Welcome once again! Rising Stars is a periodical edition with no weekly or monthly demanded schedule. I'm writing it because I think these individuals deserve some pats on the backs and a little extra recognition. They are all newer members here in 'The Castle' and as such, qualify to be 'Rising Stars'. I put the ones I selected in alphabetical order according to their usernames, so without further ado, let me honor family members:

Nadia is still relatively new to Steemit. She came in to the Beta Syndicate a few months before is was shut down and repurposed. She is quite the photographer, often posting pictures to participate in @sol25 and @leyargoz's Daily Post challenges. I personally feel she is the most undervalued member of our family and ask that you all go pay here a sincere visit and help her feel more welcome with us. She is consistent, dedicated and I think she's here to stay.

Now this guy, what's not to like? He's always showing up everywhere I go and is really grasping the whole family atmosphere we have here in #thealliance. The only real classification I can give him is that of an artist. And I don't mean all he does is paint. He uses multiple different utensils and materials for creation. He even made a Steemit logo out of bottlecaps! Stop in and see what he's working on this week.

This little sweetheart here is pretty amazing. Posting things from her beautiful artworks to reviews on various video games, she has a very unique personality attached to them. She is also grateful, helpful and supportive, one thing we treasure here in the family. I can see her climbing fast if she keeps the consistency and momentum going that she's building. Stop in and show her some love, she deserves it!

Do you like music? So does @inthenow! Wait, no, this ally LOVES it! Have you tuned into any of the songs of the day series? Pretty interesting as it goes over some of the band/artist that is featured's history and the song itself. Like the rest of our family members, @inthenow is very supportive and always willing to help people out when able. Go check out some of the jams on their profile!

Mike is good fella. He came up through class pretty quickly and played well at recess. Once Steemit gets wind of this guy... He currently does some interesting vlogs I feel are worth checking out. They're not any DTube nonsense so it won't take you offsite, can listen and watch right on his blog post. He also is quite the worldly guy, frequently sharing pictures and stories of his travels. Visit his posts and see, maybe you have something in common!

Welcome to this world. If you've read any of Plato's posts, you know he has a perception far different than most. I think sometimes, if everyone even thought half of the way this guy did, we probably wouldn't have borders or countries. We'd all just be. As open-minded and soft-hearted as they come, his poetry and artistic works are definitely worth taking the time out to enjoy.

Snookie, Snookie, Snookie. Another fine individual that made their way through the labyrinth of hoops to get in #thealliance. She almost gave up ya know. Wasn't sure she could handle having so much attention LOL! We love ya @snook, glad you decided to stay. She has fun with digital artwork and freewriting which she has taken to a whole new level in her 'speakwrites'. Free Speak Writes. Speak Freewrites. How about Free Sprites? A great sense of humor should keep you coming back to her posts.

Snow peas are delicious aren't they? Little, well-rounded, cute, sweet things, and so she chose her name well. A very caring one and highly engaging out here in this Steemit ocean. Very happy she decided to join us as she rubs off that positive attitude wherever she goes! Somebody told me, her life is based on a true story LMAO! Feel free to knock on her door, I'm sure she'd welcome the company.

Or maybe a massage because I know my back tends to get a little stiff sometimes out here. These are the ones I have chosen this week or month or whatever the case may be. Heck, may do another one tomorrow! We have so many brilliant talented people coming through, I could probably write one of these a day for the next year and not list them all as they just keep coming!

I also want to thank all of you for being so loyal and supportive. ***BIG FAMILY HUG*** It's hard to gauge what #thealliance is all about until you're actually here and feel it. I think they do. I also hope you guys know that I and the rest of the fam really appreciate you.

From the desk of and with thanks -