2013 in Retrospect and New Years Resolutions

So, another year gone. And, as 2013 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on what has happened-to me, the US, and the world- and what the good and bad things about it have been.
Overall, I've had a really good year! :D.
I fulfilled my wish to do acting this year(since I didn't get to do anything big in 2012) and I got to do three awesome plays; I even got to be in my favorite musical ever!! :D Didn't actually expect that to happen.(plays I did were- The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Les Miserables).
I am part-way through my re-write of book 2 and book 1 is being edited as we speak :)
I got up to the rank of Green Belt this year! :D Plus, I won first place in forms and fighting in my first tournament! :D
I improved on my singing and I sound a lot better now :)
I got into several fandoms this year(Supernatural, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) and finished several TV shows as well! I finished Angel in the spring(SUCH a good show!), as well as starting and finishing Firefly, Sherlock, Torchwood(minus Mirace Day which I can't get on Amazon Prime), Robin Hood, and Romeo X Juliet. I also started Downton Abbey, Supernatural, and Agents of SHIELD, as well as continued with Doctor Who and Once Upon A Time.
This year was an awesome year for movies!! :D The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Thor: The Dark World, Catching Fire, Iron Man 3, and Ender's Game were all highlights.

As for our country, and the world, a lot of crazy stuff has been going on- both good and bad, though it sometimes is easy to feel negatively towards things going on when your surrounded by it on the internet.
Some of the negatives were the Republicans of Congress shutting down the government and causing many to go without pay, the horrible racism/sexism that's been rampant in our justice system/out world(as shown with the victim blaming of the girl in Stuebenville and Zimmerman getting off for murdering a teenager), the terrible bills trying to get put into law that are wanting to take women's rights away(plus the whole 'women can't bring pads and tampons into the Texas congress building' crap), and the bombings/shooting/environmental disasters. There have been other things, but these were the ones that stuck out the most.
And on a sad note, we had to say goodbye to many great people in our world, such as Nelson Mandela(and the other people mentioned in the video below, plus Cory Monteith).
Of course it wasn't all terrible- Good things include the number of states that have legalized marriage for LGBTQA+ couples- this is an amazing development and I'm very happy that it's going so quickly.
Also, so many people have been working towards bettering the lives of women in the world and Wendy Davis and other women/men are standing up to help in America, so as a feminist, this is inspiring to see.
Christianity in general is finally getting some good news coverage(since people like the Westboro Baptist Church make us all look bad) with the new Pope. I'm not Catholic, but I, and many others(Liberals and Conservatives, Christians and Atheists, alike) have really been enjoying his ministry and how he's approaching the various problems in the world.

Below, in this video, are some powerful things that happened this year


Now for my New Years Resolutions :D

As always, I want to get an amazing role in a Film/TV series/Theater production and to continue to improve in my acting skills and to do well in all I do(and get the lead for crying out loud!!)
Finish my re-write of book 2, edit books 3 and 4, and sent book 1 off to the publisher
Get to at least to a Blue Belt in Taekwondo
Get into the college I want to attend, do well there, get along with my room mate, and not die of freaking out or something O_O XD And, of course, graduate High School.
Get better at my singing
Read the various books I want to read(The Blood of Olympus, finish Great Expectations, etc).
Watch "The Hobbit: There and Back Again", "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", and what ever movie looks good coming out in theaters :)
Get caught up on Supernatural, Doctor Who(need to finish season 7; I've seen the 50th and the Christmas special), finish Falling Skies, and start Star Trek, Princess Tutu, Bones, CHUCK, Castle, Battlestar Gallactica, Stargate, Lost, and any other show on my list I'm forgetting
Watch some classics like The Phantom of the Opera, Lonesome Dove, Hitchcock films, etc.
Get my Senior pictures done and have a fun Graduation Party
And basically, have a blast being myself :D

Happy New Years and thank you, as always, for following my blog!! :D I hope 2014 is a great year for you :D.

What were some of your high lights for the year?

