#nice queue tinkerbell

[stevensgrnts]

@kisaageckos

LMDJSNHDJSBSHSBS

[doublehelixed]

To Tink from Neal "Are you mad at me?"

Writing Prompts  Accepting

“No, should I be?” Tink looked at him curiously. “What have you done?”

[literaryinspiredwebserieslove]

LIW Review: The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy

This series is a little different from others that I’ve reviewed because it has three seasons, and I’m reviewing them all together because the whole story is short enough for that to be possible.

The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy is loosely based on Peter Pan, but the characters are now adults living in Neverland, Ohio. Tinkerbell is still an actual fairy, but Peter is now a comic book author and the Darlings own the local newspaper, the Kensington Chronicle. Tiger Lily is now Lily Bhaga, a businesswoman with more money than you can shake a stick at. Hook becomes the owner of a media company (JH Media), and Smee becomes his multitalented assistant.

Format:

This series is very mixed-format. In Season One, everything is either a “Dear Darling” video filmed by Wendy or shot from the point of view of Tinkerbell, which allows the camera to move and allows her to exist as a fairy without having to show her. In Seasons Two and Three, a lot of episodes are shot by the cameras that Jas Hook has installed in all of his offices. The characters were all active on Twitter, and the Kensington Chronicle (later the K-Chron) existed as a real newsletter.

Realism:

Well, there’s an actual fairy involved, so obviously we’re stretching belief a little bit from the start. The real issue with realism is the filming. All the footage exists in-universe, as I said, but there’s no justification for how it’s being edited or for any of its existence on the internet. Since there’s no in-universe YouTube channel, it works, but creating the justification for filming and then not creating a fictional framework for what happens with the footage is a strange combination that doesn’t entirely work for me.

Representation/diversity:

Season One starts out with only five characters. Four of them are white. Lily is Indian and very, very rich. She and Wendy also have a very negative relationship, and Lily is generally not portrayed in a very positive way. I’m not convinced that Season One passes the Bechdel Test, though I would have to rewatch to be sure. If it does, it does not do so with flying colors.

Season Two is different, and just generally better. We get Billie, a female pirate (fine, JH Media employee) who has an actual friendship with Wendy. Ethnic diversity goes up in Season Two. The characters get more complex (Peter does bad things, Hook does good things), and there’s non-stigmatized LGBTQ+ representation (well, okay, just G, but for such a big-budget webseries that’s huge). 

Season Three is the wrap-up season, and it pays equal attention to the gay relationship as to the two straight ones (technically it’s the second most important/spotlit relationship of the three). There’s good parental advice, which is always nice to see. There are discussions of money, which is something the was sorely lacking in the first two seasons (these people are hopelessly upper class, especially for LIW characters). 

I should also mention that John Darling has OCD, and it is discussed frequently, usually in a very healthy way. Other characters (notably Peter) probably have various mental health issues, but these are never discussed or named.

My three favorite things about The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy:

1) Episodes 12 and 13 of Season Three. I can’t say why without serious spoilers, but those two episodes made me feel many things.

2) John Darling. I don’t identify with him, but at the same time I do, very strongly. I sympathize with and understand him more than anything else, and I love him.

3) The aesthetic. The production values are super high, the sets and costumes are a pleasure to look at – visually, everything is wonderful.

Difficult things about New Peter + Wendy:

Well, the money and realism points I mentioned earlier are definite issues, but I think this series suffered from two other big problems. First, an aversion to really digging deep. There were moments of raw emotion and honesty, but not as many as there could have been. The script often just didn’t quite go where it maybe should have gone. The second issue is how dependent they were on funding. Season Two somehow got massive amounts of money, so they cast recognized actors, filmed more episodes, and frequently used multiple camera angles. Then, for Season Three, they had considerably less funding, and so there were fewer episodes and simpler filming setups. While I understand that funding is important, especially if you have to pay your actors, it seems silly to see a series with many thousands of viewers asking for many more thousands of dollars when series with similar formats make just as high-quality content with no money whatsoever or with very little (Nothing Much To Do and Lovely Little Losers spring to mind, though there are obviously others as well). 

