Twice Tagged

Ok, so Lostariel tagged me the other day, and now I've been tagged by Ithilwen, so I'll combine both tags into one massive post. Fear for your lives, friends. You will be deluged by random and probably pointless facts about my life and personality, but it will be FUN. I hope. So, on to the tags! First, since each tag requires I post eleven facts about myself, I'll post TWENTY-TWO facts. After that, I'll answer the questions they gave me, which will be twenty-two questions. BUT I'll only give eleven questions to the people I tag, by combining both tags into one, since both are for the same tag game. If that made sense (which it probably didn't).

Twenty-two facts about myself which I've never shared with another living soul. Feel honored.

1. I love Julie Fowlis' voice. You are really missing out if you don't know who she is (and I listened to her way before Brave came out).
2. Karen Matheson's 'Fear a Bhata' and 'Ailein Duinn' are two of the most beautiful Gaelic songs I've ever heard.
3. I watched 'The Patriot' for the first time about two months ago. I didn't like all the blood :-/
4. I have lived in Jacksonville Florida since July 1st of this year.
5. I follow 42 blogs.
6. I met my dear online friend Kate in real life in June.
7. My favorite scene of all three Lord of the Rings movies is when the Rohirrim come to the top of the hill overlooking Minas Tirith, Theoden rides in front, and they charge down the hill to THE BEST music ever written.
8. My mom's favorite scene is Gandalf and the Balrog in the Mines of Moria. 'You shall not pass' and all that. Which I admit is an epic scene. Probably my second favorite :D
9. My brother William and I are the only ones in our family who like onions on our hamburgers.
10. There is no beverage replacement for iced sweet tea.
11. I dislike superheroes in general, but find some parts of the first spiderman movie to be funny (actually, I've only watched parts of it). Maybe someday I'll write a post about why I don't like superheroes.
12. This was my first year participating in the Narnia Fic Exchange. I panicked last month because I thought the entries were supposed to be finished on June 28th, three days after I'd received the prompt. Of course, it was actually July 28th. That happens to me a lot.
13. I am soon to be a member of a Primitive Baptist Church.
14. I finished reading the unabridged Ivanhoe about a week or two ago, and really enjoyed it.
15. I read the Lord of the Rings when I was ten.
16. I don't like the new movie versions of Prince Caspian or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at all. I think they are a disgrace to the name of Narnia.
17. My sister Emma can sew a dress in a day and a half (or less).
18. My favorite meal would probably be roast beef (really tender, where it falls apart) with gravy, biscuits (my great-aunt Mildred's recipe), corn, sweet tea, rice, and carrots-and-onions cooked in roast beef gravy.
19. I've been to Seaworld several times in my life.
20. I would like to stay on a mountain in the Swiss Alps during the spring some day, maybe for my honeymoon. Well, that's what dreams are for!
21. We have a cat who reminds me of a tiger: it is always attacking us, it never sits still, and it's been like that since we brought it home when it was just a tiny kitten. It doesn't like me. The feeling is mutual.
22. I find it very difficult to sleep when there is any light at all in the room.

Twenty-two answers to twenty-two questions.
Lostariel's questions:
1. If you could meet your death at the hand of any fictional character, who would be your worthy opponent? Well, that's kind of hard, since I don't really want to die at the hand of a good guy because that would mean I was a bad guy, and none of the bad guys are worthy opponents (in my humble opinion). Reepicheep, I guess (this answer suggested to me by a sister). But of course he would kill me because he thinks I'm an enemy, not because I really was one.
2. What kind of character would you be in a science fiction epic? I would be the amazing person who saved the world singlehandedly and... oh, wait, that was someone else. I would be the person trying to avoid trouble as much as possible but still resisting the bad guys when I could; I might fly a rescue spaceship or work as a nurse if there was a war. (My sister says she would be a droid.)
3. If you decided to be a super villain, would you win? Why or why not? No, of course not. Evil always loses in the end. But of course, I don't want to be a super villain anyways, or even a minor one.
4. Pick a plant - tree, flower, herb, or something else flora. Now character sketch: What is his/her personality as a human? Oak. He would be venerable with a gray beard and make wise statements to all his grandchildren. He would be the one everyone looked up to.
5. What's an unpopular opinion you hold about music? Uh oh. I hate Contemporary Christian Music with a passion. I hate rock music, and rap music, and most country music. <hides>
6. What do you do with notebooks/sketchpads/journals/diaries/similar once you've filled them up? I save them and read through them at times. But I haven't written on paper for who knows how long. I'm definitely a child of technology ;D
7. Your doorbell rings. Surprise! It's me! What is your first thought/action? How'd you know my address?!? OR Hi! Nice to meet you!
8. What book/movie/show do you love that you wouldn't recommend to anyone else? None.
9. You offer a shivering eight-year-old stranger your coat. She smiles at you, and you're not sure if it's a nice smile or a cruel smile, and runs away. You stick your hands in your pockets only to find something in them that wasn't there before. What is it? A ticking time bomb that is magical, so the police and even top scientists can't defuse it. When it blows up, I am sent to another world.
10. What is the loveliest voice to fall asleep to? Meav ni Mhaolchatha's 'The Waves of Tory' or Karen Matheson singing 'Fear a Bhata'. Or maybe boy choirs singing in Latin.
11. Did you ever get excited when you found out two people you know (or know of) know each other? If so, who? I'm sure I did/would have if it ever happened, but at the moment I can't think of an instance like that.