P.S. - check out my posts below :)

Books of 2013

How many books read in 2013: 
Around a hundred


How many fiction and non fiction?: 
Mostly fiction, as always



Male/Female author ratio?: 
About the same



Favorite book of 2013?: Oh man, there were quite a lot of really good and exciting reads this year!! :D Let met think

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo- I think I've found a new fandom, guys! XD This book was amazing and I loved reading it so very much! :D A definite must read(along with Les Miserables) for anyone with a love of literature

The Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades- Just as good as The Mark of Athena(which I also LOVED); it was so awesome and I loved how it developed the characters(especially Hazel and Nico) and showed us Tartarus. Sooo excited for the next book! :D

The Gatekeepers: Oblivion- I've been waiting for years for the last book of this series to come out. And it definitely didn't disappoint! :D

Drowning Instinct- Very powerful book which leaves you with a hard time deciding what was right and wrong, and who was good and bad. A definite must read for mature readers 15 and over.

Jane Eyre- Not as good as Victor Hugo, but it definitely had a good style, well-rounded female lead(which was rare for the time), an exciting plot, and wonderful writing

Wuthering Heights- Definitely not what I was expecting(it's not a romance like it's categorized as), but it had some very, very good writing and the characters were interesting(even if I did HATE Heathcliff and his son).

Xenocide- Not as good as the first two,  but I still enjoyed reading it

A Tale of Two Cities- The plot could have been a bit tighter, and the character's a tad more developed, but it definitely was a good read and I loved the ending!



Least favorite?:
The Kreutzer Sonata- HATED that short story; it had some very harmful messages in it.
 The Force Unleashed did have weak writing as well 


Newest?: 
The Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades and The Gatekeepers: Oblivion(They both finally came out, YAY!! :D)


Longest and shortest book titles? 

Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age for longest

Foundation for shortest 

Longest and shortest books?
Longest - Oblivion, A Tale of Two Cities, The House of Hades, or  The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Shortest- The Christmas Box and the Anakin Skywalker Episode I Journal


How many books from the library?: 
Most were from the library



Any translated books?:
Yes, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and A Doll's House,


Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?: 
I didn't really have one author I read a bunch by a particular author



Any re-reads?: 
No, I didn't have time


Favorite character of the year?
Dom Claude Frollo
La Esmeralda
Percy Jackson
Annabeth Chase
Nico di Angelo
Hazel Levesque
The Gatekeepers(Scarlet, Matt, Pedro, Jamie, and Scott; Richard and Lohan too).
Jenna Lord
Lena Haloway
Beauty/Honour
Han Solo
Lando Calrissian
Arkarian 
Jane Eyre
Ender Wiggin



Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?:
France, Ireland, Australia, Norway, Russia, Egypt, Italy, Brazil, England, and Greece 


Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?
Drowning Instinct- I read several reviews on Goodreads and Blogger about it and it was just as good as they said it would be!
The Named- I read it so this one guy and I could do a book trailer for a contest. It was a good read and I need to get a hold of the sequel
Dragonfly- My sister was reading it and told me it was really good, so I gave it a shot.

Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation- I'm not usually one to read graphic novels(I guess I just don't get the chance too, since I do enjoy them when I read them) but someone I know really wanted me to read it, so I did and, you know what, I really loved it. 

This is Not A Test- Saw this reviewed on a blog, and decided to give it a try. Definitely one of the better books to deal with zombies; it actually gave a reason to why they wanted to eat humans.

Which author was new to you in 2013 that you now want to read the entire works of?
Ilsa J. Bick- very talented author.
Victor Hugo wasn't new to me, but I do want to read all of his books now!


Which books are you annoyed you didn't read?:
The rest of the Star Wars books I haven't gotten to yet, Children of the Mind, Oliver Twist, Code Name Verity, and Great Expectations which I'm currently reading(I'm also reading The Culling).


Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?
YES! The unabridged version of A Tale of Two Cities, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Xenocide(finally!), Oblivion(it FINALLY came OUT!), and the other Star Wars books I read.


