#cannot reccomend enough the movie and the book though

[immortalfornow]

Five pieces of media to describe me! Truly was very hard to pick because so many different things have shaped me. I was tagged by @sodatavern and I am tagging anyone who would like to participate (yes, even you).

[zoloftsexdeath]

Thinking about the origin songs of all the surviving covey members. I can’t speak to color theory, and I haven’t read the books, but I do know some folk songs and recognized some names. Now I don’t stick to Childes ballads strictly when listening to these songs, but I will be listing the number for reference on all the names that have a childe’s ballad corresponding, just for ease of research.

Lucy Grey Baird

Lucy Grey is her own creature and her song is plain in the books. I think the difference between the book ballad of Lucy Gray and the one in the movie (the song she herself wrote about Billy Taupe) is fascinating, as the first one is more of a story-song traditional like, and the Ballad per the movie is so. Im shoving it in my mouth and eating it. Smarter people with more context than me can write better about it though so I’ll leave it at this. I personally think Rachael Ziegler killed it though, and her voice is high and clear, would love to hear her live so I could lay in the grass and kick my feet as I listen.

Barbara Azure Baird

Barb Azure canonically came from Barbara Allen/Barb’ry Allen [CB # ]traditionally a round sung about a woman whose lover dies of wanting her, and she dies of sorrow, and their graves lie entertwined with plants of rose and briar on each respective grave to form a true lover’s knot. My favorite version comes from Joan Baez. This is the only of the covey songs I’ve ever heard before doing this research, and I love it dearly.

Tam Amber [last name unknown]

Tam Amber from Tam Lin! Also known as Tamlaine, Tamlin, or Tam Lyne [Child Ballad #39]. An epic Scottish ballad, and a lovely round. As the story went he was a mortal kidnapped by faeries and has become their unwilling servant, protecting a forest in which he finds a beautiful young woman (usually named Janet or Margaret) whom he confronts for plucking roses. They doink about it, she gets pregnant, her father asks who got her with child, and she rushes back to Tam Lin and begs him to either get rid of the child he begot or marry hee, which in his current state he cannot do. He then devises a plan for Janet/Margaret to performs several tasks that will allow him to return to the land of the mortals, angering the faery queen but assuaging her enough that she makes good on her promise and reluctantly frees Tam Lin to marry his now beloved Janet and legitimize their child. Perhaps not the most traditional version, the one by Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer makes me think yes, I can see Tam Amber’s parents falling in love to this song, singing it to him and the other covey children to put them to sleep.

Clerk Carmine Clade

From the ballad Clerk Colven [Child Ballad #42] about a real piece of work who tries to run off on his wife and sleep with a mermaid. The mermaid knows this though, and curses him to suffer a horrific headache until I think his head actually explodes. I don’t think it necessarily has any bearing on Clerk Carmine’s actual personality, but the combination of this song with the color carmine (a brilliant red extracted from the cochinil bug) leads me to believe he was either conceived, born, or his parents married while traveling in district 5. I can see this one being a favorite in district, where they know the danger of baiting the sea and possibly the danger of being a jackass to your wife as well. The location of D5 down in the southwest also leads me to believe it was one of the few places the Covey could have encountered the color as well, as often red 40 or other synthetics are used in mass production of vibrant reds and the use of cochinil based carmine would likely be a very “district” thing, used by native residents for painting or decoration of small items. It’s a strong name, and dangerous when it comes to taking a stand against what the capital represents. I’m surprised he was able to keep it. I reccomend this cover, dunno the singer really but the accent is heavy and his voice is true. I would listen with lyrics alongside though.

Maude Ivory Baird

The book tells us that Maude comes from the poem “Maude Clare” by Christina Rosetti, and Ivory from piano keys. I also like to think that she was partially named after Maud Karpeles, a British folk song collector who helped write down a lot of folk music.

Billy Taupe Clade

Likely from Billy Boy, ironic and fitting for its being about a man after a wife who can feed and care for him despite her being “too young to leave her mother” something Lucy Gray says about him wanting in the books (and seemingly not wanting much more). I don’t care much for this song (sorry), but this is an alright cover.

[claudiasommers]

oh boy okay lets see..

3 Ships I Like: I don't have many ships, I'll be honest. Loustat, Daaedicelli (one I made up, it's Christine Daae x Carlotta Guidicelli.. I can't remember the original spelling of the last name) & Nygmobblepot (Edward Nygma x Oswald Cobblepot, not neccessarily just for Gotham, either! They tend to work well in a lot of versions!!)

First Ship Ever: Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, I think? If we're not including self-ships (which would just be "first crush", right??)

Last Song: I genuinely can't remember and it was only a few days ago. I have a strong feeling it was The Chauffeur by Duran Duran, the Third Movement of Mozart's 39th Symphony, or Beethoven's Pathetique (i have a VERY mixed playlist...)

