Tuesday 23 February 2016

Of Beasts and Beauties // where is my glass slipper?

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 Sergeant:
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
Instagram:GraterolKaren Twitter:GraterolKaren Pinterest:GraterolKaren Polyvore:KarenGraterol Ask:Whoiskaren:
[source]
My style, my colour, I love it.
Krikor Jabotian Couture:
[source]
Right OK but this???

I really wish I could get a dress like this and wear out somewhere. | Princesses follow us here! --> http://www.pinterest.com/thevioletvixen/princess-for-a-day/:
[source]
THIS???

?wedding dress:
[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.)

Women's Victorian Boots:
[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 DeppBen 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!

~***~

22 comments:

  1. Those are some fabulous dresses!

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    1. I know, right? If only I owned them .....

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  2. THOSE DRESSES :O I don't want them, I /need/ them. please. A GIRL WORTH FIGHTING FOR. MULAN. yes but my favorite song has got to be Reflection or I'll Make a Man Out of You. pretty much EVERY Mulan song.

    ~Noor

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Right?!?!

      I looove Reflection, always gives me goosebumps, and I'll Make a Man Out of You is AMAZING, I sing it an embarrassing amount when alone ...

      Delete
  3. Mulan, Mulan, Mulan, MULAN IS THE BESTEST!!

    And the dresses... I just...asdfghjkl. Perty..verra verra perty.
    I'm loving the Lady Macbeth. Maybe just because it reminds me of elvish things!

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    1. ~extremely high voice~ Hope he doesn't see straight through me!

      It is rather elvish! I JUST WANT TO BE ARWEN OK OK.

      Delete
  4. Oo, that white and gold dress. Yes!

    Also, I like your answer for #5 and the reasoning behind it. I actually never thought of that. Tipsy people being easy to witness to, but it makes sense.

    AH! I love Enchanted. So much color. So much humor. So much song and dance! It's beautiful. I also like Snow White and the Huntsman. It's vague and open-ended but I think that's why I like it so much. Also, the song in the middle, Gone, is gorgeous. OH! You mentioned Penelope! I saw that once while "baby-sitting" (they were older kids). We basically watched movies and played broad games all night then all day because their parents didn't care if they got sleep. And we talked about books and went for a walk in the woods. "That's irrelevant, Ashley." Quite right. I really adored Penelope and it had a musician so it wins extra points (not that I rate movies on a point system but whatever).

    Thank you so very much for joining! Loved reading your post and I look forward to that insta-love post.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. RiiiiIIIIghht???!

      Uh-huh! (If they can't remember the conversation after that's not great, but just tipsy is fine.) You should try it.

      I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I last watched it at a girls' youth event (10-17 year olds) at church, and I was feeling a bit “ugh I'm the oldest I have other Friday night activities I've seen this film a billion times" but then I enjoyed it SO MUCH. And I love the nods to classic Disney films <3 <3 <3

      Have to say I wasn't mad keen on the Huntsman, I saw it in the cinema, tbh, though, all I can remember is Kristen Stewart's ears?? And also something I read saying she should've been crazy damaged and have terrible depth perception from being shut in room her whole life ... or am I thinking of a different film? Cause when I type that, that's Rapunzel, not Snow White, so ... Can you refresh me?

      I'll listen to the song and see if it jogs my memory.

      Well, irrelevant or not, I enjoyed that story! That sounds like a beautiful night/day. I LOVE Penelope, I mean I love Max so much and I love You Are My Sunshine and yes the piano oh my gosh .... !!!

      You are so very welcome! I'm glad! And so do I. “But Emily when'll you post it? Three years or can we hope it'll be sooner?" Shut up, brain, shut up.

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    2. No, you're thinking of the right film. The having Snow White in a tower was a bit Rapunzel-like. The movie did get a lot criticism like that. And I understand. I mean, Snow White probably should've had some PTSD and/or other issues going on because of her treatment. But come on, people, it's a fairytale. When have those been realistic?

      The song is good. And sad.

      YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE! Oh, I remember that part now! I love that song. Okay, sorry. . . Yes, and Max. Was I not mentioning him before because I actually really liked him? No. Never. *cough*

      Oh, and thank you for the lovely shout out. It's nice to know I'm a great human type thing. XD

      AND DURHAM UNIVERSITY! WOOHOO! You've got this! (That was a different post, wasn't it? Aw, well. Great. Now I hope it was Durham, otherwise I feel very stupid. Not a foreign feeling.)

      Delete
    3. I listened to the song, it was really really really good, I actually LOVED it. I'm going to listen to it again right now. (And when searching for Snow White Gone I found another song called Snow White's Gone which I also really like so WHO KNEW?) It did not jog my memory, but it was gorgeous.

