Have you ever played "Kill this Thread?" You say you're against all forms of killing? I SO agree…uh, except for this game. Uh, and except for when I find a spider on my bathroom floor. Okay, back on topic.
Kill this thread works like this:
1. Comment on this post.
2. Be the last person to post a comment before the thread "Dies."
How does the thread die? Easy, all that has to happen is for NO ONE to post a comment for one single day. Every time you post a comment, you prolong the thread's life 24 more hours and put yourself in the potential winner's seat!
So, say Biff posts a comment at 3pm today. If no one posts another comment by 3pm tomorrow, then Biff wins the prize. But, if Zelda posts a comment at 2:59pm tomorrow, BOOM, the thread lives on 24 more hours.
Now I've seen this done a number of ways, but one thing I hate is that the comments posted are too quick and very boring. So I'm adding one more REQUIREMENT:
3. Make your comment something meaningful. Give us one of your favorite quotes. Tell us why you like it. Give us something from God's word to munch on. Talk about your hopes and dreams. Encourage someone you care about. Talk about a new band you "discovered." Tell people why they should buy my books--you know, anything meaningful like that! :-D
Oh, and what's the prize? How about a PreRelease Advanced Reader Copy of Book 2 of the Berinfell Prophecies series: Venom and Song--autographed by BOTH authors (CH and Me!)
Sound good?
Post away! Kill this Thread!
1,749 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 601 – 800 of 1749 Newer› Newest»Someone, and I can't remember who, asked me which mapping software I use. It's called "Autorealms" and it really works. I haven't found out if the guy updated the software yet, but what I have works really well; you can even copy the map you make in autorealms and past it into another art program to save as jpg.
Just wanted to let everyone know about a starlighter give-away on Whispered Roars. I actually haven't read Bryan Davis' books yet, but I've been talking them at my nearest B&B since I first found out about them (which wasn't that long ago). And now I should probably quit procrastinating and go write. I'm no longer stuck and now I just need to sit down and do it. :)
Hey everyone!
Joylane: Oh my word! That sounds like the best idea ever! That's so creative! =) You should definitely work on that.
Everybody: I was wondering if I could throw a debate-y idea out.
What do you guys think of swearing? Just something that's coming up here in my world. Do you guys have any bible verses on it? And, don't really answer this, but which words are okay and which are not? Some of my friends think blah-blah-blah isn't a swear word, and some do. Has anyone ever really had a hard time with that? Thanks!
Oh my word! As I was posting this, I realized that the word verifications below might actually make some great fantasy names if you changed them around a bit! Oh wow... I think I shall be posting a lot more often! =D
Also, sorry if this double posts...
Star-Dreamer: I used AutoRealms. It is really good, I just could never get the scale to work right. I actually use pencil and paper now. My computer couldn't support all the programs and my map.
Quote: Robinson Crusoe was the only man to have everything done by Friday.
I don't remember who said that.
Ya I would have to say homescholing is great, because you don't have to go back and forth between places and you have a lot more time.
And here is another quote; "Anyone who has lived to the age of eighteen has enough stories to last a lifetime". II can't remeber who said it though.
Comment later!
I think ill talk about my dreams. 1.I am a writer and i am in love with fantisy its the insperation for my book so far i have 32,472 words ij my first book and 16,312 words in my secound. i hope to get m,y books published soon. 2. i want to work for NASA when i get older. i want to be an astronomer and some day live on mars or the moon.
Archer I looove that line!!!!
Jake that is soo funny about the adventure novel thing!!
haha thanks VeggieFreak CEBU!!! :)
I just started Oracles of Fire and I am loving it!!! I love how it follows the bible in sooo many regards!! If you like reading about the flood and stuff another good book would be "Many Waters" by Madeline L'Engle. It's really good!!
MR. BATSON WRITE A SEQUEL TO ISLE OF FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!! :)
My quote today is going to come from my book:
“But this is like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Eiowing broke out.
“Right you are lassie.” Brindor said. “You could either start from the top and look to the bottom or.......... “
“But if a needle’s in a haystack wouldn’t it most likely be at the bottom?” Darion broke in.
“Then you have to look from bottom to top, “ Brindor shrugged, “but it wouldn’t be that way necessarily, it could be stuck in a piece of hay.”
Eiowing looked dismayed. “But then you’d have to take out every piece of hay.”
“Exactly.” Brindor said. “But however you do it, you still find the needle…….eventually.”
WV: nesti (nest-EE) what baby birds call their nests:)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Hey, I have an idea! I'll make this post, then everyone else can stop posting! Then this will end and there will be a winner! Okay, I was joking. Where would the fun be in that? Hey, we have 604 comments! good for us!
Anonymous VeggieFreak, where can you find the list of top commentors? And can you not get on it unless you have an account on blogger?
Archer - Are you kidding me? RED is my second all-time favorite band!!!! (Of course, you can't beat Skillet, since they have nine albums and have been together, in one form or another, for over 14 years.) And, as for memorizing quotes and lines from movies (even if we've seen it one time), my brother, sister and I are experts. Ever have it where you parents look at you funny, then say something about speaking your own little language? Yeah, happens to me all the time. . .
WV: wombe - a mix between a wombat and a bumble bee
~Never Alone~
mermaidgirl45- I think that there are certain "designated" swear words. And with each different ethic culture they're different, based on the morals or beliefs of that culture. In my mind, it all basically comes down to where your heart is. Don't get me wrong! You should most definitely try to stay away from what our culture deems as swear words. But in a different culture, you could say something completely fine in America, but that would be absolutely rude to the people there. I guess my thought is that if you know it's a swear word, or think that it might be something bordering on it, I would say stay away from it. As to the term "blah-blah-blah" I don't think it's a "swear word", but in most situations that I've seen it used, it is extremely disrespectful. Hope that helped, and I didn't just ramble completely aimlessly too much. ;)
~ElizabehtMarieKauffman~
it better not be over yet.
oh *whipes forehead* thank you for keeping it alive for me. I have been so busy lately going on the computer is deffinately last priority.
@Megan E
I love Princess Bride. I could quite litterally quote you the whole movie. Thanks for telling me who the one song was by. i'll look them up.
@Mirmaidgirl
thanks, but which idea, i've posted too many to keep track.
if you want my personal oppinion on swearing brace yourself, i will be impressed if you read all of what i have to say.
Using Gods name in vain is not right, no matter how you put it. that refers to saying Oh my God, or Jesus Christ, in a negative way because you are mad at something or someone. even just saying them out of habbit is not good. it is on of the ten commandments. Swearing, is a little different. i am not going to give you many Bible verses, but i will give you a lot of history of the Jewish culture. the D word means curse. and cursing someone or thing was taken very seriously. it meant that you hated them, which is a word that has also lost its meaning. it also meant that issentially wanted them to die in a horrible way and go to hell, but that depends of how you use it.
the A and B words, well they do have real meanings. in the time that Jesus walked the earth if you wanted to really offend someone because you thought that they were lower than you those were the words that you would use. it is just not nice. and the Sh word, really all that i have to say is why? why would you let your mouth say things that are not pleasing to God and that deminish other human beings.
we are to love those who hate us, not swear at them or about them. and if you are swearing at things, there could be better word choices. useing Gods name in vain because you are mad at something is kind of like you are blaming them for a mistake that you probably made. that is so wrong. Then there is also the question about what fill-in-words are alright to say. words like jees, or oh my gosh. peronaly i think that they are just as bad. Because if you use them with the same intention, do you think adding a letter is going to make God miss what you said. He will foregive you though, no matter what you say, but if we are to show other people Christ's love, swearing probably isn't a good idea.
Here is some of the scripture to back this up. "...for whatever is in your heart determinds what you say. a good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produce evil words from and evil heart. And i tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. the words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned." Matthew 12 34-38
i'm not sure wether or not he is talking about the swear words we have today, but Jesus is prety clear on the fact that the words you say show what your heart is like. i am not condeming anyone. i am thanking God that He will forgive us if we do swear, or even use His name in vain. He still loves you and so do we.
If you read the whole thing, please comment, i would like to know what you think.
Endurance and Victory
Jolayne
I just got internet on my desktop computer today and i am soooo happy!!! over 600 comments! i don't think this contest is ever going to end! I love how this contest s set up! Can't you just gve us all free autographed copies of Venom And Song??? PLEASE!!! I rally really want to win this contest! i read this boo called When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead and it was really good. You all should read it. Now I am reading a book called Tunnels by Roderick Gordon. It is really good so far, but I'm only on the 20th page!! My elementary school is awesome and i wanted to say that Sergio need to back down for the top score in math. LOL!
You would have to be in my school to understand that.
Love,
Emma Deatherage
I am starting on an outline for a new book, taking a break with Secrets, a spiritual/fantasy/thriller and working on a sci fi.
I found this quote while reading Eye of the Oracle:
"What you have learned in the light, my friend, never doubt when it is dark."
I thought man this is sooo true!!!!
I also want to know, which book in the Door Within Series is everyone's favorite and why? Mine is "The Final Storm" I like it because the ending is soo powerful and gets you thinking.
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
hmm, I've forgotten to put my meaningful comment of the day in for a while...
well... I started a blog, that's meaningful I guess
Hello Everyone, hope you all had a wonderful day today.
I've been looking back over my Narnia books - I have a giant copy with all seven of them in one book! That way I can read them all at once and only have to carry one book around with.
This is a quote that I really like in the Silver Chair (well, there are quite a few quotes actually, but I just post one):
(start quote)
This was like cold water down the back to Scrubb and Jill; for it seemed to them very likely that the words had nothing to do with their quest at all, and that they had been taken in by a mere accident.
"Don't you mind him," said Puddleglum. "There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including this."
(end quote)
I love the Silver Chair... basically all the Narnia books. C.S. Lewis was able to tell such compelling stories and present the truth in such a clear way through his characters, it's just amazing!
Anyway, I can't believe we are at 600 comments already. I feel bad for Mr. Batson having to moderate all of them. It must be like another full time job just trying to keep up with them all!
Well, good night all! Writing again...
this is Jake's sister, cause Jake can't get on right now. sorry!
Here's a Bible verse;
Isaiah 14:13
"You said in your heart(Satan), i will ascend to heaven, i will raise my throne, above the stars of god, i will sit enthroned, on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain."
Eldra; Here are a few other bands: Thousand Foot Krutch, Kutles, Lecrae, Tobymac, Flyleaf. Have you hered any of them?
Okay I think I have enough time to write the prologue for my book. Here it goes.
Prologue
Lady Bernice griped the handle of her sword as she struggled to block the heavy blows from the Dark Knight. He stood before her with his cloak, blacker than the nights sky. The tattered edges were stained with the blood of many deaths and sorrows. As it dragged behind, it masked the grass with a bloody coat. The ounce lush green grass now stained by the enemy.
She gulped the air hungrily, exhausted by his ruthless pursuit and that of the others. He advanced his attack, pushing her backward in an attempt to trap her amongst the ruinof the ancient castle. Sword slashing he came at her again and again. Bernice tried to scan the ruins for an escape as she caught and deflected his powerful thrusts. The clashing of the swords and the rhythmic jingle of their chain mail resounded off the limestone walls.
With his sword he backed her against the battlements. She twisted to the side to elude his blade but it sliced her in the back sending her to the ground in overwhelming pain. The pain surged and heat flamed in the open wound as her mind sought escape. Her hair, black as coal, clung to her moistened brow when the words spoken in secret came back to her. 'let the fear that boils inside be cast out. We will never be alone.' Sir Rogan's words to her before she left for this mission were locked in her heart.
And I willl have to finish writing it tomorow for it is late, night.
Elizabeth - My favorite book is The Rise Of The Wyrm Lord, since it has the most of Kearn, who is my favorite character, in it. Don't ask me why he's my favorite. I seem to always like the bad boy...
WV: stackers - people who stack each other all day and all night
~Never Alone~
Greetings!
Here's a poem by Alfred Tennyson that has a lot of fantasy in it. My discovery of it ironically followed a few months after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was released. It's entitled, The Kraken:
Below the thunders of the upper deep;
Far far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides; above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumber'd and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages, and will lie
Battening upon huge seaworms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.
Cool, huh? I love the imagery and description Tennyson uses.
ElizabethMarieKauffman: love the POTC quote!
jolayne: I completely agree with what you wrote; well-written! Here's a passage from James 3:9-12 that echoes what you said about our words affecting our witness: With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Star-Dreamer: cool website! Love the title. Didn't you say that you got the inspiration for the name from Edgar Allen Poe's poem The Raven?
Anonymous: Hmmm...favorite book out of Door Within Trilogy...that's a tough one! Final Storm is probably my favorite, as you said, to the powerful ending. Mr. Batson crafted some terrific battle scenes in there...the adorite walls flashing with fire as the siege towers approached...the battles of Alleble's knights collectively and individually against Paragor's forces, especially the deeds of the Elder Guard...Falon and the Wyrm Lord...The Three Witnesses...and the Return of King Eliam...I love it!
Wow...that was a long post! Anybody else have any favorite poems they'd like to post?
Ugh, I actually had paragraphs here and then my web browser crashed. *facepalm* LOL anyway, I had a feeling that this wouldn't be dead when I finally posted here again! Our Awana club's T&T girls had a sleepover, so I was helping with that --had a lot of fun, but I'm tired now. Is anyone in an Awana club (or was)? I've been in Awana since the second grade and I've been helping as a leader for the past several years.
@ ElizabethMarieKauffman - Actually, Ashley isn't a main character in "Eye of the Oracle" . . . she was introduced in the second book of the "Dragons In Our Midst" series ("The Candlestone"), but she does show up in the later "Oracles of Fire" books . . . LOL, it's sort of funny how we found those Christian Fantasy authors in a similar way - My first Ted Dekker books were "The Lost Books" too! I'm not into the "suspense" genre too much, so I'm planning to only read the ones that have to do with "the other earth" of the Circle Trilogy/Series . . . for now. ;)
I apologize if I missed anyone . . . it's late, so I'm sort of "out of it" a little. Have a great Sunday everyone! 1127
jolayne-About what you said referring to swearing [applauds] :D I loved how you put it! Totally agree!!!
Anonymous Elizabeth-I found that quote too, and thought that it was really cool!! :) Oh, and I think that I would have to say Final Storm is my favorite in the series too. :) I LOVE the ending!!!!
Another quote from PotC (probably my top favorite movie of all time :) ):
"I've got a jar of di-irt! I've got a jar of di-irt! And guess what's inside it?!"-Jack Sparrow
~ElizabethMarieKauffman~
My sister just told me that today is the anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride.
"Listen my children and you will here of the midnight ride of Paul Revere...."
And actually thats all i know. *grins sheepishly*
It's cool to know all you guys favorite Door Within Book. You know Eldra sometimes I have to agree. I love Snape in Harry Potter and he is kinda a bad character. Patrick definatly everything that happens in "The Final Storm" is really cool!!!
"Alleble's only hope is to let the Three Witnesses do what they must do."
"We cannot wait here and do nothing," Lady Merewen objected.
"That is precisely what we must do...."
"The Final Storm" I love this quote:)
Archer I love that start to the prologue! Keep writing! I love the descriptions a lot!
Gillian: I LOOOOOVE Narnia!!! It was actually those books that got me started on fantasy.:)
WV: toryp (TOR-ip) A type of dive that is sort of like a torpedo.
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
P.S. I agree with Emma!! This will go on forever is it too much hard work to reward us all?:) You don't have to it's just a suggestion:)
Definitely "The Final Storm." It's a lot like "Return of the King."
I like "The Road not Taken" by Robert Frost.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
I also like Tolkien's poems. But Robert Frost's have a deeper meaning in them.
Anonymous Elizabeth; I would have to say Final Storm is my favorite, because that is where everything comes together in one big wonderful ending (that is just the begining).
And here is the rest of the Prologue for my book.
She was brought back to the present as the Black Knight raised his broad double edged sword. As he heaved his sword over his head their eyes locked. Her soulful brown looked into his black eyes and was paralyzed by the icy darkness that threatened to pull her into their depths. Just as he started to swing his sword, intending to finish her off. He looked at her with a smirk. Bernice came back out of the trance she had fallen into, realizing the danger in front of her. She struggled to one knee and found that she had lost all hope of gaining the upper hand. Strength waning she stuck her sword out in front of her. She blocked his powerful thrust but her strength failed to stop the next blow. The force of his strike propelled her backward heead first into the wall!
And that is the end of the prolodue. What do yal' think?
and now that I have thought of it when I'm on the computer I'll say it. I am a Veggietales freak too. I have pretty much all the movies and my favorite silly song is the Belly Button Song. Okay it just pot in in my head, now it'll be there for at least a week.
The Belly Song:
I find their's something missing in my middle,
there this thing about himself he's never told bfore.
He needs to tell you something,
I don't got a bely button.
I know there's more but I can't remember right now.
DO I AT LEAST GET A LOLLY POP! [lol]
I'm not sure if my last comment got through or not, so I'll try again.
Archer - I love all those bands! I've even seen Thousand Foot Krutch and Kutless before. What about you? Have you ever heard of RED, Seventh Day Slumber, Decyfer Down or Pillar? And I love your prologue!! I've been meaning to write a medieval-style story for a while, but haven't gotten around to it.
~Never Alone~
Elizabeth: Thank you so much for your insight! I really appreciate it - and I think I'm going to take your advice about borderline words. =)
Jolayne: Wow! I really did read the whole thing. =) That was an amazing scripture at the end, and I'm definitely going to try to memorize that!
