The Lineup
A while back I had an entry listing my favourite movie/TV characters, and I mentioned then that I might make an entry similar, but with book characters instead. Not by popular demand, you understand, but just to make an interesting entry for an otherwise completely uninteresting week before I hit exam mode and by proxy mucho stress and ramblings.
The problem with book characters – as opposed to film ones – is that unless the book has been adapted (usually badly) or someone has made some rather amazing fanart to it, it’s hard to describe a character physically. And a lot of people – myself included, so not judging here – like to judge a character by their appearance as well as their qualities. So… I’ll attempt to describe them as I saw them as I read the books, using actors people either know or can easily look up, in hopes of enticing visually-stimulated readers to check out my list of amazing fictional characters.
Keep in mind that like the other entry, this is just a list of SOME OF THE CHARACTERS I like. By FAR not all of them. These are either the ones I always tell people about or the ones that came to mind first at this rather ungodly hour of the morning for most people. For me it’s still rather early, but I have an appointment with my linguistics tutor in a few hours to discuss the transitivity of verbs and the S structure of adverbials so… maybe sleep is a good idea at a decent hour.
ANYWAY before I go off on yet another tangent that will bore my readers to tears, here it be:
Including but not limited to novels, graphic novels and comic books
The Phouka
In My Mind: Tom Hiddleston-[with darker skin]-meets-Eames-in-an-alleyway
From: War for the Oaks
By: Emma Bull
This is probably one of the only characters on this list for whom finding a fanimage is damn near impossible. It’s beyond me why more people haven’t read this book, I adore it beyond words and recommend it to pretty much everyone I know. The Phouka is faerie, he’s a sprite, he’s a trickster, he’s a wonderful shapeshifting smartass who wins the heart of anyone and everyone who reads him on the page. Phouka is charismatic, he’s funny, he’s ridiculously sympathetic and he’s a character who makes me adopt his mannerisms and speech patterns every time I read the book (which is so often it’s potentially unhealthy). I’ve been meaning to write this book into a screenplay since I read it the first time, because I would love to see this made into a film. I’d only trust Tarsem Singh (The Fall, The Cell, Immortals) to helm it, but I would love to see it made.
Anyone who’s read the Hunger Games trilogy would assume that of all the characters to choose to represent the series on my list, Haymitch isn’t the first that comes to mind. But if I’m honest, the series astounded me with more than just its plot and absolutely stunning ideas, but with its minor characters. Arguably, Haymitch isn’t a minor character, but he’s not one of the first to come to mind when one asks for main characters. I love Haymitch because he’s real. He won the games 24 years ago, he’s been drinking himself slowly into the grave since, and hating life when every day he wakes up alive again after nightmares upon nightmares of the games he won and years and years of seeing young kids go to their death from their district. Haymitch takes no bullshit and gives none, his advice to Katniss and Peeta is “stay alive”. Nothing more nothing less. I can’t actually tell you why I love him so much, but he was battling Cinna and Finnick for this space so something about his humanity must’ve rung true. I’m well aware that the film has been cast, but I disagree with 98% of the casting so I cast him as I saw him in my mind.
This is technically an internet graphic novel, not a book, so finding images of Doc Worth are a lot easier than of any of the other characters so far. There are tons of fan communities for Hanna, and I have to agree with the casting by the majority of the fans… Paul Bettany would work the shit out of this character and have a ball doing it. I’ll actually use Tessa’s description of Doc to make it easier and more entertaining. Disclaiming right this very instant that the following passage is NOT MINE. “Doc Worth did the whole fancy going to medical school thing for a while, until he realized that dressing nicely and remembering a bunch of ‘useless crap’ wasn’t really his style. So he dropped out, fell out of touch with his family and started a practice in a dark alley somewhere while simultaneously deciding that all of his coats needed to have a line of fur on it for absolutely no reason except maybe that it made him look sorta dingier and skeezier.”
I read this book yonks ago and it’s another of my all time favourites to reread and recommend to people. Especially if they like reading, considering the plot. Guy is an interesting character for me because he’s easy to relate to. Yes, he goes through the typical hero growth-arc; first he follows along with orders, then starts to think for himself, then starts to understand the pull towards breaking the law and why he did it previously… it’s hard to explain. Something about Guy makes you like him and, for a while at least, pity him. I know that this has been adapted before, but if I’m honest I am too scared to watch it in case it ruins my beautiful imagery that I’ve built up in my mind for such a long time… I’d like to see Cillian act him, he’d work very well.
In My Mind: John Malkovich
From: Prisoners of Power (Inhabited Island)
By: Arkadi and Boris Strugatsky
I am positive that besides Q no one else will know this book. It was thanks to Q that I found it and read it, actually, so thank you. It’s difficult to describe the Strugatsky brothers’ work… this is the first book of a trilogy, but you can read all books standalone; it’s a melding of science fiction and dark satire of society; it’s actually not my favourite book in the trilogy but I happen to like Strannik in it the most. Also he loses his “title” in book 2 (Beetle on the Anthill). Strannik is a difficult character to explain because he is so shadowy and UNexplained. For most of the book you have no idea who he is, he’s probably considered a minor character even though he’s the key to the entire book in the end. He’s not a villain, he’s not a hero, he’s both. It’s damn near impossible to relate to him but he is so fascinating that I doubt it’s possible to outright hate him.
This is one of the few books which I loved just as much as the film adaptation, and it’s probably the only book where I will cast the character as he was cast in the film adaptation. Why? Because I saw the movie first. But believe me when I say that it is so beautifully and perfectly cast that I wouldn’t be able to recast the Narrator if I tried. The Narrator is never named in the book. It’s written in first person and whenever someone refers to him it’s either with use of a pronoun or as “Jack” which isn’t his name but rather a name taken from an article the Narrator reads in both the book and film that he adopts to describe himself. The Narrator is – scarily, for those who’ve read the book/seen the film – probably the only character I can relate to to the point of frightful accuracy. Insomnia has never been described so well. The Narrator comes close to being an “everyman” (to quote another book which I don’t plan to review/talk about on here) but in the most twisted and convoluted way… I won’t spoil the ending here.