What books are you planning to read in 2014?
The Blood of Olympus! 
The rest of the Star Wars books
Code Name Verity
Sense and Sensibility 
A Hobbit Journey
The Children of Hurin
Emma
Persuasion
The Grapes of Wrath
The Scarlet Letter
The rest of the books currently in my pile(The Force Unleashed 2, Death Troopers, Children of the Mind, Sun and Moon; Ice and Snow, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe)
The rest of the Ender/the Shadow series 
Boy Toy
Morning in a Long Time Coming
Starship Troopers
6 Seconds to Life
The Mote in God's Eye
and basically what I can read on my to-read list on Goodreads and the list of classics I have for my readings this year in high school  

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review

As some of you may know, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was my most anticipated movie of the year. I've been a fan of the Middle Earth universe ever since I was twelve(having read the books and watched the films), so I was, of course, excited to see the next installment in an amazing(and the best fantasy) franchise.
And it delivered! :D This movie definitely has a very different feel- both in comparison to the original trilogy and to it's predecessor, which I hadn't been expecting. The tone is a little hard to explain in words, since you have to watch it to get it, but it was an interesting and good one and this film definitely held my attention.

The beginning was also a nice touch, what with going back in a flashback to show Gandalf and Thorin meeting up and basically showing us the start of the journey that will be taken to Thorin's homeland. Not only was it a nice bit of continuity, but it was cool to see Bree and the Prancing Pony again :).

The story, while containing parts of the book, definitely embellishes it, which, for the medium of film, was a good thing(for the most part). I was happy to see that they included the memorable spider scene(which had really good animation) as well as several things which reminded me of descriptions in the book(such as the part where Bilbo climbs up into the tree and the part where they first enter Mirkwood). It was also nice to have the Bard, and Laketown get more development(at least, from what I remember from the book, it's been over five years since I read it). I don't really think I had an opinion of the Bard when I read the book but now I really, really like him and I can definitely understand his motivations and I can't wait to see more of him. Gandalf's side plot was as well executed as his in the first film, but it was still a welcome addition and it was cool to get to learn more about the Ring Wraiths and Sauron.
Overall, the plot was amazing, and even though there were a couple of parts that were a little odd, there wasn't much that I disliked, which is always enjoyable(seriously, this has been a good year for movies! :D).
Basically, once I walked out, I wanted to watch it all over again! :D XD

The characters were even better this time around! :D Several of the other dwarves got even more development in this film and there were several things added that will make certain deaths even sadder(readers of the book will know who I am referring too); I also appreciated that every dwarf character had his moment to shine- from Kili climbing up to open the gate(and with a wounded leg to boot) to Bombur taking out a bunch of the orc with his spinning, sword-wielding barrel of doom XD.
    Bilbo surprisingly isn't in TDoS as much as he was in AUJ, but he still has several really great character growth moments and Martin Freeman is still just as perfect in the role as he was in the previous film(he definitely nailed the part). One thing in particular I enjoyed was the showing of the Ring beginning to corrupt Bilbo, beginning with him keeping it a secret from Gandalf to when he kills the spider viciously and rasps "Mine" possessively(right before covering his mouth in horrified disgust at his violent, unlike him, behavior). Bilbo also has several other great moments, such as when he solves the riddle at the door when no one else in the company can(which is in the theme of the 'unimportant' people being the heroes that is prevalent in J.R.R. Tolkien's works of Middle Earth), as well as when he releases the barrels without getting himself into one, and when he faces the great Dragon Smaug. Bilbo really is one of the cleverest characters in this film and I can't wait to see more of him in the upcoming film.
   Of the dwarves that got more development, I'd say the ones that got the most were Kili, Balin, Gloin, Fili, Ori, Bofur, and of course, Thorin Oakenshield. I especially enjoyed the larger amount of development of Kili since, after the last two movies, it will be harder for people to claim that he's just 'the hot dwarf'(though, I do think Thorin is nice looking as well), as we learn more about him and his family, such that his mother worries about him as well as the bond between him and his brother(like how Fili would rather stay with Kili in Laketown than travel the rest of the way home, since he's so loyal). His part in the escape from Mirkwood/the barrel chase was awesome and, in fact, this entire sequence was among my favorite parts of the entire film! It was epic, the fighting was very exciting and a joy to behold, and I literally was smiling the entire time at how excellent it all was! :D

