another meme fyiad
Reply to this meme by yelling typing "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.
From hopeandmemory:
Southern Gothic: Obviously my favorite genre of literature, and I like to think that BSD sort of fits into it in a modern sense. One of my favorite things ever is Sherwood Anderson's description of grotesques in Winesburg, Ohio and I believe I wrote it down inside the cover of a journal I kept in high school just so I could read it every day. Plus, on a sort of unrelated note, even the name sums up two of my favorite things in life: the south and goth. Oh yeah, I said it.
Zombies: Zombies both fascinate and terrify me. Apocalypse eat-your-flesh zombies are the scariest things I can possibly conceive of, and just the concept of it is enough to make me want to retreat to an underground hideout in the middle of the Siberian tundra with a few hundred cans of Spam and a shotgun. Meanwhile, folk tales of revenants and traditional zombies are so awesome to me, especially ones that come from old slave narratives because the perspective is so different from European tales of the walking dead.
Clarksdale, MS: One of my favorite stops along the Mississippi blues trail, Clarksdale is home to the Delta Blues Museum and is rumored to be the town where Robert Johnson was when he made his infamous crossroads pact. Muddy Waters also lived there for a time, and Bessie Smith died in a car accident there.
Vegans: I don't like them. First of all, I think it's ridiculous to define yourself by your choice of diet (which most of them do, I don't think I've ever met a vegan who doesn't feel the need to mention their veganinity sometime during our first conversation, and don't even get me started on vegan tattoos) and secondly I cannot stand the way a majority of them act as if they're better people for not eating dead animals. As far as "respecting" other animals, well, we're at the top of the food chain for a reason. The day that salmon (oh, excuse me, sea kittens) build projectile missiles and rise up out of the ocean to defend themselves is the day I'll "respect" them. My philosophy on animals is "be cute or get eaten." Actually, that's pretty much my philosophy on people, too.
Crowley: I think it's safe to say that a majority of my life I've lived by the rule "Do what thou wilt," even before I knew of Crowley and read his Book of the Law. I don't believe that Crowley's philosophy is one of complete selfishness, but rather one of self-preservation and self-interest. I was under the impression for a while, though, that caring for others at the cost of my own happiness was the right thing to do, and the only way to be a good person was to be completely self-sacrificing. I've never been more miserable in my life. I dare anyone to read Book of the Law and not find it empowering and transformative in the way you deal with the world and the people in it. It doesn't mean that nothing matters, it means that you decide what matters, and you don't have to sacrifice yourself or your happiness for anyone else. "Love is the law, love under will. There is no law beyond."
From quietdrive:
New Jersey: MY HOME AND NATIVE LAND. I actually love this state deeply, and anyone who badmouths it probably has never seen much of it anyway. Sure, the area around NYC is pretty crummy, but you'd be amazed by how much things change when you get to south and parts of central Jersey. The Pine Barrens are really beautiful and also wonderfully eerie thanks to the multitude of urban legends surrounding them. In fact, New Jersey is probably 75% urban legend, and you know that makes me happy. From Jenny Jump the Jersey Devil to Mary's Tower, there's a fantastic urban legend in just about every town in this tiny state, and I love it.
Ghost stores: SPEAKING OF SCARY STORIES. Ever since I was really little I've been collecting ghost stories, and whenever I played with other kids I always wanted it to be a scary game or have some element of the supernatural involved. My favorite thing to do before I knew how to read was to put on my Danse Macabre record and curl up next to the record player picturing the skeletons all rising from their graves and dancing the night away. Nowadays I have manifold reasons for being interested in ghosts: from an anthropological perspective, I'm fascinated by the different traditions of ghost stories and superstition throughout history and across the world; I absolutely love being scared and when a ghost story hits me with a chill and I get that creepy feeling it's just about the most exhilarating thing I know; I love scaring other people and I'm amazed by how much you can stir someone with just a story, the power of words!!!; and I'm interested in ghosts from a scientific, research-and-document perspective, too.
Hans Christian Andersen: Another one of my favorites. I grew up on a steady diet of his fairytales, and I love the sweetness and optimism he embodies. Plus, I cant help looking at his life and feeling for him: he was so lonely and loved so earnestly, and with that dreamy impracticality and tinge of egotism, how could I not relate to him?
Librarians: Well, I am one!! And my current life plan pretty much revolves around that, because the hours lend themselves perfectly to my writing schedule... on the days I can actually get motivated to write!
Jensen Ackles: I'm having his babies. I'd sit here and list all the reasons why I love Jemsem, but instead I'll just direct you to this glorious clip. I mean, srsly, you really have to ask?
From pscopathictiger:
Louisiana: I'm pretty sure my soul was made in New Orleans and just accidently ended up in some lame kid in New Jersey instead. When you think about it, Louisiana has everything that scares me: alligators and snakes in murky water (btw guys, I AM PRETTY TERRIFIED OF WATER), giant spiders, and possible Voodoo zombies. And that's exactly why I want to be there. Because what do I love more than being fucking balls-to-the-wall terrified? NOTHING. Plus, I think Louisiana's history and folklore is the absolute best out of any in the world, and there's really nowhere that the tradition of rootwork and hoodoo is more rich centered.
