Always Ava

Sunshine Blogger Award đŸŒ»

Welcome one and all to the first Sunshine Blogger Award in the history of Always Ava, and also the one and only un-stolen/borrowed/snurched (to use Natalie’s brilliant term) tag in my archives!! I was tagged by Lizzie at her lovely blog, Starlight and Saucepans. Highly recommend; do go check it out.

The rules to be followed are as follows:

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.
2. Thank the person who nominated you.
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
4. Answer your nominator’s questions.
5. Nominate up to 11 bloggers.
6. Ask your nominees 11 questions.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

Now. Onward!!

What’s your favorite and least favorite household chore?

Well, I’m not exactly a big fan of any household chores. When it comes to kitchen chores, I’ve maintained the task of setting/clearing/washing the table for the longest time and as such I suppose it could be called my favorite.

As for least favorite…I have this problem in which I don’t do laundry for weeks and run out of clothes to wear.

Also. Every time I clean my room I lose something. EVERY TIME. It may be a mess, but it’s my mess and I know where my stuff is in it!! I lost the remote to my radio for weeks once!! (found it on a shelf in my closet the next time I cleaned)

Have you ever watched a movie-remake that was better than the original movie?

*googles definition of movie remake to ensure we have the proper idea in our head*

Unless we count turning the old animated versions of the Lord of the Rings (so bad it was good lol) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Wait wait wait. Hold the proverbial phone. Did Lewis really not use an Oxford Comma in his title?? For real my man?? Did you not graduate from Oxford??) into live-action films, my brain refuses to yield a suitable answer.

The animated Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was very factually correct. So much indeed that when Lewis mentioned Tumnus as having reddish skin, they decided to give him definite, beyond a shadow of a doubt, red skin. Not sure where they got the green hair idea. *shrugs* I will, however, always love the live-action The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, no matter how far its sequels stray from the books.

I couldn’t tell you how accurate the animated Lord of the Rings is. I was too distracted by Aragorn as a pants-less Native American and Boromir as a Viking. It’s exciting.

From this we gather that Ava thinks old animated movies can’t hold a candle to the live-action versions. But hey, is she wrong??

Which decade are the majority of the songs you listened to today from?

The songs I listened to today are not by my choosing. Elise usually has control of our Spotify account. (currently, by her doing, we have the soundtrack to Sight and Sound Theatres’ David playing. There are some good songs in there *nods sagely* Lots of Psalms, cuz, well, David wrote most of them. But they sound cool. I recommend)

My own playlists are populated with songs almost exclusively from the last 25 years. Or less. Do with this information what you will.

What’s a language/grammar mistake that drives you crazy? (Or a more general pet peeve, if you can’t think of a language-related one.)

Clearly, the omission of the Oxford comma. THIS IS IMPORTANT PEOPLE!! FORGET THE TURTLES, SAVE THE OXFORD COMMA!!

What’s a movie you’ve seen recently that you just can’t wait to re-watch?

I don’t keep movie logs…only book logs…my memory can’t be trusted to reach back so far into last week…

My sisters and I just finished watching the Toy Story movies, one through four. And honestly it was a joy to watch the progression of animation. For real though. When’s the last time you compared animation from 1995 with animation from 2019?? The original Toy Story movie is just fine, but the animation in Toy Story 4 is absolutely GORGEOUS. I was in awe. Give those animators a raise, Pixar.

Also has anyone else heard rumors of a Toy Story 5??

What’s a movie you’ve seen recently that you never want to watch again?

I make it a point to watch only splendid movies, thank you very much.

Well. I can live without ever encountering Guardians of the Galaxy again. Peter Quill<Peter Parker.

You’re stranded on a desert island. You can bring three fictional characters with you: one will be your protector, one will be your moral support, and one will be devoting his/her time to finding a way off the island. Which three characters do you bring?

First thought: Aragorn is one hundred percent my protector. I feel very safe 😁 Seriously though, if he could get four clueless, defenseless hobbits from Bree to Rivendell with no permanent damage and without losing anyone, he can protect me from the dangers of a desert island. And yes, I realize he had a bit of help, the hobbits didn’t quite make it to Rivendell all in one piece, and he was helpful far beyond that short stint as a hobbit-sitter, but my point stands.

As for my moral support…Madi Hatter from The Wonderland Trials?? She makes a great cup of tea. I think either Focus Fix (yerba mate and peppermind; wakes the brain and sets all nerves to rest) or Tranquil-i-Tea (Madi’s special blend of lavender and chamomile; just enough to calm the nerves) would do the trick in this particular situation. Madi is so sweet and sunshine-y, I’m sure she can help me get over the tragedy of being trapped on an island with no libraries, postal services, or *gasp* Spotify!!