One of my favorite parts of the film, one that, in fact, I'd been a bit worried about, was Tauriel. I love well done female characters, and I should have trusted Peter Jackson to do an amazing job, but when I saw and heard hints of a love triangle, I was skeptical, since I hate it when that's the only point a girl is there for. Thankfully, that was not the case because Tauriel was AMAZING!!! She literally never needed saving in this film- not ONCE!! She is definitely extremely skilled and I loved that she was Captain of the Guard(also, we got to see several other female elves in the army, which as also great! More girls in action roles, please! :D) While watching the film, I kept wanting to see more of her and even though there was romance in it, I didn't feel like that was her reason for being there- she just seemed to fit seamlessly into the story and wasn't only there to be eye candy(though she is quite pretty), which I greatly appreciated.
As for the love triangle, it really wasn't that terrible- in fact, it was very much down-played(especially the Legolas side of it), which I'm thankful for, since, not only because love triangles are annoying, but apparently Evangeline Lilly really didn't want it in there in the first place and the producers were the ones that made it be added(since Peter Jackson originally wasn't going to have the triangle part in it). While watching, to me anyway, if you took out Thranduil's comment about Legolas liking her and the brief segment of Legolas watching her talking to Kili, it would have appeared to me that they were either just friends or comrades(thank you Evangeline and Orlando for down playing it so much!). In fact, even the part with Kili, where it is obvious he has a crush on her, in regards to Tauriel, her feelings towards him actually are quite a bit more ambiguous, since her helping him at the end could be taken as her knowing about how his mother worries about him and showing empathy/caromg because of it(though she does like him, since it's obviously going to happen, which, really, I don't mind all that much since it bizarrely works); the same can be said for when she goes after the orcs- yes, part of it was that she wanted Kili healed, but she also wanted to stop the orcs because she didn't want others to get slaughtered. Another thing of note, which I thought was cool(especially if her and Kili do have a romance) is that SHE is the one who rescues Kili(in fact, she rescues him three or four times), instead of the other way around, which I, as a feminist, immensely enjoyed seeing. Now they just need to show her dramatically carrying an unconscious Kili through smoke or something XD
Now I want to know what her character will do, and what will happen to her, in the third installment "There and Back Again".

Besides characters, it was also interesting to see the setting and races explored in more depth. For the first time, we really get to see a different kind of Elf than we have previously in the films. The Mirkwood elves are a bit looser, more vicious, and more wild than their counterparts- shadowy like the starlight that they love. Looking through my copy of The Hobbit the other day, I found a description of the Elves of Mirkwood which was exactly how they were portrayed in the film, which wasn't surprising, considering Mr. Jackson's love of the lore, but was nonetheless awesome. I mean, I never thought I'd see drunk Elves XD.
And, of course, the dragon Smaug was magnificent; his animation was flawless and he really, truly looked real and fearsome- nothing about him looked like CGI at all. And, of course, he was artistically played by the wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch. And, as always it was nice to see Sherlock and John-excuse me Martin and Benedict- working together in another fictional story(even if one is a giant, evil fire-breathing dragon).

Before I finish this review, I want to make a remark about Legolas, his character development, as well as a little humor. First of all, it was very neat to see him before his appearance in the LOTR and how he used to hate dwarves(which shows what a powerful bit of growth he went through, since he's best friends with  Gimli later on). It was also brilliant to have him questioning Gloin on who the people in the pictures were and having Gloin mention his son Gimli XD(little do you know, Legolas, little do you know...XD).
I also loved the fight scene of him at the end. When the orc makes him bleed, I was literally making lines for him in my head, which basically were - "You made me bleed and get stuff on my perfect face. I'LL KILL YOU!!!". The elves are almost always clean so when they get something on them, like blood or dirt, it's quite humorous(my sister and I always laughed when Legolas gets a smudge of dirt on his forehead in the LOTR).

