Tag: tags

My Harry Potter Life Tag

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 13 Comments

harry potter life tag.jpg

Hey everyone! I haven’t done a tag in a while, and I’ve been having a lot of thoughts about Harry Potter lately, so I AM DOING A HARRY POTTER TAG. More specifically, a tag about my Harry Potter life which was created by the wonderful Michelle @ The Writing Hufflepuff. How it works is you pick four books — mine are Six of Crows, Radio Silence, Eleanor & Park and I’ll Give You the Sun — and they help determine stuff about what you’d be like in the Wizarding world.

1. your wand

Open book 1 at a random page. The first noun you see will be what your wand is made of.

My wand is apparently made of PAPERWORK. I love this. HA. I feel like it would be a really grumpy and misunderstood wand. (Shh. Of course I am giving it a personality.) Or just grumpy, because to be quite honest paperwork is a massive bore. Although I don’t know I couldn’t have got a super badass wand like a lockpick wand because HELLO Six of Crows. NEVER MIND I LOVE MY PAPERWORK WAND ANYWAYS.

2. your pet

Does book 2 have animals? One of those animals will now be your pet. If the book doesn’t have any animals, then I’m sorry but you’re petless.

BRIAN THE DOG IS MY PET YES YES THIS IS ALL GOOD. Although people who have read Radio Silence: you feel my pain, right? I may or may not have chosen this as book 2 specifically so I could see Brian again. *coughs* Of course not. Anyways, where even are the dogs at Hogwarts? Dogs are awesome. They would be awesome at Hogwarts. (Everything would be awesome at Hogwarts.)

3. your hogwarts house

Open book 3 at a random page. Whatever House you think the first character you see belongs to is your House.

I got Eleanor! I think Eleanor is firmly a Gryffindor, so I’ll head there too. And I love her so that’s all good. (Though never fear, I still have Ravenclaw blood in me too. However cool Eleanor is, I wouldn’t abandon you guys like that.

4. make your golden trio complete

Open book 4 at a random page. The first two names will be your best friends and complete your squad. If there’s only one name at said page, open another random page.

Well, er, for this one I got Guillermo Garcia and Jude’s mom. mum but that’s how the book spells it pfft Although the page was narrated by Jude so maybe she counts…? I mean, I think it’d be rather an odd trio considering the massive age gap but Guillermo Garcia is awesome. So at least I have that. 😛

5. your head of house

Open book 1 at a random page. The first name you’ll see will be your Head of House.

YAS IT’S INEJ. I feel like Inej would be a really cool Head of House — although she’d definitely take House Points from us if we did bad stuff. I guess being fair isn’t too bad though. But YES that is a very good one. *nods*

6. your ‘draco malfoy’

Naturally you’ll need your arch nemesis/school rival. Open book 2 at a random page, the first name you’ll see will be your enemy.

Oh no, it’s Aled Last! *hugs* My tiny son, it shall be fine. We will get through this. We are definitely not going to be enemies forever.

7. your patronus

Open book 3 at a random page. The first living creature you’ll see will be your Patronus.

My Patronus is apparently Park. That’s cool. I can work with this. I mean, Park basically kind of is me. (Or at least we’re very similar).

8. will you win the house cup?

How many pages does book 4 have? That’s how many points you’ll House have at the end of the school year. If the book has more than 400 pages it will have won the Cup, congrats!

371 PAGES NOO SO CLOSE. Although obviously we are still coming in second. (Or maybe first. The first house might be, like, disqualified or something.)

Thanks so much to Michelle for creating this tag! I had a lot of fun doing it — even if I did end up with some weird choices haha. Don’t at all feel like you have to do it, but I’m tagging Em and Victoria!

The Hamilton Book Tag

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 5 Comments

hamilton book tag

This tag has been a long time coming. I’ve been obsessed with the musical Hamilton for about a year now, and I’ve professed my love frequently on both this blog and social media! (Along with many other things. :P) A while back I did the Les Mis Book Tag, so I think it’s only fair that I now give centre stage to the revolutionaries across the Atlantic! Although I wasn’t actually tagged for it, I found this on Chasing Faerytales; it was originally created by Maureen Keavy.

carry on uk cover

The Room Where it Happens: a book world you would put yourself in

Well, I probably should say Harry Potter. Because I love the Wizarding world, and I also love magic, and the Ministry of Magic also SUPER needs reforms. (Has anyone noticed the utter lack of democracy? Yeah, no.) But I have to confess that I think I’d go to Watford from Carry On! Because the spells are based on popular idioms, and I am a language nerd. And also because I like cherry scones.

