Blogaversary! ft. Me Answering Your Questions

The felicitous day has arrived! It's my blogoversary, and I am here to answer all of your many questions!

First of all, though, thank you again. I cannot believe I've been blogging for an entire YEAR, and it is all due to the support I've gotten from so many amazing people in the blogosphere. :)

So! On to answering your excellent questions!

And yes, these little spacers are new! I made a bunch of watercolor doodles to use, and I wuv them.

Skye's Questions:

Image credit: Rebecca Gorzynska, who is AWESOME

What is your Otp? 

Oy vey. I should have known that if I mentioned it, someone would ask. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. 

Um.

Yeah.

My problem is, I both do and don't have an OTP...there are many couples who I LOVE, but I have a really hard time choosing between them! I mean, how do I figure out who I love most when some of the options are Howl & Sophie, Tony & Pepper, A & G (Queen's Thief), Aragorn & Arwen, Heather & Smalls (Green Ember) and Faramir & Eowyn???

Argh.

Okay, wait, I have just figured it out: my OTP is Mary and Joseph! (That's not a cop out. It's just facts.) The others are obviously runners-up, though. :)

Something you love that no one would expect?

Writing really emotional scenes and making myself cry. Because, see, I'm an INTJ. And one might infer that scenes that involve hugs and emotions and tears would be my least favorite. But somehow, they're not. And I know that if I can make myself cry, I can probably make at least one reader cry. Cuz I don't cry easily. And that's a good feeling, honestly. 

Favorite song of the moment?

I have many. But "God Rested" by Andrew Peterson is pretty high up there at the moment. I just love the juxtaposition of Jesus's rest in the tomb and God's rest on the seventh day, and it's...beautiful. I love it very much. 

What's something you're really enjoying?

Listening to Welsh of the West End! It's a group of Welsh actors who've gotten together during COVID to make virtual choir projects of a sort, and they are PHENOMENAL. You can find their playlist here. (And you'll definitely hear them mentioned more than once in this post. :))

Elizabeth's Questions:

Have you ever had an experience or interaction (or whatever you want) that sounds fake but actually happened?

I know I have, but I'm having trouble remembering one...

I'm not sure if this counts (you tell me if it sounds fake...) but there was the time when my choir and I were in Poland (much of that trip sounds fake, given that my choir is basically 100% atheist. XD) and we were touring the monastery at Jasna Gora (where Our Lady of Czestechowa is) and the priest who was giving us the tour told us "Don't eat too many pierogis, or you will end up in pierog-atory." There were a lot of things that priest said that sounded fake, honestly.

Also the time that I was in the Czech Republic (same trip) and had an anaphylactic reaction to something I didn't even know I was allergic to. (That felt fake to me, tbh.) 

(Credit: Pippin) (The screaming is not from excitement. Fyi.)

Or the time I was at Steubenville Northwest (a Catholic youth conference) and went to the first night's meeting-thing expecting an intro, perhaps an engaging talk, and some prayer, and instead...it was a praise-and-worship concert. Yeah. I was not thrilled. (I think that probably sounds fake because of how naïve I was, but whatever.)

(Image credit to owner)

If you could travel to a place you've never been, where would you go?

ITALY. Italy 1000%. I would also love to go to India and Britain, but for me as a Catholic, Italy is the heartland I've never been to, and I want to go there very badly. Especially to see Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, and the Vatican, and eat gelato!

Image credit to owner

Is there someone you wish you could meet? (time travel is allowed)

There are MANY someones I wish I could meet! But I think it would have to be Tolkien. I think we would have a terrific time talking about Catholicism and myth and drinking tea and being nerdy. And then maybe Lewis would drop in and I'd get a two-for-one.

And on the other side of that, is there a fictional character you wish you could meet?

Oh, SO many! So, so, so many that I don't know if I could ever choose. But hey, for the sake of answering the question, I would definitely like to meet Arwen. :)

Favourite fairytale or myth?

I don't know if I have a favorite, but one that I have loved since I was a very small girl indeed is "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". Something about the forests and the creepy princes and the brave soldier just tickles my fancy. Plus, it helps that my dad made a recording of it for me and I would listen to him "tell" it to me all the time.

This kind of carnivorous plant is actually native to my state! (Image credit to owner)

Did you have any weird obsessions growing up?

