Social Weekend: Valentine Exchange!

Happy Valentine's Day!










For those of you who aren't clear on what this means, it's a day when people give small gifts to those they love. Flowers, candy and cards are the most typical gifts, although sometimes more expensive gifts such as jewelry are given too.










Here at CIC, just a simple Happy Valentine's Day will suffice, although some of you might want to offer poems or little presents as well.

So have at it! Can't you feel the love in the air?

A Forum Game: Have you ever, redux

A very long time ago, this was the first forum game we ever played at CIC. We thought it might be fun to try it again. It's a fun game for authors and characters alike.

The game is simple:

The first person asks a question, starting with the words: Have you ever....?
The second person answers it, and asks the next question.

For example.

Person #1: Have you ever played the forum game: "Have you ever?"

Person #2: What's a game? What's a forum? What's an ever? Who are you and why are you following me around asking me questions?

Okay, my question: Have you ever been followed around by someone who asks you strange questions?

So, there you are! A CIC forum game: Have you ever.....?

Well. Have you????

Author-Character Chat: Secrets

Secrets.

We all have them. We even have them from each other.

And ourselves.

So, what are your secrets?

Authors: What would your characters be surprised to know about you?

Characters: What is it that even your author doesn't know.....or won't admit they know?

Let's tell.

Let's get it all out in the open.

The truth shall set us free, right?

So, let us know. We all want to know. What are your....

SECRETS?

Social Saturday Part 2: The Hike Continues

It's morning, and all the characters are sleeping as the sunrise paints the mountaintops and reflects the colors in the lake.  They're all a little stiff and sore, but ready to begin a new day.






Their rooms at the fabulous Fictional Fantasy Lodge are waiting for them tonight.  There will be hot tubs, huge, soft beds, massages and room service. Or, they can eat in the five-star restaurant run by Chef Christine Cuisine.  It's all fictional, so it's absolutely free!

Will they make it, or will the ferocious flying vampire squirrels get them first?  Stay tuned to find out!

Social Saturday: Endurance Hike

Hello, Everyone!  This weekend we are going to get physical!  We are going on an endurance hike through the mountains.  It's going to be tough, but fun.  We'll need to go through dense forest, across rivers, and up stony cliffs.

Characters, we'll all need to pull together. Those who are stronger (and have longer legs) will have to help those who are more, um, "ergonomically challenged."  If you have any special skills to help us reach our goal, let us know.  And everyone needs to bring a backpack with their essential items.

We may encounter some dangers on the way, so everyone needs to keep a sharp eye out.  There might be bears, or lions, or even ferocious, flying vampire squirrels.

Tonight we'll cook our dinner over a campfire, sing songs, roast marshmallows, and sleep under the stars.  Tomorrow we will complete the hike to our final destination - the spectacular Fictional Fantasy Lodge!

Fortunately the weather looks good, and we shouldn't encounter any heavy rains or high winds.  I have several maps and compasses to pass out to the group.

Ready?  Set?  Let's go!

Social Weekend: Autumn picnic!

Hi Everyone! It's Autumn! Where we live the wonderful colors and the fresh winds of Fall are all around us. Let's bundle up and head into the country for a CIC Autumn picnic!

How do you get to the country? Hayride, of course!! You pile into a wagon with lots of straw, sing songs at the top of your voice and bounce along as the horses trot. Then you spend hours picking straw out of your clothing. It's fun!

First stop: Apple picking. Lots of crunchy, tart, sweet apples. Yum! Just remember, the apples are for eating. There are no other uses for an apple. Really. We mean it. Put the apple down now, please.

Next stop: Let's see some animals. This is a cow. You can pet the cow. Cows are nice. They are also delicious but today's not the day to talk about that.

Maybe some of us will go for a horse ride. You can pet the horses. Horses are nice. We don't know if horses are delicious, but today's not the day to find that out either.

Speaking of delicious, after all that bouncing and petting, it's time for our potluck picnic! What did you bring for the potluck? Something wonderful we're sure. Okay everyone, dig in!

After we're full, we can sit around and talk, take naps or sing some more songs. (We don't know these people, they just ran up and posed for a picture for us. Wasn't that nice of them?)

And as the sun goes down, we'll build a bonfire. More songs (Autumn is the time to sing) and maybe some stories too. I wonder what stories we'll hear tonight...hopefully some that have cows and horses in them. Those are our favorites.

Our picnic will go on all weekend. Come and join us at any time. We'd love to have you gather with us for an CIC Autumn picnic!!

(Note: thanks to Christine H. for the idea!)

Social Weekend: Hawaiian Luau!

Member Aidan suggested we all go to the beach! What a great idea in August!

But here at CIC, when we go to the beach, well, we go to the beach. And you know what that means: Hawaii, baby!

If you don't have a beach, or don't have Hawaii where you live, here is what it looks like. You can go swimming in all the beautiful blue-green liquid.


You can play games. That's a ball, and it's sitting on something called sand. You throw the ball back and forth. Oddly enough, it's fun.

Sometimes, you can go under the blue-green liquid and look at the beautiful life forms that exist there. Look, but don't touch. They're slimy.


After all that running around, you can re-energize with what we call yummy food. That means Luau!

While we eat, we can light a fire and tell ghost stories. Note: If you're a ghost, let us know. You can tell us a story about yourself.

We've arranged for entertainment. People stand up and wiggle around. It's delightful. Not just watching them wiggle, but wiggling yourself.

So, here we are. It's August, it's beach time, so le'ts Luau, baby! Drop by anytime this weekend and join in!

Social Weekend: The Circus!

It's been awhile since we just had some fun together.


Let's take all of our wild characters, pile in the car and head to the circus! Doesn't that sound like a blast! (And oddly appropriate...)



Okay, snacks first. Let's grab some popcorn and head to the big top.
So check out the show. Cool. Magic! Illusions!














Awwww......think I'll take this one home with me. So cute.....










So, what about you? What will you do at the circus! Join us - let's have leave the circus of CIC to go to a real one. Let's have some fun!

Social Weekend: Fourth of July Picnic

Today is Independence Day in the United States and whether you're American or not, it's a great day for a picnic.







If you have a favorite picnic food, bring some to share!








Load up your plate, pour yourself a cold beverage, toss a frisbee or suggest some other game. Today is a day to relax and have fun with your friends and family here at CIC.




Later this evening after the sun goes down, grab a sparkler and let's watch a fireworks show together!




That was so much fun! Thanks for coming, and have a great Fourth of July!

(Note - the party will go on all weekend! Authors and characters drop in as you're able!)