Overall, this was my favorite movie of the year, and I definitely recommend it to all!!! :D
The last film(and it's trailer) can't come soon enough!!!! :D

 She walks in starlight in another world.  - Geez, Kili, you are very poetic. But I like it :) 


I see Fire

My Christmas :)

So, I have come back from Christmas from my maternal Grandparent's house(along with cousins, aunt/uncle) and I thought I'd share my Christmas experience with you all :) 

My first Christmas celebration took place at my house. It was a fun day and I got some really cool gifts.
Here are some things I got in my stocking
The Last of the Jedi: Reckoning
Dawn of the Jedi comic
Doctor Who socks
Doctor Who magnet to put on car
Little Doctor Who figurine(mine was the Doctor)
TARDIS key chain
Her Universe holiday pin
Chocolate bar
candy canes
orange

For several reasons, we didn't have Christmas with my paternal side of the family(grandparent's when on a trip), so they ended up sending/dropping our gifts off at our house(which we put under our tree. My aunt(as well as my new uncle and my cousin) got me a hoodie/shirt as well as a visa gift card(which was in a card). My grandparent's gave me, in a card, fifty dollars. 

                                         Christmas at my house was pretty cool this year! I got a lot of neat geeky things, and my friend Arda(from In Western  Lands) and I exchanged gifts this year, which was a blast(never got to do that before). :D  Thanks Arda for doing that this year! :D
For presents, this year I received
Jaina Solo Her Universe T-Shirt
Les Miserables t-shirt(which was from Arda!) which had the opening lyrics for "Do You Hear the People Sing" on it.
The Last of the Jedi: Death on Naboo
Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 2
Les Miserables movie
Firefly season 1
Serenity
Supernatural season 3
Thor film
Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame disney film
TARDIS diary
Avengers pencils/rubix cube(also from Arda).

Christmas at my maternal grandparent's house also went well for the most part.
Here are what I got in my stocking
Thermos(for college)
Doctor Who themed diary
Cup with a TARDIS on it
Death Star key chain
Dragon Fly book mark
My cousin's music album
Chocolate Santa
Milky way mini bars
socks
A pencil (which is in the picture below)




My gifts included
Doctor Who blanket (TARDIS exploding picture)
Metal billfold
Shirt
Pencil(from stocking)

Here are some plays from our annual Christmas play; I was Robin Hood and The Miller's Daughter

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! :D

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone!!! :D Thank you for following my blog and I hope you all have a good day and get some cool presents(I'll be doing a gift post later). :)

P.S. - Check out my post below about my experience in Les Miserables. :)

"Les Miserables"

Back in September I auditioned for the musical "Les Miserables"(having already signed up for the class). It was being done at a theater in a local town an hour or so away. I thought about it for a while, not so sure since it was a bit of a drive and I was worried that, since I would be a newcomer, I wouldn't get a very big part. Thankfully, I decided to just go with it, since, when will be the next time I get a chance to do my favorite musical? So, I auditioned and actually got quite a few good parts(not one of the principals, mind you; I'm a newcomer after all, and I kind of flubbed my audition*thanks stupid camp for making me have problems with sense-memory for the next two months :P*; It had sounded really good when I practiced). 

In fact, as I came to find out, I am on stage 96% of the time- more than some of the main characters!!! :D.

At first I was worried that I would be ignored and treated like a weirdo, which happens quite often among my peers, but I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this cast was. Pretty much everyone would actually talk to me, and I even had a couple of girls I'd talk to on a regular basis. The only downside was, that one of the directors got really mean the week before show week(often for NO reason :P). But other than that, it was an amazing experience and I am very thankful that I got the chance to do this musical at all. 

I also have say something about how many talented kids we have in this cast- pretty much everyone could actually sing(even the little kids), and since the only other place this has happened was in the local community theater, it was definitely a thing to be thankful for :). 

We had three very well done shows and the audiences all loved it!! :D We showed them kids could, indeed, do Les Miserables!!!!(since a lot of people were saying we couldn't do it, apparently; I guess it was because it is a very hard show to do, which is very true). And I got a LOT of compliments- a bunch of people thought I was really good, that I had some of the best facial expressions, and that they could always "tell what I was thinking"; I even had people watching me during the play(which isn't common for someone not playing a lead) and some other people I know said that they thought I was actually crying; plus, during the first performance, when my group(the first) bowed we got some of the LOUDEST applause!!!. SOOOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT!! :D That hardly ever happens to me.

