Prompt 2: Adrift

She gasped with excitement and shouted over the noise of the propeller: "The islands in the clouds are real!"

"This is a joke right?!" Lydia questioned glaring out the window of the plane at the hovering landscape in disbelief. "The altitude is messing with our heads, I'm sure of it." She bit her lip. "There's no such thing as...floating scenery."

Carter shook her head. "No, this is real. This is way, way real! And way cool! I can't believe it. The stories that I've heard as a child...they were true all along!"

Carter reflected on the days of her childhood; her mother tucking her into bed, a glass of warm milk on the nightstand, and the glowing lava lamp across the room on her dresser. Her mother's short, jet black hair tucked behind her ears with her reading glasses propped on the top of her head. Even back then, she appeared pale, sick looking. She never read bedtime stories from a book, which Carter found quite odd as she thought back. The islands in the clouds, otherwise known as Drijvende Wereld, was one of the stories that she knew best, word for word. Were all the stories that her mother told not fiction after all? Were there actually portals to other dimmensions? Our anti-selves on the other side?

"And there were islands in the sky," Carter began to recite. "Its sun was not ours, and neither was its moon, but it resided under the same blanket of stars."

"We gaan raken een beetje turbulentie!" The pilot yelled through the intercom. "Don't let it startle you!"

"What did he say?" Lydia said frowning.

"We're going to be hitting a little bit of turbulence - wait - how did I know that's what he said?" Carter covered her mouth with both of her hands and her eyes grew wide.

"What language is that?"

"Dutch." Carter mumbled through her hands. As she took her hands away from her mouth, they began to shake. "I-I never - my mother spoke Dutch as her first language, but I never learned. I don't - what in the hell does this mean?"

"I don't know. M-Maybe it's another one of those things that your mother told you in a story once?" Lydia could feel the goosebumps rise on her skin. 

Carter drew her mouth into a line in concentration. She tried to remember everything that her mom ever told her. "Well, there was this one thing..."

"Well, spit it out, so we can figure out what the hell is wrong with you!"

"When your parents die, you receive some of their characteristics. Almost as if a part of them now becomes a part of you. Some of them are chosen by your parents for you to have while others aren't. Well, I guess I got her tongue of our motherland." Carter touched her lips.

"So, maybe your mother wanted you to be able to speak Dutch as an apology for not teaching you?"

Suddenly, the plane began to tilt and quake. Lydia quickly grabbed for Carter's hand and continued to look out the window, bracing herself against the rumbles and shakes that came with turbulence. As they got closer and closer to the array of islands, she could see other planes landing and taking off. The ones that were leaving the landing strips appeared to just fall off the runaway, back down to Earth. People visited this place like it was a normal thing to do? Like going to Orlando or Las Vegas?

The pilot shut off the engine and allowed the plane to glide down toward the hovering island, landing with a slight thud and drifting down the runway.

"We're here!" The pilot stood in the doorway with a grin on his face. His teeth were point, resembling a shark or a piranha. It rose the hairs on the back of Lydia's neck. "Please enjoy your stay in Drijvende Wereld."

Response #3 - Lara Croft

For anyone who truly knows me, they know that I'm an absolute video game freak. I've been playing video games since about 4 years old, starting out with a Sega Genesis and then having almost every video game platform since then. From Xbox, to the Playstation, to Gameboys, video games have been an essential part of my life. When we had our Playstation 1 so many years ago, my brother and I played Tomb Raider, the story of the adventurer Lara Croft. As a kid, she became one of my favorite characters since there weren't many female protagonists (there aren't many now). Last year in March, Crystal Dynamics recreated the Tomb Raider game coming out on multiple gaming platforms, such as the Xbox 360, PS3, PS4. Hands down, it became one of my favorite games of all time. It was so much more exciting than the previous Tomb Raider games and the graphics were absolutely amazing. It's a free roam game which is every gamer's dream. It allows you to stray from the main story line to discover other plots and activities to do. It shows an incredible new side of Lara Croft, and I would give this game a 10/10 for sure. If you like female protagonists, danger, and suspense, then you need to play this game.