In My Mind: Lee Pace and Michael Fassbender
From: Good Omens
By: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Yes, yes, cheating post, I know, sue me. But if you’ve read the book you know that you can’t have Aziraphale without Crowley and vise versa. For those freaking out over slash, no, not in that way, though I know most of the female fandom of Good Omens sees them this way all the time. I don’t. I just love them as unlikely best friends and allies, being an angel and a demon as they are. These have to be two of the most beautifully crafted characters I’ve read in a long time; they’re fleshed out, they have enough history to fill books (and do, if you’re religious with a sense of humor) and they are FUN to read. Easy to relate to? Not unless you gave away your flaming sword to Adam and Eve as they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden or threaten your plants into growing. Highly entertaining duo nonetheless.
I know this was made into a film also and there are no words for just how much I HATED and despised that adaptation and its casting. Holy mother of Christ. If you even think about watching the film before reading the book you may potentially be dead to me forever after. Just saying. Urgh. Henry is one of the most stunning, powerful and complicated characters I’ve ever read. I haven’t been able to make it through the book a second time because I know that I’ll cry from about the midway mark again and I’m not sure I’m stable enough to handle that much pain at the moment. It’s the author’s skill that made Henry’s non-existent disease not only believable but believable to a point that you forget that it doesn’t exist. The way Henry handles Chrono-displacement, the way he explains it to others, how he goes about SURVIVING with such a thing… there are just no words for how amazing he is.
My God, can this be? A FEMALE character on the list? That’s right, there are few female characters I like in books and Wanderer makes the cut. If Haymitch hadn’t've made the list earlier, Katniss would have been first in the female line, but alas. I say this every time I recommend this book to people – which, like the rest on this list, is often – DO NOT JUDGE THE BOOK BY ITS AUTHOR. That sounds ridiculous but it’s true. Forget that Meyer ever wrote that shit called Twilight. This is a brilliant book, don’t let your Twihate cloud that. I did for far too long and I regret not reading it earlier. Wanderer is interesting in a number of ways, first and foremost in that she spends most of the book as not only herself but Melanie also. Wanderer is a soul. Technically she has no body unless she possesses one, but this is about CHARACTERS… as a character she’s incredible. She’s lived so many lives, on so many planets, and seen so many things that she didn’t understand before coming to earth and taking over this powerful, desperate human who teaches her things that her poor soul essence had never encountered. For those who know the book… yes, I cast her as her final vessel. I always cast Melanie as Sophia Bush.
Like Fight Club, I agree with the casting on this, so it’s staying. I read this book when I was quite young and reread it recently and I adore it. Q said she saw a stunning theatre performance of this and has been unable to forget it since, and I can only imagine how beautiful that must have been. Dorian is interesting to me because he grows so much as a character and because of just how LONG it takes him to do so. He’s arrogant, young, foolish and nothing he does will kill him. To a point, it’s easy to understand what he did and why, and even – for a time, at least – for length of time he did it for, but at the same time it doesn’t take long into the book before the reader is feeling uneasy with all the things Dorian does, takes for granted, and forgets. I love it because it’s a logical and frightening take on beauty, sexuality, irony and immortality, and it’s presented through a beautiful, young face.
Sweet. God. That took a while. I’ve been at this for about 3 hours now and I swear there will still be more typos in here than I’d rather see. Ah well, makes it genuinely and legitimately mine then. Like I said before, this is barely grazing the list of characters and books I love, but I can’t go over 10 before I hit a ridiculously huge word count and start to nit-pick to the point of nauseating boredom. The last few characters on any list are the ones you fight for and chew over for a long time. I’ve missed tons of characters I love, but that’s due to list restrictions.
If you made a list who would you include? If you know/like any of the characters I’ve listed… do you agree with my casting? Yes, I’m desperately trying to get my followers to talk to me again on here. One can hope right?
In Other News…
I’ve signed up for NaNoWriMo and you can find me right here if you’re keen to follow updates and get excerpts. Wish me luck!
My story with Jack is now at 377,465 words and we’re still going strong. Yes, it’s an obsession, yes, it’s ridiculously long, no, I’m not making the word count up, no, I have no idea if and when this will ever end, yes, I will keep updating the word count, no, you don’t have to care.
RAOC had a documentary made about it by a student from South Seas Film and TV School. That’s right, the same South Seas that I went to in 2009 and graduated from. The director was lovely and I can’t wait to see the finished product. Keep you posted on both here and the RAOC website so check in on the link once in a while.
I have no new reviews in The Midnight Screening this week. However I am going to watch a movie with Q tomorrow night that I’ve been waiting for a very long time so chances are I’ll review it upon my return.
“1000+1 Books” has a few more books. I add to it when I feel like it, since this isn’t a review page, but it’s always a good place to go if you can’t think of your next book to read. For much better (and very informative) reviews, check out Collecting a Library, she never lets me down.
Incidentally, don’t forget to check out the new entries from Jack (who has promised an entry, finally) and Lochinvar too. Show em the support and love they deserve, guys, these blogs are amazing.
This week’s songs are :
-+- Till I Collapse – Eminem
-+- Everything to Lose – Dido
-+- Sing It Out – Switchfoot
Stay classy guys, till the day after next Castiel day… (correction as requested by Mack)
Bandit, OUT.
Heroes Don’t Exist…
- Sherlock, Sherlock (2010)
—~+~—
This is one of my favourite quotes not only for its origin, but also because of it’s meaning. But more on that later, methinks.
I know for a fact that this entry is inspired by the film Enemy at the Gates (which I may or may not review later), but the idea behind it is one that I’ve thought about for a very long time: the idea of idolizing someone and making them into something they’re not.
No, I’m not so much a cynic that I don’t believe in heroes at all, I believe they exist more commonly than people think, but I do believe that sometimes we make someone out to be a lot greater than they actually are. I do it all the time, we all do it. We put actors and people we know on pedestals and see them as shining examples of human beings. But why? It is our primitive instinct of herd behavior playing up? Is it simply easier to have someone appear greater than you so that you have someone to look up to and strive to be like? It is because you don’t want to be a hero?
