even more so when the royal physicians said that Maudeline would never bring another baby to term. So basically Victoria’s been ignored by her own parents most of her life, shunted off on her nanny and maid Hildegarde. This has not exactly done good things to her head either.

Emily Merrimack - The Little Mermaid: Another one that was probably obvious from the older posts -- but the twist on this one is that Emily didn’t start as a mermaid. What happened here is, Emily was born a minor nobleman’s daughter in Dort, and gained a reputation as a town beauty as she grew up. An “Edward Barkis” rolled into her hometown one day and wooed her, convincing her to run away with him and get married -- but he was only after the gold and jewels he brought, robbing and killing her before dumping the body into the sea to hide the evidence. In this universe, though, if a person dies at sea or is dumped there shortly after the fact, they are given the opportunity to reincarnate as a merperson. Emily took the chance, and soon became a beloved member of “Below,” what the merpeople call their home. She’s particularly close to Elder Gutknecht, the wise old wizard who provides spells and potions for those who need it. She’s still upset over the fact that she got murdered rather than married, and kind of misses the land a bit, but she’s happy enough with her new life below the waves.

Alice Liddell - Cinderella: Again, as you might have guessed from above, though like Emily’s Mermaid, this is a little different from my original conception. Alice was born the second daughter of a respected teacher in Dort, and grew up happily with her mother, father, and older sister Lizzie -- right up until one Angus Bumby entered their lives and decided he had to have Lizzie despite her obvious hatred for him. He broke into the Liddell home, had his way with poor Lizzie, then burnt the house down, leaving poor traumatized eight-year-old Alice the only survivor. While she recovered in the local hospital, he then set himself up as a philanthropist rehabilitating problem orphans and rebuilt the Liddell house to serve as his Houndsditch Home headquarters. He took in two apprentices/wards from their uncle -- Dennis and Columbus Tweedle -- and then, when Alice was about thirteen or so, adopted her from the orphanage and turned her into a servant into her own house to keep an eye on her. Alice, while not aware that he started the fire, knows something isn’t right about this whole situation. . .unfortunately, she doesn’t have the evidence, time, or reputation to call Bumby, Dee, and Lum out on their bullshit -- she’s just barely getting by herself these days, with her only real friend being the barn cat, Cheshire, whom she imagines talks to her and gives her good advice. Again, not doing good things to her head!

Smiler - N/A at present: Okay, so -- Smiler’s deal in this world is that they and all the other Secret Weapon coasters (Nemesis, Oblivion, Galactica (formerly Air), Th13teen, and Wickerman) are Fae creatures -- Rita’s around too, but as a human who chose to stay permanently in their realm after starting a relationship with Th13teen. I wanted to give them a specific fairy tale as well, but I’m having trouble finding one to pair with them (thought I had something with a friendly twist on “Rumplestilskin,” but I can’t think of a way to work the “spinning straw into gold” thing into my plot), so right now they’re “generic fairy helper character.” Anyway, Smiler and their fellow Fae live in a section of the Fairy Realms accessible by walking between the towers of the ancient Alton castle. They’re all explicitly friendly Fae -- yeah, some of them can act like edgelords on occasion, and they’re not above spooking people just for a laugh, but it’s all in good fun! Humans are allowed to come and go as they please, and all of the food is offered freely and without any “you have to stay here forever if you eat of it” enchantments. (Other enchantments may apply.) Smiler in particular is known as the “Minister of Joy” and enjoys trying to make people happy, though occasionally they’re a little overenthusiastic about it.

-->The actual plot kicks off when Victor Van Dort is engaged to Victoria Everglot for their parents’ and kingdoms’ mutual benefit -- the Dorts will gain an old and proud ally and have their status as a new kingdom greatly raised; the Glots will get access to some of the Dort fishing wealth. However, before Victoria can even travel to meet her intended groom, a “Lord Barkis Bittern” -- claiming to hail from the kingdom of “Burton” -- rolls into town and starts presenting himself as an alternative candidate. Maudeline and Finis, who don’t particularly like Nell and William, are only too happy to contemplate him as a son-in-law; Victoria, by contrast, was already not keen on marrying someone she’d never met -- but is even LESS keen on marrying THIS asshole. Her maid, Hildegarde, suggests she ask for some sort of expensive token that only the Van Dorts can provide -- Victoria promptly demands a dress as gold as the sun and as silver as the moon.

-->The Van Dorts actually manage to create this dress (and it actually looks good despite Nell trying to make it more complicated than it needs to be), and it’s sent off to the Everglots -- but Barkis manages to intercept the package and pass the dress off as his own. Horrified and not believing for a moment Barkis got that dress himself, Victoria decides to run away. Hildegarde gives her some simple clothes and a coat of catskin (”it’s just the name of the fabric!”) to help disguise herself, and she bolts in the dead of the night. . .though she can’t help taking the dress with her, as it is beautiful. She ends up over the border in the small town of Newcrest in Dort, where she ends up getting work as a seamstress.

-->While all this is happening, Victor -- to help settle his own mind about all the nonsense surrounding his upcoming nupitals -- goes out on a boating trip. . .but a sudden storm wrecks his boat and separates him from his servants. Emily, in the area and seeing him about to drown, rescues him and brings him back to shore. A combination of her own lingering wish to walk on the land again coupled with “oh, this guy is cute” makes her decide that she wants to try becoming human again, and she goes to Elder Gutknecht for help. He discovers a spell that will allow her to trade her voice for a pair of human legs -- there’s a permanent version that involves cutting out her tongue entirely, and a temporary version which just takes some blood from it and comes with the caveat that she may never fully submerge herself in water again, lest legs and voice switch back. Emily, wanting to have the option to come back to her underwater home and NOT wanting to slice out her damn tongue, goes with the latter -- Gutknecht prepares the potion, and she swims to shore with a scavenged dress and drinks it. Wandering inland looking for a place to stay, she too finds Newcrest, and ends up working at the same seamstress shop as Victoria, where the two become fast friends.

-->Meanwhile, with his intended bride having vanished, Barkis decides the best use of his time is to go eliminate the competition. He crosses over to the Dort kingdom, disguises himself as a royal huntsman, and takes Victor out on a hunting trip -- where he tries to kill him, claiming he’s acting on orders from the Queen to cut out Victor’s heart and bring it to her to eat to try and end her own curse. Victor manages to escape the murder attempt and flee (knowing the woods better than Barkis) -- but, having grown up very well aware he was supposed to be a princess, he can’t quite shake the idea that his own mother might have tried to have him killed. He decides to go into hiding for a little while so he can determine if that was the truth and avoid other assassins. . .and what do you know, he ends up in Newcrest. Specifically, he ends up at the Ball & Socket pub and boarding house -- run by cook Ms. Plum, bartender and waiter Paul, singer and entertainer Sam “Bonejangles” Thatcher, and containing permanent boarders Generals Wellingdead and Bonesaparte, the town crier, and the local pastor, Galswells. Victor gives them a modified version of what happened (namely, he claims only to be the son of a nobleman, using his middle name “Fitzwilliam” as his last), and they tell him he can stay as long as he needs, earning room and board through odd jobs.

-->One of said jobs is helping Ms. Plum prepare and deliver food orders -- this is how he meets Victoria and Emily (lunch ordered at the shop; Emily recognizes him solely as the guy she saved, and explains through notes about her deal -- Victor thanks her again for her help and hopes she’s enjoying her time on land); Alice (meals ordered by Bumby and the Tweedles -- he’s taken by the sassy young woman who opens the door); and Smiler (a trip to the Alton Towers to drop off some pies; Smiler ends up guiding him through meeting all their fellow Fae, and Victor finds he likes their enthusiasm). The five end up becoming very good friends, Smiler using their magic to help with chores when they can.

-->This state of affairs goes on for a month, month and a half -- and then the royal carriage driver, Mayhew, ends up in Newcrest and recognizes Victor. He tells him that no, there was no plot against him by Nell, and Victor reluctantly agrees to come home with him, saying his goodbyes to his friends (still without revealing his true identity). The girls and Smiler are sad to see him go and express the hope that he can come visit again.

-->Upon Victor’s return, Nell decides to host a grand celebratory ball, inviting all good families of consequence in the kingdom along with a bunch of foreign princesses as Victoria’s still missing and she doesn’t trust her to show up again anytime soon. Victoria and Emily are naturally not invited, but Smiler is (well, there’s a group invitation for any of the Fae who might want to show up) --

-->As is Alice, since Arthur had JUST enough clout to qualify. Alice doesn’t have any expectation of winning the prince’s hand, but she’s only too happy for a night off from her horrible “family.” Victoria and Emily happily help kit her out for the big night -- but Bumby forbids it and allows the Tweedles to wreck Alice’s dress before sending them away to stay with friends for a night and leaving on business of his own. A devastated Alice is left crying in the courtyard --

-->Only for Smiler to show up, thinking they could head out together. They’re stunned and infuriated not only by what happened to Alice, but at Victoria and Emily’s hard work being ruined, and decides all three girls are coming with them to the ball. They whip up some new magical dresses for Emily and Alice (Victoria deciding to risk wearing the one she got from the Van Dorts, as she has added a few personal touches to it so it doesn’t look like EXACTLY the same dress), turn a pumpkin into a carriage, some dormice into horses, and Cheshire into a coachman, and they all head off to the ball. They’re just chilling into the corner when they spot Victor and are like “oh hey, his family must have been invited too!”

-->And then Nell yells at him, Victor calls her mother, and the mood changes to “WHAT THE FUCK HE’S THE PRINCE?!”

-->Victor, for his part, is pretty damn shocked too when his old Newcrest friends suddenly show up in the debutante line (yes, even Smiler, who joined out of sheer panic), and once the “formal” introductions are over with, there’s some whispered arguing about the whole thing (Victor pointing out that he was sure at least EMILY recognized him as the prince, with Emily writing protests that she just knew him as some guy who nearly drowned; also Victor recognizes Victoria’s dress after a bit and is like “hEY!”). They quickly get over it, though, and Victor spends as much time as possible with them, dancing with all of them (again, even Smiler) and just -- enjoying their company. Of course, this does have the unintended side effect of all of them realizing they’re in love with him -- yes, even Smiler. The girls and Smiler discuss things among themselves, and decide that they’ll let Victor pursue whoever he wants and they’ll figure things out after that. They also end up leaving early, around midnight, to avoid Victoria being found out by anyone else before she’s ready.

-->Unfortunately, this turns out not to be early enough -- unbeknownst to the girls, Barkis was in attendance in his “Burton nobleman” guise and recognized Victoria, while Bumby also dropped by and spotted Alice and immediately panicked over her getting close to both a prince and a Fae. Even worse, Barkis noticed his worry and started a conversation, and the two realized they both have vested interest in no one marrying the prince. Cue the worst team-up in the history of the world.

-->Post-ball, Victor’s feeling a little overwhelmed by royal life again, and asks politely if he could take a visit to Newcrest, saying that he could use some time to get his head together and decide on a potential bride. Nell is pleased to see him actually thinking about marriage proactively and gives permission, and he is escorted there by some guards. In the woods just outside the town, though, Victor has to stop for a bit for the “call of nature,” and the guards withdraw to give him some privacy --

-->Cue a disguised Bumby, posing as an apple peddler, showing up and offering the prince an apple. Victor, who loves apples, takes it and bites -- and has about two seconds to clock that it tastes funny before he’s on the ground, seemingly dead. Bumby flees, the guards find Victor, and the prince’s death is announced throughout the land. Victoria (who was JUST plucking up the courage to go home), Emily, Alice, and Smiler are all completely heartbroken.