Several. Generally related to my very strong obsession with books. I would often find a certain subject and basically do a mini research project on it, reading a variety of books, and sometimes ever writing up charts, notes, etc. The two most memorable occasions of this were my brief obsession with the Antwerp Diamond Heist, and the one about carnivorous plants.

But also, I would go through obsessions with various very specific sub-genres, where that would be all I read. Those were generally less healthy. (Very glad I'm out of the phase where I was obsessed with Amish romance novels. *shudders*)

Do you have any weird/funny childhood stories?

I have so many that it's hard to narrow it down...I could tell funny childhood stories for PAGES. But I won't, don't worry. :)

So, when I was three or four, we lived in a house with a ton of berry bushes. We had Pippin's family over to hang out during the summer, and Mom asked me to go pick Pippin some raspberries. So I went over and started eating the raspberries. And then Mom calls to me "Hey, bring some back for Pippin," and I just start eating them faster. I have never liked sharing my berries. (There was also the time where I was supposed to be picking blueberries for dinner with my grandmother, and I told her that I would get the blue ones, but she could have the green ones. XD)

See, this is tricky, because the funniest of my childhood stories also have hand motions that go with them. XD

When I was a baby, I hated going to church so much that I would start crying the second I saw the brick that our church is made of. Which made it really hard for my mom to go the bank...which was also brick. (Thankfully, I have outgrown both the hating-of-church and the crying-at-the-sight-of-brick.)

Pippin and I used to play "Encyclopedia Brown", and he would be Bugs Meanie, and I would be Sally Kimball and punch him. (For real. Poor Pippin, he was very misused, lol.) Don't worry, though--we would also play "Jack and Annie", and "Paul and Maureen", and he got punched less in those particular games.

We had a porch swing at our second house (not the one with the berry bushes), and my siblings and Pippin and Gimli and I would get on it and swing really high, and pretend we were on the Magic School Bus going through the digestive system. (And we ultimately ended up knowing quite a bit about the digestive system. Homeschool nerds ftw.)

Wouldn't that be cool?! (Image credit to owner)

I honestly have no idea if you have an interest in it, but do you have a favourite cryptid?

I don't have a ton of interest in it, but Eomer and Pippin both do, so I know a fair bit about it...and I think my favorite cryptid is the Loch Ness Monster, just because there's such a grey area around the evidence, and I love the idea of there being a dinosaur in Loch Ness...

MovieCritic's Questions:

What was the first book you remember reading on your own?

I think it must have been Good Morning Gorillas by Mary Pope Osborne (if we're excluding picture books, which I hope we are, because I read a whole bunch of those one my own pretty early, but I can't for the life of me remember which ones). Pippin and I went through a phase where we were OBSESSED with Magic Tree House, and would always play "Jack and Annie" when we got together.

After that, I think my first one was either Redwall by Brian Jacques or Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. 

Image credit to owner

What fictional pet would you want as your own?

I would honestly love to own Misty of Chincoteague. :) And I do know that she really existed, but she's in a book, so that makes her count as fictional, for my purposes at least.

What Marvel movie is your favorite (so far)? ;)

I feel like the answer to this question should be hard, but it's really not--my current favorite is Age of Ultron! Despite the Hulkasha nonsense (which, look, I still don't prefer, but I don't HATE...and it's definitely better than Legolas's new "Bucktasha" ridiculousness), it has all of my favorite characters in one place before everything goes to ashes, it has Clint being awesome, pro-life themes, some of my favorite lines of all time, and some of my favorite SCENES of all time, like when they walk into Clint's house. Love that bit. Plus, the amount of philosophy it has for an action movie is impressive. And Tony. Tony is great in AOU.

Describe nostalgia through a book, movie, and song (and optional memory).

I'm not sure exactly what this question means, so I'm just going to list a book, movie, song, and memory that make me nostalgic, and hope that works...

Book: Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan. I must have read this book at least twenty times as a kid, if not more, in so many different places. It's one of those ones that has become part of me.

Movie: VeggieTales: Esther, The Girl Who Became Queen. I watched this movie all the time as a kid, because it was the VeggieTales we owned, and so Mom would put it on for me when she needed to get Legolas down for a nap. :) A lot of the humor was lost on me at the time, but I still enjoy it on occasion, and get the humor better now.

