#darlinglightning

[breathlessammy]

so I recently awakened my passion for Brendon Urie….

[ogbrill]

darlinglightning replied to your post:My cousin just got engaged. This is the second...

WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO BE SINGLE GURL

It's not like I need a relationship or anything but I do kind of want to be in one! 

[breathlessammy]

Hey I got tagged for a Q&A!

Rule 1: Post the rules

Rule 2: Answer questions the tagged set for you in their post then make 11 new ones

Rule 3: Tag 11 people and link them to your post

Rule 4: Let them know you’ve tagged them

Are you a morning person or a night person? Both, but I lean towards night time. I like mornings just not getting up.

Do you have any pets? I have two cats, a dog, and a parrot.

What currently excites you the most? My Supernatural Theory

Favorite book, song, and/or movie? Hmm. Let'g go with song of the day. Today I think it's Pompeii.

Dogs or Cats? KITTIES. ALL THE KITTIES.

Are you a good student/worker/homemaker? Ha. Hahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No. But I can cook.

If the zombie apocalypse were upon us what would you do to enable your survival? Shoot myself in the head to avoid unnecessary pain. Or steal a submarine.

Best and worst subject in school? Let's just say I'm a mediocre student who only enjoys a few of her classes and even those don't get a lot of effort because I'm lazy as fuck and blog in class.

Pet Peeve? Continuity errors. Bad analogies, things not adding up right, things being off in shows… I can't handle it. Also shoes on my bed.

Do you want to build a snowman? COME ON, LET'S GO AND PLAY!!!!!!!! :D

You get to go into one fictional universe, which one is it and what do you do while you are there? Potterverse. Go to Hogwarts. Get sorted into Slytherin. Become a mysterious "is she good or bad" witch.

1. Favorite color?

2. Favorite animal?

3. Happiest memory?

4. Food you think best speaks to you on an emotional level?

5. Spirit animal?

6. Favorite fandom?

7. Favorite band?

8. Person you'd possibly faint if you met?

9. Favorite life hack?

10. Necklaces or scarves?

11. Deerstalker, fez, or witch's hat?

[daydreamsandwhispers]

The Tagging Game

So darlinglightning tagged me in a post and sorry I'm probably not going to abide by all the rules but I figured I'd still answer the questions/write my own for fun, cause why not? :)

1. Who is your favorite music artist or artists? I have sooooo many musicians that I love to the end of the world but the three that top all others are Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars and Chaos Chaos. I think what's interesting is I love them all for different reasons...with Taylor it's her lyrics and how relatable her songs are. With The Civil Wars it's their vocals and harmonies and the whole experience of just listening to them. With Chaos Chaos it's their ability to write melodies that are really unique and catchy and their production is the best. (Just FYI if you want to check out some of my other faves, I'm also really in love with Kacey Musgraves, A Fine Frenzy, The Head and the Heart, Hey Marseilles, Regina Spektor, Birdy, Nina Nesbitt, Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons and a whole lot of others)

2. What is your favorite memory? The memories I feel the most fond of are often not ones that I can explicitly remember...but I just know that remembering the times when I've just been sitting with my family or friends and laughing and eating amazing food often give me the warm fuzzies. :) Also reading some of my favorite books growing up...Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia...that's where I felt most at home.

3. Treats: cupcakes or brownies? Depends on what kind of cupcakes, because cupcakes can be absolutely amazing or they can be really gross and synthetic tasting. Brownies can be amazing if they're not too chocolate-y. But as I'm trying to be vegan now I guess I'd have to say cupcakes...because the only kind of vegan brownies are way too dark tasting.

4. Favorite place in the world? Such a lame answer...but my house. There's just nothing like home. I love our yard, and how we've painted each room to have its own personality...I love the cafes we are close to and I love the city we live in with all the trees and flowers and how we're close to everything but we still feel a little secluded.

5. How many people would you call your best friends? Probably two, and I've known them both since Kindergarten. Honestly at this point they're more like my sisters, when you've known someone for fifteen years it starts to become that way! There were a couple of others in high school I considered my "best friends" and though I'll always love them we just don't really talk as much anymore.

6. When was the last time you laughed? I know I laughed in class this morning cause our teacher made a really funny typo...I tend to laugh at most everything though so I can't quite remember, perhaps I've laughed since then.

7. What is your dream job? Well ultimately I'm trying to become a high school math teacher (I'm about halfway through my undergraduate right now) but eventually I'd like to be able to work in curriculum development or educational policy or something...and I love writing and creativity so if that could be combined somehow...haha.

8. Do you like driving? Sometimes. I really like driving on side streets and just looking around and singing in my car but driving other people (including my parents) is really stressful. I hate driving on the freeway (and at speeds over 35mph in general haha) and I hate driving to places where I don't know the way because I'm constantly freaking out that I'm going to get lost.