-->A couple of days later, there’s a grand funeral, with Nell (going overboard as usual) having Victor lying-in-state in a glass coffin surrounded by a deep decorative fountain. The girls and Smiler all attend, grieving -- and this is when Smiler clocks that Victor’s not dead, but cursed, and rushes to the coffin to check what exactly the curse is with their magical senses. Turns out to be one of those “eternal sleep that looks like death” poisons! This means that one of the standard curse breaks, true love’s kiss, applies --

-->But, uh, who is that, exactly? The girls and Smiler are wondering how to offer themselves up as potential candidates -- when Barkis butts in and starts deriding Smiler, asking if Nell really wants to listen to this loon --

-->CUE EMILY RECOGNIZING HER MURDERER IN A RAGE. And, well aware that notes are not gonna cut it, she runs up and dives into the fountain to swap her legs back for her voice and emerges in full mermaid form to accuse him. A stunned Barkis is a little late in jumping to his own defense, but Bumby comes up to help him out -- which leads to Victoria and Alice storming the stage, so to speak, Victoria outing Barkis as the man who made her flee Glot and Alice asking why Bumby is helping out this known jackass. There’s quite a lot of shouting, and either Bumby or Barkis lets slip that the prince was an idiot for eating an apple sold by a stranger --

-->Hang on, the royal family never told anyone JUST how Victor got poisoned. And Alice finally clocks that the key Bumby’s got on his watch chain is Lizzie’s room key, proof that he was in her house that night, and remembers that he was skulking around the night of the fire. Bumby and Barkis, realizing that the evidence is piling up against them, try to flee --

-->But Smiler is having none of that. They summon Oblivion to their aid, who drops them down a void hole. . .and they may or may not end up on Nemesis’s dinner plate.

-->And it’s around this time that Victor comments on how scary Oblivion is, making everyone realize he’s awake and okay. Everyone’s a little puzzled as to how -- was it dumping Bumby and Barkis into the abyss? -- until Oblivion points out that there’s so much true love in the air between the five that it must have override the “kiss” requirement. Turns out Victor loves all of them as much as they love him (and Victoria and Emily having developed feelings for each other, and Alice and Smiler a true friendship, does not hurt matters).

-->Now, they’re all up for polyamory, but they’re all aware that there are some issues with Victor being royalty and needing a legitimate heir and such. However, it turns out that one of the first kings of Dort had only one son and -- not wanting to lock himself out of good alliances -- made a law that a single heir may have multiple spouses. Nell is like “what are your qualifications” and Victoria promptly goes “I’m his original fiancee” (Smiler fetching the dress for her to prove it); Emily “I’m a mermaid and I can help you negotiate deals with the Kingdom Below so you can get even richer without overfishing;” Smiler “I’m one of the Fae and if you’d like to have better relations with us after what happened between you and Galactica, you’ll let me marry him;” Alice “okay, yeah, I’m just the daughter of a well-liked teacher, I get that I don’t--” Victor “I LOVE YOU AND MY PARENTS ARE GETTING THREE GOOD POLITICAL MARRIAGES OUT OF THIS, THEY CAN TOLERATE ONE JUST FOR LOVE uh not that I don’t love the rest of you”

-->And so a few months later there’s a series of royal weddings (Smiler having given everyone the ability to shift between a human and a merperson form for the one with Emily), Dort and Glot become one kingdom, and the royals get to work! First item on the agenda being “okay, how do we turn this kingdom into a republic or other form of democracy because we’d actually like to retire and go back to living like we were in Newcrest.” XD

Whew! That took a while. . .though, looking back on it, I think I might have a way to do the “Rumplestilskin” stuff if I switch in which order Emily and Victoria arrive at the seamstress shop. Say -- have Emily transform while Victoria’s making her demands, get a job there -- and then, hearing of the royal order for a dress of silver and gold, the head seamstress declares she can spin straw into gold and silver to get the commission. She promptly makes filling it Emily’s problem -- Smiler steps in to help, with Emily giving them some token of hers to make it a proper fairy deal (maybe her mother’s old wedding dress?). Then, when Victoria arrives, Emily makes it clear that Fae deals need exchange, so when Smiler offers to help them to the ball, she asks what they need in return. Smiler jokingly says, “Whoever’s kid is born first should do it--”

And Victoria, without thinking, agrees, making it binding. Smiler’s like “I DIDN’T MEAN THAT?! I DON’T WANT TO STEAL YOUR KID?!” But they decide they’ll worry about it later because none of them are planning on having children yet, if ever (Emily’s not sure she even can). And by the time of the ending. . .well, when Victoria has her and Victor’s first baby, she just hands them over to Smiler to hold first and says “terms fulfilled.” XD This all does seem to require making the seamstress another minor villain. . .then again, I could use more AMA/A:MR characters in this mess. . .hmmm. I’ll think about it!

7 notes · View notes

ss-squad-au-real-world-stories · 6 years

Text

Ch. 4

The following storyline is one big roller coaster ride of emotions. It will have its ups and it will have its downs. It will have its OMG moments and cliffhangers. Lots of cliffhangers (how else do you expect me to keep ya coming back?) there will be angst, drama, action, mystery, and possible love. Not sure on that yet, we’ll see where it goes. I will do my best to keep the language down. I’m not fond of using the F’ bomb, but words like bitch and asses may be tossed around. That’s about the most of it, but nothing too profane. I know that some of ya’s are under 18. So as to not get myself or you in too much trouble, I’ll do my best to keep the language in check. Just know that this story is all over the place and you read at your own risk. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Logan parked the car in the alleyway behind the theater, “So why are we here exactly?” asked Patton, as he got out of the car.

“Well for one, I have more outfits to choose from here.” Replied Roman as he keyed in the passcode to deactivate the alarm. He then took out his key and unlocked the door. “And two, as Logan had mentioned earlier, if the reporters were at the hospital, they’re probably staking out where we live as well.” He motioned for his friends to enter the theater.

“Lucky for us, your family has this place then, or else your plan probably wouldn’t work.” joked Logan. Roman let out a troubled sigh “Funny you say that, last month when I visited my folks. I heard my Uncle trying to talk my old man into selling this place.” Patton let out a gasp “What?! No! This is where we all met as kids.” Roman gave him a hug. “Don’t worry your Cinnabon head. I'm doing all I can to keep him from going through with it. So far, he's not giving into my villain of an uncle.”

Virgil walked over to the stage, he ran his hand along it and let out a small mischievous giggle “Do you remember when we figured out how the trap door worked before Roman’s folks did and we rigged a disappearing act?” Logan let out a pained groan “How can I forget, I landed wrong and was in the hospital for a month.”

Patton pulled away from Roman’s embrace and started laughing. “What?” Roman asked. Patton smiled at him “Remember when we got to try the aerial rigging?!” Roman closed his eyes and smiled “Oh my gosh, yes. Now a day’s it doesn't seem like we would fly that high but as kids. Ah as kids, it was like flying to Neverland.” He ran up the center stage stairs and started to spin and dance around on the stage.

“Do your folks still hold Drama Camp Sessions?” asked Logan.

“Yeah. Sometimes they call me in to hold seminars on acting. All the children are really sweet! Unfortunately, like this summer, there's been a decline in participants. Hence why my dad is considering on selling.” He walked off stage, now talking more to himself “Now where did I put that box from Legally Blonde. AH YEAH, there it is.” He walked back out and motioned for the others to follow him.

Once they were circling the box with him, he opened it “So I was thinking I could go as Elle Woods and you could dress up as the sorority sisters!” he held out a wig to Virgil who backed away waving his arms. “Oh no, you’re not putting me in a dress again.” He said.

“Again?” asked Logan with a raised eyebrow.

Virgil stood there blushing “That's not important right now.” He spat “So, uh Roman, you have anything else?” Roman scratched his head in thought “hmmm... How about Troy from High School Musical?”

“How about no,” said Virgil.

“Do you have the outfits from the Producers still?” asked Patton.

Roman smiled at him “Oh yeah! I forgot we performed that last winter, great idea Patton. Follow me!” he led them to an elevator that took them up two floors to a hall of doors. He walked down the hall and went through a door on his left, it was filled with racks of clothes. “I still haven't cataloged all of this yet. May I recommend staying away from the Nazi outfits though.”

Virgil read a tag on a black garment bag. “Got mine. Brb.”

Patton quickly grabbed an outfit “Oh I like this one” he giggled and quickly left the room.

Logan barely caught a glimpse at what Patton had grabbed. “Did he just grab the...” Roman closed his eyes “Yeah I think he did.” Logan bolted from the room yelling “Patton the Indian Chief Outfit isn't a disguise option!” a moment passed, and Logan came back in with Patton pouting behind him. He hung the outfit back up and walked around the racks he then pulled out a Victorian suit. “How about this?”

Logan shook his head “You do understand why that won't work, correct?”

“But it's so cool looking.” Whined Patton. Virgil Walked into the room wearing a suit with a trench coat and Max Bialystock's hat. He laid his hand on Patton’s shoulder “The idea is to blend in buddy, not stick out.”

Roman nodded his head in approval “Lookin good Virge! Here ya go Padre.” He hands him Jeremy's outfit from Be More Chill. “I’ve no clue how that got in here, but it’ll work for you.”

Logan held up a grey garment bag “I think I'll go with Leo's outfit, it looks like it'll fit me better.”

Virgil looked at Roman “Who you going as Roman?” Roman held up a red garment bag and tried to read the tag “Uhm, looks like Slugworth from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I seriously need to catalog this room.”

After they had gotten their costumes on, Patton gathered the others on stage and took a selfie of them for remembrance. There was a knock on the back door. “Anyone expecting company?” he asked confused.

“It's probably Rem. I phoned him while you were changing and asked if he could bring his dad's car and give us a ride to the courthouse since it's a vehicle no one's seen us in.”

“Way to think ahead Virgil.” Complimented Logan. Virgil just shrugs his shoulders and goes and opens the door. Remy walks in and looks everyone over. “Nicely done ladies. Especially you Cuz. (he claws the air at Virgil) Fierce.” Virgil’s face deadpans at his cousin’s comment.

“I'm changing.” He turns to leave, but Roman grabs him by the arm. “No time Mr. Bialystock, our audience awaits.”

“What audience?” asked Remy “You four do realize that today is only Saturday right? I tried to tell Virgil, but he hung up before I could and then his phone kept going to voicemail.” The four friends looked at Remy as if they were told he hit a puppy on his way there.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Patton. Virgil started to pace “Something, we can’t let him go trial.” Everyone stood in thought. “What time is his trial on Monday?” asked Logan. “Last I heard eleven am,” replied Remy.

“Then we’ll be there just as the courthouse opens.” Said Logan.

@thatsthat24 @thejoanglebook @tallykat3 @oresamawesome @immacrazyfangirl @anxietystatement @bunny222 @wooflesthatwoof @wicked-rosie @tsfanart @anxiousangelvirgil @iris-sanders-athena @randomslasher @youtuberswithalex @just-an-anxious-mess @ts-storytime @lilkrazykat

2 notes · View notes

travelonlinetipsofficial · 3 years

Text

Hong Kong Outdoor Activities: 10Best Outdoors Reviews

New Post has been published on https://www.travelonlinetips.com/hong-kong-outdoor-activities-10best-outdoors-reviews/

Hong Kong Outdoor Activities: 10Best Outdoors Reviews

Hong Kong is a big city, for sure, but it’s got a great outdoors that would appeal to adults and children alike. Four-tenths of Hong Kong is officially designated country park, few parts of the city aren’t in sight of water, it’s dotted with parks large and small, and the outlying islands are a world away from the concrete jungle.

