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Lily Pad Coffee Table
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Lily Pad Coffee Table
by Blu Dot
At A Glance:
This is the most original coffee table we've come across in a long time. The Lily Pad has powder-coated steel legs and a walnut veneer top that contrast beautifully with each other, but the real beauty lies in the design. The three circular tabletops are set at different levels for a look that's anything but boring. The Lily Pad Coffee Table features a walnut veneer top on a powder coated steel base and solid walnut legs.
What's To Like:
You won't get a coffee table with three separate tabletops anywhere else. Lily Pad is one cohesive unit that mimics the functionality of a set of nesting tables, without the need for more stuff. It's a nice break from the norm.
What's Not to Like:
If you need a bigger continuous surface, Lily Pad probably isn't your cup of tea. Check out the Free Range Coffee Table for a more suitable option.
The Bottom Line:
Especially effective when you've got guests, the Lily Pad Coffee Table is a great new look for an often hum-ho type of table. With its three separate table tops, this coffee table is one unique piece.
- Overall dimensions: 20" h x 34" w x 33" d
- Small pad: 15.75" diameter
- Large pad: 20" diameter
- Walnut veneer top
- Solid walnut legs
- White powder-coated steel frame
Also In This Collection
Materials & Measurements
Materials: Walnut veneer top, powder-coated steel and walnut legs
About The Manufacturer
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Delivery & Assembly
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Standard Curbside: $19.95 per item
Standard Shipping: $19.95 per item
Standard ground shipping includes delivery by FedEx or UPS to your door or main lobby. Once shipped, items generally arrive within 2-5 business days. Simple, fast and easy service.
Click here for shipping rates, expedited shipping options, and delivery policies.
Product Q&A
Blu Dot furniture comes with a 1-year warranty.


text: ^ Wow! Not bad! Not bad at all! I might just have to pay attention to those guys! I'm usually not all that big a fan of the whole 'hot female vocalist in skimpy clothing' thing...like they are trying to appeal to primarily males through the skimpy clothing etc. As a female, my first reaction to that kind of band is usually "Okay - fine. I'll just leave then!" But they do sound pretty doggone good... Seems like the Scandinavians are getting more and more of a corner on the metal market. Lots of decent bands coming out of there. So far, I think my favorites are Opeth and Apocalyptica...but there are several good ones! Thanks for posting! I enjoyed those!!!!

subset: commoncrawl


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Any thoughts? The alternative is grabbing an S4 off eBay for about $550
My father-in-law's birthday is on Sunday and his family wanted to get him a new phone. He's had a Tab Pro 8.4 for a few months and he's become quite enthralled with it. For continuity's sake, they want to get him an S4 or S5. Both are $700 off contract. I'm wondering, is there a way to spend half that, get a Nexus 5, and somehow simulate all or most TouchWiz features through a custom ROM? Keep in mind, this gentleman likely won't be playing with any of the settings or features or more complex aspects of a custom ROM, simply looking for familiar UI. I'd be the one unlocking/rooting and flashing the custom ROM and he'd probably just go from there. Just something to keep in mind.
Any thoughts? The alternative is grabbing an S4 off eBay for about $550
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The Suns boast an incredibly deep and talented roster led by returning seniors Amber Cerrillos and Sara Motsinger. Fellow senior Stephanie Channell will be called upon for numerous situations throughout the season, while junior Sierra Nighswonger will also be asked to shoulder the load for ATU in 2013.
The returning sophomores feature All-Great American Conference Tournament team member Morgan McKellar, Katie Huff, Kaci Jackson, Rachel Hampton and Colleen Wooten, along with redshirts Courtney Sanders and Heidi Hausheer.
While the team is fortunate enough to bring back its finest players from the 2012 season, the coaching staff will also benefit from seven newcomers who have joined the team — Morgan Hatwig, Kaylee Konsella, McCall Wilkins, Haley Owen, Sara Stovall, Shannon Helm and transfer Emily Todd.
Many of the newcomers put together solid high school careers before coming to ATU, head coach Kristy Bayer said.
"I think our freshman class along with a (NCAA) Division I transfer really adds different options to our lineups throughout the year," she explained. "This is one of the first years where we have the most options that we have ever had. I can already tell after the first day that it is going to be very competitive in practices and throughout the year.
"We just completed our first day (Monday). Everyone worked hard. I definitely think we are more physical this year but we still need more reps to get our ball control back to where it should be."
The suns will host a Green and Gold Scrimmage at 10 a.m. Aug. 31. ATU will tip off the 2013 season at the La Quinta Kickoff Classic in Springfield, Mo. on Sept. 6.
Wonder Boys 8th in GAC preseason poll
Great American Conference head coaches have picked Arkansas Tech University to finish eighth among the eleven teams that will compete for the 2013 Great American Conference football championship, announced by the league office Tuesday.
The Wonder Boys are under the direction of head coach Raymond Monica, who is beginning his first season as ATU head football coach.
Henderson State University is the preseason favorite to win the GAC football title with 10 first-place votes and a total of 100 points.
Southern Arkansas came in second (85 points with one first-place vote), followed by Harding University (83 points) in third, Ouachita Baptist (73 points) in fourth, East Central (5th, 65 points), Southeastern Oklahoma (6th, 49 points), and Southwestern Oklahoma (7th, 47 points), respectively.
ATU comes in eighth with 37 points preceded by Arkansas-Monticello (31 points), Northwestern Oklahoma State (18 points), and Southern Nazarene (17 points).
Monica said Tuesday after two-a-days the Wonder Boys have made a lot of progress from day one. The team will conduct a scrimmage at 8:30 a.m. today, since the season opener is on a Thursday.
The Wonder Boys will conduct their Green and Gold scrimmage at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field.


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My good friend Reid came in and took some gorgeous pictures of Papercut!
(Click to view)
TAGS: None
Papercut is a fully-functioning lending library, with a focus on hand-made and independently produced materials. Our collection includes everything from the all-familiar photocopied punk rock zines from the 80's to hand-crafted personal zines bound together with yarn.
Papercut is run by a collective of volunteer librarians. In addition to archiving and maintaining this collection, librarians also host a number of events including zine making workshops and zine release parties.
Become a member today to join this growing community of zine enthusiasts!
© 2009 Papercut Zine Library. All Rights Reserved.
This blog is powered by Wordpress | Design by Joe Finkel based on a theme by Bryan Helmig.


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~~ Tracy ~~
Dear Tracey:
I just wanted to know about the relationship between grits and lard, and I got into trouble. There may be no dumb questions, but it would appear there are many sensitive lard and grit-related issues. I never even heard from the guy who wrote such a brilliant piece. It seems contention follows me. Please be advised that I made a batch of pig butter. It describes a nice trajectory and makes a satisfactory splat when flicked from a long wooden spoon in the direction of a former mother-in-law. I will now return to the Witness Protection Program.
Your obedient servant,
Jack Riepe/Steel Mammoth
Baked Garlic & Cheese Grits
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups regular grits
16 ounces Cheddar, cubed
1/2 cup milk
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish.
Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.
It's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it.
I watched my wife preparing corn bread last night and she places the skillet in the hot oven & at baking temp removes the skillet & paints the inside with "bacon grease" (saved in a Crisco can by draining the microwave bacon pans) then pours in the batter. This results in a crusty bread-"pone".
As to Pig butter vs. cow cream butter on cholesterol, level isn't that sort of like who's stinks the most? Either is hardly American Heart Assoc. food...
Cheesy grits is on the box, every box & easy to make that's why I'm allowed to do it for the holidays.
"If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time...I'd relax,I'd limber up... I would take fewer things seriously...take more chances... take more trips...climb more mountains...swim more rivers...eat more ice cream." Jorge Luis Borges at age 85.
Cave contents: 16 R12RS, 13 Toyota Tacoma, 03 Simplicity Legacy, 97 Stihl FS75, Dewalt DW625 & SawStop PCS175
1) My expectations are never low enough & 2) Incompetence is infinite ........David Brooks
Hmmmm.... Jack, we Cajun folks can use the goose/grits spillage as either catfish or alligator bait. Better outcome for recycling, and we can eat the resulting product. Pass the Zatarain's please...
P.S. Corn fed Canada Geese make the best lube... (there is the grit connection again!)
Doug, 2011 R1200RT Polar Metallic
MSF #127350, Instructor, Louisiana Dept of Public Safety
Motorcycle Safety, Awareness & Operator Training Program
NAUI Instructor #36288, Board Member, Divers Alert Network
A Goober Burger is a hamburger, peanut butter, and jelly (choice of strawberry or grape.) Two Krispy Kreme donuts make the bun. It was $6.
This is hands-down the sloppiest Fair item I have ever eaten. If this is finger food I am Marie of Romania. I should have gotten a fork. Thank goodness I had hand sanitizer and water and a few extra napkins. I think it took longer to clean up from eating this than to actually eat it. Imagine picking up a burger with a Krispy Kreme bun and biting into it, except there's lots of condiments on it and nothing like lettuce or pickles or anything to keep them in proximity to the burger. And the viscosity of the jelly is such that it leaps off the burger and on to your hand. Or arm. Or lap. Or all three.
Eventually I gave in to the sloppiness and tried the burger. There's something oddly appealing about the peanut butter and the burger together, but the jelly didn't do anything for it at all. (Nor did it do anything for my shirt and my pants.) I had a couple bites and thought about it, and realized that I'd prefer some mustard instead of jelly. Then you'd have the sweetness of the donuts and the peanut butter, and then some savory flavor to complement the sweetness and the burger.
Now, back to grits.
Sent from a Galaxy, far, far away
You were being altogether far too kind to that concoction.
"If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time...I'd relax,I'd limber up... I would take fewer things seriously...take more chances... take more trips...climb more mountains...swim more rivers...eat more ice cream." Jorge Luis Borges at age 85.
Campfire food?
While donuts, burgers and donut-burgers have a certain appeal, it remains at the state fair where pretty much anything goes, so it seems.
Back at the campfire, more realistic concoctions are what I'd like to hear about.
It's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it.
If you're ever near Pensacola, Fl (around exit 12 on I-10) the BEST grits on the Gulf Coast are at " The Coffee Cup" on Cervantes St, around 6th st!!!!!
Words to Ride by: Patience, Anticipate, Paranoia
Shep Brown MOA 27510
"Igor" 82 RS "Inga" 04RT
Pensacola, Flairider