Song: "So Long Farewell" from The Sound of Music. Our choir sang this when I was in 1st or 2nd grade, and Legolas and I both had solos--she had the Gretl one and I had the Liesl one ("I'd like to stay and taste my first champaign") and when I say "Yes?" my dad (prearranged) stood up in the audience and said "No!" 

Memory: Pippin and I playing "Paul and Maureen" while on a camping trip, in a big meadow.

Throwback to the day after we got our first goats!

How long has your family been raising goats?

Since the summer of 2016, which means almost five years, I believe? Sadly, we're planning on selling all of them this spring/summer, because I'm the primary caretaker, and I'm leaving for college...

And (because this is always fun) name three (different from what you've said before!) songs that describe you.

MC, I think you know how hard this question is for me?? Um. Okay,

"Take a Break" from Hamilton (I hardcore relate to how busy Hamilton is...and I always need the reminder that I should take a break.)

"God of My Fathers" by Andrew Peterson (This song just...it's so perfect.)

and

"For Good" from Wicked. But only the Welsh of the West End version. (As I finish high school...this feels more and more like the perfect song. Plus, the aesthetic ("like a comet pulled from orbit...like a ship blown from its mooring...") is so very me. Plus, it actually makes me emotional, so there's that.)

Kenzie's Questions:

what is the cleverest riddle you know?

I am all one color

I am not one size

I am chained to the earth

But can easily fly

I am present in sun

But not in rain

I do no wrong

I feel no pain

What am I?

Oh wait, you thought I was going to tell you the answer? No! Guess it in the comments! :)

if your soul was a color, what color would it be?

Dark and luminous blue-green, but with little black spots in places. 

what is a book you think everyone should read?

The Book of Psalms. It's got a prayer for ever occasion, all in beautiful poetry. It's the book of the Bible that I reference most, and also the one I have the most of memorized. No matter how you're feeling, there's something in there for you. (I bet you were expecting me to say LOTR, weren't you? As hard as it is, I've come to accept that LOTR is not for everyone. Even if it is for most people. :))

what is the strangest situation you've ever found yourself in?

I've been in many strange situations, and I'm not sure I can name the strangest, but there was the time where I was on a scout backpacking trip, and I gave myself a second-degree burn 8 inches square. (Yes, really. Long story.) So, I was waiting with one of the leaders for a truck to come take us out, and it was so cold and wet and the truck was taking FOREVER, so I looked at my fitbit and was like "the truck's going to come at x time", and was counting down the minutes until that moment, knowing all the while that it was literally just a way for me to pass the time, and I had nothing to base that time off of... Guess what. The truck appeared the SECOND the minute turned to that particular x time. Yes, really. Quite a few goosebumps appeared on my arms, I can tell you.

Jan's Questions:

What's your favourite colour?

Blue! 

If you could go back in time, what century would you go to?

This is going to sound strange, but I would actually love to go back to the first century A.D. and be one of the early Christians! Bonus points if martyrdom is involved. (Told you it would sound strange.)

Favourite book- to-movie adaptation?

I think the best book-to-movie adaptation I know of is The Princess Diaries, but I'm not sure if I can say it's my favorite, because the whole reason I like it is because the books are horrible, but the movie is excellent. XD

McKayla's Questions:

Which fictional characters do you think you're like?

Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice)

Elanor (Sense & Sensibility)

and Hermione (Harry Potter)

are the three fictional characters I relate to most...Mr. Darcy for his sheer Darcy-ness (seriously, most of what comes out of his mouth is something I could say, and a lot of what he does I could do as well), Elanor for her self-control over her life, love, and emotions, and Hermione for her brains, logic, and Enneagram One-ness. 

Which fictional characters do you wish you were like?

Samwise Gamgee (LOTR)

and Natasha Romanoff (MCU)

Lemme explain.

Sam is most everything that I aspire to be--humble, full of awe, loyal, loving, brave. Whereas Natasha embodies what I aspire to do--to be a loving presence to my friends even when we disagree, to always consider my actions, and, of course, to be a kick-butt superhero. :) (Partly kidding about that last one.) (But only partly.)

Favorite Jane Austen book and why?

Pride & Prejudice. I think. Although maybe if I reread all of them I would come to a different conclusion, because I also love Emma and Persuasion dearly. But there's something about Elizabeth and Darcy's journey, not to mention the sisters, not to mention all the ridiculous side characters, that just has my heart.

If you could be a Marvel character, who would you be?

