Fanmix Day 9 - For a Movie

Of Acorns and Thimbles from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Fanmix Day 3 - Songs You've Recently Fallen In Love With

If I Had A Voice... from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

This is mostly a weird amalgamation of songs but here goes. There's a bit of Aaron Tveit from Next to Normal and Kerry Butler's song from Catch Me If You Can. Then there's also some of The Pretty Reckless, one instrumental song, a soundtrack song or two and then some random songs I found from other fanmixes and loved.

Writing a Thing

I am currently working on a Les Mis fanfic that's sort of Enjolras/Grantaire. It's kind of strange, though and probably rather dark. But we'll see how it goes. I dunno how long it'll be but if it's short I'll post it here. If it gets broken up into chapters I'll post it on fanfiction.net or something. But maybe I'll still post it here as well.
I'll post more about it soon. I might actually finish it today.

Song Analysis

You can listen to my fanmix on 8tracks here.

So the final tracklist for my Enjolras/Grantaire mix is...
1. Made for Glory by Landon Pigg
2. Inside a Boy by My Brightest Diamond
3. Night Terror by Laura Marling
4. I Would Do Anything For You by Foster the People
5. Hounds by The Antlers
6. Too Late by M83
7. Thin Air by Aqualung
8. Parachutes by Coldplay
9. Icarus by Bastille
10. No One Would Riot For Less by Bright Eyes
11. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Now I'm going to talk about why I picked the songs and all that fun stuff and it's probably going to get pretty long so if you have no interest in that there is nothing else here for you.

Made for Glory - I view this mix as being, for lack of a better phrase, from Grantaire's point of view. This song I take to be him talking about how Enjolras was born to be great.

You are made for glory / And it's no wonder why you're here / For all to see / But like a thorn upon my flesh / Your beauty haunts me / I can't find relief / And it's no wonder why you're here / To torture me

Inside a Boy - There isn't anything too specific about this one it's more the whole feeling of it. The sound is soft of dreamy and ethereal but I liked the violence of the lyrics We are stars colliding / Now we crash like lightning. Theirs is something of a violent sort of love rather than an easy and soft one.

Night Terror - I chose this one almost solely for the lyrics If they want you / They're gonna have to fight me

I Would Do Anything For You - I was conflicted about this one because it's pretty upbeat and I felt it might not fit well but I chose it for the lyrics Every day is a battle I face / Strange life I live but it's what you've decided / I'll give it all into your hands / Do what you will with me

Hounds - There were a few Antlers songs I was thinking about but I eventually chose this one (I don't like having more than one song by the same artist).

They want to conquer you / Abandon you / I want to burden you / Belong to you

Too Late - Mostly I liked the sound of this one. It sounds introspective and kind of dark.

Thin Air - This one made me think of the death scene (from the movie, at least) where Enjolras falls through the window, if you take it quite literally. Tell me that you'll love me forever / Or go without another word / With our hands holding tight together / Out into the new world / And you're standing on the edge of something / Tell me I was right to care / Well you know that I'm in love with you / Stepping out into the thin air

The repetition of I believe in you was also a good factor.

Parachutes - Just a short one that's a sort of bumper, I suppose.

Icarus - I saw a quote on tumblr that I'm not sure where it originates or if the person made it up themselves but I liked it: "He is Icarus; Enjolras the sun. He will burn to be near him." I liked this quote so much I came across several songs called Icarus and this one fitting quite nicely.

Icarus is flying too close to the sun / And Icarus' life, it has only just begun / And this is how it feels to take a fall / Icarus is flying towards an early grave

For me, it fit with the quote well (which I thought was a great description of their relationship) and alluded to their deaths.

No One Would Riot For Less - I imagine this as a sort of night-before-the-barricade conversation where Grantaire yells in a passion that he loves Enjolras and they're both probably going to die tomorrow.