The Schuyler Sisters: an underrated female character

*waves hands around frantically* I HAVE SO MANY CHOICES FOR THIS GUYS. I’m frequently upset by the lack of love given to girls in books. (Ginny Weasley! Agatha Wellbelove! Blue Sargent!) But I think I’m going to go for Cosette Fauchelevent from Les Mis, because I have been in love with her since forever. Asdfjkl she is just an amazing kind goddess person and I find it difficult to express my affection. ❤this savage song

My Shot: a character that goes after what they want and doesn’t let anything stop them

This description definitely fits Kate Harker from VE Schwab’s This Savage Song. (I know it’s Victoria Schwab in the US, but my UK version says VE. So I AM GOING WITH THAT.) I mean, she definitely has a lot more depth beneath her cold ambitious exterior, but she is still a very scary girl. You know, killing monsters and all that.

Stay Alive: a character you wish was still alive 

I mean, this applies to every single character from Les Mis, but that’s a given. 😉 I don’t want to spoil too much so I’ll put it in white, but: ALED’S DOG FROM RADIO SILENCE BY ALICE OSEMAN. Literally the most heart-breaking thing, oh my goodness. (And yes, that counts as a character.)

fans of the impossible lifeBurn: the most heartbreaking relationship you’ve ever read

There are rather a lot of contenders here – particularly Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park — but one that sticks out to me is Fans of the Impossible Life. It’s not the most well-known book ever, but I ADORED it and I 100% recommend it if you’re looking for an awesome contemporary YA with queer characters. Anyway, all three of the main characters are (kind of?) in a relationship and you sort of know it’s coming, but… you feel the pain anyway. And I swear this isn’t much of a spoiler. IT’S ON THE FIRST PAGE.

You’ll Be Back: sassiest villain

Man, I’m going to have to go with another Schwab: Victor Vale from Vicious this time! Aside from the obvious awesomeness of this book, Victor has a lot of great angsty cutting lines.there will be lies

The Reynolds Pamphlet: a book with a twist that you didn’t see coming

There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake is the most plot twist-y book I have ever read. Not only is there one crazy twist, but multiple. I even forgot they were coming when I re-read it. PROPS TO HIM FOR THAT.

Non-Stop: a series you marathoned

I read The Mortal Instruments + Infernal Devices over the summer two years ago (wow, that sounds so long!) but more recently I marathoned the first three books of The Raven Cycle. I finally gave into the hype and got out all three from my public library! It’s safe to say that I fell in love and haven’t looked back. 😛

ghostwrittenSatisfied: favourite book with multiple POVs

Yes! That is a non-YA book you see! Although David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas is probably more well known, I was astounded by his ability to differentiate no less that 9 (9!) first person perspectives in this. All writers should take notes on character voices. *nods* Each story has its own flavour, and you wish that they didn’t finish so soon! I’m always so interested in fleeting connections with other people’s lives, so this was perfect for me.

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: a book/series you feel will be remembered throughout history

Harry Potter is the obvious answer for a modern book here. And I’m pretty sure that it will be remembered for an awfully long time! But, you know, I’d also hope that Shakespeare’s plays and Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables would also make it through. (I know this is the Hamilton and not the Les Mis book tag. I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT MUSICALS. As I’m sure you all know by now haha.)

are you a hamilton fan like me? which song is your favourite? and if you enjoyed this, check out my les mis v hamilton fandom battle!

One more thing: I’m going to be away with absolutely zero wifi between 24th July (Sunday) and 4th August. Unfortunately I won’t be able to talk to you during that time, but I’ll be catching up as soon as I get back!

Beautiful People: May Edition (feat. space royals)

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 2 Comments

beautiful people

I’m back from Camp NaNo and taking a break from writing for exams, but TRUST ME. I am still thinking about my project a lot. I’m still working on a title that isn’t just The Project, but the WIP title seems to have become Revenge Across the Stars. *nods* Today I’m linking up with Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In for Beautiful People!

My main problem for doing Beautiful People is that I DON’T KNOW WHICH CHARACTERS I SHOULD DO. I have, like, four and a half main characters. (Four at a stretch, but I don’t want to leave my baby lioness politician out.) I decided to do this one with my various royal characters rather than the slightly more cheery ones. I swear, I’ll do one with them later!

If you’ve missed my various updates, feel free to check out my Pinterest board or my writing playlist. As a brief recap: my current pitch is lesbian Henry V (the Shakespeare one) in space. Featuring in this post will be Eleanor Lin, passionate space queen of Eiwan, and Neus Felices, very unwilling heir to the merchant planet Florisante. PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME OVER THE NAMES. I hate naming. I’m really proud of how I’ve dealt with this, actually…? 😛

1. How often do they smile? Would they smile at a stranger?

Eleanor is not a smiley person. She wouldn’t smile at a stranger, for sure; I think she’d most likely smile at a witty joke about something very very intelligent. She’s very guarded most of the time.

I think Neus would be more likely to smile? She’s still quite guarded, except a lot worse at it, and she likes to laugh. Sometimes it’s bitter and sometimes it is just pure laughter.