Anonymous: I loved The Final Storm as well. It was a very powerful and moving ending that still greatly impacts me now. I've learned a lot about love through that book, and, honestly, it has changed me as much as sermons and Bible verses. I can quote a little, but it just really really made a mark on me. It's like, however hopeless you think it is, even when everyone you know is dead, your world is crashing down, and even if it takes your life, love wins. Love wins. Whenever I start thinking about it, I always think, "IN YOUR FACE, SATAN!" That makes me smile...
Gillian: I love Narnia! It's totally amazing! I love the history and the symbolism, and just how creative it is! C.S. Lewis is definitely among my favorite authors!
Patrick: I love Tennyson! Such an amazing poem! Have you read "The Eagle?" I love it! And, that is such an awesome Bible verse!
Oh! And I found this quote, and thought it was amazing!
People say hate is a strong word, but they throw love around like it's nothing.
Wow. I think I might be a bit less liberal with that word now. Because God is love right? And, is God's love really equivalent with someone's love for peanut butter? Hmmm...
In Spanish, there is gustar (to like), encantar (to love) and fascinar (totally beyond obsession). I wish English had something like that. Doesn't Greek have that do? Agape?
Sorry - Me fascina idiomas. (I'm beyond obsessed with different languages).
Wow! This is so cool. I've been dieing to read 'Venom and Song'.
*thinking* what to write what to write.
One of my favorite quotes is "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing".
I love that quote because it's so true. God not only wrote things worth reading, but did things worth writing.
LOTR, TDW, DIOM, OOF, BP, TWLC, DD, IC, etc.... My bit of randomness for today. Can you figure it out?? All of it?
Archer (About the 'tagged' game); You'll have to scroll down a bit, but if you check my blog, I have a post on it. It's a little long to explain here. Oh, and great excerpt.
Anonymous VeggieFreak; You don't have a TV? Me neither! Ha, I thought I was the only one... I like reading a lot better. *shakes fist at TV* Oh, and EVERYBODY knows that I have commented the most. Haha, lol.
Jolayne; I agree. I even don't say 'shut up', because not only is it rude, but it's just going upward and upward until worse words come up, and it just gets worse. If that makes sense, lol. I'm rambling today. At least I make sense to myself!
Lady Dragonkeeper; I used to be in T&T, but I finished it and I go to my youth group now instead of Awana.
And now... Ah, I'm tired. Even though it's Sunday. I still have Small Group tonight too... Not that it makes me tired.
I win.
Quedi; (Kway-dee) Something to do with the Silmarillion, I think. I dunno... I can't think straight right now. But I can write straight!... Even though I'm rambling...
So how long is this thing going to last? Any guesses?
Han: "Yes but a wookie doesn't pull peoples' arms out when they lose."
C3PO: "R2 try another strategy, let the wookie win."
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
(randomness) Well, I'm off to church this evening. Having the sun shine later really makes everything more beautiful. Anyone else agree that garlic bread is waaay too good?
~Never Alone~
VeggieFreak: Oh, I didn’t think I was the only one who was convinced I’m winning this thing.
Jake: Three weeks…wow. I think I’ll soon become a ‘veteran’ though. (:
Were any of you on Motiv8? I miss that place...I was one of the last to leave. Until it like, completely shut down...
"Knowledge cannot replace friendship. I'd rather be an idiot than lose you." -Patrick Star
I thought it was...inspiring.
Oops, I have this weird habit of getting more awake as the night wears on...
A poem I like is that Road thing by Tolkien. You know, "The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began..."
Okay, writing time. 1000 words or more before bedtime. *checks clock* Wow, I'd better get going! See ya.
Wernacki; I'm not even going to try to define this....
@D L drew i'm guessing at least 1000 comments. (at least as long as i have internet acsess.) lol
@To all of you who responded to my post on swearing, thanks for reading it. i hope it helped you as much as it helped me. what i mean by that is, when mirmaidgirl asked that i had to think about it. go back and learn the scripture that supported what i thought, and recall many past discussions that i have had with my friends and my family. so it helped me just as much.
Question for the day WARNING i love, love, love theology, and hopefully won't get too many of you confused.
The book of James is all about works, and talks about how, (i know i have horible grammer) Faith without Works is Dead.
But Paul, who wrote most of the new testament constently stressed how we are saved Only, though Faith in Jesus Christ, and there is nothing that we can do to get to heaven. Are they contridicting each other?????
Now don't give me too much credit. my pastor gave an amazing sermon on that today, and i had been wondering about it for awhile, so i wondered if any of you were wonderin the same thing. (I wonder about a lot of things ) So i will be posting what my answer is to that question and will be waiting for yours as well. I WON'T POST AN ANSWER UNTIL THREE PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN ME AN ANSWER.
Endurance and Victory
Jolayne
You guys are posting too fast for me to catch up! How am I ever supposed to read all those comments? I usually try to read them all, but this time? *shakes head* It's getting difficult, guys; very difficult.
I LOVE potc. So good! My quote would have to be this:
Stupid gaurd #1: Tell us the truth.
Stupid gaurd #2: yeah, and no lies!
Jack: Alright, I've come here to to find a crew, comandear a vessel and sail away along the shore in order to steal, burn, and otherwise pillage our weasly black guts out.
*pause*
Stupid guard #2: I said no lies.
Stupid guard #1: I think he's telling the truth.
Stupid guard #2: If he was telling the truth he wouldn't have told it to us.
Jack: Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you.
That quote is just so funny! I'm not sure if I got it all 100% correct, but I think I got most of it. I laugh everytime I read it!
As far as cursing goes, the farthest I've gone is to call someone (a bad guy) in one of my books a bastard... but that's not really a curse word, if you think about it. And I've used heck once or twice in writings... but I refuse to go any farther than that. The End.
:)
Good evening all,
Aidan: I loved that quote about Robinson Crusoe! That is so funny.
Well, I've decided to try something fun! Since riddles and poems and secret messages are always such a large part of fantasy stories (and so many people have been posting poems), I'm going to place a portion of a poem from a well-known fantasy work, and leave you all to guess who it is referring to. It's really quite easy!
"A deadly sword, a healing hand,
a back that bent beneath its load;
a trumpet-voice, a burning brand,
a weary pilgrim on the road.
A lord of wisdom throned he sat,
swift in anger, quick to laugh;
an old man in a battered hat
who leaned upon a thorny staff."
Now, no cheating and racing off to look it up in all your fantasy novels. JK. You can search if you like. Post the answer when you've found it!
And here's a verse that I found so interesting.
John 11:49-51 "Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, 'You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.' He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one."
I love that verse. It is so ironical, that Caiaphas the high priest, who wanted Jesus dead, unknowingly prophesied about the substitutionary nature of Christ's sacrifice. God can use anyone, even someone who hated His Son, to accomplish His will and even proclaim His truth! So, surely, He can use us as well!
I pray that we all may be ready and willing to serve Him today, and tomorrow, and the rest of our lives!
Archer: great Prologue! You captured Bernice's desperation very well; also, the Black Knight stands out as well his armour bearing witness to his prowess on the battle field. Clearly he is no ordinary foe and will have an important role in the story ahead!
mermaidgirl45: I love Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Crossing the Bar"; I'm not familiar with "The Eagle"; thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check it out!
Anonymous: great Final Storm quote. I love Falon's musing on the Wyrm Lord being one of the First Born, something like, "He's dangerous, but then so am I." Wow! What awesome foreshadowing!
Rise of the Wyrm Lord, with the Elder Guard's mission to Yewland, the escalating of Paragor's plans, Antoinette's own quest to find Robby's twin, the unleashing of ancient foes, and simply the beginning of the war for Alleble, was likewise an amazing tale, and it gave Final Storm a run for its money on being my favorite in the trilogy. I love how Antoinetee trades Daugher of Light for Trenna in Bane's Edge( btw cool town name, Mr. Batson!). That's an amazing picture of salvation. Likewise, the duel between Antoinette and Kearn is one of my favorite scenes also, along with Antoinette's dream of Paragor's tower.
Does anyone have any favorite scenes from the Lost Chapters in the trilogy? Two of my favorites are Farix's Tale from Rise of the Wyrm Lord and Mallik and Nock's journey in Timera's Den in Final Storm.
. . . I'm guessing there has to be SOME of you out there who like Narnia. *wink* What do you all think about "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" movie coming out this December? I CANNOT wait! LOL, I'm a "Narniac" so that's an expected reaction, eh? What parts from the book do you want to see onscreen? (No movie plot spoilers please! I know there's some out there, but I'd like to be surprised when I finally see the movie.) "VotDT" isn't one of my favorites (that's "The Silver Chair" and "The Horse and His Boy" for me) but I'd like to see the part with Lucy and that magic book on the Dufflepod's island . . . I think Georgie Henley (Lucy) would be awesome in that scene, and other than that, I'm excited to see the wonderful young actors they have: Georgie, Skandar Keynes (Edmund), and I hear the kid they got to play Eustace (Will Poulter?) is supposed to be good too. What are you looking forward too?
The heroes aren't the tallest, smartest, strongest, or best. The heroes are who does what's right in the end.
Star-Dreamer-I love that section of PotC!!! :D It's one of my favorite sections in the first. (Of course, there are SO many GREAT sections!!! ;) )
Lady DragonKeeper-I CANNOT WAIT until Voyage of the Dawn Treader comes out!!!!!! :D [jumps up and down screaming] I'm a big fan of the books, and the first two. My family owns all of the new ones, plus all of the old ones that they made, so it's kind of something that I grew up with. :) I'm excited to see if they put the sea serpent in it. . . . That and how they do the dragon island should be neat. . . . Well, I guess I just can't wait to see how they do the whole thing!! lol. :)
My quote for the day; from C.S. Lewis:
"Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God: the proud, the avaricious, the self-righteous, are in that danger."
~ElizabethMarieKauffman~
I can't wait for VDT to come out!! It's gonna be SOO good!!!
daughteroflight
Check out Jacob R. Parker's website, teenfantasyauthor.com It is awesome! He's having a huge party, and I think he's giving away some of your books, too!
This is one of my favorite quotes!
A woman's heart should be so close to God...
that a man should have to chase Him to find her.
-C. S. Lewis
daughteroflight
I totally agree with everyone about the language thing. I was talking to my grandma the other day about it. One of our friends couldn't think of a name to call somebody a few years ago, so he said, "You- you- BANANA!" : D
There are a lot of things my family isn't allowed to say because it's just too close to the line- if you think something bad in your mind for so long, eventually it will come out. Then it'll just get worse and worse.
Did any of you see the movie 'Secrets of the Mountain' that was on NBC last Sunday? It was a great movie, but I didn't like the way Jake and Jade treated each other. OK, they did have a reason, but it should NOT have gotten that far. I know that if I said something like that to one of my siblings, I would be in DEEP trouble. What about you guys?
Sorry that was a bit long; it was on my mind, so I decided to state my opinion. :)
daughteroflight
Okay, another short comment. And it's Monday. Arg. I'm like a Garfield when it comes to Mondays...
Gillain; Uhhh... LOTR? *shrugs* I don't know...
Lady DragonKeeper; Narnia is just plain awesome. Although I've read them waaaaay to many times. :)
Um, I'm out of ammo to comment for the moment (crazy, huh?), so I'll end this now.
Hease; (HEASE) The word 'ease' with a Cockney accent, lol.
Than you all who liked my prologue!
Eldra; I do know all of those bands and I've seen Kutles, Tobymac, Skillet, Decyfer Down, and Newsboys. Have you hered of This Beautiful Republic, Diciple, or Superchick?
here's another quote,
"wheather it is writing a novel or painting a beautiful picture, the artist will never think it's complete"
by Arhcer
(I wish I could put my real name down).
Anyone else have cats that yowl in the middle of the night right next to your bedroom window? I don't, but my parents do! Honestly, I can't say that I'm jealous.
Now for a short excerpt from my someday-hopefully-finished novel:
A muffled footfall from above was the only warning I had before someone dropped from the roof of the nearby building and landed only several meters behind me. Whirling about, I caught sight of something long and vaguely flickering green descending from the darkness. Only hundreds of hours of practice kept my neck from being sliced through as I snapped my arm up, my thumb triggering the weapon gripped firmly in my right hand. A flexible cord of almost black energy, two meters in length, sprang forth from the hilt and rose to meet the oncoming broadsword.
The weapons met with a clash of energy and a shower of sparks rained down on us, momentarily illuminating our surroundings.
My attacker snarled, spun and unleashed a powerful horizontal cut, this one aimed at my torso. Knowing that my lightwhip wouldn't have much effect against that particular angle, I instead flung myself to the left and for a moment thought I had avoided the blade. Then a searing heat spread across my side and I stumbled. Before I could catch myself, I fell to one knee.
A shout of triumph shattered what had been a previously quiet evening and I felt more than saw my adversary lunge toward me, his sword pointed directly at my heart.
Turning inward, I focused my power and sent a burst of telekinetic energy through my body, giving me enough strength to launch myself up in a back flip, again narrowly evading the intended killing strike and landed lightly several paces away.
"Fancy moves aren't going to save you," my attacker sneered, carving the air with his blade.
"We'll see about that," I retorted as I lashed out with my lightwhip. Unprepared for such a quick reply,
he raised his sword above his head to block me, but it was a feeble attempt and the edge of the whip grazed his upper right arm. He cried out sharply and his sword dropped from his hand, the green energy deactivating the moment it lost contact with his hand.
Pressing my advantage, I brought my arm back in preparation to strike, then hesitated, not wanting to kill him.
That brief moment of indecision was the only advantage my opponent desired. He rolled sideways, snatched up his fallen sword and got to his feet in one fluid motion.
(Keep in mind this is a rough version of the beginning chapter. I will go back and change it eventually, but I'm focused on other things right now.)
~Never Alone~
augh! cannot keep up with all the comments! what were you guys talking about? Narnia? LOTR? this is confusing
NC I love that quote:)
LadyDragonKeeper: I am excited for the narnia movie but I am also kinda leery. I read this site called narniaweb and they have movie updates every so often. They are changing a lot so I am not sure how it's going to be.
Archer: I loooove the rest of the prologue!!!
Jake: Lets see the first one is Lord of the Rings obviously. The 2nd one is The Door Within:) The 3rd one is Dragons in our Midst. The 4th one is Oracles of Fire. The 5th one is Berinfell prophecies:) I am not sure of the rest......
I have TV but we can't get any stations cause my dad couldn't figure out how to put the box in. We just use it for movies. I love reading books better though:):):)
My quote of the day is something i made up because of somethings that have happened to me.
"To Love is to Trust and sometimes Love hurts. When you have been hurt once its hard to Trust again. When you have been hurt twice its almost impossible to Trust again. Friendship is Golden, Treasure it!"
And remember you always have someone you can trust in:) Your Never Alone!!
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
You know, it is entirely possible that Venom and Song will actually be out by the time this thread is successfully killed. :P
Jake you forgot one. CON guess:)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Wow! This is getting crazy!
I can't keep up with all the post!
MMG45- How are you? How is that archery coming?
Goldarrow
I'm giving up on trying to read all of these comments!
Our computer broke down so I haven't been able to comment on here for a while. I was not happy.
I have a big need for new books to read. Does anyone have a suggestion?
"This is one of my favourite quotes:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.
Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Jolayne,
Yay Canada!"
Emma that is an excellent quote your posted, that is one I enjoy also and is one worth continuing to pass onto other people.
Eldra; That excerpt was awesome! Given the bit about the telekinetic energy, I'll have to guess it's a sci-fi novel.
Anonymous (Elizabeth); Yep, you got those right... to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what the others are anymore, lol... Here, I've got it; TWLC = The White Lion Chronicles, DD = ? IC; ?Ice Cream? Ohhhh... Inheritence Cycle... Got it. I think they're all Christian Fantasy novels... Anyone help me out here with 'DD'?!?!? Oh, Doctor Dolittle... Ha, I forgot I put that on there... Sorry!
(Still @ Elizabeth Anonymous) CON? CON? What's CON? C = Curse? Creative? Cream? Carp?
I need help again....
Okay, then, figure this out (and I'm writing this down this time!);
WS, DOS, WT, BOK, FOTD, SOTD, TAOA, TKS.
These are all Christian sci-fi or fantasy books/series. I personally have not read two of those, but I know someone in here will know them... maybe.
Only one of the people reading this comment has read one of the books I posted. I doubt if someone will guess them all, but you can try!
Nothin' like mystery to get replies, lol.
Okay, time to finish up. Wow, this got long fast.
Gensu: (GIN-sue) An unpopular baby name, usually used by convicted criminals in Kjasiasdrotia for their children. (Try pronouncing THAT! lol)
Man, this is gonna take forever!! Lol, it's fun though.
So you all are amazing!! I love reading through all these comments! Lol, some great quotes btw.
Mr. B, you're amazing!! Can't wait for more books!!
I would have to agree with everyone that the Narnia books are great! I think The Lion The Witch And The Wordrobe would be my favorite.
Eldra; your chapter was realy good, I loved the detail.
well that's all for now (that's odd) [lol]
Archer - OHHH!! I'm so jealous!!! You've seen SKILLET??????? (Actually, I'm going to see them in May, so I guess I shouldn't be THAT jealous!) And, yes, I've heard This Beautiful Republic, Disciple, and Superchic[k] (though I can't say that I'm very fond of Superchic[k]). I forget what other bands I mentioned, so I apologize if I mention some twice: Big Dismal, Code Of Ethics, Andy Hunter, Benjiman, Family Force 5 or Hymns Of Eden? (No relation to Out Of Eden.)
Here's a continuation off of chapter one, since I posted the comment but couldn't remember where I had left off!!
We stared at each other for long seconds. Then, on some unspoken agreement, we rushed forward. Knowing that I would have to do something unexpected in order to win, I waited until he was almost within striking distance, then drew to a halt.