Personally I think it starts as an information cascade; someone will choose someone else to idolize and others see them doing it and join in. This is the same not just for heroes but also for political figures, trends, anything that societies crowd around. Q and I had a wonderful discussion last night with Lochinvar and her mother about why it is that people choose to follow a certain trend (be it fashionable or political or social) and we couldn’t come to a definitive answer. I claimed it was because people found it easier to be told what to do most of the time. But is that true?
In every historical event that involved a mass following (be this a world war or a rock concert) has always had opposition. The type of event dictated the strength of the antagonism and on how outspoken it was. The disputes about the Holocaust were received much differently to disagreements towards Yuri Shevchuk’s music, for instance, yet both types of opposition were valid and very much real. Why? Because both events had a mass following to bring this opposition about. Could it be said, then, that this opposition is yet another type of herd mentality? People choose to follow another trend that happens to go against the “socially accepted norm”, but they are still following a trend, are they not?
If it’s not herd mentality then certainly it must be that we need someone to look up to as an example, right? Let’s ignore for the moment that this is also blatant herd behavior, and assume that that is simply an umbrella for all the arguments brought forth in this post. The idea that we choose someone to idolize so that we can strive to be more like them is not a ridiculous notion, in fact, it’s one of the most ancient ideas in human history. Although I’m not religious, I know a lot of people who are. And many of them, maybe without knowing it and maybe consciously, strive to be like Jesus Christ. They want to be as virtuous and as kind and as giving. And that is in no way a bad thing at all. Obviously depending on what hero you choose to idolize will depend on what it is you’re striving to become. Note: what, not who. We’re striving, in essence, to acquire the characteristics of our idol (ie. to be kind and gracious and empathetic), not to become them. I doubt many people who strive to be like Jesus Christ actually wish to be him, for many reasons I won’t list. Also, if I have offended you with this paragraph I really do apologize, this is how my mind works, but I didn’t in any way mean to offend anyone.
My last theory is that we choose heroes and idolize them because we ourselves don’t want to become our own heroes. Being a hero is hard. Being a hero requires one to live up to the expectations of others, and everyone has different expectations. “You’ve promised people a victory I can’t deliver.” [Vassili Zaitsev; Enemy at the Gates] this is actually the quote that made me stop the film and start this entry. It’s the perfect example of a reluctant hero. The man knows perfectly well that as soon as he does something his idolizers disagree with, he will no longer be a hero, but publicly hated. And considering he never wanted to be a hero in the first place…
I know that many heroes I have, have earned that title because they are everything I want to be (returning to the second argument, their virtues, not them) and I won’t deny that others are my heroes because I need someone to follow and feel like I’m part of a collective (this would be the field of actors and artists and musicians who are well known globally). However, I don’t yet have someone I idolize who is there because I’m too scared to step up. I understand why it happens, heck, I’m surprised I don’t have someone who fills that role considering I’m rather cowardly in my approach to many aspects of life, but I don’t personally have anyone up on a pedestal that’s there to take the fall for me if they fail.
Now, back to the quote at the beginning of the entry. The reason I adore it is because I believe it’s correct. Heroes don’t exist. They’re a made-up concept in our minds like time that help us get through our lives. “It is man’s nature to be weak from the moment he is born. He will only grow strong when there is no one stronger than he is…” [Rumata; Hard To Be A God] I think it’s good, healthy even, to have heroes, to idolize certain people, to strive to become someone better based on a personally selected model, but I just know that as soon as the next “it” actor falls, or dictatorial government rises, the majority of people will shift their opinion and sell out their ideas. Because, after all, it’s in our genes to follow.
–
Wow that’s a little too much deep thinking for so early in the morning… I have class today as well, in 12 hours no less! Ah well, nothing like a good discussion to keep the brain from growing lichen. And I’ve had to do some spring cleaning in there recently since I’ve started university this week!! I can’t actually express in words how happy I am to be back in an environment where I can learn something. I love lectures. I love coming home and studying. I love people-watching from the library foyer. Right now my life is amazing. Also… I turn 21 this Sunday. When in hell did that happen??
In other news, I now have a Twitter. Yes, I conformed. Yes, I am immortalizing myself in the only pathetic way that my generation knows how (although I do have over 1500 pages of hand-written personal history so I can slip a little), but I did it so that I could get my straggly little ideas out as soon as I had them. I think Jack is getting sick of receiving millions of miniature emails consisting of a one-line idea for a story or something I saw in the city. So I got a Twitter so that I could record my ideas, promote people and organizations I adore, and to keep people posted on my happenings if anyone quickly wants to check up on how I’m going. The Twitter feed is on the right-hand side under the blog roll (right there!! over there!! It’s right next to this paragraph, see??) and it updates pretty much as soon as I post. So feel free to track me on that.
I have five new reviews in The Midnight Screening this week. Check out the reviews of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Fight Club, Repo Men, Sherlock Holmes and Ten Inch Hero and take a break from all this rather depressing philosophy my brain dredged up at 2am.
Don’t forget to check out the new entries from Jack, Collecting a Library and Lochinvar. I know I promote them every week (and will continue to do so) but it’s really your loss if you don’t check them out. I don’t have dumb friends, and I don’t follow stupid blogs.
Stay classy guys, till next Castiel day!!~
Bandit, OUT.
With Sirens and Violins
It’s a comfort to know that in just under 4 months’ time I will have a somewhat regular schedule. I miss having that. Lately I’ve been riding cosine waves of busyness. I had work for 4 weeks straight, at two different places, as overnight shifts. Some ending earlier than others, but both promising my return home to be in the wee hours of the morning. My body got used to this. During this time I was accepted into Auckland University for my double major and my adrenaline glands went into overdrive at 3am when I got my acceptance email.
This week I have been back and forth between town and home, sorting out my classes and getting more confused than strictly necessary (one person in particular can vouch for this as I think I’m driving him crazy online right this very second with truly idiotic questions) with semesters and classes and labs and tutorials. By Wednesday, I had done everything in my power concerning uni, and now I have nothing to do again.
