Saturday, October 27, 2012

Liebster Tag

Detail from The Hostage by Edmund Blair Leighton
I was tagged by the lovely Marian at All That is Gold.

Rules:
1. You must post eleven facts about yourself.
2. You must also answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in turn.
3. Tag eleven fellow bloggers.
4. Notify them that you've awarded them.
5. No tagging back.
6. And the eleven blogs you tag must have less than 200 followers.

FACTS
1. I am currently reading Les Misérables and loving it. (I hate the musical, however. Javert as the villain and not a mistaken civil servant? The Thénardiers as comic relief? C'mon.)
2. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That is, a Mormon. (And, no, we don't practice polygamy:)
3. I've ridden a horse bareback.
4. Norse mythology is fascinating to me, and despite enjoying The Avengers, I'm having a hard time with these new misconceptions about Thor, Loki, Heimdall, and Odin. It's kinda frustrating.
5.  Prehistory is also a fascinating subject for me.
6. I think every writer ought to own a multi-purpose black cloak. It helps enormously.
7. I plan on attending the midnight showing of The Hobbit. It will be my first.
8. While we're on the subject, I own a White Tree of Gondor t-shirt that I made myself.
9. I sometimes lapse into British and Scottish accents.
10. My favorite film composer is John Powell.
11. I'm still working with the concept that photography can be art. Sometimes I think I'm still stuck in Impressionist times.

QUESTIONS
1. Favorite vegetable?
Onions. (Do those count?)

2. Is there anything you like now that you used to dislike?
Van Gogh paintings. He was an unstable man (read: insane) but I have to admit, he could paint!

3. Monkeys--cute or creepy?
 Extremely, extremely creepy.

4. What do you do when you're bored?
Read and write, although I am trying to work on not surfing the internet when I'm bored. Waste of time, that.

5. Do you like to garden?
Uh, no. Not really.

6. What is your favorite color and why?
Green. Because of Erin gra mo chroi (Ireland of my heart).

7. Your favorite screen/literary couple?
Funnily enough, I'd have to choose a couple no one's ever heard of. Prince Aethelbald and Princess Una from Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. They go through so much for each other, and are reunited under such bittersweet circumstances that their happy ending is, I think, all the more poignant.

8. If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?
As long as I was some animal living at Redwall Abbey I'd be perfectly content.

9. What is your favorite dessert?
Anything chocolate and preferably made from flour.

10. Do you have any traditions you made up yourself?
Does listening to the Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack whenever I read the book count as a tradition?

11. Do you usually get snow in December?
Only up in the mountains.

MY QUESTIONS:
1. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
2. Are you a part of any geekdoms (ex. LOTR, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Marvel, etc.)?
3. Which literary/movie character reminds you most of yourself?
4. Most unpredictable book/movie you've ever read/watched?
5. Favorite music genre(s)?
6. What do you fear?
7. Name an exotic pet you'd like to have if it was legal (anything from tigers to foxes to unicorns).
8. Any books or movies you'd like to live in?
9. Last song you listened to?
10. Newest obsession?
11. Pick a superpower!


I tag:
ANYONE who thinks this looks like fun. But, specifically Sierra, Kirthi, Faerie Artisan, and Izori.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Famous Literary Swords: Glamdring

Glamdring
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

It is a sword of many names. In Sindarin its name literally translates to "Foe-hammer", and the Goblins in The Hobbit knew it only as "beater".

It was forged for the elf Turgon, a king of Gondolin during the First Age. He only used it twice in battle and the sword was ultimately lost to history for thousands of years.
Gandalf first came upon it in The Hobbit. After the incident with the trolls, they came upon the trolls' hoard, and it was there that Thorin Oakenshield gained the sword Orcrist (literally, "Goblin-cleaver", and nicknamed "biter" by said Goblins) and Gandalf gained Glamdring.
(It was there that Bilbo Baggins also took Sting, but we'll get to that in a later post.)

Throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf wielded it, relying both on Glamdring and his skills as a wizard. After the War of the Ring and Gandalf's departure to the Undying Lands, the sword was kept in the treasure vault at Minas Tirith.

Ever since the films, Glamdring's look has been pretty much set in stone, although I rather like John Howe's representation:

The film version:



On the sword hilt it reads:
Turgon aran Gondolin tortha, Gar a matha I vegil Glamdring Gud Daedheloth, Dam an Glamhoth
which, translated is:
Turgon king of Gondolin wields, has and holds the sword Glamdring, Foe of Morgoth's realm, hammer to the Orcs.