As I expected, my opponent was thrown by this and faltered, his speed decreasing ever so slightly. Eyes narrowed in concentration, I flung my lightwhip forward. It hissed through the air, aimed directly at his shoulder. Faster than I thought possible, he brought his sword up and deflected the cord of energy, which sailed harmlessly to his right side. Before I had a chance to strike again, he was upon me.
I ducked under his first stroke, backpedaled several steps to avoid the second, then lashed out with my own weapon. This time, my opponent angled his sword just right to let the whip coil around the wide blade. With a mighty heave, he pulled. The whip tore loose from my hand and flew through the air, landing several dozen meters from where we battled. It dropped to the ground with a metallic clang, deactivated.
I stood unarmed. Remarkably, I didn't feel vulnerable, but instead dangerous. Excitement chilled my veins as I waited for his first move.
I wasn't keep in suspense long. My opponent raised the broadsword one-handed over his head. Just as quickly he brought it down in a diagonal cut. Quickly, I spun away from him, the hum of his blade sounding nosily in my ears. The sharp tip dragged down my right thigh, opened a long, shallow gash. I gasped from the instant pain that flooded my nerves, then automatically blocked those impulses and forced myself to remained focused on the fight.
For almost a minute I was able to dodge and twist away from every one of his attacks. All the while, I tried to break away long enough to reclaim my whip. But it was as though my attacker could read my mind. He refused to give me even the slightest chance to do so. We appeared to reach a stalemate.
Circling just beyond the range of his sword, my mind raced, trying to figure out how to reach my whip, still lying twenty meters away.
An idea came to me; so reckless I almost dismissed it. Yet I knew I had to do something or else I would most likely end up stabbed through the heart.
I sidestepped another heavy blow. My opponent used his momentum to spin full-circle. It was exactly the opportunity I had been waiting for. Reaching deep inside me for a burst of rapidly fading energy, I lunged toward his back. Our bodies connected and he was thrown off balance. But I had underestimated his strength. Instead of falling like I had expected, he remained standing and I bounced off of him---back into the arcing path of his sword. The blade gleamed a menacing deep green. Desperately, I threw my left hand up in a feeble attempt to block the sword.
A terrible crash followed as the wide blade glanced off the metal gauntlet around my left wrist, driving me backward. Ears ringing and my entire arm throbbing from the blow, I hit the ground hard, all the air driven from my lungs from the impact.
Breathing heavily, my attacker stepped forward and placed his blade against my neck.
Hehe! I love (yet at the same time hate) cliffhangers. I may or may not post the rest, depending on what else I get written!!
~Never Alone~
Jolayne,
Here is my answer to the faith/faith without works is dead question you posed.
Paul and James were not contradicting each other. We know that the Scriptures are inspired by God and therefore must be inerrant.
As Paul states many times, salvation is through faith in Christ alone. We can never hope to gain our way to heaven through our works; all our most righteous deeds are but filthy rags compared to the holiness of God. Therefore, we must be saved by grace alone through faith alone. (Isaiah 64:6, Rom 3:22-24)
However, in James, the Bible says, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (2:17) and also in vs 24. "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." (NIV)
Is James saying that faith is not enough to reconcile us to God? That we must somehow, through good works, earn our way?
No, I do not believe that he is. Works are not an extra requirement for salvation, but rather the evidence or proof of saving faith. A saving faith in God will bear the fruit of good deeds for Christ.
In Jesus' own words "By their fruit you will recognize them... every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit... Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:16-20)
In the passage in James that I referred to before, James was attempting to differentiate between belief/acknowledgment of God's existence and a saving faith in God. Even the demons believe in God, James states; they know that He exists and they are forced to acknowledge His power. (See Luke 8:26-33: healing of demon possessed man) Yet the demons are not saved. Our faith in God is different from their belief, and it is "evidenced" or "shown" by good deeds and a desire to love and serve God.
I think that Ephesians 2:8-10 states it clearly: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
So, we are saved by faith separate from works; yet we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared for us to do. Good works = evidence of faith, not a requirement for salvation.
I hope that makes sense. I know what I mean, but I'm not sure if I stated it clearly or not. So, if any of y'all have any questions about the way I said anything, please ask. And I'm sorry it's so long, but it is a rather long topic! :)
Ah, yes Jake. The poem was from the LoTR. Now are there any devoted LoTR fans who can tell me who it is referring to?
Oh Eldra, cats yowling outside the window all night could get annoying I'm sure. Our cats keep pretty quiet during the night... it's the coyotes who are loud. There's a whole pack of them that live near our place and run through our back pasture yipping and yapping the whole night long. They drive our dogs crazy. So, between the coyote's howling... and the dog's barking... well, sleeping can be difficult at times! lol
Well, I got no writing done today... sadness! So, I shall have to do all the more tomorrow! Bed beckons now, however, so good night all!
o-{--------
Eldra: Very cool prologue; awesome idea with the light-whip!
Lady Dragonkeeper: I'm eagerly looking forward to Voyage of the Dawn Treader! As you and ElizabethMarieKaufman mentioned, Dufflepod island, the leviathan scene, Lucy with the spell book, and dragon island will all be cool scenes to see portrayed, especially by Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes, since they both did an excellent job in the prior films. I'm looking forward to the soundtrack as well; I love the soundtracks for the previous two films. Oh...we must not forget Reepicheep, and most importantly, Aslan!
Since Jake mentioned it, I couldn't resist quoting a bit of Tolkien's "Road" poem; it really captures the essence of the long journey or pilgrimage that plays such an important part in fantasy stories:
"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
Gillian I knew that it was from LOTR:) Let me see I think it's referring to Gandalf.
Eldra: I LOOOOOOVE that excerpt!!! Please write more cause Now I am DYING to know what happens!!!
Jake: CON is Chronicles of Narnia:) I am not sure of the other ones! I should have known IC Inheritance Cycle:)
KittyBeth I totally agree with you! The book will be out before this is done!!
anyway I can't think of a good quote soooo.... I'll post later:)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
We had our orchestra concert last night!! It was AWESOME!!! Does anyone else play the violin? Or cello? What about piano?
My quote for this post:
Truth may take the appearance of weakness even as out Lord appeared weak before Pilate, but Truth will always prevail against its stronger foes, for truth is rooted in the reality of all things, the way that God made the world, therefore, champions of truth may be forgotten but their work endures through all generations.
-Athanasius
I can't wait for The Hobbit to come out!! Or Toy Story 3!!!
daughteroflight
"augh! cannot keep up with all the comments! what were you guys talking about? Narnia? LOTR? this is confusing"
Chris I think we are in the same boat. I have no clue what they're talking about either.
Congrats with the blog.
And how are you? Haven't seen you on the UG in a long time.
Goldarrow
Hehe** I figure I should post on the thread er'y now and again. After all, yall might miss me! ;) So how did everyones last week go? Mine was packed, but I learned alot and it was good overall.
WBU?
I read this really cool book for school and I HIGHLY recommend it!! Its called "Three Cups of Tea" and its by Greg Mortenson.
"With the first cup of tea you are a stranger, with the second a friend and with the third cup of tea you are family."
"Changing the world one cup of tea at a time"
WV: zesti (zes-tee) isn't this a word already?? anyway meaning something has lots of zest:)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Okay, Tuesday! Tuesday is my favorite non-weekend day... Friday is part of the weekend, don'cha know.
Eldra; AWESOME EXCERPT!!! I don't like cliffhangers...
Gillian; I completely agree with you (about the works/faith topic). You put it out really well.
(still @ Gillian)
Aha! I know! *raises hand and waves it* The poem was about Gandalf, yes? Actually, I'm not sure. The bit about the sword/healing hand reminded me of Aragorn.... But the bit about the weary pilgrim, old man with a battered hat, and the thorny staff made me think of Gandalf. So I'll stick with 'Gandalf' as my final answer.
Patrick; That is probably my favorite poem of all time. Here, I'll post it too, just because I like it;
"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
That poem always makes me feel... I can't really describe it. But it makes me want to write about it in a way... A long journey, a never-ending road... *sigh*
Reeph: (REEF) A non-existent port.
Eldra; I haven't hered of all of those names but I do have the Christmas cd of Family Force 5. And the rest of your chapter was so cool, and that cliffhanger why did they invent them, lol.
I may write the first chapter to my book but I have to get back to school work.
Oh and have this idea for another story I'll post later.
Mr. Batson how are things haven't hered from you.
Found this quote in a old FCA magazine and thought it was great.
"As long as a person doesn't admit he is defeated, he is not defeated- he's just a little behind and isn't through fighting." -Darrell Royal
Wow! O_O There have been many posts since I was last here.
Thanks for all the positive comments, guy! And, yes, it is a sci-fi/fantasy/mystery novel! I'd post more, but I'm having trouble with the scene that takes place almost directly after where I left off. I know where I'm going, but I'm feeling kinda uninspired. *sigh*
Anyone else think that chocolate is the most amazing food on earth?
~Never Alone~
I've read your books, The Door Within, The Rise Of The Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, and I think they are soooo cool!!! But of course I love to read. I really look forward to other awesome books by you!!!!!
I love Tolkien's poetry, and can't resist posting the other versions of 'The Old Walking Song'.
The Old Walking Song
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
j.l. dew- i think that this post will last lets see
FOREVER!!
Gillian, i hope i spelt that right,
thank you so much to your response to my question. Five more to go, and i'll give you the answer that my pastor gave me, but Gillian prety much covered all of it.
gtg, my dad is taking us out for icecream, yum
Endurance and Victory
Jolayne
Eldra; I have few more bands, Group 1 Crew, Tree63, Vota, and Jonah 33
who else here likes doing arts and crafts? I Knite, Crochet, and Bead. And I like video games, Paintball, krowquet, and all the other outdoor activities.
I came across this quote in my history and thought it suited for how things are going in the government (Americas government);
"a house divided against itself cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."
By Abraham Lincoln
I think some of it may only explane what was going on back then but the core of the meaning, I think is pin pointing the problem with what's going on here and now. We have become divided.
Now is the time when we need us as Christians to keep showing people God, because I believe His return is coming soon.
I hope this didn't scare anybody away, please tell me what ya'll think.
Oh and Eldra; if you meant Bejaman, as Benjaman Gates, then yes I know that one to.
Okay, 1000 words before tomorrow! Think I can do it?
Anonymous (daughteroflight); What do you mean, the Hobbit? You mean they're finally making a movie for it?!?!
Riles; Is your profile pic from Forbidden Doors by Bill Myers? It looks familiar...
"The sickness is myself." -Mess of Me [song] by Switchfoot. One of the awesomest songs EVER!
Heriet; The name Harriet spelled wrong.
Maybe you should make this a 12 hour thing... I doubt it would make a huge difference, but it might make it a few years shorter... :)
Gillian, I know that poem... I know it... I know I know it... I just can't think of where I've read it before. I want to say LOTR, but I'm pretty sure that's not it. Then I think it's one of Donita K. Paul's works... but actually, I'm sure its not that either.... Oh, what is it?!?!
Again I say, how am I ever going to keep up with all these posts? I just don't know. I think I'll post an excerpt from another story of mine: It's not song of the Daystar... It's actually older than that, but its still being rewritten...
Sixteen-year-old Tibain eyed the man in front of him, waiting for his first move. The hilt of his wooden sword was moist from his hands and sweat stung his eyes. As annoying as it was, he didn’t move to wipe it away.
Rule number one: do not become distracted in a fight, no matter how tempting it may be; distractions cause death.
Tibain shifted his weight forward so he was balancing on the balls of his feet, and blinked back a pearl of sweat.
His opponent struck.
Tibain parried the blow and whirled away from the striking sword. He lashed out with his own sword as he went.
His opponent jumped out of the way at the last moment, avoiding the weapon’s tip within inches of his body. Tibain swung back around. His sword’s momentum carried him farther than he liked and tilted him off balance. He caught himself, but only just in time to block his challenger’s next blow. The older man bore down on him from above, forcing him to center his core strength beneath his sword’s hilt in order to keep it from flying out of his hands.
I keep forgetting how strong he is.
His opponent smiled at him over the edges of their locked blades. “Getting tired yet?”
Tibain grinned. “Not yet, old man. You’ll have to do better than this if you want me to surrender!”
“Old man, eh?” The wooden swords came undone with a loud thwack! “Why you young rogue! I could take you on with both hands pinned behind my back. By the time I’m finished with you, you won’t even have the strength to admit defeat. Then we’ll see who’s old!”
Tibain circled, sword point out, feeling the ground through the soles of his boots. He watched the man, calculating his next move. Then he struck with a hard upper cut.
The man easily knocked it out of the way with an oblique slice.
Tibain came back with two hard downward blows, parried a thrust, and lunged. His opponent sidestepped the sweeping blade, thwacking Tibain’s wrist hard with the flat of his wooden weapon. Tibain yelped and fell to his knees, dropping his sword. The older man shifted the tip of his boot beneath the fallen weapon, just below the hilt, and flipped it up to his hand.
“There,” he said, smiling, “You just lost a wrist and it looks like I won again.” He reached out to help Tibain up. “Next time, don’t extend your lunge for so long and try to keep hold of your sword; in a real battle, that could be the difference between life and death.”
The man glanced at Tibain’s wrist; it was red from the hard blow. He shook his head with a sigh. “You really should be more careful,” he said. “Your wrist will be bruised for a couple days, but be thankful the damage isn’t worse; if this were a real sword your wrist might be broken or even severed.” He extended one of the wooden swords and Tibain snatched it away, sticking it through his belt.
“You know, Dakore, that wasn’t really fair,” he said, cradling his hand against his chest.
Dakore smirked. “Perhaps not. Then again, who’s to say what’s fair and isn’t? If you ever have to fight a real enemy, you can bet they won’t play by the rules.” He threw an arm about Tibain’s shoulder and started leading him back across the field and towards the house.
The farmhouse was a crude, simple structure. It consisted of red clay walls, three rooms, and a loft where extra grain was stored and where the chickens could roost in the winter. The roof was thatched and weighted down so that no strong wind could come and blow it loose. Beside the house was a rough lean-to made of aged wood where the donkey slept and where dry firewood was kept. A tall, gnarled oak tree stood sentinel in the front yard, casting most of the house in shade with its long, twisted branches. Beneath it sat a dry-stone well. A thick hedge bordered the yard, beyond which trees grew in spattered patches until the nearest neighboring farm reared into view a mile away. Behind the house, a small field stretched, planted with all different kinds of vegetation. As simple as it was, Tibain thought inwardly that it was the prettiest little place for miles around.
As they came in sight of the back door, it was suddenly swung open and a tall slender girl of about fourteen ran out to greet them. “Tibain! Dakore! What on earth are you doing back? I didn’t expect you until near sunset.”
Dakore smiled. “We finished a bit early, you might say.”
“Yeah, you might say that.” Tibain rubbed his sore wrist gingerly; dark red marks were beginning to mottle the skin. Looking up, he asked, “Do you have anything I could use to bandage this, Arien? I think I’d better leave it tied up for the night.”
Tibain’s sister flicked gold hair out of her eyes as she examined his wrist. “My word! That looks really painful.” He winced as she gently prodded it with a finger. Her eyes darted to the wooden sword thrust in his belt and she lifted an eyebrow. “I see,” she said. “Another lesson learned?”
“Hopefully,” Dakore commented. He grinned. “Though I may have struck him a little hard; he did call me an old man!”
She laughed. “In that case, I think he deserved it. Come on Tibain,” She took his other arm and pulled him towards the house, “I’ll see if I can find something to wrap this up with.”
As they drew nearer, low voices floated out to them from the house’s narrow slit-windows.
“Oh, that’s right; I almost forgot.” Arien stopped with her hand on the door. Her brow wrinkled. “Two men are here to see you, Dakore. I think one of them is Quinn, but I don’t know who the other one is. I’ve never seen him before.”
“Did they say what they want?” Dakore asked in a whisper.
Arien shook her head. “They wouldn’t tell me. All they would say is that they had to speak to you. They’ve been here for nigh on two hours now. I set out a loaf and some cheese and poured them each a drink; they seemed content to wait until you returned.”
Dakore nodded. “I’ll talk to them.” He reached over Arien’s shoulder and pushed open the door.
At the table the two men sat hunched over their mugs talking in low voices. The older one, a thickly built man with waving brown hair just starting to grey, looked up when the three entered and waved a hand. “Dakore! What took you so long? It’s been hours since we got here; I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about us.”
Dakore’s smile was tight. “Not quite, I’m afraid, though you had slipped my mind momentarily. I was busy.”
“But not any more, I hope,” the man said, lowering his voice. “There’s other business to attend to, you know. I don’t think you’ve met my companion yet, Nolan.” He gestured at the other man who nodded wordlessly.
He’s young, Tibain realized with a start, studying Nolan’s face. He can’t be more than a few years my elder!
But already the youth looked as though he’d seen more trouble in his short life than many a seasoned man. The shallow wrinkles in his forehead spoke of much frowning, and he was thin as a post. Pale scars traced nearly every patch of uncovered skin, etching the back of his hands and stretching cruel fingers up his neck and over the rim of his jaw.
Dakore eyed the young man suspiciously. “Are you sure he’s safe?” he asked. When Quinn nodded, he motioned Arien and Tibain out of the room and pulled another chair up to the table.
Tibain grudgingly followed his sister to her bedroom and allowed her to close the door behind them.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” he asked, pressing his ear to the door. He yelped as Arien grabbed his wrist and wrapped a strip of bandage around it.
“Stop squirming,” she commanded, “You’ve been hurt much worse than this before.”
“Yes, and you weren’t gentle then either!”
“Well serves you right.” She frowned as the voices outside the door escalated. "But I am curious,” she admitted. “Dakore can be so secretive sometimes. You’d think after living with him for so long we’d know more about him than we do.”