I think I would want to be Maria Hill, so that I could hang out with all the Avengers and everyone. I've always thought she was underratedly kick-butt.

What is your third favorite type of animal?

Probably rabbits. I like them a lot, but not as much as cats and goats, mostly because they leave hair all over me whenever I hold them.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

Dang. There are so many things I'd like to change about the world. You're making me choose just one? Oof. Um, okay, I would like bring back the Scholastic tradition of public and reasoned debate. Which would definitely mean a resurgence of the Dominican Order, as an added benefit. :)

What are your three favorite musicals?

Hamilton, Les Miserables, and Howl's Moving Castle (which, unfortunately, only plays in Seattle, and there's no CD of it.)

What is your favorite book cover?

Like, ever? Ahhh...ok, it might have to be the cover of The Return of the Thief.

What is the worst book-to-movie adaptation, in your opinion?

Look, don't hate me, but...Howl's Moving Castle. Don't get me wrong, it was a fun movie. But as an adaptation of the book...the changed the names, they changed the plot, they changed the setting, they changed the characters. They did keep the moving castle, though, which is its one saving grace, I think.

Lia's Questions:

What is your ultimate OTP?

I think I answered (*cough* kinda copped out of *cough cough*) that one above, so please don't make me do all that soul-searching again. XD

Oh wait, this is actually a thing? Whaaat.

what would you consider to be your aesthetic?

Chaotic cottagecore/chaotic academia. At the same time. (I don't know a whole lot about aesthetics, but this seems to fit me to a t.)

5 favorite songs at the moment?

I already mentioned "God Rested" and "For Good" so let's pick 5 new ones...

"Remember Me" by Andrew Peterson (The rap of Psalm 24 I just love it)

"His Heart Beats" by Andrew Peterson (It sounds like a heartbeat, guys.)

"Lily's Eyes" by Welsh of the West End (cover) (So. Beautiful.)

"Dynamite" by One Voice Children's Choir (cover) (So upbeat and nonsensical!)

"When I Grow Up" from Matilda the musical (Very apropos for the moment.)

Sarah's Questions:

-Do you think an honest person is the exception or the rule?

That depends on what you mean by "the rule". The way I see it, "the rule" could be interpreted in two ways: "what is most frequently found", and "what should be found, what is the ideal". I'm guessing you mean the first one, so we'll go with that...although I definitely have thoughts on the second definition, apropos of human nature and the fall. But I'll spare you that today, but only because this post is getting long. 

Even having narrowed down the definitions, this is a hard question, because in my life, most of the people I know are Catholic, and honest people. (Please note that I didn't add a "thus" after the "and"...I know there are dishonest Catholics. But I do think that our proportion of honest to dishonest is quite high). However, from what I've heard about the world outside my naïve bubble, it seems like there's a lot of dishonesty and lying. As much as I'd like to believe that an honest person is the rule, it seems like in the world at this particular moment, an honest person is the exception. 

-What animals would there be in your dream house/life/property/do-you-know-what-I-mean-here?

Yes, I know what you mean! (Or, I think I do. I think you're asking with what farm animals/other animals I would populate my dream house/life/property. Which is an excellent question.) 
There would be:
Barn cats
Livestock Guardian Dogs and/or a couple of llamas
Nigerian Dwarf goats (many, many Nigerian Dwarf goats)
Possibly a beef steer
Finn Sheep

Chickens & ducks
Possibly guinea fowl
A mule named Shmuel
Heritage pigs
Heritage rabbits
Honeybees

-If you could live in any time period, in your same exact geographical location you live in now, which period would it be?

Oof. My geographical location has been pretty gnarly through much of history until recently. Clockwork exploding toilets, anyone?  (Arguably, it's still pretty gnarly...but at least the toilets don't explode twice a day anymore.) But...I think I would be okay with living here during WWII! There was a huge building boom because there's a huge airplane plant nearby, and I just love that period in general. (Although because we're on the coast, there was a ton of worry about a Japanese invasion, so maybe not? Idk. It's the best answer I can come up with at the moment.)