Ithilwen's questions:
1. If you could create a mythical creature using different elements from a dragon, a wherewolf, a phoenix, a gorgon, and a hydra, what would it be like? It would be a long, lithe wolf-bodied creature, with two dragon heads, two phoenix heads, two gorgon heads, and one wolf's head. All heads would be able to breathe fire, and if you looked any of them in the eyes, you would be instantly turned to stone.
2. You are walking down a road, it is deserted, and a storm comes out of nowhere. The rain is pouring up and the lightning is coming from the buildings. What is causing this, and what do you do? A powerful sorcerer is trying to kill me; fortunately, I was given a cloak of invincibility in return for a kindness done to an old woman.
3. Would you rather watch the movie, or read the book? In most cases, I'd rather read the book first and then, maybe, watch the movie.
4. You look out you window one day and are completely shocked and overjoyed to see someone standing on your lawn. Who is it, and why are you so excited? My online friend Kate, whom I've only seen in person one time, and who lives over a thousand miles away. I'm so excited because, well, it's Kate :D :D Oh, wait, you mean she's not really there? <goes into weeks-long depression>
5. Your best friend has to move to another country, but you will be able to see each other once every year. What would you  think about this? Well, at the moment it's not much different, since we live so far away, but I would be extremely sad that we'd definitely only be able to see each other once a year. But at least there's email and Skype!
6. What is your opinion about the hopelessness of the Hunger Games series? Or do you not think it hopeless? I think it's hopeless because there is no God in it. None at all. No mention of Him, even in swearing (that I know of). He is just completely absent. And so even if 'good things' happen, without God it's all empty and vain and death is the ultimate end.
7. You can only watch one movie for the rest of your life, but you can choose. What movie would you pick? Oh, dear... hmmm. Well, does Lord of the Rings count as one movie? If it does, then LotR all the way! If not, I honestly can't think of a movie I wouldn't be able to live without. I mean, I could live without Lord of the Rings, but it would be hard ;) Sorry, but my brain is shutting down in the area of awesome-movies-I-have-to-have.
8. Which would you rather, having your life saved by a super villain, or your death brought about by a super hero? I would rather have my life saved by a super villain so that I could go on to bring about his defeat, even if I just played a small part.
9. If you could choose one super power, what would it be? To be invisible at will.
10. If you could be best friends with a mythical creature from any book or movie, who/what would it be? A winged horse, definitely. Like, Fledge from the Magician's Nephew.
11. If your answers to all of these questions were erased and you had to rewrite them, and you couldn't remember your original answers, do you think your rewrite would be completely different, somewhat similar, or the exact same as before? Why? Probably about the same as before. I'm not just randomly choosing answers :D

Now, for the eleven questions that I am supposed to ask my victims the people I tag.
1. What do you think about R. L. Dabney? Have you ever heard of him before this question was asked?
2. Which is your favorite: The Children of Hurin or The Hobbit?
3. If you had to name one of your children after a fictional character, who would you name him/her after?
4. What is the first 'big book' you remember reading?
5. Have you read The Silmarillion? What did you think of it?
6. Have you ever read any of C. S. Lewis' non-fictional works, such as Mere Christianity?
7. At what age were you saved?
8. Do you keep a journal? How regularly do you make an entry?
9. Would you rather fight a zombie or an orc?
10. Look in a mirror or take a picture of yourself. How would you describe yourself to someone who had never seen you before so that they would recognize you?
11. Do you find notes in a Bible to be helpful or a distraction?

The people I tag are (I'll warn you beforehand that it won't be eleven):
1. Ezra @ Shadow and Glory because everyone tags James but doesn't remember he has a brother ;)
2. Kate @ A Room of My Own because I don't think she's ever been tagged, and she deserves it :D
3. Bernadette @ Mundburg and Ink because not enough people follow her very fun and funny blog.
4. Trav @ Musings of a Strange in a Strange Land because she doesn't post often enough.
5. Heather @ Magical Ink because if she's been tagged before, I don't remember it.
6. Nichole @ Pen and Parchment because she writes some really thought-provoking posts.