Favorite Childhood Book: Alice In Wonderland / Through The Looking Glass. I remember my parent used to walk me down to the library and have me recite The Jabberwocky until I could memorize it. Years later, recently, I got into Alice In Wonderland. And, despite my absolutely DREADFUL memory, I could remember most of it still!

Currently Reading: The Picture of Dorian Gray. I was SO excited to find the exact cover I wanted with the daffodils on the front <3 it's so cute! I put the book on my bedside to read in the morning and in my purse in case things go a bit slowly while I'm out <3

Currently Watching: Any movie I can get my hands on. I don't read descriptions EVER. I go based on vibes from the poster & the cast <3 One I watched recently was The Prestige and I CANNOT RECCOMEND IT ENOUGH I LOVE HUGH AND CHRISTIAN SOSOSOSOSO MUCH AND WAS SO EXCITED TO FIND OUT THEY WERE IN A MOVIE TOGETHER!! <33

Currently Consuming: Nothing ATM but I had some peanuts about half an hour ago :] ... thinking about lunch soon, though

Currently Craving: Lavender and French Vanilla Macarons... oh my god. every day of my life. I think about them all the time. I haven't had one in YEARS because my mom says macarons are tricky. But I might have to make them myself, soon.... also craving Sam Reid's Lestat meeting me in New Orleans on a beautiful, summer night and being kept alive as a sort of human familiar....

Tagging: @sweethearrt @doriansredroses & @catiandchocolate because I'm scared to tag anyone else. Open tag! Those tagged do not HAVE to participate, I'm just trying to fulfil my passing-of-the-torch obligations <3

Tagged by the lovely @jalapenobee!!! Hi Bee!! <3

3 ships i like: LoidxYor from Spy x Family and just all my OC ships who have been living in my head rent free for years. Mainly AdamxOlivia (EverHart), MarigoldxSolomon (MariSol) and HollyxNate (Hate). I could talk about them for hours so if anyone has time to waste...

first ship ever: Jeroen and Mara from Het Huis Anubis (the original Dutch/Flemish version of House of Anubis). The enemies to lovers was amazing!!! And then they didn't happen!!! It's been like 18 years and I'm still bitter

last song: Only Me When I'm With You - Taylor Swift

favorite childhood book: I honestly have no idea... But my mum used to read from a Winnie The Pooh book when I was small and there was this poem in there about Piglet going on vacation and going to England and France and Africa and all... And would still be back that evening and I still know it by heart :)

currently reading: My Vampire Plus-One - Jenna Levine

currently watching: A advent calendar unboxing on youtube. I haven't really watched any shows lately (if anyone has recommendations, let me know!)

currently consuming: Tea

currently craving: Some peace and quiet!!

Tagging the following lovely people!!

@silversoulstardust @actually-the-devil @currentlyinflames @keeeegs

[tonguetiedraven]

please can you reccomend your favourite book of all time?!!

I don't think I have a favorite book of all time... I have a lot of books I've loved that have helped me through things (escapism for the win!) and a lot of books that I have come back to over the years, but I can recommend a few different kinds I've really enjoyed :D

Fantasty:

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein

Since I was fourteen, I have re-read The Lord of the Rings every year at Christmas. It's a weird tradition I have, and it does not feel like Christmas unless I've read it. I love the melancholy in the story, and how they all strive towards the 'good' even though none of them really believe it'll work. There's an incredible loyalty and hope in that story, and something about fighting even when your own defeat seems inevitable always appealed to me. It made me look at my own situations with a bit more hope and determination. If they could keep striving on, so could I.

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

This is another favorite of mine <3 If you've seen Disney's "The Black Cauldron" that movie was inspired by the fun series, and had a bit from most of the books in it. It's based off of Welsh mythology, which does not get near enough recognition in the fantasy world. The characters are fun, Eilonwy inspired me so much as a child, and Fflewddur Fflam--a bard with a magical harp that tattles on you when you tell a lie-- was the inspiration for my first D&D character.

Terry Pratchett

Literally anything by Terry is gold. His humor is terrific, his characterizations gold, and his worlds enrapturing. At least to me :)

The Last Unicorn and The Overneath by Peter S. Beagle.

What if a Unicorn suddenly realized it was the only one? What if said unicorn, who has no idea what humans and the world is like, went to see if she could find her family? What if she met a inept magician and fell in love with a prince along the way? A fantastic story that looks at what it is to be human and mortal, through the eyes of an immortal unicorn who has never known regret. The Overneath is a continuation of the story, specifically for Schmedrick, and is tragically less known than it's counter part. Beagle is a master at whimsical melancholy, and those two things go together wonderfully with him.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Presumably, if you're following me, you enjoy Blue Exorcist. This book has demons (called djinn) and the narrator is the sassiest demon to ever exist. His name is Bartimaeus and I adore him. Stroud is fantastic at building scenes and settings, his characters are fun, and you will care so dang much about the snarky demon and enjoy a fun (and surprisingly emotional) adventure. It's a trilogy too, and all the more fun for it.