So love me now, Hell is coming / Yeah kiss my mouth, Hell is here / Little soldier, little insect / You know war it has no heart / It will kill you in the sunshine / Or happily in the dark

Radioactive - I really didn't want to use this song because of it being in the trailer for The Host but I eventually broke down and used it to represent the day of the barricade. It's a very revolutionary sounding song but I liked the lyrics I raise my flags, don my clothes / It's a revolution, I suppose / We're painted red to fit right in
Red really evokes the revolution for me with the flags and Enjolras' coat but I especially liked the "It's a revolution, I suppose" because it was so cynical and Grantaire to me.

So there you go. I think that's everything.
 If you read any of that I appreciate it.

Alyssa

Fanmix Artwork

I'm working on a fanmix for Enjolras and Grantaire because I love them to bits and pieces and I thought I'd show you the artwork I made. It's probably not all that great. I'm pretty good at using photoshop to change things but not make things. Anyway, here you go.

I blurred the actual songs because I'm not totally sure about decisions and order yet and I know it's also probably strange to have a poem on the cover but I liked it and thought it might be interesting. So there you go, there's that.
I should also probably mention that this is the first fanmix I've made and put serious thought into so...
I'll post the tracklist as soon as I finalize that.

thanks for letting me ramble,
Alyssa

Something Borrowed: A (Complaining) Movie Review

So I'm watching Something Borrowed. Again. Even though I hate it. But I'm now watching it with a love for John Krasinski.
If you're wondering why I hate it let me explain, as I come to the main point of this post. And, just to be fair, there are spoilers for the movie ahead. I haven't read the book though so I don't know how that goes.
Okay so if you're unaware the main plot of the movie is about rather introverted Rachel, extroverted Darcy and Dex. Rachel and Dex are friends from law school. Rachel has always had a crush on Dex but when she introduces him to her best friend Darcy, of course he falls for her. And soon they are engaged.
But leading up to the wedding Rachel and Dex realize their feelings for each other and start a...well a what exactly? A relationship? I mean a girl is having an affair with her best friend's fiance. And well he's cheating on his fiance with her best friend. Obviously this is just all wrong. But what I found weird from the beginning was that the whole cheating aspect wasn't really talked about. I dunno how to explain it. Like the main conflict was Rachel and Dex being together and not the fact that they were both doing something wrong. But then you don't exactly pity Darcy either as she's sort of a bitch. So none of the characters are all that likable.
But here's what I really hated. Rachel's other friend, Ethan. I actually really liked Ethan (played by John Krasinski), he was sweet and funny. And near the end, after Rachel has finally realized that he's right about Dex and Darcy and everything, she goes to visit him as he's recently gone to London. And while there he tells her that he's liked her for a long time. And she doesn't say anything. How do you sit there while this guy looks at you tells you he likes you, that he has for a long time, and says, "You are home for me," and not say anything. I understand she's in love with Dex so she's not gonna all of a sudden fall in Ethan's arms. But he's been there for her through all of this, the difficulty of which we can now fully appreciate as he's in love with her, and yet this doesn't affect her thinking at all. So she goes back for the wedding which Dex calls off at the last minute. And we never find out what happens to Ethan (though I suspect that may be a topic for later books because I doubt there will be more movies).
And...Rachel and Dex end up together anyway because it turns out Darcy was cheating with this skeezy guy named Marcus and is pregnant.
Ugh I just hate this movie.
But okay I'm done rambling now.
And I'll try and post more. Do random little things like this make you happy?

Tuesday Video Challenge No. 13 - I'll Make a Man Out of You

Who doesn't love this song? When I was in senior year we were watching a movie in my Calc. class and there was a quieter part. We could hear the class next to us watching a movie or listening to music and we realized they were listening to this song and we all started singing it. It was so cool! For four minutes I thought I was in High School Musical!

And while I was searching for a good video I found this video below which, I thought, is also worth showing because it's fuckin' awesome!