One of Hong Kong’s most famous attractions is the Star Ferry, which putters back and forth between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Besides being highly inexpensive, it’s also one of the world’d great sightseeing trips. Nothing says “outdoors” like one of Hong Kong’s street markets, such as Ladies Market. And then there’s Hong Kong’s brace of theme parks – Disney and Ocean Park. Of course, you don’t have to head to a “destination” – simply wandering the streets and alleyways is an entertainment in itself, and the city is very safe, with hardly any street crime.

One thing to note: Hong Kong gets hot in summer time – take adequate drinking water if you are venturing out to one of the more remote country parks, and don’t be shy about using an umbrella to ward off the sun. It’s what the locals do on a regular basis.

Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Tourism Board

Stanley is possibly Hong Kong’s best-known market. And with good reason. It’s part of a community set by the sea, with plenty of restaurants and cafes so you can pause for refreshment. The goods on sale are fabulously varied, and the traders generally cheery and not averse to bargaining. There’s no charge for entry, of course, so visitors are free to wander about and enjoy the spectacle. There’s a beach nearby, and Murray House, a 19th-century building which was moved here lock, stock and barrel from Central, stands by the shore. One way or another, Stanley is a great day out.

Recommended for Outdoor Activities because: It’s by the seaside, in a picturesque village, and getting there and back on the top deck of a double-decker bus from Central is thrilling.

Ed’s expert tip: Pace yourself, there’s lot to explore here, so build lunch or supper into your itinerary.

Read more about Star Ferry →

Source link

#Destinations

0 notes

showcaserealty · 3 years

Text

What Do I Need To Know Before Moving To Uptown Charlotte, NC?

If you’re thinking about moving to Uptown Charlotte, NC, here’s what you need to know.

Uptown Charlotte, NC offers both a sense of serenity and urban excitement for its residents .This environment stands out as one of the main reasons people choose to make Uptown Charlotte their home.

The area is full of a diverse range of architectural styles, which appeals to many residents. It also has a wealth of leisure options and social activities to appeal to every taste.

Here’s a few details about the town that might interest you:

History

Uptown Charlotte, NC is a part of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the core business district of Charlotte and the largest one in North Carolina.

The terms “Uptown” and “Downtown” are used to refer to the area although Downtown is commonly used by native Charlotteans, and Uptown is commonly used by newcomers.

Both terms are used, but Downtown is now considered outdated. “Uptown” was officially established as the area’s new nickname in 1987. The term Uptown was introduced as a way to promote a more refined image of the central city area.

Since the 1970s Uptown Charlotte NC has been a place of business. Various business pioneers settled here, built their business and thrived.

In the mid-1700s, Uptown Charlotte was the site of a Native American trading path which ran southeast from Georgia Northwest to the coast of Virginia.

This attracted various people to emerging town centers in Charlotte NC and of course, brought about more constructions and bigger businesses.

The Wards of Uptown Charlotte

There are four divisions of Uptown Charlotte, which are also known as wards. These wards are spread out over three major streets ( Tryon, Trade and College streets), which house the large business buildings of Charlotte, NC.

The split is made by the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets, bordered by interstate 277 and interstate 77.

First ward

The first neighborhood, also called the first ward, lies directly to the east of the intersection of Trade and Trayon street.

In this area is the widely recognized and award_winning central city building, which accommodates the Uptown Campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The Central City building is also one of the Urban village project developments. Altogether, it has 450,000 sq ft of office space, a four-acre park, 259 hotel rooms, 2,700 residential units, 250,000 sq ft of retail space and 450,000 sqft of civic space.

Central City also contains attractions like the Imagineon children’s learning center, the main Library, the Spirit Square portion of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center , Levine Museum of the New South and the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets.

Second Ward

This area is located directly to the south of the intersection of Trade and Tryon. It is the site of both Charlotte’s Government District and the NASCAR Hall of fame.

. The second ward is now home to the epicenter of Charlotte, the Charlotte Convention Center. It’s also home to the Uptown Mini Park, and the Harvey B. Gnats Center for African American Art+ Culture.

Third Ward

This neighborhood is stationed at the west of the intersection of Trade and Tryon. It's a vibrant neighborhood which houses the Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium and Gateway Village.

Gateway Village is one of North Carolinas’ largest developments. It’s 1.5 million sq ft in size’ and home to multiple shops, offices, restaurants, entertainment halls, and over 500 housing units.

Johnson and Wale University and Johnson C. Smith University’s Charlotte Campus is located in the third ward.

Other attractions In the third ward includes Becthler Museum of Modern Arts, Knights Museum ,and the Mint Museum. All three regularly pull in a large number of Charlotte’s residents and visitors.

Fourth Ward

North of the intersection of Trade and Tryon is where the fourth ward is located.

It is a residential area and contains several stately Victorian homes. Charlotte’s Old Settler Cemetery and the three-acre fourth ward park are also situated within the area.

The fourth ward is an official historic district. It is an area that showcases a substantial amount of the history of Charlotte and its people.

Economy

As previously mentioned , Uptown Charlotte, NC is the hub of residence and business of Charlotte.

The area has a robust job market with a formidable presence in financial services, insurance, manufacturing, retail, transportation, logistics and health care.

Uptown welcomes over 18 million visitors a year, employs 13,000 people, and is home to 30,000 residents.

The employment rate is a significant factor, because there are major companies with headquarters and with a high corporate presence in Uptown.

Schools

Uptown provides an educational learning experience that can be beneficial to anyone who moves in .

Various learning institutions, both private and public, can be found in Uptown. Among them are Central Piedmont Community College, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Uptown campus, Johnson C Smith University and a host of others.

Parks and fun activities

Uptown Charlotte is widely known for its parks, entertainment centers and fun activities.

There is a place for all members of the family to enjoy. From parents, to the teens and young ones, Uptown has a way for everyone to have fun.

The family can explore attractions such as the Discovery Place, which hosts exhibits and special events about space and world science.

There is also the ImaginON place for kids that features the number one ranked children library in the country, a teens-only library, exhibit space and a multimedia studio.

For adrenaline rush and thrilling experience lovers, there is the Carowinds and Frankie's amusement park, which features double-launch roller coasters, and several other roller coasters.

Theater and movie lovers are not left out. There are several vibrant theaters with various shows and movies to choose from.

Transportation

Uptown Charlotte roads are very driveable, and people make use of their personal cars to move around.

The Charlotte Area Transit System, or CATS, , is also an affordable option. In full it. CATS runs both rail and bus transit in Mecklenburg County and the surrounding areas.

Thanks to CATS, anyone can get around easily with public transportation. The fare depends on the distance you are travelling, and is reasonably priced.

LYNX and Local Bus ticket prices

One way costs $2.20, for the disabled, kids, and senior citizens it costs $1.10.

Round-trip costs $4.40 for adults and $2.20 for kids, senior citizens and disabled individuals.

Weekly unlimited rides costs $30.8 for adults and every other group of persons inclusive.

Monthly unlimited rides cost $88.00 and for kids, senior citizens and disabled persons $44.00

The city also has plenty of taxis, as well as Uber and Lyft.

Uptown Charlotte, NC is a place to settle in, for single individuals, senior citizens, young ones, pets and a host of others.

Showcase Realty can get you settled in nicely in any area of Uptown Charlotte, NC. We have many styles of homes that will suit your taste. We have helped hundreds settle into the home of their dreams. Let’s get you yours. Contact us today!

youtube

In case you cannot view this video here, please click the link below to view What Do I Need To Know Before Moving To Uptown Charlotte, NC? on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x1hhSWiho0

#UptownCharlotteHomeForSale #UptownCharlotteNCHomes #NancyBraun

0 notes

scriptexecution · 3 years

Text

Example of an APA-Style Research Essay (on Alan Ginsberg), Written by Mark Pumphrey

Allen Ginsberg was a Post-Modernist poet who was a part of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. Along with Sylvia Plath, Ginsberg introduced a style of writing that was emotionally charged and designed to create a dialogue with the reader, oftentimes forcing the reader to confront controversial issues such as, in Ginsberg’s case, homosexuality. In his poems, he addresses sexuality frankly but sensitively, as in “To Aunt Rose” where one “mourns the “tears of sexual frustration” shed not only by Ginsberg’s aunt but by all those who suppress the urges of the body,” (Iadonisi, R. A. (2001). Allen Ginsberg 1926-97. In E. L. Haralson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of American poetry: the twentieth century. Routledge).

A Zen Buddhist most of his life, Ginsberg could be equally direct when speaking of spiritual matters. During an interview with Gary Pacernick for American Poetry Review, he asked Pacernick to imagine being knocked out by nitrous oxide in a dentist’s chair:

“Ginsberg: Have you ever been put out? Okay, so what's the last thing you hear? Or what's the last sense that disappears? To me, it was sound. The music, the Muzak. So what if the last thing to go is the end of the symphony? Like, the pain is gone, physical feeling is gone, sight is gone, taste is gone, smell is gone, the only thing left is sound. The sound is the music, then you hear the last note of the symphony and --

GP: Well that's a nice one. But than there's all the folks during the Holocaust who were butchered every second by the Nazis.

Ginsberg: Yeah, but on the other hand, the last thing they heard was the sound of a scream and then the scream ended. And there was nice, peaceful --

GP: Let's hope.

Ginsberg: Well, unless they were reborn. Do you think they went to hell or something?

GP: I don't believe that.

Ginsberg: They wouldn't have gone to hell. Do you think they went to heaven?

GP: I don't think so.

Ginsberg: I don't think there's a heaven. So therefore where did they go? They certainly went to a peaceful place.

GP: I hope so.

Ginsberg: Well, where else?

GP: I think you're right!

Ginsberg: Can you imagine anywhere else? Can you even imagine someplace that wasn't peaceful?

GP: I'm Jewish. I'll have to go with that.

Ginsberg: The Sheol, or maybe Sheol.

GP: Sheol. Okay.

Ginsberg: The Buddhists might give the worst case, that they get reborn to go through it all over again. Reborn as Nazis. Reborn in Israel and persecuting the Palestinians.

GP: That would be hell.

Ginsberg: Okay. I gotta stop.”

(Pacernick, Gary, “Allen Ginsberg: An Interview,“ American Poetry Review. Jul/Aug97, Vol. 26 Issue 4, p23-27. 5p.).

As can be seen in this exchange with an interviewer, Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Generation preferred the relative over the absolute. In contrast to Victorian writers, who attempted to make their writing as realistic as possible, the Post-Modernists of the Beat Generation rejected realism in favor of an artificial element interjected into their stories and poems, constantly reminding readers that as authors they had no intention of explaining the meaning of what they wrote to the reader. Instead, they made it clear to readers that it was up to them, the readers, to subjectively decide for themselves what the work of writing meant.

