#citadelofthestars

[valiantarcher]

Tagged by @sunheart and @citadelofthestars to list four of my favourite characters and let you all decide who fits me the closest - thank you!

Who is most like me?

Kate Nickleby

Mariel (of Redwall)

Chara Alvarado

Blanche Brier

Voting ended onMar 6

I feel like most people have done this one by now, but leaving an open tag for anyone who hasn't and might like to.

[valiantarcher]

Reverse unpopular opinion game: Summer heat/humidity?

I appreciate being able to walk outside without needing a coat and being comfortable wearing flip-flops or sandals. A breeze and a shady spot are delightfully enjoyable in the summer heat, and all the summer water activities are either untenable or just not as much fun if it's cool (not to mention cold drinks and treats and showers). The higher humidity means there's a lower risk of virus transmission to an extent. Also, personally, being to step outside and warm up is a huge plus too.

[thesquireinvictus]

For the assumption game: I assume you dress really sharply! And that you are kind to retail workers and young children and animals ❤️ you have a kindly vibe!

I would say less sharp, more "eccentric old man"—though I do have some gorgeous jumpers/sweaters/cardigans! I always like to be dressing as countryside-ish as I can manage. (One must never wear short sleeves in public.)

I've risked life and limb saving stray animals and once returned some baby birds to their nest (I didn't climb the tree, I vanquished it); and I'm always polite and very conscientious of the way people in retail have to be on their feet and on the go all the live long day; and I loved (loved) the very first job I had at a school. So I'd say you've copped me well xoxo

Thank you!

[theragamuffininitiative]

Hellooo! <3 here for CHE!

I watched Snow Bear first! What a cute little film! Laughed out loud several times and it was just a really fun story! Loved the ending too 😄💞

Then I listened to Drift Away by Ivan and Alyosha (is the band name a reference to the Brothers Karamazov I wonder??). Reminded me a bit of Simon and Garfunkel's sound, and I liked the plentiful guitar and steady beat.

Finally, I watched Forevergreen. 😭😭😭 100% made me cry...just the self-sacrificial nature of love got to me. Reminded me of a quote by St. Gianna Molla: "Love and sacrifice are closely linked, like the sun and the light". ❤️‍🔥

There were a lot of things on your list that I also love (Arrival!!! Gerard Manley Hopkins!! Amazing Grace!! WINNIE THE POOH BOOKS!!!!) so I'm saving it as a reference for recs in the future. 😁

Happy Valentine's Day!! ☺️

Yayyy hi! (Confession: every time I see CHE I just think of Che from Evita the musical lol)

Snow Bear is such a delight! I actually saw it specifically bc I was following the Forevergreen makers and there are some connections amongst the artists there I believe, not sure, also ya know, both 2025 animated short films about bears. 😂👏

Yes Ivan & Alyosha is a Bros Karamazov reference, but I forget the reason they chose it for the band lol. I like the Simon and Garfunkel note! Their sound differs between tracks, I feel, but that vibe carries over into some others too.

That quote is sooooo lovely and yes so representative of the heart of Forevergreen! I can and have waxed poetic about this film to everyone who has asked and more besides lol but just: the wood carving symbolism and style, the visual use of tree roots in the storytelling, the muuuusiicccc, and! something I noticed during a recent rewatch: the way that when the tree adopts the bear cup, it ruffles the fur on his head which remains part of his appearance for the rest of the film. 🥹👏💛

Aw that's so sweet! I've been doing that with people's lists myself! 😊💛 (Amazing Grace is p much my all-time favorite film so I Had to include it.) So glad you got to enjoy these and thank you for dropping by! 💌

[theragamuffininitiative]

Heya!! 7, 8, 20, and 28 for the ask game! ^_^

Hello friend!

7. Are you currently wearing anything blue?

I am. XD blue plaid flannel and teal sweats bc comfy cozy day at home.

8. Have you ever been in an ambulance?

Possibly during an educational trip (I distinctly remember a firetruck but not sure about the ambulance), and thankfully not yet for an emergency. Have been to the ER though, yay. XD

20. Have you been outside yet today?

Not yet and I want toooooo it's snowwwwinngggg. But it's very cold and I think I shall wait until the snow stops so I can enjoy it more. 🌨️☺️

28. What was the last thing you looked for online?

Songs to listen to from folks' conversation hearts wishlist recommendations. 🤩

[valiantarcher]

1, 2, 4, 11, and 24 for the movie asks!

Thank you!

1. A movie you consider a gift to humanity? Again, The Princess Bride has had a pretty significant cultural impact (at the very least on the Tumblr meme-osphere).

2. A movie you consider a crime against humanity? I think I'm going to stick with my back-up answer of at least one of the Star Wars sequels.

4. An actor whose performance elevated an otherwise lower quality movie? I feel like I should have an answer, but I just keep drawing a blank - sorry!

11. A favourite soundtrack and how it elevates the movie? There are a lot of good ones, but I'm going to go with the soundtrack to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as some of both the humour and the poignancy are made by the music.

24. One of your favourite Behind the Scenes stories? Okay, I'm going with another one from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. The actress who played Jane Bennet had long, beautiful, period-appropriate-length hair. It was practically perfect except for one detail: the period-appropriate bangs. She gamely let them cut off two-and-a-half feet off the front so that she had the perfect bangs.

[valiantarcher]

For the rocky read ask game (all such good questions!): 1, 7, 10, 11, 22!

Thank you!

1 - A book you regretted reading: I think it was book three of the Lioness quartet by Tam ora Pierce that I felt disgusted by as a young teen after having had to skim through a scene near the end. I didn't read the last book in the series and, though I thankfully don't remember the scene itself at this point, I don't think there was anything particularly worthwhile about the book.

7 - A book you wanted to or thought you would love but didn’t: I had wanted to read Madeleine Takes Command by Ethel C. Brill ever since I saw it in a homeschool book catalog as a preteen, but when I finally got my hands on it a few years ago, it just didn't work out for me.

10 - A book you finished but wasn’t worth it in the end: See 1. ;)) But also Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer.

11 - A book you struggled with but was worth persevering through: It took me two tries to get into Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, but about the halfway to two-thirds mark, I really started enjoy it.

22 - A highly-praised or beloved book you hate: The Hero and the Crown by Robin Mc Kinley is generally well-loved and praised, but it made me so mad.

[thesquireinvictus]

Tell us more about your novel please! :D

@citadelofthestars

Imagine if Hamlet, Macbeth, War and Peace, Bridesheaad Revisited, and the Palliser Novels had a baby, and it were written by a slightly insane boy from the early twentieth century obsessed with divinity, toxic family relationships, and brotherhood. Now sprinkle in some Christ figures, a few notes from Middlemarch, Tom Jones, the Old English corpus, the Arthurian canon, and an unbelievable amount of poetry. Hey-presto!