2. What is the cruellest thing they’ve ever been told? And what was their reaction?

Eleanor’s been told a lot that she can’t be a strong leader, but I think what’s worse for her is being doubted as the scary space queen uh, ruler. Because that’s basically her cause and her goal in life. She’d hide it well, but I think she was hit hard when those suggestions first came through.

Neus is a small emotional person who takes everything way too personally. The cruellest thing she’s been told was her brother when he said her emotions were just made up. I mean, I don’t think he was exactly going for horribleness although he’s a pretty terrible sibling but hearing you’ve made up your problems makes them all seem worse.

3. What is the kindest thing they’ve ever been told? And what was their reaction?

HA. I see where you’re going with this. Eleanor hasn’t been told the kindest things throughout her life, let’s say. Or what I’d define as kind. I think she’d most value some kind of praise of her fighting skills — she’d hide it, but I know if it came from an opponent she valued she’d secretly be super pleased.

Neus was told by one of her childhood (ish) friends that she had a kind heart, and although that’s rather generic she treasured those words.

4. What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?

All of these questions are HARD. Eleanor’s childhood memory is being shown the galaxy from a spaceship — and feeling that she can explore that. She’ll be the one to go out there and find new planets. SPAAACE

For Neus it’s looking up at the gold ceiling of the palace and feeling at home. Having her responsibilities seem so far away. She’s a bit overwhelmed by feeling like a stranger in her own home at the moment.

5. What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?

For Eleanor it’s the Raven Cycle, because KINGS and MAGIC and ENTITLED STUDENTS. I think a lot of these would appeal to Eleanor, and also she needs to learn that acting like an Aglionby student is not always a good plan. Plus, I definitely didn’t choose this because I was struck by extreme Eleanor/Gansey with the Henry V quote at the start of The Raven King. (Literally: SO. MANY. PARALLELS. It’s ridiculous.)

Neus should read Carry On, because a) I think she would be a crazy Potterhead and appreciate the references and b) DESTRUCTION OF CHOSEN ONE NARRATIVE. Oh, and c) queer characters. She really feels like she’s let down all the people who’ve placed responsibility on her, and learning that it’s okay to not always follow the path first set out for you would be wonderful.

6. Have they ever been seriously injured? How severely? How did they react?

Eleanor is basically a scary space queen veteran, guys. But she learnt to fight a lot from more underground, rule-breaking fights. She’s broken her leg once, but once she got over the initial pain it wasn’t too difficult to fix with Fancy Medical Technology. Yes, that’s the technical term. (Seriously. IF I CAN MAKE SPACE MEDICINE I WILL YAY.)

Neus once twisted her ankle, but that’s basically it. She isn’t the biggest fan of voluntary exercise anymore. 😛

7. Do they like and get along with their neighbours?

It would probably have been more useful to not choose the royal characters for this. Since they don’t really have neighbours…? There’s just a scary palace/spaceship/thing. If we are going to talk interplanetary: NO for Eleanor. She’s not amiable to her neighbours at all AHAHAHA. I mean, let’s remember that the entire point of this is that she starts a war.

Neus…is a lot more chill. She doesn’t mind her actual neighbours in Florisante, even if they’re also irritating regal people. She’s not big on politics, to be honest.

8. On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being easy and 10 being difficult) how easy are they to get along with?
Eleanor is Your Awesome Charismatic Leader when she is in charismatic leader mode, but otherwise she’s like… 7 or 8. She can and will attack you. And also is extremely volatile. But if she wants something she can turn on the charm.

Neus is a lot more easy to get along with — yes, yes, I know these two are practically opposites, but that is sort of the point. I’m going to go with 4, because she whilst chatty she also has rather a lot of pessimistic moods.

9. If they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go?

I’m feeling like these questions are not designed for space travel. Eleanor wouldn’t want to go anywhere; she’d just want to stay put in her own planet Eiwan. PATRIOTISM, GUYS. *waves hands*

Neus wants to go to the commercial systems, which are basically the planets colonised by commercial space travel where it’s just super aggressively capitalist and there are zero rules. Because then freedom and fun things and no responsibilities. Like, literally she just wants to get as far as she can from home, I guess?

10. Who was the last person they held hands with?

For Eleanor it’s her father (probably as she made an overdramatic promise) as he was dying. Because SHE IS A GOOD DAUGHTER. And also she wanted to prove she could be an awesome space regnant. *nods*

Neus might have last held hands with Eleanor…? Maybe that’s too sappy. Like, even though Eleanor visited Florisante quite a while ago I feel as though holding hands is quite personal. Neus wouldn’t do it for someone she didn’t like or care about.

*flails* YAY this was super fun! Now I’m really pumped up to get some writing done. I hope you enjoyed hearing a bit more about my WIP — fellow writers, tell me about yours!

The Fictional Crushes Tag

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 13 Comments

fictional crushes tag

I was tagged for this by Engie @ Musings From Neville’s Navel — thanks so much! And also sorry that this is, um, pretty late haha. I’m basically terrible at doing tags, but today I am rewarding myself for essay writing with a post of me flailing about characters that I love. 😛

the paranormal crush.

