Week 27 – Inside Out Results

Pegasus says he remembered this movie while he was watching it. His body tensed at the scary parts.

Dance

As per usual, I didn’t do anything specific for this.

Music

His scales are coming along nicely and he willingly practises both his scales and the pieces in the book.

Crochet

We haven’t started this yet.

Basic Information

We are working on the day before and the day after any given day. The months of the year is going well. All months have proper pronounciation now, and we’re working on the month before and after any given month. That’s coming slowly.

We practised the seasons, but he still needs help remembering them in French.

Printing words

We’re working on spacing and keeping the words on the bottom line. The March break work that he did helped a little.

Counting objects/math-type activities

I feel like his numbers have improved. He didn’t need my help with writing them.

Math worksheets. He REALLY likes these. He did them both on Monday because he was so excited to do them once again.

Storytime

We read 2 of the French library books this week.

Activity

Yarn collage of emotion – I didn’t want to do papier maché. It didn’t sound like fun, especially since Pegasus doesn’t like touching squishy things. So I made the executive decision to change the activity to a collage of emotions using yarn. He describes this piece as “showing how I love and not love”, which I think is as good a description as any.

Write touch and feel book – This was still a monumental project. We started it on Monday, building the concept and starting on the first page (Joy). Tuesday, we completed Fear. Wednesday saw the completion of Disgust and Sadness, and Thursday was Anger. Friday was the cover. I explained how to measure and cut each page and guided him in that. He drew each picture for each page after designing them. Joy – playing with toys (a toy car on a play mat), Fear – ghosts (Slimer from Ghostbusters), Disgust – mushroom, Sadness – a mirror to show loneliness, Anger – not being allowed to play with his sister (a picture of himself behind a closed door). I used the xacto knife to cut out the holes in the paper to avoid cutting tiny fingers.

@jendesmaraisauthor

Pegasus made a Touch and Feel book about Emotions this week. (with help putting it together) I recorded him reading it.

♬ original sound – Jen Desmarais, author

Pictogram of the Tropes in Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests

Image showing the rating for the tropes in Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests. Battle Couple, Wedding Planning, and Superheroes is about 90%, Monsters is about 75%, and Spicy is about 40%. At the bottom, there’s a “Vibes”, which has an image from the movie Argylle (2024).
Cover art by @pinkpiggy93 on Tumblr and Instagram

Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests by Jen and Éric Desmarais is available for pre-order now!

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Add it to your “Want to read” on Goodreads here!

Raiders of the Lost Ark – JenEric Movie Review

How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Story

It’s fascinating watching a story that is completely unaffected by the protagonist. Other than a lot of killing Nazis, he doesn’t do much to alter the end result.

It’s exciting and flows from one set piece to the next really well.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Indiana is tough, charismatic, wise cracking, and fluctuates between genius and fool. As an adventurer, he attracts disaster and does everything with wry wit. As an archeologist, he doesn’t do much but consult experts. I wonder what his specialty is?

Marion is the tough girl who can drink anyone under the table, shoot a gun, and runs her own bar in the tough part of Nepal. She’s also completely defenseless and screams more then my children watching this movie.

Salah is still one of my favourite characters.

The villains are evil Nazis and its nice to remember a time when we as a society were against Nazis.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue in this is iconic and quotable in a way only Harrison Ford and Spielberg can be.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals are good for the time but are showing their age. The cinematography does a great job in its use of shadows.

The music is excellent and definitely big and adventurous. Perfect for the movie.

Score: 1

Fun

There isn’t a lot of cringe (outside the weird classroom scene) and I really enjoy the nostalgia, but after so many other movies, like the Librarian or Stargate, having the protagonists be hyper-competent and smart, it makes Indiana Jones feel a little less special.

The kids liked it and were a little freaked out by the faces melting until we explained how the fx were done.

Score: 0.5

Overall

One of the first archeology adventures and still a fun ride. It’s aged fairly well but the character of Indiana is often more frustrating than not. That’s in part because he’s not too bright and the uncomfortable history of archeology.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Monster Mess – A One-Shot Party Adventure

Find the character sheets and rules at: One-Shot.JenEric-Designs.ca

Description

You are a teen who needs to do community service and have been placed on super-cleanup duty. Westmeath has had a rash of monster attacks and although they don’t leave any biological matter (thankfully) they do make a mess of the city. You are assigned to deal with a mess in the downtown core after a group of flying monkeys attack.

The adventure should take approximately 1-3 hours, depending on the Party.

Setting

Westmeath, Canada’s fourth largest city, is the tech hub of North America. It’s also one of the most crime-ridden cities, fueled by prominent gangs and corporate espionage. It is also a place where magic, aliens, and technology meet. 

It’s June 2003 and the party is assigned to clean up the Hedy Lamarr Memorial Park in downtown after a group of flying monkeys destroyed the advanced WiFi transmitter installed in the park.

Suggested Backgrounds

The players can be anything they want, but here are some fun choices for their background: 

Aetherborn: Beings created with magic and the human imagination. They are copies of sentient people from mythology or pop culture. 

