Takeover Day 4: I regret to inform you...

... that my plan didn't work out so well. As we speak, Briana's troops are storming the castle walls, stealing the things I stole from her, and murdering innocent people (because they're just mean like that.) My chocolate-induced road trip did slow her down-- I also employed the help of a man in a Mickey Mouse costume. You're welcome-- but alas, she's back. You're sad aren't you?

I would be. I was amazing leader.

BUT! Because I care about you (read: am disappointed in your lack of participation,) I will try my best to keep maintaining my letters and the features incorporated through a network of secret spies and trained mice. Comment! Participate! Have fun! (Or else)

With that, I must leave you. There are soldiers coming up the hallway. They sound angry. Briana must have brainwashed them into hating me. I'm too lovable to hate out of free will.

Hopefully, I will one day return and conquer the Reader, Writer, Critic kingdom again. But until then, Briana's back. The party's over. (I grant you permission to cry.)

Goodbye,

(If you're just tuning in, I'm Catherine of Stray Imaginations, and I WAS your supreme ruler for the week. I commandeered Briana's blog after sending her on a drugged chocolate-induced bus ride, which you can read about here. Also, be sure to check out the collaborative story game. It was a Briana-free jamboree, but then it ended. Don't party on, peasants.)

Takeover Day 3: Reviewing Popular Music As I Would Books

If you're just tuning in, I'm Catherine of Stray Imaginations, and I'm your supreme ruler for the week. I commandeered Briana's blog after sending her on a drugged chocolate-induced bus ride, which you can read about here. Also, be sure to check out the collaborative story game. Welcome to the Briana-free jamboree. Party on, peasants.

Hi, there! Miss me? I hope so.

Last week, when daydreaming about what I would do if my plans for taking over the Reader, Writer, Critic Empire succeeded, a little thought threw itself at me (much like my plentiful suitors.) This thought was...

Reviewing Popular Music As I Would Books

In hindsight, this was a wretched idea. But-- what can I say?-- I'm stubborn, and I want to do it.

Prepare yourselves. This is going to be epic. Fire. Explosions. Volcanic Eruptions. You know, the works. (Also, a wrecking ball.)

Note: I am not reviewing the songs themselves, just their story lines. Yes, this is entirely unneeded for a music, but I'm pretending! Let me pretend!

(Also, to pick songs, I opened up the Top 100 playlist on Spotify and picked a few that seemed familiar. It was a fun time. I deserve a cookie.)

1. Counting Stars by One Republic

Characters? Dude's a dreamer, I'll give him that. Pretty beautiful. Also, do I smell an anti-hero? Everything that kills me makes me feel alive!

Plot? I like it. A classic riches-to-rags story. Who needs riches anyway? Count the stars and love each other instead!

Setting? I see stars! Stars everywhere! And a picnic for some reason. (Probably because I was just thinking of the civil war-- don't ask.)

Theme? Live! Watch the money burn! (You don't need it anyway.)

2. Wake Me Up by Avicii

Characters? So, this dude is obviously pretty self-aware. He called himself young and unwise, which took guts. He's got a good head on his shoulders.

Plot? Well, this is obviously character driven. I don't know what, exactly, prompted unnamed character to prompt this wish for "waking up," but it was a very interesting proposition.

Setting? I AM LOST IN A BLACK HOLE.

Theme? "All this time I was finding myself, and I didn't know I was lost." Beautiful, this is.

3. Pompeii by Bastille

Characters? Left to his own devices, dude seemed to do pretty well. (What's with all these empowering songs? I'm a good random picker.) Also, an optimist. That's nice.

Plot? Well, I was expecting volcano explosions, but I guess this was cool, too...

Setting? Dark hills. (The volcano, I'm assuming.) A lot of the setting has to do with "closed eyes", so... And wolves, clouds, darkness. Also pompeii (VOLCANO!) (I like volcanos. I wish there was more volcano.)

Theme? Nothing is going to change. Now stop bugging me.

4. Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus (Yeah, I went there.)

Characters? First things first, SHE CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL. That's certainly not passive. I like the spunk. I mean, what an entrance!

Plot? Ah... classic girl-scorned love story. She just wanted to break down his walls! But (spoiler) he broke her instead. A beautiful story of love lost. Also, DEMOLISHING THINGS. This is WAR.

Setting? I just keep picturing Miley swinging on a wrecking ball, so that's not ideal.

Theme? Something about wrecking things? (Or mean boyfriends who wreck things?) She never wanted to start a war! She should have just let him in instead! (Uh, what?)

5. Hall of Fame by The Script

Characters? Non-conformist! They've got drive, definitely. Who doesn't want to be a rebel-hero?

Plot? And now we've got rags-to-riches! The road to being a champion starts with rebellion (or something.)

Setting? I see a hall. It's white, sterile but all comforting. The pictures of "fame," as they say, are all empty. Which is... odd.

