mardi muse: Daenerys Stormborn

Not to keep harping on about kick-ass females in Game of Thrones, but I caught up on the most recent episode last night and... KHALEESI!!!!!!!!!! I swear, I never knew true fist pumping before that final scene. And by fist pumping, I mean FIST PUMPING!!!!!!!!!!

"I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen of the blood of old Valyria. Valyrian is my mother tongue." (x)

There has never been a single moment where I have not been rooting for her. Daenerys is not a queen. She's a khaleesi! Daenerys is not a slave. She's a dragon! Daenerys is not an outcast. She's the rightful heir to the Iron Throne! Daenerys is not a doormat. But you are if you cross her! That's what I love most about her, really. She's the fairest of them all, looking so vulnerable and being all quiet. But what's often interpreted as a natural reserve is really strategy in disguise. And yet despite having proof of this for the past two seasons-- having her manipulative cad of a brother killed, eating a horse's heart, walking through fire to dragon eggs-- she still manages to surprise. We all know what she's capable of, but then she's suppressed long enough that she can still shock you even if you're mentally preparing yourself for her to do something wicked awesome. Like when she makes this deal with monsieur shady guy to trade one of her baby dragons for an army, you're thinking, 'There's no way she's really going to give this name-calling monster a dragon!' but wondering how she was going to get away with it. And then she goes and gives you the best scene in the entire series so far...

DRAKARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BURN!!!!! *FIST-PUMP* KHALEESIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *FIST-PUMP* My friends and I immediately rewound it and watched it again, looking like Jorah with hearts in our eyes! Blood of my blood! Mother of dragons! I want to be just. like. her. The girl is on fire and the absolute coolest! On the one hand it's unsettling, but on the other I am so happy to see the Dany we all know and love come blazing back. This is not the same person we found mourning her husband as she lead her people through the desert last season. This girl will have her way, her vengeance, her birthright, her dragons, period. She's a character I simply can't get enough of and I hope to be seeing much more of her (and much less of Theon and Varys) the rest of this season!

P.S. Who else is going to start yelling, "DRAKARIS!" when they're angry? Surely it's not just me...

mardi muse: Wicked

98% of the time, I know exactly what I'll be listening to on the drive to work before I get to my car. But today I was in rare form and inspiration didn't strike until my seat belt clicked into place. "Aha! Wicked!" Whether it's because it feels like it's been five years since I've actually listened to the soundtrack or because I associate Tuesdays with New Girl and there's that great bit with Winston singing along to it when he thinks he's alone in the car (side note: this is me whenever I listen to Wicked (and by me I guess I really mean everybody!)), I was definitely belting this on the highway.

I still consider this to be the best poster on Broadway. (x)

Now I know fairy tale retellings are the "in thing" right now (don't get me wrong, I love this!), but Wicked is kind of the hipster that did it before it was cool. Like I said, I've not listened to it in ages, but it was still so fresh. From the opening "No One Mourns The Wicked" that manages to immediately immerse you in this strange and wonderful world of Oz, to "Dancing Through Life" that still makes me want to wear sparkly things and dance around with a wand, and of course "Defying Gravity," the story is so solid and so strong. I can't think of a single weak point. The character development is just flawless. Flawless! Or should I say magical? I just love that even though I'm so familiar with the story that since I had a bit of distance from it, songs like "The Wizard And I" still managed to make me cry before I fully emerged from my pre-coffee zombie state. I was battling a serious case of Claire Danes-esque wobbly chin! But I am not ashamed! No. Because it's important to surround yourself with stories that affect you and have a positive impact. And the fact that this one's in musical format, well, that's just a bonus! 

So why is this masterpiece my mardi muse? Well not only was it a great start to the day, but it got the wheels turning for one of the stories I've got on the back burner. The more I let this story sizzle in the background, the more I feel like it might just work as a kind of fairy tale retelling... I'm starting to think this might be the right direction for it... Hmm...

P.S. Did anyone else burst out crying when they saw "Defying Gravity" live? OHMYCREYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mardi muse: Arya Stark

Is there anything I love more than a spunky heroine? Ha. Right. In Game of Thrones, Arya Stark has been my favorite female character from the very beginning. She just barely ousts Daenerys for that top spot. Most of the time it looks like they're dead even, but ultimately I pledge allegiance to House Stark. And yes, it's very important that I make decisions like this! Such is my personal stake in fictional worlds. So I was, shall we say, OUTRAGED when Arya failed to make an appearance in last week's season three premiere. But this week the she-wolf returned! There was fist pumping, bouncing up and down, and a whole lot of, "Aryaaaaaaaadjflsfjslkfjskjl!!!!!!!!!!!!" I was just so gosh darn excited to see her again!

