Fictional Character, Fictional Life--Anya Slepyan

This prompt leads me to think in two different directions. The first is what character has the life or setting that I most want, the second is which character has the qualities I would most like to posses. Unsurprisingly, I found the perfect combination of these two ideas in one of the many minor characters included in the Lord of the Rings series. Tom Bombadil is essentially a magic nature spirit/hermit who just hangs out in the forest and sings all the time. Seriously. He's really happy (repeatedly described as jolly) and usually speaks in rhymes, just because he can. He has immense power, and has been variously interpreted by scholars as an angel, nature spirit, minor god, Odin, or a personification of the nature of middle earth itself. His story is largely unknown, and he is therefore seen as an anomaly in the highly detailed Lord of the Rings Series. Although Bombadil has immense power and abilities (because nature), he refuses to take an active role in human affairs. In the ongoing war between good and evil, he takes the difficult path of a pacifist. So to sum it up, he is a magical pacifist hermit who lives in the Lord of the Rings universe. Ultimate life goals.

Perfect Playlist-- Anya Slepyan

Even though I listen to music all the time, there are certain times when I focus on it more. For example, playing the right song seems to matter the most whenever I'm driving at night or on a plane. Basically any combination of moving and being able to stare out a window (preferably at trees, the stars, or some form of nature) triggers this mood. That being said, here are six (sorry, five is just impossible) songs that are essential for any reflective night time traveling experience. 

Hero, by Family of the Year

This is probably one of the most expressive and relatable songs I've heard. It is best known for being prominently featured in the movie Boyhood, which is where I first heard it. Whether because of the original context or just the sound and meaning of the song, it is the perfect combination of powerful and contemplative. 

Such Great Heights, by Iron and Wine

Such Great Heights can actually be found in multiple forms. For example, Postal Service does a much more upbeat, techno-Ish mix. I'm not sure who came first, but I greatly prefer the feel of Iron and Wine's rendition. The whispered melody brings new strength and focus to the lyrics, and creates a relaxing lull where you're pretty much guaranteed to start thinking your deepest thoughts. 

Guaranteed, by Eddie Vedder

Guaranteed is another example of a fabulous song written for a fabulous movie. Vedder (originally a member of Pearl Jam) wrote this folk rock accompaniment for the movie Into the Wild. Guaranteed is the credits song, which begins playing just as you start sobbing uncontrollably at the end of the film. Partially as a result of its context/connotation, the song takes melancholy reflection to a whole new level. 

Heart of Gold, by Neil Young

Though contemporary indie folk is great for this mood, we can never discount the power of the sixties. Heart of Gold, besides from being the first song I learned on the harmonica, has long been one of my favorites. Both the meaning and sound of Neil Young's masterpiece fit perfectly in the theme of the reflective car ride. It's one of those classic songs that will always be relevant. 

A Comet Appears, by the Shins

This song is the finale of the Shins' 2007 album, and clearly earns its place as the capstone of the collection. The melodies and lyrics are perfectly coordinated to make you feel like you are really watching a mystic astronomical event. The Shins are one of my favorite bands for just this reason. 

Way Out There, By Lord Huron

LORD HURON IS MY FAVORITE BAND. I love it so much and so far have yet to find a song in any of their albums or EP's that I don't enjoy. Though Way Out There is one of their more understated songs, I am able to listen to it repeatedly just to hear the poetry of the lyrics and melody. All of Lord Huron's music is suited for westward/nature/nighttime adventure and reflection so choosing the most representative song was incredibly difficult. That being said, there is no better song to complete your reflective car/plane ride experience. Seriously I can't express how much I love this band/song (which also goes for all the others that I mentioned above as well). 

Right Now- Anya Slepyan

Have you ever been to an air and space museum and seen one of the imax movies narrated by Neil Degrasse Tyson? He nonchalantly takes you on a mind blowing journey, from our minuscule planet to our tiny solar system to the pint-sized Galaxy, all of which make up only a pathetic percentage of the known universe. Then of course, there is the fact that the known universe is only a ridiculously small fraction of the actual universe(which is also ever-expanding, go figure). For thirty minutes, you are so caught up in how BIG the universe is that nothing else matters. The thought is so overwhelming that it forces us to pause and reconsider everything we know and think about. Honestly, this question/blog post is kind of like that to me. Of course, my immediate thought was what could be happening around the world right now, and the answer I came up with was "almost anything." Someone, somewhere, is training a tiger, eating a burrito, watching season 3, episode 9 of Game of Thrones (sorry), giving birth, sitting around a fire, saving a life, or destroying one. Anything that I can think of, someone is almost certainly doing, somewhere around the world. But this prompt said "somewhere in the universe," which is what brought me to this mini existential crisis. Because what is happening in our own world already seems so limitless, what could be happening in the indefinite expanses of the universe leaves me speechless. I can't find the right words (or really any words) to describe how much could be happening right at this second, trillions of light years away. It could be nothing. It could be another being interacting with their own world. Or it could be an event for which we don't even have a comparable concept. Who knows? 

Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Rachel Bragg

When thinking about the shows and movies that I watch, I realized that most of the characters' lives suck. The Winchester brothers (supernatural) are always either dying or almost dead, Emma (once upon a time) is just always struggling, and harry potter is being hunted by Voldemort 24/7. But I have mentioned before that Pitch Perfect was one of my favorite movies, so I would want to be Beca.

Beca Mitchell is the perfect blend of bad-ass and adorable. Her life is nothing extraordinary which is what makes her so relatable. She's just a college student trying to figure out her place in the world and her determination to be a music producer is inspiring. And although she didn't plan on singing acapella, she ended up loving it, which happens a lot in real life. Something new presents itself and if you don't try, you might be missing out. I also think that singing in an acapella group would be pretty awesome. I love listening to acapella and if I could sing, I would definitely take part in it. She's not a superhero or a wizard but she is pretty cool.

The Perfect Playlist-Matthew Telfer

You just came home from a terrible day of class, you bombed the test in first hour and you screwed up your presentation in fifth hour. But now you are home. And you need some music to lift your spirits. Well, look no further because here is the perfect playlist for a horrible day!

You Make My Dreams- Hall and Oates
Take it back to the 1980s with this classic. This song can put anyone in a great mood and you are no exception!
Viva La Vida- Coldplay
If you're having a bad day this song relates to you. It tells the story of a man looking back on the days he was king. Even though he is having a bad day, the instrumentals are uplifting and will definitely brighten your spirits.
Footloose- Kenny Loggins
Another 1980s classic in your playlist is just what you need. This song will have you dancing on your feet, but don't expect to have moves on the dance floor as good as Kevin Bacon.
Young Jesus- Logic
It's the 21st century so I had to put a rap song in the playlist. The way Logic throws down these rhymes will have you feeling like a million bucks in no time.
Stayin' Alive- Bee Gees
Remember at the end of the day you are still "stayin' alive" and that's the most important thing. This 70s dance classic perfectly ends up your perfect playlist and will get you ready for, hopefully, a GREAT day at school tomorrow!

Right Now - Rachel Bragg

"Right now, I wish you were here with meeeee cause right now, everything is new to meeeee." I'm sure none of you know where that is from (one direction) but moving on.

Right now, somewhere in the world, there is someone listening to music. Everyone has there own tastes. Recently I have started listening to a group called BTS, Bangtan Sonyeondan, which is Korean for Bulletproof Boy Scouts. They are a k-pop group. While they have some English lyrics, most of their songs are in Korean. I find it so cool that I can listen to a song and have no clue what they are saying, yet still enjoy it. It makes me think about all the fans of American artists in other countries. So many American musicians have fans internationally, and most of these fans don't know what they are singing about either. With the internet, it is so easy to be exposed to art, not just music, from other cultures. I love it.

Assignment 23 Elana Ehl

It should be no surprise that my hands down favorite genre of music is rock. The way it gets me excited or lets me head bang my anger out is phenomenal. Besides listening to music while I'm driving, I listen to music the most while diving, since i have no control over what i listen to at practice (dang you life guards that control the radio and make me listen to pop music) I’ll share my playlist for meets when its just me, my headphones, and the diving board.  