text:
Back after long time. Hope all are fine.
I was busy with a project. Didnt login but frequently visited my favourite ZoneAlarm forum.
Recently I formatted my HD and reloaded WIN XP SP2. In IE 6 & 7 some sites are loading slowly and some refuse to load. The cause shown is 'the website wants to install Adobe Flash Player from Adobe Systems Incorporated. If you trust the website and want to install add on click here...'
I clicked on and installed from adobe website as instructed successfully.
Sometimes a 'Macromedia Flash Player' named dialogue box is saying 'A script in this movie is causing Macromedia Flash Player 6 to run slowly. If it continue to run, your comuter may become unresponsive. Do you want to abort the script?'
But I installed flash player 9.
The problem remains next time when i opened the same page or other page. I separately downloaded the latest version of Flash player and installed it successfully.
Before formatting this problem was not there.
Can anybody help?


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Senate Census panel asks tough questions about 2010 countThursday, October 8th, 2009
The clock continues to tick down to the April 1st start of the 2010 Census, and a Senate oversight subcommittee continues to focus on efforts for an accurate count of the nation's population next year.
By Max Cacas
With less than 6 months to go before the start of the 2010 decennial census, officials are still coping with uncertainty surrounding the next constitutionally-mandated count of the nation's population.
On Wednesday, the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, which has oversight over the U.S. Census Bureau, conducted its latest hearing on what will likely be one of the most costly censuses in history.
One of the areas of concern says Robert Goldenkopf, director of Strategic Issues with the Government Accountability Office, is all the uncertainty that underlies the on-again, off again planning for the 2010 census. GAO named the census to its "high risk list" last year because of:
Weakness in its IT management, problems with handheld computers used to collect data, and uncertainty over the final cost of the census.
Doctor Robert Groves, the new census director, says the bureau is generally making good progress toward resolving a long list of problems related to the 2010 census, but says one thing keeping him up late at night is concern about just how many Americans will fill out their forms, and get them back in the mail as soon as possible.
The behavior of the American public in March and April of next year is a big uncertainty in regards to that. Scores of millions of dollars will be spent following up with houses that don't return the mail questionnaire. Its important to hit that target, that estimate well.
Groves told the panel that the vacancy rate of homes due to the recession, and related home foreclosures, could complicate the effort to have as many people as possible return their census forms in the first round of the count between the first week of April and mid-May.
Director Groves also told the panel that even at this late date, the Census Bureau continues to develop software to handle the paper-based "Non-Response Followup" stage of the census. This was a part of the census that had been slated to be performed using a highly automated system in conjunction with the controversial hand-held computers. Last year, census officials decided not to use the handhelds for this portion of the census count because development of the automation system was lagging far behind other portions of the census.
Lawmakers continued to press for the use of the Internet and web-based tools to speed the count and reduce costs. But Groves told Senator John McCain (R.-Az.) that it is too late in preparations for the count to integrate web-based data gathering in the 2010 census. Groves did say that in August of next year, as the formal census count is being concluded, there is a small-scale test planned to gauge the possibility of one day using the web for the 2020 census.
Under questioning, Groves also revealed that as recently as 5 years ago, there was a proposal that a web-based census follow-up pilot program be conducted in college campus dormitories during the 2010 count to test the viability of using new technologies to improve the count, but said the idea was never formally made a part of next year's population tally. On Wednesday, several lawmakers, including McCain, expressed support for the possibility of short-term legislation that would provide funding and support for a dorm-based pilot program for the census.


text:
All quotes tagged Shedding
(89 quotes found)
"You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what she'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on."
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be never so vile. This day shall gentle his condition. And gentlemen in England now abed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
"A lost but happy dream may shed its light upon our waking hours, and the whole day may be infected with the gloom of a dreary or sorrowful one; yet of neither may we be able to recover a trace"
"Once blood is shed in a national quarrel reason and right are swept aside by the rage of angry men"
"Front porches are available, as are upgrades of appliances. There's a two-car carport with a storage shed, and landscaping. The houses can be customized, tailored to the owners' needs."
"This is a big deal for hundreds of people. We'll have a good crowd at the Machine Shed, and thousands tuning their radios to 1040 AM for all the details."
"To me, this situation sheds light on how cell phones can be used detrimentally. The state statute says they are allowed to have cell phones on campus. I think it would be better if they did not bring cell phones to school."


text:
Win over Manchester United a day to live long in Norwich City memory banks
©Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222
Mighty Manchester United were sent packing on a day when Norwich City scaled new peaks in their Premier League evolution.
Frankly, it would be a travesty to focus on United's perceived failings; or the absence of the talismanic Wayne Rooney, allied to the inability of Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez to reprise their recent predatory brilliance.
This was not about United. This was about Norwich City. Less an astute game plan, more an all-encompassing crusade backed to the hilt by a raucous home support which stood four square behind the boys in yellow and green in a symbiotic show of Norfolk defiance.
The passage of time will inevitably dull the senses; blur that sharp, technicolour focus of wonderful memories for all those in attendance.History will package this duel in the shape of dry statistics. Decades from now the archives can never hope to fully illustrate Norwich's dominance in the key areas of the battle. Nor convey the meritorious value of a rare modern-day victory against the 19-time champions of the land.
Sir Alex Ferguson is a managerial great. His enduring legacy a bastion of excellence and durability, but the fractious Scot was magnanimous in his concession speech. Norwich wanted it more. Norwich defended for their lives. Norwich counter-attacked with purpose. All the traits you associate with the Red Devils during his quarter of a century at the helm.
City's 2005 heroes no longer need stand alone in the Premier League era. Magnificent as that previous top flight win was, it came wrapped in the suspicion Ferguson had taken Norwich lightly with his team selection.
Rooney, Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy all started on the bench at Carrow Road that April evening. Rooney was absent again, but this was United's heavy artillery ranged against Hughton's vintage.
A team unbeaten on the road in the Premier League since an opening day to forget at Goodison Park.
Hernandez knelt on the halfway line before kick-off in silent prayer. Alex Tettey sunk to his knees in joyous relief seconds after the final whistle. In between came fresh proof of Hughton's transformative powers.
The scale of the metamorphosis from the defensive rabble at Fulham or Liverpool or Chelsea to this teak-tough, battle-hardened, drilled unit is staggering.
Arsenal and now Manchester United, two giants of the domesitc game synonymous with attacking flair imbued by two elder statesmen, have together been unable to pierce a Norwich backline superbly marshalled by John Ruddy, and on this occasion a defence recruited entirely by Hughton and his astute backroom team during the summer.
Steven Whittaker's impact has insulated Norwich from the absence of one of the squad's most consistent performers in Russell Martin.
This time last season, such defiance in the face of frightening foes would have been unthinkable without Martin's reassuring presence. Javier Garrido has the pedigree and the class to flourish in such exalted company. The Spaniard's attacking instincts supplement Norwich's propitious forward motions.
The precision of his first time cross for Anthony Pilkington's match-winning leap on the hour mark was a thing of beauty; matched by the midfielder's balletic timing and athletic prowess to glance a header up and over Anders Lindegaard.
Sebastien Bassong and Michael Turner, on current form, are a tribute to the manager's ability to meld raw material into precious gold dust. Bassong is the cultured foil to a man of the soil in Turner.
Nothing illustrates the upturn in City's Premier League fortunes since that salutary trip to Chelsea more starkly than Turner's own personal renaissance into a genuine top flight centre back. With each passing game, each extra notch on the unbeaten run, each clean sheet, you detect a group of young men endowed with that most priceless commodity.
Confidence. Norwich collectively exude a calmness without the ball and a missionary zeal when they strike on the counter.
United were afforded all the time they wanted in and around their own penalty area, but incursions over the border brought a swift response. Bradley Johnson and Tettey are the muscular heartbeat as Norwich hunt in packs. Space is denied, opponents forced wide; the premise is a simple one. City have enough aerial strength in the mountainous form of Ruddy or Turner or Bassong to cope with any delivery from the flanks.
Ferguson left his seat for the first time ten minutes from the break to implore Ashley Young to tuck in centrally. For a club so heavily reliant on width to unpick opponents it was a tactical concession to his opposite number; albeit Ruddy required agility belying his frame to parry Young's goalbound right-footer at his back post in the shadow of the interval after Norwich had failed to deal with van Persie's initial corner.
Hernandez could only flutter on the periphery whilst van Persie dropped increasingly deeper in search of meaningful work to alter the tide of a contest where the tone had been set inside the opening seconds when Grant Holt and Ryan Giggs collided in central midfield. The decorated Welshman appeared to take exception. Words were exchanged but Holt's body language suggested no backward step would be forthcoming. The dialogue continued at the next break in play. The message from the home ranks resonated loud and clear. Respect but no fear.
Pilkington's sublime header sparked euphoria and a sense of unease in equal measure. Ferguson has constructed a dynasty built on late drama. Paul Scholes and Danny Welbeck injected urgency, but Norwich should have added a second to spare Ruddy his stoppage time service when Steve Morison's incisive cameo created a chance for Jonny Howson to race clear, only to drag wastefully wide of Lindegaard's far post. Ruddy came to the Yorkshireman's aid; tipping over Bassong's miscued header before gathering Anderson's hit from the edge of his penalty area at the second attempt fractions before Scholes was able to bail out Ferguson.
City's recent revival appears to defy conventional Premier League wisdom. Wins over the established order are viewed as optional extras where beating your expected rivals is the traditional route map to safety.
Norwich under Hughton appear to relish upsetting the odds. They look on course to do the same again come next May.


