#summer isn’t my favourite but you do you tolkien

[inthehouseoffinwe]

Something just hit me, what do you think is Tolkien's "summer" in "kind-as-summer"??? Bcs Elrond is kind but.....summer??? Why summer? What is summer for Tolkien bcs I think "spring" - with the way he is usually characterized as "ever-kind-ever-wonderful" should be a better metaphor?

I live in a country that only has summer (and the occasional rain), no winter/autumn(unless u count the hotter dryer times)/spring, and I CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT AC!!! In four seasoned countries summer is beaches and vacations. But I don't see the joy in sunbathing when the sun is ALWAYS ON ME! Summer is humid and hot, no clouds to block the hot rays, sweat everywhere (not to mention being in a crowded space).

So "kind-as-summer". Summer is time with most sun, usually good for agriculture, but too much is too little rain, kills those greeneries. Maybe it actually means, Elrond is kind yea, but he sure as hell knows when to pull out his sword - he's knows his self-worth and knows how to not let ppl take adv of his kind heart.

(Love the idea that Elrond's - and Elros's - calmer/whimsical Sindarin roots are balanced with the Noldoran *cough* Feanorian *cough* fiery spirit : remember there's forest fire, but also candle-fire, camp-fire, and hearth-fire)

Hi!! Thanks sending this in! ^^

Ok so I feel like Tolkien was going from what he knew best - English summers.

Especially back then, the only months with truly warm temperatures where people could actually go out and have fun would have been summer months (June-August.) It was probably the only pleasant time of the year with warm breezes and the surroundings finally full of greenery. Idk much about agriculture but I think crops rely on the summer sun and dryer temperatures to properly grow. There’s more danger of a too wet summer than too dry or hot and it causes all kinds of problems. Generally summer is the most gentle and giving season.

Springs meanwhile are cold, stormy, and generally damp. It’s not warm enough for children to play or families to go out without precaution (coats, umbrellas, gloves even.) The sun doesn’t come out for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. The wind is cold enough to freeze you inside out for most of it. The days are still fairly short until May. Plants start growing and you see blossoms but most of them are short lived. It’s not a very kind season tbh.

(Ofc climate change and all that means weather’s going haywire so I’m going by early-mid 1900s England climate which is something I have briefly researched and would’ve been Tolkien’s experiences.)

BUT I love your analysis and it makes total sense for Elrond to be described as Summer for his fire too, hidden away but strikes hard and fast when needed as an all encompassing fire. Only takes a spark to start a forest fire right?

No matter how kind summer is, there’s an inherent fierceness and danger to it.

Just like no matter how kind Elrond is, if you push too far… well. You won’t like what you find. This guy survived some of the most dangerous periods of the First and Second Age for a reason.

(And I love your idea of the whimsical and fiery spirits encased in Elrond! The comforting fire of the Last Homely House, inviting people in away from danger and cold, mixed with the inherently joyous surroundings of laughter and playful teasing we see in the wood elves as a whole! And ofc the pure magical feeling that we definitely would’ve seen in places like Doriath to make that whimsical setting that takes all your stress away. Elrond’s infused it into his realm, he’s really the best mix of it all.)

[thevalleyisjolly]

I tend to be extremely picky and judgmental about depictions of Elrond in Tolkien adaptations, in no small part because he’s my favourite character and I am, if nothing else, an Opinionated™ person.  But, because he is my favourite, I feel like it’s only fair to the spirit of the character to try to be a little less judgmental and a lot more gracious.  Therefore, here are things I like about the different Elronds of screen!

The Hobbit, 1977 (Rankin/Bass)

Absolutely iconic character design.  I laughed my head off when I first watched this as a child, but looking back on it now, I kind of like it!  Definitely not remotely anywhere near his canonical appearance, but I love the interpretation of a crown of stars, A+++ (even if it gives the impression that he’s suffering from a permanent concussion), and kudos to them for giving Elrond a beard!  I am a big proponent of Elrond choosing to grow a beard, it’s one of my favourite headcanons.  Hush Tolkien, he’s Peredhel, he can grow a beard if he wants to.  I don’t remember anything about how his actual character was adapted because I was about 8 the one and only time I watched this film, but I gotta hand it to them, the character design is very creative and I do have a soft spot for 2D animation.

The Lord of the Rings, 1978 (Bakshi)

Alright, so he has a relatively small role and the character design definitely isn’t much to sneeze at, but damn, that voice!  Like a warm knife through butter, but also something that makes you really get what a Voice of Power might sound like.  “I will not touch it!”  Props to André Morell, he really Went Off on the handful of lines he got.

The Lord of the Rings, 2001-2003 (Jackson)

Cards on the table, while these movies are my absolute favourite movies of all time, I’ve never liked what they did with Elrond’s character in relation to the Aragorn and Arwen storyline.  However, I do get why they did it, and in the context of the story they’re telling, it works.  He fills a specific role for the type of character journey that this film’s Aragorn is on, and if you judge that storyline on its own, independent of source material, it works for what it is - a reluctant hero who needs a strict mentor/parent figure to challenge him to really think about who he is, who he wants to be, and what he really wants.  It’s not a creative decision that I personally would have made if I were on the production team, I’m not a fan at all of the decision to pursue this particular type of storyline, but spilled milk and all that.

Apart from the character’s changed role in the story, Hugo Weaving does a great job of portraying Elrond as someone’s who’s lived a long life, that famous “in his face was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful” descriptor.  There’s a reason why “I was there, Gandalf.  I was there 3000 years ago” has lasting power as a meme - his delivery of that line resonates with this weight and you just can’t forget it.  Also, his face in ROTK during the coronation after he tells Arwen to go to Aragorn is heartbreaking and so good. 

The Hobbit, 2012-2014 (Jackson)

This is my favourite on-screen Elrond thus far, so this will be more like a small essay. I say this wholeheartedly, Elrond in The Hobbit trilogy is the closest any screen adaptation has come thus far to capturing his character from the books.  You got the “kind as summer” in his interactions and burgeoning friendship with Bilbo, you feel that warmth and the fondness in his interactions with Gandalf, the big hug of greeting and the gentle teasing and even how they can disagree with each other on pretty major issues but still walk side by side as friends. 

You got the “wise as a wizard...venerable as a king of dwarves,” most evident in the plot scenes where he’s reading secret maps and participating in important councils, but also just in the way he moves around Rivendell with that measured self-assurance.  Sure, his guests might be starting food fights, breaking furniture, or arguing with White Wizards about the necessity of investigating necromantic activity, but surprise Morgul blades aside, he never really loses his composure beyond a *deep sigh* or a mildly judgmental look of ‘Really?’  He’s not bothered by people showing him a lack of respect, and he’ll extend them hospitality all the same.  Wise and venerable indeed.

They even got his flaws, and I’m pretty happy with the way they adapted that one line from the book, “he did not altogether approve of dwarves and their love of gold.”  Not a great line, of course, and people are probably right in saying that Tolkien had not fully developed his idea of the character yet so it should be taken with a grain of salt, but I like that they kept him having reservations about the Quest, and translated it into something a little less racist (although the casual ableism still isn’t great) by making his disapproval more akin to “the eyes of the great are elsewhere” and so he fails to consider the personal significance of the Quest to the Company.

Because he’s heard of the history that Thorin’s family has with gold sickness, he’s concerned about messing with sleeping dragons, he’s suspicious of Gandalf’s motives for encouraging the quest because he views it as a level of geopolitical interference that none of them have a right to, and all these big overarching factors means he does not consider what the Quest means to the Dwarves, what Erebor means as a homeland forcibly snatched away in fire and blood.  It’s a great way to have an organic character flaw, taking what are usually a person’s positive traits (wisdom and caution) and showing how they too can inform flawed decisions or perspectives under the right circumstances.

Also, possibly my favourite underrated element, but I love how much they incorporated “strong as a warrior." From that first entrance, riding back into Rivendell in full armour after destroying an Orc hunting pack, to the Battle of Dol Goldur, holy shit I could talk about that for ages.  The sheer confidence of “You should have stayed dead,” the excellent battle choreography.  He just impaled a Ringwraith through the spine, from behind!  Watch closely, his fights never last more than two or three blows - he goes straight for what would be killing/KO blows on living creatures.  He’s not here to duel or show off fancy sword skills, he’s here to eliminate the threat as quickly and efficiently as possible.  And then of course, there’s that fantastic line, “Sauron must be hunted down and destroyed, once and for all.” 

Love that for him, honestly, it’s what he deserves.  Beyond the circles of the world, Lúthien is eating popcorn and cheering.

Rings of Power, 2022 (that one company, you know the one)

This is the only thing on the list that I haven’t watched at all so bear in mind that everything I’ve heard is secondhand, but I do have to say that I really like how they’re showing Elrond being good friends with Durin and the other Dwarves.  He absolutely would! (that one line in The Hobbit aside)  I’m still not planning on ever watching the show, but credit where credit is due, it’s very sweet to see them get along so warmly and enthusiastically in the gifsets.

