Marching Forth with Beautiful People

Yikes. Long time no post. Sorry about that. Anyway. Not much going on... School is eating me alive [but that's normal].
To keep my blog alive and busy, here's Beautiful People-The March edition. This one was particularly fascinating, because it deals with more than one character at the same time, and because it involves relationships (and not just romantic relationships). Who doesn't find relationships fascinating?
Anywho...
I answered the questions using Sol and Lillee from my newest idea The Thirteen Tales of Solomon Wise. The title has nothing to do with the plot, so that's a problem. Actually, the book's more about time travel. It's an interesting study for me, because I generally don't go near any more sci-fi fantasy stuff like that. But the story is really engaging me, and I hope you find Sol and Lillee engaging, too :3


1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?
Time travel, for one, because Sol is a time traveller and Lillee is learning more about her deceased father's hand in the time travelling world every day. At first she was skeptical, but the chaotic events which occur when Sol comes to town imply that something bigger is going on.

2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?
Lillee is tough; she dislikes being seen as helpless or in need of assistance. However, deep inside, the idea of being swept off her feet by a knight out of one of her many books fascinates her. Sol, though he suffers from some memory loss at the beginning of the story, is very committed to protecting Lillee and anyone else who is in danger due to his presence.

3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree...)
Lillee lives in her books. She is well-versed in many genres and knows most of her favorites by heart. She often concerns the townsfolk by walking down streets or in front of cars with a book held up in front of her face. Sol, since he is a stranger in the town and the time, feels out of place and is almost never comfortable unless he is completely alone.

4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?
Sol is a time traveller. I haven't exactly figured out what he does, or why, or how, or anything. But that is his occupation, and he is an expert in his field. However, a bad accident landed him in 1919 from an unspecified future time and robbed him of a substantial part of his memory. There is probably a lot of corruption and conspiracy going on back at Time Travel Headquarters, and I'm still trying to figure out if there's someone higher up who is out to get Sol because of something he knows, or because of something he is trying to learn.
Lillee, though she's only 17, has made herself quite the scholar. She haunts the library and has more than once mentioned her desire to work there. She is also an artist, though she does not devote half as much time to painting as she does to reading.

5. Describe their current place of residence.
Sol stays at a boarding house while he's in Indiana. He rooms alone, but he has trouble paying for his room and has been threatened with eviction by the home's usually gracious matron.
Lillee lives with her estranged mother in a classic home on the edge of town. Her father bought the house for its character; it is a large house, furnished with ornate carpets and sofas from around the world. Professor Dae (her father) was known as "modestly wealthy" by the townsfolk, and left a substantial amount of money to help pay for the upkeep of the home. Most of the rooms stand empty, though, as Widow Dae refuses to change anything from the way her husband left the house.

6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?
Sol reminds Lillee of her father, whom she dearly loved. She wants to invest everything in him, help him in any way she can--after all, this is the first time she's really lived every since her father died and she buried herself in books. Sol, however, knows that not only will he need to leave 1919 before he overstays his welcome but also that there are certain persons searching for him who want to make sure he never leaves. Unwilling to put Lillee in danger and unsure of his own past, Sol rejects her help almost as forcefully as she offers it. Both are high-strung and offended after the fact, but the dire situations they encounter along the way force them to come up with a new strategy.

7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?
I see Sol in a classic car, probably German and with a nice loud engine. Lillee would probably go for a brightly-colored buggy.

8. How do they deal with change?
Lillee recoils from it, ignores it, overlooks it, as though it never happened. Sol fights it, always unsure as to where another change might land him.

9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?
Sol would cut off his hand, as he uses his feet quite often for running and getting from place to another.
Lillee, on the other hand [no pun intended] would rather amputate her leg than lose one of her delicate, overworked hands--and her ability to turn pages quickly and wield a paintbrush.

10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?
Lillee would go for something tall and cold, like an iced coffee. Sol, though it surprises most people, is more of a hot cocoa guy.

Bonus Quezzies!
1. How did they meet?
Sol landed himself in 1919 Indiana after a massive accident. He is disoriented when he meets Lillee; he is looking for her father, Professor Dae, who was a distinguished time traveller before he died in the Great War. Since Dae was the only person who could have helped him, Lillee takes it upon herself to find a way to get Sol back to his own time.

2. How do these two deal with conflict?
Mostly by sulking or screaming it out--it depends on how hot the conflict is. Lillee will rarely dissolve into tears, but when she does, it's a veritable flood. Sol is more likely to stalk off and frown at the wall--or punch it.

3. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place?
Lillee often quotes her father. Sol whistles a lot when he's working.

4. What kind of things do they like to do together?
Although the two don't have much free time together, they both enjoy reading and do so to a great extent. One of the thing that endears Sol to Lillee is that he has read Paradise Lost and knows parts of it by heart. Paradise Lost was Professor Dae's favorite story and he read it Lillee when she was only three or four years old.

5. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.
Confusing. Multifaceted. Endearing.

That's all for now! Enjoying the spring weather,

~Elisabeth

YOU just got tagged [Yes, you]

So Jeanette at Capricious Scribblings and Christina at Parenthetically Bizarre  gave me a reason to get back on my blog and actually post something for you to read by tagging me =D Here we go. Warning: this post is gonna be MILES long. I'm just glad I didn't get tagged three times :P

The Rules
1) post these rules.
2) post 11 random things about yourself.
3) answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4) create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5) go to their blog and tell them they've been tagged.
6) no cop-outs in the tagging section like “if you are reading this/follow me,” blah blah blah. you have to legitimately tag people.

11 Random Things About Myself
1. I love to listen to classic Irish love songs. One of my favorite singing groups of all time is The Irish Tenors.
2. I'm a skiier. I've skiied for about six or seven years [maybe longer]. I don't ski with poles, which gets me some weird looks, but I have braved black and double black diamonds and survived.
3. I am a major WWII history buff. One of my favorite things to do is read historical nonfiction about the war and the damage done to the entire world.
4. I've been co-writing a YA fantasy series about unicorns for about six years now.
5. I'm innately afraid of tight spaces--once I got stuck in a box maze and ran over several people to get to the exit. I have no regrets.
6. I fail majorly at cooking. I can bake, but the only thing I can make is zucchini bread. It's pretty good, but my family gets sick of it after about four loaves.
7. I once took a spill off a hyper pony and busted my hip. I limped around for a month afterwards and was lovingly referred to as "the crippled lamb" by my friends. Why they equated me to a lamb I shall never know.
8. One of my favorite foods in the whole world is potatoes. I'll eat them any way I find them--mashed, baked, scalloped, you name it. However, I do not like sweet potatoes, and avoid them like the plague.
9. I'm a bad gamer. I rarely win at any game I play. One of my favorite games is Mario Party, which my dear friend Danielle forced upon me ^^
10. I have two little brothers who were adopted about a year ago. I'm so thankful that God put them in my life.
11.  I'd rather live in a perpetual summertime than a perpetual wintertime. ^^

Jeanette's Lovely Quezzies:

1. What is your favorite book and why?
Oh my. WHY. I don't have a favorite books--I love way too many of them. Some of my favorite books are:
The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit
All four books in the Auralia's Colors series
Great Expectations
Jane Eyre
The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment
The Chronicles of Narnia
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

And quite a few more =D

2. What is your favorite movie and why?
Again with the favorites! I really like movies, so I have a lot of favorites. But my biggest favorites are:
Judgment at Nuremburg--It's a courtroom drama with the best actors I've ever seen and an excellent storyline.
Schindler's List--A poignant portrayal of one man's fight against the hated which existed everywhere around him during the Holocaust.
It's a Wonderful Life--Come on. It's just...the best movie out there.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas--A really shocking movie with a powerful message.
Tangled--Long hair, chamelons, glowing lanterns and a cute love song. What's not to like?

3. Who or what inspires you?
Jesus, for His unconditional love and His perfect example.
My parents, because they put up with me for seventeen years 8D
My friends, because of the way they make me laugh even when I'm pretty unlikable.
My characters, because even though I gave them life, they're original and independent, and they make their stories that much better.

4. What is the last book you read? Did you like it?
The last book I read was: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Did I like it? I thought it was sad, rushed, and a little sloppy, but still well-written and a total psychological thriller.

5. Are you looking forward to The Hunger Games film?
YES. I am so looking forward to it ^^ The book's very visual, and so I can't wait to see how the story is on the big screen!

6. Have you ever gotten your friends obsessed with something?
Yup--Les Miserables. I did that.
And also, I got Danielle on the DragonKeeper forum. My greatest work ^^

7. What is your favorite novel genre? Why?
I think fantasy is just the best thing ever. It's creative, but it can also pack a true-to-life punch. You can send a message without sounding like a preacher; you can create worlds, new creatures, and have a blast writing.
And also it's fun to read, too ;-;

8. What is your favorite period of history? Why?
MUHAHAHA.
I love the 1930's-1940's. I became obsessed with WWII era and never looked back. It's an amazing time in history, when a seemingly advanced and cultured world either murdered millions or stood by and watched. I am shocked that something like the Holocaust could have happened [though not surprised, given the sinful nature of man]. The tortures people all over the world endured should never be forgotten. I'd like to play a small part in making sure they never will be.

