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Kristina Manente is a freelance journalist, audio engineer, podcaster, and all around nerd with a travel addiction and a tea obsession. Her focus is entertainment & lifestyle.
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When it comes to weddings, people tend to be of two minds. There are the traditional, at-home sort and then there are the plane-hopping destination wedding couples. Whether it's a Mexico destination wedding or a three-day event on the Italian Riviera, destination weddings are popular and looking to be even more so in 2022.
Following every good event, is the after the wedding review. Here are 6 jobs you should do, when the wedding is over.
Building out a wedding planner business is no easy task. There's so much to consider about connections, vendors, and making sure you're up to date on all COVID-19 protocols and trends. And then there's the major question of how to get referrals from clients. Just how do you get wedding clients in the first place?
Weddings allow precious time for friends and family to celebrate the love between people they care for. Whether it is a full weekend wedding or a 3 day wedding, multi-day weddings are experiences guests and couples alike will remember for the rest of their lives.
A wedding trend that will exist long after COVID-19? Mini wedding cakes and other individual servings ideas. Cute and better than a buffet!
Entertainment
When it comes to the world of tabletop roleplay games, everyone knows Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. However, taking a step away from the big leagues of TTRPGs opens up a world of intricate and beautiful interactive stories just waiting to be explored.
When it comes to hearing things in games, a good pair of headphones will go a long way. But you know what will go even farther? A photo of your ear. How? Well, that's where the Immerse HIVE plugin from Embody comes in. It's time to game with your ears.
Welcome to Read This Fanfiction, a monthly deep dive into the world of fic: its history, its future, and all its splendors. In the world of fanfiction there are tropes - common themes and storylines that writers and readers flock to, be it out of interest or a desire to scratch a specific itch.
Welcome to Read This Fanfiction, a deep dive into the world of fic: its history, its future, and all its splendors. In the world of fanfiction there are tropes - common themes and storylines that writers and readers flock to, be it out of interest or a desire to scratch a specific itch.
Treasure Island is a beloved book of pirates, coming of age, danger on the high seas, and the thrill of adventure. Throughout the decades since its publication as a serial from 1881 to 1882, people have sought to adapt the Robert Louis Stevenson novel into various forms. It was first adapted in 1918 as a silent film directed by Sidney Franklin and then less than twenty years later as a talkie in 1934 starring Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery.
Welcome to Read This Fanfiction, a monthly deep dive into the world of fic: its history, its future, and all its splendors. In the world of fanfiction there are tropes - common themes and storylines that writers and readers flock to, be it out of interest or a desire to scratch a specific itch.
'Tis the season of scary and spooky sounds: cracking floorboards and rattling windows, torrid screeches and droning moans, whistling wind, and the rumble of fear vibrating in your chest. Sound plays a huge role in horror, be it a video game, movie, television show, or podcast.
Why is the world so obsessed with Mothman? Is it the fuzzy antennae? The blood-red eyes peering out into the darkness? That allegedly his appearance is a sure sign of cataclysmic events and that's just on-brand for 2020?
There are some games that are so tied to one's childhood that any mention of them erupts in a miasma of nostalgia. Ocarina of Time will cause a few gasps of adolescent joy, The Sims a few cackles of middle school mischief, and then there's RollerCoaster Tycoon.
There are an astounding number of amazing women to be appreciated in Star Trek, and none more so than those in Voyager. The series gave us our first female captain, Captain Janeway, something long overdue. Seven of Nine bridged the gap between human and machine with a surprising look at the Borg.
smashed box office records and hearts back during the holiday season, so perhaps it was only apt that the documentary chronicling the final months of production would be heart-wrenching as well. Now available on Disney+, Into The Unknown: Making Frozen 2 is a surprisingly emotional six-part series journey that gives an in-depth look at the trials and tribulations of making a highly anticipated sequel.
Valentine's Day is this Friday. In celebration, we're spending the week celebrating love in all the forms it takes throughout the quadrants. L(ove)LAP 🖖 There are many romances in Star Trek: Voyager, some canon, some not.
The British screenwriter James Moran has always had a keen interest in the history of Pompeii, so when he was asked to write a Doctor Who episode about the doomed Roman city, he was thrilled.
Canon compliant and beautifully illustrated, the comics build on the world of Thedas in a way that even the books can't. Not only do you get more stories from this universe, but you get to see them as well, thanks to the stunning artwork of Fernando Heinz Furukawa.