[jiangwanyin]

4, 8, 10! You can chose the character you'd prefer for each number, but it they have to be from Tolkien's universe.

oh thank you so much that's perfect!! 💌🌿🍵

4. shopping for formal wear with

fingon hands down!! okay i'm leaning very heavily on fanon here but he's FUN and he's got STYLE and i feel like we'd have a really good time and would end up choosing pretty quickly and then try a bunch of completely ridiculous clothes on too just for the hell of it and then go on to look at jewelry to go with what we bought and he would probably be super sweet and supportive and would motivate me to keep going when i inevitably lost my patience which is bound to happen sooner or later because generally i am not the biggest fan of clothes shopping

fingolfin i think? he'd probably be a lot more chill but i'm convinced he has a good sense of fashion too and i imagine him being very patient and helpful but also more practical and efficient which suits me just fine?

aragorn specifically post-coronation aragorn because i have a feeling his ranger look would get us kicked out of any shop that keeps formal wear, but otherwise he's patient, he's rational, he's good company. i don't think he knows or cares much about fashion but i don't doubt he actually has good taste and i just know he'd wait around for me to try on fifty different pretty suits and dresses

aredhel because i imagine her as both pretty chill and serious enough to get things done but also someone i'd genuinely enjoy hanging out with and although apart from when it comes to sundresses for the summer i rarely go for full white, my style for formal wear is definitely on the more reserved side too so we'd probably agree easily enough on which stores to go to and find clothes for each other that'd actually fit perfectly?

boromir if i was going specifically for a suit, i feel like we'd have a very good sort of brotherly time, he has expensive but practical taste and we'd probably have a laugh and maybe get a little competitive over who finds a good suit jacket first and always swap to see who it fits better and it'd be very chill but i also don't think he's particularly patient so i'd only commit to that if i had a specific shop or style in mind and knew i could choose easily because i think he'd probably want to get going soon once he found something good to wear and he'd be kind enough not to say so but i wouldn't want to be a burden

8. wake up handcuffed to

finrod solely because i love him with my entire heart and i'd trust him and i wouldn't mind hanging out with him even if we were in a bit of a tight spot because i know he'd get us out of whatever mess we're in the moment we found a way out, i just hope it'd have a happier ending than that time with beren did but assuming the circumstances weren't absolutely unbearable i think we'd find a way to actually enjoy it and pass the time discussing philosophy!

i'm actually surprising myself with this one too but maybe bilbo??? he turned out to be a pretty good burgler so i don't doubt he'd somehow manage to steal the keys to the handcuffs and we'd just sneak away

i'm of half a mind to say annatar because he's crafty and can shapeshift but unless he still needed me for some plot he's been manipulating me to help him see through he'd probably just shapeshift out of his handcuffs and leave me there to rot or would be the one who put me in handcuffs to begin with so probably not ideal??

maedhros because he's strong, smart, and strategic so he could probably get us out and he's patient enough, i don't think i'd want to get stuck anywhere with the rest of the fëanorians barring maglor, no matter how much i love them, and we all saw what happened at thangorodrim so even if he can't get us out i trust that fingon would come looking for him sooner or later

aragorn again i think? i'm sorry i'm biased he's been my favourite character since i was 10 but i genuinely think he'd be perfect for this too, again he's a very good problem solver and also good company to just hang out with and would probably keep me from worrying too much about the situation we're in!!

10. to cut and style my hair

ooh okay so the thing is i don't really style my hair like . at all, it's just sort of short and a mess and i like it that way but since i already have a sort of hobbit like haircut, my hair's just not quite as curly i'd definitely trust frodo or sam to cut it for me again and it doesn't even have to be neat or perfect?

but i suppose i'm also not entirely opposed to doing something more fancy with it for a change so i'd love a haircut and some more simple but elegant and pretty braiding by galadriel as well as an opportunity to have a chat with her also about philosophy

it's probably not his primary skill but i think faramir would do a decent job too since my haircut really isn't a big deal and he'd definitely be neat and attentive enough! also again he'd be amazing company.

going for a more fancy look here but i would love to see what melian would make of my hair? 👀 iii don't imagine maiar actually have to cut their hair but she's a good mum and surely knows how to do some really nice braiding so i think she'd do a great job and would probably make it look really shiny and pretty and put a bunch of flowers in it!

can i go with fingon again? i still stand by him having great style and he'd probably put jewelry in it and do all sorts of fancy braids aaand try out all kinds of different hair styles and we'd have an amazing time all around!

give me 5 characters to rank in a situation

[warrioreowynofrohan]

The Leithian Reread - Canto IV

I love the beginning of this canto, all the more so for how Lúthien’s dancing was inspired by Edith Tolkien dancing in a glade in England.

there flitting just before his feet

she gently chid with laughter sweet:

‘Come! dance now, Beren, dance with me!

For fain thy dancing I would see.

Come! thou must wood with nimbler feet...

his limbs were freed; his eyes alight

kindled with a new enchanted sight;

and to her dancing feet his feet

attuned went dancing free and fleet;

his laughter welled as from a spring

of music, and his voice would sing

as voices of those in Doriath...

And to strength the parallels, the moment of Edith’s dancing that Tolkien recalled was in 1917, not long after Tolkien returned from World War I. More than just the dancing itself, the full image of a man emerging from a hell of war that has consumed his friends to find a vision of beauty may be based on Tolkien’s own feelings.

Lúthien and Beren first meet each other for real at the beginning of spring, while the confrontation in Menegroth happens in the middle of summer. So they have had at least three or four months of nightly meetings by that time. While it’s certainly love at first sight, they have also had a decent amount of time to become well acquainted with each other.

A second thing that stands out about this canto is how much understated power there is in Doriath. It’s not displayed or flaunted so much as it is simply part of the realm and its people. Dairon casts a spell of silence upon the whole forest as a reaction to being lovelorn; in other stories this would be some phenomenal thing, some climax of a battle, but here’s it’s just a spurned suitor getting in a snit.

(The kind of song-associated magic we seen in the Leithian, from Daeron and Finrod and Lúthien, makes me wonder about Maglor. He’s named as an exceptional singer, but there is no mention of that ever being associated with this kind of enchantment. My own view is that what Men call ‘magic’ is bourne of an Elvish connection with the world that is far stronger than that of Men [Elves name them the Strangers for a reason]. The spirit and body of elves are also more tightly bound together than those of Men; I think that, for elves, doing evil impairs their connection to the world and reduces their ability to do things Men would regard as magical. We see an example of this far more starkly later in the Leithian, where Celegorm goes from having a unique ability to communicate with animals to being someone whom dogs specifically avoid and will not obey.)

As another illustration of how impressive Doriath is, in Menegroth we see that capturing light in gemstones is a technique known to the Sindar as well, and used to spectacular effect:

There a light

like day immortal and like night

of stars unclouded, shone and gleamed.

A vault of topless trees it seemed,

whose trunks of carven stone there stood

like towers of an enchanted wood

in magic fast forever bound,

bearing a roof whose branches wound

in endless tracery of green

lit by some leaf-imprisoned sheen

of moon and sun, and wrought of gems,

and each leaf hung on golden stems.

The creation of light-gems, then, is not something unique to the Noldor; it’s fairly common in the First Age. In addition to Doriath, it’s also mastered by the dwarves of Khazad-dûm, including capturing light in metal as well as gems (on silver necklaces they strung the flowering stars; on crowns they hung the dragon-fire; in twisted wire, they meshed the light of moon and sun - from Gimli’s song in LOTR). The Silmarils are unique and wondrous because the Treelight they contain has vanished from the world, but the concept of gems containing light is not rare in the time of The Silmarillion.

Continuing on to the plot! Thingol comes across very badly in this canto; in addition to the quest itself, he makes another attempt at using exact words (‘no blade nor chain his limbs shall mar’) to find a loophole that lets him imprison or execute Beren:

Yet captive bound by never a bar,

unchained, unfettered shalt thou be

in lightless labyrinth endlessly

that coils about my halls profound

by magic bewildered and enwound;

there wandering in hopelessness

though shalt learn the power of Elfinesse!

Beren does a splendid job of countering him, both in thus specific moment (‘What are thy mazes but a chain wherein the captive blind is slain? Twist not thy oaths, o elvish king, like faithless Morgoth!’) and in the more famous line in reaction to the Quest of the Silmaril (‘For little price do elven-kings theur daughters sell - for gems and rings and things of gold!’). But I think my favourite line of his here is his farewell to Lúthien, which manages to both be incredibly romantic and throw a tremendous amount of shade at Thingol’s issuing of a bride-price:

‘I will return, not thee to buy

with any jewel in Elfinesse,

but to find my love in loveliness,

a flower that grows beneath the sky.’

A pattern throughout the Leithian is that Beren is really very impressive when confronting elves. It’s only when dealing with powers on the level of Sauron and Morgoth that he’s out of his league, and really, who wouldn’t be?

An additional note on Thingol is the irony of him calling Beren ‘a stranger to both beech and oak’, given what I noted in the previous sections of the reread about Beren’s exceptional woodcraft and close connection with nature. It’s probable that some of those beeches and oaks are his close personal friends by this point! (I’m being literal. Treebeard mentions missing Doriath, and if he went there often it’s likely that there were a fair few Huorns there as well.)

As a final observation, it should be noted that Thingol has zero interest in actually getting a Silmaril; the entirety of his objective is to get rid of Beren (‘if hope there were that Beren should ever living fare to the Thousand Caves once more, I swear he should not ever have seen the air or light of heaven’s stars again’).

I like Melian’s line from The Silmarillion, which does not appear in the poetic version: ‘You have doomed either your daughter, or yourself.’ Either Beren fails in his errand (dies or is captured) and Lúthien dies of heartbreak; or he comes back with a Silmaril, which is disastrous for Doriath. But Thingol isn’t listening: he doesn’t acknowledge the strength and sincerity of Lúthien’s love for Beren, and so doesn’t believe he is doing her any lasting harm; and he never imagines the possibility that the Quest could succeed.

[ncfan-1]

Writer tag game

I was tagged by @anghraine!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

621, though that’s going to jump to 623 once they do reveals on Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

3,253,336! To increase the moment I finally finish Under Observation!

3. What are you top 5 fics by kudos?

They’re all really, really old, which honestly kind of depresses me; nothing I’ve written since them has even touched the level of popularity they have, and I really do think the quality of my writing has improved a lot since then. Every time I sort my fics by kudos, I am reminded that I peaked in popularity back in 2014, and it’s all been downhill from there.

1. When the Truth Gets Out—the bog-standard ‘Gaang finds out how Zuko got his scar’ fic, 11,499 kudos. For real, I’m not sorry that this is my most popular fic, since I do think it’s good, even if it’s clunky by my present standards. I just keep waiting for something else to even remotely approach the level of popularity this fic has achieved, and nothing ever has.

2. Skin Deep—a companion to the above, a missing scene fic detailing Toph finding out Zuko has a scar on his face to start with, 9,888 kudos.

3. Little Lost Spirit—a Natsume Yuujinchou fic that I cannot for the life of me remember what it was about, as I first wrote it when I was in high school, 1,081 kudos.

