Thank you for the tag, @poeti-kat ! Tagging forth: @noire-pandora @cleverblackcat @rakshadow @fandomn00blr @dreadfutures @johaeryslavellan @nirikeehan @tkwritesdumbassassins @barbex @serial-chillr @in-arlathan @khajiithasnowares @tea42 and whoever would like to do this! <3
Comfort Movie: Howl’s Moving Castle (which never fails to make me smile, no matter how many times I see it) or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. LOTR was something my Mom and I read together each year, so when the movie version came out, we were very excited to watch.
Comfort Food: pizza made with homemade pesto (not the jarred stuff from the store; it’s too bitter and vinegary)! Spread pesto instead of red sauce, top with mozzarella (fresh mozz is AMAZING on this! totally recommend it). Then add thinly sliced onion, mushrooms, and toasted pine nuts.
Comfort Clothing: long cotton or flannel dresses, depending on the season.
Comfort Song: 'Stairway to Heaven,’ by Led Zeppelin.
Comfort Book: Lord of the Rings series
Comfort Game: hmmmmmm. I think it’s a toss up between Witcher 3, Sims 3, or Dragon Age 2. Skyrim is also a contender, too <3
@bluewren and @rakshadow tagged me to make myself in this picrew! this was fun <3
Tagging @cleverblackcat @inquisitoracorn @nirikeehan @tkwritesdumbassassins @effelants @melisusthewee @poeti-kat @imperatrixvini @demarogue @noire-pandora @darethshirl @rosella-writes @dreadfutures @little-lightning-lavellan and any who would like to make one; it’s an adorable picrew <3
Thank you for the tag, @tkwritesdumbassassins! This was fun.
Rules: choose an artist you like and use the names of their songs to answer these questions as closely to the truth as possible
Chosen artist: Led Zeppelin
What is your gender: The Girl I Love Has Long Black Wavy Hair (it me, I’m the girl. with long black sort-of-wavy-but-not-really hair.)
Describe yourself: No Quarter
How do you feel: The Rain Song
If you could go anywhere, where would it be: Kashmir; The Ocean
Who is/Describe your best friend: In the Light
Your favorite time of day: Night Flight
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: The Song Remains the Same
What is life to you: Stairway to Heaven
Relationship Status: Ramble On
What do you fear: Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You
Tagging: @noetikat @dreadfutures @cleverblackcat @in-arlathan @fandomn00blr @thevikingwoman @nirikeehan and any that would like to do this; it’s fun! <3
1. Last song: ‘Gimme Shelter.’ I LOVE that piece so much; I’ve been singing it into the wooden spoon as I make my birthday cake for later. I think that particular link is from my writing playlist on Youtube, so it has all sorts of fun pieces there, too. Led Zeppelin, medieval, game/movie soundtracks, classical music, rock, etc. Pretty much what I write, draw, paint, and work to. <3
2. Last movie: Love 020- It was such an adorable film, I highly recommend it
3. Currently watching: Twisted Fate of Love. My Mom and I just started this Chinese period drama, and I LOVE the colors, textures, and costumes. I know it’s more fantasy, but it’s so pretty to look at. And the story is interesting, too.
4. Currently reading: Howl’s Moving Castle and Fellowship of the Ring. My favorites <3
5. Currently craving: opera cake!! Whic is almond cake, espresso buttercream, and chocolate ganache. Also my Mom is going to make linguine alle vongole for dinner, which I’ve been looking forward to all week
Tagging: @moonlightheretic @in-arlathan @inquisitoracorn @noire-pandora @luzial @sopml @notgonnagetus @duskyrapunzel @wardenari @lilacshield @atruthandalie @serial-chillr @a-shakespearean-in-paris @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold @khajiithasnowares @theharlotofferelden @amarlenes-unsung-knight @jentrevellan @barbex @elfsidian and any who would like to do so, this was fun! <3
1. Were/are you really an opera singer? Have you performed on stage? What was/is that like? 2. do you ever get nervous or anxious? not just on stage, anytime. How do you deal with it? (i could use some tips xD) 3. do you think you're an even-tempered person? do your feelings get hurt easily or not? Again, I could use some tips xDD 4. why do you think you enjoy writing fanfiction so much? 💗
Hi, @curiousartemis, thanks for the ask! All sorts of fun questions <3
1. Were/are you really an opera singer? Have you performed on stage? What was/is that like?
I am an opera singer, yes. I debuted onstage when I was 16, in a small/minor role of Suor Angelica (I debuted in recital at 14). I was one of the nuns that went grocery shopping, so I got to memorize a literal grocery list. We brought back... hazelnuts, oil, berries, cheese, butter, flour, walnuts, eggs, and lentils. (I think that’s everything).
