I Am... 17! (and other big news)

So today, I turned the ripe old age of 17! And as it's Wednesday, I decided to incorporate this special (well at least it's special for me) day into the series! Before I begin, I'd just like to thank Jemima for the inspiration for this post, which she titled Me At 17. Also, I'd like to wish my friend (and birthday twin) Anna a very happy birthday, again! Without further ado, on with I Am... 17!

So, who am I at seventeen?

Well, book-wise I still love my classics - Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, the Maze Runner, Cat Patrick, Jay Asher, and John Green to name but a few. However, I've also become a lot more interested in poetry. I really love Walt Whitman, Lord Byron, Sylvia Plath, and Erin Hanson. I've also started writing a lot more poetry, as you can see from this blog! Clearly, I started a blog too, which has made it much more simple for me to lay out my points of view and organise my thoughts.
Film-wise I'm again still loving the classics, but have become more interested in older films and other genres, mainly thanks to my friends and my Film class. I've also tried to make my first short film; Warning Sign. Furthermore, I'm very excited to see the next instalment of the Harry Potter franchise: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which is out in the UK on November 18th, and the Miss Saigon 25th anniversary show, which will hopefully be as good as it's Les Miserables counterpart!
In general, I've changed a heck of a lot. I consider myself a Christian (for roughly 9 months now), a vegan (for a year and five months!), a feminist, a Labour supporter, a humanitarian, a Democrat (if I was American), and much more open to others' views, opinions, and prejudices (as a reminder, my aim is always to educate and increase love and tolerance, never to slander or make others feel like their views are unimportant). I've become much more politically educated, aware, and active, and feel more connected to both my local society and the world, as well as everything in between. I'm hoping that this interest will carry on, as I believe it's absolutely imperative to take responsibility for your country, and humans as a whole.

That's why I'm going to somewhat hijack this post, as today a decision was made that will affect the world; Donald Trump was elected as President of the United States. I honestly can't believe those words are coming out of my mouth (or at least from my fingers). I'm still kind of coming to terms with it, but that doesn't mean that we can't be ready for anything, and be hopeful for the future. Although I may not have wanted him to have access to the power he will soon yield, I still must accept him as the leader of the free world, and pray that his decisions won't harm too many people too badly.
If you're an American reading this, especially if you're a minority, please do not be afraid. America is still your country, you are still a human being, you still have your rights. Mr. Trump cannot and will not take that away from you, we will not let him. But I'll be completely honest with you; I am worried for everyone in America who is not white, or straight, or a Christian, or a man, or American-born, or is for some other reason on Mr. Trump's hitlist, if you can call it such.
Muslim women, to you I quote a tweet: if you feel the need to not wear your hijab for safety, Allah will understand and forgive you. Please don't put yourself in danger for reasons that could be avoided. Then again, please don't be afraid of expressing yourself and your religion. I'm not afraid of wearing a cross, so you shouldn't have to be afraid of wearing a hijab, or a niqab, or a burkha.
The LGBT+ community, stay strong. Pence will not break you. He cannot 'fix' you because you are not broken. Conversion therapy is not therapy at all, it is torture. Be safe, and hold on to who you truly are. Your real friends and family will accept you for who you are, even if that's not who they want you to be.
Women, and young girls especially, you can do whatever a man can do. You must reach for the moon, reach just as high as men. Your simple anatomy does not define your limitations, your attitude and mindset does. Please, do not be discouraged from dreaming big. Dream bigger than you ever have before, and encourage both your female and male friends to do the same. We cannot be equal if we do not first truly believe we are equal.
POC, we stand with you. History will not be allowed to repeat itself. Our differences make us who we are, and that is never a bad thing, until we start using our differences to hurt one another. Your skin colour does not define your worth. Neither does your gender. Nor your sexuality. Nor your religion. Your actions do.
Please, act right.

From a straight white Christian, we are not all the same.

I detest making my political view so apparent and admittedly biased, but I have tried to see the good in Mr. Trump, and I have come up empty-handed.

Please be safe and trust yourself and your fellow countrymen. We can make this work as an Earth, together.

My First Post

Hi! I'm Charlotte, also known as daintilydreaming. I've decided to start this blog as an outlet for my thoughts; writing, poetry, melodies, lyrics, current events, photos, etc. I'll try to post at least twice a week, as long as I can balance all my college work too!
So to begin my blogging journey, here's a little bit about me.

I was born in November '99 on the dreary English South coast. As a child, I was fascinated with stories and books, which later transitioned into a love of anything written (especially Harry Potter). I always loved my dad's old music; Deep Purple, Annie Lennox, the Rolling Stones. That passion has also stayed with me through a slight obsession with vinyl (I've been lucky enough to be able to steal both my parents' and my grandma's old records, so I now have quite a collection!). Now, I love new music, but I still hold dear the music my parents and grandparents loved; the Beatles, Chas and Dave, Elvis, Queen, ABBA, etc, as well as (of course) musicals! So clearly some things about me haven't changed since I was a young child, but I think that the more important things are those which have changed. They show that a human's personality and interests evolve and transform, just as their body and mind do.
For me, one of the big changes in my life has been opting for a plant-based diet, a huge change from the omnivorous child I once was. I made the choice to go vegan in June of 2015, when I was 15 years old. This choice has made a massive impact on my life and has made me happier and healthier (and provides an excellent talking point for those awkward first-meetings with friends-of-friends). I'll probably do at least one post on veganism and it's benefits and disadvantages in the future, so please let me know if that's something you'd like to read more about, if you're thinking of making the change yourself, or are simply interested in how a vegan lives in a carnivorous household!
Another lifestyle change that I've made recently is the conversion to Christianity. I was Christened as a baby, but was raised in an Agnostic household with two Atheist brothers, so I never really thought about religion or God until the issue was raised in RE lessons at secondary school. Because of the way I was brought up, I'd always thought that all Christians were extreme - like the members of the Westboro Baptist Church (which there will definitely be a later post on), evangelising and not taking 'no' for an answer. However, my views were proved to be completely wrong when I started to research Christianity, and in particular a young girl named Rachel Joy Scott, who was killed in the Columbine massacre of April 1999. Since her death at 17, she has become a sort of Christian martyr, for some right reasons, and also for some wrong. But that's another story for another post. To get back to my original point, I came to realise that I did believe in a great Something (with a capital S), and my life was altered in a way that I am not only grateful for, but am extremely happy with, and I never wish to go back.
As mentioned in my 'About Me', I'm currently studying Film, Drama, History, and French at college. I've wanted to be an actress since before I can remember - probably from watching so many films and reading so many books as a child and teen. My love of History is new to me, though. It sort of sprung out of nowhere, as at the beginning of secondary school I never liked it, but when I started doing my GCSEs I began to develop such an interest for it that I knew I had to carry it on into college. At secondary school, I did a French GCSE in year 9 then a Spanish GCSE in year 11, and now I'm back to doing French. As a child, my family took frequent trips to the beautiful Chateau Vary in Jarzé (pictured), which I think is where my adoration for the French culture, language, and people stems from.

Chateau Vary, Jarzé. Creds to booking.com

In conclusion, over the years I've developed a pure love of life which I hope to hold for ever. I'm looking forward to reading new books, writing new things, meeting new friends and getting to know old ones better, and getting to know myself better too.

I hope that this has helped you to get to know me a little, and please feel free to contact me with any post requests, questions or constructive criticism!
Until next time,
Charlotte x