text:
Breaking News: State officials in Ohio and Florida have just launched an all-out investigation into alleged voter fraud. As of today the requirement to vote for any person who is suspected of not being American will be the following;
1. A picture ID.
2. written promise to vote for Romney.


text:
TOTBox Incorporated
- 1 - 10 Employees
- Lagos, Nigeria
- 2014
- http://careerslip.com/totbox-incorporated
Welcome to Totbox Incorporated Career Portal
TOTBox Inc (Thinking Off The Box Inc), a subsidiary of Raines Technologies Nigeria Limited (RC: 1082917), is an intellectual group of young professionals cum brainstormers with vast experience in d...
View Full Profile >>
View Full Profile >>
Resume Reserve Vault (RRV)
At Totbox Incorporated, we recruit from time to time from talents (that have shown interest in working with us) stored in our Resume Reserve Vault. If we do not have a vacancy that interests you but would like an opportunity to join us, please submit your resume for future job considerations.Click here to Submit your Resume to our Reserve Vault
Jobs at Totbox Incorporated
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text:
CARSON, Calif. -- Edson Buddle had targeted a return in Tuesday's Reserve League match against Chivas USA, but it was not to be.
Buddle, who underwent right knee surgery for a torn meniscus in June, was initially on the game day roster for the reserve team's match was withheld due to a precaution.
"He had a little bit of swellness and we just wanted to be on the safe side," said reserve league team head coach Curt Onalfo following LA's 1-0 reserve league victory. "No reason to cause issues there."
Buddle did participate in a fitness session on Tuesday morning.


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HIV Project Conakry
HIV activist Boubacar Alpha Diallo tells a man after testing that he is HIV negative at the MSF mobile clinic in the neighbourhood of Tombolia, Conakry, Guinea on March 18, 2016. The man in is an imam from the local mosque and explains that he has been faithful to his wife since they have been married. He is relieved when his results show he is HIV negative. Bouboucar encourages the man to ask his wife to be tested also to be completely sure they are both HIV negative. MSF launched a HIV testing campaign in Conakry with the support of health authorities moving throughout several neighbourhoods throughout 2016.
Despite countries in West and Central Africa having a relatively low HIV prevalence (
- Filename
- msf_conakry_hiv_0148.JPG
- Copyright
- © Sam Phelps
- Image Size
- 1920x1280 / 906.0KB
- Contained in galleries


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Related quotes
"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart"
"We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend"
"My love, you know you are my best friend. You know that I'd do anything for you And my love, let nothing come between us. My love for you is strong and true."