Tibain nodded absently and pressed his ear against the door again. It was true, they’d lived most of their lives with him and knew him better than anyone else in the community, but his past was cast in mystery. He was not their father, Tibain knew that much, but Dakore had never relinquished more. And just when you think you know him, he pulls something like this. What is he really up to?
The voices outside the door were muffled, but Tibain could hear enough of the conversation to follow it.
“…think we’ve waited too long as it is.” That was Quinn’s voice. “If we’re goin’ to leave, we’d best do it soon; this week even.”
“Not this week. Not yet,” Dakore said, “It isn’t time.”
“Then you’d best start settin’ a time.” Tibain heard a fist pound the table. “Everyone’s gettin’ antsy. We either make a move or we don’t, but no more of this dotterin’ around.”
“I can only agree,” came a new voice. Tibain assumed it was Nolan’s and immediately liked it. There was a warm, rich tone to his speech and not a hint of country accent. “You won’t be able to wait much longer on any account. I can tell you first hand some of the nobility are starting to suspect.”
“Then let them suspect!” The way Quinn said it made Tibain picture a deep scowl on his face. “What can they do? Sit around in their great houses and cry ‘cause some of the farmers they thought were so lowly decided to run off?”
Nolan chuckled mirthlessly. “They can do much more than that, believe me. For one thing, you forget that the city guards are in their pay. And for another, it isn’t just the normal rabble of nobles, but even the governor himself. You know how Lord Trayhern is. He despises the very thought of anyone undermining his authority, even if they are but lowly farmers – no offence meant. If you leave he will certainly send someone after you, but he will not expect you to stay away. He’ll think you’ll come back to your farms when you are tired of trying your wings, and it’s there he will try to catch you.
“But…” There was a pause. “If any of the rumors I’ve been hearing in Middle City can be backed by even a liar’s words, he will send his men to your homes and you will be taken to Lûrbrakh to be made examples of. You all know lord Trayhern as well as I do; he doesn’t need much to convince him. There will be no escaping then.”
There... I finally did it! It took me forever, but that's the whole first chapter. *wipes brow.* phew! Now I think I'll go back and read some of the other excerpts.
Deathly silence fell.
Lûrbrakh.
Tibain shivered. He’d heard stories of that dark place before. The Death Hole some called it; others named it Hell and twisted their fingers over their chests in a sign to ward off evil. Few who went in there ever came out, and of those who did even fewer were alive. It was a place of ill omen run by black-hearted men and even its name conjured nightmares. If Lûrbrakh was mentioned, things were going very badly indeed.
Tibain winced as Arien wrapped another coil of bandage around his injured wrist. “What are they saying?” she whispered. He tried to hush her with a finger, but she glared at him. “Tell me what they are saying, Tibain. I’m not deaf; I can hear their voices too, I just can’t make out the words.”
“I’ll tell you when their done speaking, but I can’t hear the words either if you keep talking to me!”
She tried to protest but he hushed her with a finger again and laid his ear back on the door.
Then Dakore spoke. “Nolan is right, as are you, Quinn. We must leave soon…” – he paused – “but not yet.”
Tibain heard Quinn draw in his breath, but Dakore interrupted what he was going to say. “You can badger me all you want, Quinn, but I will not be swayed in this. You can’t try to cross the desert without me to guide you, and you can’t travel west, north, or south without Trayhern finding you for sure and dragging you back. The desert is your only choice in this and I’m telling you the time isn’t right. If you are sure that you and the others are determined to leave…”
“We are,” came Quinn’s sharp reply. “There is no place for us here. We can’t feed our families for a winter on what’s being asked for a years’ crop. No, we need to find a place were we can do our bit and live good, peaceful lives off what we raise and grow. The others all agree. And it’s like you said, our only chance is across the desert.”
“Well then I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a bit longer. I can promise it won’t be much longer, for I too feel the need to be off, but it will be longer none the less. And that’s all I will say.”
Tibain pulled his ear away and looked down at Arien who had stopped wrapping his hand. “We’re leaving Iban,” he murmured.
“What?!”
He nodded. “That’s what they’re talking about. It’s not just us, but it sounds like half of the farmer’s in Crow’s Beak are leaving too. Dakore’s going to lead them across the desert.”
“The desert?” Arien hissed, “That’s madness! No one’s ever crossed the desert and lived to talk about it. No one’s ever come back!”
“Which is why the farmers want to cross it, I suppose,” Tibain mused. “Think about it; why didn’t anyone come back? Did they find something better?”
“They died, Tibain.”
“You don’t know that for sure, and neither does anybody else. Besides, it sounds like Dakore knows what he’s talking about.”
“And he knows a way across the desert, does he?”
Tibain shrugged. “Sounds like it. The others won’t even dare to cross it without him.”
Arien looked back down at her work. Then, with a jerk of her hand that made Tibain bite his tongue in pain, she wrapped the end of the bandage around his wrist and tied it off. “There,” she said, “You’re all finished.” She dusted her legs off and stood. “Just don’t over use it for maybe a week, and it should be doing better by then. And about this crazy desert business, let’s not talk about it again unless Dakore mentions it first, okay?”
“But don’t you want to ask him…”
“He’ll tell us when he’s ready.” She turned to put the rest of her bandages away. “I, for one, don’t really want to leave Iban.”
Tibain heard the scrape of wood on wood and figured the men in the other room were probably done with their meeting. A door opened, low voices murmured goodbyes, and then the door shut again. Dakore called to them.
“Arien, Tibain, you can come out now. We need to talk.”
“Sounds like he’s ready now,” Tibain mumbled, and opened the door.
Owww. I sat out in the sun too long today and now my right forearm is slightly burnt!! It's really warm to the touch, plus it hurts!!
Sorry, guys. I'd give you more of chapter one, but I don't have it finished quite yet. Again, I'll try to get that finished this evening. That is, if I can keep my eyes open long enough to do so...
~Never Alone~
Oh yes, y'all guessed it. The answer is Gandalf!
Well, here's another excerpt from the story I'm writing for the 50,000 word challenge. It's a little rough and will be rewritten and edited a lot before it reaches the final form!
~*~
Maveral turned his gaze from the passing overseer and back to his work. His powerful tanned hands worked deftly with hammer and chisel as he cut and shaped the large stone so that when put in place it would fit seamlessly against the others. The sun shone down unrelentingly upon the back of his neck as he worked and the fine coating of dust that flew up from his work mingled with the sweat on his hands and turned them grey.
There was a sudden commotion a short way down the line and Maveral risked a glance over to see what had happened. Craning his neck to see, he saw the overseer grab a young thrall who had apparently bumped into him and throw him to the ground. He lashed out with a savage kick as the young man struggled to rise to his feet; the booted foot caught the thrall on the head and he collapsed down again, fighting to maintain consciousness. Master Bernal snatched the coiled whip from his side and began laying into his victim with all his strength.
Maveral’s blood boiled within his veins at the sight of such cruelty; without even thinking about what he was doing he stood slowly to his feet and made his way over, still grasping the hammer in his right hand. He could not yet see who the unfortunate thrall was, for a crowd had gathered and formed a circle around the scene, hiding the young man’s face from view. Maveral pushed his way through to the front ring of the circle, jostling past horror stricken thralls, and amused overseers and guards who were watching the beating with evident pleasure. Maveral stared in horror at the sight before him. Master Bernal was standing over the young thrall, relentlessly cracking his whip. The back of the boy’s tunic was rent and tattered and his back was already covered in blood. He was still apparently only half-conscious after the kick he had received to his head, and the pitiful attempts he made to defend himself from the cruel beating were painful to watch.
As Maveral paused, frozen in shock, the overseer let fly with a cruel crack that caught the young thrall directly across the shoulder blades; the thrall’s head jerked up at the pain and their eyes met. The boy’s green eyes were wide and staring; they seemed to beg for help. Maveral started in recognition of the thrall. It was Gavin, a young lad of about seventeen who alone among all the thralls had befriended him. The whip fell again with a wet snap and Gavin’s muffled cries and groans pierced Maveral to the heart.
Maveral did not allow himself time to think over the possible consequences to his actions; he did not even know what he was planning to do until he did it, but he at once stepped forward behind Bernal and caught the handle of the whip as it fell backwards to slash forward yet again. Master Bernal turned furiously to see who was interfering with the punishment and his eyes as he looked over his shoulder into Maveral’s face were ringed in red. Maveral stared back unafraid; burning with just wrath, he awaited the coming storm.
The overseer jerked down hard with all his force upon the whip bringing the end cracking up into Maveral’s face and slicing a long thin slash across his cheek bone. The handle slipped from Maveral’s grasp and the overseer turned vengefully upon him. Maveral leapt out of the way of Master Bernal’s first strike, but he nearly stumbled across the still form of Gavin collapsed on the ground.
Here is the remainder of the excerpt. My computer was acting up, so hopefully it actually submitted the first part! :)
Maveral caught his balance and circled cautiously away; a cruel smile began to form across the overseer’s face as he advanced to the attack. The bull whip hung idly in the overseer’s hand, then suddenly lashed upwards, snapping cruelly against Maveral’s side. He staggered backwards beneath the blow, and clutched an elbow to his ribs. Something sticky and wet clung to his arm – blood. But Maveral had no time to think of his injury for the whip was moving again. Moving as quickly as he could, he ducked in beneath Master Bernal’s next swing and let fly a mighty punch to the overseer’s face before dodging away again out of the whip’s range.
Master Bernal’s face was purple with rage as he spat out blood, and, flinging the whip down to the ground, he drew his sword instead. Maveral backed cautiously away; he knew he was in trouble now, for he could not hope to evade the flashing blade for long and he had no weapon with which to fight back. And then he remembered the hammer in his hand; he looked down at it and a distant memory flashed into his mind, a memory from days long ago when he was just a boy practicing with the throwing hatchet at a target in the Greenwood. The hammer in his hand was weighted exactly like his favorite hatchet had been then.
Maveral looked up; the overseer was charging forward, his sword poised to kill. The Gwahere warrior raised his arm back over his shoulder and then flung it forward, letting go of the hammer when his arm was pointed straight towards his charging enemy. The hammer rotated thrice as it flew through the air and then smashed directly into the overseer’s unprotected throat. Master Bernal led out a strained choking cry and fell to the ground as though a giant invisible hand had suddenly knocked him over. He landed heavily and struck his head against a large rock. Instantly, Maveral felt himself roughly grabbed from behind by mailed hands.
Well, that's all for now. Now I have to get back to actually writing so I can finish the challenge. I have a very exciting horse chase coming up that I can visualize right now... but unfortunately I can't exactly visualize how I'm going to get the story to that point. Oh well, it will work out. Awesome things can happen when you just sit down and make yourself write.
Jake: Agreed! Tolkien's "The Road" does make you want to write about it, or at least a journey or pilgrimage of some kind. I also love the verses Gandalf speaks to Aragorn in Fanghorn Forest telling of the Grey Company:
"Where now are the Dunedain, Elessar, Elessar?
Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar?
Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth,
And the Grey Company ride from the North.
But dark is the path appointed for thee:
The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea."
The Dunedain are one of my favorite character groups in Lord of the Rings; there's just something about Rangers in fantasy tales that I like, possibly the atmosphere they create in a story inhabiting a grey area between 'knights/footsoldiers' and 'archers', armed with ancient weapons and wrapped in shadowy cowls, keeping watch over the borderlands of the realm sometimes the only defense against encroaching darkness. Likewise, I really enjoy several of the Ranger characters I've met in other stories, such as Thrivenbard and Halberad in The Door Within trilogy!
What are some of your favorite character types/classes, such as knights, archers, axe/hammermeisters, (and other groups beyond these few I've listed)?
Hi everyone, sorry if I'm responding to old comments --I forgot to post yesterday. : )
@ Epic. (: - I SO WISH that I could have gone to one of the Motiv8 tour stops, but no "famous" authors really do book signings and stuff where I live (so it's "isolated" in that sense) . . . Are they going to do that again sometime? It would be so cool --like, half of my favorite authors in one book tour = "awesomeness."
@ ElizabethMarieKauffman - LOL, that's my exact reaction to the Walden Media Narnia movies. I actually can't bring myself to watch the BBC versions of "Prince Caspian/The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (I believe they combined those two for that movie) and "The Silver Chair" (even though it's one of my fave tCoN books). After I watched the 2005 version of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (LWW) I went to watch the BBC versions, because, "Hey, I'm going to be without a Narnia movie for a couple of years." I barely made it through the BBC's LWW --The Beavers looked like brown furry "Barney the Dinosaur" costumes . . . the animation . . . THAT is why C.S. Lewis didn't want anyone making films of his books while he was alive. : ) Anyway, it wasn't just the special effects . . . I just think that the 2005 version hired the perfect young actors for the Pevensie children. Now, the Walden/Disney Walden/Fox Narnia movies aren't perfect adaptations, but for the most part, I think that the acting is pretty good . . . probably won't be considered for an Oscar (except in my eyes, because I'm a biased Narnia fan, LOL) but anyway . . .
@ Jolayne - I'd pretty much "ditto" Gillian's post --works are NOT required for salvation but they (works) should be the result OF our salvation. "Evidence" of our faith --we should want to do good works because of what God has done for us . . .
@ Patrick - Yes! Georgie Henley (Lucy) and Skandar Keynes (Edmund) are really pretty much perfect for their characters. It'll be "bittersweet" seeing them play Lucy and Edmund for awhile . . . I can't picture anyone else playing them. I also love the soundtracks . . . I think they have a new composer for VotDT, but it's Narnia, so I'm sure it'll be great! : )
@ whoever was looking for new books to read - For Christian Fantasy read anything by Donita K. Paul, Wayne Thomas Batson (of course, LOL), Bryan Davis . . . Ted Dekker's Circle trilogy (teens and up), the Lost Books . . . The Dreamhouse Kings by Robert Liparulo isn't too bad. For fantasy (secular) . . . the Redwall series by Brian Jacques (clean, language/violence I'd say the same as Mr. Batson's works), Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (pretty clean books, just the main storyline --Greek gods actually exist, main character is the son of one.) Some elementary/middle school type of behavior --nothing like "Twilight" or something (not that I'm allowed to read "Twilight" but based what I've heard . . . ) It's really funny and it's a fresh take on Greek mythology, so I'd recommend that especially if you like/are interested in that.
here is my quote:
"wither shall I go from from thy spirit? Or wither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up to into heaven thou art there: if I make my bed on hell thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me and they right hand shall hold me. If I say surely the darkness shall cover me: even the night shall be light about me. Yea the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
WV: distenar (dess-tin-AR) another way to say destiny in the old language.
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
I have only about three seconds. I'll be on later, I promise. It's been an insane week with a lot going on. I'm going to get my permit. =)
Patrick: It's a great poem! It's only four lines or so, but I love the rhyme scheme and the imagery! =)
Star-Dreamer and Gillian: I LOVE YOUR EXCERPTS!!! So much descriptions and cool plots!! I can't wait to read more!!
Yes the Hobbit is due to come out sometime next year i believe. They are making it into 2 movies and i think the second one is due to come out sometime in 2012. I can't wait!!!
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king."
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Archer - No, I don't mean The Benjamin Gate. Benjiman is (as far as I know) one guy, though he has a band. He mixes rock and rap for a really cool sound. Check out iTunes for both of his albums. And I love Jonah 33 and Tree63 (not really into Group 1 Crew, but I've never heard of Vota. What genre are they in? (I looked for them on iTunes but haven't searched the Internet yet.) What about Day of Fire, Stryper, Burlap To Cashmere or Jesse Cook?
For those of you waiting for more, I appologize. Part of my family has been sick, so I haven't had the time to type. Okay, so I've had SOME time, I just haven't gotten around to it yet! (I'm being kinda lazy too.)
*rummages about her files for several minutes, mumbling to self*
Oh, hey! Lookie what I found! Several more paragraphs...
"I win yet again," he smirked. "Now, hand it over."
Furious at his condescending tone, I went to push myself up into a sitting position but stopped when the tip of the sword broke through the tender skin. Warm blood trickled down my throat but I scarcely noticed. Rage blurred my vision as I stared up the green blade. Rage at my opponent, but also rage at myself and how easily I let him defeat me.
The sword cut deeper. "Give it to me, now."
"Take it yourself, Daymond," I retorted hotly, then, with a forced effort, blocked out my anger and pain before either got out of control. If he won't play by the rules, then neither will I.
Daymond squatted beside me, still keeping the blade to my throat. Our eyes met and I felt as though my thoughts were being invaded. He smiled, but it was a cold, empty smile, without mirth, nor did it touch his colorless eyes. A chill raced down my back. "Why would I do that?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft as he brought his face closer to mine. "It's much more fun waiting for you to surrender."
A flush of anger warmed my cheeks, but instead of letting the emotion control me, I used its energy to call my lightwhip back into my hand. "Not a chance!" I activated the sleek weapon, ready to flick the now-shorter cable at Daymond's head. It would severely wound him if it connected, but I knew it was my only way out.
"Eldra! Stop!"
My hand froze in midair. The cord of energy, however, didn't. It struck Daymond's left temple with enough force to send him sprawling. His sword nicked my jaw as it fell.
*Eldra is the name of my main character, same as my username, but she isn't me.
I have more, but it's not ready to be posted.
~Never Alone~
WHY DOES NO ONE HAVE THESE BOOKS PUBLISHED!??!?! Sheesh... Why not? I need some more books!
Star-Dreamer; WOHAA! That was awesome! If you don't get Song of the Daystar published soon, (even though that wasn't a Song of the Daystar excerpt) I'm going to steal VeggieFreak's shotgun and... *laugh ominously*. Mohahaha! Anyway, get it published.
Gillian; YES! I did it! I guessed it right? Which book was it from? I'm guessing... TTT.