9. Do you like your birthday? I love being able to do things with people I love for it, but I don't really like feeling like I'm the center of attention. I like holidays where it feels more mutual. For my last birthday my elderly neighbor (who's kind of like a grandma to me) took my mom and I out to a pizza restaurant and then we all came back and ate plum crisp my mom made made from plums in her yard and watched Jeopardy! so that was really fun. Actually as far as I remember all of my birthdays have been really incredibly fun, either celebrating with friends and family. I've never been one for the big fancy party (or the limo rides and expensive food like some of my friends).

10. Do you like watching a sunrise or a sunset?  In my experience sunsets tend to be more beautiful (plus I'm awake for more of them obviously) but there's something that I love about a sunrise...it's full of hope because the day hasn't happened yet and it could go anywhere. It's about possibilities. With a sunset it's like...oh, now the day is over, time to go to bed! It feels more restrictive, like you're counting down to something. When I do (very occasionally) actually catch a sunrise they tend to be like my favorite thing ever.

Now I guess I get to ask 10 questions or something...so here it goes!

1. Tea with or without milk? 2. Do you prefer spring or autumn? 3. Would you rather travel to Florida or Hawaii? 4. Do you prefer writing or reading (any medium)? 5. Which do you appreciate more: well-written lyrics or a well-composed melody? 6. If you could live in any fictional person's household, which one would it be and why? 7. If you could trade lives with one fictional character for a day, who would it be and why? 8. If you could go back and change one thing in Gilmore Girls, where would you go, what would you change and what would be the repercussions of that change for the rest of the show? 9. If Rory couldn't end up with whoever you think she should end up with (I think all the people I'm tagging ship Rory/Jess, but whatever), who do you think she should end up with then? Would it be someone we already saw on the show or someone new? Would she even be able to end up with anyone else, or does she only have one true soulmate? 10. How do you feel about Lane's storyline throughout the show? Did you have a strong preference to either Dave or Zack? Did you think it was okay/good that she married Zack? Was it okay/good that she became pregnant? 

I'm tagging - iscahmckrae, itscatkirk, ksfd89, lifeofagilmoregirl (obviously only do this if you want to, no pressure haha...and also if you see this and want to answer the questions and I didn't tag you you totally still should, I'm curious to hear what people say)

[xmcuallerdrake]

I really want to read Les Mis (it's a classic and your blog has sparked the desire in me!) but I'm not sure where to begin. There are different volumes and books? Should I read the original, unedited version? Also, do you think you could just give me a quick and easy outline of the characters? It all seems a little daunting to me and you're the queen of all things Les Mis!! Thanks :)

Les Mis is admittedly kind of complicated to get into!  There are indeed five tomes, but usually it's all sold in one novel so you don't have to really worry about that.  Translations, though, translations are a choice everyone must make.  There are a bunch of them, and personally I'm an adherent of the Isabel Hapgood translation -- which is also the one that's most widely available, in my experience -- but different people have different preferences.  Just, for the love of God, do not make the mistake of reading the Julie Rose translation first.  It...modernizes the text just a little too much.  

Quick and Dirty Character Outlines:

Jean Valjean is the protagonist of the novel, an ex-con who is inspired by a bishop to become a good man.  He breaks parole, becomes a mayor, is found out, escapes the law, adopts a little girl, is an awesome dad, and fights at the barricades in the June Rebellion of 1832, saves the life of the boy his daughter's in love with, and then has to cut ties with her for fear of being found out again.  He dies of being old and separated from his daughter (and also possibly of, y'know, wading through the sewers of Paris and getting covered in shit while dragging the wounded boy out of harm's way).  Everyone loves Jean Valjean, it's just that not everyone writes about him, which is kind of sad because he's adorable.

Javert is a policeman who keeps running into Valjean at different points in their lives.  He's the son of a convict and a fortune-teller and was born in prison.  He lives rigidly by the law and is merciless in his pursuit of his somewhat warped perception of justice.  Javert eventually commits suicide after Valjean shows him mercy and saves his life at the barricades, allowing him to get away from the students who have him held captive.

Fantine is a young mother -- the mother of the little girl Valjean adopts -- she's brave and determined and hardworking, but she's a single mom in the early 1800s; the whole world is stacked against her.  She winds up having to leave her daughter with an innkeeper and his wife to go find work in another town.  When it's discovered she's a single mother, she winds up being fired, and circumstances get worse and worse for her until she winds up a consumptive prostitute who dies of a heart attack when Javert comes to arrest Valjean in her hospital room.

Cosette is Fantine's daughter and the hinge on which the story turns.  Left unwittingly in abusive conditions by her mother and then raised with love by Valjean, Cosette grows up to be beautiful, bold, brave, and good.  Of course, she's also very feminine, which means that a large portion of the fandom Misses The Point and hates her, because admittedly the musical and other adaptations aren't always good about showing the bold and brave sides of her.  I love Cosette a lot.