Response #2 - Trends That Men Hate

Ah yes, the notorious Trends That Men Hate phenomenon that hit the web only about 2 weeks ago. Personally, this is my favorite topic to talk about, so I needed to make a post on it. First off, let me give you some of the trends that men hate to begin this post:

1. High waisted shorts or jeans
2. Makeup (which is extremely ironic in the sense that when you wear makeup, they prefer that you're "natural," but when you DO go natural, they're all like, "Ew, you're so ugly. You should wear makeup." VHAT?)
3. Peplums
4. Floppy hats
5. Open side shirts
6. Pants suits
7. Over sized sweaters

And the list goes on, and on, and on, and...guess what...ON. Basically, this post should have been renamed "Outfits For 2014" because these trends are definitely what I'm going to be wearing. News flash, dimwitted, misogynistic idiots: WOMEN DO NOT DRESS FOR MEN. We dress for ourselves. We dress in the things that WE FEEL WE LOOK BEST IN. Not once have I ever put on makeup, worn a dress, or did my hair for the sake of a stupid boy and if you have, then you might want to re-evaluate your outlook on life. You'll spend your days trying to impress and please, and you'll ultimately be unhappy. Do yourself a favor and do for yourself. Ja feel?

Response #1 - Restoring Force

So, Of Mice & Men just released their new album today (Jan. 28th) here in the US titled Restoring Force. I didn't pre-order the album, BUT they did release it on YouTube for everyone to hear and might I say, they did a really amazing job with it. I was a little reluctant at first, feeling as if this album wasn't going to be as good as their previous album (side note: it wasn't), but alas, they still killed it. The new album consists of 11 songs, all different in their own way. Public Service Announcement is definitely the heaviest song on the album, adding some exciting guitar riffs that is really quirky and a little odd, but at the same time, extremely cool. The lyrics are great, giving that "Why do you care about what I do and who I am," type of feel to it. It's something that will get you off of your feet and moshing around your room without a care in the world. You're Not Alone is another song with amazing vocals by their new member Aaron Pauley from Jamie Elsewhere. Perfect melodies and of course, a great message behind the screams. Great album, but not as great as The Flood. If I had to rank it out of their 3 existing albums, it would be ranked 3rd...

Metal =/= Satanic Music/Worship

This has been on my mind for a long time ever since I started listening to the art that is heavy metal/hardcore/grindcore music in the 6th grade, and it desperately needs to be shared because I'm sick (triple underline "I'm sick") of hearing about it!

Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

• Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

1. Metal does not equal satanic music/worship.

METAL DOES NOT EQUAL SATANIC MUSIC OR WORSHIP.

I don't know how many times in how many different ways I can say it! Metal, just like every other genre of music, is a form of self expression, and before you judge or be a total close minded bigot and say, "Aw, that's devil music," and "Oh, you must worship the devil listening to that," listen to the music, read the lyrics, and see all the positivity and strong meaning behind it! Here are a few of my favorite bands sharing the message of positive vibes and real inner issues:

Issues - Never Lose Your Flames

Tyler Carter (clean vocalist of Issues) - Collins Hill

We Came As Romans - Hope

Of Mice & Men - Second & Sebring

side note: this song is about the lead unclean vocalist's (Austin Carlile) mother.

Yeah, so before you try to tell me about the music that I listen to and try to call it "devil's music," check your facts first.

Thank you. ~ x

Prompt 1: 5 Line Poem - His Time

His Time

And it ticked away

Even though I wore no watch

And saw no clock

I felt it from within

I was on the Reaper's time

Random 1st Blog Post: How To Survive Warped Tour

This year is going to be my first year at Warped Tour, a festival that happens every year during the summer where nearly a hundred bands and artists come together to play for a day. There were a lot of things that I needed to remember before going, and I had no idea there were so many! From conversation with friends and online research, here are a few things to know before going to Warped Tour if you plan on going too!

Pack Your Bag The Day Before! 

Because you don't want to get to the venue late, it makes sense to pack the night before, that way you aren't scrambling.

Eat Breakfast!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make sure you eat a breakfast with substance. Try to avoid milk.

Have water!

Who knows how hot July 19th (Chicago) will be? Be well hydrated. There are water stations all over the venue that you'll be able to refill. If you buy water, it needs to be sealed to bring it into the venue.

Make food!

Most likely you'll be hungry in between shows, so make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something along those lines that way you will make it on time to the next show.

Things To Bring! 

• Backpack - to hold all the free stuff you can get while walking around the venue, your water, your snack, shirts, and other things that you may buy.
• Towels -  to wipe away the sweat from all the hardcore moshing you'll be doing.
• A watch - it'll save your phone battery.
• Socks - just in case your socks get wet.
• Sunglasses - it's summer, so it'll be obnoxiously sunny.
• Cash - to buy merch
• A phone charger - even though they may charge you $5 to use it, bring it just in case it's absolutely needed
• Sharpies - you want your favorite band to sign stuff for you, don't you?
• Hair ties