movies

Halloween 2012

~ JP Marshman ~ Leave a comment

Happy post-Halloween, blogosphere! What did everyone do this year? Party hardy, trick-or-treat, dress up? I want to know!

Some of you may remember my Halloween post from last year, in which I explained the DVA treat trail and my very successful Amy Winehouse getup. This year, I was working on Halloween and thus once again participated in the dressing up and treat trail, and it was, oh, so fun.

In honour of one of my favourite movies, maybe not just of the year but of all time, the Hunger Games, I dressed up as the outrageous and colourful Effie Trinket!

And may the odds be ever in your favour.

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I appear to be IT

~ JP Marshman ~ 7 Comments

And not as in Pennywise, the clown from Stephen King’s IT. I’ve been tagged by the most illustrious On Windy Days in a game of blog tag. Heck yes, blog tag.

The Rules

1. I must post the rules.
2. I must answer the questions the tagger listed for me.
3. I must create (or reuse) 11 questions for those I tag.
4. I must tag 11 people.
5. I must let them know they’ve been tagged.

1. What is your favorite quote, who is it from, and why?

My favourite quote… actually, there are several. 1) By Flemeth, the Witch of the Wilds in Dragon Age: Origins and II: “… it is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly.” I love this not just because I’m a huge nerd and need a life, but because it’s entirely true. A teacher of mine once said that for every low you have in life, you must have an equal high. In the same quote is “Without an end, there can be no peace,” which I also like. I’m deep and thoughtful like that. 2) By Kreia/Darth Traya, the mentor/member of the Sith Triumvirate in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: “To be united by hatred is a fragile alliance at best.” This, this is just awesome. And also true. Video games are deep. 3) By Dagoth Ur, a mortal god and villain of the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: “Who knows what we may be capable of, when we no longer fear death?”

Basically, I’m really nerdy.

2. Which song can bring you to tears or reminds you of your childhood?

Family Portrait, by Pink. Yeah, yeah, pretty typical, but I related to it as a child when my family life got tough, and it still makes me cry.

3. What is one thing that keeps you going day in and day out?

Probably my writing. It’s what my life revolves around. It’s definitely what I live for.

4. Why did you start blogging?

I started this blog as a better place to document my thoughts and show my writing to the world. I used to frequent deviantART, but due to a lack of interest on the site for writing, I thought it was a good idea to move on.

5. Is there one thing that you regret not doing in the past? If so, would you be willing to share what that was on here?

I can’t really think of anything. There’s plenty I can think of that I regret doing, but not necessarily not doing.

6. What is one thing that you saw that restored your faith in the human race?

I lose faith in the human race with every passing day, especially with what I see going on in the US, what with the war on women, drugs, gays, anyone-who-isn’t-an-extremist-republican. So it’s tough to say. Maybe this:

This is pretty cute. Go Australian firefighters.

7. Rain or Sun?

I’m 50/50. I live in a place of perpetual sun, so when it rains it’s a nice refreshing change. But I do like me a good, crazy rainstorm, the kind that soaks you in a minute.

8. What movie had the most impact on you? (A movie that just really made you challenge your view on anything)

Well, I’ve already sat here and thought about it for several minutes. Financially, the Dark Knight Rises, because I’ve seen it four times now (and can quote it directly in many places). But to actually answer the question, probably V For Vendetta. V is a bit of a hero of mine, because the point he makes is relevant to our changing times. A democracy is nothing without its people. And don’t worry, I’m not a communist/anarchist.

9. List five words that describe your character.

Goofy, nerdy, smiley, thoughtful, bookish (THIS IS HARD.)

10. What is your greatest fear?

Dying. I’d say water, because that scares the living shit out of me, but dying, definitely. I used to lie awake at night because I’d fret about it and work myself into a tizzy.

11. What do you ultimately want to accomplish in the days to come?

I’m going to finish Purity, edit the bejesus out of it, and publish it as an ebook for all to enjoy! Maybe not in the days to come, but that’s my current goal.

Tagging!

Elisa Nuckle

Bethany

Ashley Jillian

My Other Book Is A Tolstoy

Preston Fuller

I don’t have 11. My apologies. Reusing the same questions, too, because I’m not unique!

Favourite characters. Mine are doomed to die.