Monsieur and Madame Thenardier are the inkeeper couple that Cosette lives with for years.  They're assholes.  Nobody likes them.  No, seriously, they're abusive assholes and M. Thenardier is strongly implied to sell one of his daughters into prostitution and also implied to have sexually harassed/assaulted previous maids that the inn had had.  They are assholes and we don't like them at all.

Eponine, Azelma, and Gavroche Thenardier are three of the Thenardier's children.  Eponine is chatty and a little manic and a little vain and a lot ambitious and proud, and she winds up placing too many of her hopes and dreams on a boy and what that boy represents to her (nobility in poverty, being good and having good things, etc.), and convinces him to come with her to the barricade when she fears he will leave her forever.  She dies there in his arms, hoping that she'll be able to welcome him to heaven.  The musical and movie romanticize her feelings for the boy a little (or a lot), but Eponine is super badass and I love her to pieces.  Azelma doesn't come into the plot much, but she's a year or so younger than Eponine and winds up going with her father to become a slave trader in America.  Gavroche is a street urchin who hangs around a group of student revolutionaries.  He dies on the barricade, singing and collecting ammunition.

Marius Pontmercy is the boy that both Cosette and Eponine are in love with.  He loves Cosette deeply and purely, and, at least in the brick, doesn't know Eponine very well at all.  In the musical canon, they're at least kind of friends.  He's loyal to a fault and prone to having a kind of one-track mind.  Definitely a Hufflepuff, and really smart -- he picks up two languages in as many months well enough to do translation work.  He's also a crack shot and saves the other students at the barricade.

Les Amis de l'ABC are a group of students and one worker (sorry, Feuilly) who are trying to foment revolution in Paris.  They all die on the barricade and in their number include:

Enjolras: The chief.  Ridiculously beautiful, stalwart of of purpose, repeatedly likened to classical figures as well known for homosexuality as for tyrannicide...Woe betide the love affair that would risk itself beside him, the brick tells us.  He's doomed from the start to be a martyr, a soldier of progress, with a "pontifical and warlike nature, a singular thing in a youth."

Combeferre: In fanart you will always be able to tell Combeferre by his glasses, which have nothing to do with brick canon.  Combeferre is the philosophy of the revolution, and "complete[s] and correct[s] Enjolras."  He believes that the good must also be innocent.  He's also got a very wide range of intellectual interests, from theater to science to medicine.  He is also capable of laying down some absolutely sick burns.

Courfeyrac is the fraternité to Enjolras and Combeferre's liberté and egalité.  He's more of a people person, and brings people together and makes people happy, and is a bangin' strategist.  He also likes to bang; he tries to get Marius a girlfriend before the latter meets Cosette.  

Jean "Jehan" Prouvaire is a poet and a Romantic.  He dresses badly and speaks five languages, and when he dies his final words are "Long live the future!"  He splits his time between pondering the infinite and trying to effect social change.

Bahorel is a brawler, a loafer, a perpetual student.  He's also the oldest, having been part of the Lallemand riots in 1820.  He's loads of fun, too, and the one who connects Les Amis to other groups in Paris.  Talk to pilferingapples if you want to learn All The Things about Bahorel -- he's her favorite.  He wears eye-searing scarlet waistcoats and his motto is "never a lawyer be."

Feuilly is a worker and an orphan who taught himself to read and write and became really invested in the national identities of foreign countries, and he's really awesome because even though he's the Ami most directly effected by the problems of poverty in their society (he lives on 3 francs a day.  That's, like, pocket change.), he still cares so much about the national sovereignty and suffering of foreign peoples.  Enjolras even admires Feuilly a lot, so you know Feuilly's the cat's pajamas.

Joly is a medical student who is also a hypochondriac.  Despite this, he's also one of the happiest people you will ever meet.  He's also "wild" for his girlfriend, Musichetta.

Bossuet (or Lesegueles or Lesgles or L'aigle or Legle; it's a long story involving a post office) is Joly's best friend in the universe.  He's practically inseparable from him -- they share everything, "even Musichetta to some extent" (that's right, canon OT3!).  Bossuet is also a really great, generous guy, but super-duper unlucky.  But he, like Joly, doesn't ever let it get him down.

Joly and Bossuet are also really close with our last Ami, Grantaire.  Grantaire is sort of on the edge of the group -- he doesn't think they can affect change, he's too cynical, and too much of a skeptic and a drunk.  But he's there because he's absolutely and completely in love with Enjolras.  Beyond this, Grantaire is brilliantly intelligent and eloquent, a dancer, a gymnast, a fighter, an artist, and he knows where you can get the best of anything in Paris.  When he dies, he dies hand in hand with Enjolras in one of the most beautifully climactic and symbolic death scenes I have ever seen in literature.  

That basically covers the major characters of the novel!  Always feel free to come by with any more specific questions!

[xmcuallerdrake]

Me! I send you a lot of anons. A LOT. O_O

Aww!  Then you're one of the best!