As a Post-Modernist, Ginsberg also rejected all of the “isms” as the purpose behind his writing: Rationalism, Totalitarianism, Freudianism, Fascism, Marxism, Capitalism, Darwinism, etc. In other words, Ginsberg was not about to create a grand narrative to explain any large-scale theory that had been put forth as an explanation of the sum total of all human experience. Nothing could explain everything at once, in Ginsberg’s opinion.

According to Lyotard, the Postmodern Age was one of micronarratives rather than grand narratives, micronarratives being those in which small, localized understandings of the world dominated the novel or poem but could not claim to express any ultimate or absolute truth. ( Jean-François Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition (1979) published by Manchester University Press, 1984).

To Ginsberg and his fellow Beat Generation writers, people living in different parts of the world could not possibly have the same view of the world, nor can even people from the same cultural background (members of an Italian family living in New York City, for example) have the same view of the world.

I come from a family with four sons. The sons, all four of us, have different memories of the same events, different ways of looking at the world, and different beliefs. Even married couples who think they know each other completely will find over time that they are separate individuals who think differently and react differently in the world based on their own personal internal moral and ethical compass.

This is what the Beat Generation and Allen Ginsberg particularly brought that was new and capable of changing the landscape of creative writing in general in the 1950s—the notion that each individual reader is singular and will have a singular vision of what the book or poem an Allen Ginsberg or other writer of the era creates for them to read is actually about.

I personally do not care for this change brought about by the Beat Generation. I do not like the expletive-laden, drug-driven, explosive nature of Beat Generation thinking about writing. I prefer the stories and poems that came before, that sought to change the world without being offensive and intrusive or demanding with the reader, gradually nudging readers to think differently about the world, the way Harriet Beecher Stowe did with her great book Uncle Tom’s Cabin that played a huge role in the War Between the States by opening the eyes of many to the evils of slavery. I need stories and poems that have redeeming characters—characters who act in noble ways or who elicit our compassion between of their innocence in the face of hardship, such as the slaves who ran away to the North in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

What followed the Beat Generation micronarratives were the “kitchen sink” films that first appeared in Britain in the 1960s—dramas that depicted everyday characters doing bad things to those around them, in which nothing is left out and every emotion, mostly negative emotions was shown to the audience in full-force. Moviegoing became not entertainment but a sociological and psychological scream therapy session that left viewers drained because of the runaway roller coaster emotional experience they had just experienced after watching the hard-hitting, gut-wrenching drama about people in conflict with each other acting in abusive ways to each other.

By the 1970’s the effects of what Ginsberg and other Beat Generation writers had started had come full circle back to the United States, in all sorts of creative formats: art, performance art, film, dance, music, theater. The one holdout was television, in which network broadcasting standards took longer to erode.

But erode they did with the onset of cable. Cable, free of the restrictions in content the FCC placed on network television, developed free rein to film the kind of violence, sexually explicit and obscenity-laced dialogue that had its birth in the idea that the author did not have a voice in how his or her writing is interpreted by the audience. Nor did the author have any responsibility for upholding community standards in what they wrote.

It was thus that Allen Ginsberg wound up in court defending his book of poetry, Howl, facing down government censors who would have it banned.

In a telling specific incident, hundreds of copies of Howl were confiscated by police at an airport as they were being shipped into the United States.

That is where I again differ with many on the outcome of the Ginsberg saga. Even though I may personally find elements of the Ginsberg poetry and the writings of other Beat Generation writers repugnant on a personal level, I wholly support the right of such writers to write in the style in which they are drawn to write, and to freely share their books with readers everywhere. For me, that is where the real decision point for readers appropriately comes into play.

Choose whatever book you want to read. If its content offends you, close the book. Choose whatever film or television show you want to view. If it offends you, turn it off. But do not deny other readers or viewers the right to read or view whatever they want, by condemning and then attempting to censor books or video productions. That is the American way, in my view, as stated in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and it should be upheld in all cases of censorship.

A highly-acclaimed film that I saw in the 1980s will illustrate the point I am trying to make. I believe Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” was a nearly perfect film—until the ending. The sympathetic main character was the owner of the local pizza joint. He was kind to everyone. In the explosive last scene, an angry mob burns down the neighborhood—including the pizza joint. No. That is wrong, in my world view. Nothing justifies that kind of wanton destruction of the livelihood of an innocent character.

“Do the Right Thing” is a direct descendant of the Beat Generation. Allen Ginsberg would approve of viewers who come away from the theater thinking about what a “great” ending the movie had. I do not even like destruction of property in a comedy, such as the destruction of the mall in “The Blues Brothers.” And gun violence? Forget it. Click.

This is the popular culture change that was wrought in the 1950s by the members of the Beat Generator, among whom Allen Ginsberg was front and center. It was a powerful change that is still creating ripples in popular culture to this very day.

A symptom of this is the Hollywood wisdom that if a script that is not formulaic, requiring a writer to select a specific genre of screenwriting that is “popular” with audiences in order to make the resulting film bankable. If you have an idea for a screenplay that addresses a higher ideal and that lacks a certain amount of sex and violence and smart-mouthed characters, go home. We do not want you here. Money, money, money. That is the name of the game and you might as well accept it if you want to make it in this town.

I will personally be glad if we ever return to the novels and movies and television of the golden age when stories were character-driven and inspirational and with stories that fill the reader or viewer with emotion—that gives us the good kind of goosebumps.

However, it would be wrong to conclude this essay about Allen Ginsberg without acknowledging the many other ways he as its leader and the Beat Generation as a whole influenced popular culture and culture in general, not just in the United States, but worldwide.

Eliot Katz, a friend of Ginsberg’s, said this about the influence Ginsberg had over politics and government:

“In the mid-1990s, with Bill Clinton moving the Democratic Party away from its liberal traditions and toward the political center, and with Newt Gingrich engineering far-right Republican victories with his “contract with America” that many of us were calling a contract on America, Allen began asking poet friends around the country for poems addressing those deteriorating times.” (Eliot Katz, “Recalling Allen,” Paterson Literary Review, 2006, Issue 35, p62-66, 5p.)

Ginsberg paid attention to politics with the same intensity with which he paid attention to his poetic vision, and the effect of his protests and rallying of other creative types to oppose government atrocities is still felt in the United States today.

As Eliot Katz puts it in “Remembering Allen,” the piece he wrote upon the occasion of Ginsberg’s death, Allen Ginsberg never wavered in his fifty years of political and social activism from the principles he developed as a founding member of the Beats:

“Prevailing cultural mythology says that 1960s radicals became more conservative as they got older. Along with thousands of known and unknown organizers from that era who continued to display long-term progressive commitment, whether by public activism or private lives spent in professions like social work or education, Allen’s life and work help put the lie to that myth. Throughout the years that I knew Allen, his social-activist commitment never wavered; he only grew better able to explain his thoughtful, progressive beliefs in clear, lively language that was usually difficult for open-minded people to dismiss.” (Katz, Eliot, “Remembering Allen,” Paterson Literary Review, 2006, Issue 35, p62-66, 5p.)

As for war, Allen Ginsberg was always in the thick of it:

“According to history books, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended in 1973 and the Vietnam War finally ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975. But, fulfilling the Shelleyan invocation of poets as “unacknowledged legislators of the world,” in his 1965 “Wichita Vortex Sutra” Allen Ginsberg declared an end to the Vietnam War—something that was much harder and took much longer for mere presidents to do.” (Poniewaz, Jeff, “Allen Ginsberg: Poet, Prophet, Catalyst of Utopia,” Paterson Literary Review, 2006, Issue 35, pp44-50, 7p.).

Ginsberg also cared deeply about nurturing all of the other Beat Generation writers he befriended. According to Rolling Stone writer Mikal Gilmore, after the obscenity trial Ginsberg weathered after the publication of his explicit book of poetry, Howl, Ginsberg turned his attention to the others in his group:

“Though Ginsberg was vindicated and suddenly famous, he was determined not to arrive as the Beats' sole writer hero. Over the years, he helped Jack Kerouac in his long quest to publish On the Road -- a book about Kerouac's adventures with Neal Cassady (who was called Dean Moriarty in the published text) -- which had been turned down by numerous major publishers since 1951. The book was finally published by Viking, in 1957, as a result of Ginsberg's efforts, and went on to both good commercial and critical reception. It is now recognized as a milestone novel in modern literature. Ginsberg also championed the cause of William S. Burroughs -- a much tougher sell, because Burroughs was a drug user who wrote radical prose (such as Junky) and because he had killed his wife in a shooting accident in Mexico, in 1951….Ginsberg later helped Burroughs assemble the final draft of Naked Lunch and worked tirelessly until the book was published in the United States. (Which resulted in Naked Lunch's own obscenity trial and another ruling that the book could not legally be considered obscene.)” (Gilmore, Mikhal, Rolling Stone, 05/29/97, Issue 761, p34, 5p.)

Ginsberg could be quite humorous even in his most serious poems, such as “America:”

“The ‘other poems’ included classics of Ginsberg's gregarious humor such as “America”, which ends ‘I'm putting my queer shoulder to the wheel’, one of several references to his homosexuality. An attempt to prosecute the volume for obscenity failed.” (Noel-Tod, J. (2014). Ginsberg, Allen (1926--97). In I. Hamilton, & J. Noel-Tod (Eds.), Oxford paperback reference: The Oxford companion to modern poetry (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press, Inc).

Ginsberg has always had detractors, with whom he fought passionately, including one of his biographers, Michael Schumacher. But, according to Norman Podhoretz, and old friend and schoolmate from Columbia University (who had also fallen out with Ginsberg), in one instance Schumacher had gotten it right about Ginsberg in the biography of him:

“Here Schumacher for once gets it right when he says that I "was hearing nothing of . . . Ginsberg's harangues against middle-class living and values." Intransigent as I was in turning a deaf ear to his literary counterattack, I was even more determined to stand my ground on the moral and cultural issue between us. This was not because I was an uncritical admirer of "middle-class living and values." As it happens, in that period I was full of complaint about the "flabbiness of middle-class life" in Eisenhower's America (even using that very phrase in "The Know-Nothing Bohemians").

(Podhoretz, Norman, Commentary. Aug97, Vol. 104 Issue 2, p27. 14p)

Podhoretz goes on to say that “as the years roll by, and with the arrival of successive generations treading all of us down, this common background of experience has bred in me a sense of kinship with these writers that I did not feel when we were young.” (Ibid.) The same is true for many readers of the generations following the Beat Generation.

Allen Ginsberg died at the age of 70. He was often called the Poet of Death, but in this passage from an article by his colleague, Jeff Poniewaz, sees Ginsberg in another light:

“Poet laureate of death, he looked death in the face and came to terms with death, made peace with death as much as Whitman, having weathered the death of his mother in ’56, Cassady in ’68, Kerouac in ’69, his father in ’76, his Buddhist teacher in ’87, and faced his own mortality philosophically and with humor to the very end.” (Poniewaz, Jeff, ““Allen Ginsberg: Poet, Prophet, Catalyst of Utopia,” Paterson Literary Review, 2006, Issue 35, pp44-50, 7p.); and:

“In the end, his occasional seeming egotism can be seen as merely the sheer exuberance of boyhood, which he never lost, no matter how old he became.” (Ibid.)