Horror

The Haunting of Hill House

I adore Shelly Jackson, and I've read most of her published works. She is a queen of unreliable narrators and unsettling atmospheres. This book is of a haunted house, and you're left wondering in the end if the house was truly haunted, or the narrator was. We have always lived in the castle is another excellent read by her. She also does a lot of short stories, and I cannot recommend those enough.

Fiction

The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett

I love flowers and plants, and have filled my home with them. When I was little, I had a little patch in our back yard that I struggled desperately with to grow a few daisies. I used to love to sit out there and read this story and imagine creating my own secret garden. It's a wonderful story of broken people healing broken people. The protagonist is never quite nice, and I love that about her. I love that her rough ways are what allow her to help with the other broken people around her, and that you don't always have to be sweet and gentle to help.

Watership Down by Richard Adams

I have never cried so hard over bunnies. I cannot sing enough praises to the world building in this story. The characters are real, but they feel like rabbits. And you will marvel at how much you will care about each of these creatures, and how hearing that a rabbit stopped running will completely gut you.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck just wows me with this book. How he manages to take two simple ideas--Cain and Abel and the good brother verse the cursed brother -- and Timshel. The idea that if thou mayest, thou mayest not. (aka, if you can do something good, you can also do something bad. The choice is entirely yours not God's.) It's an incredible work following a family line and studying brothers through generations as they struggle through the familiar story.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

First, I have never seen a film version of this story, because I so adore the book and I know I would make a miserable partner to watch it with xD I have seven different versions of this books around my house, and I reread it every year. It was the first long book I read on my own, and I adore the sisters in it. I had never read a character quite like Jo, and it was amazing to me that there was a young tomboy who got angry, wasn't as pretty as her sisters, loved to make up stories, and wanted to do something incredible that no one could quite understand. I adore this story, even if the part with Beth breaks my heart every time.

These are just a few of the ones I've loved, but if you have a specific genre, or a sort of thing you enjoy reading, let me know and I'll see if I have any recommendations along those lies :D

Thank you for the ask, and happy reading!

[toxikbubblegum]

May Reading Wrap Up

I'm actually really proud of myself. I finished 13 books last month. Spent a lot of extra time away from screens and focusing on my mental health so I burned through way more than I normally would. So anyways, here's my reviews. - Also please understand that these are just my opinions and if I shit on your favorite book I'm sorry that I didn't enjoy it as much as you. Also, also Im terrible with character names.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor ⭐⭐⭐

I actually started this book at the end of April but didn't finish it til May 1st so whatever, here it is. This books is a YA urban fantasy novel about a girl with a double life. She spends half her days studying art in Europe and the other half running errands for a tooth collecting wish monger. I don't want to say a whole lot more because I dont want to spoil anything important about the plot. So, I'll try to be vague. Let me start by saying this story is amazing. I loved the writing and the world. I rated it so low solely because I can't stand the two main characters and it really dragged down what would have otherwise been an amazing novel. So yeah, great book but its a preference thing. Also took points off for the insta-love but not really insta-love shit. Idk. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this read even a month later. Gonna read the second to see if maybe my hatred of the two mains was just a fluke.

3/5 Stars

Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins

⭐⭐⭐

This is the third book in the Hex Hall trilogy. Not much to say about it. It was a meh ending to an overall pretty good series. 3/5 stars. Moving on.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

⭐⭐⭐

Realizing now how many of my reads this month were pretty middle of the world. Hopefully next month will be filled with 4 and 5 stars. Anyways, this book was honestly a struggle for me to finish and Im not sure why. It's a YA mystery magical realism story about a tiny coastal town that is cursed by the spirits of 3 sisters who were suspected of witchcraft and drowned 2 centuries prior. Because of this, every year the sisters return from the sea to take the lives of teenage boys by luring them to the sea. We follow the life of kind of meh and standard YA girl #1. She meets a strange non tourist boy and hires him to work in the lighthouse her family owns. Her dad randomly disappeared years ago and her mom is a loon. So yeah... I dont know. I kind of felt like this story was hot garbage in places. I usually dont have any trouble with the suspense of disbelief in magical realism stories but this one just had too many plot holes. Like, I get morbid stuff becomes tourist attractions but why wouldn't someone have stepped in and evacuated the town if at least 3 teenage boys die there EVERY SINGLE YEAR without fail? I honestly feel like the FBI or some other government agency would have cleared the place out after the first 20 or so deaths. There was also the whole MC can see the ghosts of the girls possessing people but chooses not to tell anyone? Like, I get it. You dont want people to label you a freak or think you're crazy but come the fuck on. You live in a tourist trap where people flock to watch local teenage males wash up on shore and you really think the authorities arent going to take you up on the help? It wasn't an awful book by any means. It was well written and extremely descriptive. Just had major beef with some of the details. Anyways, I wont say much more so I don't spoil the whole book.