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I am:
- between the ages of 0 and 21.
- an American
- a girl
- married to Teddy Lupin
- afraid of commas
I am not:
- JK Rowling
- tired of Harry Potter
- a moose (or any other forest animal)
- divorcing any time soon
Check out my stories - if you dare :).
This story was intriguing, and I found myself trying to figure out the logic puzzle as I was reading (though needless to say I did not get it right). I liked this snippet from Half Blood Prince told from Hermione's point of view, and I enjoyed the small references to canon events that showed the story was compliant with the novels. It really did feel like a scene from the series; that is, if the series had been told by Hermione's point of view.
What stood out the most in this story was your characterization of Snape. I was thoroughly impressed by your ability to capture his way of speaking and word choice so accurately. Snape has always been a difficult character for me to write in fan fiction, as it seems to be with many authors. My favorite was the line from the beginning, when Hermione first enters the detention room:
"And why, Miss Granger, did you do that, when I have warned you time and time again to keep your abominably large mouth closed?"
Perhaps it was because this line was one of the first I read from Snape, but it made me smile. His words here reminded me so much of the first class Harry has with him, when Snape says that line about how he hopes the entire class isn't comprised of 'dunderheads.' It's that sort of shocking statement that is so Snape that I think you captured wonderfully in this piece. Great job on that front, it was mind-blowingly accurate.
I was worried at first that this story was going to be a Snape/Hermione pairing, but you've taken a really unique turn with this. I like the idea of Snape teaching Hermione something about her own narrow-mindedness (although one could argue that Snape suffers from the same character flaw). It's always been one of my favorite Snape moments in Half Blood Prince when he manages to teach Harry something about dueling as he's fleeing with Draco from the castle. I thought you did a great job of showing his not-so-malevolent intentions in how he (albeit rudely) shows Hermione what she needs to fix to be a better student.
Wonderful job with this story, Vorona! I really enjoyed it.
Xx Ariana
Author's Response: Dear Ariana, Thank you for the wonderful review! The duelling scene in Half Blood Prince is one of my favorite scenes as well, and probably one of the inspirations for this little scene. I'm also glad that you felt the story seemed like a real part of the novels: this is one of the times I've tried to do that. Many other times, I focus on trying to create something different, but this one I wanted to be very realistic. I'm also very flattered that you like my characterisation of Snape. It sometimes feels too easy to write him, like I have my own version of Snape. It's good to know he came across as authentic to you as well. Thanks again!
I love this fic SOOOO much!!! Please, please try to post the next chapter(s!) soon!! :) Again, great job with this...just started reading it after this chapter was posted (I've been looking for a good Marauder era fanfic)...and I love how you captured Sirius! He has always been my favorite character in the series :)
"What we have is something special."
"I thought so too until you cheated on me."
They were the golden couple. They did everything together. They were totally in love, everyone could see it. But life is turned around when another girl comes into the equation. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Written for jojo_dolphin2394's Strictly Summarizing Class.
Hey Mere,
Perhaps what stood out the most for me in your story was the way you were able to pack so many emotions and feelings into each sentence. The emotions of Gwen and even Sirius were palpable, and felt so real. This was a wonderful story, but I felt like this was the driving force that really made this fic wonderful. My favorite line from the story was "Those lips had given her her first kiss. They were soft and warm and full of passion. They held desire and lust. They had promised her his love for her. They had told her he was hers. They had betrayed her" -- these simple lines describe so much in so few words. Brilliant and artfully done!
When starting to read this story, I was a little hesitant to read about Sirius/OC, simply because his OC girlfriends always seem to be Mary-Sues or have cliché qualities about them that seep into the entire relationship. What struck me most about Gwen is that we really don't know too much about her. The more I read, the more I realized how much I liked this; by creating her generically, your story wasn't absorbed in her descriptions and back-story. It became more about the feelings and aftermath of a ruined relationship, and I really thought it helped the story progress more instead of drifting its focus towards the character.
While I like Sirius's excuse for cheating, in terms of how it doesn't fall into the Love God cliché, it somehow didn't make sense to me. He was going to tutor the girl, and then humor her by flirting back…but how was his fling with her actually going to hurt her? In the books, I've always seen Sirius as one of the most loyal characters, and it seems as though if he ever had a girlfriend he would put her above all else (except his friends). Maybe I'm just too protective of Sirius, because then again, I can see him being rash enough and idiotic enough to not realize that this would hurt Gwen as well.
I really liked this story, Mere! Great job!
xx Ariana
Author's Response: Thank you so much for this lovely review, Ariana! That's one of my favourite lines as well. :) As for Sirius's cheating, well, yeah, I know it doesn't much sense. I was trying so hard to figure out a reason for him to cheat and that's the best I came up with. I kind of liked it the end, though, because I think it conveys a sense of confusion of what happened on Sirius's part and Gwen's and the point really isn't why he cheated, it's that he did cheat. Thanks again! <3Mere
Viktor had never known, until she came along. Henceforth, every breath that escaped his lips were for her, and her alone.Could he face her, eye to eye? Even the greatest of wizards crumble to pieces when faced by the overpowering force of love, and he was no exception. The challenge was tougher than catching the Golden Snitch or stealing a Chinese Fireball's egg.
Will he succeed, or crumble into pieces like so many others?Winner of the "I Challenge Thee" contest held in the MNFF Beta Boards in September 2008.
This was the first time I have ever read anything from Viktor Krum's perspective, and I must say you did a very good job with it. He is not a character we know much about, and you did a nice job of sticking to the canon information while giving him a flair of realism. I think Krum is an easy person to view as strong and stolidly, but I really felt that you humanized him in this piece, and made him more of a relatable character.
I thought it was sweet that you had him think Hermione's name phonetically ("Hermyown") but as I read on it didn't seem to make much sense. During the flashback, when the girl pronounces Hermione's name, it is spelled "Hermione" and since Krum is hearing it, it doesn't make too much sense for him to mispronounce it and think it in the way that he does. Perhaps he just has trouble pronouncing "Her-mi-one" but if that were the case, I don't think he would, in his mind, pronounce her name wrongly since it would be more of a speech-thing anyway. That was just a little thing that bothered me, though. It didn't take away too much from the story itself.
The thing that seemed just...*off* to me was Hermione's reaction to Viktor's proposal. Certainly, she is a very pragmatic girl and quite sensible, but I thought her reaction was a little cold, and with not much feeling. She uses a lot of awkward, official-sounding words and doesn't seem intimidated at all that a world-famous Quidditch player has just asked her to the Yule Ball. Though Hermione isn't very into Quidditch, she did go to the World Cup and I think she would definitely have some respect for Krum after seeing him perform like that. I don't think she went with Krum entirely to make Ron jealous, which is what it seems like when she says: "Since you are the first one to invite me, and I really haven't a clue on whom I might be going with, I guess I will accept." The one part of her reaction that seems realistic is the "deep blush" and her words don't seem to match that description. The words seem so detached, and it makes it look as though Hermione is reluctant to accept.
A minor nitpick is I think Krum was more jealous of the amount of time Hermione and Harry spent together. It is Harry whom he confronts in the Forest, not Ron. His jealousy is, I believe, founded on the basis that Harry is famous (as Krum is), a very good Quidditch player (as Krum is) and generally well-liked (which Krum is). Krum sees his own qualities in Harry, and is jealous because Hermione seems to acknowledge those qualities in Harry and not him. Krum sees Ron as the gangly side-kick, and not much of a threat. I don't think he's looked deeper into Hermione and Ron's constant fighting and he thinks they just don't get along well. I think it would have been more prudent to mention Krum's jealousy of Harry rather than of Ron.
What I loved about this story was the beautiful descriptions. Especially in the first paragraph, with the personification of the book and the description of Krum--I thought that was great! My favorite line, though, is just after Krum asks Hermione the question again: "The silence was palpable and sweat beads were appearing on his brow." Maybe it's just my fascination with the word "palpable," but that line was so powerful imagery-wise.
Great job with this story! As your first attempt at writing romance, you did a wonderful job. The romantic elements of this story were wonderful, and you did a great job bestowing romantic feelings on Krum while still keeping him in-character. Krum seemed as though he had a lot more life breathed into him, which was a good thing because it made him all the more realistic.
xx Ariana
m m
Trick or Treat!
3. She clicks on her mouse and swipes her wand;
Some stories go up, and some stories are gone.
Stories of her own? Why, she has plenty!
Fewer than one-hundred, but far more than twenty.
Wow! I was so surprised to see this chapter up so quickly !! :)) I love how you've written James/Sonia...usually authors write his relationships based on him trying to make Lily jealous, but it seems like he genuinely cares about Sonia.
Lily was really a pain in this chapter, but I'm glad she redeemed herself at the end. And Rich is growing evermore mysterious...hmm... :P
Seeing this chapter completely made my day, I'll have you know. This is my favorite Marauder-era fic ever!
Author's Response: Lily is a bit of a pain. She can't be perfect all the time. Glad you're warming to Sonia. She's not too ridiculous, is she? Rich ... a ha ... his time will come! Thank you so much for the reviews.
I love this fanfic so, so much!! :). Such a cliff-hanger at the end!!!!!!!! I hope the next chapter is posted Really SOON! :)
Author's Response: I'll get onto it straight away. Sorry, I've been updating other stuff, but the next chapter is half written in my head. ~Carole~
Great chapter!! I feel so bad for Peter, especially since we know what's inevitably going to happen with him...
The Sirius in this chapter totally made me laugh, I think you capture him PERFECTLY!
You do an amazing job with this story--it's my absolute favorite Marauder-era fic. I really can't wait for the next chapter...hopefully Peter doesn't walk in on James and Sonia and Sirius outflies McLaggan :)) .
Author's Response: Sirius out fly McLaggen! *shock*. Right, I can't say what will happen next, but it will be coming up very, very soon. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing and enjoying. ~Carole~
Oooh, wonderful chapter! I love the subtle hints that James and Sonia's relationship might begin to fray the friendship between him and Peter -- or Peter and the rest of the Marauders. And let me tell you, it shows just how amazing of a writer you are when you have so many people (including me) who are really liking James and Sonia's romance.
This is my absolute favorite story in the Marauder category -- possibly in the entire realm of fan fiction. Update soon, please :) And good luck with your NaNo -- I would LOVE to read an OF novel by you in the future!
Author's Response: OOOOH, thank you! When I eventually get my OF finished, I shall proclaim it loudly on the boards - ha ha. I'm glad you like Sonia and James. I just don;t think it feasible that James would be pining after Lily for so many years. I think the boy needs a bit of fun.
Mmm, Peter is always there at the back of my mind - evil rat that he is. I will update when humanly possible basically because I love writing it. Thanks again ~Carole~
Yay! I was ridiculously excited when I saw Lions had been updated :).
I apologize in advance for the review, which will be short and fangirly and much less than you deserve, especially after this suspenseful chapter.
Lily is such a sweetheart - although her naivety about Richard is annoying, even though I'm sure I wouldn't be any different in her situation. But I love the way she sticks up for Peter with the Sonia thingâ¦it's little bits of details like this that ring so resonantly with canon that I just love.
And Rich! Even though he wasn't in this chapter physically we learn so much. I'm glad James told Prewett (and his friends) but I have a feeling that the blasé reaction from everyone except James is going to come back to haunt them. We shall seeâ¦
That cliffhanger is just. I need an update. I love James. I hope Avery gets jinxed to a puce colored jelly.
Fantastic fantastic fantastic chapter and it makes me wonder how I've survived this long without reading the story. You write the Marauders flawlessly and brilliantly and a bunch of other '-ly' words that my brain is too awed (sorry, I know that's four letters short of the dreaded word) to think of.
xx Ariana
Author's Response: thank youuuuuu. I agree Lily is a bit naive. I'm thinking that as she's 16 and very inexperienced with boyfriends, that she's due a crush - ha ha. Sonia on the other hand is far wiser in the ways of boys. heh heh.
There will be an update fairly soon as I have another chapter finished (hold onto your wig, though, it's jam packed!) Will Avery get jinxed to puce coloured jelly? Hmmmm, wait and see!
Thank you so much for the review. It's really appreciated and has helped clear up my mind a touch. ~Carole~
Poor James :( . I do like that Sonia was the one who saved them though, it makes me like her much more as a character (not that I didn't already like her before, but now it's a whole new level of respect).
The Quidditch match was so intense but I feel so bad that James wasn't able to kick Borgin's ar$e. Next timeâ¦.
Also Professor P is a love and I want to hug him. I hope he's the one who 'recruits' James/Lily/Sirius/Remus/etc. to the Order :).
Fab fab story and fab fab chapter, and sorry this is such a crap crap review.
xx Ariana
Author's Response: Thank youuuuu. Oh, this chapter was tough. I'm trying to hurry the story along a little because there are so many strands now, so I had to jam pack it full of action. Am very pleased it worked for you.
I suspect James will kick Borgins arse at some stage - Mwahahahahahahahah.
I'm getting a bit too fond of Sonia ... not sure how to split them up - perhaps I'll make this AU, and Harry will have her blue eyes. hmmmmmm . Thanks again ~Carole~
I hate Rich and his 'little white lies'. I hope Lily catches him in one that isn't so little next time.
And Soniaâ¦I hate that I know she and James have to break up eventually, which has never happened before because Lily/James is one of my favorite ships. I"m so glad her and James's relationship is in the open now, though I do feel bad for Peter :(. Poor guy always seems to get the short end of the stick.
Also, I love the idea you've come up with for Sirius to make money - it's totally original firstly, and secondly I love the 'friendship' clue at the end (you should write crosswords).
xx Ariana
Author's Response: I could take this AU ... heh heh. Harry would have a blonde mother. Mind you, then Snape wouldn't have tried to bargain with Voldy and ... very AU. Um, yes, splitting up James and Sonia is probably going to be very hard ... but there is a plan ... of sorts. I do a lot of crosswords, and had some help from Jim, - hee hee. I'm not sure this plan of Sirius' will work, but he has a few more ideas. Thanks for the review ~Carole~
I think what I love most about this story so far is that it's impossible to hate Mary. I even smile at the scenes when she and Remus are together, just because I love the idea of them still having a 'spark' after so many years (plus, she's one of my favorite characters from Lions of Gryffindor).
Brilliant job with the latest chapter. Every time there's a new update, my day feels complete :).
Oh, and ps, I love the bit of Bill/Tonks you had going on there!
Author's Response: ha ha - glad the Bill/Tonks hasn't turned you off. I like Mary, too, but ... well, we know who he marries in the end. Thank you for the review, Arianna, it means a lot, and I'll try to update with some regularity. ~Carole~