1. I Don’t Care by Fall Out Boy- A good song to start off with because its rock but not hard rock and it kinda warms you up for the next songs, and the start of the competition. FOB always is a good way to start off a playlist because its not intense (at least in my opinion but my teammates might disagree).
2. I Miss the Misery by Halestorm- Now this is my favorite song in my library. It’s a bit of a jump from FOB to Halestorm, going from alternative rick to hard rock, but in my opinion it works because it just boosts the heart rate even more.
3. In the End by Black Veil Brides- This may be a better transition from FOB to hard rock but it just doesn't have the same effect. The effect it does have is it clears my head a little and allows me to focus because its not as intense as the second song. Again its one of my favorite songs and it really sold me on BVBs because, I mean who doesn’t want to listen to Andy Beirsacks perfect voice (or as Josh says, what Nickelback would have sounded if they were more rock and actually good).
4. Love Bites (So Do I) by Halestorm- Another head banging song to get the blood pressure up again and the readiness to compete. 
5. America Idiot by Green Day- What better way to bring the playlist to an end than with this classic? It’s an exciting song thats fun to dance and sing along to and leads well into the first song if you want to play it on loop.

The Perfect Playlist- Emily Spivey

The perfect playlist for the perfect day. It has taken me a while to shorten this list to just five songs but I think I've perfected it:

1. Footloose- Kenny Loggins

The main reason why I chose this song is because almost everyone has heard it or have heard of it. The beat makes you wanna just jump around and relax. The upbeat nature of it makes you want to dance to the beat. This song makes for a perfect day because you just want to dance when you hear it. 

2. Walking on Sunshine- Katrina & the Waves

I chose this song just because it makes me smile. It can get rid of my bad mood as soon as it comes on. This is good for a perfect day because it is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head. Whenever I think about it I just hum with a big smile. 

3. Come on Eileen- Dexy's Midnight Runners

This might be the best song of all time. It is great to make a perfect day because when you hear it, you just can't sit still. I first heard this song while watching the movie "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and it just stuck with me. I had to get it on iTunes. After that day, I haven't stopped listening to it. It can completely flip my mood around. 

4. Wannabe- Spice Girls

This song. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows who sings it. This song is a good song to make your day perfect because like the previous ones, you're going to want to dance when you hear it. 

5. Home- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

Unlike all of the other songs, this one is more laid back and alternative. Even though this is true, the lyrics make you smile and relax. This is what makes this song perfect for a perfect day. 

Assignment 22 Elana Ehl

Out of all the books I've read my favorite character has been Isabelle lightwood from The Mortal Instruments series, but just because she is my favorite character doesn't mean I want to be her. Isabelle is girly but badass, tall and fierce, and everything I admire in other women, but I don't want to be her, or any other fictional (or even nonfictional) character. I just wanna be me, and I wanna be me to the best of my abilities. Sure there are some aspects of me I want to be similar to fictional characters, like Isabelle’s poise in heels despite her already towering over guys or her unwavering confidence around the opposite gender, but I don't want to be exactly like her. I want to be me because I know for a fact that I don't want to deal with the problems of fictional characters: saving the world, avoiding death, being an adult, finding time to go to the bathroom (when do characters in books actually ever go to the bathroom?! Its not good to hold it in for a long time!).

Perfect Playlist - Elle Ogden

Considering I spent close to 40 hours in the car this past week, I figured I would do a perfect playlist for a road trip with your mom and best friend. For those who don't know my mom, she has a rather interesting taste in music; so here were some of our favorites this past week.

1. Berzerk- Eminem
There's honestly nothing better than listening to your mom rap an Eminem song. And when the drag of long hours in the car hits, this song is perfect for waking you up a little.

2. The Wire- HAIM
This is probably one of the most catchy songs I've ever heard. It's so easy to sing along to and whistle to, and honestly it just puts me in a great mood.

3. Low- Flo Rida
This is by far the all time best song to sing along to. Everyone knows this and sometimes you just need a song to make you forget how many hours you have actually been sitting in the car for. Though it doesn't have the most sophisticated or meaningful lyrics, it's still just a fun song to listen to.

4. Someone Like You- Adele
Though this song was overplayed and became rather annoying after it first came out, it's a nice song to slow things down after listening to the first three. No one can deny the talent Adele has, and this is one of my favorite songs she ever released.

5. Wild Things- Alessia Cara
I hadn't heard this song until this past week, but I really like it. I think it's relatively new, but I'm really not sure. I'm not one to listen deep into what the lyrics mean, but I just like the tune and she's actually a pretty good singer.

Goku (Brooks) Spears

If I could be a fictional character from any form of fiction ever, I would want to be Goku from Dragonball Z because I could have such a carefree lifestyle. I would be able to continually improve myself mentally and physically forever but always being ready for the next challenge. It would be fun to be able to change my hairstyle regularly as well, but I'm not sure if it wouldn't just become an even bigger afro though. I would have great rivalries and I could become as strong as a god with powers ranging from instantaneous transmission to the famous Kamehameha. Not to mention the dragonballs, which I could use to bring myself or others back to life. I could use them for anything I'd want. It'd be fun being Goku for so many reasons. I could fly all the time and I would get to save the world countless times.