When my body hits a lag in the cosine graph, it does one of two things: it either goes into overdrive and releases as much adrenaline as it had to release on the days that I needed it, or it goes and gets sick. Since the transition from “very busy” to “I can sleep in again” was very abrupt, my body decided that it would employ both coping mechanisms at once. So now I’m sitting on my bed, literally vibrating with unspent energy, while I have a sore throat and a runny nose and the beginnings of a temperature. Neither things are helped by the fact that I just received my limited edition Inception vinyl and that I am running around the house in only Superman undies and a Levi’s teeshirt screaming at the top of my lungs about how excited by this I am.
So now I have the promise of excitement in February, and a slight chance of work until then. And I assure you, that by the time my cosine graph picks up again, my body will react badly to the change and this whole debacle will start up again. Yes, it is true and no denying, I cannot wait until I have a regular schedule.
In other news, for those who doubted that I would ever do it, I am still going to shave my head for charity this December. I would love it if you guys could support me, either financially or morally. You can check out my progress here, and if you want to donate but can’t do it online, then I can put it through as an offline donation. Everybody wins (especially the people who have the added joy of seeing me walk around bald in my first few months of uni)! Yaay!
I actually can’t believe how fast this year has gone. When I graduated last year, I had a job and dreams of being famous (as famous as an editor can get). I have worked for a year, honestly, and I’ve decided that it’s not for me. Yes, I will continue to work as a digitizer taking on small editing jobs when they arise while I study, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get further into the industry than where I am. Not because I’m not able, I don’t think, but because I don’t want to. It’s a scary feeling when the career you thought was perfect for you turns out to be not so perfect. I seriously thought I had my life planned out in January, and now I’m back to square one.
What scares me the most, though, is the possibility that after three years of study at uni, I won’t know what to do with my life then either. And I’m not well off enough to be able to afford (both financially and mentally) to study whatever I like whenever I like for as long as I like. I was telling a friend yesterday that I think I’m too far into the system to escape it. When I graduated the IB, I took a gap half-year and although I worked full time at Borders for that entire period, I was out of my mind with boredom. When I graduated South Seas and took this year as a gap to work and gain industry experience, I was (and still am) clawing at the walls. And although I complain and whine and pretty much hate my life when I’m studying, I hate it so much more when I’m not.
But that is thought for another entry, methinks.
–
The Midnight Screening has some new reviews on it and will continue to be updated as I devour films like most people devour caffeine. Again, I do take requests and I will watch requests.
Collecting a Library has a new review up. She posts semi-regularly too, so if you’re in need of a good book to read get on over there and scroll through the reviews and check out her rec lists.
The Very Literal Contest is now closed!! While we’re judging though, you can take a look at the totally awesome entries right here!!
Watched Supernatural with Anna on Skype on Saturday! (I swear this was the best episode all season to date) Planned the same meet for the rest of the season; if anyone’s keen to join give me a yell. This week’s episode is making me so excited…
Mood:
Content.
Jubilant.
Restless.
Movie: Treasure Planet
Show: Supernatural
Music: Inception soundtrack (while I have nothing to play my new vinyl on, I will listen to the soundtrack on my iPod in honor of receiving it)
Book: Thinking about starting The Hunger Games since I have it as a PDF; but until then I am reading select sections from Roadside Picnic
In Torn Denims and Kitten Heels
Well, I did say a few entries back that I would love it if people suggested things for me to blog about, and someone took me up on that! So I present to you the sister-blog to the rather popular “Knight in Shining Armani” post from August 19th.
I am warning you now, this blog will be longer than normal. This is for two reasons:
1) I’m a tomboy who was asked to tell girls how to dress. This can’t end well.
2) Girls are easier to talk about in relation to clothing, so I may find my fingers getting away from me and typing for way too long about a certain accessory or whatever, because even though point one is very accurate, I am actually still a girl, and in one way or another, clothes do interest me.
So, onwards, explorers!
Now, when I wrote Knight In Shining Armani I have to say I had the time of my life. I’m a total tomboy (not a state secret) and would live happily off clothes from Hallensteins, Tarocash and Ermenegildo Zegna (I would actually give my right arm to work at this place my God) but alas, I am actually a woman and as my mother enjoys reminding me, I “have to dress like one”. With this entry, just as with its brother-blog, this is my opinion and you do not by any means have to agree with it. Also, just because I am a girl and writing about my own gender in this entry does NOT MEAN that I am partial to the stuff that is considered “faaaaashionable” nowadays. Far from it, even.
I was on the phone to a very good friend of mine today and I asked him: “In your opinion, what should girls NOT WEAR nowadays?” He goes to uni and is currently bogged down with assignments (as opposed to me; I think I’m growing roots into my bed) but he has excellent taste. And he told me (among other things), and I quote, “tights should never be worn without a skirt present”. I’m inclined to agree. Now think about this, ladies, if a worldly 24-year-old male university student thinks that wearing skimpy shirts over leggings is nasty then maybe it’s time to change, no?? The following is a list of things that I, myself, would happily wear, and what I consider to be “good looking clothing” on a girl.
Since Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Matt Bomer were kind enough to lend me their incredible bodies and fashion sense for use on the brother-blog, I am going to utilize the help of two of the most (in my opinion) beautiful women in the film industry today to illustrate my point.
1) Jeans. Jeans are an amazing thing that can be worn with everything and anything, and can easily translate from day wear to night glamor with a simple change of accessories. In my opinion there is very little that can come near the sheer classiness of wearing a good pair of jeans with a blouse.
HOWEVER not everyone is lucky enough to have Ellen Page’s figure. You have to be able to choose denim that works with your body type. Now, I’m a hourglass figure and can wear pretty much any style of jeans except for skinny jeans. I personally prefer flares or straight cuts. If you have a fuller figure, like America Ferrera, you can pull this same style off flawlessly by simply lengthening the blouse and putting on a pair of heels.