The Verdict:

I enjoyed this series immensely, and of course the production itself was nearly flawless, but the lack of depth, the small number of episodes, and the disconnect with the rest of the LIW community cause problems for me that no other series has. It’s in a weird place between television and a regular LIW, and it maybe could have taken some queues from other LIWs in how it operated. That being said, when you need a cute little diversion with high production values, fairly strong representation, a fairy-cam, and actors who people have actually heard of, you really can’t go wrong here. 4/5 stars overall.

Cast:

Wendy Darling – Paula Rhodes

Peter Pan – Kyle Walters (who also played Ed Denham in Welcome to Sanditon)

Michael Darling – Brennan Murray

John Darling – Graham Kurtz

Lily Bhaga – Lovlee Carroll

Jas Hook – Percy Daggs III (you may remember him from Veronica Mars)

John Smee – Satya Bhabha (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, among other things)

George Darling – Jim Beaver (yes, that Jim Beaver)

Billie Jukes – Meghan Camerena 

Created by Kyle Walters and Shawn DeLoache/EpicRobotTV @newpeterwendy

Three seasons, seventy-six episodes. 

Watch the entire adventure here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkF--ahv3nwpPqCfzKh1OyfR9NwVRAXwD

[disneymadfamily]

Our first trip to Walt Disney World was back in 2007. It was such an exciting trip and we created memories that we will never forget. From the moment we got to our resort it was a whirlwind of fun and adventure but looking back on it now there are things I wish we’d known before we got there. Including that first trip, we have been to Disney World 11 times, so I wanted to share some of what we’ve learnt along the way. Hopefully some of these things will help you to plan your own trip and enjoy your time at Disney World even more.

You will be tired on your first day (trust me!)

Admittedly we live in the UK, so have a 9-hour flight plus transfers to deal with, but we learnt the hard way just how exhausting travelling can be. On our first trip to Disney World we got to our resort late in the evening and the following day we couldn’t wait to get to a park and start soaking up the Disney atmosphere. Our park of choice was Animal Kingdom. We had no idea just how much walking there would be and just how sapping the Florida heat and humidity could be. We had an amazing day, but by the time we sat to watch the wonderful parade in the afternoon, we were all exhausted. It made us rethink our plans on our next trip, which is why we always go to a water park now on our first full day. My advice for your first day is to just take it easy, drink plenty of water and eat regularly to keep your energy levels up. If you are all feeling the exhaustion, just go back to your resort, maybe lounge by the pool for an hour or two. You don’t have to get everything done in a day.

Make use of the My Disney Experience Mobile App

On our first trip in 2007, this app didn’t exist but ever since it launched in 2012, it has been an essential tool for holiday planning and I highly recommend you download it as soon as possible. Here are some of the features the app includes

Buy theme park tickets wherever you are

Book, amend or cancel dining reservations (cancellations require 24 hour’s notice to avoid being charged)

Select and amend Fastpass+ experiences

Share your itinerary with family & friends. This is a great tool if you are going as a large group, all with your own booking and Disney accounts.

Manage resort reservations, tickets, MagicBands and cards.

Other useful features include being able to check attraction wait times on the go, find character greeting locations and times, search for firework and parade times, play a Disney Parks game to interact with your surroundings, browse restaurant menus and place mobile orders at select quick service restaurants. Disney have also recently added a Get Directions function, to help people to navigate the parks. This is a great new feature, which is particularly useful for first timers who have never experienced the size of the parks and not had chance to fully explore.

Use the Memory Maker/Photopass photographers

I can’t say enough how much I wish we had taken advantage of the Disney photographers on our earlier trips to Disney World. The Memory Maker is included in our holiday package when we book, but even if it wasn’t I would definitely pay for it. I don’t enjoy having my photo taken and prefer to be taking the photos instead, but it is nice to have family photos so as much as I dislike having my photo taken, we decided last year that we would try to get as many photos as possible together on our holiday. Every time we walked in to a park, we would keep an eye out for the Photopass photographers and get in the queue to have some photos. It’s so easy with the MagicBands because the photographer will just scan your band and the photo goes straight to your My Disney Experience App for you to view and download. We have managed to get some wonderful photos and I am so pleased that we now have family photos, that we can keep in our photo album. We have photos in front of Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, The Tree of Life and many other locations throughout the park. You can even get ‘Magic Shots’, which are cute, entertaining virtual shots featuring various Disney characters depending on the park and location. We have photos with Tinkerbell, Jack Jack from Incredibles and Figment, to name a few. You will end up with amazing photos, so make sure you use this.

