#dancetaire

[proudkaijugroupie]

Happy Anniversary to Gull and Murf! Even if it's belated because they're amazing and sickeningly cute together.

[dominoesandtalksoflove]

I know the best people.

[obstinatecurator]

I got tagged! Thanks Marie.

Rules: In a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just ones that have touched you. Tag ten friends, including me, so I’ll see your list. Make sure you let your friends know you’ve tagged them!

Ha ha h a this is going to be such a fuckfest. Everyone else reads such great books. The class ends here, friends.

1. The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings- I read the Hobbit when I was eight, and fell completely in love with the world Tolkien described. The Hobbits were my favorite- I actually refused to read the Silmarillion because I was told they didn't show up much. Normal people who move the world is my jam.

2. Artemis Fowl series- Okay so there's lines in Tolkien's books that allude to Middle Earth being a precursor to our Earth. The age of the Elves ended, and the age of Man began, signalling an end to the Ents, Hobbits, Elves- et cetera. And my pre-adolescent self read that and said 'No, fuck that'. Thus began an epic quest to find books about supernatural creatures in a modern setting, leading me to the story about a pre-adolescent criminal genius who steals from fairies. I feel like Eion Colfer's choppy sentences and killjoy scientific research left a huge, detrimental effect on me, but the idea that magic is found the world over, and can work in lock-step with technology, was massively satisfying.

3. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas- Sorry. But HST did two important things for me; he got me to pay attention to literary movements like the Beats and the Surrealists, and he got me to pay closer attention to modern history. I don't think I would ever take an interest in the Watergate trials if he didn't hate Nixon so much, and I might never have never heard of the Chicano movement if I didn't find articles on them in his anthologies.

4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame- No, not Les Mis. I feel like I learned things about French history from this book that I wouldn't be able to access anywhere else. Hugo's xenophobia is a little transparent here, but the fact that people are people no matter where and when they are is an important theme in the book, and that's very reassuring to me. Hugo was writing this at the height of the Romantic movement, when there were Prouvaires everywhere, lacing up their doublets and whining about how much they wished it was the Middle Ages, so there is some tongue-in-cheek references to how people haven't changed much from one era to the next. Also featured; one of the greatest villains ever.

5. Germinal, Emile Zola- I just read this book last summer, but excuse me while I run my tongue all over Zola's decomposed buttcheeks. Zola writes Bricks that you can read through in a month. But what I really liked was how easily I understood how his character's lived. Hugo could break down Marius and Fantine's budget week by week, but I still felt like they were theoretical abstracts, whereas the Maheus felt like a real, poor family. I didn't feel like they were wearing costumes, or going through motions to fit statistics someone had looked up- they run low on coffee, so, they just keep re-cooking the grounds.They're out of food, so, they literally go into the woods and pick whatever looks edible.

6. Animorphs- Don't even talk like this wasn't the greatest series on the planet. Excuse me, this series contains; 1. Normal people who move the world 2. shapeshifting 3. Big fuckoff intergalactic battles 4. some of the first examples of an individual's moral choices causing massive repercussions that little O had ever seen. And some of Applegate's use of the Andalite morphing power was really interesting! Beyond using it to infiltrate groups and attack people, she also found ways to have her characters painlessly neutralize enemies, settle territorial disputes and diplomatic relations with their shapeshifting powers alone.

I could go on for hours about how great the Animorphs series was, but I'm going to finish this meme instead.

7. Seven Per Cent Solution, by Nicholas Meyer- I'm a bad Holmes nerd, my first canon-era Holmes story was not by ACD. But Watson clocks Holmes in this book. Sometimes I read just that paragraph, and smile fondly at the words while I picture Watson finally bubbling over with resentment and punching Holmes down a flight of stairs while he's delirious with coke withdrawals. Ahhh.

8. The Phantom of the Opera- There's a part in this book where the narrative successfully describes what happened in the theatre after Christine vanished mid-performance. The scene immediately after that successfully describes the managers of the opera house in their office, trying to reason with the Ghost. Meanwhile, everyone in the theatre keeps interrupting their discussion to tell them their prima donna is no longer performing. The two scenes are happening at the same time and directly affecting each other. Because there's no good way to translate this scene, it made me realize that books were their own mediums with their own way to tell a story better then anything else has.

9. Gas, Sewer, Electric- this book was so dry and so subtle that I feel like I'm still getting some of the jokes Ruff hid in it. Ayn Rand is a main character in the book, and even though it eviscerates her philosophy, the book kind of ??? made me??? like her??? She's written as stubborn and a little selfish, but not evil?? Her dialogue with Joan was some of the best in the book- and the final punchline with Ayn was just Just so

I love this book. Where is it? I know I have it somewhere. WHERE IS MY BOOK

10. Neuromancer-  I love William Gibsons' descriptions in this book. I love Tokyo as a grimy port full of ex-pats from all over the world, grifters and drifters circling each other down the drain. I love Freeside as this big, gravity-defying space resort. I love Babylon as a rickety space-station that is claustrophobic in parts and expansive in others. I love the characters and their self-destructive motivations. I love how every working part in this story barely manages to hold itself together.

Phew. Okay, that killed an hour and a half.

The big problem with tagging this is that I just tagged people for another meme, and the people I didn't tag already did this one.

So I'm just going to tag people off the top of my head. Feel free to do or not do!

[transcarlo]

So, I've come to the realization that Enjolras is essentially Loras in my Game of Thrones AU. Which is pretty great on it's own. But, assuming that things work out the way I've planned, that makes Renly either Feuilly or Grantaire and I can't decide which possibility makes me laugh more.

[xmcuallerdrake]

this is me unbreaking the dancetaire tag

[xmcuallerdrake]

dancetaire --> lecapunk

just for punk week, repping my favorite villain.

[shippindales]

dancetaire replied to your post: I want a quality easily organized and ...

Mine’s p great.

I don't wanna just steal someone's theme though. Idk. 

[transcarlo]

They hated each other on sight. No surprise, really. Enjolras was an idealist, exiled because they didn't dare kill a Tyrell for his treason. Grantaire was a cynic, caught stealing one too many times. At least, that was what he told people, and no one thought to question it. Most rangers on the Wall had a similar story.

"You can't be angry. Not here," Grantaire said. "It won't get you anywhere."

Enjolras glared at him. They were alone in the courtyard, the sun just peeking over the horizon.

"I watched the Gold Cloaks ruthlessly murder my comrades. I saw my best friend stabbed through the heart as he tried to save a man's life. And then, when we were finally beaten, everyone whose family couldn't or wouldn't pay the bribes was executed. Don't you dare tell me I can't be angry. I have nothing left but my fury."

"It's going to get you killed," Grantaire told him. 

"I don't care."

Coureyrac had told Grantaire that something inside of Enjolras had broken after their failed rebellion. Grantaire could believe it. When Enjolras was especially passionate about something, he would shine like a beacon, and Grantaire would forget that his dreams were impossible. But more often, Enjolras was silent and sullen, stewing in his barely-contained fury.

"You're here to protect people," Grantaire snapped. "There are things beyond the wall worse than any legend. I've seen them. They're coming. And we can't have you distracted by your anger. You gave up any friendships or family you had the second you walked through that gate. So forget about them."

"I can't just forget. Maybe you can. But then, I doubt you ever had anyone you cared about enough to remember."

Grantaire's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't you dare presume to know anything about me. Don't you dare think you're better than me."

He heard Enjolras calling him as he stormed away, but for once he was too angry to care.