INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Be bold and come out with your request. Even if they've had it a long time, just assume they have intended to return it, and say, "I'd like to get my copy of X-Men back when we meet next." With that direct approach, embarrassment or common courtesy will likely cause them to return your item. By inquiring about the item you'll be less confrontational. It suggests uncertainty, and allows your friend to be confident in their reply, as if they were the one who decided to return the item. Try a few of the following approaches: "Are you done with my copy of Twilight? I'd like to have it back when you're done." "Hey, I'm looking for my hat, do you still have it?" "Would you mind giving the video game back to me?" A message allows you to be direct without having to confront your friend. It's easily less personal. There is possible misinterpretation, so be careful with your wording. Facebook allows you a great way to send a message. Send a private message with just enough information to let your friend know you'd like the item back. Shoot your friend a quick email. Nothing extravagant is needed. Just ask for your item back. Text your friend. Ask for the item and include their favorite emoticon to make it less harsh. Whenever you talk to your friend, bring it up. No matter the conversation, steer everything back to the loaned item. Your friend will quickly get the hint.

SUMMARY: Be forward about asking for it back. Ask a question about it. Send a message regarding the item. Constantly bring it up.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You may love a character, and think you could cosplay her perfectly, but if she's not very well known, you're not likely to get much of a response from other people. The best characters to cosplay as are iconic and distinctive. They don't need to be the most well-known characters, but you will want at least a fraction of convention attendees to know who you're playing as. If being seen as attractive is your priority, think about which characters members of the fan community are most attracted to, and which ones you find most beautiful. Cosplay means costume art to some, but truly dedicated cosplayers act out their character. This requires having a solid knowledge of the character's motivations, history and psychology. Look into the source material and give yourself a crash course in the character. Ask yourself questions and try to answer them yourself. What is her darkest secret? How would she react to a stranger? What hobbies does she have? These may not have a big effect on the character's personality, but it helps you get into the proper mindset. For example, if you're going as Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion, watch the anime and observe the way she thinks, moves, and talks. Note her character arc. To be a great cosplayer, you should be able to capture the essence of your character in a single pose. Without movement or talking, frame your body in such a way that expresses something of the character's personality. Practice some poses in front of the mirror and see if something sticks. If you're having a trouble finding one that really works, try looking up artwork or promo photos for the character you're cosplaying as and copy it. For instance, a battle-ready stance might suit a character from an action-adventure series, like Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. Poses are best-suited for photo ops. If your costume is impressive enough, you're bound to get a lot of attention. Having a few good poses will help you look better in photos. Unfortunately, for all of the great things conventions can offer, they are also notorious for attracting haters and creeps. Dressing up as an attractive anime girl can be an open invitation for some of these less desirable types. If someone like this approaches you or makes a comment you're not comfortable with, the best thing you can do is ignore it and walk away. Nothing breaks character like genuine stress, and you don't want negative feelings to get in the way of your convention experience. If someone is persistently harassing you, contact security or con-ops immediately. Cosplay if ultimately about expressing yourself, and the best way to do that is through confidence. If you're confident about what you're doing, the cosplay act will come more naturally. Of course, this may be easier said than done for a lot of people. Confidence is not the sort of thing that happens overnight. Nonetheless, you should pat yourself on the back for the fact alone you are putting yourself out there via cosplay. Cosplay takes courage, and simply being interested in doing it means you've got what it takes.

SUMMARY: Choose a recognizable character. Know your character. Plan some poses. Ignore negative attention. Be confident.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: . If you want to get Miss Perfect you're going to need a few skills and a couple of tricks. But getting a girlfriend isn't always as hard as it seems. Be confident and you'll win her over in no time! . It's terrifying, the idea of asking out that perfect girl. What if she says no? Yikes! Get some helpful advice and you'll find it isn't nearly as hard as you think. . Getting a boyfriend can be tough stuff. Girls are in a tough position where we usually expect guys to find us! But there's nothing to stop you from finding prince charming if you find yourself getting lonely! . Feel like you have terrible taste? You may have a crush, but if your track record for choosing people to crush on is terrible, you might want to take a hard look at how you find someone to moon over! . This will make it much easier to nab your crush. Being an expert flirter makes you very hard to resist!

SUMMARY: Get a girlfriend Ask her out Get a boyfriend Find that perfect person Learn to Flirt

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: One of the biggest problems for people who speak too quickly is that they often blur words together in a way that can be difficult to understand. Spend some time practicing how you enunciate words, especially when you string them together in a sentence. Don't skip over any words, not even the small ones. Enunciate each syllable of every word. Tongue twisters are designed to help you work out the muscles in your mouth, and improve your own pronunciation. Try various tongue twisters to help you warm up your voice before a speech, or just to help you slow down your vocal cadence in general. Try saying, "The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue" over and over. Exaggerate each syllable. Repeat the words "rubber baby buggy bumpers." Say each word clearly. Repeat the phrase again and again. While practicing your enunciation, try stretching your vowel sounds to add length to each word. This will help you speak more slowly and more clearly. Exaggerate it at first and add a short pause between each word. Over time, this will help you learn to not link your words together so intensely while still enunciating each word clearly.

SUMMARY:
Enunciate each word more clearly. Practice tongue twisters. Stretch your vowel sounds.