As Eliot Katz said in “Remembering Allen,”

“With an astonishing literary imagination, an original sense of poetic forms and rhythms, a unique mixture of humor and historical insight, and an extraordinary ability to show the interconnectedness of various aspects of our emotional, spiritual, and political lives, Allen energized poetry to give his work a sense of timelessness that I think really will make it “good to eat a thousand years.” Certainly, fifty years after “Howl,” Allen’s poetic and activist legacies continue to move young people to believe that, as the global justice movement puts it, “another world is possible” — a world with much less poverty and war, with far cleaner air and water, and with a deeper commitment to civil liberties, civic participation, interpersonal cooperation, and democratically accountable social institutions. (Katz, Eliot, “Remembering Allen,” Paterson Literary Journal, 2006, Issue 35, p.62-66, 5p.)

Katz’s summary of Allen Ginsberg’s contributions to popular culture was written in 2006, but they are still just as true today in 2021.

#Alan Ginsberg #The Beat Generation #Poetry #Social Activism

0 notes

snappingsound · 7 years

Text

Summerland

Happy Halloween, everyone! I really wanted to begin posting Part III today, but it’s just not quite ready. I have a few more chapters to finish up and then an editing pass. So I thought I’d post this instead. This ditty takes place in the same world, but is along a different timeline. It is tangentially related to the main story of A Snapping Sound. I had lots of fun writing it. Hopefully you spooks will enjoy it too.

Alice Fox did not believe in ghosts. In fact, she didn’t believe in much of anything. It was a constant thorned crown of pain to her devoutly Christian mother and father, and a source of bemusement to her recently converted Jewish older brother, Parker. Faith, and the dearly departed, more than politics, was the one topic best avoided in the Fox den.

So why was she working the reception in a haunted ‘museum’?

It was a question that, just this morning, Alice had been asking herself more often than not. She had opened the museum one hour ago. Already, an older woman had fainted on the morning tour from a ghost-story induced panic attack. Alice had already been already asked five times if she had ever experienced any paranormal activity while at work, and, on top of all that, had been cornered into hearing the long and bloodied past of a guest’s Palm Springs condo.

It wasn’t even ten in the morning.

Alice let out a small groan and, instead of letting her head fall onto the wooden surface of the receptionist desk like it wanted to do, she tilted it up at the ceiling. Her curly brown hair fell away from her face as she squinted two equally brown eyes up at the museum’s infamous ruby chandelier.

“Disneyland,” she whispered, a reminder. Or, more of a pep talk.

That was why she worked here, and would remain working here all summer long. She needed exactly four-hundred and seventy-two dollars to fly to Anaheim with the rest of her high school orchestra. She played the Viola. And while she wasn’t one for animated movies, she loved theme parks. More specifically— roller coasters. Also, she had never been out of Ohio. Her parents weren’t ones to travel, and her family rarely had spare cash.

Most of the time, working the museum wasn’t so bad. It had air conditioning and free coffee. In between tours was hours of downtime where Alice could do her homework or watch YouTube. Once in awhile a guest would wander in without making a reservation, and she would deal with them, but for the most part the entryway remained quiet.

It really was a pretty place to work, too.

Alice took in the restored frescoed ceiling and the delicate Victorian lace trimmings. Far, far above her head on the domed ceiling, lions and wolves leaped and chased prey, tearing fur and skin apart, their eyes staring directly down at anyone that passed beneath. The morning sunlight refracted off the absurdly intricate ruby chandelier, making their eyes seem to glow red.

If she was easily spooked, or believed any of the rumors of this place, spending hours alone in this hallway would have gotten in her head. It was why her boss paid her even more than any of the guides. He couldn’t find anyone else who felt comfortable sitting alone in this house. Alice didn’t understand it, but hey, why question a gift horse?

A hollow clunk jolted her out of her thoughts, jerking her attention from the ceiling.

A tall, fit boy with creamy dark skin smiled. In one hand he held a mug of coffee. With the other, he pushed a second mug across the table. “Wilmot Morgan,” he said, by way of a greeting.

Another very strong case for not quitting: Bishop Lee, or as everyone called him, Hopper. He was a Senior and Alice had spent the past year crushing on him. She wasn’t alone. Almost every girl at Casper High crushed on Hopper at some point or another. It was because he was a good head taller than every other boy his age and he was steadfastly shy. His introversion had been misinterpreted as enigmatic. It didn’t help that, in her overly superstitious hometown of Amity Park, Hopper’s Native American heritage placed him squarely in the ‘folklore’ category, whether he liked it or not.

While Alice’s crush had definitely centered around his high cheekbones and kind hazel eyes, the way her class exotified him not only infuriated her, but had been what, ultimately, forced her to let go of her crush and get to know him as a friend.

This past summer she had shared more sentences with Hopper than she had the past five years of elementary, junior, and high school. And while she certainly still liked him, she was no longer paralyzed with affection whenever he swung by her desk. During those daily desk visitations, Alice had learned he harbored a meganerd obsession with this house and a strong belief in spirits, which made him a lot less mysterious and a whole lot sillier.

Alice realized Hopper was staring at her expectantly, although his grin had faded a bit.

“Sorry, what?” she asked. She reached out and grabbed the mug from him. It said I SEE DEAD PEOPLE on the side. Hopper had most certainly picked it out on purpose.

“The ceiling. It was painted by Wilmot Morgan in 1902,” Hopper explained, taking a sip from his own mug and shooting the fresco a fond glance. “A commission.”

“He was a very detailed artist,” Alice entertained.

“She,” Hopper corrected. “Morgan was a woman.”

Alice blinked. She took in the ceiling again, in a different light.

Most of their conversations revolved solely around the house itself— never about homework, or school, or family life. Alice could never tell if this was Hopper’s way of trying to get her to believe, or if it he found those other topics too painful or too boring to bring up.

He raised his mug in a cheers. “You should—”

“Go on one of your tours,” Alice interrupted. “Yes, I know. Unfortunately, my job is to man the front desk.”

“You might learn something.” Hopper took a long sip from his mug. His usually sparkling eyes hollowed out and his grin twisted into more of a grimace. “My people say this house sits atop sacred land. An Indian chief was buried long before it was ever built. That’s why the land is cursed.”

Despite herself, Alice felt a chill run down her spine. “Are you serious?” She had meant it to come out sarcastic, but her body betrayed her.

Hopper’s haunted expression cracked and he let out a short laugh. “No, Alice. There’s no stupid Indian burial ground. That’s just a bunch of crap white people made up.”

“I knew that,” Alice blurted. She hid her burning cheeks behind her coffee mug, taking a big, flustered, sip. It burned. She forced herself to swallow it instead of spit it back out to avoid any further mortification.

“I hope you’re not saying stuff like that to the guests,” a voice grumbled.

Hopper winced and spun. “Of course not, Mr. Lancer. Guides speak only truth,” he recited.

Coming from down the hall, Mr. Lancer paused and spared the two of them a suspicious look, though it was hard for him to see Hopper’s face considering Hopper was abnormally tall and Lancer had developed a rather bad hunch in his old age. “Enough actually happened here. We don’t need to further encourage rumors and hearsay,” Lancer warned.

A blanket of gloom descended over the entryway.

Mr. Lancer had personally known the teenagers that died here. It was the reason he had founded this museum in the first place. Whenever her boss mentioned what happened, Alice couldn’t help but feel a tinge of remorse for being so unaffected by the house’s past.

Lancer didn’t make Hopper uncomfortable. Quite the opposite, Lancer’s stories fascinated him. Hopper had also worked here a lot longer than her. Alice supposed she’d get used to Lancer eventually.

“Good morning, Alison,” Lancer greeted.

“Morning.” She didn’t know if she would classify it as ‘good’.

It seemed to satisfy Lancer, though, who handed her a sheet of paper with the list of attendees for the noon tour, and shuffled back down the hall towards his office.

Alice plucked the paper and scanned the list. “Twenty-seven,” she counted.

Hopper whistled. More people meant a bigger tip pool for the guides to split at the end of the day. “I should go change.”

Movement out on the very edge of her gaze caused Alice to peer at the second floor railing. She had sworn she had seen a dark shape, like a cat or a raccoon, but there was nothing. Some of the rubies in the great chandelier casted jewel shine on the wallpaper up there and whenever a breeze passed through it gave the sensation that the wallpaper was crawling. That had probably been it.

When she took in the room again, she found herself alone. Hopper must have gone to grab his uniform. She had missed him leave. Alice sighed, a little disappointed, and instead set about logging the number of people attending the tour onto the museum’s spreadsheet.

A knock on the door interrupted her as the computer booted up.

“It’s open,” Alice called.

It wasn’t uncommon for guests to knock instead of freely enter the museum. The museum was a house, so it was a bit weird to walk straight inside without knocking first, but it meant Alice had to get up from her desk to open the door constantly. After her first week, she had even made a sign that said ‘Come on in!’ and had taped it next to the door handle. Still, some guests continued to knock first.

When the knock happened again, Alice gave up, sliding off her stool and opening the door. “Next time, you don’t have to knock. You can just walk right in,” she said, trying be as polite as possible, while still being informative.

A boy around her own age tilted his head. “Really?” he asked, still standing on the doormat, despite the fact that Alice was holding the door open.

“Sure. I mean, as long as we’re open.”

The boy walked inside. As he passed her Alice felt a radiating cold, as if the boy was carrying an open freezer. Something in her unsettled, wanted to run, but just as quickly as the impulse came upon her, she shrugged it off as stupid.

Alice settled back behind her desk and watched the guest meander the entryway, taking in the double staircases and the ceiling that Alice herself had been ogling earlier.

This wasn’t odd behavior. They were, after all, a museum, and the detail poured into this house’s construction at times felt like a kaleidoscope for the eyes. But, something about this boy was familiar, and the fact that Alice couldn’t put her finger on it made her uneasy. She knew him from somewhere. Maybe he resembled a famous person. With hair and an outfit like that, he reminded her of James Dean.

“You’re pretty early for the noon tour,” she mentioned, feeling like she had to initiate polite conversation. “It’s not for another twenty minutes.”

The boy turned and stared, bright blue eyes blank.

Oh, so he was one of those guests that didn’t read the website. Looked like it was just going to continue to be one of those mornings. Swallowing her annoyance, Alice explained, “The museum gives four tours, each about two hours long. Our guides will take you through the entire house as well as the backyard and surrounding forest. The next tour is at noon.”

At the boy’s completely baffled look, Alice felt a little bad for being so cold. She grabbed the sheet of tour attendees and a pen. “There’s still three spots left, if you want to join?”

The boy scrunched his freckled nose and scanned her desk for a long moment, almost as if he didn’t understand what it, or she, was doing there.

Alice’s annoyance came back, this time tempered with a tiny bit of fear. This kid was beginning to creep her out. Once in awhile a guest wandered in that truly loved all the horrific gory shit that went down here, and those guests always freaked Alice out a lot more than any of the ghost stories ever did. “What’s your name?” she asked, working to keep her tone squarely in the polite camp, lest she provoke this weirdo.

He looked upset and a little lost. Like he had been expecting someone else. After a minute his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Danny,” he told her.

“I’m Alice,” Alice greeted.

Introductions seemed to break Danny out of whatever little mood he had been in. He neared her desk, eyes flicking towards her nametag. An amused smile spread across his lips. “I can see that,” he teased. “Alison Fox.”

Alice couldn’t help but lean back a bit. The guest smelled faintly like cigarettes. If Parker didn’t also smoke occasionally, she would have taken the smell as a sign of delinquency, somewhere next to tattoos.