After time, Goyle deals with Crabbe's death.
I don't think I've ever read a story from Goyle's POV before, but I must say I think you did an absolutely fabulous job with it. The words and thoughts were simplistic, but that didn't draw away from the powerful emotions Goyle felt. Your prose mirrored Goyle's personality so well. Usually, I find that when stories are told from first person it leaves extra room for OOC-ness, but I didn't see that at all with your story. It was clearly Goyle, but what I really liked is that you added some other aspects to him to make him a much more deep character. Details like his hidden feelings for Crabbe really made this an interesting read.
In the books, it is very difficult to differentiate between Crabbe and Goyle, as they are both seen as Malfoy's sidekicks. That being said, what I loved about this story is you managed to show the disparity between them as well as link them together in their similarities in several instances. I loved this line: That's how we were different. Torture, yes. Murder, no. I believed that we had to put them in their place, but I wasn't ready to kill them. I believed in slavery; they could do all of the jobs that we pure-bloods don't want to do. But Crabbe, he wanted them gone for good." We really only see Crabbe's burst of cruelty in the Room of Requirement in book seven, and I like how you were able to show that Goyle didn't necessarily feel the same way.
I really like your subtle use of the Goyle/Crabbe ship in reference to Goyle's immense grief. It wasn't overplayed — Goyle didn't suddenly turn into a sappy, love-struck mess — but in its own way it was sweet and true and believable, which is saying something considering the thought of Goyle/Crabbe would have made me sick before reading this. I love how you were able to portray the (possibly) one-sided romance through Goyle's eyes; you showed brilliantly how Goyle would view romance, as opposed to another character in the Potter universe. It was a really interesting take, and it amazed me how you were still able to keep Goyle so in character.
Lastly, I love how you've shown Goyle's progression into his own person. Crabbe's death really did force him to confront the differences between them, and make him realize that he is not as vicious as his best friend. From his dying respect and friendship with Malfoy to his grudging acceptance that Muggleborns are being accepted by the rest of society, you've done a great job showing Goyle's changes as he grows older while still maintaining his core character.
Very artfully written—and I think it worked well as a shorter piece.
xx Ariana
You just lie there before me, before my canvas, while I immortalise your being - while I give your life purpose - through colour and shape. People are going to look back on this work and say, "She was important." They will say that you had a life with meaning.
Is your life meaningful, my dear?
Here sits an artist. Before him, his subject. Where will this piece of art take them? And where have they been before? For in the future lies the past and in the past there lies no future. Follow them on their journey through time and paint, through canvas and passion.
Through life.
An entry by the opaleye of Slytherin to the Lofty Learning One-Shot Challenges: The Science of Portraiture
First Place!
Every time I read one of your stories, I always end up in the same position by the last word, with my eyes about two inches way from the screen and my mouth open -- they literally make my jaw drop (I should take a picture one day for you). This story was no different, and when I am done leaving this review I plan on adding this fic to my Favorites list. It is one of the most brilliant pieces I have read on this site.
The point of view is really interesting. Itâs very different, but I think that you handled it extremely well. I read another entry to that challenge not too long ago, and if I remember correctly this monologue-type style was one of the requirements. It fits your story so well, though, that it would feel awkward reading this story from any other point of view (though Iâm sure you could pull it off). It seems like such a one-sided conversation on Rodolphousâs part at first, but since heâs supposedly painting a portrait of Narcissa, everything normal. But once his questions get more persistent and he begs her to speak, her silence becomes eerie and ominous. I think it is actually because of this perspective that the story is able to unfold so carefully and beautifully to reveal the truth of Narcissa.
I donât think I can ever leave you a review without commenting on your knack for nailing your descriptions. Even in the very beginning with the description of the sea ( I remember the look on your face when you saw the pale blue sky meld into the navy ocean along the horizon; it was a smudge of melting wax.) you had me awestruck. I loved how Rodolphous would recount some of their shared memories in such detail, and then pick a certain color from that time and use it for the portrait. It was almost like he was painting a collection of memories and things that had been rather than Narcissa herself. And the memories themselves are an explosion of sensory details -- from the slippery green seaweeds to the scent of freesias to the cold touch of Narcissaâs hands. These details werenât meaningless fluff, either -- they painted the scene in my mind so I was watching your story rather than reading, and each of these details added up to the final reveal.
And then the ending. What an ending! Iâm incredibly slow at recognizing these twists, so I didnât realize what had happened until the third to last paragraph. I found these lines to be the most poignant of all: Why are you so stiff? Why is your skin cold to the touch? Why are your grey eyes now cold and indifferent, no longer the endless pits of desire they once were? Why are your lips a muted blue? -- they sent chills down my spine. I can see Rodolphous dressing up Narcissaâs body and forgetting that sheâs gone. Your writing is just mind-blowingly brilliant there -- subtle, yet so powerful. And then the rest of the details began to fall into place -- how Rodolphous asked if her life was meaningful, how instead of freesias he would smell a rusty scent instead, how the Ministry was fruitless in its efforts to find him until now. It was just so dark and beautiful at the same time.
I really enjoyed reading this story. I am always blown away by your extreme prowess as a writer, but I think this might be one of my favorites that you have written.
xx Ariana
Author's Response: Wow Ariana, thank you so much! Sorry for not responding earlier but I was left rather speechless by this review :) This is one of my favourite fics that I've written because I still remember how much fun I had writing and planning it out, which may sound odd considering the macabre subject but oh well. You're right, the challenge was to write a monologue from the artist's perspective. I was immediately inspired as I had been reading a lot of Nikki/fg_weasley's work and I was intrigued by her Rodolphus and wanted to give him a twirl myself. It was an interesting POV to use so I'm glad you thought I used it effectively. It was quite hard giving hints but keeping the big reveal until the end while keeping up the tension. It's great to know I kept you on your toes until the end!
Gosh, I am such a fangirl of your own beautiful writing, Ariana, so this review means a lot. Thank you so much!
Julia x
To some, the slow burn of a mystery - like the slow burn of an unexpected love, or an unsigned letter or political tensions - is a temptation thatâs simply too irresistible to deny.
Lily feels the burn of a seventh year full of mysteries, and the need to know is too immense - sheâs willing to go down in flames to know the truth.
(Chapters 1-21 now rewritten)
Please, please post the next chapter soon!
I'm loving this story by the way :). Izza is an amazing OC.
Author's Response: Thank you :D The new chapter is up, another is on the way :)
Author's Response: Thank you :D The new chapter is up, another is on the way :)
Wow wow wow! I love this story, even though it kind of puts a bittersweet turn on the Potters' wedding. But it made me way, way too curious as to exactly what went on with Ginny and Dean...if you ever feel like writing a fanfic about that, I wouldn't complain :)). I'm not a huge Ginny fan, so her probable betrayal was really interesting. I do hope you write more on that topic!
Anyways, great job, I think this one has a really good chance of winning.
Author's Response: Oh, thank you for the review. I might write a 'prequel' but I'm veering towards leaving it ambiguous. Now, I rather like Ginny but I do think that likeable people make mistakes as well as the Dracos of this world. Thanks again ~Carole~
I didn't mean for this to happen. Really. My plan was to get through sixth-year without doing any more damage to myself. I've already wrecked so many good things in my life. I thought I was done with my self-destruction.
Apparently, I'm not. Because falling in love with Albus was not part of my plan.
I like the premise of your story--it's very intriguing. You've made Maddy a character that's easy to be empathetic with, because she represents so much of what Muggle teens go through in high school.
Some parts of the story were a bit choppy, like when Maddy suddenly gives us a description of her appearance. Granted, it was nice to know what the main character looked like, but it wasn't incorporated into the story as subtly as it could have been.
It also seemed a little convenient that every other compartment was full. Why didn't Rose sit with her cousins? Surely they didn't all sit in one compartment without her? It was a bit reminiscent of the start of Harry and Ron's friendship--but Ron couldn't sit with his older brothers because they would have deemed it not "cool" (for lack of a better word) to sit with their younger brother. Harry and Ron were *both* needy; their friendship was born from their two-sided loneliness. Rose and Maddy's budding friendship seems a bit one-sided, considering Rose has all her cousins and probably the Ravenclaw friends she's made over the past years, and Maddy has no one (or at least, it's hinted as such with the apparent "fall-out" between her and her friends).
Maddy liking Albus seems a little sudden. We weren't even introduced to him until she sat at the Gryffindor table, where it's implied they are somewhat friendly, but perhaps not best friends. And then out of the blue, Maddy gets jealous that Charlotte is flirting with Albus, who apparently likes Charlotte. From your story summary, it was obvious that a Maddy/Albus was going to appear, but the foundation of their relationship is a mystery to me. There isn't any back-ground information as to how close they are, and this should have been established *before* it became apparent that Maddy has a crush on Albus.
Anyway, your story was a nice read, and I look forward to the upcoming chapters!
Author's Response: Thanks for the review! You have given me a lot to consider. I agree with the description; I didn't work it in well and it wasn't subtle enough. However, the missing pieces, the mistakes in Maddy and Albus' relationship are there for a reason, and will be explained at a later chapter. As for the Rose and Maddy scene, I've written her in as a Ravenclaw to highlight the differences between her and her Gryffindor cousins. She feels like she doens't quite fit in with them, and therefore tries to forge her own friendships within Ravenclaw. As she is a shy person, she has trouble making friends and therefore she is somewhat of a loner. After a ten week hiatus, I'm back and ready to write more of this story as well as a few others of mine! Thanks again for the review, and I hope that you keep reading!
Great job with this story!! It made me laugh--I love the part especially where James gets upset at the suggestion that Padfoot sleep in Lily's room (: Really, really, REALLY well done, I love the idea that Petunia kind of looked up to her younger sister in a way, and didn't completely despise her. Also, great job with Vernon's mother, she was absolutely horrible ^.^ I never really liked Petunia much, but I like how you gave her hatred of magic some depth and didn't characterize her as a Miss-Prim-and-Proper--I like how you left that up to the Dursleys.
All in all, this story was wonderful! I'm wondering, though, if there's going to be mild Sirius/Petunia in Lions of Gryffindor? I think it's sweet that she has a thing for him, but I kind of like Sirius/Martha a lot, too...
Author's Response: Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked the bit about Sirius sharing Lily's room - that was my favourite bit too. Sirius/Petunia - hmm, not sure about that. I like Martha much better, too. I think Siriius is just a bit of a flirt, and was also being kind. Plus he had a nudge from Lily. Thanks again ~Carole~
But the worst has come. The worst is here. You know you aren't ready. You aren't even close to ready.
The Character Death tag is just implied, not actually during the fic.
Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Harry. Potter.
I really like the premise for your story. You did a wonderful job exploring the mind of Rufus Scrimgeor and the reasoning behind his behavior towards Harry. I always thought he was better than Fudge--but never really liked him much. I like how you humanized his bad characteristics and portrayed his insecurities. When I first clicked on the story, I wasn't sure I would like the second person POV from Rufus, but you did very well on that!
I wish this story had been a little longer, though. Most of it takes place within the moments before Rufus's death, and while it's very well done, a few scenes from other times in his life would have been a nice addition. This would have been a nice time to show snippets from his life, things that happened that shaped who he is. Length isn't too much of an issue, usually, but your writing is *very* good and it would have made the story even better if we as readers could have seen more of it.
Another tiny issue I had was the lack of dialogue. Again, this is not something that matters *too* much in stories, but especially in a story like this it would have been nice. The fic is mostly separated into large paragraphs, and while this doesn't necessarily bother *me*, it could bother other readers who are daunted by the lack of dialogue/shorter paragraphs. It would have also made the story a little longer, and readers could have seen a little more of the backdrop for the fic.
I love how you tied the title into the story; my favorite line is the one that refers to the title: "Maybe he can do what you could not—pick up the shattered pieces of your universe and carefully weld them back together, weld them into something that is reminiscent of what you used to know."
Great writing with this fic!
xx Ariana
Author's Response: I'm glad you liked it so much. Originally this was going to be a drabble, so that's why it's so short. It might have been better longer, but I couldn't really think of anything else to write at the time. Looking back, I think that dialogue could have made it better, but I wasn't very confidant with my dialogue skills at the time. I'm not very confidant with them now either, I suppose. I'm glad you like the title thing-- I try to do that with everything I write. My titles are usually lines from the story or poem, or lines I plan to put in. I'm again, really glad you liked it, and super happy that you left such a nice long reveiw(thank you!). :D
Megan :)
The first two paragraphs of your story are my favorite. I love the way you paralleled Lily and James's opinions and thoughts of each other, using the rest of the story as the catalyst of their relationship. I really liked the line "...if he gave up now, then he would never have anything to do with her. So he would continue to ask her, and thrive off what little she gave in return;" I think you captured James's character wonderfully in that sentence. In those few words you justified his annoying persistence with his growing desperation that he would never have any sort of relationship with Lily. You also did a wonderful job hinting at Lily's relenting in the first paragraph (while describing her judgements of James)--I liked how you let little bits of her soft-spot for him seep through.
I did notice that some of the grammar and capitalization was off. For example, the sentence "Perhaps he would finally realised [...]" doesn't read well. Transfiguration and Quidditch should be capitalized, always. In James's speech to Lily, some of his words sound more American than British, even to my Americanized ears ("wanna", "sorta", etc.). I also think that the transition between the second and the third paragraph could have been a little smoother.
Lastly, I like your subtlety in the last two paragraphs with hinting at the death of Lily's parent(s). I think you did a very fine job expressing how she had come to rely on James, that he was now the one she turned to for comfort. I'm glad you didn't end it with a snog, but you still managed to show that their relationship had progressed from the friendship James had promised her. Throughout this entire story, you focused the mental chemistry between them instead of the physical, and you pulled it off very well. Great job!