Now I need a clever individual…ooh ooh I know!! Kate Wetherall from The Mysterious Benedict Society could definitely figure out a way off the island. She’s ridiculously ingenious with that bucket of hers. Her solution would definitely worry me and I’d doubt its plausibility, but what other option do I have?? I need to return to civilization pronto!!

If you could go back in time and ask one historical figure one question, who/what would it be?

This won’t change the future or my present, will it?? Time travel is a tricky beast.

I’ll go ask C.S. Lewis about something Narnia-related. The fate of Susan?? The lore of the between-times, when there are no Pevensies or related individuals in Narnia?? The origin of the name “Pevensies”, for which I have great respect?? His opinion on the 3 Narnia movies, which I have conveniently brought with me for his viewing pleasure??

How would you describe your personality in just three words?

I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer this question.

How about three….sentences.

I’m extremely bookish (I read way more than I ought).

I desire perfection at the cost of enjoyment.

I can be a very specific brand of ridiculous. Good luck catching me at the right time to encounter it though 😜

What’s that one board game/card game that you secretly (or not so secretly) dread playing?

HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED CODENAMES BECAUSE IT’S RIDICULOUSLY STRESSFUL

What’s a story that you think is just begging to be made into a musical? (And which, as far as you know, has not been made into a musical yet.)

hmmm…

I’ve never considered this question before.

How about the Dreamtreader trilogy?? by Wayne Thomas Batson??

We could have this cool villain duet thing that reprises as dueling villains…

Archer (our mc) can have this “I’m so cool, I’m a Dreamtreader, doing Dreamtreader things” song for when he enters the Dream and does his Dreamtreader things…

A plaintive “man have I screwed up” song that fits wherever you want cuz Archer does some pretty dumb things with massive repercussions on a nearly daily basis…

A “can I be redeemed, is this sacrifice enough” dramatic song for Rigby at the end…iykyk…

Honestly, I’m just here for the dueling villains. Masterfully written, Wayne!! Well done!! The reversal of villain roles is potentially my favorite part of the trilogy. Trust me, you never saw it coming.

Many thanks to Lizzie for tagging me and asking such hard questions!! It was really fun, and I thought way too hard about at least half of my answers. Maybe more 😬

I’d like to tag…

Emeren at Emeren’s Corner

Pearl at Pearl Christine

Totto at Totto’s Sweet Little Cottage

aaannnddd anyone else who wants to answer my questions!!

Which are:

  • What’s your favorite number? Care to explain?
  • What’s your favorite movie soundtrack?
  • What’s something you’re obsessed with?
  • What fictional place would you most like to visit/live in?
  • What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?
  • What do you waste time on?
  • If you were a dictator, what would you do with your power?
  • How many holes are in a straw?
  • What’s your biggest pet peeve?
  • Who’s your go-to band/artist when you want some music?
  • Thoughts on snail mail?

Do you lose things when cleaning? Have you seen the animated Narnia or Lord of the Rings? Are Oxford commas necessary? What are your thoughts on yet another Toy Story movie? Have you ever played Codenames? Is there a better choice for a book to musical adaptation? Enlighten me!!

Always,

Ava đŸŒ»

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25 Responses

  2. Hehe, I don’t often have that problem with room-cleaning – I’m far more likely to not find my stuff when my room has NOT been cleaned. 😛

    The Oxford comma is, indeed, of utmost importance. *nods sagely*

    You make good points on the Aragorn front. And it would be very cool to ask C.S. Lewis Narnia questions! (Though time travel IS a tricky beast, as any Star Trek episode could tell you.)

    It was lovely to see your answers, Ava!

    Reply

    1. I have a method to my madness
partially worn clothes here, stack of books/notebooks/journals/library books here, dirty clothes there, unused blankets cuz it’s too hot in that corner
I also used to toss things off my bed into the half-full laundry basket (softer landing, y’know). When I’d go to do laundry, I would find books and remotes I hadn’t known I had lost 😂

      I’m glad you agree. Apparently there are some who are of the opinion that it’s optional??

      I have yet to encounter any Star Trek (or Star Wars for that matter), but I believe you wholeheartedly.

      Thanks!! I enjoyed it!!