He didn’t look like a delinquent. If anything he looked like he was on a debate team, what with his sweater vest and gelled hair. Only, his style was so accurate, it had transcended nerdy and had crossed over somewhere into cool. His clothing could have been thrifted straight out of her great-grandfather’s closet.

She cleared her throat. “Want me to put you down for noon?”

“How long has this place been a museum?” he asked.

Alice put the roster down and blinked. “Dunno. As long as I can remember.”

The guest quieted, humming to himself.

Figuring that was the end of their conversation, and that he would look around before deciding twenty minutes wasn’t worth the wait, Alice turned back to her computer which was now on. She typed in her password. The old monitor flickered a quilt of static and she blinked, reaching around to jiggle the wiring.

“What do you think of it?” a voice asked, sounding so close it almost came from inside her own head.

Alice jumped, narrowly missing a mug of coffee.

The guest was super close. He was leaning over her desk atop his elbows. He craned his neck to peer around at her monitor.

Alice scowled and tilted the screen away. “What do you mean?”

“This place,” he clarified. “What do you think of it?”

No one had ever asked her that before. Sure, there was a lot of ‘ever see any ghosts?’ or a lot of ‘how long have you worked here?’ then the subsequent disappointment when she said two weeks. Never what she thought about the museum. Alice found people rarely asked her what she thought of things.

Alice let go of the screen and played with the handle of her mug for a second, trying to get a read on him. She supposed he looked earnest. “I’ve only worked here for a few weeks so I don’t really know a lot about it besides the stories I heard growing up,” she admitted. “I suppose it is beautiful, in the same eerie, disorienting way an eclipse is.”

The boy glanced down at the top of her desk, brows furrowed.

Maybe he didn’t like her answer. Feeling a little self-conscious, Alice said, “Hopper can answer better. He’s worked here longer and he’s a guide.”

Danny glanced up, a wide grin unfurling across his face. His teeth were really white and perfect and so was his skin. “Let me guess. Hopper is the guide for the noon tour?” he teased. “You’re pretty good at pushing these tours on people. How much do they cost?”

Alice blushed, embarrassed. “I wasn’t trying to push anything.”

Footsteps, thankfully, interrupted them.

“Did I leave my coffee...?” Hopper trailed off, gaze darting between the guest and her. He was now wearing his tour guide white button up jacket and his name tag. He skidded to a halt in the middle of the foyer, jaw going slack, face pale.

“So you’re a guide?” the boy, still leaning on her desk, accused.

Hopper nodded, mute.

Alice was starting to feel embarrassed at Hopper’s weird reaction. Strange or not, this boy was a guest. He wasn’t even as bad as the Wiccans and Spiritualists that plagued the tours, hoping to scry something meaningful from the mansion’s creaky floors. She raised her eyebrows at him, motioning for him to say something.

If the guest noticed anything unusual, he didn’t show it. Instead his blue eyes lit with amusement, like he had just thought of something really funny. That grin widened until it felt edged with mania. “What’s it take to become a guide?” he asked. “I’m looking for work.”

With Hopper still frozen, Alice scrambled to overcome the awkwardness, shuffling through the mountains of papers hidden in the drawers of her desk. “Ah, here.” She grabbed an application and scooted it across the desk. On the top, a simple logo read: Masters Villa. Erected 1892. Amity Park Historical Monument & Museum.

The boy scooped it up. “Thanks.” Just as quickly as he blustered through, he left.

As the door clicked shut, Alice fully turned to give Hopper a frown. “What was that all about?” she complained, gesturing at the door.

Hopper swayed slightly.

Alice’s anger snapped to concern. It looked like he was about to pass out. She contemplated trying to get out from behind her desk and catch him, but with how tall and built Hopper was there was no way he wouldn’t crush her.

Instead of fainting, Hopper asked, in a weird and floaty voice, “You don’t know who that was?”

Damn, Alice thought. So the boy had been famous. “No. Who is he?” Now she was curious. Although, something about Hopper’s glazed look filled her with dread.

Hopper yanked out one of the pamphlets from the wall holder, flipping through the mini stapled book. Finding the right page, he held it up so Alice could see. “Who that was,” Hopper corrected.

It was a black and white photo of a kid in a lawn chair. A kid that looked remarkably the same as the one that had just taken a job application. He had his ankles crossed and his t-shirt sleeves rolled up as if it was a hot summer’s day. In one hand was a Coke, only, it was one of those old curvy Coca-Cola-shaped glass bottles. The ones they stopped making years and years ago. Alice glanced at the caption.

Danny, 1959. Disappeared August 12, 1962.

Alice flicked the pamphlet away. “Very funny. That was one of your higher production jokes.” She scowled. “You know, Lancer’s going to fire you one of these days.”

“It’s the truth,” Hopper insisted. His slap-glazed look faded into annoyance.

Something in his tone made her pause and reconsider. He truly believed it. Either he wasn’t trying to pull one over on her, or whoever was doing the pulling was pulling it on them both.

Alice glanced down at the roster where she had written, on the last line: Danny. Just Danny. “Well, he might become a guide, if he’s qualified,” she said, not knowing what else to say. Internally, she was trying to explain the past five minutes and the longer she couldn’t come up with a plausible answer her skin inched further and further in all directions.

Alice Fox didn’t believe in ghosts.

“Qualified?” Hopper repeated, offended. “Of course he’s qualified. He’s been here the whole time.”

#Danny Phantom #A Snapping Sound #semi-related drabble #Happy Halloween #spooktober #AU #OC's

104 notes · View notes

peachy-keen-glam-queen · 6 years

Text

2017 Reading Roundup

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer

Dawn by Octavia Butler

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket

Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

The Sex Myth by Rachel Hills

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

The Witches by Roald Dahl

The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The Dark Half by Stephen King

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon

The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket

The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket

The End by Lemony Snicket

Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight by Travis Langley

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

Holes by Louis Sachar

The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman

Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots? by various, edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hadju

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Waste Lands by Stephen King

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Matilda by Roald Dahl

“Who Could That Be at This Hour?” by Lemony Snicket

“When Did You See Her Last?” by Lemony Snicket

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Collected Short Stories of H.G. Wells by H.G. Wells

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Believing is Seeing by Diana Wynne Jones

The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Lucinda's Secret by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Ironwood Tree by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

The Wrath of Mulgarath by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut

Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (Thanks for the recommendation, @batmanisagatewaydrug!)

Dracula by Bram Stoker

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison

Time of the Twins by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

I didn’t quite make it to my goal of one hundred books, but that just gives me something to strive for this year. Now, the top five books I read this year, in no particular order (not counting books that I’ve read before):

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

Hands down one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. In addition to being a roller-coaster of emotion that will leave your heart in pieces and then gently glue them back together, this book also managed to hit the majority of my interests in one go. Gay shit? Check. Victorian-era theatre? Check. Socialist revolution? Check. This book truly has it all.

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

Speaking of books that will break your heart, here’s a doozy. If you’ve read any of Roxane Gay’s work before, then you know that she writes with a raw passion that makes you feel alongside her. One of the most honest books I’ve ever read, Gay captures a broad range of emotion with grace, humor, and humanity.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

What do you get when you combine stage magic, comic books, Yiddish folklore, and a helluva lot of heart? You get this fucking book. Though it veers dangerously close to tragedy porn at points, Chabon keeps things grounded enough that it never feels like drama is being drummed up for drama’s sake. A beautiful tale of love, loss, and friendship set against a vibrant historical backdrop. Along with Tipping the Velvet, this managed to not only become one of my favorite books of this year, but of all time.

The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer is, to say the least, a polarizing figure. People either love her or can’t stand her, and she knows it. Like Hunger, this is a book written from a profoundly humanist perspective. Here we’re privy to the insecure cracks in a woman who has built a career out of being bold, brash, and boisterous. Not only does she hold a mirror up to herself, but also to the reader. This book forced me to confront hard truths about myself, and I know that when I need a kick in the ass of inspiration, I’ll be returning to it again and again.

The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon

There’s not much to say about this one other than this: if you care at all about Batman, you need to read this book. Weldon does a phenomenal job not only of telling the history of the Dark Knight, but contextualizing each phase of his existence, revealing what the many versions of Batman over the years say about the prevailing culture of the time.

Well, that’s it for this year’s reading roundup, folks. Here’s to a New Year full of good stories and good nights spent curled up with a good book!

#bookblr #books #reading #literature #amanda palmer #roxane gay #michael chabon #sarah waters

7 notes · View notes

allthingsdarkanddirty · 4 years

Photo

TEASER REVEAL!!! Liarholic by Kingsley Ash releases April 20!!! “dark, twisted, steamy and angsty” – Goodreads reviewer “one heck of a roller-coaster ride!” – Goodreads reviewer Pre-order now for only $2.99!!! US: https://amzn.to/39yJoav UK: https://amzn.to/3aym8L4 CA: https://amzn.to/3bGyBwa AU: https://amzn.to/3bDH0QZ Add to your Goodreads TBR ➩ https://bit.ly/3ahOkki Bloggers & Bookstagrammers, sign up to review ➩ https://bit.ly/2xCAz2e It hurts to look at you. One, two, three, four, five . . . the lyrics to the hell inside your OCD head. Not alive, not dead. In chains. You’re broken, Amy. I did this. Can’t undo that. Six years ago, I played a cruel joke on you in front of the whole school. The girl who made a happiness machine to put her happy inside my head. And I just ripped your heart out. Now, I’m back to fix what I broke. I’m a psychologist, Amy. I can give you back the happiness I stole . . . It’s all a lie. I’m not a doctor. So what. She doesn’t get a choice. So what if I buy the Victorian estate she lives in, blackmail her into fake therapy sessions. So what if I get her addicted to my body like a painkiller, make her wish me dead. I’m not the hero. I’m the monster. The orphan boy gone bad. Cursed, everything broken. So what, when I discover a dark secret that makes her every inch off-limits, I don’t keep my hands off her. Her bones are made from emeralds, she’s that precious. I won’t stop chasing her until she’s mine. But Amy is a pretty little liar, too. Her lie is the deadliest of them all. Only one of us is telling the truth. So bloody what. Nobody’s gonna believe her over me. It’s her word . . . . . . against MINE. You’re in a bad place, Amy. Where the monsters go. But it’s only in the bad places . . . I can get to you. Disclaimer: No cheating — this alpha-hole keeps it in his pants.

0 notes

votum-cordis · 7 years

Text

The Dream Daddies: a thesis

Listen this game is the only thing I’ve been excited about in what feel like years so here we go, observations of the boys

Robert: Listen he’s the perfect shoujo manga bad boy, he’s probably a dick at first but then you see him pick up a kitten in a rain storm, he just wants someone to talk about mothman with dude, go squatching with him. Amanda would love to go camping. he probably loves slam poetry but will refuse it at all costs.

Damien: okay,,, this one is rough, this motherfucker looks like he is a dedicated vampire larper, or that one fuckin episode on my strange addictions of that lady who sucked blood, but how far have people gone before for the #aesthetic. All in all he’s probably a bit high maintenance but he knows what he wants and that just so happens to be the Victorian era (c. 1837-1901)

Craig: this man is most definitely the guy who wakes you up at 4 am for a run because “it’s so beautiful out rn babe” and he looks so fuckin sincere you gotta wake up and walk behind him as he’s jogging circles around you, but this doesn’t happen often, he knows u love ur sleep, so he usually gets coffee ready after his four am run and wakes up the kids and you for breakfast while he sips his protein shake. He probably loves taking the kids to extra circulars.