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Phils hand Cole first big league loss
PITTSBURGH -- Vin Mazzaro was as perfect as perfect gets on Sunday --- 15 up, 15 down in five innings of relief work against the Brewers.
But Thursday, in his first appearance since, he was the opposite. The Phillies singled three times in a row off Mazzaro in the sixth after he inherited two runners from starter Gerrit Cole. They scored four runs in the inning to beat the Pirates, 6-4, at PNC Park.Full Game Coverage
PITTSBURGH -- Vin Mazzaro was as perfect as perfect gets on Sunday --- 15 up, 15 down in five innings of relief work against the Brewers.
But Thursday, in his first appearance since, he was the opposite. The Phillies singled three times in a row off Mazzaro in the sixth after he inherited two runners from starter Gerrit Cole. They scored four runs in the inning to beat the Pirates, 6-4, at PNC Park.Full Game Coverage
"Those are the decisions the manager makes when you go to your bullpen," Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle said. "If it doesn't work, the decision wasn't the right one. If you leave the starter out there and he gives up the runs, it wasn't the right one."
The Phillies got going in the sixth when Ryan Howard walked on a full count, although three of the four balls were in the strike zone, according to MLB.com's Pitch Tracker. Cole, the Pirates' top prospect, who won his first four big league decisions, was pulled after Domonic Brown singled. Cole whipped his glove against the wall in the dugout, perhaps a reaction to the free pass he issued to Howard.
"They could go either way. I don't know if they were balls or strikes," Cole said. "They were quality pitches. That's all you can worry about is just trying to make your pitch."
Cole, who threw just 78 pitches, gave way to Mazzaro with one out and two on, and the Pirates righty allowed a line-drive single to left by Delmon Young and a bloop single to right by Kevin Frandsen to score Howard. Carlos Ruiz then drove in a pair with a hard single, and Mazzaro was pulled after hitting Phillies starter Cole Hamels with a pitch. He didn't record an out, but Tony Watson was able to end the inning and pitch a scoreless seventh.
Hamels picked up just his third win of the season in 18 tries, scattering five hits and two runs (one earned) over seven innings. He didn't issue a walk and struck out eight, but the victory couldn't come without a scare. That's just the way his year has gone.
Jordy Mercer and Starling Marte singled off Justin De Fratus to start the eighth. Garrett Jones, pinch-hitting for Jose Tabata, drove in Marte with a base hit to center. But Andrew McCutchen grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to thwart the rally, despite plating another run.
Pirates righty Ryan Reid allowed a run on a sac fly in the eighth, and a leadoff triple in the ninth. Jonathan Papelbon converted his second save opportunity of the series.
Cole wasn't great, but had he retired Howard in the sixth, his day may have ended differently. He allowed eight hits and three runs with five strikeouts and one walk in 5 1/3 innings, losing his first Major League game after becoming the first Pirates pitcher to win four straight decisions to start his career since Nick Maddox in 1907. Mazzaro was charged with two runs and three hits.
"If you just keep going, put your head down, sometimes things turn out in your favor," Cole said of his ability to work out of jams. "I gave it all I had. I tried to give it all I could. I put myself in a position to keep going. I've got to get ahead of guys going, hitting the spots over the plate."
The Pirates scored first when Marte singled to right with two outs in the third. Tabata's ground ball in the hole was stopped by Jimmy Rollins, but his throw to second got past Chase Utley, and both runners advanced. McCutchen extended his bat on a changeup that painted the outer edge of the plate, slapping it up the middle to score both runners and put the Pirates up, 2-0.
After that single, Hamels retired 10 straight batters.
"[This season], I would get guys right where I want them, and then I'm not able to finish them off," Hamels said. "[I was] able to get guys out early and moving the ball around keeping them off balance."
The Phillies cut the Pirates' lead in half in the fifth when Ben Revere, who went 3-for-5, singled in Ruiz after Hamels moved him over with a sac bunt.
The Pirates lost their first series since June 3-5, when they were swept by the Braves in Atlanta. The Bucs did take the season series against Philadelphia, 4-3.
"This ballpark owes me some wins," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "It beat me up when I was in Cleveland. It hasn't been good to me."
Steven Petrella is an associate reporter for MLB.com.