2) Smart-casual. I am a teeshirt fiend. I love printed teeshirts and can spend hours in Factory digging through the bargain bins and collecting XXS Guys shirts (and I have) that I later pair with my favourite jeans, Chuck Taylors and a jacket. If you’re going somewhere more fancy then just change the jacket for a blazer and replace the dirty Chucks with a comfortable pair of heels or boots.
3) Skirts. Ok this is where I start to fidget and ask if I can leave the room to do something more masculine. Skirts, like jeans, have to be worn WELL to look good. If you have a fuller figure, please, do yourselves and EVERYONE ELSE a favor and DON’T WEAR MINIS. Dear God the amount of times you see people not dress for their shape is astounding… Anyway, if you’re more America than Ellen, try high-waisted pencil skirts that go to your knees at least.
But if that’s too formal for you then there’s nothing stopping you wearing a shorter skirt… just… know your limits!
4) Jackets. Leather jackets are my vice (I have four). I think they are the coollest thing ever. And you can pair them with ANYTHING. And there are so many styles… Guh… I could gush about them for hours on end, but a picture says the equivalent to a typical blog entry, so I’ll let that speak for me.
5) Leggings. Yes, we have reached the dreaded leggings point. Contrary to what I said at the beginning, I don’t actually have anything AGAINST leggings as such, just that like everything they have to be worn well. I don’t have thin legs. I can’t wear just leggings and a teeshirt and look hot. If I ever flat I might terrify my flatmates by toddling around the house in nothing but a vintage Levis tee and my Batman undies, but I have enough braincells to never look as ridiculous outside. If you, like me, have a fuller figure, then you can still wear leggings… just wear them with something that covers your butt. As demonstrated:
Also, I have found that if you wear something like that it’s best to wear boots of heels with the outfit. Speaking of heels…
6) Those that are spoken of. I’m not a huge fan of heels for the simple reason that I can’t actually walk in them all that well. But heels do wonders for your posture and make any outfit look more sophisticated. Recently I acquired a pair of 12cm heels which I can actually walk in. Of course, upon “breaking them in” I pulled a muscle in my foot so badly that I hobbled around the house for hours, but that’s beside the point. When I wear those heels, my whole body stretches, my shoulders straighten, my stomach pulls up, and I find I get double takes from most guys I pass on the street, which somewhat unnerves me. I have no pictures of heels up because I actually don’t like looking at feet all that much… but anything that you are comfortable with that has a heel is great.
7) Onwards from that, boots. Boots range from Doc Martens to over-the-knee riding boots (yes, I own both and pretty much all styles in between) and should always be worn with something short. I say that because… personally I find it looks nicer. I have a denim mini which I very rarely wear, but when I do I pair it with cowboy boots and feel less exposed than I would if I wore, say, flats. That being said, tucking jeans into boots is coming back into fashion! Personally I find this incredibly difficult to pull off without wearing skinnies, so I don’t do this often, but it works just as well with a good pair of straight-cuts. If you choose to try this style then I do suggest you wear a longish shirt over the jeans, but that’s just me!
Holy crap I sound like Girlfriend magazine… Which is somewhat ironic since I am sitting cross-legged on my bed in an XXS Men’s teeshirt, aged flare jeans, with mismatching socks. Also this entry went more in the style of “wear this this way” rather than “I like this coz it’s awesome” which… I would change if I were bothered to, but I think you can tell from my epic ramblings what I like and what I don’t. As said at the start, you don’t in any way have to agree with me, it’s just my opinion. Anyhoo, my girly fashion advice hat is off, I hope this is what you asked for, Silentdizo, and I can proceed with “other news”.
—
The Very Literal Contest is still in full swing, and will be in full swing till October 31st. So if you’re a vidder, or would like to try your hand at it, then go for it!!
I have signed up to be part of the hitRECord crew and I’m slowly adding my work up and exploring the site (I joined yesterday morning at around 3am) and will hopefully take part in many collabs pretty soon. It’s a wonderful site started and hosted by none other than Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and I really encourage you to join if you would like your artwork/writing/music made into a hitRECord project someday.
That be all for now methinks… White Collar is on hiatus till FREAKING JANUARY buuuut Supernatural’s due in 9/10 days, yuuuuss!!
Mood:
Silly.
Hyper.
Accomplished.
Movie: Repo Men
Show: Leverage
Music: It’s a tie this week: The Left Side – The Music; Illuminated – Hurts (both thanks to Anna)
Book: Beetle in the Anthill – The Strugatsky Brothers
Egads
Indeed.
I was watching a film today based on a book I love and highly recommend: “Prisoners of Power”* by the Strugatsky Brothers; and I realized that I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked the film or hated it. This film is the second adaptation of a Strugatsky novel that I have seen, and it doesn’t quite measure up to the first one I saw. But let’s backtrack a little…
For those who know me well enough, you know that I am stubborn as a mule when it comes to most things, so it’s no surprise that it took my mother such a long time to get me to watch a certain film titled “Stalker”. Before you all begin, it has NOTHING to do with stalkers, never has, never will, stop asking. It’s a film by the late genius director Andrei Tarkovsky based on a novel by the Strugatsky brothers called “Roadside Picnic”. Mum has an incredible way of telling stories… she talks about them with such passion that you instantly want to grab the book and curl up for days getting lost in it after she tells you about it. So when she showed me “Stalker” (which quickly became one of my most favourite Russian films of all time) and told me that it was based on a book, I decided to seek it out.
Now, I’m not sure if it was because I had seen the film first, or because mum had told me how when she first saw the film she disliked it due to its apparent dismissal of its adaptation material, but I found myself being in love with the book and the film as separate entities. For those select few (who read this blog, that is only one person) who have both seen the film and read the book, you know that the film was based pretty much on the very last section of the book, and even then only vaguely so. And yet somehow, Tarkovsky managed to create a film so stunning that you cannot forget it after you have seen it. Why is it, then, that so many other adaptations fall so short?
As an example: The Harry Potter series.