Select your Fastpass+ experiences as soon as you possibly can

Disney World has loads of amazing rides to experience, but some of them are extremely popular and the wait times can be really long at times, especially new rides. On the recent opening of Toy Story Land, I had heard that the wait times for the Slinky Dog Dash were up to 3 hours long! Queuing for long periods of time is just horrible and if you have children with you, it’s even more difficult because you must consider they may get hungry or need to use the bathroom. Therefore, Disney’s Fastpass+ is a great service to use. You can select up to 3 rides per person, per day and skip the long queues. With Fastpass+ you just go to the ride within your time slot, go straight to the Fastpass entrance and join a much shorter queue; sometimes you can even get straight on the ride if you’re lucky. If you are staying on a Disney Resort, you will be able to select your Fastpass+ experiences up to 60 days before your arrival date. If you’re not staying on a Disney resort you will be able to select them up to 30 days before your arrival date. Just make sure you have your Disney account set up and your tickets are linked to your account. The Fastpass queues save us so much time & we always make sure we get ours booked asap, so that we have less time queuing and more time exploring the parks.

Book Dining reservations asap

If you’re not bothered about where you eat each night and are happy to just wait for a table to become available, then you probably don’t need to worry about booking dining reservations. But if you like to eat at a similar time each day and/or want to try a specific restaurant or character dining experience, then you need to book as soon as your reservation window opens, which is 180 days before your arrival date. Some of the restaurants and character dining experiences are so popular they get booked up as soon as the reservation window opens, so make sure you know your dates and get on the phone or on the Disney Experience app straight away.

Don’t go there thinking you will be able to see/do everything

We have been to WDW 11 times now and still find new things to see and do on every holiday. We used to rush around the parks and resorts, wanting to try and get on every ride, go swimming every day, eat ice cream, see all the parades and fireworks shows and still find time to eat. But then we realised that by rushing around, we were not only tiring ourselves out, but we were also missing out on some of the smaller attractions around the parks, like the street performers, the attention to detail on the buildings, the photo opportunities and just soaking up the atmosphere. So, we now take it slowly and don’t let it bother us too much if we miss out on a ride or don’t get to see the parade that day. There is so much to do in WDW that you will never get bored, so just take your time and enjoy every minute of your time there.

So that’s all the major things that I wish we knew on our first trip, but I do have some other tips I’d like to share that will hopefully help you to make the most of your holiday.

Use the Disney transportation system but do make sure you allow for extra travelling time in case of delays or busy periods.

Use the baby swap on the rides if you want to experience rides but have small children.

To enjoy slightly quieter crowds, get to the parks before they open so you’re among the first to get into the park.

If you are staying on a Disney resort, make sure you get any Disney merchandise that you purchase sent straight to your resort, so you don’t have to carry it around with you all day.

Have an itinerary from Day 1. Even if after Day 3 you start changing it around a bit, at least you have something to work from.

Disney World really is the most magical place and you will have an amazing time, but it really does help to follow some of the tips above to get the most out of your trip. I wish we had researched a bit more before our first trip, because I know our amazing holiday would have been even more magical if we knew some of the things that we now know.

Did any of you research before your first trip? Do you have any tips that you can share for first timers? Share your tips in the comments below.

If you know anybody travelling to Walt Disney World soon, please share our post so they can read our tips.

Six Tips for your First Trip to Disney World Our first trip to Walt Disney World was back in 2007. It was such an exciting trip and we created memories that we will never forget.

[maggieminordesignssculpture-blog]

How to Get out of a Rut...and Start a Cycle of Positivity

Are you in a rut? Do you feel like you just keep repeating the same day over and over again? Well, I totally get it. I've been there!