My debut is something I will never forget, especially the first dress rehearsal with the orchestra. Up until that point, we’d been working with a piano in a church. To finally get onstage and with an orchestra--I cried when the orchestra began playing, because it was just so... real, then. Vocal training is so difficult; with any other art, the teacher can place your hands in the proper way, turn your foot or adjust your painting brush. Not with voice. It’s a lot like learning to wiggle your ears, actually. There’s a lot of hours spent in frustration or tears or thinking you’ll never get it right. So when you do, and you’re up on that stage and doing what you love... it’s magical. That music feels like a silver wave washing over you.
This is the opening of Suor. (Not us singing, but a recording of it). The ladies are singing a version of the Ave Maria, but instead of saying ‘Amen’ at the end, they say ‘e cosi sia,’ or ‘and so may it be.’ I love that.
I’ve been performing onstage in productions around the world ever since then, and nothing will ever top the feeling of that orchestral rehearsal.
2. do you ever get nervous or anxious? not just on stage, anytime. How do you deal with it?
I do, yes. Sometimes I get anxiety attacks, and I’ve found some of these things helped me:
I use the Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, it’s a homeopathic formula used for upset, overcoming trauma, anxiety and loss. It’s helped me through sooo much; I never leave home without it.
The remedy was developed in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, a physician and homeopath who believed the key to overall health was to care for the mind, as well as the body. He spent his life exploring the use of flowers and plants as a means to promote emotional well-being.
By 1936, he identified 38 flower essences, each derived from a different wild flower, plant or tree, and each corresponding to a specific emotion. It is still used successfully today, including flower essences for our pets.
They have pastilles and capsules, too. I like the drops best because they are fast-acting.
If it’s at an audition or during a performance, I remember this: my audience and the judge panel wants me to succeed. They’re all here to hear me, and are already rooting for me. That levels the playing field
I focus on 5 things for each sense, to ground myself (especially helpful to not dissociate). Five objects in the room, five textures on my clothes, five tastes I had that day, five smells I love.
Sometimes I just write down whatever I’m feeling in my phone or at my pc. All of it. doesn’t matter how much I swear, I cry, just... get it out. When I acknowledge it and let it go, I delete. Useful for when you don’t feel comfortable sharing your thoughts with others.
3. do you think you're an even-tempered person? do your feelings get hurt easily or not?
A good question. I consider myself an even-tempered person: it takes a bit to anger me. I frustrate easily, though, mostly at myself. I can see when I do something wrong, or when something can be improved, and don’t know how to fix it. Then I get impatient with myself, and, unfortunately, cruel (because I’m such a perfectionist). That is a bad habit that I’m working to overcome.
My Mom told me that a good way to look at it is this: inside every one of us, is a child. So when you say those things to yourself, you say them to your inner child. And is that how you would treat a little one? No? Then why are you doing it to yourself? That put things in perspective for me, and set me on my path to be kinder to myself.
Do my feelings get hurt easily? Being in the arts requires a thick skin, so I try my best to cultivate that. Some days are better than others. :)
4. why do you think you enjoy writing fanfiction so much?
Ooh, a great question. I love writing fanfic because it fills in the holes that the original material couldn’t cover. It helps create a full picture, instead of just vignettes of a character’s life. It adds an element of realism that I didn’t feel in, say, the games or books; those always have a degree of separation with them.
Through writing--especially with writing more historically-based material--it comes alive. These characters now have a life outside of killing dragons and waiting around to go on quests. They have clothes outside of their armor sets, houses to clean and dinners to cook. Likes, dislikes, gifts they got for their birthdays that they hate but are too nice to say. And the more I hang out with these characters, the more I learn from them, and the more I learn about myself as a person.