3/5 Stars

An Enchantment of Ravens by Maragret Rogerson

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finally, I get to talk about one of my favorite reads of the month. I love anything to do with the Fae in my YAfiction and this was literally everything I wanted in a Fae novel. It takes place in a town called Whimsy, a humanish town in the world of Faerie. The fae cannot do any Craft, or what we would consider craftsmanship. Art and humans who can do it well are very precious in this world because the Fae can't ever do it themselves. We follow the adventures of a girl who has been commisioned to paint the portrait of the Autumn King and the chaos that ensues. Let me just start by saying this is one of those insta-love situations where I feel like it's genuinely ok. I might be making excuses because I loved the title so much but whatever. It's explained and I accept it. Also, I realize that Gadfly had a lovely description but my brain willl not let me picture him as anything but Mr.Waternoose from Monsters Inc.

5/5 Stars

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

⭐⭐⭐

This book started out so good and went downhill very quickly. It follows the story of these two magicians who were fated by their Master's to one day fight to the death. There were so many things I loved about this book only for the last 100 pages to just take a firey dump on my face. I loved the setting and the majority of the characters. The supporting characters were so deep and interesting that I almost cared more about them than I did Ceilia and Marko (Im proabably wrong and I dont feel like googling but I think that was his name) . I don't know. I don't want to complain about anymore meh books.

3/5 Stars

Matched by Allie Condie

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Went into this book expecting to hate it. I usually don't like contemporary love stories but this had major City of Ember meets The Giver vibes and it just appealed to that 14 year old girl in me again. That seems to happen with a lot of dystopian utopia stories. Anyways, story is about a girl who lives in this town where when you hit a certain age you are brought to a place and told who the government has chosen for you to marry. She is matched with her life long best friend and all is well. Except that her little Get To Know Your New Husband microship thing showed her two guys instead of just one. And lots of bullshit ensues. I honestly think I rated this so high because I enjoy the world and not so much whats actually happening to the kids. Like, I loved the idea that art is harmful so the government chose 100 acceptable pieces and thats all these people know. I loved the brutality of the government in general. I can't say much more without spoiling some of the twists but geez did it have me hooked. I'm going to be started the second one soonish, though my TBR for June has gotten intense so we will see.

4/5 stars

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It is so fucking good! Not going to rant about it or anything because y'all just need to go read it immediately.

5/5 stars

Would give it every star in the sky if Im being completely honest.

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

⭐⭐

Got sucked into this book by the cover and honestly that was the best part of this book. Its about this world where necromancy is pretty highly regarded and used to resurrect the royals after they die. The only downside is that if a living person ever lays eyes on the resurrected person's skin then they turn into these horrible monsters. Maybe it's just me but like that absolutely does not seem worth the risk. Plus, in order to bring the person back, these reapers have to go into the death world and bring the spirit back. And it's HELLA DANGEROUS. So like, WHY? Anyways, there is this stupid underlying love story that I absolutely wasn't invested in. This just all around was not a good book.

2/5 stars

Monster High by Lisi Harrison

⭐⭐

Little known fact~ I'm obsessed with Monster High and Ever After High. So yeah, I realize this wasn't targeted to me as an adult but even going into it with an open mind I was disappointed. Granted I didn't read the description of the book prior. I just saw this franchise I love and grabbed it. First, if you are a fan of the mini series and the movies do not read this. It doesnt follow the cinematic canon and I think that was my biggest problem with it. Frankie's character was all wrong and I hated the whole"Normy" cast. Was really excited for these but I definitely won't be continuing the series. I don't even want to torture myself with seeing how they manage to ruin my sweet baby Draculara.

2/5 stars

Unhinged by AG Howard

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I can't say enough good things about this series. This is the second book in the trilogy and it was a fanatstic bridge book. It had me engrossed through the entire audiobook. Morpheus is still everything. If you loved Splintered I would highly reccomend continuing.

5/5 stars

Truthwitch

⭐⭐

Have had this on my TBR for a while because of how many Booktubers have hyped the series. Buy, was I disappointed. I was soooooooooo bored. Maybe it's because I don't really enjoy this type of fantasy or maybe it was just the slower paced story but I just slugged through this book. Both of the main female characters were bland to me and I didn't care about their friendship. The world was cool but not enough to keep me invested. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

2/5 stars

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

⭐⭐⭐

Picked this up because of how much I loved The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein and it didn't meet my expectations. It follows this girl who works for a paranormal gorvenment group. She has a special ability that makes her really useful to them so they are trying to groom her basically. They capture this changeling and she befriends him and there is an overarching plot that I just didn't get invested in. The friendship between the two main characters was pretty much the only thing that I enjoyed in this title. The mother figure was insufferable and I just didn't really understand the whole org that they worked for in general. Not an awful book but not fantastic.

Solid 3/5 stars.