I grew up with these books. I literally read them as soon as they came out and couldn’t put them down. I cried when characters died, rejoiced in the heroes’ triumphs and loved to hate the main villains. I based my life from age 11 to 17 on which “book” I was in at that age, I kid you not. Yet when they made the films I was so tragically disappointed I couldn’t even put it into words. Suddenly, my childhood companions were no longer the people I had grown to love and know, they were completely different. The funny thing, is that I know that if I hadn’t read the books first (or at all) I may have enjoyed the films quite a bit when they came out. There is nothing ACTUALLY wrong with them. They’re just not the books they claim to realize on the silver screen.
Another example would be “Twilight”, but I won’t even get into that since I never even finished the series and truly with all my heart hated the main female character in the books I did read.
Don’t get me wrong, some adaptations are really well done (in my opinion). “Brokeback Mountain”, for instance, had an incredibly strong effect on me both when I saw it and read it (film first, in this case). “Fight Club” is still second on my all-time favourite films and the book is certainly high up on the list as well (film first, again). “A Scanner Darkly” entertained me greatly when I watched it and made me laugh out loud when I read it. “The Princess Bride” was certainly a darker novel than its adorable and much-loved film adaptation, yet I love both dearly. “Sherlock Holmes” I have loved since I was a child (I quite distinctly remember a four-year-old me sitting directly in front of the television screaming “NO, HOLMES! NO YOU CAN’T BE DEAD!!” over and over while the credits rolled and I had to wait till next week to find out what happened next), he was my first superhero and the equivalent of Indiana Jones till I knew who he was. And I have read many of the stories, and have seen, to date, three very different adaptations of them and have loved them all.
Why is it, then, that when I watched “Prisoners of Power” I found myself cringing on almost every frame thinking “no, he never acted like that!” or “this movie replaced beautiful description with gratuitous violence”, and still, at the end of it, found myself staring at the screen in disappointment thinking “but they only showed two parts of three, I want more!”? Most adaptations I can plonk in the very descriptive piles of “good” and “awful” but this one… I can’t put into either pile. On the one hand, it turned what is in essence a deeply philosophical piece of work into a wannabe Hollywood blockbuster, but on the other, it left me with the same feeling of anticipation, confusion, dread and hope that the book left me with.
Life becomes very difficult when you can’t lump things into two categories.
Other adaptations I have both read and watched but can’t be bothered talking about in detail here include: Atonement (film first), A Clockwork Orange (book first, thankfully), Dorian Gray (book first), Fluke (book first), Hamlet (play first), Howl’s Moving Castle (film first, and I like it better), Interview with the Vampire (film first and for a long time I liked it better… then I read it), The Little Mermaid (fairytale first… I think I’m morbid since I like it better than the Disney version), Much Ado About Nothing (play first), My Fair Lady (I read Pygmalion first and still don’t like either the book or film), The Watch Series (film first, but I like the books better), The Prestige (film first, love the book more), Pride and Prejudice (my God I couldn’t get through the book…), Romeo and Juliet (play first, and I can’t say I like any of the adaptations better than the play itself) and Sin City (film first, but I love the graphic novels). Right now I can’t remember any more… if you think of some that I haven’t mentioned, comment, I’d love to see what you come up with!
In other news, The Very Literal Contest is still in full swing, and will be in full swing till October 31st. So if you’re a vidder, or would like to try your hand at it, then go for it!!
That’s all folks. Supernatural due in 15/16 days, yuuuuss!!
Mood:
Contemplative.
Tired.
Dorky.
Movie: Prisoners of Power
Show: White Collar
Music: All The Right Moves – OneRepublic
Book: Beetle in the Anthill – The Strugatsky Brothers
—-
*”Prisoners of Power” is the English translation title. The original book and film are titled “Обитаемый Остров” or, directly translated, “Inhabited Island”. I’m not sure if the film is available with subtitles yet or not.
Where Do We Draw The Line
I was thinking yesterday, as I watched this video (contains disturbing material) about whether or not there is a correlation between the progress of technology and our loss of humanity.
Before I begin, this will not be a holier-than-thou rant. I pretty much live online so I can’t exactly read y’all lectures about how that’s not a good thing to do. Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll start the entry.
I once wrote an essay on the effects of bringing a book character to the silver screen, and how that diminished his humanity as a character. I argued many points to do with how the book was written from the character’s perspective and the film seemed detached, about how the integral internal monologue was missing from the film while it was a constant presence in the book and so forth. I handed the assignment in happy with my analysis. The character was Alexander DeLarge from Anthony Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange”.
And the more I think about it, the more I realize that it hits a little too close to home now than it did before.
Let’s imagine that the book is the “analogue age” and the film is the “digital age”.
In the analogue age we used to hand-write letters. We used to use the phone to call our friends if they lived far away or meet them in person for a drink if they were close. We used to walk in our spare time, or play sport or read books (incidentally). We used to appreciate people around us. Trust took effort, friendships took time.
In the digital age we email or Skype. We use our phones to send text messages to our friends, no matter how close or far away they live. We tend to not meet in person anymore because everyone is online. In our spare time we browse Youtube, chat on Windows Messenger and read Facebook statuses. We don’t notice people around us unless they are online. Trust isn’t a barrier and friendships are controlled by a mouse click.
Now, I’m not saying one is better than the other, just that thinking about it a lot more lately, I believe that technological advances and our increased detachment from people is taking its toll on our humanity.
Like I wrote in my essay, when Alex was moved from the book to the film, he lost his humanity. There was no internal monologue; the audience no longer felt connected to the character. There were just actions, with no explanation behind them. And for anyone who has seen A Clockwork Orange, the actions are heinous. This is what I believe is happening to us now. Before, we would have in-depth conversations with people. We would take the time and effort to get to know them. Now, we have Facebook and MySpace. An instant way to “get to know” people without taking any time at all. Without even having met the person, in many cases. And in paces like Facebook and MySpace people don’t tend to wash their dirty laundry in public. We get the glitz and the glamor. But what’s behind all that? Half of the people on my Facebook friends list I don’t even know that well. All I know about them is that they have a pet dog, or that they dumped their boyfriend yesterday. For many of the people that I thoroughly dislike, I admit, I base my assumptions on how they showcase themselves on Facebook and MySpace.