…Am I allowed to choose Baz Pitch? I don’t read that many paranormal books. And I like Baz a lot, even if he is stupidly in love with Simon. He’s the only paranormal character I can currently think of. If witches are allowed, then I choose my favourite violent cold-hearted witch Manon Blackbeak. Who would hate me. (This seems like a recurring theme among characters I like.)

les mis deluxe cover
THIS IS (one of) MY COPIES OF LES MIS. I love this edition aah.

the dark and moody crush who has a good side.

Eponine Thenardier. I KNOW I’M PUTTING LIKE 3 LES MIS CHARACTERS IN HERE. I just have an intense love of Les Mis and to be quite honest all of the characters are wonderful precious cinnamon rolls. Eponine is the-coolest-girl ever-slash-secret-nerd. She could probably kill you with a glare. Enough said.

the most badass crush.

I am currently watching How to Get Away With Murder. And admittedly I’m not even through the first season, but LAUREL CASTILLO OH MY GOODNESS. Everyone else was so shaked by the murder but, like… She found herself. AND SHE’S SO BADASS. She speaks Spanish. She has amazing eyebrows. Okay, I think I need to stop talking now.

the crush i’d venture anywhere with.

Linh Cinder. We can fly off into the galaxy together as I talk excitedly about space and Cinder does mechanic things (about which I know a terrible amount).

the crush i’d want to be stranded on a desert island with.

Penelope Bunce, obviously. She’d get me out of there in no time. Although if we were actually stranded she would also be great because overall Penny is just a very sensible person. We could discuss social justice, spells, and the stupidness of Simon and Baz together.

the crush i want to tame.

…This seems like a kind of weird question? Because I don’t want to tame anyone per se. I would immensely like Adelina Amouterou to stop causing herself so much pain and become the villain. Also Kaz Brekker. Please stop torturing yourself, Kaz.

the crush i friendzoned.

Like Engie, for this one I’m going with ‘the character I super want to be best friends with’. (I mean, which kind of is all these crushes because that is basically what my crushes are. but anyway.) I’d love to be friends with Jean Prouvaire, aka Jehan! Also a Les Mis character, just to let you all know. Ahem. *looks sideways* He and I are one and the same. I, too, blush at everything and am in love with poetry and revolutions.

the most romantic crush.

Oh my god, Cosette Fauchelevent. I think a lot of people see her as a bit drippy because the musical simplifies her character a bit. But Cosette is A Literal Goddess, simultaneously lovely to everyone and slightly fighting you. Especially if you’re *cough*Marius*couch* keeping the secret that her father is an ex-criminal. But I think she’d be super sweet and romantic but in a very cool way. I would be sappy and embarrassed.

a gathering of shadowsthe crush i want to elope with.

Lila Bard. I was going to put her as ‘dark and moody’ because…well, she is pretty dark and moody but with a bad side. Also very brash, foolish, and in denial of her emotions/never ever talking about them ever. She says things like: I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still. *swoons* And then I decided NOPE I LOVE HER TOO MUCH. She would probably hate me or forget my name instantly. Whatever. Let me indulge in my fantasy.

my soulmate.

Hahaha… I DON’T KNOW. My soulmate is all my bookshelves!

I’m not going to tag anyone directly for this one but IF YOU’RE READING THIS THEN FEEL FREE. I had a lot of fun. *nods*

which fictional characters do you love? is it nice weather where you are? (apparently it’ll be 24 degrees at the weekend here!!)

The Les Mis Book Tag

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 19 Comments

les mis book tag final2.jpg

If at this point you didn’t know I have an obsession with Les Mis: I HAVE AN OBSESSION WITH LES MIS. And very recently it was the one year anniversary of my becoming obsessed with Les Mis, so this is my celebration post! *showers confetti* Also, I was upset that a Hamilton book tag existed but a Les Mis one didn’t, so. I MADE ONE MWAHAHA. It may have resulted in me bursting into song/tears at random intervals whilst writing, but those are basically common occurences anyway ahaha 😛

I Dreamed a Dream

i had a dream my life would be so different from this hell i’m living: a book that didn’t live up to your high expectations

My mind is very much on French history as I write this post, so I’m going to with Liberty’s Fire by Lydia Syson. I WAS SO HYPED FOR THIS: Paris! Revolution! Queer characters in history! Alas, it was not to be. The romance bored me immensely, and it was such a significant part of the book that it basically ruined the whole thing for me.

vicious ve schwabThe Confrontation

i’ve hunted you across the years: your favourite literary duo

I just reread Vicious by V.E. Schwab, which is possibly one of my favourite books of all time. Obviously I have to choose Victor and Eli. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S GETTING A SEQUEL ASDFJKL. (Although Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are a close second.

