#sometimessmiley

[sylvanarama]

Ah! I love it! And your fandom would consider you naught but a sprightly, well-mannered forest elf, completely looking over the deep well of wit and fire inside.

Ooooh brilliant. I like this. Thank ye friend!

[sylvanarama]

My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me by Little Green Cars from Absolute Zero

[sylvanarama]

Book Ask: ALL OF THEEEEEEEM. (Or whatever you want.)

Oo oo yay! Thank ye oodles sweet lyric lady. Here we go!

To Kill a Mockingbird: What is your favorite childhood memory? 

Well I really enjoyed spending long evenings sewing with my mom in the basement with tea and the radio going. Good times. Fortunately no spooky recluse neighbors or entrenched legal race battles. Although there was that one time…

Heart of Darkness: Where would you love to travel? 

SCOTLAND LASSIE MY HIELAND HAME (Why yes I am appropriating that culture like an insensitive asshat.)

Also the Maritimes because dang tourism Newfoundland does a bangup job, Austria ‘cause opera, and more frolicing around the forests of BC. Giant sequoias everywhere. So many trees, so little time.

Definitely not anywhere dark and jungle-y. Too many crushing realizations about the futility and awful vapid cruelty of humanity await there. 

Little Women: Do you have siblings? If so, how do you get along with them? 

I have two! Two older brothers. One is kind at heart but very problematic at head, and the other is a sweet cinnamon role who puts me to shame at being a person. Very glad I don’t have sisters, because brothers are so forgiving. 

And Then There Were None: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done and gotten away with? 

Ummm… next please? Maybe regularly kicking my brothers in the balls as a means of control when I was younger. I was a mean little munchkin.

1984: Do you keep your online life separate from your real life? 

Eh, sort of? I should probably be more concerned about online privacy. 

The Great Gatsby: Do you consider yourself materialistic? 

Yep. There are so many pretty things. If it’s leather, paper, wool, or green, I MUST HAVE IT.

The Catcher in the Rye: How do you like to spend your free time? 

Less productively than I would like. I spend a lot of it on tumblr. Other than that I walk, harp, sing, read, and sleep. Sometimes when I’m inspired I’ll write or sew.

Moby Dick: What is one thing you’ve always wanted to achieve, but never could? 

Aw man I always wanted to play the violin. Also to be an elven ranger in the great woods of Lothlorien – does that count?

Lord of the Flies: Are you more a leader or a follower? 

I think I’m more of a leader by virtue of NO NO YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG HERE LET ME HELP AND/OR DO IT FOR YOU

The Importance of Being Earnest: If you could change your name, what would you change it to? 

Oooo this is interesting. I’ve always been partial to the name Rhiannon, or anything suitably elvish like that. Or, change my name pretentiously so it has lots of y’s and decicously squiggly things in it, like “Madelynne” or something equally gag-inducing. 

Brave New World: Do you think ignorance is bliss? 

On the one hand, if you don’t know something then there is no way to be upset about it so not bliss but maybe less stress? Perhaps if you know something, you can (in theory) do something about it, and achieve greater satisfaction than the ignorant state. I personally believe one should hoard knowledge and shiny facts into a big ball of sticky information to ferment for later sinister purposes.

Treasure Island: What object holds the most importance to you? 

I’m the sort of person who likes to save trinkets and mementos so I have a lot of important little objects like a D&D ring from ironykins and my dad’s old bathrobe, but the most important has to be my harp. My lady Gwendolyn, my one true love. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray: If you could stay young forever, would you? 

Naw. I’m waiting for the day when I can be the crazy-haired, birkenstocked professor shouting esoteric aphorisms at a room full of frightened twenty-somethings. Or my reclusive old age in a woodland cottage. Though, if I could retain the ability to climb trees that would be grand. 

The Secret Garden: What’s the best gift anyone ever gave you? 

My harp was a graduation gift from me ma and pa, so that’s pretty high up there. But pretty much every package from ironykins is just a font of pandering. Thanks man. You are king gift giver. 

A Christmas Carol: What is one thing you’d want to change about yourself? 

I wish I had wings. Or elf ears or a prehensile squirrel tail that helped me scale trees and tall buildings. Or a cybernetic interface port. Or maybe that I were fitter and not depressed and able to actually do things on time. I wish I were smarter and more punctual and more empathetic and more verbally expressive and more perseverant and thought deeper and could read faster and didn’t have to sleep but mainly wings I think. 

Hatchet: Do you think you could survive in the wilderness? 

No way man. I may fantasize about moss-frolics but the wild is a big, scary and spider filled space for a naive engineer-in-training. 

The Grapes of Wrath: What’s the worst job you’ve ever had to do? 

I’ve been really lucky about not having to work a lot, but the worst one I had was a co-op where I was totally isolated and given projects that were way out of my competency range yet monotonous and uninteresting with no support. That wasn’t too nice, but it did pay well. 