Aaaaand, I'm going to change the rules a bit (it's the new thing to do when you've been tagged!).
1. If you are tagged, you can either write eleven facts about yourself and answer the eleven questions on your own blog, or you can just answer the questions here in a comment.
2. If you do decide to make a blog post of your own, you don't have to tag anyone else if you don't want to.
3. Have fun :D

The Fall

I wrote this a while back, and thought ya'll might enjoy a look at the Fall in my world of Heszeret-Alacta and the beginning of the races of men and dwarves.
Tell me what you think!

And after these things Enderel took of the mountain stone and carved out of it giantish men and giantish women, and breathed life into them. And he set some of them in Enderellia, to tend the gardens and fields there. And the rest he commanded to multiply and bear children on earth. He set also a stairway by which they might come unto Enderellia and rest there at times from their labor upon the earth.

And it came to pass that the giants multiplied, and were increased in riches and in pride. And they spake unto their brethren in Enderellia of all that was in their wicked hearts to do, even to assail the Great City and to cast Enderel from his throne. And at a set time they approached the City, but it was fast shut and they could not enter. And as they beset the gates to force their way, a wind came up from the east and the west and tare asunder the cloud, dividing that part on which the City stood from that on which the giants stood.

And they cursed Enderel and were greatly angered that their devices had thus been thwarted; and while they were so doing, a great storm came up, and lightning struck around them and they were thrown out of Enderellia to the ground.

And many of them repented of their wickedness, and pled with Enderel that they might return to the City, but he forbade them.

And the giants in whose heart was still rebellion came to the stair and climbed. But, lo, five hundred steps were rent from the midst of the stair, and they could go no higher. Therefore the giants departed, and sought out dark arts of magic to repair the stair that they might again assail the Great City.

And from thenceforth the children whom the giantish women bore unto their husbands were small in stature, and none surpassed the height of seven feet, although formerly the least among them was of twelve feet.

And there was great mourning among the giants who repented, for the broken stair, and for the wrath of Enderel.

And the giants were no longer as brothers, but were divided into clans, each clan warring against the other. And they were scattered over the face of the land; and there was no more peace.

Happy Birthday to a Wonderful Friend!

My dear and very good friend, Kate, is seventeen today, so I thought I would write a bit about her and my friendship with her :)
We met through FanFiction.net, which at first thought might not seem a very likely place for a friendship to spring up. But, if you think about it, it's actually a very good place. If you can find just one person who writes well, and shares your interests (in this case, everything to do with Narnia), and also happens to be homeschooled and near your age, and Christian, then you have the makings of a friendship.
Which is exactly what happened with Kate and myself.
I don't remember if she read and reviewed a story of mine first, or if it was the other way around, but we started PMing each other on FF, and I was soon beta-reading for one of her stories, at which time we began to email back and forth, and then IM on Gmail and Skype.
Before I met Kate, I'd never had a friend who shared my keen love of Narnia. But from Narnia it branched out into discussions on Bible versions, Moby Dick and the definition of worship, and a bit about feminism, and a whole lot of other things. I've learned a lot about Arthur and some about ancient Britain from her, and I've even read a bit of Herodotus.
We've done huge amounts of brainstorming, ranted about the new Narnia movies, discussed our favorite fanfictions and edited each other's stories. We've been serious and silly; talked in LOLkitteh and told stories in high courtly speech, and generally had really wonderful times. We even got to visit each other last week for a few hours, and we had a great deal of fun just talking and laughing in a Barnes & Noble the whole time.
So, dear Kate, I hope you have a wonderful and very happy birthday, and I hope you have many more as well. Thank you for being my friend. I love you!
Philippians 1:3
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.

Kriones

I am outlining for a novel (something I've never done before with any success) and it's set mostly in the country of Rinadrion, a very warlike country. Part of the plot has to do with a small percentage of the country's inhabitants who are deridingly called Kriones by their fellow countrymen. So, what exactly are Kriones?
If you'll remember from my post about Rinadrion, there is a small, mostly isolated group that have gone to the opposite extreme of trying to invade and take over every other country in the world, and are pacifists, shunned and ostracized by their countrymen. Krione is taken from Kriona, the goddess of peace, prosperity, and comfort. Basically, they're being called cowards.
The character in my novel who is a Krione is not a full pacifist. He is conflicted about what role violence should play in a man's life; whether it is fine to kill in self-defense or to defend one's country if it is invaded.
As you can see, something like this has the potential to be really interesting if explored. If you'd grown up in a country like Rinadrion, yet realized there was something wrong with their constant warmongering, would you go to the opposite extreme and become a pacifist? Or would you be really conflicted, not knowing if you should kill, or what the right reasons for killing were?