(Image credit: Rebecca Gorzynska, again)

-Who's your favorite saint? (Also, in case you were going to say Dominic, you're not allowed to say Dominic. ;))
I was not going to say Dominic. Love the dude, but he's not my favorite. Um. So, the thing is, my favorite saints change from day to day! There are some constants...Mary is obviously up there (although I don't think she counts, because if she does, she has to be my favorite saint), and then there are my Confirmation saints, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Benedict, who I really love, but then there are all the others saints who I admire, like St. Gianna Molla, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Bl. Carlo Acutis, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Edith Stein, St. Clare of Montefalco, St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. John Paul II, St. Joseph, St. Thomas Aquinas...etc.  Dang. I hoped that writing those out would help...it didn't. 
GAH. 
Well, St. Joseph is the only saint other than Mary who I'm consecrated to at the moment...so that has to count for something.
But also...my Confirmation saints have to count for something?
ARGH.
Okay, the saint on the list who I think is the coolest is St. Clare of Montefalco...in addition to being incorrupt, her heart literally made itself into an icon of the crucifixion, which is the most awesome thing EVER.

But that doesn't mean she's my favorite.

Y'know what, I'm done. Never mind, Mary counts. She's my favorite.

The Temperamental Writer's Questions:

Which fictional characters do you relate to most?
See, this is a question that's different from which characters I think I'm most like, and thus, it will get a different answer. :)

El (A Deadly Education)
Attolia (The Queen's Thief)

Tony Stark (the MCU)

El for her huge amounts of snark and 'tude (which I aspire to, but am too nice to do), Attolia for her ruthlessness and #spoilers, and Tony for his sheer Tony-ness, mostly because he cares so much but doesn't want anyone to know, is always ready with a witty retort, and has a very scientific brain.

In general, what is the most important ingredient in a good book for you (characters, plot, writing, etc.)? Is there a book you love that is an exception?
It's kind of a both/and thing, with characters in the middle? For me to really enjoy a book, it has to have either good characters and good plot or good characters and good writing. But I think I would say that characters are the most important ingredient. I can't think of a book off the top of my head that's an exception...although did just really love The Night Circus, which is primarily setting-based, rather than character-based.

I'm not even sorry for two Tony gifs in one section. Not. At. All.

Which fictional character(s) need a hug right now?
All of them? But right now specifically Gen (who always needs a hug), Tony Stark (because, Infinity War), and Jaron (from The Shadow Throne, which I'm in the middle of as I write this).

Miss K's Questions:

1. Do you have any annual feast day celebrations/traditions for specific saints' feasts days? If so, which is your favorite?
I do! (Or rather, my family does.) We don't have a whole lot, but we do have several for important feast days. One of my favorites is making Dominican cookies for our Dominican friars on the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. We use the gingerbread girl cookie cutter, and then frost on a rosary, a tonsure, a face, and sometimes a sun in the middle of the chest, since that's one of St. Thomas Aquinas's symbols. This might be my favorite because one year one of our friars thought they were bears, which always makes me laugh when I think about it. XD (I wish I had a picture, but sadly, I don't.)

2. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

I...try not to see myself in 5-10 years? (That's absolutely true...if I try to plan more than two or three years ahead, I drive myself nuts.) But I have a few ideas...I might be working as a Landscape Architect while getting a Masters in Philosophy and Theology, I might have bought a farm and be working it, I might be in the process of becoming a sister! I have no idea. At the moment, all of those seem about equally likely. 

3. If you could choose a book right now to "jump" into and become one of the characters, which book would it be and which character?
Ooh, that's an excellent question. And I think the answer would change on the regular. But right now, I'd want to jump into Paint Everything Blue by Lena Donellan, and be Regina.

S. J. Barnard's Questions:

1. If you were a musical period, what would you be? (i. e. Baroque, Classical, Romantic, etc.)

I think I would be Baroque, i.e. complicated, punchy, and lacking in obvious emotion. XD

2. If you were the book’s antagonist, which type would you be?
a)the evil villain
b)the insane villain
c)the envious villain
d)the ethical villain

I think I would be the ethical villain. Or at least, that's who I would hope to be, since I'm quite ethical in real life, and I have a fear of becoming evil/insane. I wouldn't rule out the envious villain, though.

Oh, and I thought it might be fun to compile a list of the books I'll be reading at your recommendation and reviewing at the end of the month (or possibly early next month, depending).

This month I'll be reading: 

Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen 

Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

Red Rope of Fate by K. M. Shea

Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Badge of Infamy by Lester del Rey
House Arrest by K. A. Holt

Thank you again for all your support, and I hope you had as much fun reading this post as I had writing it!

What animals would populate your future life/property? What's your favorite Marvel movie? What characters do you think you're like?