Oh, and that was an AWESOME excerpt... I want to read that book!!
Patrick; Umm... I particularly like characters who just refuse to give up at the blackest of times... I actually wrote out a couple of those, so that's why I like 'em. :)
Okay, best news yet.... Can you guess? YES! I whupped writer's block yesterday night (after two weeks of being infected).... I said in my last comment I had set a goal of 1000 words and I wrote...
2383 WORDS!!!!! :D :D
Okay, time to get back to schoolwork. I won't set a goal for tonight since I have youth group.
Pulfuln: (PULL-FULL-in) A strange, one eyed beast that exists only in my imagination.
Ha ya'll.....oh bad timing I got to go comment later
*sniffs bacon burning* Argh.
Yes I'm back, but only for a wee little bit. You guys all thought I'd disappeared and left you with your socks hanging...well, to tell you the truth, I almost did, but I just decided to stop wasting my precious breath on a forum that is bound to stay busy for a long time.
What's new? Nothing much. I've been very very very busy lately, so I haven't been posting on my blog and probably won't be for a little while more.
I've taken up watercolour and acryllic painting. I don't know how to paint, but I'm hoping that maybe God will just bless my hands and let me do something cool. Doesn't hurt to ask does it? Besides, I've always wanted to paint/draw but I've never been good with that kind of stuff. Ahh well, we'll see how this goes. :)
Anyways, enough for now. I've got to mosey on. But in case you're interested in my latest tastes for music (which I know you're just totally curious about XD, jk) check out JoAnn McFatter's album "Temple Dance". It's absolutely amazing. They've got some of the songs on Youtube so check it out (My fave is "Time for Love" or something like that...comes straight from Ezekiel 16, one of my fave chapters in the Bible :) ).
Squeaks.
Pasto--Kind of like the exclamation "presto!" but without as much gusto. (also a slang term for watery pasta)
700 already, i'm impressed!
i didn't exspect it to go by this fast.
for every one who is talking about the LOtR series, it took me a while to figure it out, did any of you have problems getting though the first book.
i started, but then put it down, and haven't had time to read it yet. Please tell me that it gets better, i loved the hobbit, but the fellowship started out really slow.
Endurance and Victory
Jolayne
jolayne - I agree that tFotR starts out really slowly, but, YES! it does get better! Drastically.
Hmm. Have to go to the dentist tomorrow. In my opinion, I'd rather do that every week then ever have to go to the doctor's ever again!!!
WV: flece - misspelling of fleece
Okay, that didn't work, so I'll try again:
imeter - similar to an iPod, iPad or iTunes, only longer
~Never Alone~
There's a lot of excellent comments here, thanks everyone for sharing so many great things! Here's another one I like:
"The best way to get a better answer is to start asking a better question.
~Tony Robbins"
Howdy folks! My goodness, 700 comments already. You know, I think we must be nearing some sort of record here!
Jake: No, not the Two Towers. It's from the Fellowship of the Ring in Chapter 7 of Book II. Frodo wrote it as a lament for Gandalf.
Jolayne: Yes, the Fellowship of the Ring can be a little difficult to get into a first. But one you get going, the characters and the plot just drag you along with them! I pretty much grew up on the Lord of the Rings. My dad started reading them to us when I was about 4, and I loved them so much that he gave me a copy of the trilogy for my 7th birthday! And they've been my favorites books ever since. So, I'd encourage you to keep reading! The style that the LoTR is written in is very different from that of the Hobbit, but it's definitely awesome!
Star-Dreamer: that excerpt was so intriguing! I love your details! So, now you have me wanting to read more.
Well, my grandpa used to say, "You can't hoot with the owls and soar with the eagles..." I'm afraid that I have to do just that... well, maybe not have to, but I usually do anyway. There are so many things I want to do and so little time! But, sleep cannot be avoided forever... I've tried and it just doesn't work! ;) lol.
So, that said, I shall be off and to my writing. I'll try and get another several thousand words pounded out before I go to bed. Good night all!
And I'll end with a portion of a Tolkien poem:
"Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone...
(skip portion)
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We'll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And then to bed! And then to bed!"
Hello everyone!
More to come tomorrow; just a pithy post tonight. Here's a favorite Henry Wadsworth Longellow poem:
"I have read, in some old, marvellous tale,
Some legend strange and vague,
That a midnight host of spectres pale
Beleaguered the walls of Prague.
Beside the Moldau's rushing stream,
With the wan moon overhead,
There stood, as in an awful dream,
The army of the dead.
White as a sea-fog, landward bound,
The spectral camp was seen,
And, with a sorrowful, deep sound,
The river flowed between.
No other voice nor sound was there,
No drum, nor sentry's pace;
The mist-like banners clasped the air
As clouds with clouds embrace.
But when the old cathedral bell
Proclaimed the morning prayer,
The white pavilions rose and fell
On the alarméd air.
Down the broad valley fast and far
The troubled army fled;
Up rose the glorious morning star,
The ghastly host was dead.
I have read, in the marvellous heart of man,
That strange and mystic scroll,
That an army of phantoms vast and wan
Beleaguer the human soul.
Encamped beside Life's rushing stream,
In Fancy's misty light,
Gigantic shapes and shadows gleam
Portentous through the night.
Upon its midnight battle-ground
The spectral camp is seen,
And, with a sorrowful, deep sound,
Flows the River of Life between.
No other voice nor sound is there,
In the army of the grave;
No other challenge breaks the air,
But the rushing of Life's wave.
And when the solemn and deep church-bell
Entreats the soul to pray,
The midnight phantoms feel the spell,
The shadows sweep away.
Down the broad Vale of Tears afar
The spectral camp is fled;
Faith shineth as a morning star,
Our ghastly fears are dead."
- The Beleaguered City by Henry W. Longfellow
Quite a cool fantasy and Christian element to it!
Wow . . . blown away by the writing and the excerpts you guys have done! Awesome job . . . gotta make this a quick comment (apologies) because my dad shuts the internet off of my computer in three minutes (yes, really). : ) It seems like there are less people posting . . . I guess they've given up or (most likely) are just posting less frequently. So have a good night everyone, and I'll talk to you later!
Eek!!!! I'm so excited!!! The day after tomorrow I'm going to audition for a play! :D Yay!! Now if only these last two days wouldn't pass as slowly as the last weeks have. ;)
"Little by little, one travels far." -J.R.R. Tolkien
. . . I don't think I've done that quote before. . . but I forget after like the dozenith post. lol. Well. . . If I did already post it than I guess that just means I like it doubly well. :)
~ElizabethMarieKauffman~
Ahh! School is insane! I only have a few minutes to say that Lord of the Rings is completely and mind-numbingly awesome! =D Love it!
Also, has anyone seen How to Train Your Dragon? Just for the record: It's one of the best movies I've seen. I'm 15, and I cried. Hahaha - I know. Still: Go see it! It's totally awesome and worth the ticket three, four times over. We saw it for the second time yesterday, and we go to the movies once a year.
Well, flaabergadlerifochet. torlomigirtanoiel.
i guess that qualifies as a comment.
Jolayne: It totally gets better trust me!! It is REALLY WORTH THE READ!!:):) It will get more interesting once they meet Strider;) and then Two Towers and Return of the King are the best!!
Eldra: I can't wait until you finish that!! Whatever that thing is that the bad guy wants Eldra to hand over has really got me intrigued.
Jake: I'll tell you why, We don't have the time to finish them. Well at least I don't. My book is finished except it REALLY badly needs revisions. I would read it and think "Ooops too much like Lord of the Rings..... too much like Eragon..... tooo much like all the books I read." :) But my goal is to get it sent into a publisher by September. and Jake I'm glad u whupped writers block:) I love that feeling.
"The world isn't split into good people and bad people. We all have a little bit of each inside us. It's the side that we choose to act on that shows who we really are."
WV: sholing (SHOW- ling) a type of under water game played by merpeople:)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Has anyone else heard the newest song from Tenth Avenue North, 'Healing Begins'? It is absolutely amazing... GO AND LISTEN TO IT!
Eldra; Good job! I'm aching to know who told your main character to stop... You have a way of stopping on a cliffhanger, even with a couple paragraphs, lol.
Squeaks; You're back! Nice to hear from you.
jolayne; Don't worry, it gets better and better. Especially the end of the Return of the King.
Okay, here's a piece of my frustration today;
I said to my sister, "You can't be a true fantasy lover unless you've read and loved LOTR."
She gets mad. Ouch. I still can't believe that she has the nerve to call herself a fantasy lover and refuses to read LOTR. Anyone want to overwhelm her with people saying "READ IT!!!!" ?
I'm still working on her, but she's extraordinarily stubborn. "NO! I will NOT read it!" *sigh* Maybe I should make a page on my blog where people can comment and tell my sister to read LOTR, lol.
Bfoinsmi; (BIFF-oin-smee) Who makes UP these things!?!? This is almost unpronounceable... Anyone have any idea as to what it means? My creativity banks are on empty.
I just discovered a band called Cord of 3 last night. One problem: I can't find the song that I really want to hear anywhere on the web!!!! I hate it when that happens!
Aside from that, I giggled while reading Elizabeth's comment. I don't want to spoil anything, but... let's just say, things aren't always as they appear.
~Never Alone~
I thought I'd pop in and see if this thread is dead yet! :-P Apparently it is not.
So I've been noticing that most Christians lately do not know their Bibles. At all. This is helped, I think, by being able to Google any verse or subject, and voila! The verse is sitting there ready to be read! But if you handed that person a Bible, they couldn't tell you if Habakkuk is in the Old Testament or the New Testament.
I have decided that I will no longer Google verses unless absolutely necessary. Sure, the pages in my Bible have gotten a little more worn (and a *lot* more verses underlined), but when someone mentions a verse, I know right where it is!
I'd like to encourage all two of you who see this comment to dust off your Bibles and get some reading done with actual paper and ink!
Blessings,
Jennifer
Eldra nice word verification:)
Gillian: my dad read my sister and I the Hobbit when I was 8 think and LOTR when I was 9 my sister was younger:) I loooved them!!! They are also my dad's favorite books so it helped us like them. So Jolayne I already told you but you need to read them!! and Gillian the rest of that poem Pippin" And now to bed, and NOW to bed!" That part always made me laugh:) Did anyone else notice that part of the ending of that poem Pippin sings in Return of the King when he's singing to Denethor?
Elizabeth Marie Kaufmen: What play???? I totally wish I could audition for a play but being in an online school and having no play companies near enough..... well I have a hard time finding a play:( Break a leg!!!!
mermaidgirl: I really want to see that movie!!!!! Is it really sad?? why did you cry?
"Three rings for the elven kings under the stars. Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone. Nine for mortal men doomed to die. And one for the dark lord on his dark throne. In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie. One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
I read an interesting about the "Eragon" books being a copy of Star Wars. Is that true?
I unfortunately can never finish a writing project? Does anyone have the same issues?
Phew, I am back at last. I thought I might be able to ride out the thread and then enter when it started dying down, but I guess it is not going to work. By the way I got a big laugh out of this when I found out that my sister had the book already. :S
By the way Mr. Batson, how many book's are you going to put into this series?
~Son of the King~
Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all of your heart.
Nothing beets the door within, it still is my all time favorite book series ever. I showed it to my cousin, friends, and teacher and they all loved it. But, now with the curse of the spider king out i think there may be competition for the best book series ever. A verse i would like to share is Ecclesiastes 11:10 "So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body"
I really like this verse because i worry alot and this is just another reminder for how much God cares. i don't have an account so i'm going as anonymous, but my name is Thomas. (funny thing is i have curly hair and the description of tommy in the book fits me)
wow you guys, this is never going to end, but you know whay, i don't mind. i am almost running out of meaningful things to say, mind you, that is Almost.
Have any of you ever heard of Akiane? she is a world renowned artist and poet. her origanal paintings are worth more than 100,000 dollars, oh yah did i menssion that she is Ten years old! She gets vissions of things. She says that she wants her art to draw peoples attention to God.
i can't show you what her art looks like, but you can go to her website, just google Akiane under images, and you'll be abe to see it. but i can give you some of her poetry
Chipped View
If some are chosen to bow down to wear the yokes
Some are chosen to live a spark
The scabs are puzzled everlastinglyWeaned honor is delivered in the midst of dark
Bowing to themselves the crownless kings
Sit in their own bent thrones
As cattle live incastles full of lion clawprints
Life becomes the play with ashes of the drones
Before the glass palaces-the sand
Before ruby swords-the fists
Before the chipped heaven-the chipped view
The nestlings in the marble nests.
Akiane
You may not understand it, but take it line by line, some of the meaning is amazing.
In the last stansa, it talks about how glass comes from stones.
She didn't even know that. she had a vission and started reciting what God told her to.
I thought that was amazing,
i'll post more of her stuff soon. during one of her poems, it was speaking right to me and i broke down and cried.
Endurance and Victory
Jolayne
HA ya'll. I finaly have enough time to post a comment.
Eldra; Vota is a mix between Tree63 and Newsboys. I have only hered of stryper not so much of the others, and I loved the rest of your chapter.
Mermaidgirl45; I've seen, How To Train Your Dragon as well, and I thought it was realy good. Even my mom liked it, and she doesn't much like animated films.
Star-dreamer; loved the rest of your chapter, I liked the suspence and the plots.
Jake; congrats on the 2383 words
I just finished one of Ted Dekkers books, it is Chaos the fourth book of the lost books series, it was so awesome! I don't want to say anything incass someone is reading it or is reading one of the books before it, my lips are seiled. I so want to learn to play the guitar and the celo, I just can't ever find the time. Does anyone else know how to play guitar or celo?
here is a scripture, Ezekeil 3:4
"And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them."
see ya'll later.
JAKE- Of course they are!!! But a new director is doing it- not Peter Jackson. They actually said that they can't fit everything in The Hobbit movie that they want in it, so they're making TWO!!! OFFICIALLY!!!!! WAHOO!!!! This is where I go to see all of the new Hobbit (1 & 2) news: http://www.theonering.net/
But it's not coming out until about 2011 and/ or 2012. :P
daughteroflight
PS: jaysoan- Jason spelled really cool!!!
jolayne- I read the whole Lord of the Rings and it took me a whole year to read it. It get's a lot better after The Counsel of Elrond!! That's where I put it down for 6 months. Then, I literally forced myself to read it, and it got WAY better!! I'm now reading it to my younger siblings, who, like me, have to read FOTR before they can see the movie.
daughteroflight
ElizabethMarieKauffman- you sound like my kind of gal!! Good luck on your play audition!! What are you auditioning for? What part?
daughteroflight
AH! It's mayhem trying to keep up with posting and my busy schedule. But I shall succeed! Yes, I haven't given up yet! (To be honest, I'm surprised the thread hasn't died yet... 0o.)
*raises hand for whoever was looking for the person who was looking for new books* That would be me!!!
I'm glad you all like that excerpt. That one is a very long story... and if a piece of writing could be called a child, that one is my baby. *turning and poking her story in the belly* yes, you're so cute, aren't you? Yes you are! Yes you...
*looks around, realizes she's being watched, and clears throat.* Uh, yeah. Forget I just did that. :)
BTW, to whoever was talking about it. I absolutely loved that new movie, "How to train your dragon". It was so good! I've seen it three times now, and I would love to go see it yet again.
Jack, I'm working on publishing it, I promise! I've managed to get it down to only ten pages left to rewrite. (I'm soooo excited!) The only thing is, I have descovered that I just seem to LOVE passive verbs. Especially the word "was". I have come to the official decision that the word "Was" needs to be executed and/or banished from most of my book unless it's in dialogue or is extremely important for some reason. I think I'll write a blog post on it... *thinking... stares off into space.*
*Snaps back to reality.* Anyway, when I finally get Song of the Daystar going in the publishing world, of course I'll ask mr. Batson if I can post about it here. Since he's become a major inspiration.
BTW, Mr. B: I just wanted to commend you for being an english teacher and using your students for inspiration. I'm an english (and music) major, and I'm debating on whether or not I should try to teach Creative writing... or something along those lines.
Oh! This is interesting! Well... one of my favorite quotes would be "Anger is the fluid love bleeds when you cut it." C.S Lewis! A favorite verse of mine is Psalm 121:1-2"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."
Well I think i have enough time to write the first chapter of my book.
Chapter 1
"It's time for lunch...", Sophia's eyes shot open as she jerked upright at the desk sending her hair into disarray. Mrs. Rain's voice drifted up the stairs. "Sophia?"
She answered while running her fingers throuh her hair brushing back her bangs, " okay Mum." As she straightened up her desk and put away her books, she could hear her mother putting lunch together.
Sophia stumbled down the stairs into the kitchen and saw her father, in his usual place, at the breakfast table reading the newspaper. "What's for lunch da?" she asked him.
"Fruit cocktail", Mr. Rain answered seeming distracted.
"As well as sandwwiches and mashed potatoes." Added Mrs. Rain, who was finishing up lunch at the counter. Sophia grabbed a plate out of the cabinet as she poured herself a glass of coke.
"It smells good mum. I'll just have a bit to eat, and then I'm off for another lesson with Mr. Marshal."
Up, down! To the right, jump, squat, to the left! Good, you're getting better." Said Wayne, while running a hand through his sandy blonde hair.
"Thanks Wayne." Sophia smiled while she grabbed a towel from the bench.
"Now, next week we shall block from the left side instead of the right."
While they were talking Mr. Rain walked into the garden.
"Oh hi Mr. Marshal how's the traing coming along?" Mr. Rain asked as he neared them.
"Just Wayne. And it's coming along nicely. Sophia is very talented." Mr. Marshal said with a smile. Sophia straightened up and looked proud of the complement. There was a moment of lingering silence in the air. Mr. Rain was not one for small talk. Sophia spoke up.