Customs of Arvindia, as Observed by a Rinadrion (Part One)

Hi, everyone! I know it's been ever so long since I last posted, and I'm sorry for that. I decided I'd start a new series on worldbuilding, inspired by Aubrey Hansen, who makes the best worldbuilding posts I've ever read. Seriously, the things she comes up with are amazing! I hope I can match up a little bit to her creativity.
I figured that instead of a dry dissertation on my world, I could write 'essays' of a sort, written by an outsider who observes the country through foreign eyes. This one is written by a Rinadrion (you can read about the country of Rinadrion here.), and part one is concerned mostly with celebrations. I hope ya'll enjoy this, and you can be looking forward to more posts soon! As always, questions are welcome :D
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I have noted many interesting customs of the Arvindians in my travels through their land. One is the celebrating of birthdays every year. For most, who have many children, not to mention a great deal of kin, a simple wishing of good fortune throughout the coming year is customary. Like my own countrymen, they celebrate the coming of age with a gift and, if the family is wealthy enough they will give a celebration feast, but this is rare except among the nobility. In Arvindia, the age when a male child becomes a man is between fourteen and fifteen, while for a female the age is thirteen. I find this ludicrous, given that our own boys become men at thirteen, at the same age as our girls. But, however that may be, their celebrations are mostly simple, even among the nobility, and not such a great occasion as in my own land.

One of their oddest celebrations is the giving of a gift to any child under the age of twelve born on the crown prince’s birthday. In all my travels, I have come across only five such children, and none of them knew each other. How this practice came into being I have not yet found out.

The Arvindians also celebrate the coming of their forefathers to this land, escaping (as legend has it) from a mighty and malicious Sorcerer. On this occasion, all superfluous work is put aside and there is feasting and song. I will note here that the Arvindians are a people singularly blessed with beautiful voices; and their music is a thing not to be missed. They are a simple people, and sing songs on every subject under the sun, and rarely is even such a mundane thing as the baking of bread made tiresome by being put into verse.

They are a plain and hardy people, most of them living in small villages and fending for themselves. Their feasts tend (save in the great cities) to be of those things which our Rinadrions doctors would find coarse and bad for the heath. Nevertheless, the thick brown bread, rice, strong cheese, apples, and mutton which they eat seem not to affect their health, for they are robust and have great, hearty laughs.

At the Founding celebration which I attended, a farmer was asked to give a speech, which he promptly did. It was very bad grammar, and our orators would have been horrified had they heard it, but it was a good speech, in its own way: full of musings on good soil (which they have in abundance) and on the king (whom they admire for staying out of their business for the most part) and eliciting a cheer when, breathless, he stopped and downed a glass of ale.

The Arvindians hold another celebration at the beginning of harvest, during which any man with sons to spare sends them to his neighbor to join in the reaping. At these times, the whole village will dine together in the market, and there is a great joviality of spirit, especially if the year has been a good one (as it was when I traveled through).

Besides these, there are many festivities which go on among them to varying degrees.

If a child is born, it is customary to send a large cheese or a loaf of bread to the mother. If twins are delivered, the father will in some places bring his new children out into the middle of the village or city to have them blessed by his neighbors (as well as being given gifts).

The marriage celebration goes thusly:

When a man is to take a wife, he and she will go into the center of their village or city, where the father and mother of the woman are already waiting. After this, the man’s parents also come. All are dressed in their best. The man takes a white rose, or another flower if roses are not in season) and breaks off the thorns with his own hands. He then puts it in her hair. After this, they kneel down, facing one another, and the magistrate takes the right hand of the woman and puts it in the right hand of the man. They are then pronounced husband and wife in the sight of Enderel and their families, and congratulations are given. After this, the woman takes the white rose from her hair and gives it to the man, who places it in his tunic or shirt by his heart.

The festivities are joyous; though only the parents and the magistrate are present at the wedding, all the village is invited to the feast. There the man and his wife take a place of honor, but are not allowed to be spoken to by anyone but each other for the first half hour. It is then customary for the husband to give a speech, in which he recounts the tale from when he first saw his wife until their marriage.

Gifts are sent to the home of the newlywed couple anonymously. When I asked why the gifts had no labels or anything to signify who had sent it, I was given this reply, “It prevents them being worried about searching out the giver and thanking him. They wouldn’t want to be troubled about that when they are only thinking of each other.”