I have a momentous and grand announcement!
[insert title here] has turned three!
If you do persist in living beneath a stone and ignoring my advice (why? I am a benevolent and wise queen) you may still have failed to note that [insert title here] is the blog of Ashley, whom you should go and follow pronto. She is a top gal, marvellous writer and all round great human type thing, and I am sure you will join me in a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to her blog.
~rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to her blog~
Like all the best birthdays, this one has a party involved. And like all the best parties, it is fairytale themed.*
*It is also the only fairytale themed party I have ever attended, virtually or otherwise. But the point stands.
As well as many fabulous fairytale themed posts, there is a ball!
Incidentally I'm enjoying the colour scheme, which also matches her blog. Didn't I say she was fab? |
As ever I'm extremely late to the party, but midnight has not yet struck!
1. What would you wear to a fairytale ball?
Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargeant
This has everything to do with the fabulous gown and nothing to do with my desire to be Lady Macbeth and my occasional wont of walking round the house reciting her speeches aloud.
Seriously, though, green is my favourite colour, and look at the material. And the sleeves.
[source] OK but this is amazing. Chartreuse is not only a beautiful colour but a beautiful word. And the neckline?? <3 |
[source] My style, my colour, I love it. |
[source] Right OK but this??? |
[source] THIS??? ? [source] And finally this. I'm done. (And no, I obviously wouldn't wear them all at once, don't be facetious.) |
2. What shoes? (I don't mean to be tedious, but this is Cinderella's Ball.)
[source] |
3. What is the most necessary accessory?
A. Shoes!
B. Your royal signet ring.
C. Wildflowers for your hair.
D. This beauty doesn't need accessories.
E. A red cape.
F. Your crown.
[source] |
4. What is your favorite fairytale?
Good question. Probably Beauty and the Beast, because it actually has good morals about a) not judging by appearances and b) maybe talking to someone before you decide to marry them? I love the other fairytales but when you break down their messages they're at best silly and at worst dangerous.
5. At the ball, you would
A. Eat cake.
B. Dance.
C. Talk to ALL THE PEOPLE!
D. Find a nice quiet corner from which to Sherlock people.
E. Spy out your rival's resources.
F. A combination of B and C.
I like dancing A LOT. I was a cripplingly shy twelve-fifteen-year-old and I was really self-conscious about EVERYTHING -- my body, my face, my voice, my smile, my eyes, my nose etc etc etc [list every trait here] -- and would rather have died than dance in front of anyone. So I think I have like a store of dancing I didn't do for three years that I must now use?
This is what I look like but the good news is I NO LONGER CARE I JUST LOVE DANCING. |
Then there's talk to ALL THE PEOPLE, which again I was once too shy to do and now do copiously. (Everything day I'm thankful I'm no longer fourteen. What an awful age it was.)
I'm not sure whether this is a ball avec beverages, but I have found that when other guests/friends are a little (or a lot) inebriated it is easy to have very candid conversations. Last party I was at, I had two Jesus conversations with slightly tipsy pals. (Obviously I am never drunk because I am a Christian, but I'm just saying, when others are it can be an opportunity to evangelise.)
In conclusion, friends at parties = good.
6. You see a dwarf with his beard wedged under a boulder. He's mistreated your help before, so you
A. Leave him. He deserves it.
B. Point and laugh.
C. Steal his gold.
D. Help the little folk out.
E. Trim his beard. It's obviously a nuisance. (And whilst I am keen on such beards as displayed by Johnny Depp, Ben Whishaw and James Macavoy, they are not good for practical purposes.)
7. Do you know anyone who reminds you of a particular fairytale?
Um. I like this question but it's hard. One of my friends quite recently shaved her head to raise money for the refugee crisis so ... Tangled, anyone?
8. If someone asked to marry you when they first met you, your reaction would be
A. Um, yes. Nobody's cuter than them.
B. Depends. Do they have a lot of money? Are they a serial killer with a lot of money?
C. RUN! They're clearly a lunatic.
D. Love at first sight means wed at first sight.
E. You can't say 'yes' to everyone who asks to marry you. They should get in line.
F. You fly solo.
9. Your true love will
A. Give you a library.
B. Fetch your shoes for you.
(I choose both, they're both very very important.)
C. Be a shallow walnut head. They're easier to manipulate.
D. Find you immortalized in a glass casket. They're too late.
E. What is this strange concept called true love?
F. Oh, right. You fly solo.
10. Name three big events in your life, or something that took you three tries to get.
All right.
Event #1: following Jesus
Event #2: falling in lurve for the first time
Event #3: deciding to be a writer and finishing my first novel.
I'm sorry that Event #2 is so
buuut I am reading Les Mis at the moment (about Marius and Cosette) and planning a post on the topic of insta-love, first love, true love etc etc (hey, it is February), AND SO whilst in Heathrow Airport this morning (I travelled back from Chile yesterday and today) I was meditating upon my youth and that is why that one is in there. As a part of my misspent youth. I was trying to pick three events that shaped the person I am today so ... yeah.
A postscript: you guys may be interested in Event #4, which is that I got an offer to Durham University! I need to get 3 As in my exams with an A1 in English and if I do I am sure as heck going!
11. Name something that you have seven of.
Harry Potter books!
WAIT NO.
I have eight, because I have the (freaking beautiful) illustrated Philosopher's Stone ...
Aha!
I have seven Skulduggery Pleasant books, because I have six of the nine novels (and if you want to send me number one, four or five, go ahead) and the short story collection.
And if you're thinking I could've considered items that weren't books, you obviously don't know me very well.
12. Who is your nemesis?
A. A step-mother
B. A giant
C. A wicked witch (Bellatrix Lestrange)
D. A dwarf who's name is either unknown or impossible to enunciate without a glossary
E. The Big Bad Wolf (Not just any wolf, The BBW)
F. That insufferable youngest step-daughter of yours
13. When you meet your nemesis, you dress
A. As formidable they.
B. Innocent and sweet.
C. Like a warrior. Let's weapon up!
D. Rags; it's all you've got.
E. Like a huntsman.
F. With the intimidating superiority of an evil queen. (What one needs to face up to Bellatrix. Esp. if Narcissa is in tow.)
14. Who are your allies?
A. Seven dwarves
B. Your fairy godmother
C. Jack the Giant-Killer
D. ALL the forest animals
E. Not to be obvious, but dragons are the way to go
F. Your prince charming. . . or knight in shining armor, your preference
15. Do you have any retelling recs for us to either watch or read?
I absolutely love Enchanted.
I recently watched it again for the first time in years and I love Amy Adams and wow, it's so beautiful and funny and life-affirming and the songs are great and gee, I just love it.
I also LOVE Penelope, which I don't think is a retelling but has a fairytale-esque theme. Quite aside from the fact that I'm in love with James Macavoy, it is a wonderful film.
(And, can Edward Scissorhands get a shout-out? It's sort of a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it's Johnny Depp and Tim Burton and amazing cinematography and just-- yeah. I have a lot of emotion for that film.)
16. What is your favorite song from a Disney princess movie?
Is Mulan a princess movie? I know it's counted as one, but she isn't a princess, and nor does she become one. That withstanding, it's got to be A Girl Worth Fighting For.
Honorable mentions must also go to A Whole New World, How Does She Know You Love Her?, Love is an Open Door and For the First Time in Forever.
You know you want to.
That was hugely enjoyable!
There is still time to link up -- click here.
Thank you massively to Ashley for a great ball (though I may have to get up and do some dancing now, I've been in this chair for a while) and for being a great friend. *cue touching music*
Happy blogoversary and many happy returns!
~***~