      Reply

  3. Always happy to see some snurching out in the wild, even if it is just a mention of the term đŸ’…đŸ»I laughed out loud at the Oxford comma. The turtles can take care of themselves, but that comma needs all the help it can get in these trying times of poor punctuation.

    And FINALLY, somebody else who didn’t care for Guardians of the Galaxy 😭 I barely got through it, only to discover that the world adores it and I’m just weird. Well, I kind of knew that already, but it does sting to have it confirmed.

    Reply

    1. It was too good of a term not to snurch. It begged me to, in fact, and who was I to deny it??

      Exactly!! THIS IS IMPORTANT PEOPLE. Of course, I may lean too far the other direction, using way too many commas, but…hey. Personal style, right??

      My friend keeps defending Guardians of the Galaxy, which I can’t understand since she hasn’t ever actually watched it. I believe she bases her defense merely on the presence of Chris Pratt. It was just…very subpar. I almost fell asleep while watching. I’m not a huge fan of aliens, so that might add to my distaste, but give me Captain America any day. Unfortunately, I must soldier through Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in order to make it to Spiderman: Homecoming…alas. All I want is to make it to Peter Parker 😭

      Reply

      1. I snurched it myself from another blog, Hamlette’s Soliloquy, so it’s really making the rounds these days. 😂

        My love of commas is exceeded only by my love of the em-dash. Whoever invented that sucker deserves an award.

        I mean, I like Chris Pratt okay in the few things I’ve seen him in. He gave a pretty solid performance in The Tomorrow War. I just don’t like his GotG character very much. A few years ago my folks and I watched allll the Marvel movies in order….but we bailed on GotG 2 and didn’t finish. It was so bad, I swear. Instead we just read the IMDb synopsis so we’d be caught up on the general storyline 😭

        Reply

        1. It’s the perfect term, to be quite honest. It conveys that you didn’t quite steal the tag, but that you…kind of borrowed it without explicit permission. But it’s fine.

          Ah yes, the em-dash. I also enjoy parentheticals. I sometimes include parentheticals inside other parentheticals and it’s a whole ordeal for the reader.

          I haven’t seen a lot of Christ Pratt…my friend listed off a whole crew of movies he’s in. She had to go all the way back to Wild Kratts before I had seen him in anything 😬 We’re currently in the midst of watching the Marvel movies in order….but I don’t think we’re going to make it through before my brother goes back to college. I would not be sad if we skipped GotG 2. No love lost there. *sigh* I might have to borrow your tactic…

          Reply

          1. That’s exactly what it is, just borrowing it on the sly. It’s free to go back whenever it wants.

            I love a good parenthetical. Someday I’ll craft a sentence with the Oxford comma, em-dashes, and a dozen parentheses all at once. It’ll be glorious.

            Honestly, thinking about it now, all that I’ve really seen him in is The Tomorrow War, Marvel, and Jurassic World. And after the latter two, I’m good not seeing him in too much else. đŸ«  Perhaps you can suggest that y’all skip GotG 2 to save time and make room for more of the other movies. Your brother’s heading to college, after all! You’ve got to watch as much as possible before then.

          2. Yep, I could happily live out the rest of my days without encountering Chris Pratt again. I’m not sure how well the suggestion was taken. My brother merely laughed. I, however, think it’s an entirely valid suggestion. We have one more week. We must watch AT LEAST through Spiderman: Homecoming by then, which would require us to watch Dr. Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and, ofc, Spiderman. We could save time by skipping GotG 2!!

          3. See, it’s purely logical to skip GotG 2. It’s also longer than Dr. Strange by at least 22 minutes, so it makes even MORE sense.

          4. Ooh, it’s longer?? I’m all for skipping now. We just watched Dr. Strange last night; it’s aptly named. I brought up skipping GotG 2 to the assembly, and the majority seems to be in favor. Spiderman better live up to the hype I’ve been giving it for the last few weeks…not sure how I’ll cope if it’s mediocre. Of course, I don’t see how it could be worse than GotG.

          5. Yup! I like the first Dr. Strange, but not the second one. It’s. . .something else. đŸ«  Spiderman wasn’t my favorite, but I was just grateful to be alive after getting through GotG. I hope y’all end up skipping GotG 2, for all your sakes.

          6. Y’know, my dad made a comment to the same effect. Something about being pretty much a horror movie?? I’ve enjoyed Captain America so far; his movies are pretty good. I have a love/hate relationship with the Iron Man movies. Well, I technically only saw half of Iron Man 2 and then Iron Man 3, so I’m not a fair judge. But Tony Stark is such a jerk sometimes!! Have a heart, my dude. It remains to be seen where my buddy Peter Parker falls on the spectrum.