Assignment 21 Elana Ehl

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe someone is making a decision. In fact, everyone is constantly making decisions. I decided to write about this topic using these specific words, just like you are reading this and making decisions on how well its written. 

Everyone makes designs in all moments of life even if you don't realize you are making a decision. What you eater breakfast, what route you take to work, what school you attend, and what career you pursue are all decisions, some just have a larger impact than others. 

As high school juniors we all, well most of us, face the tough decision of where to start the next chapter of our lives and education. And its not just a matter of saying what school we want to go to, there are many small decisions that lead to the big one. Deciding what you want to study, what kind of environment you want to study in, and how much you want to spend on an education all combine into the big life changing decision.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life-Matthew Telfer

If I could be any fictional character I would be Winnie the Pooh. I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh and his many adventures with Christopher Robin. I’ve always admired Pooh’s upbeat and friendly personality even though he lacks common sense at times. Pooh’s loyalty to his friends Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl and Kanga and Roo is also admirable. I couldn’t think of anything better than hanging out in the Hundred Acre Wood and stuffing my face with “hunny” all day. Pooh lives a care-free life with no responsibilities except for finding honey. My favorite episode was a Halloween (or “hallowasn’t” as Pooh calls it) episode called “Boo To You Too Winnie the Pooh”. All of the characters are very excited about the upcoming holiday and each are performing their Halloween traditions. Yet, Piglet becomes scared of all of the costumes so Pooh, being the teddy bear that he is, cancels Halloween. At the end of the episode, Pooh gets into danger and Piglet gets enough to courage to save the day. Piglet decides to participate in Halloween and everyone lives happily ever after!

Fictional character, fictional life- Emily Spivey

   If I could be any fictional character ever created, I would be Ariel. Some might see her life as terrible but I envy it. First of all, she gets to be a mermaid! How cool would that be? Growing up, I loved swimming and always wanted to be a mermaid. Nice goals right? Lol. 

   And her hair! That red color is so awesome. I've always wanted to just dye my hair some wicked color but I've never had the guts to. If I were Ariel, I wouldn't have to dye my hair ever again because I would have amazing hair. Also, she gets to have flounder as a friend. He is probably the sweetest fish in the sea, well after Nemo, but he seems pretty cool. 

   Even though all of that make Ariel pretty cool, the coolest thing is that she gets to follow her dream and basically live two different lives. She gets to be a mermaid for most of her life but she always wanted legs so that she could walk on the land, which she gets to do! Then she finds love and lives happily ever after with Eric. Even though she has trouble with Ursula, her true love saves her and they live happily ever after. Sounds like a great life to me. That's why I would be Ariel. 

fictional character, fictional life - Grae Chambers

Can i just preface this post by saying this decision was extremely hard to make because i spend a lot of my life obsessing over fictional characters and most of my childhood i pretended to be them. But for this post I could only pick one, so I chose someone semi- original who I adore.

I chose Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill. I chose her partly because I'm watching the show right now, but also because she represents growth. One Tree Hill is a girly show that teens binge watch on Netflix, and It may not hold any profound lessons for some people, but for me it does. When the show starts out, Brooke is the cheer captain, and yeah she's slightly promiscuous. But this is not the Brooke I admire. Throughout the show she reveals the layers underneath and has some killer quotes. She starts her own clothing line while in high school to show that she never needed a boy to be happy. She's an incredible, thoughtful, and loyal friend. She comes from a home where her parents don't care about her, so she makes her own family through her friends. She always follows her heart, which is something I wish i could do because i'm always following my head. I'll leave you with some Brooke quotes to inspire you too.