~ JP Marshman ~ 10 Comments

This is a rant that has reached each of my little corners of the internet, and now that I’ve just finished NK Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy (unrelated to Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle), I feel the need to strike up the match once again.

It’s frustrating. For fictional characters, to be loved by me is to be loved by death.

I must pick the most unlucky characters to love. Even minor characters sometimes, but mostly it’s the major ones I get attached to then so severely disappointed when they’re horribly offed. Many of these even got some shed tears.

There are a few lucky ones who come close to dying, but miraculously survive.

So let me give you a list of characters I love who have died, in no particular order.

Don’t read this if you are terrified of spoilers for a vast assortment of things.

L: Death Note, manga and anime, cried each time.

Sirius Black: Harry Potter, cried each time.

Dumbledore: Harry Potter, only picked him as a favourite character as a backup when Sirius died.

Snape: Harry Potter, haven’t read the last book but everyone has told me about his creepy death.

Sieh: Inheritance Trilogy, and the bastard even had the gall to do it heroically, but this was especially painful because he’s the god of tricks and when he died I thought it was a joke and he’d be revived. He wasn’t.

Ned Stark: Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, but Sean Bean is a red shirt, so is anyone surprised?

Mr Crepsley: Cirque du Freak, and it totally tricks you into thinking that he didn’t die, fucking wept like a baby.

Roan Shryne: Dark Lord the Rise of Darth Vader, cried.

Jack of Blades: Fable, but I love bad guys, so I should’ve seen this coming.

Carth Onasi: Knights of the Old Republic, though he only dies depending on which alignment you choose in the end.

Grandmaster Jauffre: Oblivion, and I know he doesn’t necessarily die, but I was too busy focussing on fuckingasswipe Martin (who can handle himself, by the way) to pay attention to Jauffre, and this relates to

Baurus: Oblivion, who at the same time as Jauffre’s death, also died a horrible Daedra-filled death, all because I thought Martin would die, because it was the first of two points in the game where Martin can be killed.

Martin Septim: Oblivion, and this little shit does it heroically too – and is also voiced by Sean Bean, so, again, shouldn’t have been surprised.

Lucien Lachance: Oblivion, this still makes me angry, don’t make me talk about it.

Boromir: Lord of the Rings, and do I really need to mention Sean Bean again?

Logan: Fable 3, depending on which ending you choose.

Ulfric Stormcloak: Skyrim, depending if you side with the Empire or the Stormcloaks.

Rainlord Nealrith: Watergivers Trilogy, and it doesn’t help that he was outlived by his wife, the most enticing and hateable character in the series.

Taquar Sardonyx: Watergivers Trilogy, but by the time he died I wasn’t really in love with him anymore.

Luckily, there are a few characters who, as previously stated, miraculously escape their impending doom. Here are those:

Atton Rand: Knights of the Old Republic 2, and he doesn’t necessarily die, but it doesn’t explain what happens to him, and if he lives and is mentioned somewhere in SW:TOR don’t tell me, because I’m not there yet.

Lestat du Lioncourt: the Vampire Chronicles, but he’s just suicidal and doesn’t actually manage to die.

Roger Wakefield MacKenzie: Outlander, he’s hanged but luckily his mother-in-law is a present-time nurse who fixes him and also luckily, he’s hanged improperly so he chokes a bit before passing out rather than having his neck broked.

Jamie Fraser: Outlander, survives again because of Claire, his present-time nurse who sucks snake venom from him.

Nahadoth: Inheritance Trilogy, but he’s a god so he can’t die officially, which relates to

Itempas: Inheritance Trilogy, Naha’s brother/lover who is frequently killed but is also a god and is immortal so he just revives over time.

I’m sure there are more, but it’s late and I don’t feel like thinking anymore right now. I’m too upset over Sieh’s death and the whole “he’s a god, the god of tricks, and he didn’t come back to life” thing. Even my own characters that I create are doomed to die. Bad guys, obviously – though I don’t really like any of the bad guys in Changeling so far, but in OtArb… oh God, I cried when the baddie was finally offed. And in Purity, when my wee Roger died. More crying there.

What about the rest of you? Do you recognize some of these characters and did you feel the same about their deaths? Are your favourite characters doomed to die as well?

Please say it isn’t just me.