          7. Yeah, there’s horror, all right. It comes when you realize they made this movie, said “Eh, good enough”, and released it. Stephen King could never. Captain America movies are epic, though! My favorite might be The Winter Soldier, but I’m not sure. I like the “jerk with a heart of gold” concept for Tony, except too often he’s more jerk than heart of gold 😅Do let me know what you think of this Peter Parker. I grew up with Tobey Maguire’s version, which will always be my favorite, so Tom Holland took some getting used to.

          8. I was disappointed that we made it all the way through The Winter Soldier, but never actually accomplished our first goal: apprehend the Winter Soldier. Sure, we saved the world from Hydra/Shield, but we set out to catch the Winter Soldier, did we not??

            Exactly!! It’s a great character decision; Tony’s a very complex character and I appreciate that. But he’s infuriating at times. Argh.

            Oh yes, I’ll keep you posted. Before we started the on the whole Marvel universe, we watched the Andrew Garfield Spiderman. There’s already a lot of differences between his portrayal of Spiderman and Tom Holland’s!! At some point I’ll get to Tobey Maguire’s version too…though at this rate it’ll be a point vastly into the future.

          9. Well, the Winter Soldier is now cursed to be a recurring character in the Marvel franchise, so I guess we can consider him contained at least. Maybe the real Winter Soldiers were the friends we made along the way.

            I think that part of the problem is the unserious “Marvel humor” people bemoan so often, myself included. It works for Tony, because he can be awkward with serious/emotional moments and tries to undercut them with sarcasm. But now all the characters are like that, so it feels cheap no matter who’s doing it. In this essay, I will…

            Watching Garfield’s was a big adjustment for me, because the only other thing I’d seen him in was Hacksaw Ridge. The vibes were a bit different! I hope you enjoy Maguire’s version, whenever you can get around to it.

  4. I was going to do this tag too, but it’s no longer the middle of the year 😭

    oh well, hope you enjoyed! and yes, love the Oxford comma 😍

    Reply

    1. Hey, whenever works!! *shrugs*

      I definitely did enjoy it!! YES the Oxford comma. Since writing that post I’ve caught myself almost not using it in my journal and such 😬

      Reply

  5. These are wonderful, Ava. You are most amusing. 😄
    I could not handle the animated Lord of the Rings movie. It was too much for me. (It nearly killed me, I swear. I would not be here today had I tried to finish. WHAT DID THEY DO TO ARAGORN? *Weeps*)
    Speaking of Aragorn, I would definitely want him along on said desert island. And Madi. On a side note, I was informed the other day by this guy I don’t really know that well but already greatly respect, though he is a bit eccentric, anyway, he informed me that I would survive if I was to be stranded on a desert island. So I am now strangely confident in my island-surviving prospects, odd as this may seem. (The stare that this occurred in, amusingly enough, is landlocked.)
    Anyway, enough rambling for me. I’m glad you were nominated!

    Reply

    1. Why thank you!! I do try 😉

      It was pretty bad *laughs through the tears* I’LL TELL YOU WHAT THEY DID TO ARAGORN, THEY STOLE HIS PANTS AND TURNED HIM INTO A NATIVE AMERICAN!! And then of course they didn’t even make it all the way to the end of the trilogy. Truly terrible. Natalie at The Texas Lass tells me that there’s a Soviet live-action version that’s even worse. I have yet to look it up on YouTube. I’m afraid.

      Right?? I wanted to populate my island with only LoTR characters, but that felt like cheating. Although Madi really would be such a moral support. She’s the absolute best.

      I…really don’t think I’d survive if I was stranded on a desert island. I’ve read plenty of survival books, but it’s not quite the same. I like my internet and popcorn and books way too much to do well outside of my lil comfort zone.

      Reply

      1. I know. I was most alarmed when he came into the picture. (Also, why are there indians in ENGLAND?? It makes zero sense. 😆)
        They didn’t? I skipped around and watched some parts. Two hours is WAY too short for even one of the books!! Frodo has such poofy hair!! And WHY DO THEY SAY GRIMA IN THAT WEIRD WAY? Tis decidedly unnatural. That. . . Is terrifying. I know there was a musical, but the hobbits wore shoes in it, (from what I have heard,) which is simply inexcusable.
        ALSO. There is an animated Hobbit movie, (which is way better than the super long monstrosities of hobbit movies.) It was made by the same company as the LoTR one, but it’s actually a pretty good adaptation. It’s not all that long, so they left some things out, but overall it is well executed. Gollum is very creepy in it. Actually the whole thing is a wee bit dark for a childrens movie. There is this whole song about people getting burned alive. . .
        Anyway, it is wonderous and you should go watch it!! (If you can find it. Good luck!! We have a disc so I don’t know how readily available it is online.)
        I think I am going to watch it this Hobbit Day. (which is in like two days, I realize. I’m going to be 16 in TWO DAYS!!! *Loses it*)

        ANYWAY, I think it would be worth it to be stranded if I got to be so with LOTR characters. I would willingly strand myself in that case. (And also they would be a huge help, and so I would not simply starve to death.)