This detachment from others even extends to ourselves. Now we all seek attention through things such as MySpace and Facebook. We refresh the pages constantly to see if anyone commented on our latest status, or if they like our new photograph or profile picture. It’s instant gratification; pressing the pleasure button instead of the food button until we die. It’s as though we stop providing our own internal monologues for our own audiences to listen to and use to get closer to ourselves. We base our worth on how many friends on Facebook we have, instead of how many friends we have who actually know us and would give a rat’s ass if we died one day.
Maybe it’s because of this that people do stupid, crazy and sometimes unbelievably cruel things: to get our next status update. To make more people follow you on social sites, to gain more views and get more friends.
Yes, technology is helping us progress. And of course not everyone is out for cheap thrills, there are still people who meet with friends and talk to them, or if they can’t meet them physically, then they have in-depth conversations through email or Skype. Most my best friends I have met through the internet, and yet that being said I know as much about them and it took them just as long to gain my trust and love as the people I know and see in person. But personally I think that with the amount of time we spend actively avoiding human contact of any kind, we are slowly working ourselves towards a dystopia like City (Clifford Simak).
By the by, not to end on a sad note, there are still people out there who care. And people who are willing to fight for what is right. Personally I would kill people like that girl for the sick shit that she did and go to prison with a smile on my face and absolutely no remorse for my actions. But that’s just me.
—
In other news, The Very Literal Contest is still in full swing, and will be in full swing till October 31st. So if you’re a vidder, or would like to try your hand at it, then go for it!!
Also, I have added a few more pages to my blog (you can find them under the header or on the side in the “But Wait There’s More” section) which you are free to browse if you wish. There’s nothing particularly exciting on the pages that I would necessarily like to draw your attention to, but it is entertaining if you’re in the mood. I’ve also posted up all the places you can find me, in case you have accounts on other sites like Tumblr, Deviant art and Youtube and want to drop in and say hi.
And that’s all from me, methinks. Apologies for the rather dark entry, but I had to do it. Supernatural due in 22/23 days, yuuuuss!!
Mood: (Yea, there are 3 now. Because my mood is usually mixed, not just based in one “setting”)
Pissed off
Hopeful
Blah
Movie: Batman: Under the Red Hood
Show: White Collar
Music: Inception soundtrack – Hans Zimmer; Mind Heist – Zach Hemsey
Book: Beetle in the Anthill – The Strugatsky Brothers
Let Them Eat Cookies
I realized a few things this week.
One, I tend to blog after setting the latest White Collar episode to download, then whining to people online about how I have no ideas what to blog about, then watching the newly downloaded White Collar episode then sitting down to blog.
Two, although I may complain forever and a day about how I have nothing to do and how my life is boring and how nothing even matters anymore, some things really are important, and powerful, and being part of the team that does that is something that I can’t describe in words.
And three, that I am actually a genius in the guise of a bored teenager.
Now, before any of you go to argue the last point (which I know some of you will) let me bring about undeniable proof of my utter awesome for you to read and awe at. Also, the main person who usually argues comments like that actually benefited from my sheer genius so he has nothing to say, he can just look for my usual typos that I leave for him.
Onwards!
I was faced with a dilemma last week. A dilemma, the solution for which I did not actually think through all that well until it was pointed out to me the next morning that I could have actually taken an easier road and gotten the same result. But who takes the easier road nowadays? It’s out of fashion! Plus, it’s me, and I tend to shake the tree instead of get boxes to pile under it. Anyway I was faced with a dilemma, and the dilemma was thus:
I owed someone cookies. Coconut cookies to be exact, because those things are sacred and they’re not to be joked about. Ever. Unless one wants to face the dire consequences of no free movies and TV shows for a very, very long time. I didn’t want that. So I had to make cookies. And I was well on my way to making them, with the dough perfectly mixed and ready (from memory mind you) and Friends season 4 playing quietly on the DVD player in the living room (the one where the remote is broken and you can press play and stop and pause and nothing else coz those buttons don’t exist) when I turned on the oven, and discovered that it wasn’t working.
It being 1am by this point, I spent a rather embarrassing amount of time staring at the oven willing it to work with the sheer evil power of my will. It didn’t. So I turned to the next best thing: the gas heater in the dining room. If you ask me now why I thought of it I couldn’t tell you. But it was just… there and had a flat surface and the tray could rest on it quite comfortably without me supporting it. So I set the tray down and cleaned up my epic mess in the kitchen.
Around 2am I noticed that the center of the tray was cooking magnificently, and looked divine… …and that the sides were still sloshy and not quite cookie-like. At 3am I had cooked the entire tray, by patiently holding one side over the heater for a while then rotating it to the other side. By 3:30 the cookies were iced and cut up and had a note on them saying “FAMILY: DON’T EAT THIS. NOT FOR YOU. By the way, the oven’s broken, so I made these on the heater.”
With this amazing batch of cookies, I managed to do so much more than satisfy coconut cravings. I managed to bring endless entertainment to my family (who later called friends and told them too, with me correcting the details in a yell from across the house), I managed to pay off my cookie-debt and get more movies and TV shows, I satisfied a customer (ahahaha term misuse) and proved my genius to the world.
The end.
…ish.
You guys know I’m part of the vidder team at Random Acts, and you know this because I bring it up not only on here, but pretty much everywhere that I write or make videos or post photos. Very recently we finished our very first video campaign!! All the work that has gone into this entire project (not just the videos, the videos aren’t even the tip of the iceberg here) is phenomenal and should really be acknowledged. Check out the amazing new-look website right here on wordpress, and the awesome Youtube channel where all our videos are changing the world. Really. Please do take the time to have a look and pledge for Misha’s Run if you have the money. All the support is very much welcomed and loved.
Besides that, Q mentioned an interesting point 2 entires ago that I don’t think many people read because you either don’t bother reading comments that aren’t yours or you don’t follow them once you’ve made your own and I’ve replied to you, which is fair enough. The thing that Q suggested was that if you have a topic idea or just a general thing for me to rant about, tell me. The comment was here so you can read it in its natural glory. I’m open to ideas people, really I am. HIT MEH!
