Tosse Rir

So hunkere ye downe and listen ye alle,
I shalle telle ye the tale, never ye feare;
But harke! I heare the spinetingling calle
of the one and only chillinge, Tosse Rir.

--

Well, if you've talked to me lately, then you might have noticed a phrase I keep using.  Tosse Rir.  No, it isn't an original word composed by yours truly, but I really like the sound of it.  Just try saying it: tosse rir.

So I'd bet your wondering what I mean.  Or perhaps you're rolling your eyes again. "Jake's lost his marbles....again...."

Well, here's the Sadaarin definition.

Tosse rir: 1. A snorting, coughing laugh--sputtering on air. (i.e. *tosse rir*, one who is coughing, sputtering on air, in humor.)  2. literal Meaning, 'cough laugh'.

So a wee explanation. ;)  Feel free to use it as ye please...it's not like I copyright these things. :)

And second...TODAY IS MANNY'S BIRTHDAY!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANNY!  If ye want to check it out, her blog is found here. :)

--
Jake

The Controversy

See that?  That city right there--St. Louis--is where the controversy is.

Haven't heard?  The Tribe Party #2 location is now up for debate...and vote.  Elves who participated in the last tribe contest get to vote just as to where this Tribe Party may be.

At first, the votes were overwhelmingly in favor of Kansas City.  For the West Coast Elves, KC is the way to go--it has the cheapest airfare.  And...of course, I live there. ;)  Or relatively near, that is.

But there's a lot of Elves on the East Coast too.  And they are leaning for something more eastward.  That, and a tempting offer from the family who actually lives in St. Louis, has proved to be enough to sway the debate.  Despite Manny's pie-making wonders, St. Louis is leading the voting.

Will St. Louis win?

Will KC prevail?

Stay tuned next time for more information. ;)

--
Jake

Read These Words

Hey all! I just saw this video.

It.

is.

Amazing.

Watch it. A call to mission, to war.



--
Jake

Elvish Epicness!

Recently two of the Elves, Millard and Silver Angel, have made a worthy video. Watch, and be amazed. I absolutely love this, because it completely mirrors my own opinions on this subject.

And if you're not an Elf, ye may not get this. But you shall find it amusing nonetheless.

Trolls! Wipeouts! Elves! Give me liberty or give me Elves! Or better yet, just give me Elves.

Epicness.




Huzzah for Elves!

Endurance and Victory,

--
Jake

The Hall of the King of Arowdae

The picture you observe there is my woeful Paint version of the Hall of the King. :)  Use your imagination, and let me explain it a wee bit.

Imagine you are walking along...and you see this massive stone wall.  With a golden door. :)  Pretty cool, huh?  If you step inside, you will see a giant, open-aired hall.  On either side of you are giant pillars, and a stone walkway stretches beneath your feet.  It is covered by all sorts of colored carpets and furs.  On the far side of the hall is another wall, bigger than the first.  There are tapestries, paintings, and banners strewn all across it.  At the foot of the wall is a lacquered wooden throne of hard kieda wood.  There is an assortment of furs to cushion the kings's backside laid upon the thrown. ;)

The end. ;)  How did you like your miniature tour through the Hall of the King of Arowdae?  Good?  OK?  Want more?  Well, ye'll have to wait.  No one is reading my novel until I have it halfway edited. ;)

Enough randomness for today.  Until next time!

--
Jake

O Christmas Tree--Tis the Tag!

Well, I ended up with a tag. >_>  Yay.  Can ye tell I am excited? ;)

Tag Rules:


1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag 20 friends.
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
And the questions?  *drumroll*

If someone says "Are you okay?" you say...
"Caroling Medley by VeggieTales".  O_o  Hey, don't look at me like that.  Twas a free album.