"people who are meant to be together always find a way to each other."
" but I guess its always been that way, wanting to be loved... to find someone that makes your heart ache in a good way."
"Theres a day when you realize you're not just a survivor, you're a warrior"

Right Now- Emily Spivey

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, someone is eating a chocolate chip pancake, and I envy them. Even though it isn't a world class pancake created by the one and only Emily Spivey, it bet it is marvelous. The creation of chocolate chip pancakes is hard to master. One cannot make a good pancake (chocolate chip or not) without my secret ingredient. Now this person eating this chocolate chip pancake could be eating it with this secret ingredient or they could be eating a bad pancake because they are "rubbish" without it. Now. I could tell you what the ingredient is but then it wouldn't be a secret anymore. But I think I'll share it anyway. For the best chocolate chip pancakes, first, you MUST use mini chocolate chips. It doesn't matter what brand, but the mini ones ensure that there is chocolate in every bite. Now. For my secret ingredient. If you get the pancake mix where you just have to add water, instead of water... Use ginger ale. It might sound bizarre and weird but the flavor cooks out of the pancakes and you are left with a pancake as fluffy as a cloud. You can thank me later. 

I guess we will never know if that person somewhere in the universe is eating a pancake made with ginger ale or if it is made with plain old water, but now if any one of you are eating a pancake somewhere in the universe, you will know how to properly make it. 

fictional character, fictional life - Kyle W

So if I could be any fictional character who would I be? Honestly, for me, that’s a ridiculously hard question. I’ve read so many books and watched so many movies and TV shows that there’s just so many to choose from. When I first read the prompt I thought harry potter? Batman? Darth Vader? Maybe even Dr. Who? And I just couldn’t choose only one from the so many I thought of. After thinking about it for a while though I figured that Harry Potter would probably be the coolest option. I mean its like “oh of course you chose Harry Potter.” But what can I say? He’s pretty cool. I mean yeah there’s the fact that his parents died and his childhood sucked because of his aunt, uncle, and cousin. And then there was the whole evil thing with Voldemort and whatnot but that was all over by the time he was 18. So if I was to become Harry Potter right now I would be almost 17 and would be close to the end of that (of course I wouldn’t know that just yet), and would be able to spend the rest of my life with my family and doing cool magical things. so really why wouldn’t you want to be Harry Potter?

The perfect playlist - Grae chambers

This is the perfect playlist to make you accidentally slip and fall  in your shower (this title sounds weird but let me explain; in more boring terms this is the perfect shower playlist)

I'm among the large group of people that can't sing a lick but that doesn't stop them. But guys, I don't just sing, hell I put on a production. There's lighting, shampoo bottle microphones, and cringeworthy dance moves. A good shower alone is usually enough to wake you up but sometimes you need a little more and that's what this playlist is here for.
(This blog post also doubles as a chance for me to expose my terrible music taste to you, enjoy!)

1. Wannabe- Spice Girls
This song gives you a chance to be versatile and play several different characters. If you want you can choose a particular spice girl for each shower, or you can be all of them in one session. Another added bonus to this one, there are no complicated vocals so you may actually sound decent when performing this one. Plus the opportunities for choreographing a dance are endless.

2. American Girl- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Break out your air guitar for this one. Ladies, this song will make you feel like a badass. Creating a microphone of some sort is critical for this one and if you ever want to see my dance moves I've created for this song don't hesitate. This is the perfect song to listen to is you ever want to pretend like you're in a movie. Also singing well doesn't matter as much for this one, so feel free to dance your little hearts out. Trust.

3. Part of your world - The Little Mermaid
Okay okay don't judge me for this one. Everyone has their favorite Disney song from their childhood and this is mine. Also it's perfect for the shower because you can really become Ariel under the water. This one requires some killer vocals, so warm up those voices. Really make sure you capture all of the hidden teen angst in this song and please don't complain to me if your family yells at you to shut up after you belt this one out.

4. Defying Gravity- Wicked
I just realized that I never talk about this but I'm a sucker for show tunes. And my performance of defying gravity really is Tony worthy, swear. It's taken me two years of shower rehearsal to perfect the end note , but I think I've really got it. This one is gonna take a lot of your energy and you really have to commit. This song is full of emotion so make sure you capture it. This is probably my favorite of the playlist because my family hates it the most and it's fun to attempt to sing so it's a win win

5. It's All Coming Back to me Now - Celine Dion
wow. This song really has it all. This power ballad can be difficult to take on but it will bring up any emotion you've ever had. Remember that date you went on in 6th grade to Graeters with that girl who's parents are friends with your parents? Yeah that's all coming back to you now. Remember the boy your friend made you date because she was dating his best friend and you only dated him for a month because he bought you lots of food? Yeah that's all coming back to you now. The good news is, the shower water will cover up your tears.