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Norfolk Municipal Employees FCU to Open Insurance Agency
Insuritas, a provider of outsourced insurance agencies, said it has reached an agreement with Norfolk Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union to open an insurance agency.
The 2,500 member, $26 million cooperative in Norfolk, Va., said it researched the various options for providing insurance products to its members including building a new agency complex from scratch, purchasing an existing agency, or partnering with a third party.
"It was clear that we needed to provide an insurance solution to our member base in order to remain competitive as we realized that 100% of our members purchase insurance from someone every year," said Duke Strosser, CEO of Norfolk Municipal Employees FCU.
Jeff Chesky, president/CEO of Insuritas in East Windsor, Conn., said providing insurance products to the credit union's members "is a natural extension of their core business and leverages the already powerful brand equity they've created in the market."


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#RSL Tweets of the Day (@RealSaltLake)
ICYMI - We broke down Saturday's @RealSaltLake match. Highlights + interviews with Tony Beltran & Ned Grabavoy - http://tinyurl.com/moz5cju
After another disappointing ending, @RealSaltLake must fix its late-game leaks. http://bit.ly/1kayY0X
Deseret News: Sports @desnewssports
#RSL vows to learn from costly late-game mistakes, @DesNewsReal: http://goo.gl/a7l34Z |
#RSL @JeffCassar admits "I've got to look at what I could have done better" after collapse http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/04/27/after-latest-real-salt-lake-collapse-jeff-cassar-admits-ive-got-look-what-i- …
The Original Winger @OriginalWinger
#CrossBarChallenge w/ @Rancid's @801PUNX #BrandenSteineckert http://theoriginalwinger.com/2014-04-27-crossbarchallenge-w-rancid-believe-branden-steineckert … @RealSaltLake @MLS
ABC 4: Real Sports Live – April 27, 2014
Real Salt Lake News & Notes
The Salt Lake Tribune: RSL out to fix late-game leaks
Deseret News: Real Salt Lake vows to learn from costly late-game mistakes
KSL.com: RSL struggles late to learn another early lesson in home tie
KSL.com: RSL's first-half surge overshadowed by disappointing conclusion
For the Fans, By the Fans
RSL Soapbox: "Better than four pounds of bacon": Luke Mulholland excelling in early RSL career
Real Nation: 10 Tidbits From a Late Collapse
MLS, Other News & Notes
MLSsoccer.com: Kick Off: Winless streaks end (or extend) and Clint Dempsey continues to impress in wild Week 8
MLSsoccer.com: Armchair Analyst: Going right up the gut, the Seattle Sounders and other Week 8 thoughts
MLSsoccer.com: Houston Dynamo 1, Portland Timbers 1 | MLS Match Recap
MLSsoccer.com: Despite gritty road draw, finishing still a top concern for Portland Timbers
MLSsoccer.com: Brad Davis returns for Houston Dynamo, eyes USMNT's World Cup camp
MLSsoccer.com: Seattle Sounders encouraged by defensive performance as search for elusive clean sheet drags on
MLSsoccer.com: After promising debut season, Colorado Rapids Designated Player Gabriel Torres stuck in neutral
MLSsoccer.com: CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb says Gold Cup could be on the move outside United States
MLSsoccer.com: MLS hopefuls Sacramento Republic FC draw record crowd of 20,231 in USL PRO home opener
Fox Soccer: Breakdown: Sporting Kansas City protects identity by staying sharp


