The Person Formerly Known as "UB"

Written March 4

"UB."

It's a really stupid nickname/codename/contact name and I hate it. It stands for "Unicorn Boy" and I made it up specifically to annoy him. It's from an inside joke involving a jacket that echoes Dean Winchester.

I stand {sit} before you to produce a new and more seemly codename, should it be needed in the near future.

I'm gonna go with "Gem." {Maybe it seems a little feminine, but trust me, it makes sense, and it sounds enough like "Jim" that it can be masculine. Right? Whatever XD}

In the past couple of months, I've gone on several first dates because a good friend convinced me that they have the potential to be really rewarding.

I have enjoyed {almost} all of my dates. However, I haven't looked forward to a single one. I agree to go out with a guy, then spend the days before the date glaring at myself in the mirror and muttering "Why would you do this to yourself?"

I am kind of a hopeless unromantic.

But as I type this on March 4th, there is a date that I'm actually looking forward to. I started shaking when he asked me. And then I did this horrid, inhuman squeal thing as I went into the next room to tell Cassidy. {Sorry again for that, Cass.}

Of course, he told me that he literally jumped for joy when I said Yes, and I have no reason to doubt him.

Yes the date is with Gem, this sexy-armed Lord of the Rings nerd from senior year who writes me long letters and does somersaults at school dances.

I always remember this spontaneous debate we had in theology class. It was a head-versus-heart discussion, where he argued for the heart and I for the head. I think that argument has caused me to rethink my stubborn ways more than anything else.

I never expected him to like me back. I've had kind of "intellectual feelings" for him for a long time. Mostly I kept them tucked in the back of my mind, to think about whenever convenient. I always had several other girls in mind that I thought he'd be cute with, so I didn't seriously consider myself a candidate for longer than ten minutes at a time.

But he said it himself, over the phone: "I really like you, and I would like to go on a date with you."

I'm pretty sure I do like him. I think I knew weeks ago when he said "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon" and my heart erupted in little fireworks.

If you're reading this, the date on March 7th went well, and I have decided that giving him a new nickname is worth the time.

Here's to getting to know Gem a little better :)

~Stephanie

In Which I Process My Thoughts and Beg for Advice

{I hate to post this right on top of that cool Letter From My Eighteen-Year-Old Self thing, but this issue is driving me off the cliff of insanity.}

Dear Guy Who Likes Me,

You're really attractive. We have incredibly similar taste in movies, music, and TV shows. We're both good with talking. So far, I've said yes when you've asked me to hang out. But now, the Me in me is rising up and I'm freaking out.

So yeah. This has to stop.

~The Girl From Envs-111

*sigh* I know, I know. I could make a problem out of winning the lottery.

See, he's a really cool guy, but by continuing to say yes to hanging out with him alone, I'm inching my way closer to a situation I'm not ready to be in:  TALKING to someone {AKA, that cesspool of gray area between "freedom" and "romantic commitment."}.

There are countless problems with that situation.

1. I move slower than any other female in the world. I guarantee you this guy is expecting to kiss me sometime sooner than "months and months and months from now, if ever."

2. I still have a long way to go before I can seriously "like" someone. I know it's been like six months {Huh. Almost to the day.}, but I still play the comparison game and my heart hasn't grown back to a size where I can spare enough to give some to another person.

3. I mean, I have general commitment issues. Like really, really, really bad ones.

4. He's going into the military. I know it's really early even to be throwing this out there, but I'm not going to marry someone going into the military. I respect, support, and honor our troops, but I'm way too selfish to have a soldier for a husband.

5. I don't know if he's a Christian or not, but I'm 75% sure he isn't, and that's an instant deal-breaker.

6. He drinks. Like, he's not a raging drunk--he just gets drunk on the weekends--but that's not for me. I don't necessarily have a huge problem with people doing that, but I am not going to date someone who does, especially if he's underage.

7.  Yesterday I overheard him confess to someone that he doesn't have any rhythm. I'm still not sure why that instantly triggered the thought, Okay cool. Now there's DEFINITELY no way, but it did.

8. He's not that funny. He IS funny, but he's not THAT funny. He laughs too much at himself, and isn't particularly clever or iconic.

9. He's a little annoying. It comes from the laughing too much in the middle of his own stories. Maybe the laughs aren't forced, but they feel that way, like he's breathing out so hard his lungs are going flat.