But the good news is that you're reading this post so that means that on some level you're ready for change. So take a minute and congratulate yourself. Few people take this step.

Let's get started.....

The first thing to understand is that a rut is a cycle in itself. For example if you hate your job like I used to. You get up in the morning with a sense of dread. This dread grows as you get closer to work. I can remember having to literally stop outside of the door to my work and take a few deep breathes before I could even walk through the door. The only reason I didn't turn around and run for the hills is because I felt like I had no way out. I had become so beat down by the toxic environment of my job that my sense of self worth had eroded...to the point where I didn't even think that any healthy organization would want to hire me. So instead of looking for another job when I got home I would just go home fix a nice meal and zone out through television or projects around my house....and then get up the next morning and start all over again. I felt like zombie.

It took being betrayed by a co-worker for me to have a wake-up call....and for me to realize that the situation had nothing to do with me except that I was buying into it. I can clearly remember sitting in my boss's boss's office and listening to my co-worker just stab me in the back. I walked out of that office so angry and indignant that the Voice (you know the one that tells you the truth) said, "You're better than this...you're better than these people."

So How do you Stop Buying into the Rut? 

Well, you start by making small changes that change your cycle of thought from one of hopelessness to one of positive thinking and an expectation of positive outcomes...and I recommend starting with a fabulous test...

The Do I Give a Shit Test

One of the first things that I started doing after my break through was to regularly put things in my everyday life through the "Do I give a Shit?" test. For example, I remember a co-worker asking me if I wanted to participate in the annual company Christmas skit show...I remember pausing and asking myself, "Do I give a Shit about this Skit Show?" and the answer was ..."No, I don't give a Shit. In fact, I think its a drain on my energy and I'd rather do pretty much anything else." So I said aloud, "No. I have a deadline." In fact, I ended up having a cold the day of the show anyway....I think my body was telling me how much I really didn't want to be at the show. So next time you feel that knot in your chest before you're going to do something ask yourself, "Do I really give a Shit about this?" If the answer is no then don't do it...and if you can't get out of it visualize yourself doing something you love when you are at the event in those down moments. Those visualizations will start to work into your subconscious and give you sparks of hope. 

On the other hand, when the answer is yes...you have something positive to focus on...or to work on improving.

Start Using Basic Affirmations

If you've poked around in the personal growth arena even just a little bit I'm sure you've run into multiple posts about affirmations. Now I know from experience that when you're in the darkest places of a rut your reaction might very well be "F*^#% Affirmations! Those are for people whose lives like look like Disney Moments." How do I know this...well, because that was my reaction. The thought that my life could change from chanting a bunch of words in the morning sounded as far fetched as Tinkerbell coming into my room, sprinkling fairy dust on me, and magically making my life change. So if you're in this camp here's what I recommend. Start by telling yourself throughout the day that "my life can be different." Because you may be like I was....you're so far in the rut that you have no idea what you want...you just know that you want out. So tell yourself "my life can be different" and I swear little by little you'll start to come out of the fog.

For those of you a little further along in the process I recommend one of Michael Bernard Beckwith's favorite ones...and now one of my favorites..."I am open to more good than I have ever experienced before in my life."

Change the Music you Listen to

Music can have a huge effect on our mood. We might think of it as more of a cultural experience sometimes but its really very primal. So put away your Linkin Park or Nine Inch Nails...and find something more positive. Now, I'm not saying that you have to put on show tunes or cheesy pop music....don't put on something that feels fake. Just start being aware of how your music makes you feel and what the lyrics are saying. Do you feel moved after you listen to it? Do you feel hopeful? Does it allow you to picture yourself in a more positive place? Does it make me want to sing along...or even better yet smile?