"Well, Mr. Marshal since we're done training I guess I'll see you in two days."
"Mr. Marshal...." asked Mr. Rain
"Yes." answered Wayne, looking interested. Mr. Rain pulled him over.
"We're goin' to have to extend the next lesson. How does next month sound for you."
"Next month should be fine."
I gues I should be on my way then" Mr. Marshal said his good-byes before hurring out the door.
That night as Sophia got ready for bed she heard a knock on the door.
"come in. Dad what is it?" Sophia sat her hair brush to the side as her father made himself comfortable on one of he chairs.
"I just came to say good night and that we'll be going back to Ireland." Mr. Rain answered with a broad smile forming.
"What! We're moving back home." this is the best news she could have ever have gotten
"when?" asked Sophia with her eyes widening.
"No. We're not moving, but we're going to visit. We'll be leaving at eight in the morning so we can get to the airport on time." Sophia was near to bursting with excitement.
"That's great, I'll start packing right away!"
She quikly got out of bed and headed toward her white antic dresser. Her father stopped her as she rush past him.
"That won't be necessary Sophia. I think you'd better wait till morning."
He looked amused as he got up from the chair. He said good night and closed the door. Sophia couln't stop thinking, how could she. A surprise vacation back home, even if it was only a visit!
And that is the begining of the first chapter, don't weiry it's not over yet. the story has not yet even begun.
I have been dying to start a new writing project, but seriously lacking the time to actually work on it. Today was my first day off from work in the past fourteen days, and I've only been home for about two hours since waking this morning. I want to write. I feel like I have a million ideas brimming just beyond my mind's reach, and yet, when I try to pull one from that nebulous cloud to work on, nothing solidifies. I started working on a new project for NaNoWriMo this last November, and it got to the point where it was so very sad that it was actually bringing me down. :( I had to force myself to keep working on it, and eventually I had to drop it when work got busier.
What do you guys do when you feel a desperate urge to create something, and yet nothing seems to be within reach?
So, since we (or at least I) have been talking about the Lord of the Rings lately, it made me think of this awesome cd set I have! It's a recording of J.R.R Tolkien himself reading aloud some excerpts from the Lord of the Rings! How awesomely amazing is that! Unfortunately, I haven't had time to sit down and listen to it yet, but I'm really looking forward to it!
LoTR trivia question of the day: What does J.R.R. stand for? Does anyone know offhand - do not go google it. That would be cheating! ;)
And since I'm on the LoTR subject, another trivia question: Which character from the Hobbit, is said in the Fellowship of the Ring, to have grown so fat that he could not move from his couch to his chair at the table and it requires six others to lift and carry him there?
Well, that's enough LoTR for tonight. As I said, I grew up with the Lord of the Rings, so I'm afraid I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to that! lol ;)
So, how is everyone's writing going? Any brilliant new ideas? I have several new ideas running through my head right now... the trouble is actually getting them out on paper (or on the computer rather)... and finding time to write it. And of course, none of my ideas have to do with the story that I am currently working on and need to finish... oh well, still plugging away!
Love reading everyone's excerpts and comments. This is actually really fun, I'm not sure I want it to end!
And a Bible verse to end on:
Psalms 18:29-32 "With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."
Rats... Now I'm getting sick too! Not fun, let me assure you.
Anyone have any good jokes, because I have one right here.
Q. What do you call a woodpecker with no beak?
A. A head-banger!
or
Q. What do you give a sick elephant?
A. A very big paper bag!
Yeah, sorry. I don't have anything better.
~Never Alone~
Anoynumous: I concur with what you said to Jolaynea about Fellowship; once the Hobbits reach Bree and encounter Strider, things start to escalate and get exciting. Also, your thoughts on time and revision (for ideas resembling LOTR or other fantasy stories) are right on the mark as well, at least for me. Please keep us posted on how your story progresses!
Gillian: wow, LOTR since age 4? Awesome!
ElizabethMarieKaufman: what play will you be auditioning for? Is it for school or a community play? Cool!
@ ElizabethMarieKauffman - A play? Cool! Is it one we've heard of? One of my friends auditioned for the lead in "Beauty and the Beast" that her church was doing . . . I think she's still waiting to see if she got the part . . . are you trying out for a big part?
@ Jolayne - The Lord of the Rings books are okay . . . I'm not a major fan, but I got introduced to the books through the 2001-2003 movies, so I read the books after seeing the "Fellowship of the Ring" movie. If someone asked for book fantasy recommendations, this wouldn't be the first books I'd mention, but I'd get to it eventually just because it's a classic. They are good stories, after all, the movies that were based on the books were great, I guess I just don't care for Tolkien's writing style too much.
Right now, the graphics program I wanted to use to make a design for my screenprinting class isn't working, so going to try and get my dad to look at it.
Dear Mr. Batson,
Please keep writing. Your work really inspires me in so many ways!! It inspires me to love God and trust in him more. It also inspires me to write. I wish to be an author like you someday.
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
LOTR is my all-time faveorite books.
kilombineltor blorgenborwento.
Anonymous Elizabeth, daughteroflight, Patrick, and Lady DragonKeeper- Thanks everyone! :) The play is Tom Sawyer. It's at a Christian community theatre near where I live, and I'm trying out for the part of Becky. Though I'd be really happy with Tom's cousin Mary, or his Aunt, or Amy Lawrence. . . . Basically, all I really want is a part that will challenge me and stretch my acting skills, if you know what I mean. :) I'll be sure to post and let you all know how it went! (Since I'm pretty sure that the thread will still be alive by then. . . . ;) lol. And even if it isn't, you can always check out my blog, I'll be putting a post up about it if I get a part. Here's the web address; visitingwithdragons.blogspot.com)
Here's a good quote for all us girls our there:
"Dance with God, He'll let the perfect man cut in." –said by some person whom I do not their name; apologies to them, whoever they might be.
~ElizabethMarieKauffman~
Where's Anonymous VeggieFreak disappeared to? I haven't seen him- er, his comments, for days.
Aiden Romero; WHAT?!? How in the world are they (Inheritence Cycle, Eragon, etc.) a copy of Star Wars?? I have reread Eragon 17 times, so believe me, they are NOT like Star Wars. Oh, and I used to have trouble finishing a writing project... I've finished almost three short novels now.
Archer; Good excerpt.
Star-Dreamer; I wanted to comment on your post against Passive Verbs, but my computer wouldn't let me. So here it is;
*looks horrified* Oh, no! *checks novel* Oh, darn... I use 'was' alone on an average of once or twice every 500 words... How many thousands of words do I have in my novel??? Agh! *rushes to edit*.
Gillian; John (something) Reuel... Um, Reynolds? I'm not sure about the last one. For your second question... Bombour was the fat guy. Really, I didn't look it up.
Okay, now I'm getting Tookish about LOTR. Everyone out there... READ THEM!! And don't bother to watch the movies before you read them. It ruins it. Although the movies ARE pretty good.
Okay, questions... Hey, Gillian, I have a LOTR question for you!
Where were Frodo and Sam when King Theoden died on Pelnnor Fields?
I don't mind if you look it up, it's a little hard. There's only one sentence in the entire series that tells where they were while King Theoden died. But please tell if you DO look it up. :)
Okay, time to end the comment.
Lyclo; (LIKE-loe) A popular male baby name in Keladastine.
Aiden: Yes Eragon is a lot like Star Wars and a lot like Lord of the Rings and a lot like other books. But it still has some nice characaristics of its own. I like them:)
LOTR is THE BEST!!! (besides of course Door Within:) Lets see I used to know what J.R.R stood for. My dad would know he is a LOTR specailist but since he's not home I'll have a guess.... John......uuummm........ Roland?....... uuuummm....... can't think.....:)
They are making a movie of Ryan Watters and the King's Sword by Eric Reinhold!!!! I am going to send in a tape of me cause I don't live in Florida where the auditions are taking place:) I think thats sooo exciting!! Though Mr. Batson your books int movies would be even more exciting..... any chance that will happen??? :):)
Here's my quote: "Hating robs your bones of strength."
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Does anyone else read the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books? If you do, do you ever get a satisfactory ending? The one I'm reading has ended terribly for me. I died, got stuck in a back hole, was never seen again, killed by an earthquake, stranded on Earth, etc. I wonder if there's a lesson.
Elizabeth - Thanks!
Archer - A mix between Tree63 and Newsboys... I'll have to check them out.
Jake - Your sister won't ready LotR????!!! That's sad. We'll all be praying for her soul. (Just kidding!! Just kidding!!)
A piece of advice to anyone who hasn't read LotR yet but has seen the movies: You should have read the books first. I read them several years ago already and I reread them at least three times since (except for the really long, really boring parts with Sam, Frodo and Gollum). I refuse to watch the Narnia movies because I love the books the way that they are and I don't want the screen characters interfering with my mental ones. Lord of the Rings is different. There is no possible way you could fit everything that happens in the books into a movie, or even ten movies, so I've allowed myself to enjoy the movies the way they are.
There's my little rant of the morning. Now I have to go put clean dishes away. Oh, fun times.
And as for all these cliffhangers... Well, I'm just being nice and evil. (yeah, it's an oxymoron. SO WHAT?????) *drops voice down to a whisper* Sorry about that. I get carried away sometimes.
~Never Alone~
What's been happening
Nothing happens unless first we dream.
Carl Sandburg
This quote was AMAZING!!!! the moive avatar james camreon dreamed up the whole world before he even told anyone about it!! and look at the amazing moive it created
will this never end...
Jolayne: I believe that one can only come to the father through faith in Jesus Christ, but if we have faith in Jesus then our faith will be shown in our works. In that sense, they don't contradict eachother at all.
As for LOTR, I used to know what J.R.R stood for... but I don't remember anymore. I was introduced to the books through the movie, but as soon as I could I bought the book and imediately read it two times through... in a row. Yeah, sort of burned myself out on it for a couple years, which is really sad because Tolkien was a big inspiration towards me writing... In fact, the very first novel I tried to write (back when my writings were still very childish and silly, might I add) was a sequel to LOTR! It was stupid, I know, but I really did try it. After that I started writing the Star Chronicles, and then Song of the Daystar, and have started a lot of other projects in between so... yeah, Tolkien was a major influence. I have a friend who reads through the entire LOTR books at least once every year. :)
Jack, *lol*. Yeah, passive verbs and such are like weeds... they pop up when you least expect to see them and then they take over. I've actually found that Donita K. Paul is careful with using passive verbs and phrases in her writings, so I've taken to studying her writing style to see if I can pick up any good tips (and shamelessly writing notes in my books... I do that all the time. I was doing it with LOTR the other day... *raises hands to ward of angry mob* no! Don't hit me! I love reading tolkien and Mrs. Paul! I do!)
Anyway, that's my post for the day. If I were to pick a quote it would have to be... let me think about this... Oh, I know!
"Make your choice adventerous stranger/ strike the bell and bide the danger/ or wonder till it drives you mad/ what would have followed if you had." C.S. Lewis, "The Magician's Nephew".
Why do you have to be older than me!
I want to join this blog but I'm too
young! NOT FAIR! but if this IS posted here's (some)of my favorite quotes.
Yoda: Do or Do not, There is no Try.
Anakin: Here's where the fun begins!
Knights of Alleble: Never Alone!
(you can see above I'm a big Star Wars fan! Never Alone!)
Can't wait to get book #2 --
FRIDAY!!!!! YES!!! I love Fridays! (who doesn't, lol!)
Eldra; LOL! Still working on her, but I think Mom might have to assign LOTR to her, :). One of my other sisters just agreed to read LOTR, though... Blackmail. :)
Okay... It's kinda hot here in Kansas today... To think that it was 55 degrees and raining yesterday! I rather liked it... I'm pretty much immune from mild cold- like 10 degrees-60 degrees, I wear shortsleeves. On the account of living in eastern Iowa for 5 years. Heat isn't that bad, but combined with humidity... *frowns*
Okay, off to check some other blogs, and then write later. Same word goal as before; 1000 words. Wish me luck!
Mentedo: (MINTY-do) A mint-flavored, non alchoholic drink popular with youth in Jeaxouiadotiaos. (I love making up country names!)
Cool, die post die!
Wow Squeaks! That is a lot of memorizing! Though it is nothing to meaningful, I think my favorite quote has got to be, "Those who say sunshone brings happiness, have never danced in the rain!" =) Life is good!
Guys, please pray for a girl named Savannah, YouTube user name
Tairine795 (she does a lot of Sonic the Hedgehog videos). She's posted two videos in a row over the past twenty-four hours about wanting to commit suicide. Although I don't know her personally or have ever even messaged her, she's always struck me as a really nice girl. If anyone has a YouTube account, go comment on her channel. Encourage her. Share the love of God with her. Please. She desperately needs it.
~Never Alone~
Arg, I didn't even write a bit tonight, and now it's time for bed...
I wasted my time watching Eragon (the movie). I spent the entire movie glaring at the screen at the atrocious changes they made. AND THE DRAGON HAS FEATHERS?!?!? Seriously... A little is all right, but...
Anonymous: Haha! I love Star Wars as well. That quote from Yoda is really good for writing; I love his duels with Dooku and Sidious, especially Sidious, when he confronts the Sith Lord underneath the Senate chamber.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdBOlED1zoA
Yoda: "I hear a new apprentice you have Emperor, or should I call you, Darth Sidious?"
Sidious: "Master Yoda, you survived."
Yoda: "Surprised?"
Haha! And then a little later on, after some nasty force lightning:
Sidious: "...At last the Jedi are no more."
Yoda: "Not if anything to say about it, I have." *FORCE PUSH; Sidious flies back across the room*
Yeah! Go Yoda! Show the Sith how its done!
Probably my favorite quote from the entire sequence is Yoda's:
"Faith in your new apprentice, misplaced may be. As is your faith in the dark side of the Force."
Love it! (Wow, forgive me, that was quite a Star Wars tangent; haha, as everyone can tell, I love it!)
Gillian: I think Tolkien's full name was John Ronald Ruel Tolkien; it's really cool how he had 4 initials...I wonder if having lots of initials in your name helps you write awesome fantasy stories? :) Last spring/summer I read a really good biography of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis entitled Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship by Colin Duriez; it focused on their friendship and explores the literary and spiritual impact they had on one-another. The author's writing style was excellent, very informative and well-researched without seeming musty and overly factual. Quite good!
Also, really cool about the Tolkien cd! When you have a chance to listen to it, or even part of it, let us know what you think. How neat to hear the words of LOTR in his own voice!
Mr.Batson: any chance you might do audio narration of any of your stories for an audio book? It would be really neat if you (and Mr. Hopper jointly for CotSK and Venom) did readings like the one in the recent CotSK video you did!
ElizabethMarieKaufman: Fantastic about the Tom Sawyer play; sounds quite exciting whichever role you get and it'll be great for furthering your acting skills!
Star-Dreamer: Agreed! Passive verbs frustrate, especially on how easily they infiltrate one's writing!
ok well im following eldra's example, one of my friends on my soccer team was just diegnosed (however you spell that) with bone cancer. he is one of the better players on my team and his physical condishion means alot to him his name is christopher micnally. please pray for him.
Mattew 18:19 if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for it will be done for you by my father in heaven
Following Nathanael my best has a "sickness" called CFS/ME and she thinks she might have Leukemia as well so please pray for her.
I also have a praise that I am 19 years old today. The doctors told my parents that I wouldn't live, and I have made it 19 years! THANK YOU GOD!
Hi, I don't know if this against the rules or note but this post is a prayer request.
Could you guys pray for my Sister in Law? She went in the hospital with pneumonia and they put her on a medically induced coma so they could put her on a respirator and when they tried to take out of the coma they said she had a stroke and might never come out of it and she has a four month old baby. So could everyone pray that she gets better, her name is tammy.
Alright I'm back, but I only have a few minutes to write because I have to prepare for rehearsal for the play I'm directing.
Patrick: Yes, J.R.R stands for John Ronald Ruel Tolkien. I haven't had a chance to listen to the c.d yet, but I'm really looking forward to it.
Jake: Yes, Bombur is correct. haha, I always laugh thinking about that and picturing him being carried by 6 young dwarves from his couch to the table.
Now, as for your question Jake. I have NOT looked it up, but I do remember the sentence that you are talking about, so hopefully I can get the context correct:
Frodo and Sam were traveling through Mordor towards Mount Doom across the plains of Gorgoroth. They had just found a stream of water and the clouds had unexpectedly broke above them and they saw light again and heard a nazgul scream as it rushed by overhead to the Baradur with news of the death of the lord of the ringwraiths!
And around the same time, Sam exclaims something about getting both his wishes fulfilled at the same time and finding both water and light. And then it goes on to say that it was such and such day and Theoden lay dying on the Pelannor fields.
Is that correct?
Now, I have another LoTR question for all of you. And everyone is free to look this up because it can be a little tough if you haven't brushed up on your Middle Earth history lately.
I'm going to give you a quote (it's from the appendices, but also has to do with the main story), and then ask you a question about it. Read carefully, there are some big hints in the quote:
"Thorongil men called him in Gondor, the Eagle of the Star, for he was swift and keen-eyed, and wore a silver star upon his cloak; but no one knew his true name nor in what land he was born. He came to Ecthelion (Denethor's father) from Rohan, where he had served the King Thengel (Theoden's father), but he was not one of the Rohirrim. He was a great leader of men, by land or by sea, but he departed into the shadows whence he came, before the days of Ecthelion were ended."
And another to give you some more hints: "Indeed he (Denethor)was as like to Throngil as to one of nearest kin... in one matter only were their counsels to the Steward at variance: Thorongil often warned Ecthelion not to put trust in Saruman the White in Isengard, but to welcome rather Gandal the Grey... later, when all was made clear, many believed that Denethor, who was subtle in mind and looked further and deeper than other men of his day, had discovered who this stranger Thorongil in truth was..."