Alien: From all over the galaxy, Aliens have innate powers; mostly combat, but a few royals can heal.

Human: Humans are the most adaptable and scariest creatures in the universe.

Suggested Reasons for Community Service

Petty Crime: You did it and you got caught but let’s be fair it’s not that bad.

Parental Privilege: You did something bad but because of your last name or family fortune you got off easy.

University Admission: You really want to get into that university program and the best way is to have way too many extra credit activities along with your high grades.

High School Credit: It was this or parenting and there was no way you were going to carry a bag of flour around like it was a baby.

Fought Back: They started it, you ended it but you were the one who got in trouble.

Mistaken Identity: It wasn’t you but no one believes it.

Story

Part 1: Cleaning the park

The officer who’s in charge of the group gives them their cleaning tools and then tells them to clean up the park. He then leaves to find “decent coffee”.

The park is set between three large buildings and is a perfect square. The walls of the building have been painted in murals dedicated to women scientists. In the center of the park is a four-metre tall statue of Hedy Lamarr. There is a swing set, several trees, a slide, and a destroyed plot that must have been a flower garden.

The park is filthy, covered in shards of glass, metal, and more garbage than the players have ever seen.

Let the players talk amongst themselves. With a Luck or Mind check of 3, they find pieces of the WiFi transmitter with DoorTech logos on it. With a Mind of 4 they recognize the tech as not being human design.

Have the players all do a Mind check and have the highest remember that the statue used to be a hologram and not a large brass statue.

Part 2: Gang encounter

As they are cleaning, a group of men in purple jackets come by and start heckling them. They are a local gang called the Blue Bloods. If one of the players has done something criminally impressive, they try to recruit them. There are the same amount of gang members as players.

The gang members are aggressive in their taunts and recruitment. Either way they are looking for a fight. The players can avoid a fight by bluffing that they’ll join, intimidating, or outsmarting them. Have the players role against the gang members’ Luck.

Part 3: Strange noises and a big red button

After the gang members leave, their chaperone comes back and berates them for how little they’ve done before leaving for more coffee.

A Luck, Body, or Mind of 2 will have them finding a large button hiding in the mural of Hedy Lamarr. There are weird squeaks and chirps coming from behind the mural. If they press it, it opens a large door that leads to a staircase going down.

Part 4: Monkeys in the secret room

If the players choose not to go into the secret area or even hit the button, have 3-5 Flying Monkeys come out of the door as they go back to cleaning.

If they decided to explore, they will find a secret surveillance lab. A Mind or Luck 2 will have them realize that Door Tech has found a way to use WiFi to map and surveil areas, which was why they’d installed the large WiFi transmitter.

There is a door at the other side of the lab that seems to be a weapons cache.

As they decide to leave the room, 3-5 flying monkeys fly in from outside and attack.

Part 5: Statue

Once the players have fought the monkeys, have the police officer return and offer them a donut. It will heal 2 health.

If they tell him what happened, he doesn’t believe them, if they don’t, he sits on a swing and starts to eat a donut.

Just as the players are finishing up the park cleaning, they find an inscription at the base of the statue that says, “All creative people want to do the unexpected.” It’s attributed to Hedy Lamarr and once they’ve read it, the statue comes to life and tries to kill them. The police officer faints.

The statue disappears after it’s defeated.

Conclusion

After they’ve defeated the statue, three military vehicles with the DoorTech logo show up and interrogate the players. A luck or mind 3 will be enough to bluff that they haven’t seen anything. The police officer wakes up and helps the players get away from the DoorTech security teams.

If the players go to the police about the underground they are dismissed as making stuff up. If they go back, the button is gone. Have the players be visited, together or separately, by either the Blue Bloods or DoorTech with offers of scholarships, recruitment, internships, or something else the player(s) would want.

If the players have cruised through the adventure, you can have them visited by the local superhero team of the Phantom and the Wraith. The heroes believe them and want to know more. They promise to get to the bottom of it.

Opponents 

Blue BloodsFlying MonkeyStatue
Health526
Defence556
Body304
Mind030
Luck334
AbilitiesBrass Knuckles 2
Stun Gun 2
Bite 2
Scratch 1
Giant fist 2
Explode Electronic 2

Read More about Westmeath in Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests

The week before Kennedy and Jason’s wedding is busy. There are cake tastings, dress fittings, a formal ball, and, as their superhero personas the Phantom and the Wraith, fighting monsters.

These behemoths are destructive, smell like snack food, and are only after one thing: Door Tech Industries technology.

Adding to the chaos are their friends and families; Jason’s grandmother has returned after having been missing for half a century, Kennedy’s mom is dead-set on keeping things traditional, and Jason’s best friend is kidnapped before the rehearsal.

Kennedy and Jason just want to get married, preferably before the next monster attack.

The second book of four in The Gates of Westmeath series.

49th Shelf Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
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Archambault Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Amazon Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Rakuten Kobo Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Apple Books Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests

Week 28 – Rise of the Guardians

This is such a fun and diverse movie (visually), and I love the activities with it. Making ice cream is a new one, so I’m looking forward to trying that out!