Narcissa's Hair

So, for the longest time, I've wondered why Narcissa's hair is both black and blonde in the Harry Potter movies (I'm not sure if it was this way, as well, in the books or not). Well, I think I've figured it out. And, if it describes this in the book and I just look like an idiot right now, just ignore me thanks.
So, Narcissa is Bellatrix's sister which would make her a Black (hence the black hair) but she's married into the Malfoy family, known for their white-blond hair and so she takes on their hair color.
I kind of see this as her saying that she belongs as much in that family as her own. I believe that she was rather forced into marrying Lucius and that is one way of her saying that she belongs there. That she wants to be there.
Just my opinion, of course, and by no means correct.
What do you think?

Polyvore Inspiration

This blog is an outlet for things that I like and want to talk about so here is something that I've found recently that I like and want to show you.

I've been spending a lot of time on Polyvore lately, which is kind of strange for me because I've never been one that really cares about clothes or fashion. Like, if I could I would spend my time naked just so I didn't have to pick out clothes everyday. But I would be much too embarrassed to do that (unless we had never worn clothes like Adam & Eve but that's a whole other post).

Anyway, I found a user on Polyvore whose sets I really, really, like. Her username is lalakay (and you can click on that to find her profile) but she signs her sets as DisneyBound. And understandably, because all her sets portray an adaptation of someone or something Disney-related. With a few exceptions, such as Thumbelina.

I started this post, though, to show you some of my favorites.

Peter + Wendy by lalakay

Carl + Ellie by lalakay

Thumbelina by lalakay

Pocahontas by lalakay

Prince + Princess by lalakay

Mr. Smee by lalakay

Mickey + Minnie by lalakay

Jack + Rose by lalakay

Phineas & Ferb by lalakay

Carl Fredricksen by lalakay

Young Ellie + Young Carl by lalakay

She has a ton more but I really encourage you to go look at them for yourself. And maybe try making your own sets. It's quite fun, even if you don't have any particular interest in clothes and fashion.