4. On Forgiveness—a fic with Katara and Zuko talking about Zuko’s mom, 920 kudos.

5. Plans—a very short Mulan fic that I first wrote when I was in high school, 618 kudos.

4. Do you respond to fic or not?

I do try to, but a lot of the time I find that I don’t have the energy for it, even when the comments I get are very interesting and I would like to reply.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

For that, you’d probably have to go back to the literally hundreds of fics I never moved over from my Fanfiction.net account, since I was really in to writing gimdark fic when I was in high school. Of the fics that come to mind on my AO3 account, In the Shadows is the one that stands out the most, since Shizuka suffers her canon fate of dying while being totally disregarded by her family.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Again, I don’t really write fics specifically for them to have happy endings. I do like hopeful endings, or at least endings that involve the possibility of hope, since I’m not in high school anymore and grimdark does not appeal to me anymore. Probably The Festival of Shells, since it’s early enough on in the bliss of Valinor that there isn’t a shadow over anything.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Very, very occasionally. I would definitely say that the weirdest (weird as in you would never think to mesh the two together) crossover I’ve ever written is the one where I transplanted characters from Natsume Yuujinchou into a setting very like that of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I’ve written for unpopular ships in the past, so yes. I got spammed with suicide baiting comments on all of my fics for a particular Naruto ship within the space of about fifteen minutes many years ago. I rolled my eyes and deleted the comments. I also got a rape threat when I was starting out on Fanfiction.net. Fun times.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Very, very, very occasionally. I really, really have to be in the mood for it, there are only a select few ships I can even bring myself to write it for, and the unifying experience is that all of it has been some flavor of dubcon, most of it with fantastical elements involved.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I seem to recall learning years ago that someone had copy-pasted a few dozen of my fics to Goodreads, or something like that. I definitely recall sending a ‘take them down right now’ letter to the site.

(@anghraine, they published yours on Amazon?!)

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have had a few of mine translated to Russian.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I haven’t.

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I have several ships that I move away from and come back to like the tide coming in and out, but right now my biggest one is Aredhel/her freedom. Second is probably Finduilas x Maeglin.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Face to Face, augh. Everybody, say hello to the fic that inspired me to make my rule that I never, ever post a WIP before I have finished writing all of the chapters, because if there is anything I’ve learned about myself, it’s that I get discouraged when I don’t get a lot of feedback, even when it’s for something I know isn’t going to get a whole lot of attention, and it’s better to just finish the fic in its entirety before posting than to risk dropping the whole project and having its unfinished corpse haunt my dreams. Ahem.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I would say characterization and description.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Conflict, most likely. I sometimes hesitate in being as ‘mean,’ for lack of a better term, to characters as the situation really calls for being. I think I pull my punches with them more than I really should, sometimes.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

It can be handled well, but I think that I particularly should not do it, as I do not have a strong enough grasp of the languages my characters would be speaking to make it any better than completely cringeworthy.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The first fandom I ever published fic for was Star Wars. The first fandom I ever wrote fic for, back when I was thirteen, was Teen Titans.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

That varies a lot, but right now, I would say probably Saudade. I’m really proud of it, and I don’t think I’m wrong to be.

Tagging: whoever wants to do it

[oertendahlii]

So a while ago I was tagged by the wonderful @stolligaseptember​ to answer these 10 questions and then come up with 10 new ones.     1. What’s the worst household chore? Vacuuming, I think, it’s tiresome and most importantly, it scares my cats. Oh, and the sound is terribly disturbing to listen to when someone else does it.

2. Three books you think everyone should read? Oh no, this is tough! People have so different taste, the books I enjoy wouldn’t fit everyone. So I think three books I think everyone should read would be quite scientific ones about things I find important. Although I have at least one such book in mind, lets not go there…  

So, instead, here’s three books I think everyone who has a similar taste in books as I should give a go (they’re all very lovely): ”Time stops for no mouse” by Michael Hoeye, the first book in The Hermux Tantamoq Adventures about Hermux, a watchmaker mouse who becomes a detective (it’s for children, but it’s really, really lovely), ”The Hobbit” (J.R.R Tolkien) and ”Britt-Marie was here” (Fredrik Backman).  (Or, pretty much any book by Astrid Lindgren, I can’t really pick).  

3. Even if you’re a terrible baker, what’s your go-to baking choice? Well, if I’ve got plenty of time for baking it’s buns! When there’s less time, then maybe pie (summer and autumn), chocolate balls or kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake). But mostly I just ask my sister or mother if there’s anything special they want, honestly. If I didn’t save it for special occations, cake might have been my go-to choice, because I think planning out, preparing and putting together a cake is my favourite kind of baking.

4. Any favorite candy? Not really actually, not a clear favourite at least. What I’m craving really changes from day to day, and sometimes depends on mood, weather and situation. But chocolate is almost always right.

5. What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Drink water. Or turn of my alarms if I wake up before all of them has gone off.

6. Is there a story behind your name? If not, what does your name mean? I don’t know if it counts as a story, but what I know is that my mom wanted me and my siblings to have more "international" names, rather than common swedish names. Other than that, I guess she just liked it.

7. Favorite song right now? I don’t have one right now, haven’t for quite some time. But considering the fact that pretty much the entire thing is sung, may I say the musical ”Ingvar!”? (thanks for the suggestion, SVT Play, I love it!). That’s pretty much what I’ve been listening to the past days (together with a bit of Kristina från Duvemåla and other musicals).

On a side note: Ingvar! will be avaible on SVT Play (x) for some months, watch it peeps, it’s amazing! It’s in swedish though. Who could have guessed that a musical about Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA would be so very catchy. And just look at this: 

I love the shelf, dynamite and meatball costumes. I only knew of Anders Ekborg and Daniel Engman before watching this, but all the performers are amazing. 8. Best compliment that you’ve ever received? This isn’t the best one, I know that much, but I don’t remember anything else right now, so: last year I worked with pulled sugar for the first (and so far only) time to do a bow for a cake to a friend’s birthday party, and for a split-second someone though it was real, that was fun!

9. If you could spend the day with any historical person of your choice, who would it be? Someone important to the field of conservation biology and/or ecology and/or environmental science I think. Probably Rachel Carson, I mean Silent Spring was revolutionary and so, so important, both considering the use of pesticides but also for raising awareness about nature’s vulnerability to human intervention.  

10. Are you a prisoner of planet earth? I’d say it sometimes feels like planet earth is a prisoner of the human race. (I didn’t get the reference so I googled it and I’ve never heard of the ”prison earth” idea before, if that’s even what you’re after. But no, I don’t think I am). Here’s my questions: 1. Favourite mineral or rock, if you have one, if not: birthstone? 2. What was the last movie or tv show/series you watched and what did you think about it? 3. Favourite jam?  4. Do you prefer deciduous or coniferous forests? Or another kind of forest?  5. Is there any song/movie/tv show that reminds you of a time in your life that you miss sometimes? 6. Do you prefer restaurants or cafés, and why?  7. What would be the perfect picture (for you) for your birth month in a calendar?  8. Favourite instrument to listen to?  9. Have you got any favourite motivational quote(s) or lyrics? If not, any other quote(s) you like?   10. A language you wish you were fluent in?

I tag: @aprilskyforever​ @triplestaff​ @liljakonvalj​ and anyone who want to do it (oh and you, if you wanna do it again September) :)

[sincerelybluevase]

Didn't think all questions from 'Asks' could be proposed, so there you go: all the questions (1 to 96) or as much as you can!

Well thank you, nonny! I shall put these under a cut. 

(1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed? Closed, because you never know what might be in there!

(2) Do You Have Freckles? I wish I did, but alas! My sisters do have them so jealous much. 

(3) Can You Whistle? I can, but I can’t carry a tune I’m afraid. 

(4) Last Song You Listened To. Almost by Hozier. 

(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour? It’s a tie between blue and red. 

(6) Relationship Status. Taken, and happily so!

(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now? 16 degrees Celsius, so that’s about 61 F.

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky? I woke up from a nightmare, so it wasn’t really the best sort of waking. That said, I’m not cranky per se, just a bit sleepy still.

(9) How Many Followers? 438

(10) Zodiac Sign. Aquarius

(11) What Is Your Eye Colour? Blue!

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily? Not daily; I take vitamin D tablets you have to take every few days. Before I used to take a different vitamin D tablet daily, though!

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower? No but I do talk to myself haha. 

(14) What Books Are You Reading? The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien for a course at university, and Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel for fun. 

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14. I don’t think you have to worry about Bilbo. 

(16) Favourite Anime? Hm, probably Howl’s Moving Castle. 

(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of? I’m trying to remember when I last cried. Either in front of my gf, or in front of my sisters. 

(18) Do You Collect Anything? Books and crystal skulls!

(19) What Did You Have For Lunch? Nothing yet, because it is still morning. 

(20) Do You Dance In The Car? Our car isn’t big enough for that haha. 

(21) Favourite Animal? I think I would have to choose otters. 

(22) Do You Watch The Olympics? I watch parts of it.

(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed? Well, I usually go up at 9.30, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually aiming for sleep at that point, haha. 

(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now? I’m allergic to make up, so no.

(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean? Neither, because I hate swimming. 

(26) Favourite Tumblr Blog? How could I ever choose?

(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water? I live in the Netherlands, which has the cleanest tap water in the world. Therefore, drinking bottled water is almost criminal. 

(28) What Makes You Happy? Many things! My gf, my sisters, my dog, good books, writing, playing the piano, petrichor, warmth, hot tea...

(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.

(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music? It depends on what I am studying, truth be told. I do both, though I always use instrumental music. 

(31) Dogs Or Cats? Both. 

(32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be? I don’t know. Probably a pastel blue, maybe orange?

(33) PlayStation Or Xbox. Sadly, I have had neither. 

(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean? Not if I can help it. 

(35) Do You Believe In Magic? Define magic. 

(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing? I’m wearing a dress. It’s denim, therefore blue. 

(37) Can You Curl Your Tongue? I can!

(38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It? I’d like to say both, but I mainly spend it. 

(39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You? Yes; my phone case. 

(40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now? I wouldn’t call it an obsession, but I have been listening to Lana Del Rey’s new album on repeat, and I’ve found myself craving gothic books.

(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly? I haven’t. 

(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People? No. 

(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams? All the freaking time!

(44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes? No; the air is super dry, the seats are cramped and uncomfortable, the food too little and not very good. I do like I’m going somewhere, though. 

(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry. The only thing that comes to mind right now is Shrek the Fourth, which is somewhat embarrassing, but really I cry easily with films.