{Yes, I realize I'm a tough crowd. Cue the Forever Alone images. Actually, you know what, I got this:

}

He definitely has good points. He makes good grades, knows what he wants to do with his life, is a serious gentleman {hasn't gotten within a foot of me and opens every door possible, including car doors}, has good taste {movies, TV shows, music, video games}, and is really attractive. However, those don't outweigh the other issues, especially the fact that I'm just not ready for a relationship.

I need to tell him that I think he's great, but that I move at the pace of a lame snail, and am not ready for a serious relationship anyway.

I just don't know WHEN I have to tell him that. I don't want to tell him too soon and seem scary and arrogant and mean. But I also don't want to lead him on; that's even meaner.

Advice would be so appreciated, guys. This is literally keeping me up at night, and I'm really tired.

~Stephanie

Why Does This Happen?

His music isn't my style {although I admit "Whataya Want From Me?" has a significant number of plays on my iPod}. However, he's hott. It just figures that he's gay.

Adam Lambert, guys.

~Stephanie

Voices

You can tell a lot about people from the way they talk. Do they have a southern accent? A Yankee accent? Do they use the word "like" as a substitute for breathing?

However, the WAY someone talks isn't the same thing as their voice.

As I {literally} said not to long ago, voices really are important to me. They're one of the first things I notice about someone {along with their eyes}. If you have an annoying voice, I probably won't like you much right away. {Hey, I'm just being honest.} When I marry someone, I'm going to have to love their voice.

I mean, obviously I pay attention to WHAT people say, but I've already talked about that. This post is about the way words sound coming out of your mouth.

And let's face it:  you can have the best idea in the world, but if your voice sounds like you've shoved an eraser up your nose or swallowed a load of cotton, it's not going to be as compelling.

My fascination with voices is actually a little ironic, because my audio processing is sort of terrible. For example, if you come up to me and say, "Stephanie, don't forget the P-R-E-S-E-N-T," it will take me about thirty seconds to figure out what you're spelling at me.

If my math teacher tells me to "Calculate sixteen plus twelve in your head really quick," it will take me even longer. {Of course, that's partly due to the fact that math affects my brain the way the words "incoming atomic bomb" affect most people.}

But nevertheless, I have an immense fascination with voices, and I thought I'd share some famous ones that I love.

1. Christian Bale ~ Batman
2. Audrey Hepburn ~ Roman Holiday
3. Heath Ledger ~ A Knight's Tale
4. James Stewart ~ Harvey
5. Joseph Gordon-Levitt ~ Inception
6. Orlando Bloom ~ Pirates of the Caribbean
7. Ian Somerhalder ~ Vampire Diaries
8. Briana Evigan ~ Step Up 2

~Stephanie

Wes Bentley

Cass thinks he's ugly, I think she's crazy.

Before the Hunger Games movie, I had never heard of Wes Bentley. But after seeing him as Seneca Crane, I won't be forgetting him any time soon.

I cannot be the only one who finds him tremendously attractive.

At first I thought it was the beard {which is, after all, insanely awesome}. So I decided to find some other shots of him. And guess what?

He's still hott. {Hey, Aaron. Two Ts ;P}

I don't know much about his personal life, except that he was married for eight years and has a two-year-old son. He was also a drug addict, but he's allegedly recovering.

I don't really doubt that he was, but he sure doesn't LOOK like a drug addict XD

Ohhhh yes. And, as always, you're welcome.

~Stephanie

Disney Princes Go PG-13

Sorry Jay, Sam, and Aaron. It's another exclusively girl post.

While getting pictures for the Disney Princes list, I came across a fascinating page.

Fairytales Gone Sexy.

Someone has taken the Disney Princes and redrawn them in a slightly sexier light. Let's face it, girls: our taste has matured a bit since we were five.

Of course, not all the redraws work in my opinion. Some of them weren't especially attractive {Aladdin}, some of them were downright ugly {Tarzan and Shang}, some of them were better in cartoon {Prince Philip}, and some of them were unnecessary. {Like Will Turner NEEDED a redraw.}

But they all made me smile, and a couple of them were quite jaw-droppingly hott. I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

John Smith from Pocahontas

Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid

Peter Pan

Ahaha. You're welcome. Hopefully this didn't feel like having your childhood innocence brutally slaughtered in front of your eyes.

~Stephanie

Disney Princes

I've done a lot of hott guy posts in my time {just check the sidebar on the right}, and even a hott actress one.

But it never occurred to me to look at the cartoons until today.

