Archive for the ‘DIY HAUNTED HOUSE PROPS’ Category
Is this too much like Twilight?
This really annoys me. I hate having people compare what I write to Twilight, saying I have ripped off whatever SMeyer wrote. Please point out what stupid similarities they might see. Its about vampires in Victorian London. And these are PROPER vampires, not sparkly retards.
The night started out like any other in the past 16 years of my life. The bloody sun set beneath the grand housing and reeking smoke that rose from the chimneys at the other end of town, carriages clattered past on the road below and my maid was combing my hair. I tried to focus on the upcoming events, rather than the constant tugs on my scalp. It would be Yvette’s birthday in a week. She and I would be going to the King’s court for the first time, though I could have gone last month, when I turned 16. I wanted to wait for her, though the excitement was constantly bubbling up inside me. The whole court would watch us, and maybe the King would ask us to dance! I was going to wear my new dress, and Poppy, my maid, was going to make my hair look so pretty –
I was jerked out of my fantasies by another yank of my hair. My heart-shaped face glared back at me from the mirror. My green eyes stared enviously out like demon eyes. They had nothing to be jealous of, though. We were both having our hair pulled by our more-than-slightly ditzy maids. Mirror-me’s dark hair was flipped over her face, and I recognized mirror-Poppy’s freckled hands weave it back into a braid that kept it wavy for when I woke up.
I pushed the mirror away from me. I didn’t particularly want to see what horrors mirror-Poppy was wreaking on mirror-me, since I knew they were all happening to me because mirror-me and I were one and the same person. Even though I liked to pretend we weren’t.
Mirror-me had never had the same name as me, though she responded to my name. Mirror-me had always been called Lilly, and I imagined she would have long, blonde hair that hung in natural curls down her back. Her eyes would have been sea-blue, and her lips like cherries. I thought that maybe she lived in a castle somewhere, where there were no maids tugging relentlessly at her hair, no time to sit around sewing pointlessly, and all the more time to see things. I wasn’t sure what exactly she saw, but it had to be more exciting than here. Whenever I looked at her, her hair went dark and her eyes were monster-eyes again, and her honey skin paled to my own sickly white skin which never tanned. She would become as trapped in the monotonies of rich-girl life as I was, and at least I was happy we could share that.
“Miss Helene?” called Poppy’s voice from the corner of my consciousness. “I’ve finished your hair. Would you like to go to bed now?” She pronounced my name like she always had; like I was a child who could barely say my own name. She always called me ‘Hell-ey-nee’, which irritated me to no end.
“Fine, Poppy. You’re dismissed,” I sighed and walked to my bed, glancing over my shoulder at the mirror. Lilly was gone, it was only my own eyes staring back.
It was that blank, green blare of my eyes that stirred something in me that night. I crawled into bed as Poppy closed the door with a faint click, but I didn’t blow out my lamp. I propped my pillows up against the headboard of my bed and let myself doze for a little while. The midnight chiming of the clock would wake me up, just like it had for the last sixteen years.
I closed my eyes and dreamed of roses that bled when I touched them.
The steady chimes of the clock woke me up. It stood on its oak cabinet across the room from my bed. The walls were mostly plain white, except for the bands of pale yellow and pink flowers that divided the walls in half around the middle, and skirted the floor and ceiling. I hated that design. It was interrupted with the wide bay window I had, with a long, cushioned seat that stretched along the length of the window. The windows were opened tonight with the summer heat, and the white net curtains blew away from the window like ghosts. The dressing table sat against the opposite wall to the windows, and next to that was my wardrobe.
My room hadn’t always been so well furnished. My grandfather died when I was five years old, and his unexpectedly large sum of money was inherited by my father. I remembered little of my first few years, except that the chiming of clocks always woke me up at midnight.
I got out of bed clumsily. My nightgown hovered around my ankles as I walked, and the lacy cuffs scratched at my wrists. Even my summer nightgown had long sleeves. It was very thin, and I hoped no one should ever see me in it. Except Poppy. She didn’t count, since she’d been my maid since I was born.
I sat down on the stool in front of the mirror. It was almost too dark to see my reflection. A beam of moonlight cast just enough to see my face in the mirror. I whispered hello to mirror-me, and began removing the braids Poppy had tied in my hair.