Castle on Cloud

i know a place where no one cries: a book you have read that made you comforted + happy

I think I could go for Fangirl, but I also adore Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun as a pick-me-up book. Fangirl feels like a warm hug, but IGYTS feels like a ray of rainbows and sunshine and happiness to be alive beaming down on me. It just makes me want to art and love and dance and asdfjkl I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK. I encourage absolutely everyone to read it. *nods*

the rest of us just live hereRed and Black

red, the blood of angry men: a book you have an unpopular opinion about

I’m doing a shadowing group for the Carnegie medal right now, and there was a very…well, interesting opinion on Patrick Ness’ The Rest of Us Just Live Here. Everyone complained that it was too boring and the satirical excerpts of Satchel and the indie kids would have made a better book. Which I thoroughly disagree with. It was just a mash-up of everything I hate in dystopian YA. *coughs* I don’t think The Rest of Us is for everyone, but personally I did love it!

Do You Hear the People Sing?

will you get up and follow me?: a book you read due to hype

I read The Secret History by Donna Tartt purely because I saw about a million aesthetic edits for it on Tumblr and I wondered what all the fuss was. I did like it, but…I was very confused for a lot of it. I think this post explains it quite accurately.

http://falloutgirlongirl.tumblr.com/post/133172279912/what-is-the-secret-history-about

One Day More

one more dawn, one more day: a book that kept you reading into the next chapter (and the next and the next)

I couldn’t tear myself away from A Gathering of Shadows from V.E. Schwab. I read it at every available opportunity, leading to various spillages of toothpaste and food on my Kindle. (That thing has seen a lot of wear and tear but it’s still alive.) IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH IT. And it’s definitely worth choosing for my second Schwab book in this tag. Ahem.

On My Own

still i say there’s a way for us: a ship of yours that isn’t canon

I was planning on trying to…well, keep out of using Les Mis as actual answers for the Les Mis book tag. Since I thought it might provide a nice sense of irony. But I don’t think I can let this one go: Eponine/Cosette. I was reminded of my love for this ship when I saw this excellent Grease AU art and asdfjkl. WHY IS THERE NOT MORE GOOD FIC. Marius is an adorable dork, but Eponine and Cosette are like the even more adorable/scary power. I SHIP IT SO MUCH & I DON’T CARE IF THERE IS NO BASIS FOR THEIR RELATIONSHIP IN CANON AT ALL.

radio silence alice osemanDrink With Me

let the wine of friendship never run dry: your favourite bookish friendship

Frances and Aled from Alice Oseman’s Radio Silence have SUCH an awesome friendship. (And yes, I am going to keep talking about this book forever and ever until you all read it because it’s literally so fabulous.) I feel like they’re so honest with each other! It’s great to be able to be yourself. Also, yay for girl-boy friendships that don’t turn into relationships. 🙂

Bring Him Home

let me die, let him live: that one character you will do anything to see protected

Agatha Wellbelove, obviously. I am distraught at the fandom hate she gets. My friend said she had the personality of a wet dishcloth. SHE IS AMAZING AND BADASS AND SHE IS NOT TAKING ANY OF SIMON’S CRAP. She’s a canonical Doctor Who geek. Support Agatha Wellbelove 2k16. (Although I’m still hoping Gansey doesn’t completely die in The Raven King. I’ll probably know by the time this is published, oh god.) (Edit: I can confirm this I have finished TRK as we speak but NO SPOILERS.)

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

now my friends are dead and gone: a character death you don’t think you’ll ever recover from (spoilers beware!)

Maybe Sam Cortland from Throne of Glass. Until Queen of Shadows I still had my theories that he somehow wasn’t dead, but… I don’t think so. And I know I said I’d keep Les Mis to a minimum, but obviously I’m going to have to talk about the very major character deaths of many significant characters in that. *coughs* WHY, VICTOR HUGO, WHY. Let’s just pretend those parts didn’t happen, okay? would it be cruel to put a GIF of everyone lying dead here yes it would

AND THAT IS THE END. *dramatically sweeps hands* Sadly I couldn’t do all the Les Mis songs, although I did start with almost that number so be impressed at my restraint. I’m not super sure who’s listened to/likes Les Mis, but I’m tagging my usual musical theatre partner in crime Evi @ Adventuring Through Pages. (And here is my reminder that we wrote an excellent fandom war between Les Mis and Hamilton. Which I thoroughly recommend you read.) But feel totally free to do this tag, pick and choose questions + use the title image yourself! My only request is that you link back to this post and keep the image credit. 🙂

Just to recap, because I know how annoying it is to keep copy and pasting, the tag questions are:

  • I Dreamed a Dream: a book that didn’t live up to your high expectations
  • The Confrontation: your favourite literary duo
  • Castle on a Cloud: a book that comforts you
  • Red and Black: an unpopular bookish opinion
  • Do You Hear the People Sing?: a book you read because of hype
  • One Day More: a book that kept you reading into the next chapter (and the next and the next)
  • On My Own: a ship of yours that isn’t canon
  • Drink With Me: your favourite bookish friendship
  • Bring Him Home: that one character you will do anything to protect
  • Empty Chairs at Empty Tables: a character death you don’t think you’ll ever recover from

what books do you love? do you like any musicals? how would you answer my questions?