        This is alright. If you get stranded I will come to rescue you!! *Ignores the fact that you would be stranded and would have literally no way of contacting me*

        Reply

        1. That entire movie is a little off. But that is a splendid point. Why does he look like a Native American if this is set in Europe (technically speaking, ofc. What is America, the Grey Havens or something??)?? I honestly don’t know *sobs* Shoes on a hobbit?? Horrid. I once read an insult someplace (probably Pinterest, knowing me lol) that went something along the lines of, you’re about as useful as a cobbler in the Shire. And I’m not one to go about insulting others, but I found it amusing.

          Oh!! I think I bought that animated Hobbit from the thrift store the other month!! I’ve heard good things, but I haven’t watched it yet. It’s on my extensive to be watched list (along with Spiderman , bc SPIDERMAN, Pirates of the Carribean, bc we must see Orlando Bloom as a pirate, the Hobbit, bc it’s nearly Hobbit Day, and I was recently grabbed with the urgent need to rewatch National Treasure. Don’t ask why). And speaking of Hobbit Day, happy early birthday!!

          Yay!! A rescuer!! You’ll probably see that I haven’t been posting or commenting and come to the natural assumption that I’ve been stranded on a desert island in my land-locked state. Then you’ll use the method of elimination to figure out which island it could be. *nods sagely*

          Reply

  6. Why indeed it was. Hmm. Perhaps America IS the Undying Lands. (This actually makes zero sense because there are no Elves and. . . you know, people die and stuff. But I must throw my wild ideas out there. Otherwise they will just rattle about in my head for an indefinite period of time.)
    I was horrified when I discovered this. (The article tried to play it off all casually and I was NOT going for it at all! Hobbits are not shoe-wearing folk.) And that is a wonderful insult. (The only people I really ever insult are my brothers, which is practically my sibling obligation anyway.) I shall have to test it out on them.

    You did? This was an exceedingly clever thing for you to do. If you do watch it let me know what you think! Usually we watch the first disc of the first LOTR, because Bilbo’s birthday is in that one and it has the most hobbity things. But we have 18+ hours of flight time the next day and ONE more day to prepare, so I think I’ll just watch the animated hobbit because it’s shorter. Ah yes. Pirate Legolas is marvelous. We do love dear, naive little Will. (I can only vouch for The Black Pearl, because I was warned away from all the other ones from everyone I know. But that one is wonderous. Actually the same guy who played the head ghost-dead-guy from Return of the King plays a ghost-dead-skeleton-guy in The Black Pearl! I suppose some actors just play good creepy dead people. Undead people?)

    Oh yes. I shall go scour every island in the landlocked-US! And I will not only rescue you, but also get to see some neat islands! It may take me years, but EVENTUALLY I shall find you. (Or it will turn out you were just having internet problems and are contentedly sitting at home sipping lemonade and watching National Treasure. But I will still have seen some nice islands!)

    Reply

    1. I mean, it’s kind of logical. Since Great Britain is the Shire and all that good stuff. I assume you’ve seen maps where Middle Earth is superimposed over Europe??

      I figured it couldn’t be worse than the animated LotR. Worth a few laughs, at least. But it has come much more highly recommended than the former, so I’ve clearly made a splendid decision regarding where to spend my hard-earned cash. I didn’t do anything extremely hobbit-ish yesterday…*sigh* The farthest I went was to write poe-tay-toes (boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew) in my speech textbook after my speech teacher at co-op mentioned the meat and potatoes of speeches. I think I amused my seatmates. I also wished my older brother a happy Hobbit Day.

      😂 A splendid plan. I have faith in your island-scouring skills. And even if I’m just stuck at home with a useless laptop due to internet issues, you’ll probably still find me. Then we can marvel at Pirate Legolas together!! Whilst planning a scenic trip to one of those islands you scoured, no doubt.

      Reply

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