Theme? BE WHAT YOU WANT! (Or become famous. Being famous is good.)

6. Just Give Me A Reason by P!nk and Nate Ruess

Characters? I SHIP THEM SO HARD. 

Plot? Two people in love, just trying to make it work. And they will! Because they love each other, but I guess that's hard sometimes (I wouldn't know. Romantics are a concept lost to me.) Also, nightmares. Nightmares everywhere.

Setting? I picture a bed, and they're sleeping. Sort of creepy? But I ship them, so it's okay.

Theme? "We're not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again."Adorable.

Ha. Well I guess that's it. Not as painful as you thought, was it?

Takeover Day 2: Teaser Tuesday and a Collaborative Story Game

If you're just tuning in, I'm Catherine of Stray Imaginations, and I'm your supreme ruler for the week. I commandeered Briana's blog after sending her on a drugged chocolate-induced bus ride, which you can read about here. Welcome to the Briana-free jamboree. Party on, peasants.

That's right. I'm back. Remember those games and fun times I promised? Well, I lied.

Kidding. I'm not that mean.

But, first things first, TEASER TUESDAY!

This week I'm reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I'm halfway through, and it's already genius. Here's your teaser:

"Cinder opened her eyes. The netscreen on the wall had changed, no longer showing her life stats. Her ID number was still at the top, headlining a holographic diagram.
Of a girl.
A girl full of wires" (Page 82.)

Now, to the game!

You see, I rule much like the Roman emperors. I know that the key to a prosperous empire lies in the peasant population, and their tendency to wish for a thing called happiness. The leaders of Rome did this by winning wars and having a lot of money-- something which, sadly, I cannot do-- but also by entertaining the people, thus manipulating them into thinking they were happy.

In the Reader, Writer, Critic Kingdom, we don't have any arenas, but we do have our minds. (Honestly, if we did have an arena, it would be used for chariots and the 76th annual Hunger Games, although the latter wasn't very popular with the peasants, was it?) This is why we are going to use our minds and work together!

Seeing as all of you are readers, and several of you are also writers, I thought it would be fun to have a collaborative story. Anyone can contribute! By no means do you have to be good, you just have to know how to string together a couple sentences into something somewhat cohesive and understandable.

Here's how it'll work: I'm going to write up the first few sentences of a story, and then the next person will comment a few more sentences, and so on, and so on.

So easy, a peasant can do it!

A little girl stood by her bedroom window, watching the festivities before her. The streets of her gray kingdom were adorned in red and purple banners, and for once, the peasants were happy. In the parade that ran through the street, a short man in a Jester's uniform stood on a wooden cart pulled by midnight stallions, announcing the arrival of the new empress. Amazing ruler that she was, Empress Catherine thought the peasants of her Kingdom should be familiar with her face, the curl of her hair, and the way luxurious fabric draped her body. The girl stood, amazed, as the crowds down below threw shimmering black confetti, excited and pulsing with gratitude that their new ruler had overthrown the vicious tyrant that ruled before.
But then the Empress tensed, and her waving hand fell to her side. The crowd was ignorant, unknowing of the looming threat. Empress Catherine and the little girl were the only one's to see it...

Wishing you luck,

Attention: Reader, Writer, Critic Has Been Commandeered

It is my pleasure to inform you, dear followers, that after a long and arduous power struggle, this blog and its peasant population have been seized by none other than me, Catherine of Stray Imaginations, ruler of all humanity (a humanity which currently consists of two blogs, a thirty-five pound dog, and an arguably demonic younger brother, but that's irrelevant.)

You, being the curious followers that you are (we’ll fix that shortly) are probably wondering what this little hiccup means for you. Now that your old master has been forcibly shipped out of state for a week by means of drug-laced chocolate and the emotional influence of Disney Princess movies, things will be different. Much different.

(And to think I wasn’t even her first choice at opponent. Pssh. She underestimated my power.)

Don’t worry. Briana will be back in due time, and she will once again fight for control over you. She’ll probably lose, for I am the better chocolate confectioner, but I’ll grant you your false hope. What’s the worst you can do? Start a rebellion? (I know how the Hunger Games went down. I know what mistakes not to make.)

And by all this evil chatter of course I really mean we’re all going to have a giant party. A Briana-free, book-loving jamboree. That’s right. The parents are out of town and now you all get to party with the older sister! (In that metaphor, I’m the amazingly cool older sister, and Briana is the stuck-up parents. TAKE THAT, Briana.) I won’t rest until every one of my loyal peasants is partying their hearts out.

See? I’m a nice dictator. None of that arena-killing garbage.

(Let it also be noted that I did nothing incriminating to sway the other candidate’s choice. The good-luck gift I sent was not full of drugged chocolate. Trust me, not the lab test. Those can be faulty. I, on the other hand, have the honesty of a Candor.)

What can you look forward to this week? Games, quizzes, fun features, and so much awesomeness your head just might explode.

With that said, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Yours Truly,