Tennessee Williams: Oh Tennessee. I fell in love with Tennessee Williams in ninth grade, when we read The Glass Menagerie and I picked up The Rose Tattoo out of curiosity. I practically had a religious experience over it, and it was through Tennessee Williams that my first bb Lukie was born. The original Lukie had Williams' history and was more or less based on the men in his plays, so it was only natural for him to become Tennessee Williams himself when I found PS. And it's no secret that Tennessee and Lukie's current incarnation in BSD are basically the loves of my life, and Lukie would never have existed without Tennessee Williams.
Aleister Crowley: I already kinda did him, but I could never talk about him enough! When I feel shitty, I read a little Confessions or Book of the Law to be comforted, or possibly some White Stains for a laugh. You have to love a man who writes poetry about a threesome with a woman and a dog. Crowley did so much just to shock people, and I think he really wanted to push people's boundaries and encourage them to think outside the (frighteningly narrow) Victorian box. Plus, from a very young age Crowley devoted himself to expanding his mind and spiritual pursuits, which I can't help loving about him since I've certainly been preoccupied with the supernatural and spirituality from childhood. I love the early parts of Confessions, when Crowley talks about how he read the stories in the Bible and found himself sympathizing more with the demons than with God. God's always kind of annoyed me, too. Who does he think he is anyway?!
Romani: I probably talk about my Rom-ness too much, but I think it's easy for the average person to be misinformed and ignorant when it comes to who the Rom are and their history. Way too many Americans seem to be under the assumption that gypsies are magical creatures of some kind, like elves or witches or something. The Rom being a race of their own - not even a nationality, they are a race - is something that not enough people are aware of. This is partially the Rom's fault, because in segregating themselves they also cut people off from understanding who they are. That's why I talk about it, I guess - unless you know someone who has an "in", the chances of cutting through that prejudice (which goes both ways) are very slim.
Patrick Wolf: PWOLFFF. Patrick has gotten me through so many HARD TIMES. His music gave me the strength to leave my lifelong home behind and move to Boston, then inspired me to follow my dream and go to art school, then to follow my heart and leave art school! Patrick's complete refusal to compromise his art and bend to the visions of others inspires me to do the same. "It's all in the palm of your hand."
From hopeandmemory:
Southern Gothic: Obviously my favorite genre of literature, and I like to think that BSD sort of fits into it in a modern sense. One of my favorite things ever is Sherwood Anderson's description of grotesques in Winesburg, Ohio and I believe I wrote it down inside the cover of a journal I kept in high school just so I could read it every day. Plus, on a sort of unrelated note, even the name sums up two of my favorite things in life: the south and goth. Oh yeah, I said it.
Zombies: Zombies both fascinate and terrify me. Apocalypse eat-your-flesh zombies are the scariest things I can possibly conceive of, and just the concept of it is enough to make me want to retreat to an underground hideout in the middle of the Siberian tundra with a few hundred cans of Spam and a shotgun. Meanwhile, folk tales of revenants and traditional zombies are so awesome to me, especially ones that come from old slave narratives because the perspective is so different from European tales of the walking dead.
Clarksdale, MS: One of my favorite stops along the Mississippi blues trail, Clarksdale is home to the Delta Blues Museum and is rumored to be the town where Robert Johnson was when he made his infamous crossroads pact. Muddy Waters also lived there for a time, and Bessie Smith died in a car accident there.
Vegans: I don't like them. First of all, I think it's ridiculous to define yourself by your choice of diet (which most of them do, I don't think I've ever met a vegan who doesn't feel the need to mention their veganinity sometime during our first conversation, and don't even get me started on vegan tattoos) and secondly I cannot stand the way a majority of them act as if they're better people for not eating dead animals. As far as "respecting" other animals, well, we're at the top of the food chain for a reason. The day that salmon (oh, excuse me, sea kittens) build projectile missiles and rise up out of the ocean to defend themselves is the day I'll "respect" them. My philosophy on animals is "be cute or get eaten." Actually, that's pretty much my philosophy on people, too.
Crowley: I think it's safe to say that a majority of my life I've lived by the rule "Do what thou wilt," even before I knew of Crowley and read his Book of the Law. I don't believe that Crowley's philosophy is one of complete selfishness, but rather one of self-preservation and self-interest. I was under the impression for a while, though, that caring for others at the cost of my own happiness was the right thing to do, and the only way to be a good person was to be completely self-sacrificing. I've never been more miserable in my life. I dare anyone to read Book of the Law and not find it empowering and transformative in the way you deal with the world and the people in it. It doesn't mean that nothing matters, it means that you decide what matters, and you don't have to sacrifice yourself or your happiness for anyone else. "Love is the law, love under will. There is no law beyond."