9. American accents or Irish?
IRISH! Oh yes please!

10. What is one of your favorite quotes?
Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, or something like that. I think it's a great warning, because we see history repeated every day. Nothing new is under the sun.

11. Jane Austen or Charles Dickens? xD
Hmm. I think Dickens. I LOVED A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. But I also liked Pride and Prejudice--I just don't buy into the whole romance thing as much xD

Pippin's Spectacular Quezzies:

1. Have a hilarious cooking story? Pray do share. Bonus points if involves unintentional fire.
Hmm. Once my mom and I were making potatoes, and the oven caught on fire and my mom turned all fire-lady and put it out with BAKING SODA 8D I was about five, and she was my hero forever.

2. How do you feel about strawberry chapstick?
I don't know. I've never met it before. I think I'd like it.

3. Hot air balloons or helicopters?
I'll go with the hot air balloons. Anything that flies really fast intimidates me xD

4. How do you feel about the craze for SillyBanz a short year ago?
I was neutral. I actually have a couple... unicorns ;-; They're so cute ^^

5. Have you ever tasted tiramisu? Tell me what it tastes like, cuz I haven’t. Points for most obscure descriptions.
Hmm. I think it tastes kind of like sushi, because it sort of rhymes. Also, it probably has sprinkles on top, because it ends with a "u". And I think it's fried.

6. TY Beanie babies? Remember them? Have they gone to the dogs, in your opinion?
Oh my yes! I have hundreds of them upstairs. If the world ever needs to be replenished, come to me. When I say hundreds, I mean HUNDREDS.

7. Favorite character from Percy Jackson in three . . . two . . . one . . . go!
....
I've never read Percy Jackson ._.
So... I guess nobody? *ducks*

8. Who’s your favorite American President?
It's a tie between Lincoln and John Adams.

9. What was the last paper you wrote about for school?
It was a huge poetry assignment that almost killed me xD

10.    Toy Story 1, 2, or 3?
Meh. I like the second one ^^

11. When was the last time you blew bubbles?
This past summer. Bubbles are awesome!


That was fun ^^

Here are my eleven questions for you.

1. Have a favorite book or movie character? Who is it, and what do you like about him/her?
2. What's your favorite type of music to listen to?
3. Ever created a dream cast for your favorite book/play/own original book?
4. Do you like potatoes (answer carefully)?
5. What's your favorite place to visit?
6. Ever ridden a dragon?
7. What qualities would you like to see in your characters? If you don't have characters, what qualities would you like to see in yourself?
8. College, or no college?
9. If you had all the money in the world, what would be the one thing you'd buy first?
10. What sports do you play [if any] and what musical instruments do you/have you learned?
11. Favorite song ever, and why?

Okay, I tag everyone who's reading this, excepting Christina and Jeanette [because I don't think I can re-tag]! You're officially tagged; no use trying to get out of it. Yes. Because I'm that lazy xD

That was fun! I shall make a note of the joy it brought to me.

TTFN,

A Meme for Me, and One for You, Too!

Say that five times fast.

Anyway, sorry for the lapse into silence. I've been pretty busy. As you can see, I sort of redid my blog a bit. I like it so far :] I have a MUCH more detailed profile page and book page up (you can see them under the blog title). Okay, the book page is not done yet, but it WILL be. Someday.

Today, I have a meme for you. I already did it, which kind of makes the blog title...incorrect, in some way. How I don't know. My brain hurts. The Venerable Bede has been chewing on it.

I found these memes here. I CANNOT vouch for the site in that I don't know if all of the memes are appropriate (I've only done two). But I liked what I've done so far, and I thought I'd share the memes with you.

Here's my favorite meme so far. It's UTTERLY confusing and you'll probably do the numbers wrong like me, but it was so fun to do. I would have posted my completed meme, but it's very long and garbled and I was asleep when I did it.

For the record, I didn't write this meme--I only found it online and have duly credited my source.

Have a great time :]

God Bless~

Elisabeth

PS. In case you're totally clueless like me, OC means "original character." Maybe I'm just weird XD

Reality TV Show Writing Meme!