The Siren by Kiera Cass

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Going to preface this by saying I might be biased. I love Kiera Cass and have enjoyed almost everything she has written. That said, this wasn't nearly as good as The Selection series but it was a pretty good stand alone novel. It about a girl who becomes a siren on her deathbed and spends the next 100 years serving the sea by luring people to their deaths. After doing this for 70 years, she falls in love and pretty much ruins everything. Loved the characters, especially the male lead. The insta love was a little pet peeve of mine but the love interest was so sweet and genuine that I was willing to overlook it. Pretty good read if you dig supernatural romance.

4/5 stars

June holds the Ghibli-a-thon but also lots of holidays for my family so we will see how much I actually get read. So far my tentative TBR is 5 books but we will see where the days take me.

[lemonjamblog-blog]

Why I love Amanda Palmer

“Necks are cracking sideways, hit me from the back side, I am on the white side, you are on the black side”

One of my earliest memories- and one of the most random memories I have- is dancing around to Gravity by The Dresden Dolls, mumbling the words until the whole white side/black side part, because that was really the only thing my 3 year old mind could comprehend at the time. All I knew back then was that I liked the way it sounded, and I loved to dance to this song. 13 years later, I’m still jamming to that song, and dancing with the same skill level my younger self had.

Amanda Palmer has been a very constant voice in my household. My parents love her music, my dad introducing my mom to the Dresden Dolls. When Palmer broke off into her own solo music, we stuck around and have been enjoying her music since.

I started listening to her on my own when Theatre is Evil was relatively new. I remember listening to Olly Olly Oxen Free on my little Disney MP3 player every single day on the bus. As much as my 10 year old self overplayed that song, it still remains my favorite off the record. Coming in a close second is Trout Heart Replica, and third would be The Killing Type. This time of my life was really when I started listening to music on my own, rather than in my parent’s car, and I’m glad Theatre is Evil is one of the first albums I indulged in.

2014. Her song Ukulele Anthem inspired my mom to buy her own little 20 dollar purple ukulele, one which I was not supposed to touch. I still did though, and eventually showed my mom I learned how to play the song that started it all. Since she, in her own words, has no musical talent, gave me the ukulele. I learned so many songs on that little thing. When I was 13 I got another uke, which got broken when some kid with the IQ of the end piece in a loaf of bread pushed me. My parents were angry, but they got me another one. I’m forever grateful for that, because now it’s my main ukulele. A mint green Makala named Collin Johnny, after the Greenwood brothers from Radiohead. My purple one is named Amanda Dorothy, after Amanda Palmer and Dodie Clarke. I learned all of Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under, and still know most of those songs.

Then, 2019 came. There Will be no Intermission dropped. The first song I heard was Voicemail for Jill, and I sat and cried. I cried a LOT for someone who hasn’t had to experience an abortion, which was what the song is about. The raw emotion and heart put into that song is truly amazing. Then, I finally listened to the whole album. I listened to Machete over and over and over again. It’s a beautiful and powerful song about Amanda and her late best friend, Anthony. The song reminds me of my belated friend, who committed suicide in January of 2017. Though it’s a different situation, it still makes me think of her, and gives me some hope and helps me keep our memories alive through music.

On March 21st I was lucky enough to get to see Palmer perform live on her solo tour. She started off the show with her song Judy Blume, and immediately tears were pouring out of my eyes. I was seeing my role model play live. It was crazy. She told us stories of being a teenager, abortions, visiting a prison, and about her kid. We got a really emotional story about her first abortion and all that, then she played her really fun song Oasis. The subject of the song definitely isn’t fun, but it’s totally a rockin song. That concert made me experience a range of emotions, and it was beautiful.

Then, she played Machete. I cried every last tear out of my body. It was amazing. When the song ended, it was silent except for my mom thanking her and me completely breaking down sobbing. I still cannot believe that moment was real. She stood up when she was playing, she got so into it, and I was just completely awe-struck.

She told us a story about how she had a miscarriage in her hotel room in a freezing cold night. It was very sad, but she followed this up by playing Let it Go from Frozen. It was the funniest thing that I’ve ever seen. My parents were cracking up, and people were looking at them like psychos, but they didn’t seem to care. It was HILARIOUS, especially given I have a younger sister who would literally play that movie 3 times a day for a solid year once we got it on DVD.

That concert also gave me a chance to meet a very sweet lady from Planned Parenthood, as they had a booth set up there. Emily, if you’re reading this, thank you for existing. You rock. I got some cool PP gear and proudly wear my pins on my backpack walking around my high school in my relatively conservative hometown.

So basically, Amanda Palmer changed my life. She’s super open, emotional, and quite frankly does not care what people think of her, and that’s very admirable to me. She’s one of the reasons I’m able to fight for what I care about, because that’s what she does and she makes me feel like I can do the same.