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Agrarian Revolt in the Sierra of Chihuahua
Elizabeth A. Henson
On September 23, 1965, several years of protest, including land invasions, strikes, sit-ins, and cross-country marches, culminated in an armed attack on an army base located in the remote town of Madera, Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. Protesters had demanded that the state comply with land reform guarantees provided for by the constitution of Mexico; students from the normal schools joined in and raised their own demands. Instead of negotiating partial reforms, the state governor called out troops to burnish his reputation as an anti-communist crusader. Nominally organized in the Unión General de Obreros y Campesinos de México, movement leaders broke with national directives and encouraged "direct action" and illegal occupations, while the normalistas acted within a student activist tradition rooted in the Marxism of the 1930s. The agrarian demands came from landless workers in an agricultural valley planted in cotton, whose fortunes were linked to the world market and from dispossessed smallholders in the mountainous backlands now claimed by timber export companies. This mid-century modernization of land use had its counterpart in the protestors' emulation of the Cuban revolution and their attempt to apply Che's theory of guerrilla warfare. As the governor's recalcitrance radicalized the movement, small groups undertook sporadic armed actions in the mountains, disarming forces sent after them. Other leaders moved to Mexico City to avoid arrest, undergo military training, and attempt to gather support; they returned to Chihuahua with the plan to attack the army base. Despite its spectacular failure, the event has been hailed as Mexico's first socialist guerrilla struggle and served as inspiration for the dirty war of the 1970s, when armed revolutionaries fought the armed power of the state. Attention to its armed component has eclipsed the movement's underlying basis, which was equally innovative and had lasting influence on Mexican social protest.
Alliance for Progress
Stephen G. Rabe
On March 13, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced the Alliance for Progress, an economic assistance program to promote political democracy, economic growth, and social justice in Latin America. The United States and Latin American nations formally agreed to the alliance at a conference held in August 1961, at Punta del Este, Uruguay. U.S. delegates promised that Latin America would receive over twenty billion dollars in public and private capital from the United States and international lending authorities during the 1960s. The money would arrive in the form of grants, loans, and direct private investments. When combined with an expected eighty billion dollars in internal investment, this new money was projected to stimulate an economic growth rate of not less than 2.5 percent a year. This economic growth would facilitate significant improvements in employment, and in rates of infant mortality, life expectancy, and literacy rates. In agreeing to the alliance, Latin American leaders pledged to work for equality and social justice by promoting agrarian reform and progressive income taxes.
The Kennedy administration developed this so-called Marshall Plan for Latin America because it judged the region susceptible to social revolution and communism. Fidel Castro had transformed the Cuban Revolution into a strident anti-American movement and had allied his nation with the Soviet Union. U.S. officials feared that the lower classes of Latin America, mired in poverty and injustice, might follow similarly radical leaders.
Alliance programs delivered outside capital to the region, but the Alliance for Progress failed to transform Latin America. During the 1960s, Latin American economies performed poorly, usually falling below the 2.5 percent target. The region witnessed few improvements in health, education, or welfare. Latin American societies remained unfair and authoritarian. Sixteen extra-constitutional changes of government repeatedly unsettled the region.
The Alliance for Progress fell short of its goals for several reasons. Latin America had formidable obstacles to change: elites resisted land reform, equitable tax systems, and social programs; new credits often brought greater indebtedness rather than growth; and the Marshall Plan experience served as a poor guide to solving the problems of a region that was far different from Western Europe. The United States also acted ambiguously, calling for democratic progress and social justice, but worried that Communists would take advantage of the instability caused by progressive change. Further, Washington provided wholehearted support only to those Latin American governments and organizations that pursued fervent anticommunist policies.
Architecture in Mexico City, 1940–1980
Kathryn E. O'Rourke
Architecture in Mexico City in the mid-20th century was shaped by rapid economic and urban growth, demographic change, new construction technologies, and politics. Architects adapted modernist idioms and those that evoked historical precedents for new purposes. Key figures who had begun practice earlier in the century, including Mario Pani, Juan O'Gorman, José Villagrán García, and Luis Barragán, designed major new works and strongly influenced the profession, even as a new generation led by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Ricardo Legorreta, and Teodoro González de Léon came of age. As they had been since the 1920s, public patrons were the most important clients of modern buildings, which often addressed needs for better housing, education, and health care. The period also saw the rise of modern suburbs and the evolution of the single-family house, as well as the creation of major buildings for increasingly important cultural institutions, especially museums.
As they had in preceding decades, architects used the non-architectural arts, particularly painting, to distinguish their works. The legacy of the Mexican muralist movement was most evident on the facades of major buildings in the new University City, where the influence of international modernist planning principles was also striking. In 1968 Mexico City hosted the Olympics, for which architects, planners, and designers created a network of buildings and images that functioned interdependently to present Mexico as cosmopolitan and historically rooted in its indigenous history. Sprawl and pollution worsened in the 1970s, as the capital came to be dominated by buildings that were not designed by architects. While some observers questioned the relevance of architecture in the face of seemingly unstoppable and uncontrollable growth, talented young architects responded with buildings notable for their monumentality, mass, and sophisticated engagement with historical types.
Atoms for Peace in Latin America
Gisela Mateos and Edna Suárez-Díaz
On December 8, 1953, in the midst of increasing nuclear weapons testing and geopolitical polarization, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower launched the Atoms for Peace initiative. More than a pacifist program, the initiative is nowadays seen as an essential piece in the U.S. defense strategy and foreign policy at the beginning of the Cold War. As such, it pursued several ambitious goals, and Latin America was an ideal target for most of them: to create political allies, to ease fears of the deadly atomic energy while fostering receptive attitudes towards nuclear technologies, to control and avoid development of nuclear weapons outside the United States and its allies, and to open or redirect markets for the new nuclear industry. The U.S. Department of State, through the Foreign Operations Administration, acted in concert with several domestic and foreign middle-range actors, including people at national nuclear commissions, universities, and industrial funds, to implement programs of regional technical assistance, education and training, and technological transfer.
Latin American countries were classified according to their stage of nuclear development, with Brazil at the top and Argentina and Mexico belonging to the group of "countries worthy of attention." Nuclear programs often intersected with development projects in other areas, such as agriculture and public health. Moreover, Eisenhower's initiative required the recruitment of local actors, natural resources and infrastructures, governmental funding, and standardized (but localized techno-scientific) practices from Latin American countries. As Atoms for Peace took shape, it began to rely on newly created multilateral and regional agencies, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the United Nations and the Inter-American Nuclear Energy Commission (IANEC) of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Nevertheless, as seen from Latin America, the implementation of atomic energy for peaceful purposes was reinterpreted in different ways in each country. This fact produced different outcomes, depending on the political, economic, and techno-scientific expectations and interventions of the actors involved. It provided, therefore, an opportunity to create local scientific elites and infrastructure. Finally, the peaceful uses of atomic energy allowed the countries in the region to develop national and international political discourses framing the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean signed in Tlatelolco, Mexico City, in 1967, which made Latin America the first atomic weapons–free populated zone in the world.
Culture in Mexico during the Miracle and Beyond, 1946–1982
Eric Zolov
Mexican national culture in the period from 1946 to 1982 can be understood by recognizing three overlapping transformations. The first was the consolidation of various national archetypes rooted in Mexican revolutionary and prerevolutionary mythologies of national identity and that were disseminated via state-sponsored cultural institutions as well as through global marketing campaigns related primarily to bolstering tourism. A second was the commodification of national popular culture through local cultural industries, namely radio, cinema, the recording industry, and television, and the competitive engagement of these industries with external cultural flows deriving, primarily though not exclusively, from the United States. The third was the invention of new forms of urban response to inflation and the cascading crises of political legitimacy that characterized the decade leading up to economic collapse in 1982. Across the body politic, one discerns a resilience of shared points of cultural reference—sonic, visual, culinary, and otherwise—derived, often in great measure, from governmental policies and discourse. At the same time, and increasingly over the course of this historical period, one finds movements characterized by an irreverent reappropriation of many of those same reference points, carried out by a diverse range of social actors in pursuit of individual and collective strategies of resistance to both state and patriarchal forms of authority. By the early 1980s Mexican national culture had become a rich and playful bricolage made up of iconic markers over which the state experienced a diminishing, though not yet exhausted, capacity to define.
Democratizing Mexican Politics, 1982–2012
Roderic Ai Camp
Mexico's democratic transition provides a revealing case study of a semi-authoritarian political model evolving incrementally into an electoral democracy over two decades. One of the special features of that transition was its slow progress compared to its peers in Latin America, especially given its proximity to the United States, the most influential democracy in the last half of the 20th century. The first attempt to introduce fair, competitive elections occurred under the leadership of Miguel de la Madrid in 1983, but he reversed direction when he was opposed by leading politicians from his own party. His successor, Carlos Salinas (1988–1994), chose to pursue economic liberalization, opening up Mexico to greater competition globally, and negotiating an agreement with Canada and the United States (North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA), while maintaining an authoritarian presidency. During this era, proactive actors that fomented significant political change came from numerous sources. The following were particularly noteworthy in explaining Mexico's shift to a democratic model: dissident elites who pushed for democracy inside the dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI); dissident elites who left PRI to form the most successful opposition parties in the 20th century, including the founding of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) in 1989; social and civic movements originating from government incompetence in addressing the results of the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, the widespread fraud during the 1988 presidential election, and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation uprising in 1994; the altered composition of political leadership from the establishment and the opposition characterized by stronger backgrounds in local, elective offices, party leadership, and nonpolitical careers; new electoral laws reinforcing independent decision-making regarding electoral practices and outcomes in the 1990s; and the introduction of new political actors supportive of democratic change, such as the Catholic Church.
Dominican Baseball and Latin American Pluralism, 1969–1974
April Yoder
Record-setting Dominican attendance at the championship game of the 1969 Amateur Baseball World Series attested to the local and international stakes in the competition between the United States and Cuba. Both teams reached the final game of the round-robin tournament, having defeated all nine of the opposing teams representing nations and government systems as varied as Nicaragua's rightest dictatorship, the Dutch Antilles' constitutional commonwealth, and Venezuela's guerrilla-threatened democracy. Dominican sportswriters described the game as a competition between two opposing government systems and two conflicting sporting systems: the decentralized, largely privatized U.S. system that used amateur ball as a stepping stone to professionalism and the Cuban system that developed state amateurs who educated themselves, worked, and played ball in the service of the nation. The meeting between the U.S. and Cuban teams in the Dominican Republic suggested that the systems might coexist at a time when the Dominican government headed by President Joaquín Balaguer began to experiment with new models for political and economic development. Balaguer used the domestic openness and conciliatory attitude toward Cuba to legitimate controversial economic policies and submerge political discontent through national projects around international events like the Amateur World Series in 1969 and the XII Central American and Caribbean Games in 1974. With the international stage provided by the sporting events, Balaguer offered his Third Way as a model for Latin America. This local pluralism, though brief and perhaps disingenuous, allowed Balaguer to project himself and the Dominican Republic as leaders in a movement for Latin America solidarity built on pluralism and respect for sovereignty.
Economic Integration in 19th- and 20th-Century Central America
Dora María Téllez
Throughout their history, the countries of Central America have attempted several forms of political and economic integration. After declaring independence in the 19th century, the region lacked its earlier cohesion vis-à-vis Spanish colonial governance. The former provinces aligned themselves in favor of either centralizing regional power in a federal republic or establishing complete political autonomy through the formation of new nation-states. Forces in favor of the latter eventually prevailed.
An attempt at economic integration began in the mid-20th century. It was actively backed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and eventually led to the creation of the Central American Common Market (CACM). Despite favorable economic conditions in the Post-World War II period, a number of complications undermined integration efforts: war, political crises, and interests that ran contrary to those of the United States. Integration was postponed until the end of the 1980s, after the Esquipulas II Accord reestablished peace in the region.
After the countries of Central America signed the Guatemala Protocol in 1993, economic integration was promoted under the banner of free trade. This was done by regional economic groups with the goal of reconnecting the region to global commerce under the most advantageous circumstances possible.
Folk Festivals, Community Development, and the Sugar Industry Crisis in Tucumán, Argentina, 1966–1973
Oscar Chamosa
In the late 1960s, the sugar-growing province of Tucumán, Argentina, was undergoing the deepest economic crisis of its history. In 1966, eleven large sugar mills closed by order of the national government, then ruled by military dictator Juan Carlos Onganía. The mills closure left a quarter of the province's labor force unemployed, which, in turns, prompted a massive rural exodus and a permanent state of social unrest. Paradoxically, at the same time, the suddenly impoverished region was experiencing a boom of folk music festivals organized by small cities and rural towns, including those severely hit by the sugar industry crisis. This essay explores the context of the folk festival phenomenon, analyzing the role of town notables and local civic organizations in responding to the crisis brought about by the closure of the mills. The festivals were, in fact, part of a wider effort of local towns to develop their infrastructure and social services. By organizing festivals and fostering community development, local notables acted as a counterweight to the activism of the working class, generating spaces of consent that aided the military government's plans to reorder the provincial economy.
Football and Sports Media in Chile, 1895–1962
Pedro Acuña
Football and media have become associated to such an extent that it would be difficult to discuss the history of sports in Chile without acknowledging its relationship with the media. Since the early 1900s, the media coverage of football—arguably the most significant mass spectacle in Chile—has become a unique place to evoke political sympathy and national pride. Before the gradual introduction of television in the 1960s, print journalism and radio were the technological tools that defined the ways in which Chileans experienced football. As narrative devices, sports media represented football for much larger audiences than those sitting in the stadium. In the 1940s, football chronicles may have been read aloud, and photographs of famous footballers were usually posted in public places for semiliterate workers too poor to buy sports magazines. Similarly, the pitch of a radio announcer's voice and the quick summations he gave to different plays generated their own visual spectacle and moral evaluations for listeners. Although sports magazines and radio broadcasts were mostly consumed in urban areas, they created new ways of experiencing football that enabled participation from larger parts of the nation.
The importance of these sources lies in their central role of making football a much more understandable sport to mass audiences, many of whom were illiterate. Most importantly, sports media became a public terrain for making claims about Chilean citizenship, including affirmations of appropriate masculinity, racial belonging, and class relations.
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