Rules:

- Choose 6 OC's.

- Put your OC's names in list of numbers and answer the questions with your OC's names instead of the number, write at least 100 words to answer.

- Once an OC is evicted, you must choose the next consecutive number to fill in the question.

1. Welcome to the House! Introduce the OC's and what their luxury item would be.

[1] [2]

[3] [4]

[5] [6]

2. There are 3 bedrooms, 1 with 2 double beds, 1 with 2 single beds and 1 with only 2 matresses on the floor. Who pairs up with whom, is there an argument over who should get the better room, and how is this resolved?

3. Now they've decided where they're sleeping, they make their way to the living room but find that it is empty expect for a few large and heavy boxes which hold the furniture which [1] and [4] have been told to put together within a time limit, how well do they do?

4. The furniture's together, now for dinner and a rest! [2] and [5] are designated for cooking first. What do they cook? Do they work well together? Does their cooking go down well?

5. A few days pass and a relationship is growing between [3] and [6], is it a good one or is it a bad one? What measures are made to make their relationship blossom, or stop them from attacking each other on sight?

6. A week has passed and it's time for an eviction! Someone hasn't put in their penny's worth and needs to be gotten rid of. Choose one OC, and have them say their weepy, or exuberant, goodbyes.

7. There's a siren in the middle of the night! [1] has tried to escape with [3] as accomplice, however they are both caught, who blames whom, and what is their punishment? Do the other house-mates suffer for it?

8. The next task appointed for them arrives in the form of a letter and a pack of bendy wires. They pick up the letter and read that housemates [2] and [4] must make a cube using the fewest number of wires possible within 30 minutes of time.

Do they manage it?

9. That evening, they find alcohol [Elisabeth says: They mean root beer, of course :P] in the refridgerator and a karaoke machine in the living room. However, it is incredibly hard to set up and it's instructions are in Japanese. [5] and [6] are bullied into geting it sorted. How do they get on?

10. Eviction time! Eviction this time is based upon house-mates behaviour and performance in the last week, and sadly, [1] and [3]'s escape attempt has not impressed the higher hand.

[1] or [3] must go, choose, and have them say goodbye.

11. Confessions Time! Having been together for two weeks, how do the house-mates feel about the others? How do they feel about the evictions? Let's listen to them now.

12. [1] and [4] have become very close, and [6] is jealous and decides to confront [4] about it, what happens?

13. Their next task is to simply tidy the house, however, they have to do it blindfold, [5] cheats and [2] does nothing, such disobedience so late in the game earns them a time-out and their luxury item is taken away, how do they cope?

14. Due to the cheating in the previous task, the electricity in the building is cut, and the living room is locked off from them. [4] suggests a game of hide-and-seek, does anyone get injured in the dark? Does anyone take this moment to be naughty with another housemate?

15. The living room is open to them again and inside is a television, an XBOX and four Guitar Hero guitars, a not stuck on the television let's them know that it is a play-off between [3] and [6].

Who wins, and did they realise the loser would be evicted?!

16. With only three house-mates left, tension starts to rise, [1] becomes super-competitive and starts taking over any tasks given to them. [1] accepts a task before even hearing it, and it's challenging them to sit in a bath of maggots for half an hour.

How does [1] react and do they complete the task?

17. Another Confession. Poor [2] is starting to suffer from cabin fever and is sure the others are out to get them. Let's listen to their ranting.

18. The house-mates realise they are quite quickly running out of food, and find three unlabelled tins in a cupboard, with blindfolds next to them and a letter explaining that two tins are sliced peaches, one is dog-food, they must each choose a tin with their blindfolds on.

Who gets the dog-food, and evicted?

19. The final task denotes the winner of the entire game, the final two house-mates are given an envelope, inside is the instrutions of their last task, they simply are.

"Choose."

Does this shock them? Do they choose themselves as the winner or the other? Do they give their own victory up, or are they selfish?

20. Now it's (quite abruptly) over, tag someone!

Where Do I Start?

DRIVING IS FUN.

Yes. That's a good place to start .

I got my permit two days before we left for the beach. And let me tell you, the beach was a good place to go out on the roads for the first time. I scared a few people, yes, but I know they forgave me. And those who didn't eventually will. I think.

SO THIS IS MY CAR.

Actually, it isn't my car, and that's not me in the picture. But it looks like my car (red, has wheels, same model, etc., etc.). That person doesn't look like me, no. KNOW WHY?