(46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds? Sunflower seeds, though both are lovely when salted. 

(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be? Hozier. 

(48) Are You A Picky Eater? I can’t eat gluten and I’m also lactose intolerant, so in that sense I am picky. If it boils down to what I actually like, I’m not. 

(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper? Not at all. 

(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning? Nope!

(51) Do You Like To Read / Write? Yes and yes!

(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud? No because I am perpetually afraid I will damage my ears and go deaf. 

(53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents? I have only ever carved a pumpkin once, so I am going to go with that because it is so new. 

(54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up? Mrs de Winter bin ich! From the German musical adaption of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather) Transitioning from summer to autumn. 

(56)What Are You Craving Right Now? Some free time so I can finish my first draft and finish the book I’m reading. 

(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed. No.

(58) What Is Your Gender? Female.

(59) Coffee Or Tea? Tea.

(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About? I’m doing an English literature master, so I have homework all the time! I have to write a little essay about the letters of Margaret Cavendish, read LOTR, and choose a topic for an essay for my course on British and Irish fantasy novels.

(61) What Is Your Sexuality? Lesbian.

(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning? Yes.

(63) Favourite Pokemon? Bulbosaur.

(64) Favourite Social Media? Tumblr.

(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories? They can be fun!

(66) Do You Get Homesick? As a rule, no, but it depends on where I am and most of all with whom.

(67) Are You A Virgin? What a personal question!

(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now? I don’t use conditioner, but I am using a shampoo bar by Lush which I don’t remember the name of, but it is for blondes and has chamomille and smells like lemon. 

(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free? What an American question! It is not really something I will have to deal with, living in the Netherlands. Still, if it came to it I suppose my car is less dirty than a crappy motel room.

(70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life? Yes.

(71)  Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters? Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

(72) Do You Miss Your Ex? I don’t have one. 

(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now? I don’t really have one. 

(74) What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest? That fully depends on the person those eyes belong to. As a general rule, brown eyes.

(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set? I do, and yes!

(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate? I’m eating a sandwich as we eat. 

(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone? Microsoft’s solitaire collection. 

(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not? I can’t give CPR, but if i could, I would, because I damn well hope someone would give me CPR if I was in that situation. 

(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight? Yes.

(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network? No.

(81) Do You Like Meeting New People? Again, depends on the context. 

(82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them. I wear one on each thumb and one on my right middle finger. Can’t take a picture ATM

(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed? Closed.

(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today? Brushed my teeth, made breakfast, talked to my gf. It’s 7.45 in the morning, guys.

(85) What Do You Wear To Bed? Nothing. 

(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now. I have face moisturiser and that is it guys.

(87) Are You A Day Or Night Person? A day person.

(88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc. Candy crush friends, and Microsoft solitaire collection.

(89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened. Well this morning I had a nightmare where I had to perform an exorcism on a loved one, and it didn’t work. Come to think of it, I did try to bless them with ‘the father, the mother, and the holy ghost,’ so that may have had something to do with it not working. 

(90) Favourite Soda Drink? Fanta or 7-up.

(91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite? My gf laughing, rain on leaves (I am not that much of a rain person though), birds. 

(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More? Sweats are more comfy, Jeans look better. 

(93) How Do You Look Right Now? Tired. 

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You. Music. 

(95) What Tattoo Do You Want? I don’t want one. I am too fickle; I’d grow bored of it after a while.

(96) Favourite YouTuber? I don’t have one favourite since I use youtube for different things. 

[witch-of-time-and-letters]

Fantasieherz, schöner Verstand. Pt XVIII Veröffentlichung.

Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics

As well as his fiction, Tolkien was also a leading author of academic literary criticism. His seminal 1936 lecture, later published as an article, revolutionized the treatment of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf by literary critics. The essay remains highly influential in the study of Old English literature to this day. Beowulf is one of the most significant influences upon Tolkien's later fiction, with major details of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings being adapted from the poem. The piece reveals many of the aspects of Beowulf which Tolkien found most inspiring, most prominently the role of monsters in literature, particularly that of the dragon which appears in the final third of the poem:

As for the poem, one dragon, however hot, does not make a summer, or a host; and a man might well exchange for one good dragon what he would not sell for a wilderness. And dragons, real dragons, essential both to the machinery and the ideas of a poem or tale, are actually rare.

Children's books and other short works

In addition to his mythopoeic compositions, Tolkien enjoyed inventing fantasy stories to entertain his children. He wrote annual Christmas letters from Father Christmasfor them, building up a series of short stories (later compiled and published as The Father Christmas Letters). Other works included Mr. Bliss and Roverandom (for children), and Leaf by Niggle (part of Tree and Leaf), The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham. Roverandom and Smith of Wootton Major, like The Hobbit, borrowed ideas from his legendarium.

The Hobbit

Tolkien never expected his stories to become popular, but by sheer accident a book called The Hobbit, which he had written some years before for his own children, came in 1936 to the attention of Susan Dagnall, an employee of the London publishing firm George Allen & Unwin, who persuaded Tolkien to submit it for publication. When it was published a year later, the book attracted adult readers as well as children, and it became popular enough for the publishers to ask Tolkien to produce a sequel.

The Lord of the Rings

The request for a sequel prompted Tolkien to begin what would become his most famous work: the epic novel The Lord of the Rings (originally published in three volumes 1954–1955). Tolkien spent more than ten years writing the primary narrative and appendices for The Lord of the Rings, during which time he received the constant support of the Inklings, in particular his closest friend C. S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set against the background of The Silmarillion, but in a time long after it.

Tolkien at first intended The Lord of the Rings to be a children's tale in the style of The Hobbit, but it quickly grew darker and more serious in the writing.[159] Though a direct sequel to The Hobbit, it addressed an older audience, drawing on the immense backstory of Beleriand that Tolkien had constructed in previous years, and which eventually saw posthumous publication in The Silmarillion and other volumes. Tolkien's influence weighs heavily on the fantasy genre that grew up after the success of The Lord of the Rings.

The Lord of the Rings became immensely popular in the 1960s and has remained so ever since, ranking as one of the most popular works of fiction of the 20th century, judged by both sales and reader surveys. In the 2003 "Big Read" survey conducted by the BBC, The Lord of the Rings was found to be the UK's "Best-loved Novel". Australians voted The Lord of the Rings "My Favourite Book" in a 2004 survey conducted by the Australian ABC. In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favourite "book of the millennium". In 2002 Tolkien was voted the 92nd "greatest Briton" in a poll conducted by the BBC, and in 2004 he was voted 35th in the SABC3's Great South Africans, the only person to appear in both lists. His popularity is not limited to the English-speaking world: in a 2004 poll inspired by the UK's "Big Read" survey, about 250,000 Germans found The Lord of the Rings to be their favourite work of literature.

Posthumous publications

The Silmarillion

Tolkien wrote a brief "Sketch of the Mythology", which included the tales of Beren and Lúthien and of Túrin; and that sketch eventually evolved into the Quenta Silmarillion, an epic history that Tolkien started three times but never published. Tolkien desperately hoped to publish it along with The Lord of the Rings, but publishers (both Allen & Unwin and Collins) declined. Moreover, printing costs were very high in 1950s Britain, requiring The Lord of the Rings to be published in three volumes. The story of this continuous redrafting is told in the posthumous series The History of Middle-earth, edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien. From around 1936, Tolkien began to extend this framework to include the tale of The Fall of Númenor, which was inspired by the legend of Atlantis.

Tolkien had appointed his son Christopher to be his literary executor, and he (with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, later a well-known fantasy author in his own right) organized some of this material into a single coherent volume, published as The Silmarillion in 1977. It received the Locus Award for Best Fantasy novel in 1978.

Unfinished Tales

and

The History of Middle-earth

In 1980, Christopher Tolkien published a collection of more fragmentary material, under the title Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth. In subsequent years (1983–1996), he published a large amount of the remaining unpublished materials, together with notes and extensive commentary, in a series of twelve volumes called The History of Middle-earth. They contain unfinished, abandoned, alternative, and outright contradictory accounts, since they were always a work in progress for Tolkien and he only rarely settled on a definitive version for any of the stories. There is not complete consistency between The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the two most closely related works, because Tolkien never fully integrated all their traditions into each other. He commented in 1965, while editing The Hobbit for a third edition, that he would have preferred to completely rewrite the book because of the style of its prose.

Mr. Bliss

One of Tolkien's least-known short works is the children's storybook Mr. Bliss, published in 1982. It tells the story of Mr. Bliss and his first ride in his new motor-car. Many adventures follow: encounters with bears, angry neighbours, irate shopkeepers, and assorted collisions. The story was inspired by Tolkien's own vehicular mishaps with his first car, purchased in 1932. The bears were based on toy bears owned by Tolkien's sons. Tolkien was both author and illustrator of the book. He submitted it to his publishers as a balm to readers who were hungry for more from him after the success of The Hobbit. The lavish ink and coloured-pencil illustrations would have made production costs prohibitively expensive. Tolkien agreed to redraw the pictures in a simpler style, but then found he did not have time to do so. The book was published in 1982 as a facsimile of Tolkien's difficult-to-read illustrated manuscript, with a typeset transcription on each facing page.

The Children of Húrin

More recently, in 2007, The Children of Húrin was published by HarperCollins (in the UK and Canada) and Houghton Mifflin (in the US). The novel tells the story of Túrin Turambar and his sister Nienor, children of Húrin Thalion. The material was compiled by Christopher Tolkien from The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-earth, and unpublished manuscripts.

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, which was released worldwide on 5 May 2009 by HarperCollins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, retells the legend of Sigurd and the fall of the Niflungs from Germanic mythology. It is a narrative poem composed in alliterative verse and is modelled after the Old Norse poetry of the Elder Edda. Christopher Tolkien supplied copious notes and commentary upon his father's work.

According to Christopher Tolkien, it is no longer possible to trace the exact date of the work's composition. On the basis of circumstantial evidence, he suggests that it dates from the 1930s. In his foreword he wrote, "He scarcely ever (to my knowledge) referred to them. For my part, I cannot recall any conversation with him on the subject until very near the end of his life, when he spoke of them to me, and tried unsuccessfully to find them." In a 1967 letter to W. H. Auden, Tolkien wrote,

Thank you for your wonderful effort in translating and reorganising The Song of the Sibyl. In return again I hope to send you, if I can lay my hands on it (I hope it isn't lost), a thing I did many years ago when trying to learn the art of writing alliterative poetry: an attempt to unify the lays about the Völsungs from the Elder Edda, written in the old eight-line fornyrðislag stanza.