Here are some songs I’d reccomend by her

Machete

Drowning in the Sound

Another Year

Olly Olly Oxen Free

Trout Heart Replica

The Killing Type

Strength Through Music

In My Mind

Bad Wine and Lemon Cake

Also, if you can, I highly reccomend reading her book The Art of Asking and checking out her TED talk, which can be found on YouTube.

[hollyplays]

Top Ten Movies of 2018

Alright. Now that it’s *checks watch* March 14th, I’m ready to give you my top ten movies of last year. I know, it’s absurdly late, but a lot of the big movies didn’t show in my theater so I had to wait til they hit digital or blu-ray to see them. Hell, there’s some I still haven’t seen. We’re all doing our best, right?

(I’m gonna spare you the “sorry for how long its been”. you know how long its been and how sorry i am by now. <3)

#10- Eighth Grade

You can tell this is gonna be a good list, because a movie this good is at the bottom. Eighth Grade is a hard, brilliant time capsule of a time in our lives we all do our best to black out. It speaks eloquently and simply about the effect social media has on the process of maturing without sounding like an after-school special for baby boomers. It’s phenomenal on a technical level as well- the cinematography is gorgeous and the soundtrack is immersive and haunting. I cannot reccomend Eighth Grade enough. (Nor can I spell recommend properly, apparently.)

#9- Hereditary

This movie fucked me up. I don’t have the biggest tolerance for horror (which I’m working on!) but typically a jumpscare movie like Sinister doesn’t do much for me afterwords. Hereditary had me on edge for days. You should absolutely go watch this movie wrapped up in a blanket, and you should absolutely read the doesthedogdie.com page for it so you’re completely prepared. Because trust me- you do not know what is going to happen.

#8- Thunder Road

Thunder Road had my number one spot for a long time, but there’s so many other excellent movies this year. I expected this movie to make me cry, but I didn’t expect it to hit me as hard as it did. Thunder Road is a fantastic indie movie with a fantastic cast and script. Jim Cummings delivers a picture-perfect performance.

#7- Roma

Roma is so hard to rank among the other movies, because I know it’s going to be a part of the film “canon” for years. Alfonso Cuaron is an excellent director, but I didn’t get into any of his other films as much as I enjoyed Y Tu Mama Tambien. Roma changed that. It is hauntingly beautiful, especially for black and white. It’s engineered to make you crave color, to make you crave depth from it’s characters and it’s scenery, and it delivers hard. Roma was so interesting and striking I wanted to do research on it after it was done. That’s some hardcore shit.

#6- First Reformed

My first Paul Schrader. (Far from my first Ethan Hawke, though. That man can get it.) This is one that haunts me, too. Every time I see some shit about Jeff Bezos’ wealth growing or workers being exploited, I hear Ethan Hawke’s voice in my head saying “Will god forgive us?”. This was especially striking to me as someone well-versed in the teachings and customs of Christianity. Planning a rewatch soon. First Reformed absolutely deserves it.

#5- BlacKkKlansman

I was nervous to watch this one, and I’m not sure why now. I think I had it in my head it wouldn’t be very good? I don’t know why I thought that. Spike Lee is good, and it’s no surprise that this movie is also quite good. John David Washington should be the next Batman. This movie doesn’t break the fourth wall so much as it glides through it like a permeable membrane. Casting Alec Baldwin as the KKK spokesman in the beginning of the movie is brilliant- Spike Lee knows you associate him with Trump thanks to SNL, and it forces you to both recontextualize what he’s saying with modernity, but also to recontextualize what Trump is saying with the horrible history of his rhetoric. And then that ending, jesus christ. There is exactly one (1) feel-good moment. Everything else is designed carefully to make sure you know- nothing has changed.

#4- Sorry To Bother You

Okay, from #6 on you cannot hold me responsible for how I rank things. Everything is so close to everything else. It’s all so good. Please do not yell at me in the comments.

Sorry to Bother You is fucking amazing. Everything about it is phenomenal. The script is tight, funny, depressing satire. The dialogue is believable and surreal. The cast is incredible. The soundtrack is wonderful. I could watch this movie forever. Don’t read any spoilers for it. Don’t look up anything. Just watch it.

#3- Blindspotting

Blindspotting was the only movie on this list that had me genuinely sobbing and shaking in fear. Blindspotting on paper should not work, but it works so, so well. Diggs and Casal fucking kill it. Blindspotting has so much to say about gentrification and the justice system and parole and it says it so eloquently. It’s so hard to rank Blindspotting next to Sorry to Bother You and BlacKkKlansman because they’re all such exceptional movies, but Blindspotting’s visceral third act keeps it a touch above the others.

#1- Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse

Spider Verse is the perfect superhero movie. It stands so triumphantly above the rest of the comic book movie canon. And I love superhero movies! Everything about Spider Verse is to be commended. The writing is fucking impeccable. The first act is devastating. The character work is phenomenal, especially for a film that literally shoves three spider-people at you in a single scene.

That’s to say nothing of the absolute visual treat that Spider-Verse is. The animation is like nothing I’ve ever seen. The colors are striking and blended so perfectly.