      I want to watch Penelope now <333

      You're welcome XD

      Nope! This post! Good job XD but THANK YOU!

      Delete
  5. Ohmygod all these blogs are getting so old :') look at them, all grown up..

    Also, I just have to say, you know Paper Fury? You write so much like Cait, like a kind of jokey, sarcastic humour that is awesome to read. I had to throw that out there.

    Obviously you'd have to wear your crown. Why wear shoes when you can have a CROWN??

    Also, yes, I'd just eat cake and dance. Actually, that's kind of all I do at parties, full stop. Don't judge me.

    Finally, this is completely off topic, but can you remember a while back you wrote a post where you went to Thailand or China or something because of your brother (???) and he was maybe getting engaged or something (that's a wild guess)? I was just wondering where that post was set, because I cannot remember for the life of me and it's super annoying lmao.

    MERRY AGING OF BLOGS EVERYONE!!

    Amy;
    Little Moon Elephant

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I know, little babies!

      THAT'S SUCH A GOOD COMPLIMENT! That is my natural style but often I'm like nope my blog is not funny EVERYONE HATES ME so I'm so so so chuffed to hear that! Thank you thank you thank you <3333

      Well, exactly.

      Ha! Eat cake WHILST dancing! (What could go wrong?)

      Singapore! He had a baby, it's fifth year anniversary this year so a bit past the engagement stage but good try :')

      MERRY AGING OF BLOGS TO YOU TOO!

      Delete
  6. I would totally wear that first dress - I need something with sleeves like that in my life. I linked up with this post too (here's mine) and I really should have added Edward Scissorhands to mine. I think I'm going to have to look up this movie Penelope - it sounds like it would be right up my alley!

    Congrats on the offer to go to Durham University!

    By the way, I've tagged you for the Totally Should've Book Tag!

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    1. It's soooo gorgeous! Although I bet the sleeves are pretty heavy :O

      Penelope is so good. It's SO good. It's JUST SO GOOD!

      Thank you, Lauren!

      Thanks! Will check it out :)

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  7. Those dresses are absolutely fabulous. And I kinda want to see you wear them all at the same time now. Because that would be weird but awesome.

    I ADORE PENELOPE. I feel like not enough people like that movie. It's so awesome. Also Mulan is completely awesome. I think we should have a yearly tradition across the world where we all watch Mulan.

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    1. I know! Hmm. Not sure about that one, Victoria ;)

      I KNOW, I FEEL THE SAME. And that is a GREAT idea. Let's do it!

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  8. AHHHH THIS WAS GREAT ADN OMG THOSE DRESSES. Like I would probably rather strangle myself in a cake pan than get really dressed up IRL...but I love the thought of it so so much. And those dresses are suffocatingly beautiful. ALSO THOSE SHOES. DUDE.

    And if you dance like that then you are the most awesome bean to ever polka-dot-dance in the universe. (Also 14 is horribly awkward age. Also 15. Actually, I mean, I'm in my twenties, but I'M STILL WAITIN' FOR THE AWKWARDNESS TO STOP. But 14 truly is the hardest. *nods*)

    I only have 4 Skulduggery books. XD Clearly you and I need to fix our collections. ;)

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    1. THANK YOU. I'm intrigued as to how you'd strangle yourself in a cake pan though ... ??

      Again, THANK YOU. Ha, I too am still swimming through depths of awkwardness, but nothing was as bad as 14 and 15 O.o

      I know! One day, one day, preciousssss ...

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  9. Oh this is just the cutest post. xD

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  10. OH MY GOD PENELOPE PENELOPE PENELOPE!!!!!!!! I LOOOOOVE THAT MOVIE!!!! <3 <3 <3 AND JAMES MCAVOY!!!!!!! OH MY GAWD!!! GAHHHHHH!
    I did read all this blog post but when I read that you love that movie too I'm after forgetting every point I was gonna make to you in this comment. But you are the first person in this entire world that I know that also even somewhat likes that move. It is MY FAVOURITE. I would consider it my guilty pleasure. Just EVERYTHING about it I love. The style, the story, the characters, the actors, the magic. I don't know. I JUST REALLLLLY LOVE IT!!!!!!!! <3

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    1. I KNOOOOOWWWW!! HE'S SO GORGEOUS! I once saw him in real life, did you know?

      REALLY?!??! THE FIRST PERSON EVER?! Gah but it is so good. James Macavoy is obviously what makes it so perfect but I just love the aesthetic (her room!) and the surrealism/urban fantasy and REESE WITHERSPOON and the Irish bartender <333 And I love the ending and the bit with the mask and I loVE YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE, and oh my gosh the bit on the stairs! "Marry me, Max!" I just could not love it any more. I LOVE IT.

      That is all.

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Thanks for commenting! :)