The Fall of Arthur

The Fall of Arthur, published on 23 May 2013, is a long narrative poem composed by Tolkien in the early-1930s. It is alliterative, extending to almost 1,000 lines imitating the Old English Beowulf metre in Modern English. Though inspired by high medieval Arthurian fiction, the historical setting of the poem is during the Post-Roman Migration Period, both in form (using Germanic verse) and in content, showing Arthur as a British warlord fighting the Saxon invasion, while it avoids the high medieval aspects of the Arthurian cycle (such as the Grail, and the courtly setting); the poem begins with a British "counter-invasion" to the Saxon lands (Arthur eastward in arms purposed).

Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary

Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, published on 22 May 2014, is a prose translation of the early medieval epic poem Beowulf from Old English to modern English. Translated by Tolkien from 1920 to 1926, it was edited by his son Christopher. The translation is followed by over 200 pages of commentary on the poem; this commentary was the basis of Tolkien's acclaimed 1936 lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics".[171] The book also includes the previously unpublished "Sellic Spell" and two versions of "The Lay of Beowulf". The former is a fantasy piece on Beowulf's biographical background, while the latter is a poem on the Beowulf theme.

The Story of Kullervo

The Story of Kullervo, first published in Tolkien Studies in 2010 and reissued with additional material in 2015, is a retelling of a 19th-century Finnish poem. It was written in 1915 while Tolkien was studying at Oxford.

Beren and Lúthien

The Tale of Beren and Lúthien is one of the oldest and most often revised in Tolkien's legendarium. The story is one of three contained within The Silmarillion which Tolkien believed to warrant their own long-form narratives. It was published as a standalone book, edited by Christopher Tolkien, under the title Beren and Lúthien in 2017.

The Fall of Gondolin

The Fall of Gondolin is a tale of a beautiful, mysterious city destroyed by dark forces, which Tolkien called "the first real story" of Middle-earth, was published on 30 August 2018 as a standalone book, edited by Christopher Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee.

[drakorn]

My Current Top 10 Musicals

So, I thought I’d just make a little list of the musicals that I personally consider to be my absolute favourite ones at this point in time. This list will obviously change again when I find a musical that I like more than one on this list. Anyway, here’s my list, if anyone’s interested XD (Btw, I’m only talking stage musicals here, so if you see any musical that was also a movie, I am talking about the stage version).

But first...some honourable mentions that I still adore but didn’t make it into my Top 10: The Phantom of the Opera, Anastasia, Ludwig II, Mozart!, The Lion King and Jesus Christ Superstar.

PS: All of this is opinion-based. Of course, you will disagree with me at some point, that is just natural. And it’s great that everyone has different tastes!

10 - The Lord of the Rings: A LOT of people have not heard about this musical, but it actually exists. It’s nothing fan-made or anything, it’s an actual official musical adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, not the Peter Jackson movies but the actual Tolkien epic. It ran in Canada and the UK and was even supposed to make its way to Germany. Of course, it has changes in it because adapting the entire story into a three-hour stage musical is an impossible task. It’s also the only musical I know of that consists of three acts rather than two. There is actually a cast recording available with the main songs in it. Like, honestly, I personally just love this musical. For instance, take a listen to Galadriel’s big solo:

I know, I’m most likely in the minority here, but for me personally, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best musicals out there and it’s an absolute shame that it’s not performed more often.

9 - Wicked: I am an absolute fan of seeing the story from the antagonist’s point of view and understand all of their motives. Wicked is one of the best examples out there as it takes the classic tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and gives it a darker and more serious spin, mainly because the Wicked Witch of the West is now the protagonist. I know, this musical is loved by everyone and makes it into pretty much everyone’s top list, but...honestly, it really deserves it. The songs are amazing and the story is very touching, especially the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda. I love villain origin stories, and to this day, the part where Elphaba decides to embrace her role as the antagonist of the story still sends shivers down my spine. No Good Deed still counts as one of my favourite villain songs. I have seen this musical twice and would gladly go again whenever I get the chance to do so!

8 - Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling: Ok, so this is a little bit of a controversial situation for me. I LOVE historical musicals. I just love them. However, this musical is REALLY not what you would call historically accurate. However, to me, it doesn’t really matter. When I look at it from a musical theatre point of view, it’s actually really entertaining! I have never seen this musical live, only watched the DVD and listened to the cast recordings but I would LOVE to see it live once. The songs are so good! While the story is not the best, the music is phenomenal in my opinion. And it also has one of the most catchy villain songs to be ever put on stage: Die Fäden in der Hand. Yes, this musical has MANY flaws, I don’t deny that. The cheesy and historically non-existent romance between Rudolf and Mary is not really the best thing to watch (seriously, why didn’t they include Mizzi Caspar instead of Mary, that would have made MUCH more sense for the love aspect). But it also has a lot going for it, like the actual songs. It is still one of my favourite musicals.

7 - Dracula: Many people consider Frank Wildhorn’s best piece to be Jekyll and Hyde. I personally think that Dracula is that best piece. Sure, it had a very wonky start and the majority of the good and memorable songs came along when the musical came to Austria, but it’s also the Austrian version that I got to hear and see first (not live unfortunately but hooray to cast recordings). It’s an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula...but more the Francis Ford Coppola film rather than the actual book. The romance aspect between Dracula and Mina is not the strongest part of the piece by far, however, when the story isn’t about the romance, the music is actually really fantastic! Oh, and it also has my favourite ever confrontation song: Zu Ende. I REALLY want to see this musical live. Why does it never come to Austria again? It had a fantastic run in Graz! And why can’t there be one German-speaking version of this musical that actually sticks to the gothic aesthetic? Oh well, a man can dream.

6 - Artus - Excalibur: Frank Wildhorn seems to be getting on this list very often, eh? Oh well, what can I say? I just love a lot of his source material. Artus - Excalibur is by no means an accurate representation of the Arthurian legend. However, what it does good is: it gives the tale its own spin. It doesn’t even try to be a step-by-step recreation, it’s completely its own thing. And I liked it. A lot actually. I saw it two times, one time in St. Gallen and one time in Staatz. Both times I absolutely loved it. It has great music and a solid story. However, the songs are by far the best part of it. It also has one of my favourite ensemble pieces: Morgen triffst du den Tod. This is one of those musicals I could watch over and over again without getting bored at all. Whenever it gets put on again, I will try to be there!

5 - Les Misérables: Ok, of course this was going to be on here. Les Mis is just the definition of an epic and emotional megamusical that is guaranteed to touch everyone’s heart at some point. Now, the fun thing is, the first time I saw Les Mis was in the cinema...when the movie came out in 2012. I know, shame on me, but I actually really liked the movie. When I was in London, I went to see the stage musical and I was blown away! It was so amazing and powerful! Javert is my personal favourite character. But I also saw Tam Mutu as Javert in London and this guy is just having a total blast in this role. Needless to say that Stars is probably my favourite song in the musical. Also, this musical is very relevant, even in today’s world, just like Victor Hugo said himself. The melodies are great, the story is great and the characters are great. What’s not to love?

4 - Rebecca: Not everyone’s favourite musical but definitely one of mine. I think, one of the reasons why I love it so much is the whole mystery and thriller aspect it has going for it. It truly captured the spirit of Daphne du Maurier’s novel and brought it on stage. The set design is beautiful, the music is great, you can’t go wrong with Sylvester Levay, and Michael Kunze once again delivered with a great script. Plus, the title song has got to be one of the most menacing songs in german-speaking musical theatre, especially when sung by the right actress. It’s a musical I would really like to see live...and one that I would wish, the VBW would finally bring back! Come on, what’s stopping you guys? Tecklenburg had a fantastic run last summer!

3 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame: I love it when Disney decides to just go dark for once. The movie is seen as Disney’s darkest animated movie. Well, it’s nice to see that the stage musical is also the darkest stage musical Disney has put on. While the movie still had a lot of the classic Disney tropes going for it, the musical gets rid of those and adds tragedy on par with Les Mis, meaning, keeping the actual book ending in the show. Also, a surprisingly large amount of Brecht and Greek Chorus was added to the show and it works really well! However, the Disney songs stay and it works as a great combination! Making Frollo the Archdeacon again adds so much more weight to the Hellfire song, and overall all the characters are extremely well-rounded. I have listened to the cast recordings and would really like to see this show live once!

2 - Elisabeth: As I said before, I absolutely love historical musicals. And Elisabeth is my favourite of those. It isn’t exactly told as a history piece but more of a dark retelling in a Danse Macabre style. Seeing the story being told from Elisabeth’s murderer’s point of view was a very clever idea. It also gave us the characters of Death and Elisabeth, some of the best musical theatre characters ever in my opinion. Every single character in this show has great opportunities to shine. The music is phenomenal and this piece single-handedly catapulted Austria and the VBW into the top charts of musical theatre producers. Also...it REALLY makes you want to be a history student! Honestly, it did that with me! As soon as I watched Elisabeth, I wanted to find out everything about the Habsburgs XD Also, this is probably the musical I have seen the most out of any. I believe to have seen it at least 15 times when it was last running in Vienna...and the fun thing is, I didn’t even like it that much when I saw it the first time! That WOW factor hit me later when I was listening to the cast recording...it happens.

1 - Tanz der Vampire: Was that really a surprise for people who follow my blog? Tanz der Vampire is my favourite musical of all time and will always retain this position. It is the piece that got me not only into musical theatre but in theatre in general. It got me into wanting to study Drama and Creative Writing, it sparked a lot of my current interests and influenced a lot of my life decisions. Tanz der Vampire has everything going for it: a great story, fantastic music, very good moral lessons, beautiful and lush sets and probably one of the best characters to ever grace the musical theatre stage: Graf von Krolock, undoubtedly the arch-nemesis of Erik Destler in the race for the rank of best cape-swishing gothic lover. It also has a very untraditional story, breaking clichés and tropes left and right, just as Roman Polanski intended. It has the perfect mixture of being dark and serious but also utterly hilarious. And it has probably one of the longest and most powerful solos of any musical in my opinion: Die unstillbare Gier. I want to see the musical more than I already have, which is 11. It’s just THAT good. For me personally, there is no better musical than Tanz der Vampire.