And, of course, Glamdring will appear in the upcoming Hobbit film (which means that the clip with Gandalf in the ruins must happen after the troll incident. Speaking of which, what are those ruins to begin with?)


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Movie Quote Contest #2 Answers and Winners

Po: Tell me what happened that night!
Lord Shen: What night?
Po: That night!
Lord Shen: Ah, that night.
Po: Yes! ...We're talking about the same night, right?

--Kung Fu Panda 2, 2011

Guesses: None

2
Gimli: Certainty of death...Small chance of success...What are we waiting for?

--The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003

Guesses: Faerie ArtisanDeborah S. Dahnim, Sara

3
Simba: You're so weird.
Scar: You have no idea.

--The Lion King, 1994

Guesses: Faerie Artisan

4
Bolt: Stay back! If I stare at the lock really hard, it'll burst into flames and melt.
Mittens: ...Now I'm concerned on a number of levels.

--Bolt, 2008

Guesses: Faerie Artisan

5
Rapunzel: Who's that?
Flynn Rider: They don't like me.
Rapunzel: Who's that?
Flynn Rider: They don't like me either.
Rapunzel: And who's that?
Flynn Rider: Let's just assume for the moment that everyone in here doesn't like me!

--Tangled, 2010

Guesses: Deborah S. Dahnim

6
Jerry Armstrong: So I was wondering. Do you guys want to be called colored or black?
Harry Flournoy: Do we look like a load of laundry to you?

--Glory Road, 2006

Guesses: None

7
Jane Foster: You think you're gonna just walk in and walk out?
Thor: No, I'm gonna fly out.

--Thor, 2011

Guesses: None

8
Helen Parr: Do have something you want to tell your father about school?
Dash: Well--we dissected a frog.

--The Incredibles, 2004

Guesses: Faerie Artisan, Sara

9
Milo Thatch: Carrots. Why is it always carrots? I didn't even eat carrots!

--Atlantis: The Lost Empire, 2001

Guesses: Sara

10
David Jacobs: My father taught us not to lie.
Jack Kelly: Yeah, well, mine told me not to starve; so we both got an education.

--Newsies, 1992

Guesses: None

11
Dmitri: Ow!
Anya: Oh, sorry! I thought you were someone I--Oh, it's you. Well, that's okay then.

--Anastasia, 1997

Guesses: None

12
Russ Duritz: If you get called a jerk four times in a single day, does that make it true?
Amy: What, only four? Did you get up late?

--The Kid, 2000

Guesses: Sara

13
Ben Gates: Okay, run along now, you impossible child.

-National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, 2007

Guesses: Faerie ArtisanDeborah S. Dahnim, Sara

14
Doris Walker: I speak French, but that doesn't make me Joan of Arc.

-Miracle on 34th Street, 1947

Guesses: None

15
Beatrix Potter: There's something delicious about writing the first words of a story...You can never quite tell where they'll take you.

--Miss Potter, 2006

Guesses: Faerie Artisan

16
Ted Ray: We may have to kill that one.

--The Greatest Game Ever Played, 2005

Guesses: None

17
 Doug: I was hiding under your porch, because I love you. Can I stay?

--Up, 2009

Guesses: Faerie Artisan, Sara, Darby Kate

Picture from SimpleDisneyThings
18
Flik: I know it's a rock! Don't you think I know a rock when I see a rock? I've spent a lot of time around rocks!

--A Bug's Life, 1998

Guesses: Faerie Artisan

19
Prince Henry: Mother, Father, I want to build a University, with the largest library on the continent, where anyone can study, no matter their station!
King Francis: All right...Who are you, and what have you done with my son?

--Ever After: A Cinderella Story, 1998

Guesses: None

20
Tevye: You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I'll tell you...I don't know.

--Fiddler on the Roof, 1971

Guesses: Faerie Artisan

21
Peter Pevensie: It's so far.
Mrs. Beaver: It's the world, dear. Did you expect it to be small?

--The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 2005

Guesses: Faerie ArtisanDeborah S. Dahnim

22
Boromir: They have a cave troll.

--The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001

Guesses: Faerie ArtisanDeborah S. Dahnim, Sara

23
Prince Edward: The day he died the people cried.
John: They cried?
Prince Edward: They cried  three cheers!

--The Slipper and the Rose, 1976

Guesses: None

24
Mr. Weasley: Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?

--Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002

Guesses: Sara, Darby Kate

25
Randall: Where is it, you little one-eyed cretin?
Mike Wazowski: Okay, first of all, it's "creetin". If you're going to threaten me, do it properly.