Honorable mentions: anything Britney Spears, on my own- les misarables, gold digger- Kanye west, and simple song- the shins, hopelessly devoted to you- Olivia Newton john

Thank me after your next shower for providing you with these quality jams.

21: Right now - Grae Chambers

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, someone has proclaimed that today is FINALLY the day that they'll start their diet. so for breakfast, they grab an apple. Okay, so far so good. then they jog up their stairs just a little faster than they would have yesterday morning. A warm shower wakes them up and distracts them from food. Okay, it's been 30 minutes since they last ate and they aren't even hungry, maybe this whole diet thing will be super easy. Only what like 2 days until they can achieve Victoria secret angel status? Okay now it's been 45 minutes and the hunger is setting in. So at this moment they must question, WWTBD? (What would Tyra banks do?). Since she's pretty fit she would probably go for a jog. So they lace up their tennis shoes and take a little too long to stretch their legs and mentally prepare for the daunting task ahead. Said someone then proceeds to jog to the end of the street. Then they walk for the next 30 minutes. By this time it's acceptable to eat lunch, but they're too tired from their run to chef up something healthy, so this bag of Cheetos will have to do. Oh well there's always tomorrow.

The Perfect Playlist--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

The Perfect Playlist for When You’re Conflicted (or When Everything is Just Really Confusing)

My playlist is appropriate for a plethora of confusing situations because the whole thing is a list of confused songs.

From God’s Perspective (Bo Burnham): This song, initially is funny (unless you're offended, in which case, sorry). But then, you actually listen to it and, especially if you don’t firmly believe in God or organized religion, it’s totally legit. So not only is it light hearted with a conflicting theme of realness but also it’s about one of the most conflicted things ever (faith). This is a great way to ease into the complexities of confusion

Grapevine Fires (Death Cab for Cutie): Mostly, this song is just weird. It’s part sad and part happy while talking about fire and kids and destruction. So for the pure mix of emotion and confusion, I place it in this list.

Bad Self Portraits (Lake Street Dive): This song makes the playlist because, despite it’s peppy and optimistic tune, it’s super depressing. Not only do the major themes (musical and lyrical) conflict, the lyricist herself doesn’t really know what’s going on in her life. It’s boppy though, to keep things from slipping into Damien Rice and Bright Eyes kind of music.

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (The Beatles): What a great conflict (and solution). Maxwell’s silver hammer is a peppy song that does not in anyway convey meaning of the lyrics since they focus almost entirely on homicide. Plus, Maxwell is obviously a confused guy.

Amsterdam (Imagine Dragons): Again, this song is solidly confused. Not only is it optimistic and almost happy, it’s also about failure, insecurity and realness. And sometimes, that’s just exactly how you feel. It’s a solid ending because, as a pop song, it’s got a bit more of a beat that might keep the listener from crawling into a hole.

Fictional Character, Fictional LIfe--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

 I think if I’m being realistic, which this prompt is, of course, not, I would most like to be Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth. Okay, here me out. So Milo is this boy that’s just disinterested in everything. He’s very detached: he doesn’t like school but he doesn’t like home that much either. But nothing is actually wrong. Milo is not forced to fight to the death and he doesn’t have a tragic backstory that has to be reveled right before the climax when he’s trying to save the world. His parents are alive and that’s super rare in the things I watch/read. Like, incredibly rare. Both of them are alive! It’s practically unprecedented. The great thing is, even though he’s bored and pretty unhappy, Milo’s life doesn’t suck. AND THEN, a tollbooth shows up in his room. And this phantom tollbooth takes him on a crazy, incredibly punny adventure that restores his faith in humanity and doesn’t give him PTSD. It’s ridiculous. Did you know that for a good book to have a conflict and resolution no one actually has to die a heart wrenching death? 

            Of course, what Milo doesn’t have/get isn’t the only thing that attracts me to his character. Milo’s trip through the Kingdom of Wisdom is incredible. He gains two best friends, one who is a literal humbug and the other a literal watchdog; who doesn’t want that? He constantly outsmarts his opposition. Continually using his brain and not brawn to tackle his problems, Milo uses logic and creatively to deal with a bunch of literal idioms. It sounds like the best thing in the entire freaking world. AND THEN, bam, personal development. He comes home with renewed appreciation to for the world and all the opportunities that it presents. And, in the end, a respect for the world (and all it provides) on a daily basis is what I really want. It’s sort of the ultimate happy ending.