Fanfiction also brings joy to others, too, and is a great tool to spread happiness with. That, to me, makes it all worthwhile. <3
was there a specific piece of music that made you realize you were going to become a professional opera singer? a specific moment?
Hi @5lazarus! Thank you for the ask, my friend. :)
Acutally, yes. When I was 10 years old, My mom showed me Franco Zeffirelli’s production of La Traviata, with Teresa Stratas and Placido Domingo. I heard the music, and it moved me to tears with its beauty. I couldn’t believe that humans could make such beautiful sounds, that such music even existed. It was what heaven sounded like, to me, and that’s when I knew I wanted to sing like Violetta, the main character. Problem being that I was waay too young to start studying at 10.
So I got around it by learning the music: I’d sit in front of the CD player and play the same opera over and over again with the little libretti/lyric book that came with the CDs. When it was obvious that this wasn’t just a childish fancy/a phase, my parents got me opera scores for Christmas, every year for over a decade. I have soooo many scores now, and still use and cherish them.
Violetta and Traviata will always be my favorites and hold a special place in my heart <3
Hi, @inquisitoracorn! Thank you for the ask, my friend! <3
Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)
Ooh, this was a fun one! I couldn’t decide between these two. I’ll put the second after a cut, for neatness. <3
Drummond heaved a sigh and left his apartments, winding his way down the palace corridor towards Prince Goran’s quarters. He had to keep up appearances to avoid suspicions—he’d successfully orchestrated the Prince’s hunting ‘accident,’ after all: if he wanted to keep his neck out of the noose, he would need to feign worry and concern. Drummond knew every move, every word spoken—even his dress and demeanor—were noted and circulated around the court. He forwent his usual gray gown and doublet for a pious, loyal blue to profess his ‘sincerity.’
“Lord Drummond approaches,” the porter in the antechamber announced. Drummond altered his stride to appear humble and subservient, instead of the future owner of the royal apartments.
I love that Drummond plans everything, even down to his clothing color, to ensure his success. He’s such a creepy, conniving character: I’d thought I’d dislike writing him, or that he’d be just another scheming noble/uninteresting, but he’s a lot of fun to write.
And this one
[Fenris] pecked her cheek and returned to the library. He threw himself into his desk chair and leaned his head back. Purchasing that wardrobe changed things. Starkhaven felt like a nebulous possibility, out in the far-off future. Some days, it felt as though it would never come to pass. The tailor’s turned it into something tangible. A dream that he could hold in his hands. Never in a thousand years did he expect to create such a fate for himself. The slave rising to power by the side of a Prince, but, more importantly, at Rana’s side. The terrified girl he’d found in a bleeding heap in an alley was now quickly becoming the toast of Kirkwall, and soon, Starkhaven. An internationally acclaimed bard who sang for Princes and nobles. Beautiful, wise, and so compassionate, and she was with him. He felt as though he was floating out of his chair.
‘What does a monkey know of the taste of ginger?’ Danarius asked him. ‘You’ll never belong at court. Beast. Know your place.’
“I do,” he replied aloud. “And it’s Right. Here.” Fenris took up his quill and, with a sure hand, signed his name at the bottom of a letter. His name, that he chose. “To the Void with you, Danarius.”
I’m very proud of this one, not necessarily because I wrote it, but because this is a turning point for Fenris. A huge Character Development Moment, where he takes charge of his life and breaks with the negative words Danarius had told him all through the years. I’m proud of Fenris for taking that huge step forward and stepping into the unknown. This passage makes me smile every time I read it. :)
What character do you have the most fun writing?
Fenris, by far. He’s my most favorite character to write, followed closely, surprisingly, by Sebastian Vael. I never thought I’d ever say that, but writing Seb’s transformation from Chantry brother to a Prince has been a really fun journey of self-discovery. He’s forging his own path, moving past his past, and making a difference for many people. And writing his accent has been a blast, too; ‘I dinnae ken’ is my go-to phrase is someone asks me something I don’t know.