Ok, I know, a lot of people will disagree with me now, but as I said: this entire list is opinion-based. I would really be interested to know your Top 10 musicals :D 

[ryuunosenshi]

Crescent Moon; Dandelion Wine; Evening Star; Fairy Tale; Glitter!

(I just spend the last 10 minutes looking for that post to get the questions, but for some reason, tumblr decided to delete my reblog of it :( luckily I could get the questions from your reblog xD) Crescent Moon  Do you love stargazing, and do you have a favourite constellation? -- Yes!! I love space and astronomy and stargazing is so calming and amazing! ^^ my favorite constellation is Orion, second favorite is the Summer Triangle (which is kind of cheating since it's actually 3 constellations xD) Dandelion Wine  Does the smell of the air, or the colour of the sky ever make you nostalgic? -- hmm.. Not that I can think of... They can make me feel calm and happy, but 'nostalgic' isn't really an emotion I would associate with itEvening Star  Share a beautiful poem with us, no matter if it was written by you or someone else. -- Oh boy xD I'm probably the opposite of a 'poem-person' xD I've never written one and never really read them for fun. But the first one that comes to mind is "All that is gold does not glitter" by TolkienAll that is gold does not glitter,Not all those who wander are lost;The old that is strong does not wither,Deep roots are not reached by the frost.From the ashes, a fire shall be woken,A light from the shadows shall spring;Renewed shall be blade that was broken,The crownless again shall be king.Fairy Tale  Are you old enough to read Fairy Tales again? -- fairy tales are for everyone, there's no such thing as 'too young, too old, old enough or young enough' when it comes to storiesGlitter  Name a few unnecessary, yet lovely things. -- soft blankets, comfort food, an extra slice of lemon in your iced tea, incenseThank you~ 💜💜

[dk-s]

you should go for a run when u have the chance!! it's really fun to just be outside + endorphins!!! runner's high!! i'm hoping to get faster before my track season (if we have one 😔) starts this year so i've been running a lot lately so my legs are hurting but !! it's all worth it for the pretty sunsets 🥺

and yay on finishing school next week!! that's so exciting!! i would like to go to sleep and only wake up in june after i've chosen a uni and graduated and it's summer, but alas, we're only just finishing first quarter 😔 do you know what you want to study in uni yet?

ahh i feel the same way about driving.. i've had my license for a little while now, but i'm still really anxious, and i can't drive on the highway by myself yet :( i usually drive on back roads, but that means driving at night gets really scary because there's like no one around :((

i've never read any of the lord of the rings books :( i've always wanted to bc it's definitely the kind of thing i would like, but it's always checked out of my library :( maybe once winter break gets here and i finish uni apps i'll pick it up!! since you spoke so highly of the silm i'm very excited to read it now aksjdksk and tbh i love tragedies/sad endings🥺 love playing w my emotions like that

you can speak greek?? that's so cool!! i've always wanted to study that, but i've just been taking latin at school which is fun! :) (and i can relate to listening when my parents are gossiping about me,,, sometimes i think they forget ik our native lang bc they'll just be openly talking abt me in front of me and i'm like. ik what u are saying.)

and i'm desi too!! <33

you're so cute & sweet are u even real or are u just an angel??? i hope since it's summer for you, you can get some vitamin d!! stay well rested and hydrated 🧡 and i hope you have a wonderful day/night!! ~age twin anon

omg ur desi as well?! thats so cool!!! and like yes! i really want to go for a run in the holidays and actually get fit because help, i gotta get my life in order a lil bit!

im guessing ur american? i have no idea how the school system works there but u guys do get to have ur summer in june right?! but yes uni applications are so stressful! my absolute favourite dream career is working in a museum and with ancient artefacts and studying languages and also like making sure artefacts belong to the rightful country because like its their heritage! 

but my parents tell me that history isn’t really a job that’s needed anymore so i dont think they support :( they want me to go into medicine and ngl i actually wouldn’t mind, i’d love to work at a hospital and maybe w kids? but i think years of them trying to make me do medicine has turned me against it but who knows? maybe i’ll figure it out!

and yes!! driving at night equates with being terrifying, because its all dark and like i really dont trust myself omg to make the right decision! but i want to get better and practice a lot more <3

also! im so glad u wanna read tolkien! altho i do warn u, tolkien’s worldbuilding is amazing but the silmarillion is written in a way that’s very succinct and to the point - it’s stylised as a recount and thus you’re left w/out descriptions and details and its all up to u! im not sure if you’ve read them, but if you’ve seen the iliad or the odyssey that’s how its written! and the way he casually kills ur emotional support characters is heart wrenching because u want that closure but tolkien was like uhh nah u can figure it out urself! but i hope u enjoy it!

and omgg yes i feel like i gotta casually remind my parents that i do, in fact, understand our native language and yes im sitting at the dinner table w them! also i can hear all the tea 🍵 that gets spilled so its a plus.

and yess haha i need that vitamin d! im p sure i got a deficiency but the australian summer sun is so strong and hot and im not gonna enjoy being outside in 46C during the middle of january! n like i check the weather and every single day, the uv warning is at extreme so uhh idk what to do bout that!! and also ur so kind!!! and sweet!! and ur adorable!!! i love talking to u!!! i hope u have a good day anon <3

[leviiackrman]

27, 75, 106, 148, 182, 200? :D

27-Do you have any “rules” about food?

Not really tbh. I used to have this thing where I would the whole of one food thing on my plate and then do that with everything y’know? So like in stages. An example is like eating all the peas and then all the potatoes yeh? I kinda still do that now ngl.

75-What is your favorite quote and why?

“Home is behind, the world ahead. And there are many paths to tread” - J. R. R. Tolkien.

It’s something that helps me a lot in a sense? Its from my all time favourite author so that helps haha, but it’s also really helpful for what I’m struggling to decide with rn. I have so many choices to make and I need to remember that there isn’t one right one to make.

106-Would you ever smile at a stranger?

Yes! I do all the time, it’s polite to. Like if someone holds a door, or when you get on and off bus, it’s nice to thank them with a smile. I also do it without thinking when I literally bump into someone haha, I smile and say sorry and then carry on walking. Better to laugh it off then be awkward about it.

148-Is there someone you will never forget?

My grandparents. They taught me a lot and they mean so much to me. I miss them.

182-What kind of music do you like?

Anything really. Like if I had to pick a genre it would be rock, but I don’t mind music from others genres. There are a lot of bands I like, probably too many to list haha. But atm I’m enjoying jamming out to these guys a lot (all time faves really): Queen, Def Leppard, Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance, Arctic Monkeys, 5 Seconds of Summer. That kinda thing.

200-You’re an Action Movie Hero. What’s your weapon of choice and the line you scream when defeating your arch enemy?

Ohhhh I like this question! Okay so I would have a bow and arrow (no questions asked) but I’d also have different types of arrows so like fire and ice arrows and stuff! The line would be “suck my hair hair nuts you buggering fuck whit!” because y’know, you gotta have some good ol’ british slang in there haha.

Thank you for this love! :)

Ask Game!

[dragonatthedinnertable]

Spell your name!

Iain Josiah Jones

I: What’s the cutest/sweetest  thing anyone has ever done to accommodate you?

I don’t remember any specific accommodations, because I’ve only known that I’m autistic for about a month.

A. Do you have any autistic friends? What are your favourite things to do together?

I only have one (1) friend that I know is autistic. We play D&D together, and sometimes boardgames. Same with another friend that I suspect might be autistic.

N. What were your go-to foods/samefoods as a kid?

I could eat a whole box of plain Salada crackers by myself in an afternoon, if I was allowed. Or toast with margarine & peanut butter 4 times for lunch.

J. Do you have any pictures that really show that you’re autistic?

Not that I know of. I’m not especially photogenic, and I tend to ‘pose’ for photos.

O. What are your go-to foods/samefoods now?

Toast for breakfast: 2 with peanut butter & nutella, 2 with margarine and nutella. The 2 with nutella have to be prepared 2nd and 3rd, to get the ideal margarine-melting texture. I’ll have this for lunch sometimes, if I’ve had cereal for breakfast.

S. There isn’t a question for S.

I love my new fidget cube.

H. Are you a Lots Of Clothes Autistic or a Minimal Clothes Autistic?

I love wearing jackets, even in the summer, because I get extra pockets. I wear slippers whenever I’m inside (except when that’s awkward because of angles or something).

E. Give me four fun facts about your current special interest!

Roleplaying Games! Specifically D&D.

D&D was invented in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, as an extension (kind of) of the fantasy wargame known as Chainmail.

0E D&D actually used Chainmail as the default combat method, and introduced d20s as an alternative in case you didn’t have Chainmail.

The current (5th) edition of D&D is not actually the 5th. It’s the 5th iteration of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. When Wizards of the Coast bought D&D off TSR, they dropped the “advanced” to lower the bar for entry. (Also, Basic D&D hadn’t actually been supported in a few years.)

0E had hobbits, ents, and balrogs. Due to litigation from the Tolkien Estate, they were subsequently changed to halflings, treants, and balors.

[arlessiar]

Eleven questions

I’m incredibly late with answering this, but it took me a while and then the whole Kingsman SDCC thing happened in-between. So no idea if people are still interested in this, but now that I’ve written it I also want to post it. :)

I was tagged by @notbrogues @hartwin-af and @spockri

rules: 1. always post the rules. 2. answer the questions given by the person who tagged you. 3. write 11 questions of your own and tag 11 (or however many) people to answer them.

Questions by @notbrogues

1. Describe your least favourite character.

In general, the pointless love interests, the boring villains, the almighty and flawless heroes, the dumb and helpless females

(And just in case, the opposite – my favourite characters are the caring doctors, the smart geeks, and the loners, misfits and underdogs *g*)

2. A go-to comfort meal/snack/treat.

When my Mum crumbs meat or veggies to fry them she always makes a small fried bread/omelette from the rest of the eggs and breadcrumbs. She adds salt, pepper and some cheese. It’s an old Silesian tradition, my Gran always did that and we still do it today. It means home and comfort for me and I love it and I’ll defend it from every other hungry person in the house. It’s mine. My precious. Me eats it alone! *eg*

Apart from that – Avocado. Chickpeas. White chocolate. Chocolate digestives.

