Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

Greetings, all!  I've been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by my pals Ivy Miranda and Rachel , and they've come up with some fun questions.  Thanks loads, ladies! The rules are pretty basic:  just thank the person(s) who nominated you and link to their blog(s), answer the questions they asked you, nominate eleven blogs yourself, and give your nominees eleven new questions.  As has (unfortunately) become my wont, I'm not going to nominate anyone new, partially because most of the people I'd nominate have already been so.  But!  I did very much enjoy answering these questions and wholeheartedly invite you to do so yourself if you haven't already. Let's get into it.  [My graphics game is chaotic today (not a cohesive aesthetic in sight), so, be forewarned.] ⸻ ✵  Ivy's Questions   ✵ 1. What's your favorite memory of 2023 so far? Don't know that I can choose one specific one, but, generally:  taking trips to/with friends, hiking, seeing Hadestow

It seemed wrong to group the dead.  It was not seven; it was one and one and one and one and one and one and one.  Each an entire life, each with a name. Chanel Miller, Know My Name Let's talk ✨violence✨, kiddos. Growing up, I developed a reputation as someone who was "easily freaked out" by violence, peril, etc. within the realm of fiction.  Part of this — when I was younger, especially — was due to real sensitivity.  Anything "dark" was difficult for child me to handle without paying for it when trying to fall asleep at night.  As I've grown older, however, things have shifted.  Exhibit A:  my inability to make it more than twenty minutes into  Snow White and the Huntsman  as a tween, contrasted with my adoration for the whole movie as a twenty-something.  Now, I'll take a film with R-rated violence over a cutesy murder mystery episode of Monk any day of the week — and, what's more, I'll (probably) be far less disturbed by the R-rated show than