I feel very good about my performance in this musical and even though I didn't get the role of Eponine like I'd wanted, I did get GOOD parts and I was very happy to be in the BARRICADE/BATTLE scenes!!!! :D :D :D Besides being Eponine, that was something I'd really wanted, so I'm happy that I got to do that! :D

Before we starts, I'll tell you my parts 

Barricade Woman 

Crash Cart Victim

Lovely Lady(prostitute..haha)

Turning soloist

Beggar/Factory Girl

Most of these pictures were taken by my Mom during our last dress rehearsal, but a few towards the end were taken by my aunt during the last show(on her phone).  

                      French Flag. During some of the scenes, it would glow, which I thought looked really awesome! :D

                                           I really need to visit France.

    The Convicts(with Jean Valjean) in the opening number "Look Down".

                             We had several talented kids in our cast, and the with the most was the guy who played Jean Valjean(the tallest, darker guy in the above picture). Seriously, this guy is going to be on freaking Broadway one of these days- cause, man, does he have a voice. I remember when we were running through the beginning for the first time and when he sang the word "FLIGHT!"(where Jean Valjean steals from the bishop and flees) I literally jumped, glanced over at my friend who was standing near me, and thought 'holy shit!'. He seriously is the best teen singers I've ever worked with. And, it was quite fun seeing everyone's reactions when they first heard him sing XD.

                         "Look down, look down, don't look him in the eye. Look down, look down, you're hear until you die."

                                         Me picking weeds with Jean Valjean and one of my friends on stage. The director asked who wanted to have the part and I was luckily chosen for it(I also helped carry a lot of things on and off).

                Some girls and guys in "The End of the Day". Reach for the LIIIGHT!

                                               Hey Marius, why are YOU here? XD I'm kind of hard to see, but I'm in the shadows, by the taller guy in the white shirt.

                                "The End of the Day" is one of my favorite songs in the musical, and we also had good choreography for it, so it was a fun number to do :). (also, when I listened to the video of this song, I can hear myself :P XD).

"You got me sick!"
"No YOU did!"

                                 Going to hang out...by myself. XD

                       We ended up having to do this scene all over again since Jean Valjean had gotteh  the "wrong pants" for his quick change. XD

             Working at the factor, with pretend textile stuff. The girl in the bonnet and blueish dress(and dark hair) is Fantine.

              Uh oh, here comes trouble......
    The girl who played "Girl 5"(who steals Fantine's letter and realizes that she has an illegitimate daughter) was very talented and very nice- I spoke to her a few times and she also loved Star Wars!! :D.

                            GIVE ME THAT LETTER! (letters start pouring from the ceiling Harry Potter style)

                                                      "It was very nice meeting you. No GO away!"

                                                               Didn't we already do this?

                           Uh, oh, the boss is here, time to change into my secret superhero self, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (that jacket I wore reminded me of her).
I thought this was a pretty cool picture of me :) I have a good expression :) 

                                Hey, doesn't that guy look like that convict who broke his parole? Nah!
                    Jean Valjean in his secret identity of "Mayor/Monsieur Madeline" 

                                                      Fantine singing "I Dreamed a Dream".

                                          Count the shadows.......

                                                              Two boys in our cast.

                                          Me as a prostitute(lovely lady). One thing that was quite funny about this whole was, when we first started, the director was all "You girls aren't going to be prostitutes, you're going to be strumpets." So, when I got home, I look up the term and guess what? It means the EXACT same thing(just an older word for it). Caught you, dude!

                                              Why do I look evil here!!?

                                        Dramatic standing *Imperial March starts playing*         

                                         Me :) I look pretty dismal, don't I?
                  Question- would boas have even existed back then? Hmmm, I'll have to look that up.
        They do look a little weird with the realistic clothing.