So, now the question for you all is: Who was this Thorongil?
Hint: Thorongil is just another name for a well known character from the LoTR.
So, I have to run now! I hope I didn't bore anyone to death with my Middle Earth lore... I could talk about the LoTR for hours! I enjoy reading everyone's comments. Hope y'all have a great day.
I Cor 16:13-14 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”
Okay, I'm working up my indignation at the movie Eragon so I can write a stormy blog post on the subject of 'Movies VS Books; Which is Better?' *Smiles dangerously*
Ummm... Is it just me, or is the amount of comments going down? *cheers*... Unless I don't want it to end... That would be terrible!
Anyone else have to work outside IN THE RAIN? I have to... Fortunately, the weed-eater is dead and my dad can't start it.
*wipes brow* Phew. I'm already soaked.
Nondenic: (NON-dee-nick) The state of not being denic.
LOVE Star Wars!!!!!
Luke: This little droid is going to give me a lot of trouble!
C3PO: Oh he excels at that!
also
C3PO: Come back R2! You don't want my life to get boring do you?
Patrick: I believe you are right about J.R.R's name. I couldn't remember exactly. I could ask my dad but thats almost exactly like cheating since he know LOTR and all the other books practically by heart!
If you are going to read LOTR you need to read it before you watch the movies. Books are always better than movies though i do have to say that they did a good job with LOTR (unlike Eragon *gag*)
ElizabethMarieKaufmen: Tom Sawyer sounds cool!!!! Is it a musical or regular play?
Jake: mind if i answer the LOTR question? I think they are climbing down from that tower thing...right before they meet the orcs? I am not certain but I thought I remembered reading that...
Not much going on here....Though all of a sudden I got a sudden urge to write!!
WV: druff (DRRR- ruff) a part on a dog right behind the ears....
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Eldra; I ( and my sister) will totally pray for Savannah (I hope I spelt that right). We will pray for redemption. And this may be a little late but I can't believe that you got to see Thousand Foot Krutch! Do you know where they will be playing next? And here are few more bands; Switchfoot, Sanctus Real, Flyleaf, (heres a flash-back) Bride, and Jeremy Camp.
Princess Bride is sooo coooollll!!! my family can also quote almost line for line, if we wanted we could probably do a skit.
[Yeah, my whole family are quoting freaks, :)]
Nathanael Beekman; We will also pray for Christopher's freedom from cancer. Here is a song lyric that my sister thought of "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom". So we're praying for freedom.
Jake; And to let you know the movies for the Narnia books are good I mean realy good and the only deference is, is that Caspian is a little different, but for the better.
Has anyone else seen the Bourne movies? The names are Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, and Bourne Ultimatium.
Well that's all I can post for now.
Be Blessed :)
Why should you read Mr. Batson's books? First because they are totally awesome!!!! Second they are so full of adventure and excitement you can hardly keep from putting one down for a long time. Third how he addresses girl/guy relationships he shows that they do happen. But he also shows you how to do it with your morals and beliefs intact.
Fourth he also is hilariously funny. These factors and more that I haven't mentioned make his books an exciting read.
Archer - Yeah, I get to see TFK again!! (Actually, the first time my family only stayed for the first two songs, including Rawkfist, since my mom said they were too loud for us at the time.) And, yes, I know Switchfoot, Sanctus Real, Flyleaf, Bride and Jeremy Camp. How about Petra, Steven Curtis Chapman, Kids in the Way, Justifide, Haste The Day or Collective Soul?
To everyone else - It appears that Savannah has pulled both videos off of YouTube, so you won't be able to find them anymore, plus she's put up another (normal) video. Regardless, I'm still going to keep praying for her.
Now to get down to some serious business.
I'M A MASSIVE STAR WARS FREAK TOO!!!!!!
To be honest, I sometimes enjoy the books more than the movies (sometimes, okay???) and the Clone Wars TV has been awesome so far!! What's your favorite Star Wars novel ever? I would have to say that mine is The Force Unleashed. If you've never read it, prepare to experience the Force like you never have before. (A word of caution: like any Star Wars novel, it can get pretty violent at times, though I guess no more violent than Isle of Swords or Isle of Fire.)
One of my favorite things is how they manage to work the line "I have a bad feeling about this" into almost everything Star Wars related.
And I'm stoked that the Penguins advanced into the Semifinals. Nice job, Cookie.
~Never Alone~
Gillian: I agree; I relish discussing Middle-Earth lore and stories at length likewise. Tolkien's stories have such amazing depth and such an amazing portrayal of the struggle between light and darkness. Hmmm...I think Throngil was Aragorn; didn't he lead the forces of Gondor in attacking the harbour at Umbar? This description of Aragorn is awesome:
"...Thus he [Aragorn] became at last the most hardy of living Men, skilled in their crafts and lore, and was yet more than they; for he was elven-wise, and there was a light in his eyes that when they were kindled few could endure. His face was sad and stern because of the doom that was laid upon him, and yet hope dwelt ever in the depths of his heart, from which mirth would arise at times like a spring from a rock." (LOTR, Appendix A, p. 1035) Gillian, have you read much about the Palantiri?
Anonymous: Haha! I love R2-D2 and C-3P0, R2 especially. Their banter between one-another and their antics are awesome. Also, Obi-Wan's quotes and humour from the prequel trilogy are great as well. A good friend of mine and I especially love this one:
[LOTS OF BLASTER FIRE while Obi-Wan is piloting Jedi starfighter]Obi-Wan: "Flying is for droids!" and:
"Blast! This is why I hate flying!" I love R4, Obi-Wan's astromech droid also.
Anyone else have any favorite Star Wars quotes or scenes they'd like to share?
Anonymous Elizabeth-It's a play. I can't sing well enough to do a musical, although they always look like SO much fun to do!! :)
Auditions went well I think. :) I'll find out by Sat if I got a part.
Here's a quote from a sermon at our old church: "I'd rather fail for God, then not attempt great things for him"
I thought it was really good. :)
~ElizabethMarieKauffman~
Would anyone like to do this prayer challenge? I'm doing it. The challenge is to pick a small town in the 10-40 window and pray for it your entire life. I'm praying for Diraz, Bahrain.
Gillian; You should have made it harder! It was Aragorn. :) And yes, you got the question right.
Oh, and by the way, one of J.R.R. Tolkien's R initials is spelled Reuel, not Ruel, although it is pronouced like that. I know because I unknowingly named one of my characters in my novel Reuel, not knowing it's orgins. :)
Anonymous Elizabeth; Umm, I'm not sure. By tower, do you mean Minas Morgul, or do you mean the stairs before Shelob's lair?
Okay, more LOTR questions!
What did Pippin and Merry say when King Theoden and the rest came to the flooded Isengard? No looking it up!! :)
Plaphin; (PLA-fin) A large fish with unusually large fins. It can swim fast, but is extraordinarily stupid, and is known to jump into fishing nets of it's own will.
Jake: I think that in MOST cases the books are WAY better than the movies. The exception is Prince Caspian and thats only because the book is a bit boring and the movie has more action. Books just give soo much more in depth to the reading that you get more clues to things and such. Lotr is a fine example of this.
Gillian: Thorongil is Aragorn:):) I love this part in the appendix and I didn't look it up:) Also you can find that out cause he talks about riding to war with Thengel to Eowyn in the movie and when Boromir asks him if he has seen the White Tower he says yes.
Timothy Wallace: I totally agree:)
Archer: I loooove Princess Bride!!!
"Life is pain your highness and anyone who thinks differently is kidding himself."
Also a quote my dad (who is our pastor:) said today in his sermon. "You are nothing without hope. There is always hope"
WV: salig (SAL-lig) a type of salt.
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
Proverbs- The tides of a ruler are deep waters, the lord controls their path
this is one of my fovrite verses especally that right now in school im studing ou government and I realize how CORUPT our country really is. we need to pray for Godly rulers to rise up and take the seats in our nation senate and house. srry ppl that was rambling
Thank you everyone who answered my question on faith vr. works.
Answer. the only thing that someone hasn't already mentioned is that paul and james were addressing different issues. Paul was fighting against leagalisim. meaning that they can work their way to heaven.
James was fighting laziness
meaning that since they believe they can sin as much as they want.
The rest of what you guys and galls said was also true.
Got to go
Endurance and Victory
Jolayne
"if a job is worth doing, its worth doing well"
this quote really was eyeopening for me because I always am just trying to get through the job as fast as I can but if I just do it fast and ok, eventually I'll have to go back and do it gain! SO DO IT ONCE AND GOOD PEOPLE!!!
Yes, everyone was correct on the LoTR question. Thorongil = Aragorn. Though I like what Thorongil means (Eagle of the Star), Aragorn is a way better name. Haha, does anyone know what name and creature Tolkien was originally considering for the Strider character?
I love reading Middle Earth history! It's so awesome.
Patrick: I have read a little bit about the palantiri but not recently. Have you read the book Unfinished Tales? It has lots of awesome tales in it... I only wish Tolkien had been able to finish them all.
Jake: Yes, I know, that was a typo. I can type around 100 words per minute, but every now and then I get a typo in there! lol
Ok, so I should have done a harder question, but I wasn't sure how many other people read the appendices... So, I shall have to think of a hard one now.
As to the answer to your question Jake. That's a rather general question. Do you want me to quote the whole thing - I'm afraid I don't have it memorized. But, Merry (Pippin is asleep at the moment) ignoring his friends, immediately greets King Theoden with "fitting words" as he had been ordered to by Treebeard. The two hobbits are sitting contentedly besides the remnants of their meal and smoking longbottom leaf.
Then Pippin wakes up, and there is some friendly banter between Merry, Pippin and Gimli. And then Theoden says something about this being a reunion between old friends. And he and Merry begin to chat about the subject of pipeweed and tobacco - for he never knew that hobbits smoked. And then Gandalf interrupts before Merry can tell the entire history of pipeweed in the shire ("old Toby") and suggests that they go off to find Treebeard. And the Riders of Rohan and Gandalf go off while Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas stay behind with Merry and Pippin.
Now was there anything specific you wanted from that section?
As to my question, not very difficult but I don't have time to think up anything very difficult right now: Of what character in the Lord of the Rings, is it said that the ring had no power over him?
I think we should have guidelines for the LoTR trivia questions: Perhaps, no looking it up, or if you are forced to look it up, admit that you did? I don't know. Those of you who are answering, tell me what you think.
Well, I have to go now. Next time I'll try to post something not LoTR, lol! :)
Okay, quick post.
Just about to start rewatching LOTR; Can't wait! They are AWESOME!!!
With a bowl of Cheez-Its by my side,
I prepare myself for a wild ride,
A tale of adventure, danger, and strife,
A tale of character and great sacrifice.
LOTR!!!
A terrible little poem I made up of the top of my head. :)
Gotta go! I want to finish TFOTR before bedtime.
School's almost out! I feel terrible about not posting, and I'm really sorry, everyone. My grade is getting out a week early, because we are visiting Washington DC! =D Unfortunately, this means all our teachers are trying to wrap up lesson plans and thus having everyone scrambling in a panic. =)
Jake, you are so right! I'm sure almost all of us here could get published. And, I'm sure almost all of us would race to Amazon or Barnes and Nobles the minute it was released. =) I love this community! Honestly, you guys rock!
Also, I love Tenth Avenue North! They're incredible! I love "Lift Us Up to Fall!"
Also, (I love that word!), I was wondering if anyone wanted to share about a time where you thought you "saw" beauty. Or, experienced God. I'm not sure how to describe it... But just that moment where you are just in total awe... Kinda where you find God.
I was at a Talent Show and my choir was performing in it. One of the acts was a guy I vaguely knew. He played the piano, and it was so beautiful and moving, I couldn't speak. It was amazing. Just those experiences when your heart stops because it's just so beautiful. Can anyone relate?
Alright, I know that I said last time that I wouldn't mention the LOTR in my next post, but I have to. I just listened to the cd's I have where Tolkien is reading excerpts from the LOTR aloud, and they were so awesome! Tolkien did a great job and he made a great Gollum. So, yes, the cd's were amazing. It as so neat to hear the LOTR read aloud by Tolkien himself.
So, that said, on to something else. I'm trying to write another post for my blog now... I've been too busy lately to do much writing on the blog, but hopefully I'll be able to get this new post up soon!
Here is a quote - some food for thought (I wrote a previous blog post about this and was looking back over it today):
"Let us raise the banner of Christ on high,
and nail it to the mast.
No surrender! No compromise!
We're fighting to the last."
In case you don't understand the origins of the phrase "nail it to the mast," this refers to the age of sea captains and wooden vessels. Sometimes before going into battle, the captain would take the flag and nail it to the mast as a sign of "no surrender." This served as a visible sign to the crew that their only options were victory or death and encouraged them to give their all and fight their hardest. It also served to make sure that no man could lose heart during the battle and lower the flag to surrender.
So, when we raise the banner of Christ and nail it to the mast, we are identifying ourselves with Christ and signifying that we are fighting to the death for Christ. No surrender, no compromise refers to the small daily surrenders we make when we give up to sin or temptation without so much as putting up a fight. Think about it, how many times do you simply snap back an angry response without thinking. How many times do you compromise your beliefs simply because it is more comfortable to do so. It should not be so! For we do not fight alone. Christ is by our side, we have the Holy Spirit within, and the promise that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. (I Corinthians 10:13)
It's just something to think about. I know there are so many times when I just give up and don't fight. And I can always find a marvelous excuse or reason for doing so. But in the end, I have no excuse... none of us do.
I Corinthians 15:57-58 "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm! Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
I am so excited right now! I was finally able to buy Starlighter and the first book in the "Dragons in our midst" series! I looked and looked for WTB's other books, but the store didn't seem to have them stocked... that was kinda a dissapointment, but I'll get over it, I guess, and keep looking. I also bought a bookmark that I have admired forever, and I have to say that the quote on it has to be one of my absolute favorites. Here it is:
"Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
Since my books all seem to have some sort of celestial element in them, this quote strikes especially close to home.
Well, gotta go. School in the morning and a concert I'm singing in in the evening... and now I'm just itching to curl up and read! Or write... I've had ideas floating through my head all day (even though I should probably be working on math homework or writing those three reports due on thursday... *blink, blink*). So I guess I'll post something more later.
Bye!
Jolayne: thanks for sharing with us the issues Paul and James were addressing; great insight!
Eldra: Well met, Star Wars fan! I've played through most of "The Force Unleashed" game so far, but I haven't read the novel; I'll have to check it out. I haven't read many of the Star Wars novels; can you recommend some other good ones?
I love this passage from I John 1:1-3:
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."
I love how it describes Jesus and how it encouraging it is.
Hey, I've had a busy weekend, so that's why I haven't posted recently. I judged at my first speech/debate tournament. I was in total awe at some of the impromptu speeches some of the kids were able to whip up . . . When you see how well spoken they are . . . it makes me wish I had tried speech and debate when I was home-schooled. Are any of you in speech and debate? How do you like it?
@ J. L. Dew - Oh, no! I'll pray for your sister-in-law and your whole family . . . I think one of my mother's friends had a stroke, so she's recovering and doing physical therapy --I don't think she was in a coma though. : (
@ Eldra - OMGoodness, I've found someone who's read Star Wars books! LOL, I love reading SW novels . . . that's how I really started liking Star Wars --I'm attached to the characters now. =D The books after "Return of the Jedi" (RotJ) are my favorites . . . I can't choose one! Han and Leia's kids: Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin (and their friends, Tenel Ka, Zekk, Tahiri, etc.) and Ben Skywalker are some of my fave characters, so I like it when they're in the story. I'd pick the "Young Jedi Knights" (YJK)series as my sentimental favorite. Though the plot might not be as good as the "New Jedi Order," "Legacy of the Force," or the current "Fate of the Jedi" series, because of the storylines . . . (certain characters dying) I like the YJK books, LOL. Which books have you read? I've read almost all of the "post-RotJ" books (as you can probably tell) . . . ; ) Of course I watch the Clone Wars tv series . . . the episodes are "hit and miss" . . . some are good (e.g. the "Rookies" episode in season 1) and some are just . . . well, "kiddie" --like the Zilo beast episode . . . but I've rambled about SW enough, I'll just ditto your caution about the violence --especially the "NJO" series, there are some scenes that could rival what's implied in "Isle of Swords" so I'd say teens and up for that series and there are a couple other SW books I could caution you on if you need it . . . I don't consider myself a "crazy" Star Wars fangirl yet though . . . I'm not collecting anything yet . . . : )
YOU WILL NOT WIN!!!!!! Whew!! That was close.
Thank you so much, WTB, for your books!! (Is it just me, or does everyone yell out when they kill a spider- "DIE, evil servant of the SPIDER KING!!!" I do. Everyone looks at me like I'm wierd or something.)
Anyway, my quote for this post is:
All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked for and desired.
~Martin Luther~
(Just in case you all were wondering, I love to write, but I haven't posted anything on here yet... don't know why...)
daughteroflight
I loooove Star wars too:) Watched The Empire Strikes Back yesterday:) I have too many favorite lines I can't think of what to put.
Obi Wan: What took you so long?
Anikin: Oh you know master, I couldn't find a speeder I liked.
Also
C3PO: Oh R2 do come back! You dont' want my life to get boring do you?
Or one from yesterday's movie.
C3PO: Come back! I'm standing here in pieces and you go off in delusions of granduer!
ok thats enough:)
Jake it's after Sam rescues Frodo and they are trying to get to the road in Mordor. But I think Gillian might be right and its in a different part. Also I just read that part in Two Towers and I can't remember!! I keep thinking of the lines in the movie... and they are different in the book.