Who Am I? jean valjean.

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 11 Comments

who are you

I AM TWO-FOUR-SIX-OH-OOONNE. Come on, that was too easy. I was tagged for this by the wonderful Evi @ Adventuring Through Pages! I haven’t done a tag in a while, so. THIS ONE LOOKED FUN, plus I could make a fabulous Les Mis reference. How could I not?

what is the meaning of your name?

My name is Eve. (Yes, my actual name.) I have a nice calligraphy version on my bedroom wall which informs me it means ‘life or lively’. It even has its own Wikipedia article, look! My parents didn’t actually name me for biblical reasons, but I get a lot of Adam/Eve jokes, which sucks. Otherwise I think it is an excellent which is both a) not too common and b) not to crazy. It’s useful. *nods*

what is your myers briggs personality type?

infp-personality-type-header

I’m an INFP! (Same as Evi and Nirvana. Hi.) Apparently Shakespeare was also one, although I have zero idea how people figured that one out. Did you go back in time and ask him to take this quick personality test? WHERE IS YOUR TARDIS?! This means I am creative, idealistic, and dislike criticism. *coughs* Totally not me, right? Pfft. It’s totally me, if you didn’t get that.

I was actually reading an article on the train about Myers-Briggs. It was created by a lady called Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother. Apparently we shouldn’t be using them to choose people for jobs, and I’m like DUH. MBTI is not life, peoples.

what is your zodiac sign?

I’m a Libra, but I don’t hold too much faith in horoscopes. I’m supposed to be, like, balanced and social. WHICH IS SO NOT ME. Although some starsign things are me. It depends. *sighs*

what hogwarts house would you be in?

ravenclaw-wallpapers2
source

// take the quiz here //

Hufflepuff – 13
Ravenclaw – 12
Gryffindor – 10
Slytherin – 7

This quiz told me Hufflepuff. I think I could be a Hufflepuff — I’ve been sorted that way by quizzes, as you can see, and I do value loyalty and patience. But ultimately I feel more comfortable in Ravenclaw. It’s the house I’ve chosen for myself. I like to read books and memorise 70 digits of Pi and research Alexander Hamilton. RAVENCLAW HELL YEAH.

what are your learning styles?

// take the quiz here //

I’m pretty visual and practical. When I revise I like to draw little pictures to help me remember stuff! Or mnemonics, or to associate them with some silly unrelated thing. I usually recall pictures.

Visual – 8
Aural – 6
Read/Write – 3
Kinesthetic – 7

That’s kind of what the quiz told me! Except in way more fancy words. Apparently overall I’m a multimodal learner.

are you more of a left-brain or a right brain kind of person?

// take the quiz here //

According to this quiz, I’m super left-brained. But I took another one that said I was right-brained, so…? I don’t know.

what is your blood type?

I have no idea. The blood type of blood?

what career are you meant to be in?

// take the quiz here //

writer career result

Let’s hope so. Although I’m not sure I trust this strange dude with his pipe at a typewriter. Maybe he’s a method writer.

which divergent faction do you belong in?

erudite

// take the quiz here //

Apparently I’m an Erudite. But I don’t think this system works very well, because…um, weren’t the factions designed for people genetically altered to have one trait? Right? Yeah. (Also: why is intelligence always associated with blue? I wonder if it’s a product of Ravenclaw or existed before then. Hmm.)

what does your birth order say about you?

// find out here //

I’m an only child, so this doesn’t really work. Ha.

I had a lot of fun taking all these quizzes! Totally not procrastinating my homework. *coughs* I’m tagging:

Joan @ Fiddler Blue
Elly @ Hufflepuff Thoughts
Ash @ Teabears and Co.

Totally no pressure, though!

do you know which hogwarts house you’re in? mbti type? let me know!

Fanmix Yourself: the wanderlust of inertia

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 11 Comments

Is it narcissistic fanmixing yourself? I don’t know. Maybe. 😛 No, I’ve actually been wanting to do this for a while — I thought it would be kind of nice to tie in with all the New Year reflections. The hope is that I do one next year and see if my choices change.

I recently spotted a fanmix yourself tag going around Tumblr, but that didn’t feel right… If I’m making a playlist to tell a story, then I like the whole playlist to tell a story. (Rather than each song on its own.) (Also, I like cohesive playlists a lot more.) So this ended up being, um, pretty difficult. Character playlists are laborious anyway, and that’s when you have a better judgement of the character. — I probably have skewed judgement of myself.  So I was pretty pleased that I actually finished this playlist!