Finally, The Very Literal Contest is still in full swing, and will be in full swing till October 31st. So if you’re a vidder, or would like to try your hand at it, then go for it!!
Well, that’s it from me for this fine August morning (2:48am where I am as I write this), Supernatural due in 29/30 days, whooo!
Mood: 
Good.
Movie: About to watch “Youth In Revolt” (…and “Whip It” again and “Waltz With Bashir” which I have been waiting for for MONTHS)
Show: Up to date with Leverage and White Collar.
Music: Young Heretics album “We Are The Lost Loves” (still… this is like a freaking record for a group to stay a favourite this long…) Specific song this week: Noah’s Ark from the above album.
Book: Beetle in the Anthill – The Strugatsky Brothers
A Knight In Shining Armani
Ok, I don’t think I’m alone here, but I like guys who know how to dress. For me, the “perfect guy” would know how to dress well, walk well, and smell good. By the last one I don’t just mean actually acquaint himself with soap, he has to be able to wear a scent that works with who he is. And those are just the physical things that I like about guys… I won’t even get into the details that I look for personality wise et cetera (because it would continue ad infinitum and slowly proceed into the ad nauseam sector which is dangerous territory)
I know that I, personally, have a rather high standard when it comes to choosing a mate, probably because like many people my age I have a tendency to imagine them all looking like a favourite actor, and acting like a mix of favourite characters. I get so involved with films and books and shows that I tend to imagine that every guy I like must (absolutely must) be as clever and funny and classy as the characters that I love. I know that, I acknowledge it (hi, my name is Val and I am a junkie for smart sexy fictional men…) and I have lowered my standards to fit with real life. But lately I’ve found that I also have to lower my standards for appearance too.
Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way a superficial person. I would never disregard someone by the way they looked. But I find it so hard to find a guy that dresses well lately that I find myself turning into a puddle of happy noises at the sight of a well-cut suit on a well-shaped body. Seriously. And I don’t even have a thing for businessmen… just their dress sense. And the way they carry themselves, holy damn. Plus, ties. I think ties are my weakness (along with suspenders, Chuck Taylors, Doc Martens, torn denim and aged leather) and they are such versatile things when you’re not wearing them *wiggles eyebrows*
I don’t get fashion, I really don’t, (haute couture makes no sense to me and more often than not makes me laugh rather than go “my, my, that’s an impressive ensemble”) but some things just look good and that’s undeniable. These things, in my opinion, are:
1) A well cut suit. It has to fit perfectly in all the right places. I love dark suits with a bright tie or pocket square and a light shirt. Alternatively, a light suit with a dark shirt and similarly-coloured tie. Cuff links and tie clips optional, albeit smiled upon. A vest is very much appreciated, and pinstripes are a winning combo always.
2) The ability to wear above-mentioned suit in a casual way; ie. sleeves rolled up mid-arm, tie slightly undone and top two buttons popped. Holy damn.
3) Fitted denim, boots, solid-coloured shirt (preferably classic colours like black and white and the primaries), worn leather jacket and wrap-around sunnies.
4) Scarves. Scarves are the accessory of the century for me… they can be worn in so many ways with so many things and there are so many styles of them that you just can’t actually go wrong here. Unless you try really REALLY hard.
5) High-collared woolen winter coats.
6) Collared shirts. These never get old, people, never. Especially when worn with skinny ties.
7) Layering. Leather jacket over vest, over half-buttoned check shirt, over bright/patterened teeshirt. Yuuum.
8) The ability to mix modern with classic: dress-denim under a suit jacket, teeshirt under a suit jacket, mixed patterns etc.
9) Vests. I love me my vests. Button-down, knitted, patterned, form-fitting…
Now, why did I get into this? Ah yes… The lack of well-dressed men my age around the city. The way people dress lately is terrible (in my opinion). Especially the guys. Most walk around as though they just rolled out of bed and walked out of the house. And one thing I truly madly deeply HATE about New Zealand’s proximity to the beach is that people get the idea that they can walk around in shorts and jandals EVERYWHERE and that it is somehow appealing. Newsflash for guys who do this: it’s not. Obviously there are tons of things to consider here: body shape, financial circumstances, age; but at the same time people should attempt to look good whatever their circumstances, right?
Am I just talking to myself here in my own happy little world of three-piece suits filled with characters like Neal and Arthur?
I mean, I have learned (the hard way, sometimes) that there are things that I cannot wear and look good in, no matter how hard I try or how much I want to. One of these things is skinny jeans. And no matter how envious I am and how much I whine at people who look so damn good in them, I know that I look like crap when I wear them, and I look absolutely hilarious when I try to get myself out of them (if, on a whim in a store, I miraculously get myself into them to start with, which is one mean feat). And I have resigned myself to that, and wear other things that I look good in. Why can’t other people do the same?? Why?
I’m not even asking for guys in suits (yea, ok, I am, but not at uni) just for guys to wear full jeans instead of cutoffs (in freaking WINTER), more-fitted-less-slept-in shirts, collared shirts layered over teeshirts, boots instead of jandals… something presentable that will turn a girl’s head and make her notice, not turn a girl’s head and make her think “I hope he never passes his genes on to the next generation”. Our generation is bad enough fashion-wise as it is, we shouldn’t make it worse for the next one.
*phew* OK, rant over. I feel so much better you have no idea.
Hokay… so… new stuff…
—> I changed my header!! Guess who my new coverboy is! He’s appeared in this post already ^^
—> The Very Literal Contest is still in full swing, and will be in full swing till October 31st. So if you’re a vidder, or would like to try your hand at it, then go for it!!
—> Life is slowly working its way down the dip in the sine curve again but somehow I’m happier than I have been for a while.
That’s pretty much the whole kit and kaboodle till next Cas day. 36/37 days till Supernatural!
Mood: 
Silly.
Movie: About to watch “The Wind That Shakes The Barley”
Show: Friends, season 4
Music: Young Heretics album “We Are The Lost Loves” (still) although a specific song that I like lately would be “Where Do We Draw The Line” by Poets of the Fall
Book: Beetle in the Anthill – The Strugatsky Brothers