Spider Verse is a superhero movie, but it’s also a visually enthralling artistic masterpiece. It’s tied for me for the best movie of 2018.

#1- The Favourite

I hated The Lobster. I thought Killing of a Sacred Deer was a solid 8/10. But The Favourite is so, so far above Yorgos Lanthimos’ other work.

The cinematography is amazing. I never thought I’d enjoy a fish-eye lens in a movie, but it works so well here to distort your perspective of these people’s home and lives.

Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Colman are all amazing. Any one of them could’ve won Best Actress.

The Favourite is a movie about lesbian love. It never feels voyeuristic- even when scenes where it by all rights should- or fetishistic. It never objectifies lesbian sex or romance.

The script is amazing. The dialogue is smart and complex and simultaneously understandable. It never feels stuffy or forced.  It’s often laugh-out-loud funny.

I was /not/ prepared for how good The Favourite is. I don’t think you are, either.

So that’s my top ten movies of 2018! I’ve got something special in the pipeline for you, so look out for that soon!

[rooftops-are-for-towels]

WAHOO LETS GO

THREE SHIPS: UHHHH i don't really have three right now i don't think but ones ive enjoyed reading recently are bushmedicine (tf2), ashton & orym (and anyone else) from critical role campaign 3! but the first ones cause i found a really good fic series and the second is one because it has my favorite guys... haven't genuinely shipped in awhile, i just enjoy whatever comes with my favorite characters ^-^

FIRST SHIP: this requires me to remember my first fandom tbh.... i think before anything my introduction to shipping and fandom culture was like, either one piece or homestuck, and im gonna go with one piece because im not ready to face the past. and the ship would have been zosan, i think! more from exposure than anything

LAST SONG: listening through albums right now, so my current one is mouth of the devil by mother mother❤️

LAST MOVIE: uhhh. cinderella man because it was playing in class? last movie i CHOSE to watch was avatar 2. loved the fishies, never saw the first movie. i don't really watch movies!

CURRENTLY WATCHING: ive been putting on critical role in the background for awhile! no actual shows though

CURRENTLY READING: i JUST started "Not So Much, Said The Cat" by Michael Swanwick and just finished "So You Want To Be A Robot" by Merc A. Rustad (or Merc Fenn Wolfmoor) after saving the last chapter for a week or two, and i cannot reccomend that book enough.

CURRENTLY CONSUMING: Music. Cereal-flavored mucus. More music. Ideas.

CURRENTLY CRAVING: been wanting to eat some tomato soup with fried onions for awhile but for once we're out of soup instead of fried onions... it's a cruel world out here

tagging? NONE!!! join in..... these are fun

ooh fun thx for the tag @camelots-daffodil <3

three ships: imma go with the first three that came to mind which are merthur, wangxian, damen x laurent (no there's no pattern here what are you talking about)

first ship: oh god uhh my brain is insisting astrid x des from the waterfire saga which is really random but possibly accurate... the first ship that i properly shipped might have been wesper, if memory serves

last song: charmer by stray kids

last movie: wakanda forever, while waiting for a rescheduled flight two weeks ago lmao

currently watching: gap the series

currently reading: frankenstein for school and loaded march on ao3

currently consuming: food? none i need to go have breakfast lol

currently craving: oh nothing much. the english countryside. some faith in humanity (beyond tumblr ofc bc i love this community). to be free of obligations. an answer to the riddle of gobekli tepe. a good poke bowl. XD

and i shall tag (no pressure): @night-minstrel @i-was--more @constellies @cookies-and-trees @heythereamigos @writersandpoetsunited @muddshadow @hermioneismyrealname @idk anyone lol

[mari13606]

Thanks for the tag!

Favorite color!- Hard to decide, but probably the teal of the ocean on a calm day or blood red.

Currently Reading!- Home Is Where Vital Systems Are Most Accessible- a fanfic by Gekuu9 that Im trying to catch up on.

Last song!- i think its called Sleeping Giants by the Crane Wives. Very good song.

Last series!- The touchstone trilogy! Cannot reccomend it enough!

Last Movie!- The Martian, honestly the book is better but the movie isnt half bad!

Sweet, Savory, Spicy!- Sweet usually! Though sometimes I'll get a hard craving for savory or spicy.

Currently working on!- Expressions of the Soul, but I might work on a dragon rider thing later.

Open tags, anyone can reblog and add on Im just tagging a few people here!