And May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

I've seen The Hunger Games twice, now, and I thought I'd tell you all about it. If you haven't read the book (or want to be completely unspoiled for the movie) you probably don't want to read ahead.
So, hey, you still here? Alright let's go...
To start off, I loved it! And I was so worried. Ever since I heard of the existence of this movie I had very low expectations. The book was so good but so bloody and I didn't know how they would portray that and keep it PG-13. And I felt that a lot of the story was told in Katniss's head (for lack of a better term), not spoken. I was concerned about how that would translate to a movie. But they truly did do a very good job. There was really only two noticeable things that they (understandably) cut. And that was Madge's character and the backstory with the Avox girl. The Avox girl didn't add much to the story, really. I think it was just to show what could happen to Katniss if she were to rebel. As for Madge, I very much liked her character in the book but she was really only there to bring the pin into the story. In the movie, Katniss sees the pin while trading in the Hob and buys it for Prim, telling her it'll keep her safe. When Prim and her mom come to say goodbye to Katniss, Prim gives her the pin back and says, "To keep you safe." It was quite touching and, in a way, I think I almost liked the way they did it in the movie better.
As for casting (which is an aspect that always worries me before seeing a movie I'm excited for), I think they did a great job with that, as well. When I first saw Jennifer Lawrence, when they first announced her being cast, I wasn't really too happy with it. I didn't know her from anything else (most people that recognize her, it'll be from Winter's Bone). I thought she was too pretty and too...soft looking. But seeing her hair dyed and dressed as Katniss, dirty and roughed up. She looked the part. But her acting was awesome. It was plainly clear that she understood Katniss as a character. She is a great actress and I think (and hope) that she'll stick around for quite a while.
Liam Hemsworth made a good Gale. I'm not a big fan of Liam himself, and we only see Gale for a maximum of 5 minutes combined, but he does pretty well from what I can see.
As for Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. I think this was one of the best casting choices they made. Josh is Peeta. I'll admit, I was (shallowly) worried that Josh would look weird with blond hair but somehow it works. But the way they describe Peeta in the books: charismatic, persuasive, charming; he is all of those things. I'm so glad he got the part because he really is a great actor and I'm excited for him to reach a wider audience.
On to random things I liked: I liked their outfits for the chariot ride in the Capitol. The ones where they're wearing capes of fire. It looked prety good for being something so unnatural. I liked the part where Peeta admits his crush on Katniss during Caesar's talk show. That was always one of my favorite parts in the book and I was quite happy with it in the movie. I liked Katniss and Peeta in the cave. They were so effing cute. I loved every scene with Rue in it. I wish she could've been more prevalent. I love the girl they cast. She's adorable, she can act surprisingly well (or rather, I think she just felt connected to Rue in a way that younger kids can), and she makes you feel for her. Seeing her killed and Katniss decorating her with wildflowers. It was one of the most heartwrenching scenes I've ever seen. I don't think I've ever wanted to cry at movie more than I did then. And the music, music in movies has always made me so emotional, it just made the whole so much more difficult to watch without breaking down. And then we see those in District 11 give the three-fingered salute. A man we assume to be Rue's father (or, at least, I assumed this, I haven't asked anyone else) breaks away from the crowd and attacks the Peacekeepers and a riot breaks out. I loved seeing this, witnessing the first sparks of rebellion. Seeing the people finally get sick of the unfairness and injustice. It was great, in a sad way, of course.
There's one other thing that sticks out in my mind that I quite liked. In the books, Katniss explains to us what Tracker Jackers are, works out what the booby trap around the pyramid of food is, she does these in her head rather than spoken aloud. So to explain those things, they would show an ongoing commentary of the games done by Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith. They explain Tracker Jackers as if to an audience and wonder aloud whether Katniss will figure out that the Careers dug up and re-buried the mines. So I thought that was something of an innovative way to explain things.
There were really only a few things I had complaints with and both were, for the most part, fairly minor. The first was a few things that weren't explained and, to someone who didn't read the books, wouldn't be fully comprehended. The one that sticks out in my head is, what I call, the three-fingered salute. The thing that everyone does when Katniss goes up on stage at the Reaping after volunteering for Prim. When it happens in the movie, you get the sense that it's an act of solidarity. You get the gist but you don't really know where it's from or why...if you haven't read the book, of course.
The other was the cinematography. It was super, duper shaky. The first time I saw it, I legitimately thought I was going to be sick. As the movie went on I got used to it. My mum didn't, though, so I guess it all depends on the person. The second time I saw it, I wasn't really bothered at all.
So there you go, my very long-winded review of The Hunger Games movie. I have to say, I think it may have been the best book to movie adaptation I've ever seen. Better, even, than Harry Potter, simply because HP just had so much more plot and subplot to squeeze into the same amount of time.
I loved it, though. I really did.
And I hope everyone else enjoys it, as well.

Alyssa,
Female Tribute of District 4

So I Was Watching Deathly Hallows Part 2

You know the part after Harry shows up in the Great Hall and McGonagall "fights" Snape (I put it in quotes because all he really does is throw a few shield spells and fly out the window)? And then Voldemort talks in everyone's head and demands that they give him Harry Potter. And Pansy says, "What are you waiting for? Someone grab him!" And then Filch comes in shouting about students out of bed and McGonagall says his arrival is opportune. She says, "Please escort Miss Parkinson and the other Slytherins out of the Great Hall...the dungeons'll do."

So anyway, I was thinking about this and it seems horribly unfair. I mean, throughout the books, J.K. Rowling talks about how not all Slytherins are evil or bad. But rather cunning and, if anything, usually out for themselves. But that doesn't make them evil. And I felt like, when McGonagall sent all the Slytherins to the dungeons because of one, well it was horribly unfair. Granted, on a realistic level, it probably made their battle easier as, I'm sure, a number of the Slytherins were, or would've done, sided with Voldemort. I just found it to be against the principles usually put forth in the series (books and movies).
But again, that's just what I think. And I wouldn't really worry about it if it seemed that there was a reason for doing so, such as the Slytherins needing to be in a certain place for something else to happen later on. The only thing I can think of is that Draco, Goyle and Zabini apparate from the dungeons to the Room of Requirement to intercept the trio. Also, I just realized this, I thought you couldn't apparate in Hogwarts. I suppose Snape or the Carrows could have removed this for some reason but that doesn't make much sense. Plus, the teachers had been placing protective enchantments for a while by this point and I think that would have been one of them (if not already in place).
Back to the original point, however, this moment here is the only time we see the Slytherins in relation to the dungeons. Then, this scene isn't even in the movie, really. It's in the deleted scenes.
So was there a reason for sending all the Slytherins to the dungeons? If you have any ideas, let me know. Or if you think I'm reading way too much into this, keep that to yourself. Just kidding, tell me that too.
Love you and, as always, thanks for reading!
-Alyssa

Have You Seen the Official Teaser Trailer for Despicable Me 2?