I like her even better with her short hair, don't you? (x)

Arya is the business. Arya is not a little lady. Arya is a warrior. She's exactly the kind of heroine I hope to bring to life one day. She blazes through life, fiercely sticking up for her beliefs and her loved ones, speaking her mind, and fighting for her right to be herself. Society doesn't like her preference of sword-fighting over dance lessons? Tough beans, Lannister swine! The girl is just so unapologetic about who she is, you can't help gravitating towards her. You're in her corner right from the start. Separated from her family and running for her life, it's that staunch practice of sticking up for herself that carves out her path to survival on the war-torn road back home.

What I love about her is the balancing act between her relentless nature and her soft side. Her softer side is often masked by almost territorial instincts when it comes to friends and family, but it's always there in a look or gesture. Last season we saw her go through hell and yet she still came out kicking and screaming on the other side. She never gives up. Never! Even when she's been captured and chained outside in the mud and rain, she's still whispering of the names of her enemies over and over every night until she can have her revenge. Experience has made her more callous, but she's as brave and loyal as ever. 

And bonus! She's only entrusted her true identity to Gendry. GENDRY!!! *swoon* As an illegitimate son of the king who's just died, he's on the run too. From the moment they meet, these two share an unspoken bond that you can often catch in a sidelong glance. I realize there's a bit of an age difference, but I can't help it... I ship it so hard, y'all! I ship it so hard!!! Maybe the Baratheon and Stark houses will be united after all!

 

Of course, I have a horrible tendency to fall madly in love with characters who get the axe. And with a show like Game of Thrones where no one is indespensable (Ned!!! *ugly cries*), I live in constant fear for Arya and Gendry. And now that *spoiler alert* the Hound has publicly revealed Arya's identity... OH-MY-GOSH-WATCH-OUT-ARYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM HERE FOR YOU! BUT I WANT TO BE THERE FOR YOU! ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TV SCREEN! DOING LIKE YOU DO AND STICKING 'EM WITH THE POINTY END! BECAUSE I NEVER KNEW SITTING HELPLESSLY ON THE COUCH WATCHING THIS CLIFFHANGER NIGHTMARE UNFOLD WOULD BE! THIS! STRESSFUL! *deep breath* But I believe in you. I do. You got it, girl. You do. You are a fearless she-wolf! Swift as a deer! Quiet as a shadow! Fear cuts deeper than swords.

mardi muse: secret boards on Pinterest

This week I'm going to cheat a bit and give you a sneaky peek at one of my secret boards on Pinterest. Unbeknownst to the rest of the pinning world, I've been on a major pinning spree lately. I so wish you could keep more than three secret boards at a time! I'm using all three on different story ideas and could definitely use some more. It seems I've always got a dozen stories knocking their way into each other in my brain and it'd be a nice tool to help organize them a bit more in an easy-access way. Below is a "spoiler free" portion of one of the boards for a story that's been brewing in the back of my mind for two years now:

As you can see, it's somewhat devolved evolved into an elaborate excuse to excessively pin Louis Tomlinson's darling face! Despite not knowing who he was (the horror!) when F's character was first molding together, he's slowly infiltrated his way into much of F's personality and, obviously, looks. I can't imagine how this happened... *cough*

Anyway, these secret boards on Pinterest have been a life saver ever since they were introduced at the end of last year. Whenever I see something that reminds me of this story... Pin! It's wonderful. Plus, as an added bonus, I don't have to publicly acknowledge how often I'm drowning in a sudden tidal wave made entirely of my favorite pixie tyrant prince (always). But the best part of it is that by the time I finally sit down to drag that first draft of the first chapter out of my desk and tackle this story for real, I'm going to have a much clearer picture of everything from what my characters wear to where they hang out and what inspires them, which is pretty darn cool if you ask me. I've got lists of these kind of things in notebooks, sure, but it's nice to have a visual to go along with it. It just makes the whole process a bit more lively, engaging, and fun!

If you have any, what sort of things do you use your secret boards for?

P.S. You can follow me on Pinterest here! And I can always use more inspiration, so do share your own if you have one!

mardi muse: Awkward

Over the weekend, I fell into one of those miry pits of television quicksand you can never spot out before it's too late. You blink and suddenly you've blazed through two seasons in four days. Not that I... speak from experience...

But of course I am! Despite scanning synopses on Forever Young Adult for the past two years without ever having seen an episode and being created by the same people who gave me Teen Wolf i.e. the love child of happy surprise and television quicksand, I didn't realize just how bad I was going to have it with this show. 