At church {I know, so sacrilegious of us}, my friends Cassidy and Jesse {who is a girl, and no, I didn't misspell her name} and I were talking about Disney movies. Before long, we were contemplating the attractiveness of the princesses, and then inevitably, the princes.

There are ten "official" Disney princesses, and they each have a "prince," even though some of them aren't technically royal.

I guess when you find the right guy, he's your own personal prince. Or something.

The point is, I've put the ten Disney princes into order of overall hottness, taking into account their personalities as well as physical aesthetics. And heeeeeeeeeeere they are.

Flynn Rider {Tangled}

Flynn is the hottest prince in my opinion, hands down. You guys know I have a weakness for expressive eyebrows, and he has that covered nicely. I also dig the goatee. As a general rule, I dislike facial hair. However on the off chance that a guy CAN pull if off, I find it extremely attractive.

Flynn's personality is actually what put him over the top by a lot. He's funny, witty, sarcastic, quick-thinking, and daring. He protects Rapunzel and falls selflessly in love with her, BUT. He still maintains his personality. I hate, hate, hate, hate, HAAAAAAATE it when a guy falls in love and suddenly he's all weepy and sunshine and butterflies. Why do you think the girl fell for you in the first place? DON'T LOSE THAT.

*ahem*

So yeah. Flynn is the hottest.

Prince Philip {Sleeping Beauty}

Did you realize Prince Philip was this attractive? I didn't even remember what he looked like until Cassidy insisted that he was hott. So we looked him up. She was right. Sharp jaw, mischievous eyes, not disgusting eyebrows. All good. So I watched some clips on Youtube, and was further encouraged.

"No. Carrots." He looks hott when he says that to his horse, who dumps him in a lake XD

He's also witty, sarcastic and smart. He definitely has more personality than Sleeping Beauty, who is not even known by her given name and says about twenty words {not set to music} the entire movie.

Aladdin

Physically, I don't find Aladdin suuuper attractive. However, he's the only prince who's chest/abs you actually get to see {besides Shang}, so he doesn't have a lot of competition there. He's also tan, which I love.

Personality-wise, I love Aladdin. He's adventurous and brave. He's carefree, but clever enough not to get caught. And in the end, he sets the genie free. How nice.

Prince Adam {The Beast}

The Beast in human form, Adam, is hideous. His nose is awkward and pointy and his lips are gross and his Adam's apple is so big it looks like he swallowed a golfball.

However. If we were going on personality alone, the Beast, AKA Prince Adam, would tie with Flynn Rider. Adam is the most real prince of them all. He has flaws. The other princes are "perfect." Adam was a selfish, angry jerk in the beginning, and had to learn how to love--and he did. He became kind, but knew how to have fun. He gives Belle a library, the most amazing gift in the world.

Their love story is legit. They don't like each other, then they look deeper, then they understand each other, then they make sacrifices, then they realize they've fallen in love. It's not just "OH YOU'RE HAWT LET'S MARRY" or "DAANG YOU HAZ A PRETTY VOICE I LUV YOU" or "I'M BORED LET'S FALL IN LOVE." Belle and Prince Adam are real people and they fall in love in a real and meaningful way. That's beautiful.

Prince Charming {Cinderella}

He's actually a little girly-looking now that I pay close attention. But, his features have a neat, precise quality that I like, and I love dark hair. So there you go.

Prince Charming admittedly has the personality of a cabbage, but he does do two things right. First, he asks Cinderella to dance. Then he goes to great lengths to find her again. Good job. You get some points, bro.

Captain John Smith {Pocahontas}

John Smith has a strong jaw, BRIGHT blue eyes and a pioneer-strong body. He's extremely attractive physically. I'm not super familiar with the Pocahontas movies though, so I can't say if his personality is significantly greater than the other princes'. I do remember him not being a pushover though, which is good.

But I really remember nothing from the movie, so even THAT might be misguided.

Shang {Mulan}

I'm probably going to get cyber-yelled at for putting him this far down the list. I know, he has a great body. A really great body. But his FACE. Not a fan. And I don't really do bulk. I mean, I like a ripped guy as much as the next girl, but he's just sort of huge. I dunno.

I do like his personality though. It's hott. Tough, determined, good fighter, strong sense of justice, good relationship with his father...

Well damn. Maybe I should have put him higher up the list.

Prince Eric {The Little Mermaid}

Dark hair, bright eyes, not-too-bulky body. Nice, nice, nice. I like him.