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant: How is your relationship with your parents? 

My mom and I are best buds, and my dad is deceased, though we did get along pretty well when he was around. I feel like we would have a lot to talk about now.

The House of Mirth: Can money make you happy? 

Yes, but only up to a point. If you have enough to provide for the basics of life plus a little for leisure and saving, it can go a long way towards easing stress and promoting health. However, I agree with the Epicurean school of thought. If you don’t have the key elements like friends, some sort of meaningful pursuit or passion, and a measure of personal freedom, more money is going to do little to give one real satisfaction. 

Lucky Jim: Do you like your job? Why or why not? 

I am recovering from depression right now. As such, I am an unemployed bum. At the moment I enjoy being an unemployed bum because of the numerous opportunities of sleep and reading it affords me.

The Time Machine: Which historical era would you most like to visit?

I’d like to pop into Ancient Greece for a while, take a quick gander at the Italian Renaissance, loiter for a while in the science labs of the Victorian era, then skip about two hundred years from now to see if we finally got our compost together. 

Scoop: Do you trust the media? Why or why not? 

Nope. Everyone has an agenda. Too many people deal with that information for it to come through untwisted and unchanged. 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: How do you deal with homesickness? 

I sniff things that remind me of home, go through old photos and call my mom.

A Prayer for Owen Meany: Would you sacrifice your life to save someone else’s? 

Oh geez. Honestly, I have absolutely no clue how that would go down.

Charlotte’s Web: Describe yourself in one word. 

Whimsi-calculated?

The Five People You Meet in Heaven: Whose life have you impacted the most? 

I have insufficient data to answer this question. I’d have to do a census of all the people I’ve known, and do a strict, quantitative analysis of impact, which frankly, seems like a lot of work. My mom says I’m really important to her?

Matilda: What magical power would you like to have? 

Super brain power! Manipulate molecules! Make wings! Know everything! 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: What is your worst dating experience?

In first year university there were these two guys. One was a very intelligent, but sourest of sourpusses who actively hated me for the remainder of the first year after I told him I couldn’t manage dating after my dad passed, and the other was a nice guy who was (probably unconsciously) very emotionally manipulative and not understanding of my asexuality in the slightest. Yay! 

[sylvanarama]

3, 11, 13, 28, 48, 50, 51, 60,

Zounds, questions! Thank ye kindly! I’ll try to answer them in a mildly entertaining manner.

3. The person you never want to meet?

Oh geez, there are a lot of people in the world. I think I’d never want to meet myself. Or one of those really frustrating child prodigies, because my envy fueled hatred might override my better judgement. 

11. Favourite age you’ve been so far?

I can’t remember my childhood very well, (it was a haze of books and dressup) but I’d say 12. You’re old enough to go get a slurpee by yourself but young enough to duck safely under many responsibilities.

13. Your worst enemy?

A. Myself, specifically my habit of procrastination.

B. Mosquitoes

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put in place?

Oh gosh, I fantasize about being supreme Leaf-Lord of my own benevolent dictatorship all the time. Rule 1: everyone must go out stargazing for at least one minute a night. Rule two: have a garden. Rule 3: turf roofs. Rule 4: say what you mean, mean what you say, and give everyone three hours of alone-time a day.

 Oh, also music choices, clothing, and reading material will be state mandated to follow strict sylvan aesthetics. 

48. Do you hold grudges?

I’m not sure. I think I do until I’m able to talk it out with the person. But not hardcore, you know? Just a little simmering resentment. 

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had?

I really don’t remember, but there were a lot of strange ones with Stephanie Meyer in grade 8 ceramics class. She was a pathological liar and super into wiccan and paranormal stuff. Strange times.

51. Are you a good liar?

Not outright lying -- I try not to do that, but I’m reeeally good at making excuses.

60. Do you believe in aliens?

I don’t think it’s a question of belief, rather just a matter of statistics. It’s supremely arrogant to assume that out of the entire matter soup of the universe there is one, and only one, planet where amino acids lined up and started getting jiggy with it. 

[sylvanarama]

1, 16,19.

Awww yeah! Thank ye miss marvelous. Okay, since I love talking about myself and never really figured out the concept of concision, this is going to be a long one. Self absorbed rambling and book recommendations under the cut!

# 1: If someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?

To read:

T.A. Baron’s “The Lost Years of Merlin” because Celtic excellence and tree spirit girls hells yes. I believe it sparked my unhealthy fascination with Celtic things.  

“The Secret Garden”. I don’t want to even tell you how many times I read this book. It was always just there on my shelf, and I loved it because of the simple wonder and “wick” innocence of the characters, and the power of potatoes, brisk wind and dirt under your fingernails. Plus all that sickening Disney-esque animal friend business. Love that crap. 

Any short poem by Robert Frost. It’s unaffected, elegant, and makes me feel things. Frost is the patron saint of all slightly crotchety nature lovers.

Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. Oh man. Ooooh man. This book is dense and frighteningly beautiful like a jungle and was my first glimpse into the seething, fragrant rot of humanity that only good literature can portray. The birth of pretentiousness. 

Vladimir Nabokov’s “Pale Fire”. Pretention II: the Snobining. Seriously though it’s exquisite and a little twisted. I like it a lot. 

Anything by Terry Pratchett! Anything. Read it now. Pratchett came into my life as a birthday present and hasn’t stopped giving since. His wonderful weird whimsy has really shaped the way I write and think, and is just generally a balm against Real Life. Thank you Sir, you are terribly missed.

Finally, Thoreau’s “Walden”. Maybe don’t actually read the whole thing, because Thoreau is rather fond of telling you how much he saved on beans this week, but the thesis of the book is quite powerful. It speaks to the spirit of self-sufficiency, rebellion, and the throwing off of imagined constraints to live simply and well according to your own ambitions. Also he’s a fairy princess and flutes to his fish at midnight. So there’s that. 

To watch:

Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music. Julie Andrews is my guide and goddess. I used to have my stuffed animals act out the musical while the soundtrack played. I didn’t get out much as a child.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This is the funniest shiz ever. I know you all know it, but really. It also reminds me of my dad, since Monty Python’s silliness was one of the things we both got a hearty kick out of. 

Classic disney like Mulan and Pocahontas. Strong female characters and hella good songs. Childhood gold. 

To listen:

Puccini arias like “Signore Ascolta” from Turandot. I was in a children’s chorus for this opera in grade 5, and it was kind of my first taste of heavy emotion. Imagine a ten year old who’s going through some family stuff kneeling at the spittle-flecked feet of the diva as the rips her own heart out and sings to the trailing tendons of Feels in blinding stage lights and swelling violins. 

Shutup it was really important to little me ok? 

Cheesy metal e.g. Tyr, Blind Guardian, and Rhapsody of Fire. These bands give me life. Glory and guts!

WUTHERING HEIGHTS UGH SO GOOD. In particular Carpe Noctem, Mad Sailor, and Desperate Poet. These guys write the music of my inarticulate soul. 

Vivaldi’s La Follia. Best breakdown of the 1700s. Something about the way they whale on those violins just feels so right. 

Tchaikovsky’s – umm really anything. But probably his Piano Concerto No. 1 and Valse Sentimentale. His primary instrument is the heartstrings. 

Van Morrison. While I don’t particularly like his stuff, my parents would always play it when we were getting ready for a dinner party. It always meant cleaning, lots of food, and a kind of happy bustle. Sometimes my mum and dad would clumsily dance to it. 

Lastly: any of the lovely ballads by the Corries! I have a fixation on their accents and fantastic sweaters. Not to mention the complex, original, and by turns stirring and soothing arrangements of Scotland in sonic form. I’m an unashamed Scottish weeaboo. Well, slightly ashamed. 

#16: If you’d grown up in a different environment, do you think you’d have turned out the same?

Dude, so different. I had a really loving, supportive family and no end of opportunities. That said, there was a lot of instability and stress that comes with illness in the family. It was an odd cocktail, but if it were different I definitely wouldn’t have ended up where I am now. 

#19: Which Harry Potter house would you be in? Or are you a muggle?

Ravenclaw, obvs.

Aaand done. My thanks for letting me fill your face with my life story, friends!

[onox]

I have not seen my non-theatre friends in almost a month except in passing this makes me sad

[makeshiftstars-archive]

sometimessmiley answered your question “help i don’t know if i should marathon ahs or ezra miller movies...”

EZRA MILLER.

thANK

[sylvanarama]

Woo music tag thing! Here ye are ironykins, I suppose this is fairly representative of my music taste:

L'Incoronazione Di Poppea - Monteverdi

Sinklars Visa – Tyr

The Taming of Smeagol – The Two Towers

Sieben – Faun

Temple of the Sky – Erutan

Canon in D – Pachelbel

Wolves of the Sea – Alestorm

In Quelle Trine Morbide – Puccini

The Life I Lead – Mary Poppins

The Soulforged – Blind Guardian

Deh Vieni, Non Tardar – Mozart

Setlon – Eluveitie

Caprice No. 3 in E Minor: Sostenuto, presto – Paganini

Rheinlegendchen – Shirley Verrett

6 Songs, Op. 6: Why? – Tchaikovsky

Serenade for Strings in C – Tchaikovsky

The Bird – Wuthering Heights

Enter the Cave – Wuthering Heights

Cantata #147, BWV 147 “Herz Und Mund Tad Und Leben” – Bach

Oakensheild –  Elvenking

Hey friendsarebread, sometimessmiley, stardustandash, slippingbriskly, and anyone else who so wishes, shuffle those songs and post the first twenty for procrastination points.