#danceling

not your follower (yet?) but i'm a major fan of the books and show. we all congregate in a chatzy room, link on my tumblr. somewhere in there recently is also a directory of the magicians fandom regulars on tumblr.

Woof Fountain - Somebody once told me (and my entire class) that when somebody opens up to you about something personal, it’s nice to relate it to something in your own experience to show that you empathize. I’ve come to see this as a really shitty habit. Some of the most manipulative people I’ve known use this as a tactic to make every conversation about themselves. Now when people open up to me, I try to be more like, “I’m sorry, that’s really shitty. I’m here for you if you need anything.” rather than, “that sucks, but now let’s talk about ME!”

Hello Clara <3

Chesterton: Are you close to your parents?

Answered earlier, but nope.  They’re honestly only kept in my life out of necessity for the moment.  That’ll decrease and eventually just sort of drop off over time, I expect.

Bed Stuy Safe House: Describe a major turning point in your life.

Oooo, a third one! When I got rejected for a literary apprenticeship I really wanted, honestly.  Happened the same day I finished The Magician King and got chewed out by my boss. Basically, this was a turning point because it was the first time I’d ever lost something I wanted more than life and not filled up top-down with bitterness for it immediately after.  It kind of made me start looking at things I wanted because I right and truly cared about / wanted them and things I just wanted to have them or to say I have them.  The things I was bitter about were pretty much all the latter, and it kinda made me do a lot of self-examination about what’s important to me and what my motivations are.

Outer Island: What’s the biggest mistake you ever made?

Rules: 1. ALWAYS POST THESE RULES. 2. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS GIVEN BY THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU AND GIVE 10 QUESTIONS FOR THE BLOGS YOU TAG. 3. TAG 10 PEOPLE.

(I don’t actually care if you tag people/how many people you tag.)

1. What is the moment (in a book, movie, tv show, etc.) that affected you or stuck with you the most?

It is... really quite impossible to pick just one. There's Lee Scoresby in The Amber Spyglass -- you know, THAT scene, the one that had me crying in public. There's Inara in "Heart of Gold," reminding Petaline that "This is just a moment in time." Harry turning the Resurrection Stone and Dumbledore's fall from the tower. So, so many moments.

2. If money were no object, what would you want to do? (It doesn’t have to be a profession – it could be an activity. I mostly want to know what kinds of things you’re passionate about.)

Read. Write. Exercise. Travel. Hang out with my cat. Take time to just settle in with myself. And probably volunteer at an animal rescue.

3. What are the kinds of questions you most like to think or talk about?

I don't know if I necessarily like to spend my time with questions, per se, though I'm a pretty curious person. I think I spend much more time with themes, which certainly involves questioning but isn't... questions, exactly. (I've no idea if this makes any sense at all.) Themes I like riffing on? The macabre. Strange juxtapositions. What makes us who we are as individuals.

4. How do you know when you’ve “clicked” with a friend?

There's always that first instant feeling of "clicking" -- when you meet someone and they're just so easy to talk to; you feel comfortable and (happily) loquacious and you decide that dammit, we are going to be friends. Then there's the sort of deeper "clicking," which is much less instantaneous; the moments when you can't stop yourself from sending stupid texts because why would you stop yourself, or when things go wrong and you can't think of who else to call, and so on. (Friend attraction versus friend love, I suppose, but how else to describe it?)

5. If you were in a band, what kind of music would you play and what would your band be called? (If you’re in a band, feel free to promote yo’ shit.)

If I were in a band, I would probably be the band manager here, let's be real. I'd be getting the band gigs and making sure everything went smooth and keeping them from blowing all their money. We'd probably be dark folk/indie and be called something like Abracadaver.

6. Do you have any surprising or unusual talents? What are they?

Not to my mind.

7. Do you tend to think in words? Pictures? Some other way?

Words and pictures tend to be the things that I manipulate in thought -- my style of thinking tends to be very web-like. One starting point, with lots of strands coming off and back and around again.

8. Do you drink tea? If so, what’s your current favorite tea?

Copiously. My current favorites are all from Adagio: Earl Grey Moonlight, Claws and Effects, and Snark Nerdy To Me (earl grey with cream, gingerbread black + almond oolong + apple chai, and artichoke green + hibiscus).

9. If you could be any mythical creature (elf, orc, fae, vampire, etc.), what would you be and why?

Perhaps a mermaid. Perhaps a harpy. Definitely some sort of wild woman who gives you a very pretty smile full of very sharp teeth.

10. Who do you think you are? (Interpret that however you like.)

Me. Trying to go into any more detail -- well, it takes forever, and doesn't really encompass everything, does it? Sometimes short and sweet is best. ;)

Some questions:

Who do you want to be?

What do you think of personality-quantifying systems like MBTI, Hogwarts sorting, and the like?

What do you think is your best trait that others (and maybe you) tend not to notice?

What is your favorite recipe? And will you please share it

What is the weirdest (for any definition of weird) dream that you've ever had?

What drives you at the most fundamental level?

How do you approach challenges?

What is the tattoo you've dreamed of but never gotten?

If you use music to deal with your moods, what do you listen to for: a. waking up, b. a long day at work, c. driving, d. when you need to get amped for something difficult?

If you could build your dream house, where would it be and what would it be like?