--Monster's Inc., 2001

Guesses: Faerie ArtisanDeborah S. Dahnim

26
Boy: I'm looking for...a girl?
Hobo: Ain't we all?

--The Polar Express, 2004

Guesses: Faerie Artisan, Sara

27
Nick Fury: Well let me know if "real power" wants a magazine or somethin'.

--The Avengers, 2012

Guesses: Faerie ArtisanDeborah S. Dahnim


BONUS QUOTE

Peter Pevensie: And you think we're the ones?
Mr. Beaver: Well you'd better be, 'cause Aslan's already fitted out your army!

--The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 2005

Guesses: Faerie Artisan, Deborah S. Dahnim

In 3rd place we have Deborah S. Dahnim with 8 correct guesses
In 2nd place we have Sara with 9 correct guesses
And the winner is...




Congrats, and here is your badge of honor. You may do with it as you please:


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Reminder

This is a reminder that the Movie Quote Contest is still in full swing until Monday the 15th, and anyone who wants to join may do so.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Movie Quote Contest #2

Well, it's time for another Movie Quote Contest, since y'all asked for one.
Here's how it works: You leave a comment, telling me which characters said each quote (please give me the character's name) and also which movie it's from. You need to include both.
No cheating!
The contest opens now, and will end on on Monday the 15th at midnight.
Good luck to you all:
 
1
Character 1: Tell me what happened that night!
Character 2: What night?
Character 1: That night!
Character 2: Ah, that night.
Character 1: Yes! ...We're talking about the same night, right?

2
Character 1: Certainty of death...Small chance of success...What are we waiting for?

3
Character 1: You're so weird.
Character 2: You have no idea.

4
Character 1: Stay back! If I stare at the lock really hard, it'll burst into flames and melt.
Character 2: ...Now I'm concerned on a number of levels.

5
Character 1: Who's that?
Character 2: They don't like me.
Character 1: Who's that?
Character 2: They don't like me either.
Character 1: And who's that?
Character 2: Let's just assume for the moment that everyone in here doesn't like me!

6
Character 1: So I was wondering. Do you guys want to be called colored or black?
Character 2: Do we look like a load of laundry to you?

7
Character 1: You think you're gonna just walk in and walk out?
Character 2: No, I'm gonna fly out.

8
Character 1: Do have something you want to tell your father about school?
Character 2: Well--we dissected a frog.

9
Character 1: Carrots. Why is it always carrots? I didn't even eat carrots!

10
Character 1: My father taught us not to lie.
Character 2: Yeah, well, mine told me not to starve; so we both got an education.

11
Character 1: Ow!
Character 2: Oh, sorry! I thought you were someone I--Oh, it's you. Well, that's okay then.

12
Character 1: If you get called a jerk four times in a single day, does that make it true?
Character 2: What, only four? Did you get up late?

13
Character 1: Okay, run along now, you impossible child.

14
Character 1: I speak French, but that doesn't make me Joan of Arc.

15
Character 1: There's something delicious about writing the first words of a story...You can never quite tell where they'll take you.

16
Character 1: We may have to kill that one.

17
Character 1: I was hiding under your porch, because I love you. Can I stay?

18
Character 1: I know it's a rock! Don't you think I know a rock when I see a rock? I've spent a lot of time around rocks!

19
Character 1: Mother, Father, I want to build a University, with the largest library on the continent, where anyone can study, no matter their station!
Character 2: All right...Who are you, and what have you done with my son?

20
Character 1: You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I'll tell you...I don't know.

21
Character 1: It's so far.
Character 2: It's the world, dear. Did you expect it to be small?

22
Character 1: They have a cave troll.

23
Character 1: The day he died the people cried.
Character 2: They cried?
Character 1: They cried  three cheers!

24
Character 1: Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?

25
Character 1: Where is it, you little one-eyed cretin?
Character 2: Okay, first of all, it's "creetin". If you're going to threaten me, do it properly.

26
Character 1: I'm looking for...a girl?
Character 2: Ain't we all?

27
Character 1: Well let me know if "real power" wants a magazine or somethin'.

BONUS QUOTE

Character 1: And you think we're the ones?
Character 2: Well you'd better be, 'cause Aslan's already fitted out your army!