It was then, while I was busy with my hands, that they took
me.
In an instant, gloved hands closed around my wrists and a sweet-smelling handkerchief was pressed over my mouth and nose. Chloroform. They took it away before I was properly knocked out, so when my kidnapper picked me up I was aware of everything. Including how thin my dress was over my breasts. I couldn’t lift my head to see who was kidnapping me, but if I had I would have screamed like hell. I would have, if I could have mustered the strength to.
The kidnapper must have realized I wasn’t properly asleep, so they replaced the handkerchief.
I was out like a light.
For a vampire novel, would this be a decent idea?
I haven’t fully developed the plot yet. If you’ve read my previous question, you’ll know that this was originally just a creative outlet that got bigger, so i originally had no intentions of ever writing more than just a couple of descriptions and conversations. This is just the prologue, or first chapter. i haven’t got as far as mapping the story out yet.
The night started out like any other in the past 16 years of my life. The bloody sun set beneath the grand housing and reeking smoke that rose from the chimneys at the other end of town, carriages clattered past on the road below and my maid was combing my hair. I tried to focus on the upcoming events, rather than the constant tugs on my scalp. It would be Yvette’s birthday in a week. She and I would be going to the King’s court for the first time, though I could have gone last month, when I turned 16. I wanted to wait for her, though the excitement was constantly bubbling up inside me. The whole court would watch us, and maybe the King would ask us to dance! I was going to wear my new dress, and Poppy, my maid, was going to make my hair look so pretty –
I was jerked out of my fantasies by another yank of my hair. My heart-shaped face glared back at me from the mirror. My green eyes stared enviously out like demon eyes. They had nothing to be jealous of, though. We were both having our hair pulled by our more-than-slightly ditzy maids. Mirror-me’s dark hair was flipped over her face, and I recognized mirror-Poppy’s freckled hands weave it back into a braid that kept it wavy for when I woke up.
I pushed the mirror away from me. I didn’t particularly want to see what horrors mirror-Poppy was wreaking on mirror-me, since I knew they were all happening to me, because mirror-me and I were one and the same person. Even though I liked to pretend we weren’t.
Mirror-me had never had the same name as me, though she responded to my name. Mirror-me had always been called Lilly, and I imagined she would have long, blonde hair that hung in natural curls down her back. Her eyes would have been sea-blue, and her lips like cherries. I thought that maybe she lived in a castle somewhere, where there were no maids tugging relentlessly at her hair, no time to sit around sewing pointlessly, and all the more time to see things. I wasn’t sure what exactly she saw, but it had to be more exciting than here. Whenever I looked at her, her hair went dark and her eyes were monster-eyes again, and her honey skin paled to my own sickly white skin which never tanned. She would become as trapped in the monotonies of rich-girl life as I was, and at least I was happy we could share that.
“Miss Helena?” called Poppy’s voice from the corner of my consciousness. “I’ve finished your hair. Would you like to go to bed now?”
“Fine, Poppy. You’re dismissed,” I sighed and walked to my bed, glancing over my shoulder at the mirror. Lilly was gone, it was only my own eyes staring back.
It was that blank, green blare of my eyes that stirred something in me that night. I crawled into bed as Poppy closed the door with a faint click, but I didn’t blow out my lamp. I propped my pillows up against the headboard of my bed and let myself doze for a little while. The midnight chiming of the clock would wake me up, just like it had for the last sixteen years.
I closed my eyes and dreamed of roses that bled when I touched them.
The steady chimes of the clock woke me up. It stood on its oak cabinet across the room from my bed. The walls were mostly plain white, except for the bands of pale yellow and pink flowers that divided the walls in half around the middle, and skirted the floor and ceiling. I hated that design. It was interrupted with the wide bay window I had, with a long, cushioned seat that stretched along the length of the window. The windows were opened tonight with the summer heat, and the white net curtains blew away from the window like ghosts. The dressing table sat against the opposite wall to the windows, and next to that was my wardrobe.
I got out of bed clumsily. My nightgown hovered around my ankles as I walked, and the lacy cuffs scratched at my wrists. Even my summer nightgown had long sleeves. It was very thin, and I hoped no one should ever see me in it. Except Poppy. She didn’t count, since she’d been my maid since I was born.