WV: couser (CORE-ser) Couisar (uuum from LOTR? sp?) spelled and pronounced wrong.
Elizabeth :)
Never Alone!!
A quote from one of my fav. movies...
Just get up off the ground, that's all I ask. Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something. And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so's he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That's what you'd see. There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties. And, uh, if that's what the grownups have done with this world that was given to them, then we'd better get those boys' camps started fast and see what the kids can do. And it's not too late, because this country is bigger than the Taylors, or you, or me, or anything else. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here; you just have to see them again!
-Jeff Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
That's a GREAT movie! Has anyone seen it?!
daughteroflight
A quote from one of my fav. movies...
Just get up off the ground, that's all I ask. Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something. And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so's he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That's what you'd see. There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties. And, uh, if that's what the grownups have done with this world that was given to them, then we'd better get those boys' camps started fast and see what the kids can do. And it's not too late, because this country is bigger than the Taylors, or you, or me, or anything else. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here; you just have to see them again!
-Jeff Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
That's a GREAT movie! Has anyone seen it?!
daughteroflight
Ha ya'll
Eldra; Yes I know Petra and Steven Curtis Chapman, but not the others. I'll hae to check them out.
Destiny; I will totaly pray for your best friend.
J.H. Dew; I'll pray for your sister in law to be completly healed of everything.
I'll comment later
Be Blessed.
AHA!! the time has come to post again...
what could be more meaningful than the fact that God loves you?
have a great day!
Hey... What happened to all the VeggieTales quotes?? They all went away. Well, I guess I'll have to take it upon myself to get them going again.
"Boy, was this a lousy day to wear my contacts!!" - Jimmy
or
"An elephant."
"With bacon!!" - Jr. and Pa Grape
~Never Alone~
Just got another chapter in Song of the Daystar finished! Yeah for me! I'm so excited. This means I only have four pages left to rewrite before its completely finished!
But I'm still frustrated with the word "Was". Honestly, it insists on showing up in the story no matter how I cut it. I don't know, it's starting to drive me crazy!
That said, because I'm feeling excited, I'm going to post another little excerpt... A much smaller one this time. And it's not told from my MC's pov. But I bet when you read it you guys can guess where it parallels in the Bible... :)
Tornic scowled as he approached the door. It’d taken him longer than he expected to find it. The boy was not in his room. The king wasn’t in his either, but Tornic knew there was only one place that Morven went in the evening when sleep failed to comfort him, and that was the library. If the boy was no where else to be found, then it made sense that he would be in the library with the king.
But for some reason Tornic had gotten lost on the way. The passages seemed to twist and turn as he walked, rearranging themselves to be even more confusing the deeper into them he went. Several times he thought he saw lanterns up ahead: large, strangely round lanterns being held close to the floor. He tried following them but it only made matters worse. At last he gave up on the lanterns completely and followed the stone walls by feel alone. He knew every inch of the palace; he would find his way to the library even if he couldn’t see at all.
The door stood slightly ajar, light seeping from it and onto the passageway’s far wall. Tornic crept up to it, being careful not to make a sound. Raised voices floated to him from inside. The king sounded angry.
“…have vowed not to bow before that which is folly. A king must show his worth in the wisdom of his decisions, to keep his rule aligned with the truth and facts, not fiction. And I learned long ago the folly that follows those who believe in Anahdor.”
Tornic peered through the crack. The boy had his back to the door, but he looked small and feeble compared to the angry, advancing form of the king. Morven had a dagger in his hands, raised to kill, but the boy just stood there as if unable to move.
"What are you doing, stupid boy?! He’s going to kill you, and you won’t even move?"
Tornic couldn’t take his eyes away.
Suddenly a brilliant light burst through the room. Wincing at the glare, Tornic dropped his sword. It clattered on the floor. Something floated in the air above the king, but he couldn’t make it out. White light filled his vision until he could see only dim forms of things inside the room. He closed his eyes, but even then the light seared through his eyelids.
“Tornic, why do you hate me so?”
Tornic fell to the ground as the voice rumbled through him. His sword… where was his sword? His hands searched the ground for it.
“Tornic, why do you hate me?”
“What? Who’s there? I can’t see … Who are you.” He thought he found the hilt of his sword and grabbed for it; it was only the doorframe.
“You already know who I am. You used to know me quite well, but for many years now you have refused even the simple truths I have given you. And now you would kill the one I sent to you and to the king.”
Something dropped in Tornic’s stomach. That voice… it sounded like…
Metal clattered on stone. In a sudden panic, Tornic opened his eyes…
And fainted in the doorway.
Yeah, it's still in revision I guess... There are some parts I need to clean up, but on the whole it's just what I needed. So, You guys know where it parallels? *funny eyebrows*
Ah! Princess Bride! It's one of my favorite movies of all time! I actually have a parody about LOTR and Princess Bride where all the LOTR characters are saying Princess Bride lines... It's the funniest thing I've ever read, ever!
"Is this a kissing book?"
And then...
"Oh you don't want to hear this. It's kissing agian."
"Well, maybe it's alright for this time..."
So good!
Hi all! I'm a missionary to Albania (which I am sure none of you have ever heard of...and no it isn't part of the USA or even on the same continent). My favorite quote..."If my heart was a compass you would be north."...It always helps to have someone like God to be North in your life
My personal favorite Batson Novel would probably have to say is Curse of the Spider King. Although compared to his other books it is not as funny (see Door Within Trilogy). I must say though, I can't wait to read Venom and Song when it comes available. Assuming I don't win it first =). Another of my favorite Young Adult novel writers is Chuck Black. Who has written The Kingdom Series and is in the middle of writing a series called The Knights of Arrethtrae. Although the names may suggest otherwise Chuck Black is a really good author and the Kingdom Series is an allegory of the Bible.
Both series are allegories and Chuck Black is also a Christian. I would really suggest you get his books to at least him out. But I would like to know if someone has also heard of him or has read his books. Because so far none of my friends have heard of him much less read his books.
Is the thread killed already? :D
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they nay see your good works and glorify you Father in heaven.
Maeve was watching the Briton from the back of the riding party as Aiden and he joined in. She saw him glimpse around. Looking for her perhaps? She watched him shiver, though not with fear or from the cold, but from a proud heart brought low and mocked by his surroundings.
That's just an excerpt from a short story I'm writing.
"Oh hang the code! They're only guidelines anyway!" PotC
Funny quote from "The Last of the Nephilim" by Bryan Davis.
"You punish liars?" Walter asked. "In our world we elect them to public office."
:)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. ~Exodus 15:2
I love that verse. In fact, I made a fanart of it, check it out if you'd like: http://fotos.fotoflexer.com/b01d69c29160f7e2459f7d0e146472e2.jpg
Eldra; That is so not right, you get to see TFK again and I haven't even seen them, yet I have all their cds. Where are they going to be singing?
Anonymous Elizabeth; Here's a quote to Princess Bride "I'm going to fight him with my left hand. If I fight him with my right it's over to quikly" and "inconceivable!!" and "Ido not think that word means what you think it means" and "If you don't mind, do you six fingers on your right hand?" okay I'll have to stop, the lines jut keep coming.
My sister and I think, that ya'll might like to read Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. Both are great for inspiring budding writers. Maybe those that are older might enjoy a trilogy by L.A. Kelly; the first book is called Tahn.
Be Blessed :)
Hum.. well its hard to find somthing to say!!! ok well here it goes
If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
I have to admit I sometimes do things that other people think are weird (like walking around saying the same bible verse outloud to memorize it) but it does make people more productive. if you are just in you own bubble and trying to be "cool" it sooo boring and you never get anything done!!! JUST BE YOURSELF AND YOU WILL BE MORE PRODUCTIVE. trust me ive tried it!! being yourself works!!!!
Maveral shook his head in frustration, and tried to respond but Gaelbard did not let him speak. “Maveral,” the king reasoned; his voice was soft and tinged with a hint of sorrow, “we have lived in relative peace and safety for the past two hundred years! Our people are not ready to leap into a battle at a moment’s notice. And if those reinforcements should arrive during our attack, we should be utterly wiped out.”
Maveral hastily interrupted, “If they arrive - it is not certain!” He gestured emphatically with his hands, his voice rising in the anger that he no longer sought to hold in check. “What is certain is that we shall be destroyed if we wait, for we will then have to fight the entire force combined!”
“And what if we need not fight?” The king spun around to face Maveral; his jaw was working in anger, and his voice sounded strange to Maveral, for it was cold and distant. “What if we need not draw sword at all? During the past two hundred years there have been times when the kings of Zaeldor sent parties in to search for us, to make sure that we were all gone, that we had all died, and each time, we managed to evade them - that’s how we have been able to hide our existence for this long. And it may work again. We have more hope of survival that way than any other. And I will not throw away the chance that has saved our people so many times before, in favor of a reckless, thoughtless attack!”
“That’s just ridiculous Gaelbard and you know it.” Maveral interrupted in frustration; his rising temper getting the better of his judgment. He knew that he was going too far, but could not bring himself to simply tamely submit to folly. “We can’t just hide and hope they’ll leave. It’s not going to happen. They know we’re here, and they’re not leaving without us this time. I overheard them talking - they have orders to not leave until we are all dead or captured, even if they have to burn the entire Greenwood to the ground.” He paused, and realized that he had been nearly shouting. He lowered his voice again to a more civil tone. “They won’t leave, Gaelbard.”
Gaelbard had turned angrily away from Maveral’s outburst, and silence fell on the room. After waiting several minutes for the King to speak, Maveral at last spoke again, hesitatingly, “There’s a new king, Gaelbard: King Ahzard. He has sworn not to rest until the last remnant of the Gwahere has perished. We have to fight. And we should attack now before it is too late.” Maveral stared expectantly at Gaelbard’s broad-shouldered back for a moment, then, as the king did not move or reply, he ventured again. “I sent Hendryk to alert the border guards and muster the rest of the warriors - it should not take long. We will be ready to attack tomorrow night… if you give the word.”
His last statement hung on the air like an unseen challenge. Maveral waited uneasily for the king to speak. At last, Gaelbard slowly spun around; his jaw was clenched tightly in suppressed anger and his voice was hard. “You presume too much upon our long friendship, Captain Maveral. But I am King of the Gwahere and you are right in saying that it is my decision to make. I will decide what I believe to be best for my people. And you will abide by my decision.”
Maveral stiffened, wounded and insulted by his old friend’s accusation. A hasty response rose to his lips, but he checked it and instead bowed stiffly towards the king. “Yes, sire. The choice is yours and I will obey.”
"Good.” Gaelbard nodded, “Now, return to the great hall. I will be there in a moment to announce my decision to the people.”
“Very good sire.” Maveral bowed stiffly again, and then strode quickly out of the room, his weathered cape swirling behind him.
So, for lack of anything else better to post: I shall post part of my challenge story. But oh... what excerpt shall I post? Alright... difficult decision, but here is an excerpt from the middle of Chapter One.
~*~
“Are you sure of this?” Gaelbard demanded as he leaned forward and rested his hands upon the map of the Greenwood spread out upon the desk.
“I am positive.” Maveral answered; he turned slowly from where he had been standing gazing into the fire, and stepped forward towards Gaelbard. “I have seen it myself. A whole company of strange men have entered the Greenwood. And more are coming. Soon there will be a whole army within our borders.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “They entered here. I was visiting the patrol outposts yesterday on the southern edge of the forest with Hendryk and two others, and found two of my border guards slain at their posts and a trail made by many feet leading northwest into the woods. I followed it and came upon their encampment, then made my way here.” He ran a hand through his wild brown hair, pushing it out of his eyes.
Gaelbard turned away from Maveral to stare into the dull red glare of the fire’s embers. “How many men?” He asked and his voice was hoarse and weary. He seemed as if he had just received a deadly blow long feared, but still unexpected when it came.
“Two thousand foot soldiers,” Maveral answered, “with rumor of five more within the week and another half of that in archers and spearmen. I overheard their leaders talking,” He added with a halfhearted grin, “Expedition tents are not soundproof.”
“Five thousand more?” Gaelbard repeated unbelievingly. “Seven thousand soldiers?”
“And archers and spearmen besides.” Maveral added with a grim nod.
“No such force exists! That is impossible.”
“Apparently not.” Maveral remarked drily. He sat down upon the edge of the desk and crossed his arms, waiting for the king to speak again.
“But, what are they doing here?” Gaelbard demanded. He lowered his head into his hand and absently rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Gaelbard,” Maveral shook his head, staring seriously at his friend and trying to meet the King’s rapidly shifting gaze. “There is no question as to what they are doing here. They are here to destroy us. We must face it - we’ve been discovered at last.”
“That is impossible.” Gaelbard slammed a fist against the desk, and strode angrily around the room. “How could we have been discovered?” He demanded, “We have been living in complete secrecy for the past two hundred years, utterly separated and cut off from the rest of Zaeldor. How could they possibly know that we still exist?”
“That is not what matters.” Maveral broke in, “They have discovered us - how, I don’t know! But the point is they know we’re here. And they’re going to come for us… to destroy us! So,” He rubbed a hand across the stubble of the two-day beard which covered his chin. “What are we going to do?”
Gaelbard sighed and turned slowly around to face him. “What do you suggest we do?” He asked pointedly.
“Look, there are only two thousand enemy soldiers here at the moment.” Maveral started to his feet, speaking quickly and eagerly, “We have nearly twice that number that can be readily armed and equipped for battle.”
Gaelbard started to turn away in disagreement but Maveral followed him, gesturing expressively with his hands as he tried to make his point. “And they are all gathered here for the celebration of your son’s birthday... We have the element of surprise...”
Gaelbard held up his hand, “Stop Maveral,” he said, “I know what you would say, and I refuse.”
“But, Gaelbard,” Maveral persisted, determined to finish what he had to say. “We should attack and we should do it now! Now, we have the advantage - if we wait, our enemies will be reinforced and there will be no way we can withstand such a number!”
“No,” Gaelbard retorted, “To attack now would be rash! Without the proper planning… without careful thought!”
Did anyone see the blog post Mr. Batson did yesterday? Bravo! There's a great discussion going on in the comments section there as well. Right now, I only have a few weeks of school left before summer break (yay!) but I've been getting the urge to "slack off" a bit, so if you guys could maybe say a quick prayer for me and the rest of you who may be going through the same thing, I'd really appreciate it! = )
Oh my word! Star-Dreamer! Your book is amazing! =D
Lady Dragon Keeper, I love the Narnia movies! Dawn Treader is coming out... soon, right? I'm so excited!
Jolyane! That poem was amazing! So cool! =D
ElizabethMarieKauffer, that sounds so cool! I'm glad you think the auditions went well! I hope you get the part!
Love you guys!
Greetings, everyone! More to come tonight I hope, but in the meantime here's a neat quote on stories:
"Since all the world is but a story, it were well for thee to buy the more enduring story rather than the one that is less enduring." - St. Columba of Scotland
Meaningful –adjective
full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant: a meaningful wink; a meaningful choice.
There you go. Something Meaningful
WOW!! Almost 800!!!
Gillian: It was TOM BOMBADIL!!! (sp?) :) I love that character
Mermaidgirl: I found God (well I'd always been a Christian.. I just kinda took everything for granted) when I read The Door Within. Especailly that ending part in The Final Storm... It was just like " WOW there really is a God out there and he listens to me and loves me and I can talk to him whenever, wherever. " It was a great feeling!:) Thank you Mr. Batson for writing these books!!
Gillian: We have those cd's. I remember when I first listened to them and I thought "wow! Thats really Tolkein and wow! Thats how you pronounce some of the names and Wow he can really do Gollum!"
Matthew: totally right!!!!
And Eldra: I have no idea! I think Veggie Tales Freak has not been on in a long time.
Star Dreamer: LOVE the excerpt!!!!!
Matthew Schoch: Yep heard of Albania. We actually knew some missionaries that went there! It's in Europe:)
Gillian: I LOVE those excerpts!!! You guys are great writers!! I am thinking I will post some of mine. Can I trust you guys not to steal it? jk:)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
haha I like to leave people hanging:) tell me i you want more!! :)
Elizabeth:)
Never Alone!!
An egg will hatch
An elven maiden will raise the dragon
An evil king will be vanquished
And the world will be saved
The elves knew the prophecy, especially Elia the young elf who found the egg. It was their only hope to get rid of the evil king. Elia raised the dragon in secret hoping that one day they might surprise the king and kill him. But their attempt was futile, and one day the king found out about the dragon and captured it, along with an elf. The elves were distraught, but Elia made a promise to herself, to get the dragon back or to die in the attempt.
(=)(=)(=)(=)
A girl walked noiselessly through the moon lit forest. Her bare feet found crevices that no human would be able to find. The moon peaked out from behind a cloud and illuminated her pointed ears and golden hair. The air held a strange odor, a burnt smell. An owl hooted and the girl started. A doe rustled in the bushes. The girl relaxed and knelt down in the soft ground. A set of footprints, not two days old. She scanned the area for other signs and found a broken branch, and a tree that had been burned into the ground. “Good,” she thought. “He is yet alive.” She found 2 more sets of footprints. Her head drooped and her pointed ears quivered at what she beheld next. A single arrow was embedded in a tuft of moss. She examined it and found the fletchings to be made of cardinal feathers. Beside it was a quiver filled with the same kind of arrows. She bowed her head and a small wail escaped her lips. He would never leave his arrows just lying around.
A sudden rustle sounded in the trees behind her and she whirled around, fitting an arrow to her bowstring.
mermaidgirl45–Thanks!! :D
"If you want to reach your culture you must speak its language - and the language of our culture is film." –Geoff Botkin
~ElizabethMarieKauffman~
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