Here is the link for the downloadable materials. (I hope this works…please let me know if you have any problems so I can fix it!)

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
make ice creamWatch moviedesign DreamlandFlexlearn about moon

Summary of the week

Daily details:

Dance

Ballet and martial arts on alternate days

Music

Singing, listening to different pieces, learning piano, learning guitar

Crochet

On break

Basic Information

We talk about the days of the week and play games with the cutouts of the names. We do the same thing with the names of the months of the year. You can find the print-outs here.

Printing words

Download material

Counting objects/math-type activities

Practice counting objects and writing how many of each type – (in download material)

Addition and pattern – worksheet

Storytime

Activity

Make ice cream (link)
Design Dreamland
Learn about the moon – telescope, link

Next week: Mulan

Similar books to Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests

@jendesmaraisauthor

“Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests” is an Urban Fantasy Romance. What happens when superheroes plan a wedding? Monsters, that’s what. Kennedy and Jason are ready to get married. They just have to deal with evaporating monsters first. Available for pre-order now! https://www.jeneric-designs.ca/books-and-timeline/universal-book-links/#MIWG Cover art by @pinkpiggy93 #MonstersIncidentalWeddingGuests #JenDesmarais #ÉricDesmarais #authors #book #PressesRenaissancePress #pinkpiggy93 #artist #UrbanFantasy #RomanceBook #superheroes #BattleCouple #original #booktok

♬ Shadows Live for the Light (From the Book “Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests: The Gates of Westmeath, Book 2”) – Jen Desmarais
“Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests” is an Urban Fantasy Romance. What happens when superheroes plan a wedding? Monsters, that’s what.

Kennedy and Jason are ready to get married. They just have to deal with evaporating monsters first. Available for pre-order now!
https://www.jeneric-designs.ca/books-and-timeline/universal-book-links/#MIWG
Cover art by @pinkpiggy93

#MonstersIncidentalWeddingGuests #JenDesmarais #ÉricDesmarais #authors #book #PressesRenaissancePress #pinkpiggy93 #artist #UrbanFantasy #RomanceBook #superheroes #BattleCouple #original #booktok
Cover art by @pinkpiggy93 on Tumblr and Instagram

Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests by Jen and Éric Desmarais is available for pre-order now!

49th Shelf Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Indigo Books Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Archambault Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Amazon Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Rakuten Kobo Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests
Apple Books Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests

Add it to your “Want to read” on Goodreads here!

Writing is hard… still

Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

Have you ever read, listened, or watched something and had no one to talk to about it? Have you ever tried selling something you’re proud of and no one be interested? Have you ever posted something you thought was super witty on a social media and no one commented?

If you have, you know what it’s like to be an author. The books I have written, and co-written, are my passion. I love the stories, the characters, the world, and would love to chat about them more. Most people get a glazed look in their eyes when I start.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started publishing. Fame? Fortune? Fans? Respect? Acknowledgement? I really thought that it would be easier after I got published. I also didn’t realize the amount of work an author has to do after the book is out. Marketing and selling are not my strengths and it’s discouraging.

The books I’ve written with Jen have been selling well. Mostly because she’s rocking the marketing material. I’m honestly in awe of everything she manages to do and still have time for writing.

I’m starting to understand that it’s more about selling yourself and less about selling your book and unless you go viral or best seller you restart with every book. Sell yourself to the agent/publisher, then the reader, then repeat… It’s exhausting.

I just want to write my stories and improve my craft but I also have to learn to be an editor, graphic designer, artist, creator, copy writer, marketer, sales person, public speaker, and a hundred other things. It makes me tired and it makes me wonder if it’s worth the time and effort (which is definitely not enough) I put into it.

I’m sorry for whining. I’m lucky to have the financial freedom to write, the privilege of being published, and the platform to complain.

One thing I know for certain, is that I love writing. Everything else, not so much.

I think it might be time to re-think what I want from writing and what I need to do to get there.

Sorry for the slight downer of a post.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric


Fantasia 2000 – JenEric Movie Review

How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2000 film Fantasia 2000.

Story

Like the first, this isn’t a regular movie and feels more like an anthology with various forms of storytelling. It’s creative and absolutely engrossing. Unlike the original, it’s extremely short; over an hour shorter then the first. The rhythm between the stories wasn’t as smooth.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Again, there aren’t many speaking roles in the stories themselves, but the characters were strong and interesting.

Score: 1

Dialogue

I liked that they re-used some of the original narration and added some celebrities. The part with Mickey looking for Donald was particularly funny. Most of the jokes hold up well for being almost 25.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The animation is pretty but there are places they used 3D animation and it didn’t age well. The whales at times looked plastic and poorly rendered. When the shorts were traditionally animated they looked fabulous.

The music is great. I recognized all the pieces and loved how they were put together.

Score: 0.5

Fun

It had enough of the feel of the original to be nostalgic and it was a lot of fun.

The kids liked this one better because they say it has less scary parts.

Score: 1

Overall

An attempt to recreate a classic that almost gets there but like it’s runtime, falls short. On its own it’s still a lot of fun to watch.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5