From quietdrive:
New Jersey: MY HOME AND NATIVE LAND. I actually love this state deeply, and anyone who badmouths it probably has never seen much of it anyway. Sure, the area around NYC is pretty crummy, but you'd be amazed by how much things change when you get to south and parts of central Jersey. The Pine Barrens are really beautiful and also wonderfully eerie thanks to the multitude of urban legends surrounding them. In fact, New Jersey is probably 75% urban legend, and you know that makes me happy. From Jenny Jump the Jersey Devil to Mary's Tower, there's a fantastic urban legend in just about every town in this tiny state, and I love it.
Ghost stores: SPEAKING OF SCARY STORIES. Ever since I was really little I've been collecting ghost stories, and whenever I played with other kids I always wanted it to be a scary game or have some element of the supernatural involved. My favorite thing to do before I knew how to read was to put on my Danse Macabre record and curl up next to the record player picturing the skeletons all rising from their graves and dancing the night away. Nowadays I have manifold reasons for being interested in ghosts: from an anthropological perspective, I'm fascinated by the different traditions of ghost stories and superstition throughout history and across the world; I absolutely love being scared and when a ghost story hits me with a chill and I get that creepy feeling it's just about the most exhilarating thing I know; I love scaring other people and I'm amazed by how much you can stir someone with just a story, the power of words!!!; and I'm interested in ghosts from a scientific, research-and-document perspective, too.
Hans Christian Andersen: Another one of my favorites. I grew up on a steady diet of his fairytales, and I love the sweetness and optimism he embodies. Plus, I cant help looking at his life and feeling for him: he was so lonely and loved so earnestly, and with that dreamy impracticality and tinge of egotism, how could I not relate to him?
Librarians: Well, I am one!! And my current life plan pretty much revolves around that, because the hours lend themselves perfectly to my writing schedule... on the days I can actually get motivated to write!
Jensen Ackles: I'm having his babies. I'd sit here and list all the reasons why I love Jemsem, but instead I'll just direct you to this glorious clip. I mean, srsly, you really have to ask?
From pscopathictiger:
Louisiana: I'm pretty sure my soul was made in New Orleans and just accidently ended up in some lame kid in New Jersey instead. When you think about it, Louisiana has everything that scares me: alligators and snakes in murky water (btw guys, I AM PRETTY TERRIFIED OF WATER), giant spiders, and possible Voodoo zombies. And that's exactly why I want to be there. Because what do I love more than being fucking balls-to-the-wall terrified? NOTHING. Plus, I think Louisiana's history and folklore is the absolute best out of any in the world, and there's really nowhere that the tradition of rootwork and hoodoo is more rich centered.
Tennessee Williams: Oh Tennessee. I fell in love with Tennessee Williams in ninth grade, when we read The Glass Menagerie and I picked up The Rose Tattoo out of curiosity. I practically had a religious experience over it, and it was through Tennessee Williams that my first bb Lukie was born. The original Lukie had Williams' history and was more or less based on the men in his plays, so it was only natural for him to become Tennessee Williams himself when I found PS. And it's no secret that Tennessee and Lukie's current incarnation in BSD are basically the loves of my life, and Lukie would never have existed without Tennessee Williams.
Aleister Crowley: I already kinda did him, but I could never talk about him enough! When I feel shitty, I read a little Confessions or Book of the Law to be comforted, or possibly some White Stains for a laugh. You have to love a man who writes poetry about a threesome with a woman and a dog. Crowley did so much just to shock people, and I think he really wanted to push people's boundaries and encourage them to think outside the (frighteningly narrow) Victorian box. Plus, from a very young age Crowley devoted himself to expanding his mind and spiritual pursuits, which I can't help loving about him since I've certainly been preoccupied with the supernatural and spirituality from childhood. I love the early parts of Confessions, when Crowley talks about how he read the stories in the Bible and found himself sympathizing more with the demons than with God. God's always kind of annoyed me, too. Who does he think he is anyway?!
Romani: I probably talk about my Rom-ness too much, but I think it's easy for the average person to be misinformed and ignorant when it comes to who the Rom are and their history. Way too many Americans seem to be under the assumption that gypsies are magical creatures of some kind, like elves or witches or something. The Rom being a race of their own - not even a nationality, they are a race - is something that not enough people are aware of. This is partially the Rom's fault, because in segregating themselves they also cut people off from understanding who they are. That's why I talk about it, I guess - unless you know someone who has an "in", the chances of cutting through that prejudice (which goes both ways) are very slim.
Patrick Wolf: PWOLFFF. Patrick has gotten me through so many HARD TIMES. His music gave me the strength to leave my lifelong home behind and move to Boston, then inspired me to follow my dream and go to art school, then to follow my heart and leave art school! Patrick's complete refusal to compromise his art and bend to the visions of others inspires me to do the same. "It's all in the palm of your hand."