I sat down on the stool in front of the mirror. It was almost too dark to see my reflection. A beam of moonlight cast just enough to see my face in the mirror. I whispered hello to mirror-me, and began removing the braids Poppy had tied in my hair.
It was then, while I was busy with my hands, that they took me.
In an instant, gloved hands closed around my wrists and a sweet-smelling handkerchief was pressed over my mouth and nose. Chloroform. They took it away before I was properly knocked out, so when my kidnapper picked me up I was aware of everything. Including how thin my dress was over my breasts. I couldn’t lift my head to see who was kidnapp
When will people accept marijuana?
I’m sure most of you know about prop 19. The initiative to tax and regulate recreational cannabis use in California. It lost, by about 4% I believe. I’m sure everyone has to agree that like it or not, it will be legalized in the near future. But I just don’t understand why people are so afraid and think that it harms people. Studies have proven that it does not have any negative long term effects, yet whenever the subject is brought up, there is always someone preaching about the horrors and consequences of smoking marijuana, most of which aren’t even true.
The only thing I can think of is that it is fear of the unknown. They haven’t bothered to read and find out the facts, so they just believe that the government is never wrong and trust every lie they hear.
Some people say they are looking out for their kids and don’t want them to have access to it, but marijuana is proven to be safer than both cigarettes and alcohol. I just don’t understand.
I feel so beyond the generations before me.
What do you guys think? Why do you think some people are so afraid of accepting marijuana and a safe, recreational alternative?
Please don’t say the law, because that’s stopped about nobody from using marijuana. Nobody cares, or respects the prohibition.
What next…short piece of writing?
Melanie sat on the grass outside her home, propped up on her elbows and gazed up at the starry sky as the stars gleamed like diamonds. Sat next to her was Ash, reading a book on astronomy and pointing out the many constellations to Melanie. Almost every night, Ash and Melanie snuck out of their homes and met on their hill. Ash lived next to Mel so it was easy for both of them to meet up without worry of getting caught or of discomfort when they could both simply walk the twenty or so yards to either house when cold or hungry.
Melanie’s caramel hair was piled up on top of her head and her deep, thoughtful violet eyes scanned the sky for ‘Draco’ and ‘Carina’ and ‘Crux’. Mel and Ash had shared horrors and laughs together; one of the greatest horrors was they had both lost their parents in a terrible fire, the same fire.
OK so i was just scribbling this randomly and i wondered if i should continue cos’ i kinda like it! but i just have no clue what should happen! they are both orphans and i want them to struggle and fall in love but i just don’t really know how! i know i shouldn’t be asking you and i should figure it out for myself but i just need inspiration…
please help and thank you.
with all due respect,
L
i no i need grammer ect. but right now can we focus on the story?
thanks anyway…
Cloudy backlighting on “22 TFT?
My “22 TFT suffers from backlight clouding, it’s not at all noticeable unless you watch a dark film with the lights turned off at a low angle – then you can see a white haze across the picture that makes it pretty hard to distinguish details.
Thing is, I usually do watch dark horrors with the lights off whilst I snuggle up under the covers. I find propping the TFT up to give a better angle helps, but it’s a pretty strong haze…
To give you a general idea, here’s a crappy picture I took on my phone: http://c.imagehost.org/0027/DSC02573.jpg
Hanns G said they’d happily offer an exchange, but I’m a bit shakey over doing it, because:
Isn’t it possible that the replacement model could also suffer from the cloudy backlighting?
Can cloudy backlighting be caused over-time? (I mean, I have this thing switched on all the time) Or is it due to the manufacturing processes? (I’m not 100% sure if it’s been affecting the screen since I bought it)
And can the cloudiness worsen?
Bad Tenant Woes in Boston, MA?
Boston Apr -Nov 2009.
Tenants move in April. In July the tenants call inspectional services (never tell me, the landlord, of any issues with the unit). I received inspection report saying -the dryer vent disconnected and there is now mold in same area. The 1st day I receive the inspection report, I had the dryer repaired. 2 days after I get the Environmental Health (EHO) report, I try to expedite the remediation plan approval so that the work could be done ASAP (Start of Sept ). The Tenant delays EHO approval of plan, requests time to do environmental test, Starts withholding rent and says to expect a call from her lawyer. End September, I get a demand letter claim: $5.5k prop. damage + $500 medical + return of security and last + forgive rent withheld. Justification: constructive eviction. At Beginning of Oct , EHO approves original plan, I get to work on arrangements – tenant notified of 2nd attempt for remediation. She denies access and threatens to file an injunction. She provides a very questionable medical report for her 6-yr old son and says it’d be worse to do the work than to let the mold sit and now her lawyer threatens with lengthy eviction process or pay to settle.