3. Describe a perfect vacation,     with no limit on funds or how long you can stay there.

I go there quite often, but still, London. It’s been my happy place for years. And from there I’d go to Cornwall, to the Lake District, the Brecon Beacons and the Highlands. With unlimited funds I’d take my parents with me or my BFF, and we’d spend lots of time visiting all the manors and country houses!

4. Do you listen to podcasts? If so, what are you favourites?

Listened to the Three Patch Podcast in the Sherlock fandom, but only a few times. Not really my thing in general.

5. One widely accepted fanon headcanon that you just don’t agree with?

Hmm, I like most of the fanon and can live with the rest. Not so keen on Percival being Roxy’s Dad. Distantly related, yes, but I can’t imagine him as her father.  

6. One story/movie/song/album/piece of art that resonated with you and that you will never be able to forget?

There’s so much I could write here, but I have to make a decision, so:

Stories, movies – too many to count!

Song and album – R.E.M., Automatic for the people, “Everybody hurts”. My fav forever band, and that song saved my life during a very low phase I went through in my teens. Oh, and Jeff Buckley’s version of Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. Listening to that for the first time was a revelation.

Piece of art: My favourite picture is Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the sea of fog. I could stare at it for hours. Also, seeing Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for real in the National Gallery had blown my mind and I’ll go to look at it every time I’m in London.

When I was a teen there was an exhibition in my city with photographs from Nan Goldin. Our art teacher took us there and most of my classmates weren’t prepared for this rather explicit art. For me though a gate had opened, I finally understood the art of photography, and it’s been a passion of mine ever since.

7. If you have a day off, no responsibilities or pressing matters to attend to: what are you doing for the rest of the day?

Three words – Lego, AO3 and tumblr.

8. Favourite past trend that you are most nostalgic for?

I honestly never really followed trends a lot, so I’ve no idea what to say here. ^^ What I really really miss is the way they made computer games in the Nineties. Give me a good old fashioned Adventure with tricky puzzles and I’m happy.

9. What’s a hobby/skill you’ve always wanted to learn?

Playing the harp or the violin. And archery. Might still try the latter one day.

10. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

So sorry, but I have to skip this one... I don’t dream much anymore. The only thing I can say is: Hopefully still surrounded by the people who I love more than my own life.

11. What was your first fandom? First OTP? First NOTP? Any memorable experiences from those early days?

My first fandom was Star Trek, around 1991. I always blame my Dad for me becoming a geek because it was him who told me to watch TOS. :) Wrote my first story in a notebook when I was twelve, no OTP though then, it was rather Mary Sue-ish. ^^ Then we got our first computer, and I had moved on to DS9. More stories, now on computer, still no OTP but lots of h/c. Then we got internet in 1996, and I was having some sort of epiphany – there was this world-wide phenomenon called fanfiction! I was not alone! An amazing discovery! Saw my first slashfic at that time, Garak/Bashir, and I was 16 and all like ‘ewww’ and backed away from it (so that was probably my first NOTP).

Being a Tolkien fan for years I easily fell for the LOTR films later and wrote FF for that and published my first stories. Arwen/Aragorn was my first fandom OTP I guess. Saw more slashfic, Legolas/Aragorn, and I was still not convinced, but I read one. While I never shipped that pairing, slashfic in general suddenly started to look appealing. Well, and today I say “all I’ve learnt about sex, I’ve learnt from fanfic”, because those years were really educational… ;)

Next fandom was Stargate Atlantis (OTP McShep), my online fan-life started in earnest then with the Gateworld forum and LJ, then Torchwood (OTP Ianto/Jack), then Sherlock (OTP Johnlock). And here I am now, in the Kingsman fandom, with Hartwin and Merhartwin being my OTPs.

Now @hartwin-af

1. Who are your favourite artists/actors/fictional characters?

I admire Viggo Mortensen both as an actor and as an artist. And Colin Firth has been one of my favourite actors for many years. Closely followed by Chris Pine and Matt Damon. I also think Meryl Streep is a goddess.

Fav fictional characters: Aragorn, Sherlock, Mr Darcy and tons of others, among them right now Harry Hart :)

2. What are your favourite tv shows/movies?

Fav TV shows from the past: Star Trek DS9, Torchwood, MASH, SGA, Sherlock, Flying Doctors, Diagnosis Murder, Queer as folk

Recent TV shows: Agents of shield, Poldark, The Handmaid’s tale

3. What/Who do you fear?

Dying alone

4. What are you looking forward to the most?

At the moment my summer holiday and Kingsman 2.

5. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

The acceptance of ignorance you see nowadays. It’s ok to lack knowledge, but one shouldn’t be proud of it. It’s no badge of honour to boast about. There’s something you don’t know – go and look it up.

6. If you could make one thing canon in your fandom, what would it be?

DAISY UNWIN

7. Do you hoard usernames? 

Nope. In fact I’m known for having the same username for decades and almost everywhere…

8. Coke or Pepsi? Tea or Coffee? KFC or McDonald’s? 

If at all, Coke. Coffee, with tea being a close second. McDonald’s, but rather Burger King!

9. What would make today better?

Less humidity. Apart from that it’s been a pretty fine day. :) 

10. What’s your favourite scent?

Privet when it’s in bloom.

11. What’s your proudest achievement?

Finishing my university degree (MA)

And @spockri

1)  Are you a morning person or a night owl? 

100% night owl

2) What is your OTP (and you can only pick 1!) and why? 

Currently Hartwin. It just… happened. Love the fact that they’re so different and yet so similar, and that there’s tons of chemistry between them.

3) What is your favorite thing about Colin Firth? 

His smile. Absolutely.

4) What’s your favorite book and how would you recommend it to someone who’s never heard of it? 

That is in fact Atwood’s “The handmaid’s tale” and has been for years. I would recommend it as a book that’s become scarily relevant again in the light of the current political situation in the US.

5) Where is your favorite place to read? 

Used to be my bed, but the older I get, the less comfortable it becomes. So today it’s my desk chair. And Parliament Hill when I’m in London.

6) What was your last impulse buy? 

Clothes. I have way too many clothes… send help! Or Livia Firth, so that she can rip me a new one. Or Colin so that he can rip my clothes off… ok, wait, I need to stop.

7) What is/was your favorite subject in school? 

That was English and Art

8) Are you an introvert or extrovert? 

Introvert, INFJ. And an HSP. 

9) Do you have any trips/vacations planned this year? 

Most likely London again in August, and a short trip within Germany to visit two wonderful friends in October

10) What would you do if you saw Colin Firth walking on the other side of the street from you? 

In my dreams I’d work up the courage to walk over to him and smile and say hello and ask politely for an autograph… depends on the situation though. So in reality I’d most likely try not to bother him to respect his privacy and just stare at him from afar… while silently hyperventilating

11) I probably know you because we’re both into Kingsman, so when did you first watch Kingsman and what drew you to it?

When it came out I saw many posts about it on my tumblr dash and had no idea what it’s about. Thought it must be a big thing though and decided to watch it one day, but ignored it then on tumblr in order not to spoiler myself accidentally. It was on my list for a while and I finally bought the DVD in November 2016. Watched it with my parents. Was hooked in a second. This rarely happens to me, but I liked that the movie didn’t take itself overly serious but was still believable, and that the story had no loose ends. Also, suits and Savile Row (love a man in a good suit), and Colin Firth. Sold. The rest is history.

- - - - - 

Now, eleven questions from me, just in case anyone still wants to do this and isn’t sick of this meme already. :)

1)      What did you want to become as a child, and what did you become?

2)      If you were allowed to dress your favourite actor however you’d like, who would it be and what would she/he look like afterwards?

3)      Did you ever cry while reading a book or watching a film, and if yes, when was the last time that happened and why?

4)      What is your favourite piece of jewellery that you own?

5)      If you could invent and play any kind of yet non-existent role in an existent movie, who would you like to be?

6)      You have to share a room with a Kingsman character for one night. Who will it be and why?

7)      Did you have a comfort toy as a child and if yes, what happened to it?

8)      What is the colour/design of your bedclothes?

9)      What was your happiest fandom moment so far?

10)   The last film you saw in the cinema

11)   You invite your favourite fictional character for dinner and you’re having pizza. They say it’s your choice – what kind of pizza would you order for them?

You all probably did that already, I’m sorry!!

@agentdagonet @ripgalahad @jeherion @jesspaw @londongypsy @letmecomealong @galahadthelate @solarrift @lady-mephistopheles @fideliant @deepdarkwaters

[lovelyparanormalbooks]

Blog Tour: Burning Cold by Lisa Lieberman (Interview + Giveaway)

Burning Cold Lisa Lieberman (Cara Walden Mystery, #2) Publication date: September 12th 2017 Genres: Adult, Historical, Mystery

Budapest: 1956. Newlywed Cara Walden’s brother Zoltán has disappeared in the middle of the Hungarian revolution, harboring a deadly wartime secret. Will Cara or the Soviets find him first? Cutting short her honeymoon in Paris to rescue a sibling she’s never met was not Cara’s idea, but her husband Jakub has a reckless streak, and she is too much in love to question his judgment. Together with her older brother Gray, they venture behind the Iron Curtain, seeking clues to Zoltán’s whereabouts among his circle of fellow dissidents, all victims of the recently overthrown Communist regime. One of them betrayed him, and Cara realizes that the investigation has put every person they’ve met at risk. Inadvertently, they’ve also unmasked a Russian spy, who is now tailing them in the hope that they will lead him to Zoltán. The noir film of Graham Greene’s The Third Man inspires Lisa Lieberman’s historical thriller. Burning Cold features a compelling female protagonist who comes to know her own strength in the course of her adventures.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Interview:

1. What is your favourite part about writing mystery?

I love research! Mind you, I consider watching old movies research, and looking at old issues of Vogue magazine (to get ideas for how my characters would have dressed), watching old newsreels of events like Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Ranier on YouTube, and reading trashy Hollywood bios. I’ll also make a playlist of the music my characters might have been listening to and have it going as I write.