                                                                       The cart crash happened after this but since it was dark, I don't have any pictures(as of now, I might get some from this lady who was taking pictures that day too- we should be getting them at some point). One thing I thought was strange was that they cast me in this part- in the book(and in the musical) it's an old GUY. :P

                                                    The song "Master of the House". Don't worry, our version was cleaner than the movie version :/.

                                        Hanging out at the Thenadier's inn- NEVER going there again! They'll steal people stuff!

                                      Thenardier. The actor who played his was very good and was one of our best actors.

                                    Me talking to one of the girls that I was friends with during the show. :)

                                                      I think he's stealing stuff....

                                                 He IS! (I pretended that my character saw him stealing from the patrons)

                                        Me and this girl did this funny 'covering of our faces' thing whenever Madame Thenardier came on stage(we were told we thought she was really freaky).

                                        My lovely hair XD. It was kind of hard to do my hair messy enough since it's so curly. First they, naively, asked if I could straighten it(it can be done, it just takes forever), and then they wanted me to make it even messier when I already had it so :P

                                        "You've GOT to be kidding me."

                                               I have magical POWERS! XD

                                                 Thenardiers, with young Cosette(with the cap on) and young Eponine flanking them.

                                                                "The Beggars"

                              Gavroche. This boy was only seven, but he did a very good job in the role.

                                                      Some of the revolutionaries.

                       Greeting everyone around the beginnings of "One Day More". Me and one of the girls I was friends with had this scene we'd do where we were sisters and I was going off to fight in the barricade and she was worried about me. I promised her that I'd be fine and that I'd see her tomorrow....which didn't happen.:(

                             I wish I could have been a boy...I loved their uniforms. But then, I did stand out :)

                           Flags waving...it apparently looked cool, but I couldn't see it since I'm on the stage. (this song always got loud applause, but then, it is my second favorite song after the Epilogue, so I can understand why). 

                                          "Cure(damn in the original version) their warning, curse their lies. They will see the people RISE!"

I have to say, I am SO THANKFUL to have been in the barricade scene. I was one of three girls(who weren't playing boys) who got to be in the scene and most of the other people in the cast who weren't in these large chunk didn't get to do much in the second act. I had a TON of fun doing this scene and it was definitely my favorite part to do in the show.

                                                        You will give me your rifle.....
Two of those guys are actually girls XD(the one in the middle is the girl who played Fantine).

                                       Woah, that guy who suspiciously offered his help looks oddly familiar...

                                          "Liar!" The guy who played Javert was also very good- definitely one of our best performers, and you could tell he took it seriously(even when he was being weird a few times back stage).

                                                                    Gavroche

                         Like with any show, we were asked to come up with back-stories for our characters. The one I probably thought about the most was my barricade girl role. I pretended that she was the cousin of one of the barricade boys and wanted to fight in the battle(that's why I played my role as very fierce and tomboyish) since she was very dedicated to the cause(kind of like a female Enjolras). And she was annoyed that she didn't get a weapon. I also said that she had a younger sister and a twin sister(who I pretended was the girl I am in Turning) who both worried about their sister and never saw her again.

                                                 My Force(Jedi) Mind Trick WORKING! >:D
                                   I have to say, I LOVE that I have noticeable muscles in my arms. :D 

                                                                Awww man! :P

                                        Marius and Eponine during "A Little Fall of Rain." The girl who played Eponine was really good, especially since she was only eleven. She was also a very nice person and she would actually talk to me, which I appreciated.

                             Halo of light. Eponine's trench coat really reminded me of the Doctor's/Captain Jack Harkness's/Castiel's.

                                        When Eponine died, I would pray and cross myself(as well as 'trying not to cry' during the song), since I thought it would be a good idea(and a lot of people liked it).

         See that dirt? It lasts a long time on the arms- it lasted for days and days, even after I took a shower.

                                             

                                               Barricade Girl(this is my favorite picture).
                   For some reason, the lady who co-ran the theater with her husband(and was doing costumes) really liked this shirt on me(she said it twice). It kind of annoyed me since it was more low-cut than anything I'd wear in public, and it kept falling down, making me pull it up at random times :P. However, everyone else thought it looked good on me too.