Welcome to Read This Fanfiction. Once a digest, now a deep dive into the world of fan-created written works. Join us twice a month as we examine authors, platforms, trends, scandals, and more from every corner of the fanfiction universe.
Welcome to SYFY WIRE's Decade in Review, a series of articles that will look to catalog the best, worst, and weirdest cultural and entertainment moments of the 2010s as we look toward the future. Today, we celebrate the movies that deserved more.
Welcome to Read This Fanfiction. Once a digest, now a deep dive into the world of fan-created written works. Join us twice a month as we examine authors, platforms, trends, scandals, and more from every corner of the fanfiction universe. "It's fine for creators to not like fanfic, but to punish fans for daring to write it is wrong."
David Nakayama has been a comics mainstay for years, known for his work on Marvel Adventures: Hulk and package illustration for Hasbro. He's drawn covers for nearly every major property, from X-Men and The Avengers to Star Wars, but his talent and resume are broader than you may realize.
Just in time for the spookiest month of the year, the godfathers of paranormal investigation are back with a new show and a new roster. Ghost Nation premieres this Friday, October 11, on The Travel Channel, and reunites Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, and Dave Tango in the world of ghost hunting.
Black Canary - AKA Dinah Lance - is one of DC's oldest superheroes. Now, she'll be one of the youngest. The character is everywhere these days. She's a staple of the DC comic book pantheon, rocks the Arrowverse, and will be played by Jurnee Smollett-Bell in the 2020 film Birds of Prey .
Chances are that you've seen Alice X. Zhang's work. Her loose-brushstroke digital style using vibrant and evocative palettes has touched many a fandom and been licensed by more than one major property. All with good reason - it's sometimes whimsical, sometimes emotionally charged, occasionally hilarious, and always beautiful.
Welcome to Read This Fanfiction. Once a digest, now a deep dive into the world of fan-created written works. Join us twice a month as we examine authors, platforms, trends, scandals, and more from every corner of the fanfiction universe.
The worlds of audio and Star Wars have always been cornerstones of Nick Martorelli's life. As a child, he listened to audiobooks on cassette, a love that continued into his teenage years as he discovered the old-time radio plays of Jack Benny and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
The world of Doctor Who is vast, multi-dimensional, and spans all of time and space and every type of media known to man and Dalek alike. As the adventures of the Doctors and their various companions continue along, they take many forms, including an ever-broadening galaxy of comic books.
Asher Angel's first San Diego Comic-Con experience was nothing compared to this year's. With the world having now seen Angel's take on Billy Batson in Shazam!, his entire life has gone, well, super-powered. "It's like I didn't even do the first one," Angel told SYFY WIRE in an interview at Warner Bros.'
Neopets is 20 years old this year. The online world of adorable creatures for you to take care of and decorate is almost legal enough to drink. If all of that doesn't get you, take a moment to remember all the Neopets you've abandoned.
More than just dressing up, cosplay is an avenue for self-expression. In particular, it has allowed many of those who identify as LGBTQ+ to share their true selves, or selves they're curious about. Cosplaying can be a way of becoming someone else entirely, perhaps a person you identify more with than that of your day-to-day life.
The world of fandom is a celebration of all things we love. From fanfiction to fan art to vids and conventions, it's a multifaceted playground of enthusiasm and adoration. Fandom has no age, no nationality, no gender or sexuality. It's all of these things wrapped up in creativity and expression.
The idea of preparing a feast for the finale may seem odd at first. After all, you're likely to either throw food at the screen in abject horror, choke on it in a furious rage, or upchuck it all in an Game of Thrones Exorcist- worthy spew at the gruesome violence.
The end of one of the biggest shows to ever to grace our television screens is nigh. Few shows have spawned more conversations, and regardless of one's opinions on the final season, it'll be a shame to see it pass into the long night.
If you were asked to name a classic monster, chances are you'd list the likes of Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, vampires, or werewolves. Perhaps you might get a little creative and say chupacabra or basilisk. No offense to these hallmark creatures of mayhem, but there are so many more interesting monsters in the world, just waiting to be discovered and waiting to terrify.
Game of Thrones may be back, but this is its final season, and The Lord of the Rings series from Amazon is so far away you might as well walk to Mordor. But fantasy fans, never fear, there is a wealth of stories of elves, magic, knights, and bards waiting for your ears.