Listen to Thoughtful Podcasts

I love podcasts. They're not for everyone, but I definitely recommend downloading some and listening to them on your commute or while you go about your day. They've certainly been a huge influence in my own transition from a huge life rut to a cycle of positivity. Here's some that I recommend:

Untamed Yourself

Tony Robbins

Super Soul Sunday

Marie Forleo

Lewis Howes

Chase Jarvis

 Change up your Surroundings

You may not be able to make major changes in your life right away...for example change jobs or fully disentangle yourself from a toxic relationship, but you can change what you look at everyday. What we look at has a huge impact on our subconscious and there are certain walls or views that are in our line of vision for the majority of the day. For most of us this is the area around our work station, our line of vision from our couch and the wall that we look at before we turn out the lights and go to sleep.

First, download my worksheet, Feed a Cycle of Positivity Worksheet.....even if the title seems a little peppy to you right now:). Work the steps. Start with closing your eyes and slowly breathing in and out three times. Make sure that your lungs fill up completely before you exhale. Once you feel calmer, open your eyes and think list five emotions that you want to feel when you are in each of the three above places. Then work through the steps doing one room at a time. 

I recommend scheduling about 3 hours every weekend for the rooms in your home and going into work about an hour when its quiet to make the changes to your office (unless you have a home office of course). If you need some ideas or recommendations during the process, check out my room designs.

For office spaces you may run into regulations that prevent you from putting up too many things in your space or you simply may not want your colleagues to see your changes and think something is up. I totally get it. If this is you, think about some crafty ways to bring some positivity to your space. For example, placing an affirming quote inside a draw on your desk so you see it every time you open it. I did this before I left my old job. It helped a lot and gave me some much needed strength as I went about my day. 

Once you are done. Give yourself a couple of weeks and let the changes soak in. 

Anytime that you feel yourself backsliding ground yourself in one of the above activities or a visual queue (aka positive anchor) in your home or office to get back into a cycle of positivity.

If you're looking for one on one support in the process of transforming your home or office I love working with people like you. So if you're ready to take the next step then contact me and set up a virtual or in-person appointment. Click here to learn more about the process.

For More Inspirational Artwork and Design Ideas

Visit my modern sculpture, modern wall sculptures, abstract canvas artwork, and abstract framed wall art pages. And click on more inspirational posts...

How to Feel more Connected to your Home

How to Declutter for Better Relationships

How to Use Artwork to Make Eating Even More Enjoyable

How the Right Office Decor can Focus your Mindset

How Waking up to Colorful Artwork can Improve your Day

How to Create a Sophisticated Loft Living Room with Oversized Artwork

How to Create a Colorful Loft Living Room with Vibrant Artwork

How to Create a Fabulous Modern Loft Living Room with Oversized Artwork

How to Create a Beautiful Modern Rustic Bedroom

How to Create a Glamorous and Cheerful Modern Bedroom

How to Create a Fabulous Blue Modern Living Room

How a Colorful Home can Make you Bolder

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[sxmmer-swell]

Disneyworld, the place of my dreams even at 20 years old. I love disney, always have, always will. So obviously when we got the Florida arranging trips to each of the parks was a must! I was so excited, I even bought some Micky Mouse Fantasia ears with me to wear around the park, judge me.

We didn’t do all of the Disney Parks, considering how many of us there were and how old some the children in the family were we didn’t go to places like Epcot because the little ones wouldn’t have quite appreciated it s much, there aren’t as many rides there and there isn’t quite so much to do for everyone. We also didn’t go to Typhoon Lagoon because we’d been there before, but the Disney parks we did visit are;

Blizzard Beach

Animal Kingdom

Magic Kingdom

*****

We only went to Blizzard beach for the afternoon, and unfortunately not everyone went, but it was a fun day none the less. I’d been to Typhoon Lagoon before but not Blizzard beach, I spent the day with the families I came with and had a whale of a time.

My favourite rides at the waterpark are the rubber ring rides, and I love the lazy river, ultimate chillax time on the lazy river.

It was crazy fun because I love waterparks, so I was in my element and I’d been dying to go to a waterpark since we arrived in Florida. The one thing I did forget about Disney is how expensive everything is and how most things are unhealthy for you, and after a week of eating shit most the time I got pretty sick of it, that and the salads always taste disgusting, sorry Disney, you’re perfect but not in a food way.