How can you even look at Jake with Matty in the backseat?! (x)

However, with a day's worth of distance between us, I've finally determined why it is that I love it so much. I am invested in every. single. character. What a dazzling accomplishment to aspire to! Whether they're in the love triangle limelight, the kooky guidance counselor spreading drunk driving awareness through the halls in a grim reaper costume, or the this-sneer-is-glued-to-my-face cheerleader, I'm rooting for them all. Let me tell you, I watch a lot of shows where I feel like I'm being walloped over the head, being told that I should care about certain characters. A lot. Bonnie in The Vampire Diaries (ok, half the characters on the show), Charming in Once Upon a Time (ok, half the characters on this show too), Mickey in Doctor Who, I could go on. Somehow, even though you're seeing everything through the eyes of the main character Jenna and hearing her inner commentary, Awkward manages to have a hands-off approach when it comes to your FEELINGS. You're left to make your own decisions about them. It's so refreshing! And the verdict? "Four for you, Glen Coco!" Really, y'all. If I could give four holiday grams to each and every character, I would. Ok... make that four thousand for Matty McKibben! Yes, I realize I'm in my twenties. And no, I won't stop doodling his name and mine with a splash of hearts! But really. Watch it. Watch it and then I can give you a classic "You're welcome!" a la villainous cheerleader Sadie.

mardi muse: Jack Frost

You know, I really ought to start going to the movies by myself more often. All too often I invite someone to the movies and they say, "But that's a kid's movie!" As if that's a bad thing! Please. Long story short, I've been waiting far too long to see Rise of the Guardians. The wait was finally over this past weekend when it hit Redbox and oh! Jiminy! Christmas!!!!!

*pinching his cheeks*

I-AM-SO-IN-LOVE-WITH-JACK-FROST-IT-IS-NOT-EVEN-FUNNY-ZOMG-WHAT-IS-HAPPENING-TO-MEEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?! Ok... so... there were a lot of things I loved about this movie. The flawless plot, the flawless villain, the flawless voice casting, the flawless score, the flawless character development, but mostly... the flawless Jack Frost. I can't remember the last time I rooted so hard for a character. Likeable and mischievous from the moment you meet him, you'll be a goner. If I had a penny for every time I heart-clutched, I'd have a lot of pennies! Obviously any character voiced by Chris Pine is going to have an unfair advantage when it comes to winning me over. Newsflash: my jeep's not named Captain Kirk for nothin'! But aside from the voice and my bizarre magnetism to them in general (please, no questions, let me melt between the cushions of my couch in gooey-hearted peace), that Peter Pan like air, and the unfairly cute smirks that leave you questioning your sanity as you pine for an animated character (whatever, I know you have *cough* Flynn! Dimitri! Howl! *cough*), he was just a great character! Because of reasons!

1. I love a character whose struggle is laid out within the first five minutes. And bonus! We all know the name Jack Frost and that he nips at our noses, but not really the story behind it. So when presented on a silver platter, or drowning in an icy river, rather... *grabby hands*
2. He has an affinity for the moon and it's integral to his story. I love this. Because in case you haven't noticed, I happen to have a thing about the moon too!
3. This kid's got some complex relationships going on. Not all acquaintances are created equal. Despite being on the same side as both of them, one minute he's acting chummy with the Sandman and the next he's calling Bunny the Easter Kangaroo. On top of everything he's always looking out for Baby Tooth, which is just plain adorable.
4. The fact that his struggle lines up so much with the villain's makes his plight that much more interesting.
5. That casual carefree way about him juxtaposed against being deliberate about his actions, his personality permeated everything.
6. His back story! His back story! His frigglidy-gigglidden back story!
7. Alright, I've held it off as long as humanly possible... WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT PERFECT SNOW ANGEL?!

And he has really cool toys!

Jack's story was magical and fresh and I absolutely lah-ha-oved every minute of it. I'm locking him up in my heart and throwing away the key! Not in a questionable there's-a-mad-woman-in-my-attic Victorian way, but... Obsession makes me inarticulate! You know what I'm saying. Forever inspired now that I see you, Jack Frost. I believe! I believe! Here's hoping one not-so-faraway day I'll be able to fashion a character as wonderful as he!

mardi muse: vlogs

In an attempt to both add a bit more structure to this blog and keep my creative juices flowing, I've decided to start shedding light on anything and everything that leaves me walking away feeling inspired. This week that thing would be vlogs. Side note: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They seem to be all I talk about anymore, so it only makes sense to showcase them first. After discovering The Lizzie Bennet Diaries earlier this year, I soon found myself mercilessly entangled in the black-hole-esque world of vlogs. But this time it wasn't fictional characters I was wrapped up with, it was real-life people. Though it's been quite some time, I've always enjoyed making little videos. So I suppose that's how vlogging initially captured my interest. But more than that, clicking back through content and seeing these vloggers change and grow, witnessing how their editing and storytelling adapted and improved, was fascinating. Besides, it's just plain cool when you find yourself relating to someone halfway around the world (an excellent A*Teens song, by the way! ha... no really)!

Without further ado, here are a few vlogs that I've really come to love. Honestly, I've started anticipating their weekly updates more than most tv shows. And that's saying something!

JacksGap. This is the exact vlog I can pinpoint for a) fanning the flames of vlog addiction and b) inspiring about 132 ideas for potential YA novels. Here's Jack with his twin Finn on their gap year, taking on challenges suggested by their subscribers:

Aren't they the cutest?! Ah! They make me feel like I'm aging backwards, because... akhfdkjflskfjslkdfj *fan flail*!!!!!! Love them.