Once just off-shoots and continuations of popular anime or franchises, dating simulation games and visual novels have seen a popularity boom in recent years. These Choose Your Own Adventure-esque games are growing in popularity on Steam and other platforms for their engaging characters and storylines and loved for their ability to transport readers and make them truly feel like part of the story.
Nerds and geeks celebrate their fandom in lots of different ways - cosplay, fanfiction, and more - but slipping into a tunic and taking the stage in a cacophony of geeky songs about the nerd world at large is next-level. That's the way of The Library Bards.
It's not hard to appreciate the rich and mesmerizing lore and worlds of Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. These games are always changing, adapting, and bringing new stories, characters, and mechanizations to our tables. The people involved in that are plentiful, but who is it that actually writes these stories?
Once the stuff of underground zines, fanfiction has become a massive genre with many subgenres unto itself. They may be continuations, divergent plot lines, or simply tales from within that world. Maybe it's a coffee shop alternate universe or an AU in which the characters are in a war scenario a la " Two Two One Bravo Baker."
For nerds, attending conventions to celebrate stuff they love is one of life's greatest joys. There is little better in this world than geeking out about the latest season of a show with another fan, or seeing people dressed as your favorite character.
After a century and a half of solving crimes, Sherlock Holmes has near-universal name recognition in the English-speaking world. His adventures and mysteries are ingrained into our being from a young age. Every few years a new Holmes comes to our screens, be it Jeremy Brett in the much-famed Granada Sherlock Holmes series or Benedict Cumberbatch's whirlwind Holmes in Sherlock.
With the drop of the Detective Pikachu trailer and the release of the Fantastic Beasts sequel, I've been in a Pokémon and Harry Potter state of mind. So, of course, I had to combine them. I got to thinking, what Pokémon would Harry have chosen if Hogwarts was Pallet Town and Professor Dumbledore was Professor Oak?
It's smile time in The Adventure Zone People create all sorts of things to celebrate the things they love-fanart, fanfiction, cosplay, jewelry, even mock trailers and video games. All these things are wonderful, love-filled expressions of creativity, but occasionally something comes along that makes you gasp in utter delight at the uniqueness and sheer awesomeness...
Nov. 9-11, 2018 Durham Convention Center, Durham While I wouldn't call myself a hardcore comic-convention veteran, I'd like to think I know a thing or two about what makes a good con, based on my years experiencing the onslaughts that are San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con.
I found a community of creative, shy people like myself who all wanted to tell stories with one another. This place was Redwall Beach.
"The thing that the Doctor has taught me is that love and hope transcends time and space." Wise and wonderful words from Jodie Whittaker, the 13th Doctor.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic , the British Library's most successful exhibition, opened at the New-York Historical Society on Friday, Oct. 5. In a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , this exhibition showcases everything from original artwork and pages from J.K.
Tony Kim's origin story is like many nerds who catch the comic con bug. They discovered a place where they could celebrate things they love with other people who liked the same things.
It's always great when a young comic reader sees themselves in a story, but this can be a little harder for LGBTQ+ kids. Historically, there has been a real dearth of queer representation in comics, especially in children's and young adult books.
Robert Downey Jr. went over the Reichenbach Falls in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows nearly seven years ago. BBC Sherlock is more or less over, with its leads locked into Marvel contracts for the foreseeable future and the showrunners off modernizing Dracula.
The world of anime is a diverse one, as the medium tells just as many deep, socially relevant and important stories as it does light heart-eyed or action-packed fare. What may surprise many who aren't terribly familiar with anime is the wealth of LGBTQ+ focused series out there.
Fans create amazing things. They collect, they build, and they show their love and appreciation in a beautiful myriad of ways. Whether they have the world's largest Hatsune Miku figurine collection or are trying to build every Doctor's TARDIS, fan collections and creations are simply marvelous.
From Deadpool dressed as Bob Ross to a Hawaiian Stormtrooper, people let their costume creativity fly this year Cosplay is one of the hallmarks of any fan convention. Cosplay, a.k.a. costume play, started back in the '60s and '70s at science-fiction conventions.
Reactions before and after the first female Doctor's appearance indicate that the future is female-and we all like it that way The line for the panel at San Diego Comic-Con started on Tuesday morning, a full two days before the cast would take the stage in front of 6,000 Hall H attendees.