Are the songs I like different to the songs that describe me? I don’t know. I think so. There’s a fair bit of…angsty dark electronic stuff in my music library, and I’m not actually that angsty and dark. (Maybe angsty. Sometimes. XD) And my music taste is also ridiculously varied — it doesn’t tell you that much about me, probably. I’m not sure. It swings between electronic pop and sweeping soundtracks and things with loud guitars quite frequently.

I didn’t really realise when I was putting it together, but this has a lot of my favourite songs. Songs that make me feel things more than other songs. Basically: SONGS I LIKE A LOT. So, um, this is making me a little nervous. But I hope you like it!

image

the wanderlust of inertia

for when you no longer know what you’re waiting for. for the ache of souls contorted into the bones you built them from. for screaming up at the stars and expecting an answer back.
listen on spotify

counting down the hours – ted leo and the pharmacists
lost that easy – cold war kids
paris – magic man
i stand corrected – vampire weekend
deeper than love – colleen green
here – alessia cara
forest fires – lauren aquilina
new constellations – ryn weaver

I’m using Spotify for my playlists now, and I’m finding it way easier than Soundcloud. (And I keep putting obscure songs in that it didn’t seem to have. *laughs awkwardly*)

What songs would you have chosen for yourself? Have you discovered any new music in 2015?

Dashing Through the Snow Tag

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 11 Comments

dashing through the snow

Okay. It’s three days until Christmas, and I realised that I haven’t actually even written anything remotely winter-y. I, um, wasn’t actually tagged to do this tag, but I spotted it on The Writing Hufflepuff and it looked like fun! I hope you don’t mind me stealing it, Michelle. 🙂

Name a book you would like to see under your Christmas tree! *spits out tea* One book. Okay. This is going to be difficult… I mean, there are SO many books I’d love to receive. To stop all the unread books getting jealous, I would really like the US edition of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I bet you didn’t see that coming, right? 😉

A book you’ll be reading during the Christmas Season! I really want to re-read Red Rising and Golden Son by Pierce Brown before the third book comes out in January! I haven’t really been reading anything festive, except for the Geek Girl short story All Wrapped Up.

Favourite Christmas Movie? Nativity, or maybe the Sound of Music. We watch one or the other every year. Although both make me wince, especially when there is slightly drunken singing from various relatives.

Do you like snow? It’s so magical when we get it! But usually it doesn’t snow where I am, and if it does then it’s not actually at Christmas time. 😛 I do like it, though!

Name a character you would like to spend your Christmas day with! WHAT IS THIS QUESTION. Hmm. Maybe Penelope Bunce? I mean, I don’t really have any other reason except PENELOPE. ❤

To give or to receive? I would love to be able to honestly say to give. I can’t really, though, because… it’s always nice to get presents! But seeing other people’s reactions as they open your gifts is always the nicest thing. So, like Michelle, I’m going to say both!

What fictional place would you like to spend Christmas at? I am going to say Hogwarts here. asdfjkl CHRISTMAS THERE WOULD BE SO LOVELY.

Fondest Christmas memory? This isn’t my fondest memory, but everyone seems to find it hilarious: I remember opening my stocking in Australia when I was visiting my cousins and completely rejecting the can of Coke. The same cousins also have a tradition of Skyping us wearing ridiculous Christmas beach shirts. My family has a lot of kind of Christmas in-jokes, haha,

Can you say Christmas tree ten times FAST in a row (pronouncing it correctly!) Haha nope, that’s a definite tongue twister!

We’re actually off to collect my other cousins this evening (with the help of a takeaway curry). The house will probably be pretty busy over the next few days, so if you celebrate Christmas I hope you have a wonderful time! 😀

The Milk Tea Book Tag

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 5 Comments

milk tea book tag

I was tagged for the Milk Tea Book tag by the lovely Alyssa @ The Devil Orders Takeout!I’ve never had milk tea, but now I definitely want to. (Note to self: never start writing a post about tea when you have actually run out of it.)

tea: foundation of your reading life

north child

This is probably going to sound ridiculous, but…I’ve pretty much always enjoyed reading. North Child by Edith Pattou was my favourite book for a really, really long time, though. It’s a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, except with more trolls and a lot longer. I don’t know if I’d like it as much now — I was more tolerant of feisty girls with purple eyes at that point in life — but it was probably my very first bookish love. The library copy is very well-read, I assure you. 😉

milk: a rich, smooth book

american gods

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT FOR THIS. *huffs* But Alyssa already chose that one, sooo… I’m going to go with American Gods by Neil Gaiman, a recent read of mine. I don’t think I understood about 90% of it, but it was awesome. And there were cons. (The criminal kind. Not the one where people dress up and discuss nerdy things. Though those are awesome too.)