I found this so hilarious. I cannot even tell you. I showed it to my dad and I don't think he found it nearly as funny but whatevs!
POOOOTAAAATOOOOOOOO

Wish me luck

I'm going to try to read all of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close before the movie comes out. Well before I see the movie which won't be on opening day but will, most likely, be somewhere around there.
So here I go...

I'm friends with Ginny Weasley

And I convinced her to start a Tumblr! If you want to talk to her, you can find her tumblr here.

Oh and I'll be talking about NaNoWriMo tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about it.

love you,
Alyssa

Dear Luna Lovegood,

Luna, there is so much in my head, swirling around, that I'd love for you to know. But my brain doesn't seem to want to put it into words to put on paper. Perhaps Nargles are behind it. After all, you told us yourself that thy make your brain go fuzzy. But I'll give it a shot, anyway.
Luna are my favorite character. You are strange and bizarre in all the best ways. It was in Alice in Wonderland where Alice asked her father: "Am I mad?"
And her father said, "Yes. All the best people are."
You aren't afraid of being laughed at for what you believe. You are not at all bothered by not having friends (even though, of course, you do). And you're happy and serene and a good friend and sweet and just a pleasure to be around (or, at least, I assume so from reading about you; I wish I could meet you).
I suppose, if you read anyone else's letter, you'll see that I've said this to just about everyone but I really wish we were friends. You inspire me to be more myself and not care what people think because, really, what does it matter? I love that you believe in things that most people are sure don't exist. And I love that you are so dreamy and stuck in your own head.
I just think you would be a wonderful friend, I wish I could know for sure. But I suppose I'll just have to reread your adventures and the adventures of your friends.

Always,
Alyssa

Dear Ron Weasley,

Ron, I think you were my first fictional crush. Well, I know you were. Sure Harry was a hero. But you were real. Or as real as a fictional character could be. You were funny, a little unsure, overshadowed, pressured. Everyone has felt the way you have.
From your first line, I fell in love with you. And I was so excited to read what you had to say next. Even now, a decade later, I consider your sacrifice at the end of Philosopher's Stone (I refuse to use the American title) one of the best scenes in the Potter series. Some of the best moments have been yours.
You were the guy that we could all relate to. The guy that we all wanted to be with (in my opinion, anyway).
And you made gingers cool.
You taught me that, even when the right thing is hard, we have to do it. You taught how to be a good friend and how to be a hero and for that, I can only thank you.

Always,
Alyssa

Dear Harry Potter,

I'd like to be able to tell you something dramatic. That without you I wouldn't be here or that reading your story kept me from my awful home life.
But the truth is I can't tell you that. I had a great childhood. I was an only child, my parents were still together and we lived in a good neighborhood. I was happy. And I thought it was always like that.
Harry, I started reading about you when I was 8 years old. Your abuse at the hands of the Dursleys was as new to me as the Wizarding World was to us both.
Over the years, you saw new horrors and so did I. No longer were we innocent children. We knew that there was true evil out in the world and that it often seemed as though good and justice had no hope of winning.
When I was in high school I started to become more and more depressed eventually taking medication for it.
And I went back to your books Harry and I saw all that you had to be upset about. I saw all the things that you could have fallen apart about. You could've given up long ago and we all would have understood. But you knew what you had to do. And you helped me to know that I had to go on as well. That there were much worse things happening than what I was going through.
You made my childhood magical and you made my transition from adolescence to adulthood just a little easier.
I doubt there will ever be another like you.

Always,
Alyssa