He's this far down the list because I haven't seen the movie since I was like seven and I really don't remember him much. He did not, at least, fall in love with only a voice or only a face, thank God. Originally it was Ariel's voice that got his attention, yes. But he continued to love her personality even after her voice was taken. So there. He has some depth.

Prince Naveen {Princess and the Frog}

Oh shut up. I am not racist.

Naveen just doesn't make an impression on me. I wish I could remember enough about him to move him definitively up or down the list, but I just can't recall much of his personality. He stops being a self-absorbed 'tard, which is good, and his features are smooth, which is fine. But as an overall package...doesn't do a lot for me.

The Prince {Snow White's prince}

Ew. Ugly face, no personality whatsoever. He appears twice. One to stalk Snow White, which is creepy, and once to kiss her when he thinks she's dead. Also creepy. He's not even around when she eats the stupid poisoned apple. If you could find her to kiss her, you could find her to save her. Just saying.

~Stephanie

The Cast

You've been reading a lot about the Fire Fairies now, so I figured you might share a least a modicum of interest in this.

There's this little nine-year-old girl at my church named Maddie. I've known her since she was about one. Having literally grown up with me, she knows all {ish} about the fire fairies. She was even one for Halloween one year, which I found enormously flattering.

Last week at church, we stayed late and I ended up creating intricate doodles of the names "Ember" and "Coal." She knows about them, and we got to talking. After a while she asked me,

"If it were a movie, who would you get to play Coal?"

That really got me thinking. I had considered the thought before, but YEARS ago, before I knew hardly any actors or even how to find them. So Maddie and Cassidy and I sat there at the table, coloring pictures, and puzzling over the cast of my story.

Maddie suggested Taylor Lautner, which wasn't a bad suggestion at all. I even considered it for a moment, but he wasn't right. Taylor's face is sharper than Coal's, and Coal's eyes aren't so squinty.

She thought of Robert Pattinson, who was a resounding NO with a gag reflex.

It wasn't until Maddie had left that the perfect Coal-actor came to mind:

Jeremy Sumpter.
I about fell down. He is the perfect Coal. He has Coal's sexy, mysterious face; his mischievous, piercing eyes; his slouchy, panther-like body. If I had to pick an actor for Coal, it would be Jeremy, hands down.

Of course why stop with Coal? Maddie's question sparked a new obsession with me. I went home and began madly Googling for the rest of my characters. It was difficult, and I'm not satisfied with all of them, but it'll do for now XD

Ember - Willa Holland

Willa looks daring, confident, and proud here, not one to be pushed around or even show much emotion. Originally I had Willa as Firefly, but after everyone's vehement suggestions against who I had as Ember, I decided Willa fits her better. Best decision ever XD She grows on me as Ember every time I look at her.

Firefly - Taylor Momsen

Firefly, Ember and Flare are sisters. I think I did a pretty good job of finding actresses that look like they could potentially be related. Although Firefly has brown hair, Taylor Momsen holds the sharp, controlled beauty and authority Firefly also has.

Originally, I had Taylor Momsen as Ember. Everyone I talked to who knows the stories said NO to that. Sarah said Taylor fit more with Firefly, and I really started to agree.

Of course, sometimes Taylor Momsen looks like this.

Which isn't Firefly at all. But you take what you can find XD

Flare - Victoria Justice
Flare's real-life counterpart would probably kill me if she knew I'd picked Victoria Justice to represent her. I didn't see it coming myself, but when I saw this picture, I stopped. I can see Flare in her. The mischief, the boldness, the hint of shyness around the corner... It's all there.

Comet - Chloe Grace Moretz
I think I got Comet about right. The cute, impish, almost stubby face of Chloe fits hers. Of course, Comet is a redhead, but I can easily imagine Chloe as a carrot top.

Flicker - Emmy Clarke

I had Ellen Marlow for a while, but I was really dissatisfied with her. I stumbled across Emmy just today and love her as Flicker! She has the sharp-featured sweetness and naivety of Flicker.

Sparkle - Kay Panabaker
Kay seems very alive, energetic and enthusiastic, just as Sparkle is. I'm pretty happy with this selection.

Star Dancer - Eden Sher
Poor Eden XD She gets to portray the irritating gossip that everyone loves to hate. Star Dancer CAN be a fun fairy to be around, but more often than not she ends up ticking someone off. I think Eden has the nosy, "off" kind of pretty look of Star Dancer.

Flame - Hunter Parrish
God, he's hot. But so is Flame, even though he's not a very likable character. Hunter has the sharp, pale, dangerous air that Flame shares.