The tenant is responsible for conditions of unit, she’s trying to commit fraud, she provides selective pieces of info to lawyer, Section 8, Medical Clinic. Now a neighbor is offering to lie and say I knew (or should have known about) a mold –a 100% lie.
I want to re-gain possession of my property; I want to minimize my financial loss and try to get back whatever I can. I’ve read Massachusetts case law, books on land lording, read horror stories on the internet…..
It seems like there is a case her for breach of contract, fraud, liable/slander… I’m looking for even creative uses of the law to find some legal remedy!
Any suggestions?
is Tek Tek Urban Legend true?
There is a story about a young boy who was leaving his school one evening when he heard a noise behind him. Looking back, he saw a beautiful girl sitting at a window. The girl had her arms propped up on the window sill and was just staring out at him. He wondered why she was there, because it was an all-boys school.
When she saw him looking back at her, the girl smiled and hugged herself so that she was holding her elbows. Then suddenly, she leaped out of the window and landed on the ground outside. The boy realized with horror, that she was missing the lower half of her body.
She made her way towards him, clawing along the ground and running on her elbows making a tek-tek-tek-tek-tek sound. The boy was filled with terror and revulsion. He tried to run, but he was frozen to the spot. Within seconds, she was upon him and she took out a scythe and cut him in half, making him into one of her own.
http://www.scaryforkids.com/tek-tek/
When kids tell this story, they warn each other about Tek-Tek. They say she carries a sharp saw or a scythe, and if she catches you, she’ll cut you in half and you’ll become just like her. She is said to chase children who play at dusk. She is also known as “bata-bata” (again, the sound of it running on its elbows) or “The Girl That Runs On Her Elbows.”
Mommies who go “against the grain” unite! ?
Mommies who don’t do everything ‘by the book’….share with us the rules you break! I’ll admit that I bought every parenting/pregnancy book I could get my hands on when I found out I was pregnant. And then when my daughter was born, I could have thrown them out the window! (Except I hate to litter, so they are really nice to sit coffee cups on :-)
Here are a few of my ‘sins’:
-I have bumper pads in her crib (Gasp!)
-breast AND formula feed
-started solids at 3 months, 3 weeks
-propped her up in absolutely every piece of baby equipment I had; her swing, her highchair, her bouncy chair at one month
-Have placed her in her playpen already
-Give her a bath everyday
-Rock her to sleep instead of placing her in her crib to fall asleep on her own (OK, I know this one will come back to bite me, but I just love it too much!)
-We watch educational DVD’s everyday together (The horror!)
-Sleeps on her stomach for naps
And yet, she knows sign language, can sit up all on her own, has mastered rolling over both ways, it able to read 6 words already, has yet to smother herself in her crib, and is one happy kid (she’s 5 month old). How about you all?
BTW: I have a feeling many ‘rule followers’ won’t like this question, so if you don’t like getting thumbs down, you may not want to answer!
How to keep your period from leaking when you’re asleep?
I’ve read other questions that you should use an old towel and like an old pair of underwear when you go to bed, but I have a bit of a dilemma.
Okay, usually when I have a really heavy flow that leaks, I prop up my reading pillow and sleep laying up against that (basically sitting up) so the flow doesn’t run off the pad. But, tonight I’m going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show with my sister-in-law and we usually spend the night at her mom’s apartment after it’s over (because it’s usually like 4 in the morning and her mom doesn’t want her driving all the way home after she’s been awake all night). So, this means I’m going to have to sleep on the couch and, thus, HAVE to sleep laying down. Her mom has really nice furniture and I really don’t want to leak all over her nice couch. So, what should I do?
I really don’t think my sister-in-law will drive me all the way home just because I’m afraid of leaking on the couch. So, I’m freaking out and have no idea what I should do. Any suggestions?
I don’t have an alarm clock to use where I’m going to be and I don’t wear tampons…hahaha.