@agtemisblog @thebeatlesownmyheart @alexseanchai @honeyypumpkin

Hope you all are doing well, apologies if you already got tagged, and I wish you all a magnificent day!

tysm for the tag @yoditorian 💙💙💙

Favourite Colour: green! (mint, sage, forest, etc etc)

Currently Reading: trying to catch up on my ever-growing to-read list of fanfic (and failing)

Last Song: first of may by jonathan coulton

Last Series: the book of boba fett, central park

Last Movie: no time to die

Sweet, Savoury, Spicy: savory

Currently working on: finishing up a Frankie drawing

zero pressure tags: @thosewickedlovelies, @radiowallet , @mandocrasis, @lovelypastel2532, and anyone else interested

[fluffmonger]

If you enjoy Neil gaiman, I also reccomend Neverwhere. Richard Mayhew lives a normal life, until he finds a mysterious girl, bleeding and hunted and decides to help her. Because he helps her he finds himself thrown into a strange different world, his old life replaced, and his new mission below London itself. Darker, but very much has that fairytale sorta vibe, a very solid read.

If you dig Tolkien and that atmosphere, and dig books about animals, I reccomend Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams. The story is about a young cat, Fritti Tailchaser, who, when his friend goes missing decides to undergo a quest to find her. The story weaves a beautiful atmosphere surrounded by myths and stories of the cats themselves, and sometimes other creatures. It reads more fantastical than Watership Down (also excellent if you want a grounded story centered on myths), and more mystical and grown up than Warrior Cats. Not a very well known book but very excellent all the same.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. "The Unicorn lived in a lilac wood and she lived all alone." An absolutely gorgeous and moving story, and one of the best examples in modern lit of the unit sunt motif. The unicorn realises she is the last and decides to quest to find the others, because surely that cannot be true. Also the way she meets many interesting people, and come across many adventures.... And the Red Bull, a frightening and ominous beast. Also has a movie adaptation that, while a bit compressed is very true to the tone and story of the book, being composed mostly of direct quotes from the book. Both are absolute magic and imo must reads.

And finally for now (though fairytale style fiction is one of my great lives), The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. A princess decides shes had rather enough of the expectations placed on her by her family, and runs away to be a Dragon's Princess. Very humourous, a lighthearted take on traditional fairytale and fantasy tropes, while doing some very fun stuff in regards to characters and such.

Hi! do you have any recommendations for books with a fairytale/high fantasy vibe? Even if they're super cliche?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik: High fantasy inspired by eastern european fairytales. Agnieszka lives in a village on the edge of a forest filled with dark and evil magic. The only thing protecting the village from being swallowed whole by the forest is the protection of a reclusive wizard known as The Dragon. The Dragon doesn’t ask for much in terms of payments, he just comes down from his tower every few years and takes one of the local girls back to help him with his chores. The only problem: the girls never come back. And tomorrow is choosing day. Honestly I loved this story- it has all the familiarity of a fairy tale but manages to stay exciting and fresh. Definitely eastern european vibes but also reminds me a lot of Howl’s Moving Castle

Naomi Novik has also written Spinning Silver which I haven’t read yet but it looks amazing!

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani: Fairytale vibes abound. Sophie and Agatha live in a village where, every few years, two children are kidnapped and taken to the school for good or the school for evil which are essentially like Hogwarts for kids training to be fairytale heroes and villains. Sophie is the blonde, blue eyed princess whereas Agatha is a moody little emo child but PLOT TWIST, Sophie ends up at the school for evil and Agatha at the school for good. Will they survive their classes? Will they be able to switch back? Was it maybe not a mistake after all??? I’ll be honest I liked the premise of this one more than the execution- the pacing was a little off and tbh 500 pages is a lot for the first book of the series. I enjoyed it, not enough to continue with the series, but a lot of people love it so I’d say it’s worth giving it a shot!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E.Schwab: lmao sorry I recommend this book all the time but I’m rereading the series at the moment and it’s just SO GOOD! So… London. Great city amiright? What if I told you there wasn’t just one London, but four? Grey London in our own mundane world, Red London where the river flows like a beating heart of magic, White London that’s become ashen with magic’s corrupting power, and Black London which magic consumed and destroyed many years ago. Kell is one of the last powerful magicians with the ability to travel between worlds and technically acts as the royal messenger, but he’s also got a sneaky side hustle smuggling magical objects across the borders. Eventually Kell’s rule breaking catches up with him and it’s down to him and cross-dressing pickpocket Delilah Bard to stop his mistakes from destroying the world… all four of them

I’ve only read Howl’s Moving Castle and The Ogre Downstairs but honestly any Diana Wynne Jones is probably great! Neither of the above are technically high fantasy but they have such an enchanting feel to them and definitely give me fairytale vibes. They’re just a lot of fun, cute, and easy to read

Stardust by Neil Gaiman: Tristran is in love (awww) and lucky for him, the girl he’s besotted with has promised that she’ll marry him if he can bring her back a fallen star. Easy, right? Only problem is the star fell on the other side of The Wall which separates Tristran’s village from the faerie world beyond. But Tristran’s a brave lad and makes the journey over The Wall into the unknown world beyond, but a star is a precious thing and he soon discovers he’s not the only one who’ll do whatever it takes to find it. Great book, great movie, immersive fairytale atmosphere, and overflowing with imagination