sugar: a book you love but is controversial

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I first tried Beauty Queens an age ago and hated it. I had no idea what was happening. I think maybe I didn’t quite get the satire? Anyway, I tried it again and it was awesome. But the reviews seem to be rather divisive — some say that it lays the girl power on too thick, or that it plays up to American stereotypes. I guess I have no knowledge at all of steretypes by US state, so that would have probably passed over my head… I DON’T KNOW. I can see I first tried Beauty Queens an age ago and hated it. I had no idea what was happening. I think maybe I didn’t quite get the satire? Anyway, I tried it again and it was awesome. But the reviews seem to be rather divisive — some say that it lays the girl power on too thick, or that it plays up to American stereotypes. I guess I have no knowledge at all of steretypes by US state, so that would have probably passed over my head… I DON’T KNOW. I can see why you might not like it, but I personally loved it. *pumps fist*

ice: a book just for fun

school

Everyone was recommending The School For Good and Evil to me. I FINALLY BORROWED IT OFF MY FRIEND, yay! It was so fun. Sophie was hilarious. It was a little sad, too (and also can someone just turn Tedros into a toad already) but it the best MG book I’ve read in ages. FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS, Y’ALL.

silk stocking: a book that’s much better than it sounds

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I actually…really enjoyed The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. I thought it was going to be another annoying typical high school book with a romance that annoyed the heck out of me. And, I mean, Wesley did annoy me a bit

yinyang: a book with foreign influence

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I’m guessing this a book with influences not from my own country? (Or non-Western. I don’t think a book set in the US is that different from one in the UK.) That’s what I’m going to go with, anyway. I’m going to go with The Night Itself by Zoe Marriott — which isn’t my favourite book ever, but it’s has snark and sword fights and totally awesome Japanese mythology. The whole book revolves around Mio’s, um, sentient ancestral swords. (KITSUNE AND SWORD FIGHTS HELL YEAAH.)

Thanks for tagging me, Alyssa! I’m tagging Lola Lana Lily Blogs, Elly @ Hufflepuff Thoughtsand Michelle @ The Writing Hufflepuff, if you’d like to do it. 🙂

Do you like tea? Which books would you have chosen for this tag?

The Chocolate Book Tag

~ Eve @ Twist in the Taile ~ 12 Comments

Chocolate, books – two of the things I love most in the world. Imagine my delight at finding a tag where they’re both combined. *gasps* (It was very exciting.) I wasn’t tagged, but I stole it from The Writing Hufflepuff anyway. Ahem. Sorry. But the offer really was too good to pass up!

dark chocolate – a book that covers a dark subject
wintergirls

(Well, excuse you, dark chocolate is the BEST kind of chocolate. *huffs*) I’m not too sure what this one was – liiike is grittiness or ‘issues’? – but I decided to go with a book that was a mix of both. Wintergirls is stunningly written, and to me it felt like it didn’t cover eating disorders in a too patronising way. It was beautiful but also really rather grim.

white chocolate – your favourite light hearted read

geek girl

WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME? We all know that I’m a complete sucker for Rainbow Rowell, who writes the most gorgeous lighthearted contemporary. Ugh. I’ve gone with Geek Girl instead – it’s rather predictable and cringe-worthy at some points, but in some ways that’s what makes it enjoyable?

milk chocolate – a book with a lot of hype that you’re dying to read

simon vs homo sapiens agenda

This has appeared absolutely EVERYWHERE with glowing recommendations. I need to read it. (And I’m also getting a strong vibe of Oreos, which is always a good thing. Mmm.)

chocolate with a caramel centre – a book that makes you feel all gooey in the middle

fangirl

I thought we’d discussed this already. HONEY, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO BE A BIT MORE SPECIFIC. Is this with sadness? Cuteness? Awe? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY??! I don’t know, I think this one is about romance, which is frankly very difficult because, er, all the romantic books I like are by Rainbow Rowell. I tried really hard to keep her off every single one of my lists, I really did. it’s not happening today. My love affair with Fangirl is no secret.

wafer free kit kat – a book that has surprised you lately

read me like a book

I’ve got no idea what the point of a wafer free Kit Kat is, but there you go. I’m pretty sure this one is for books that are better than you thought, but I was really disappointed with Read Me Like a Book. The premise sounded so interesting (and the cover is beautiful) but it honestly fell a bit flat.

snickers – a book you’re going nuts about

fans of the impossible life

I picked up Fans of the Impossible Life at YALC not expecting all too much, since my luck with contemporary has been pretty low lately. However! Oh my goodness it was amazing. The Goodreads blurb is rather misleading, but honestly this is my new Eleanor & Park. It feels a lot like E&P except with way more diversity and also…les straightforward romance? Yeah. IT WAS FABULOUS.

hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows – a book that you would turn to for a comfort read

Throne of Glass

I adore Throne of Glass but the later books are a bit too life-destroying for a comfort read. The first one it is! It’s just so nice to return to a world I love and know so well. ❤

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What’s your favourite kind of chocolate? Let me know!

(Erm, having said that: I’m away right now so our chat will probably be a bit delayed, but I’m always up for telepathy. XD)