Joseph: okay I know what your thinking,,, this mother fukin twunk looking prissy ass man, he most definitely runs the PTA and scoffs whenever Patricia brings store bought goods for the yearly bake sale, but also he knows it’s all for the kids so he won’t say shit. He most definitely brought you a pie he baked when you moved into the neighborhood, and it probably was one of the best pies you’ve ever eaten. (His grandmas recipe). His kids are probably so well behaved no one knows how he does it. And yeah he looks really vanilla and boring but don’t forget “extensive knowledge of knot tying” ;0

Matt: Matt, Matt Matt Matt Matt Matt, this man looks like the sweetest person you’ve ever met in your life, the friend zone is real and it’s a 5 foot proximity to this man, however he also looks like he can sass you within an inch of your life, don’t try to burn him, he will incinerate you in an instant. He probably makes hella good coffee and shyly asked to kiss you before he did, he’s a cuddler and a probably really warm so if you have cold hands you will have thermal equilibrium. Ideal. Plus he will take you, his daughter, and Amanda to a daddy daughter concert and you’ll melt.

Hugo: our first released boy. Probably a lil antisocial at first but then u ask a question about a book and suddenly it’s been three hours and somehow he’s talking about the differences between Shakespeare’s writing and Oscar Wilds, and your lost in his infectious enthusiasm about literature. You could probs listen to him all day (you do) plus he helps Amanda with her homework and her grades have been getting better and better, he’s found a way to teach her so she understands it all. You’re swooning. Plus he offers to do the dishes after dinner.

Brian: THIS MAN WILL GIVE THE BEST HUGS. He loves his children and his garden and his dog and soon you. He just wants a quiet life, and yet once you all go to an amusement park and he’s taken you on the roller coaster 7 times. He pats your back while you vomit so that’s a plus. He has the best dad jokes and probably makes a room brighter when he walks in. He however has a competitive streak, so family game nights are few and far between. But he doesn’t mind (he’s still the reining scrabble champion) just let him love you.

Anyway Dream Daddies game?? ∞/10 don’t talk to me

#dream daddy #dream daddy: a dad dating simulator #dadsona #game grumps #just fukin ignore me #I'm exhausted #fucc #mine #my post

140 notes · View notes

victorluvsalice · 2 years

Text

AU Thursday: Coffee Shop All Occults AU

So -- this one isn’t really a fully-fleshed-out AU yet, mostly because I’m not sure where, if anywhere, I’d want to go with it. But it’s in my head taking up a bit of space, so I figured I’d get the basic sketch of the idea out so I’d have it on the tumblr in case I ever wanted to poke at it some more. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

-->The inspiration is this post by @prokopetz, which I have reblogged before: Coffee Shop In World of Darkness, where the basic premise is that it’s a coffee shop in a “supernaturals must hide” setting -- where the staff and regulars are poorly-hiding supernaturals (who don’t immediately realize that they’re not alone in this regard)

-->It’s a “Four Victorians On A Roller Coaster”-type situation, with the option for separate Valicer/Vemilia pairings -- either way, Victor, Victoria, Emily, Alice, and Smiler are all involved

-->The occult types are at least semi-based on how the ones we have in Sims 4 work, as I’m most familiar with the most number of occults in that series (like, in WoD, I’m really focused on the vampire side of things, so I’m not great with werewolves and mages in that system)

-->The coffee shop in question is called Sunny Brews (reusing the coffee shop name from the old DGHDA Coffee Shop AU idea), and is open pretty late, with everyone either working or frequenting the late afternoon/evening shift

-->The players and their “splats” are:

Victor: One of the regulars, in university studying business at his father’s behest to take over the cannery (he’s not happy and would much rather be studying art or biology or maybe even engineering, he likes his little robots); his splat is Spellcaster -- he ran across a portal to the Magic Realm, and upon realizing that getting magic was the matter of a simple fetch-quest, got the Rite of Ascension. He’s currently trying to study spells while hiding his new magical abilities from his parents, whom he’s sure would NOT understand.

Alice: One of the two staff on the late shift, generally in charge of the counter, living with her Nanny while trying to get her life back in order after all the bullshit with Rutledge, Houndsditch, and Bumby; her splat is Vampire -- she was unwillingly changed by a rogue vamp (I haven’t decided who yet, though I suppose I could import Fish from “Londerland Bloodlines”), but has managed to embrace a few of the perks. She’s working on getting enough power to up her sunlight resistance, and dealing with the thirst via plasma fruit and plasma packs (though she has stopped at least one near-assault near the shop. . .)

Victoria: Another of the regulars, who comes to the coffee shop to escape the high expectations of her parents and avoid their attempts to matchmake her with someone she doesn’t love; her splat is Werewolf -- her entire family line is aristocratic werewolves, in fact! The Everglots favor restraining one’s fury and being a civilized werewolf, which Victoria can get behind; however, they also don’t believe in fated mates or having ANY fun with your werewolf nature, which she can’t. She likes a nice run under the waxing moon too much! And she does still hope to find that special someone for her. . .

Emily: The third regular, also in college studying business -- unlike Victor, though, this is her choice, as after a bad break-up she’s pivoting into the small business world and working to start her own bridal boutique; her splat is Mermaid -- Barkis actually took her to the islands to “elope” and try to murder her there, but Emily got away and -- with the help of another mermaid giving her the kelp to transform -- escaped into the sea. Barkis escaped before she could bring him to justice, so she instead chose to return to her home land with her new form. She really likes her new song-based powers and fish tail -- she just hopes it doesn’t weird any future potential suitors out too much!

Smiler: The other staffer with Alice, a master on the actual drink-making machines, just vibing at the shop and trying to give all the customers the best experience ever; their splat is Faery -- the only one not in Sims 4! (Well, unless you use Spinning Plumbob’s mod, which I have looked at. . .) They’re a natural-born fae from the Sylvan Glade on a mission to spread happiness around. Said mission often involves spiking the coffees of people who ask for one of their special pick-me-ups with joy serum. XD They’re also good at commanding people, though they don’t often use that ability -- a little too obvious! They’re staying nearby with some other fae friends (aka the other coasters) while deciding what exactly what they want to do with their time among mortals.

-->As per the original prompt, nobody knows the others are supernatural -- until such time something happens that they’re all forced to fight the same assailants, and they all end up whipping out the supernatural powers. I am open to the possibility that Smiler at least could sense everyone was MAGICAL, but not exactly HOW. They all relax a lot when they realize they’re among fellow “freaks,” as you might imagine!

-->Most of the AU would be just coffee shop shenanigans, with the gang dealing with other late-night customers and navigating their own growing relationships; most vivid other scene I have for it is Victor’s mother coming in and ordering a drink, then berating Victor in full view of Smiler -- who is forced to toss the drink because they reflexively started cursing it. So much that the trash bin starts melting when they throw it away. I dunno if this would be better either before they all find out about each other (Alice: “How hot did you make that coffee?!”) or after (Alice: “. . .you’re way more dangerous than you let on, aren’t you?”)

-->If the Sims 4 fated mates for werewolves are a thing, I’m tempted to make Victoria’s Emily, just because XD

And that’s about it for now. *shrug* I mean, I suppose if nothing else, it’s a good starter set for a potential Sims 4 save file. XD

2 notes · View notes

gizedcom · 4 years

Text

Britain’s best and worst seaside locations named with St Mawes in Cornwall top and Skegness bottom

A Cornish village with a population of less than 1,000 has triumphed over some of the nation’s most famous seaside resorts in Which?’s annual ranking of the UK’s best coastal destinations.

The consumer champion asked thousands of holidaymakers to rate their recent visits to over 100 UK seaside resorts across a range of factors including food and drink, seafront, beach, value for money and peace and quiet.

St Mawes, in Cornwall, came top ahead of better-known beach destinations like Salcombe or St Ives – earning a full five stars for its scenery, seafront and peace and quiet – and a glowing overall customer score of 85 per cent. At the bottom of the ranking was Skegness, which earned an overall score of 44 per cent.

St Mawes, pictured, has triumphed over some of the nation’s most famous seaside resorts in Which?’s annual ranking of the UK’s best coastal destinations

A table by Which? showing the full ranking of the UK seaside destinations. The ranking was based on factors including food and drink, seafront, beach, value for money and peace and quiet

Those who visited St Mawes recommended eating crab baguettes at Mr Scorse’s deli and spotting dolphins on the ferry to Falmouth, but admitted to Which? that avoiding peak season was the best way to dodge the crowds.

Dartmouth, arguably one of the most famous destinations in the top 10, and home of Agatha Christie, scored 84 per cent and came joint second.

Which? says those who visited drew attention to steam trains and delicious seafood, but advised using the park and ride service as finding a parking spot in town is ‘near impossible’.

For those seeking to avoid already oversubscribed hotspots, particularly those in Devon and Cornwall, Which? says there are plenty of beautiful and tranquil spots to pick, such as Southwold in joint second (84 per cent) and Aldeburgh in joint fourth (83 per cent). They both scored top marks for scenery and peace and quiet.

Which? says holidaymakers highlighted the great food and drink on offer in Southwold – earning five stars in this category – as well as the deliberate lack of ‘kiss-me-quick’ gimmickry.

Aldeburgh was praised for its tranquillity, with one person telling Which?: ‘It’s not got the usual seaside entertainments.’ Another described it as ‘far from the madding crowd of South East England’.

Bamburgh in Northumberland (83 per cent), which topped last year’s rankings, has not fallen out of favour with visitors this year. It was rated a full five stars in almost every category.

One person summed up Bamburgh to Which? as ‘one of the UK’s top-secret locations’, adding that ‘Northumberland is outstandingly unspoilt and a UK treasure’.

Dartmouth, pictured, came joint second with those who visited telling Which? that they were impressed by the steam trains and delicious seafood

The Suffolk seaside resort of Southwold, pictured, came joint second in the ranking. It was praised for its food and drink offering

St Andrews (81 per cent), home of Scotland’s oldest university, also made it into the top 10, with a full five stars for food and drink, beautiful views and its attractions, including the world-renowned golf course.

The consumer champion says those who visited praised the West Sands beach, which extends for almost two miles and was made famous by the opening scene of the film Chariots of Fire.

Visitors looking for peace and quiet were advised to check term times before travel, as the town is much livelier when the students are around.

For a more easy-going Scottish seaside destination, Oban (74 per cent) could be a better option, says Which?

It is best known as the ‘Gateway to the Isles’, thanks to its role as a hub for tourists departing to the islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides, but the consumer group says this seaside town has enough charm to warrant being a holiday spot of its own and also gets top marks for stunning scenery.

Bamburgh in Northumberland, which topped last year’s ranking, was described as ‘one of the UK’s top secret locations’

In Wales, St Davids (81 per cent), Llandudno (80 per cent), Tenby (79 per cent) and Conwy (78 per cent) all scored highly, with many Welsh destinations earning high ratings for scenery and value for money.

Which? found that crowds can easily be avoided by missing better-known destinations and heading a little further up the coast.

For example, instead of Llandudno and Conwy, Which? says fewer people will know Criccieth, which achieved a respectable 74 per cent customer score.

This town also received a full five-star rating for its stunning views, and being a bit further afield will also mean that hotel rooms are a little cheaper, says Which?