*suspense*

Because I have a black and white feather tucked safely behind one ear, yes sir, and I love it. It's going to be a bit long after I get my hair cut, but I don't mind :3

Did I say get my hair cut? Yes I did. You haven't even seen my hair, and so you shouldn't weep for it. I'll do enough weeping for all of us. But I've hit that stage where short hair = grown up and not old. And so I shall give in to my instincts and go for a bob. Or maybe shorter. We shall see. I'm going to be all steel and nails until the first lock falls onto my lap. Then you'll see weeping XD

This is the Lusitania. It was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank off the coast of Ireland in May of 1915.

Did you know that my great-great grandmother had three names? I didn't either, until my grandmother started spinning yarns in her whimsical way after dinner one night. The story she told captivated me, and so I started taking notes (which is obviously what anyone does when something captivates them).

My great-great grandmother was named Anna Maria Yentz at birth, but was always called Mary Anna by her mother. She hated the name Mary Anna (which she thought was her REAL name until her mother told her otherwise) and so she called herself May. She was the third of eight sisters and fell in love with an English interpreter during the First World War when he was in the United States. This chap ran off with their two small children and life savings only a couple of years into the marriage, leaving May to find a note he'd left for her when she returned from work. Well, apparently May didn't accept that, because she saved up enough money for a boat ticket to England and was preparing to set sail after her missing children when her mother basically had a nervous breakdown and forbade her from sailing away. The boat she missed was the Lusitania.

May eventually got her kids back, sailed home for America, and married a man who guarded FDR and was even chief of police in Philadelphia, PA.

The story struck me as fascinating. And so I've undertaken the task of hunting down facts and trying to contain them all in a manuscript, or maybe even a book, about May. It might just be sort of a family history thing, or I might try my hand at historical fiction and use May's life as the basis for my plot. But I fell in love with this story, and I want to learn as much about it as I can.

Besides all the above mentioned, our last vacation of the summer was a real success. It's colder now--I'm wearing a sweater, and it makes me happy and a bit sad at the same time. It seems that fall  has REALLY arrived, and it's time to bid a fond farewell to shorts, T-Shirts, and flip-flops until next year (if my mom doesn't raid my closet before I can dig them out again).

My classes are starting for REAL this week, and I'm super excited.

Time to look up some German verbs.

~

Elisabeth

Far, Far Away....

All righty; so here's the first of what will *hopefully* be many exercises that I can post for you. This is from The Write-Brain Workbook by Bonnie Neubauer (which, by the way, is copyrighted and belongs to the author, not to me).

The exercise goes thusly:

Think of a person who really bugs or annoys you. Think of a place you'd like to send this person. Then--mentally--send them there! With that in mind, start with: The post card arrived....

I did this from one of my character's views. His name is Twink, he's eleven years old and quite full of himself. His worst enemy is Othmar, who he sees as a maniac who won't rest until he tracks Twink down. I wrote down this exercise in the actual book, so it's short and unedited (I'd rather be doing them on my laptop, but right now it's easier to jot them down on paper and type them up later). Anywho, here's what I came up with:


The post card arrived at about 8 AM. Othmar was just having his morning coffee and nasty pill. He hounded the delivery boy away without tipping and double locked his door. "See Paris in Style!" his card read. "You've won an all-expense paid trip to France!" He called the number provided and verified the trip. He arrived at the airport the next morning (with a week's supply of nasty pills, of course). He boarded his plane and took up a whole row with his bags, not letting anyone sit next to him. When the plane landed and he unloaded, he saw a lot of sand, and a sign which said, "Welcome to the Sahara--headstones complimentary." He saw his plane take off and he knew--Twink's revenge." And that's where my dream ended. ~ Twink


Now, um, I'm not very pleased with this exercise because I wanted to edit it SO BADLY while I was writing it. It doesn't really make sense, I start half the sentences with "he", Othmar falls for a trap (which isn't really characteristic), and IT ALL ENDS IN A DREAM (which is one of my pet peeves). But as I typed it out, I sort of realized, "This could be something an eleven year old wrote... I mean, it's bad enough!" And then I thought, Hey! Twink is eleven! All that said, I think, despite the atrocious writing style and the blood, sweat and tears it cost me to not edit it, I achieved a little goal. I wrote in character.

At least, I think I did.

I'd really love to see what you come up with, either here, on your own blog, or privately. And I'd like to know if you enjoyed this exercise and want more.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some edited writings soon! My sincerest apologies for this post to your eyes =P

God Bless!


Elisabeth