2. Do you base your characters off people you know, why or why not?

No, I base them on the stars of my favorite movies. Sometimes I even allow them to appear in brief cameo roles my stories. Cary Grant shows up in All the Wrong Places in a tuxedo (swoon) and Marlene Dietrich (also wearing a tuxedo, now that I think of it) offers Cara and her new husband the use of her bungalow for their wedding night in Burning Cold. I’m in charge of my fictional world and, let’s face it, movie stars are more fascinating than anyone I know.

3. Would you rather write from the winner or loser's perspective?

I like complicated people who make mistakes, who try to be their best selves but who don’t always succeed. Life isn’t about winning, in my experience. It’s about learning, being honest with yourself about why you failed, picking yourself up and trying again. 

4. Do you have a favourite reading spot?

In the winter, I like to read in front of the fireplace with a glass of red wine close at hand. In the summer, I like to read on the deck outdoors overlooking our back garden, enjoying the fresh air and listening to the birds.

5. Do you write what you read (genre, topic, etc)?

I’ve always enjoyed mysteries, but I’ll read anything, from fantasy to science fiction (I’m rereading some of my favorite Ursula Le Guin novels at the moment) to Barry Lopez’s nature writing. I suppose the common element, in my reading and in my writing, is being immersed in the world I’m visiting.

6. What do you love the most about history?

I love plunging into another time period, imagining how it would be, living in France, say, during the 18th century (of course I’d be an aristocrat, dying conveniently of natural causes before the fatal year of 1789). I collect past experiences—sounds, smells, recipes, customs and manners—the way others collect souvenirs on their travels. What I remember most about visiting Delft, for example, was entering a little bakery on a side street and feeling as if I’d been transported into a Vermeer painting.

7. What is your favourite place out of all that you have visited?

Italy, hands down. The people are so friendly, and they know how to live in the moment. Sitting out on the balcony of our apartment in Bologna at sunset with a glass of red wine, watching the lights go on all over the city, the church bells summoning the faithful to mass. We lived there for a year when I was directing a study abroad program for the college where I was teaching. Our children were small, and Italians love children. I think it was the best time in our lives.

  8. Favourite fantasy world?

When I was a teenager, I used to reread Lord of the Rings at the end of the summer, to help me gird my loins for the coming school year. I still think about Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Such a compelling place, part medieval epic (the literature he studied), part merrie olde England (the home he idealized when he was off fighting in World War I).

9. Pizzas or hamburgers?

Pizza, with a glass of red wine (I fear that red wine is becoming a theme here . . . ), a Friday night ritual in my household.

10. Where do you go when you want to be alone?

I watch Ninotchka for the 30th time, or pick up a French caper movie (Banana Peel with Belmondo and Jeanne Moreau is one I watched recently) and screen out the world.

  Bologna, Italy

Author Bio: Lisa Lieberman is the author of the Cara Walden series of historical mysteries featuring blacklisted Hollywood people in exotic European locales. All the Wrong Places and Burning Cold are available from Passport Press in print and e-book.

Trained as a modern European cultural and intellectual historian, Lieberman abandoned a perfectly respectable academic career for the life of a vicarious adventurer through dangerous times and places. She has written extensively on postwar Europe and is the founder of the classic movie blog Deathless Prose. She now directs a nonprofit foundation dedicated to redressing racial and economic inequity in public elementary and secondary schools. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. After dragging their three children all over Europe while they were growing up, Lisa and her husband are happily settled in Amherst, Massachusetts.

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[the-gsos]

Wizard and Glass Blether

So I’ve been reading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series since the end of last year, when I decided I needed something to fill the epic fantasy series void while GRR Martin continues to do his ‘asthmatic ant with heavy shopping job’ on the Game of Thrones books.

I’m enjoying the books and the fourth volume, Wizard and Glass, which I’ve finished just recently, is probably my favourite so far, but I’ve got a few more specific thoughts on it that I’d like to share with the two or three of you that have clicked on this link, saw that the article isn’t about Italian football (or Scottish bars + pubs) and somehow, inexplicably decided to keep reading. Warning - it’s going to be pretty spoiler-ific throughout, I don’t really see any way to avoid that, so if you plan to read the books or you ARE reading them and just haven’t got to number four yet, you should probably give this a miss. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the film adaptation that’s released in just over a month’s time, which is apparently going to be followed by a TV series that specifically depicts the events of Wizard and Glass (which will sound like a weird idea to the uninitiated, but W&G is a prequel, y’see), so anyone planning on watching those without ever having read the books should also probably stop reading this.

Huzzah, now that I’ve thinned my readership down to about minus three, let’s begin!

My overall impression was that Wizard and Glass is that rare type of book that’s very good but could have been great if only it hadn’t taken the wrong turn at a few key plot junctions.

(Here, have you noticed that I’m adopting more of a conversational, almost vlogger-ish tone with this article? What was that “so” all about in the first line? Eurgh.)

In the intro that’s printed at the start of each Dark Tower book King talks about his inspiration for the series, how he realised at the age of 19 that he wanted to fuse The Lord of the Rings with the Spaghetti Western, to write “a novel that contained Tolkien’s sense of quest and magic but set against Leone’s almost absurdly majestic Western backdrop”. Now obviously I haven’t read volumes five, six, seven and eight yet, but of the first four books it seems to me that Wizard and Glass is the closest he comes to achieving that vision, albeit it does in many ways pick up the stylistic thread of the first volume, The Gunslinger. The Dark Tower books are a bit of a bewildering mixture of genres and influences, but whereas volumes two and three transport the reader (and characters) back and forth between New York in the sixties, seventies and eighties and dystopian, post-apocalyptic landscapes, one and four are basically Westerns with fantastical elements laced through them.

It’s no secret that King is willing and able to bash out some pretty hefty tomes, with The Stand, It and Under the Dome all clocking in at over 1,000 pages, and going by my extremely amateurish internet research Wizard and Glass is the joint fifth longest novel he’s ever penned (although different editions seem to have different numbers of pages; mine has 840, others have 787). That’s pretty remarkable when you stop and think about it, especially given that A) every other Dark Tower novel up until then had been 500 pages or less, and B) it’s essentially one big flashback, a story told round a campfire by protagonist Roland Deschain to quest companions Jake, Eddie and Susannah. The main plot, the one centred on the four characters I’ve just mentioned, only progresses about two inches forward in this enormous book.

The question is, does it need to be quite so long, and the answer is a pretty resounding no. Again, I must stress that I enjoyed it, the last time I read a book that long it took up six months of my life; this took roughly two, so ol’ Stevie’s obviously doing something right. However there are countless passages about the weather and nature in Mejis - where the tale is set - when one or two would have sufficed. Yes, they add a little atmosphere and help the reader envision Mejis, but they also give you the very strong suspicion that King is stalling for time.

“There followed a week of the sort of weather that makes folk apt to crawl back into bed after lunch…”

“The great storms of autumn were still a month or more distant…”

“Some called the Huntress the last moon of summer, some called it the first of fall…”

SO many chapters begin like this, and it’s particularly frustrating given that King has already assembled a great cast of characters by that point and established tension - of both the sexual and violent kind - between them. It’s almost like he’s written a brilliant script for a play and got all the actors he wanted, but is making them wait in the wings while he obsessively tinkers with the stage design and lighting.

Another bugbear is the teenage love story between Roland and Susan Delgado. King admits in his afterword that he procrastinated with the writing of Wizard and Glass because was “scared to death” of writing that story, and well, you can sort of see why. There isn’t a sock in the world strong enough to withstand the force that your toes curl upward with when reading these scenes, which soar beyond even Attack of the Clones’ Padme and Anakin love scenes on the cringe-ometer.

For example: “He uttered a small moaning sigh directly into her mouth. And as he drew her closer and began to trail kisses down her neck, she felt the stone hardness of him below the buckle of his belt, a slim, warm length which exactly matched the melting she felt in the same place. Those two places were meant for each other, as she was…”

Yeah, you get the picture.

That said, teenage love by its very nature is cloying and sickly sweet, King freely admits this sort of stuff isn’t his bag and there’s no way around it if we’re to fully understand why Roland is still so fixated on Susan so many years later. His relationship with her and the agonising manner in which it ends is the central, formative event of his entire life.

More than anything else though, the main thing stopping Wizard and Glass from ascending into the echelon of fantasy classics is the way the antagonists are dealt with. The Big Coffin Hunters are an undoubtedly brilliant creation. Reynolds and Depape may be slightly thinly sketched, but the physical touches - Reynolds’ long cloak, Depape’s gold-rimmed glasses - are enough to make them memorable, and the ringleader Eldred Jonas is a magnificent villain. Cunning, cold and mean, he’s a character that never loses his aura, even when he strides naked onto a balcony at one point. The scene is set for an almighty showdown between Jonas and Roland, but we don’t get one. Instead both Jonas and Depape are shot down easily and matter-of-factly by Roland out in the desert, and Reynolds escapes, but not to be put to any particular use in the remainder of the story. Part of the thinking behind this is presumably the need to demonstrate just how much of a badass Roland was even at the age of 14, and that’s fair enough. No-one’s expecting or wanting him to die; indeed, given the nature of prequels, we know that he can’t. But surely after establishing all that tension for all of those pages, and crafting such a formidable foe in the shape of Jonas, the reader deserves something a bit more prolonged, a bit less one-sided?

There’s also a hint of a bait and switch to it, as Rhea, the demented but ultimately deadly witch character, comes to the fore and plays a leading role in Susan’s demise. That particularly scene is incredibly well done, and while I don’t want to say that I ‘enjoyed’ reading about an innocent teenage girl being burned at the stake, it certainly lives with you.

One more thing: why do both Cuthbert and Alain survive after Roland has hinted at their demises in his interior monologues in the first three books? Does that mean future volumes will include yet more flashbacks? And would that be an admission that King is struggling to pad out the main plot? In fact, don’t tell me the answer to any of those questions.

Anyway, for all its flaws - which I hopefully  haven’t been too rant-ey about - Wizard and Glass is still a helluva page turner and hasn’t changed my mind about wanting to read the remaining books in the saga. I just wish King had made one or two better decisions when it came to the business end of things. Sort of makes you long for those Choose Your Own Adventure books of your childhood…