The top-ranked Scottish destination was St Andrews, pictured, which is the home of Scotland’s oldest university

One of the Welsh destinations that ranked highly was Llandudno, which earned five stars for its seafront, value for money, scenery and tourist attractions

Also in the top 10, but often overlooked by holidaymakers, is Tynemouth (81 per cent), eight miles northeast of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

This coastal town was awarded five-star ratings almost across the board, including for its sandy beach, which is popular with walkers and is a nationally recognised watersports hub.

Meanwhile, bottom-ranked Skegness, the famous home of the original Butlins, achieved one-star ratings in each category, apart from the three stars for its beach.

Bottom-ranked Skegness, pictured, achieved one-star ratings in each category, apart from ‘beach’, for which it earned three stars

While some of those who spoke to Which? were scathing in their comments, going as far as to say the Lincolnshire town was ‘to be avoided,’ nature lovers highlighted the seal sanctuary and bird watching at the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve.

Which? says some spoke fondly of a ‘typical town that caters for all ages’ and one visitor told the consumer champion: ‘Don’t be put off by the stereotypical opinions of Skegness. It’s a well-maintained, vibrant area.’

Other iconic seaside resorts complete with Victorian-era piers, amusement arcades and roller coasters also fared badly, including Great Yarmouth (48 per cent), Clacton-on-Sea (48 per cent), Bognor Regis (49 per cent) and Blackpool (53 per cent).

Which? says that the survey of over 4,000 people – carried out before the coronavirus lockdown – shows British holidaymakers favour peace and quiet over crowds, crazy golf and roller coasters.

Finishing joint-second bottom of the tables was Great Yarmouth, pictured, which had a customer satisfaction score of just 48 per cent

Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, pictured, was joint second bottom. It scored just one star in four of the categories

The consumer champion says it also highlights some of the lesser-known resorts savvy travellers can escape to if they want to avoid busy beaches, bars and restaurants this summer.

Rory Boland, Which? travel editor, said: ‘With many people choosing to holiday in the UK this summer it is a good time to explore parts of the country you may not have considered before and to spread our sandcastles beyond the beaches of Devon and Cornwall.

‘As our survey shows, it’s smaller seaside towns and villages with fewer visitors that holidaymakers love.

‘Whether that’s hitting the waves in Tynemouth or camping in Criccieth, there are good options for those of us keen to keep our distance from the crowds this year but still want to combine stunning scenery with sumptuous seafood.

‘Don’t forget, if you book your hotel or accommodation direct and over the phone, you may even get a discount or free bottle of bubbly thrown in.’

Credit: Source link

The post Britain’s best and worst seaside locations named with St Mawes in Cornwall top and Skegness bottom appeared first on GIZED - Breaking News Worldwide.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/3jhjpuj via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes

bookmarksanddogears · 4 years

Text

Book Review: Bringing Down the Duke, by Evie Dunmore

My rating: 4 / 5 stars

Recommended for: romance fans, historical fiction fans

My review: This book was the perfect weekend read - fast-paced, witty, and full of smoldering romance. Throw in strong female characters and a dash of commentary on gender equality, and you have yourself an addictive story. Annabelle Archer is a bit of a paradox in Victorian England: raised in the country, but extremely well-educated; nearly destitute, but fiercely determined to remain independent and unmarried. When Oxford University begins admitting its first female students, she secures a scholarship and is thrilled at the adventure of attending. However, to keep her scholarship, she must help advocate for the women's suffrage movement and persuade men of influence to support the cause. Her first target is none other than the Duke of Montgomery, a political antithesis for the women's suffrage movement. The Duke finds himself captivated by Annabelle, and despite herself, Annabelle is uncontrollably drawn to the Duke in return...

To begin, the first chapter is one of the best first chapters I've read in a long time. It's the kind of chapter that makes you briefly close the book and say, "Did just find my new favorite book?" Unfortunately, the next few chapters were a little slow before the plot picked back up again; the inconsistent pacing was the reason I gave this book four stars. It was a bit of a roller coaster between "Oh my god, what happens next??" and "When does this chapter end...." I loved everything else though: the characters (especially the tight-knit group of female friends), the historical setting and commentary, the wit and humor, the steamy love scenes. I'm looking forward to A Rogue of One's Own, the next book in the series that follows Lady Lucie's story!

If you want to see more reviews like this, please Like, Reblog, and Follow!

#book #books #book review #bookish #booknerd #bookworm #booklr #bookblogger #book blog #bringing down the duke #romance books #bookaddict

0 notes

drink-n-watch · 5 years

Text

Genre : Supernatural, drama, school, action, fantasy

Episodes: 12

Studio: MADHOUSE

15 years ago, God abandoned his creation. Admitting failure, he left humanity to its fate and moved on. 15 years ago, with nowhere else to go, the dead got stuck in the living plane and had to go on as if nothing happened. 15 years ago, with nowhere to come from, babies stopped being born. The world goes on but it’s slowly grinding to a halt. In order to regulate itself, supernatural beings known as gravediggers started to appear. In this godless world, they are the only ones that can lay souls to rest by giving them a true and proper burial. Is there any way to stop the slow and investable decay that is bound to take over everything? And how is it that Ai is only 12 years old?

Sunday Without God is a flawed but pretty exploration of our relationship with life itself. It’s a disjointed cautionary tale of the dangers of holding onto wishes too tightly. It ferrets out hope in the oddest places. I have no clue how Sunday Without God ended up on my watch list and that’s quite fitting. It’s the sort of series that comes out of nowhere.

such a colourful nowhere

Visually, it’s quite beautiful. I do encourage you to take a look at the imgur gallery I put together as it’s the best way to truly appreciate the art through the series. It’s not so much original as it is luxurious. Rich in detail and lush with colours. The animation isn’t quite as impressive, but it holds its own. I was surprised to have never even heard of such a good-looking series. It’s a show that often exists on the borders of the day. Early morning and sunrise scenes get followed by dying sunsets or still twilight. As such, you often get the chance to see environments bathed in unusual colours and ever-changing shadows.

The soundtrack is actually quite good as well. Not in the sense that you’re likely to listen to it on your way to work but it was very fitting and often added to the scenes. I think it’s important for me to mention the voice acting. It was good, very good. Clearly above average for just about every character. However, the standout for me was Toyosaki, Aki as Ai (the main character). I’m not the biggest fan of overly cute slightly squeaky voices but she managed to make it sound not only pleasant but oddly powerful. It was a great performance that brought what could have been a very bland, even annoying character to a whole other level.

the style is quite shoujo

I will do my best to avoid spoilers, certainly all the major ones but if you truly want to go in without any details, you may want to skip this part. I will give my general impressions in the last paragraph.

As I was watching Sunday without God, I started comparing it to a Victorian play. There’s a stage quality to the writing. In my head, I dubbed it: Sunday Without God – A Tragedy in Four Parts:

great hair!

Part un: The Tragedy of the Man-Eating Toy

In which Ai is told a million sweet lies and one bitter truth

The first arc establishes the universe of the series in a dynamic and interactive way. This is crucial as the lore is fairly complex, if not downright convoluted and it’s absolutely crucial for the audience to understand the details if we are to follow along or form any bond with the characters. It was impressive and a very strong start. Despite being somewhat generic, Ai is very easy to get attached to and the series has a gift for quickly developing characters. I found myself caring rather deeply about the faith of people that had been introduced only an episode prior. In this, we see the faith of Ai’s hometown and hear ominous about the world beyond.

each arc has its own palette as well

Part deux: The Tragedy of the Necropolis

In which Ai meets and looses her very first friend

The fact that people are no longer dying isn’t a twist, it’s spelled out clearly in the first few minutes of the show. The implications of it, however, are staggering and explored in most detail in the second arc. Basically, when people die in Sunday Without God, nothing happens. The get back up, maybe they need to heal some wounds, and go back to their business. On a social/economical level, this is huge.

As the changes happened 15 years ago, humanity is basically right in the middle of trying to figure out what to do. The great city of Ortus is a reaction to the changes in the world and the mysteries it holds kept me binging episodes to get at the truth. Ultimately, the reveal was not as great as it could be, somewhat predictable, but still satisfying.

sounds like highschool

Part trois: The Tragedy of Highschool

In which Ai learns that adults are not to be trusted and neither are children

To me, this was the weakest arc. So far, the series had been mostly a suspenseful action mystery with a heavy supernatural aspect. Although all these elements remain present here, in structure, this arc is almost like a school-based comedy slice of life, complete with wacky bathhouse shenanigans.

That’s not actually a bad thing. The heavy ominous tone of the series was getting a bit oppressive and a lighthearted interlude was welcomed. And even though I call it the weakest arc, I didn’t dislike it. It was more underdeveloped than anything else.

We meet an assortment of wacky students we never get the chance to know well enough to care about and the purpose and existence of the school are just laid out in flat exposition making it seem like an afterthought. Compared to every other arc, this one was the shallowest but that’s probably because it was mostly a vehicle to introduce us to Alis/Alice (the subtitles spell his name out as Alis but in the series we see his name written as Alice several times so that’s what I’m going to go with).

s’okay

Part quatre: The Tragedy of the Comfortable Cage

In which a girl who has lost everything is asked to lose it again

By far the most emotional arc, this goes back to that thriller mystery vibe and the show is that much more interesting for it. The arc heavily depends on Alice and thankfully he is a very good character. Well balanced and flawed, he brings the viewer along in his own personal pleasant nightmare and I was right there with Ai desperately trying to save him.

That final episode was a roller coaster and may have been the strongest in the series.

Overall there are three general themes that resonate throughout the entire series. The importance of family and friendships, what life means for sentient creatures and continuous warnings of “be careful what you wish for”. At times it reminded me of Battle Angel Alita, a coming of age story of a remarkable young girl under very difficult circumstances, at others, it reminded me of Pandora Hearts, with all the symbolism and goth sensibilities.

It’s hardly perfect, there are plot holes and some slightly tedious melodrama at times. Scar’s character is great, but the narrative doesn’t know what to do with her and eventually saddles her in a dead-end b plot. It definitely a flawed series but it has some great moments. It also resonated with me and I’m very glad I randomly decided to watch it.

Also, for some reason the Sunday Without God universe is French. As in all the in-show writing is in french and generally pretty accurate. I’m not sure why though. It’s never mentioned or anything and everything gets translated but there you go. The end of the world is French… somehow I always knew that.

indeed

Favourite character: Scar before the parenthood bit (I guess that says something about me

What this anime taught me: be careful what you wish for – honestly if I hadn’t learned that by the end, there would be a problem with me.

The drunk mind speaks the sober heart

Suggested drink: Deathwish

Every time Ai mentions her father – take a sip

Every time anyone says “gravekeeper” – take a sip

Every time Ai calls anyone pretty – awww

Every time we hear about “15 years ago” – take a sip

Every time someone doesn’t age as they should – take a sip

Every time there’s an eye close up – get some water

Every time anyone’s wish comes true – uh hoh

Every time a male character has a traditionally female name – take a sip

Every time there’s a massacre (yes that happens a lot) – take a sip

Every time we see graves – stretch

I’m going to try to give you an idea of the visuals, as usual, Imgur and Pinterest have more!

Sunday Without God – Reinventing the Zombie Genre Genre : Supernatural, drama, school, action, fantasy Episodes: 12 Studio: MADHOUSE 15 years ago, God abandoned his creation.

#action #anime #blonde bishie #drama #Fantasy #Goth #sunday without god #supernatural #symbolism

0 notes