Blaze - Taylor Lautner
I'm not sure about this. The more I think about it, the less I'm sure. Hm. No. Blaze is dark, yes, but not so square, and his eyes aren't so squinty.

Smolder - Frank Dillane
Smolder isn't a main character at all, but I see him as Frank Dillane. {Tom Riddle, in case you were agonizing over where you know him from.}

Caroleena - Abigail Breslin
Ah, Caroleena. You haven't met her yet, because I haven't rewritten her yet. She's a beautiful Woodland elf girl. Ember hates her.

Darbon - Jimmy Bennett
You haven't met Darbon either. He's Caroleena's younger brother, so he's also a Woodland elf.

Pyros - Freddie Highmore
Pyros XD He's one of the Fire Lord's pages. I don't remember if you've met him or not. He's extremely minor.

And last, but certainly, certainly, certainly not least, the Fire Lord.

The Fire Lord - Ralph Fiennes

I actually forgot to cast the Fire Lord. Like, he completely slipped my mind. Sam's the one who remembered, and suggested Ralph, and he's PERFECT.

Does he look familiar to you? Look at his eyes. Yeah. It's Lord Voldemort. I know it might seem cliche that he's exactly how I pictured the Fire Lord, but in my defense I wrote the Fire Fairy stories long before Harry Potter crossed my mind XD

So there you have it. The Cast of the Fire Fairy Story :) Hope you found this interesting and helpful. I always like to be able to put a face to characters.

~Stephanie

Henry Cavill

Thanks for following, Frozen Fearless!

*takes moment to breathe through the embarrassing giggles*

{Warning: This post contains an inexcusable amount of pictures. Like, I think I may have gone overboard this time. I'm sorry. I really am.}

It's been too long, my friends, and this 28-year-old actor is--without a doubt--deserving of a post, and for many reasons.

Firstly, because he's in a movie that's getting a lot of publicity. The movie is "Immortals," and it sucks. I saw it. {I got carded and was old enough to go in. BOOYA--okay, I am so not cool right now.} But still. Henry's face is out there a lot these days.

Secondly, because he's actually a good actor, which surprised me since he's been in exactly NOTHING I've heard of since The Count of Monte Cristo {yeah, he was Albert...or however you spell that in French}.

Thirdly, HE'S GOING TO PLAY SUPERMAN IN THE MOVIE "MAN OF STEEL" IN 2013. OH MY GOSH. DID NOT KNOW THAT. Too bad it's not Batman. Then I'd really be excited. But he does look more like a Superman, so it's cool.

Aw, damn. Never mind. The director quit and the new one recast Superman. New Director, you SUCK.

Fourthly, he's a good guy. *goes to Google to do research because she just BS'd that sentence* Yep, he is. More on that later.

And lastly, because he's actually a UNIQUE kind of sexy. It's true that he has the usual down: an outrageous body, piercing eyes, a tan. Check, check, check.

But he also has crooked teeth and a butt-chin, two things which might normally kill it for a potentially hott guy. But Henry works it anyway. He works it very, very well.

Despite all this, Empire magazine labeled Henry Cavill the "Unluckiest Man in Hollywood." In the past few years he was very nearly cast for Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter, Edward Cullen in Twilight, Superman in Man of Steel and James Bond in Casino Royale. He didn't land any of the roles.

I can't see him as Cedric or James Bond, but I can tell you right now he would have made a better Edward than Robert Pasty Pattinson. He makes a pretty good Superman, too.

His personality is apparently adorable as well. He's been described as "mysterious," "studious," "independent," and "loaded with warmth and compassion." He's also exceptionally intelligent and if he hadn't gone into acting he says he'd have liked to study ancient history or--are you ready for this--joined the army.

I love this guy.

He can be a very inspired speaker, but only when discussing something he's interested in, otherwise he's not a big talker. People say his focus will sometimes turn inwards in the middle of a conversation, and he's been described as "withdrawn." He has to guard against arrogance and the appearance of "I have it all figured out."

Awww :3 He's so cute.

Alright, now that I'm done rambling, here's the part we've all--including me--been waiting for: rampant pictures with no pretension to self-control or depth.

That's plain ol' good-looking right there.

Do you see that eyebrow? Because I see that eyebrow.

He makes a good medieval guy.

He looks so happy and dangerous in this one.

This is not even a flattering picture. But somehow I find it extremely hott.

Favorite.

You're welcome.

~Stephanie