*****

Animal Kingdom is my second favourite Disney park, after the Magic Kingdom obviously. We visited Animal Kingdom twice whilst we were in Orlando, I managed to finally get myself a Henna after a couple of years of dying to get one and never being able too, it was really pretty but didn’t last very long because I Love the pool and swimming, but my henna did not.

Animal Kingdom is one of my favourite parks because it has the best rollercoaster hands down, Mount Everest. I remember when I first visited Disney when I was younger, about 10 I think, and I cringed to my dads arm for dear life in the queue because I was absolutely terrified. I mean I cried, A lot. There were lots of tears for sure, but I did it, and its now my favourite ride at Disney, so the worth was very real, I’ve enjoyed it ever since! The older I’ve gotten the more I’ve enjoyed rollercoasters, and Mount Everest is my favourite.

I love the tree of life that is there as you arrive, its huge and gorgeous and you can see it nearly everywhere in the park, the animals in it are carved to perfection, and I love all the characters, I LOVE THEM. I tried to meet as many characters as I could in all the parks, but it was difficult because there was so many of us and the times were so long to wait, But we did manage to meet Baloo the bear and King Louie from The Jungle Book! So that was alright. The Jungle trails are also really gorgeous and photogenic, me and the girls had some photos there cause it was so nice, it was lovely to see the animals as well, we did the jungle safari they have as well, I love seeing the Giraffes!!

We also tried THE NICEST DESSERT EVER. It was called and Ice cream Sandwich and it was amazing. Whatever flavour ice cream scoop you want out of the flavours they offer and they put it between two cookies and squish it together to make it an ice cREAM SANDWICH. It’s amazing, 11/10 would have again even though I got SO FULL.

*****

THE MAGIC KINGDOM, MY FAVOURITE PLACE, THE BEAUTY THE MAGIC I am a child and I love Disney if you didn’t know, So the Magic Kingdom is hands down my favourite place on earth.

We went to the Magic Kingdom twice, and it was wonderful, from splash mountain, thunder mountain and space mountain, to the parade, the fireworks and all the characters and their shows, We tried to do everything and meet as many characters as we could, It was always a fun day, every day was a fun day!

I love how you get into the Magic Kingdom park, Monorail or by Ferry. Hands down the best way to get to the park, when the weather isn’t crap of course, is definitely the ferry. The views and the journey is enjoyable from start to finish. And you can see the park and it gets you so excited to get to the park! The magic really does start right away.

I love the Parade, seeing all the character and their dancing, the music brings the proper inner child out in me. I could scream my heart out on Thunder mountain and then be stood in awe watching the parade. I love how the dragon breathes fire during the parade too. I also love the evening show of the parade, the Illuminations parade. I saw this Parade on a different occasion when I was in Florida at Disney, I won’t be writing about that trip, but it was just as great and so cool with all the lights and colours, it was beautiful.

THE FIREWORK DISPLAY. Thats all I need to say about that really (Apart from again, It was when I was in Florida on a different occasion & I shall not be writing about that trip). Real tears, FYI, so much happiness from the display.

I didn’t get to meet many princesses, but I was so pleased that we did meet Ariel and Tinkerbell. Literally everything about it was a childhood wonder, felt like a child in a sweet shop! We also met Buzz Lightyear and Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Tigger! My Favourite rides at the Magic Kingdom are as per usual, your typical Splash, Thunder and Space mountain, but out of the 3 space mountain is my favourite. The queue was incredibly long but it was so worth it once we were on the ride, it was ‘out of this world’. But, I also love Its A Small World & The Pirates of the Caribbean ride!

Our day out in Magic Kingdom was made extra special when Me and GJ got our own Tiara’s with a Mickey Mouse charm hanging in the middle! And the colour of the charm is your birthstone. So my birthstone is Aquamarine, so its blue, my favourite colour!

Felt like a real princess the whole time I had it on 🙂

Orlando – Did someone say Disneyworld Theme Parks?? Disneyworld, the place of my dreams even at 20 years old. I love disney, always have, always will.

[stevensgrnts]

@kisaageckos

Well…

[stevensgrnts]

@kisaageckos

This is called the try not to cry challenge and there are way more coming