                                         We fight in your name, Eponine (don't worry, I'm not pointing it at my head)

                                                        We do not trust you, Javert's twin.
                                                              I am NOT Javert's twin!

                                        Look, there they are! *Duel of the Fates begins playing*

                                Since, during the battle scenes, we had a strobe lights going on, we weren't able to get any good photos. However, in this battle scene, I actually got to use a rifle- one of the guys gets injured so one of the other girls(the one I'm next to) would run over and help him to the side- lines, and I picked up his dropped weapon and fired a bunch(YAY ME! :D).
And I got a line in this part too, which I'll have below the next image.

                                                         "See how they run away!"

                                                                Strategy planning.

                                                                 "Second Attack."

                                                We're out of ammunition...
                                                             CRAP!(well, not really, we were just low). 

                                           Gavroche's death was a very well done one(brownie points to the little boy, he made it very sad) and when it was happening I was pretending to cry and I'd cover my ears whenever the gun would fire.

                       When we walk up, as if in a daze, to his body, I had my arms and fists shaking in fury. Several people noticed it and thought it was a good touch.

                                                                       "What was that?"

                              "You at the barricade, listen to this. The people of Paris sleep in their beds"

                                    "You have no chance. No chance at all. Why throw your lives away?"
We're all going to die, aren't we?  (Valjean and Marius don't). 

I remember when we first did this scene, it felt so eerie and sad. I thought a lot about how I'd do my facial expressions during this part. 

 
                                                      There are several lines that happen right before the final fight, and since no one would say them for a long time, I ended up getting to do one of them by myself.

                                                        Battle scene
                                           "You're going to pay for this!!!" - I ended up yelling this a lot during the battle before I'm shot; it wasn't scripted but it made sense to me, since that's what I would have done. When they gave out these little 'awards' to everyone(I don't like it when directors do this very much), mine had to do with this shouted line; for some reason the director said it made him smile whenever I did it, though I'm not entirely sure why...
            Why didn't they give the girls guns? I had to throw rocks at the freaking French army! 

Plus, it made us have to just get shot down weaponless! Seriously, EVERYONE in a battle should be armed. :P

But anyway, LOVED this scene!!!

                                                                  I died :/ 

                                   But don't worry.....

                         You'll see my twin soon....
We literally had to lay there for a while, without moving. Luckily, a lot of it was in semi-darkness, with spotlights for most of it.

                                      I'm ALIVE!(well, not really, I'm a ghost...that's my twin sister) "Turning"

                                                              "We're all in HEAVEN!!" :D                                      

                                       Jean Valjean wasn't wearing any pants XD They ended up having him wear them for the performances.

                                                 During this scene, I made sure my face was peaceful and serene, so it was contrasting with the harsher expressions I had throughout the play.

                                        The girl playing Cosette(girl in wedding gown) was also very talented. She had a beautiful singing voice(you could tell she was well trained), was a good actor, and was really nice(and completely different from the character XD).

                                                                       Cast pictures :)

            The following were taken by my aunt during our last performance.
Sadly, our Jean Valjean lost his voice on the last show(I could tell it was tired the day before) and quite a few of the kids were giving him a hard time about it- I was one of the few that actually understood what he the problem was(that he could talk, but he probably shouldn't and he definitely couldn't sing) and I felt really bad for him :(. Luckily, the Jean Valjean from the other cast was able to come and do it for us, and thankfully he did a good job :). At the end, since we wanted to give our Jean Valjean some credit, he came out and both Valjeans bowed together. I must admit, I cried a little when I saw that happen.

                                                             Master of the House.

                                       Since I didn't have a weapon(NoOO!), I ended up raising my fists a lot when something dangerous happened.

                                                              Getting ready to bow :D

So, all in all, it was a fantastic run as well as an incredible experience. This definitely has to be one of best plays I've ever done!! :D I am sooo lucky to have had the chance to do Les Miserables at all and I'm glad we had such a great cast! :D
I hope everyone enjoyed the pictures :D. What did you think? May the Force be with you...Always :)
Jedi Shena Tokala signing out.