What would best describe your personality?
"Gibberish by Relient K." Scarily accurate. >_>
How would you describe yourself?
"Prologue."  O_o Prologue to what?
What do you like in a guy/girl?
"Puppy Love by VeggieTales."  GAH!
How do you feel today?
"Break Open the Sky by tobyMac."  (OO) That is interesting...
What is your life's purpose?
"Hey Devil by tobyMac."  ;) Well, actually, tis the opposite...
What's Your Motto?
"Comatose by Skillet."  Hmm...well tis an interesting word, but not exactly a motto.
What do your friends think of you?
"Loud 'n Clear by tobyMac."  That might be. :|

What do your parents think of you?
"Terminal B by Andrew Landers."  Hm.
What do you think about very often?
"For Unto Us a Child is Born by VeggieTales."  Well, I certainly do this time of year. >_>
What is 2 + 2?
"Hark the Harold Angels Sing/Angles We Have Heard on High by VeggieTales."  O_o
What do you think of your best friend?
"Falling Inside the Black by Skillet."  Interesting.
What do you think of the person you like?
"Its About Love by VeggieTales."  I don't like anyone. :P  Who picked these questions?
What is your life story?
"Christmas Sizzle Boy by VeggieTales."  How did ye KNOW?! ;)
What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Rebirthing by Skillet."  Huh.
What do you think when you see the person you like?
"Come Right Out and Say It by Relient K."  Again...who picked these questions?
What will you do at your wedding?
"One World by tobyMac."  <_<  This is starting to get strange.
What will they play at your funeral?
"Say Goodbye by Skillet."  How apt.

What is your hobby/interest?
"Start Somewhere by tobyMac."  Well, ye must start somewhere to get a hobby. >_>

What is your biggest fear?
"Made to Love by tobyMac."  Riiiiight.
What is your biggest secret?
"Candy Cane Blues by VeggieTales."  Aye. :|
What do you want right now?
"The Friendly Beasts by VeggieTales."  Bwahahaha ;)

What do you think of your friends?
"Ignition by tobyMac."  FIRE!
What's the worst thing that could happen?
"City On Our Knees by tobyMac."  Probably not.
What is the one thing you regret?
"Looking for Angels by Skillet."  As if I ever did that. ;)
What makes you laugh?
"Yours to Hold by Skillet."  Not really.

What makes you cry?
"Not in My Backyard by Andrew Landers."  The message behind the song?  Not exactly...but it could, one day.
Will you ever get married?
"Was He a Boy Like Me by VeggieTales."  It avoided the question.
What scares you the most?
"Jingle Ka-ching by VeggieTales."  GAH!  *hides*

Does anyone like you?
"Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring by City of Prague Philharmonic."  I like ye too LOTR. ;)  But seriously...if I get another one of these questions I shall quit. :|
If you could go back in time, what would you change?
"Battling Kings by VeggieTales."  I wonder...
What hurts right now?
"Iowa Song by Andrew Landers."  Heh.
What would you want to say to the person who tagged you?
"Joy to the World by VeggieTales."  For once this thing got it right. ;)

What will you name this post?
"O Christmas Tree by VeggieTales."  Okay then. >_>

Well, it ended. :)  I thought I would enjoy this...but I am not sure now. ;)   I tag all of my followers!  Do this if ye dare!  And if ye love this so much ye want to do it...go ahead and steal it. <_<

--
Jake

The. Most. Epic. Movie. Ever.

The above video is about six minutes long--basically, I think of it as the entire musical theme of LOTR crammed into six minutes.

Part of the reason for this post is that 1) I love that video, and 2) I am about to watch the most epic movie ever: Lord of the Rings, Return of the King.

The. Best. Movie. Ever. Nothing comes close. It is the most fantastic fantasy and blow-you-away epic movie ever made and one of the greatest novels of all time.

Enough of my ranting. ;) Enjoy the video!

--

Jake

The Amazon Kindle

After many moons of saving--delayed by book-buying and gift-giving--I have finally bought the Kindle.  The newest version. >_>  An e-reader!  Books available in one minute in over 100 countries!  Ect. etc. etc.!  Those on the Underground know many of the Kindle's abilities... ;)  More on that later...

So I went through the tedious processes of grabbing some pictures for ye people.  Now, behold!  The Kindle on a field of white. ;)

                                    Actually, that's the Kindle in its case. ;)  Not the raw Kindle itself.

                Here here!  See the Kindle!  Tis a charcoal one.  Emily Dickinson is the current 'screensaver'.

                                                          The Kindle without its cover.

     And what is this?  It's a bird!  It's a plane!  No, it's my novel! ;)  A bit easier than printing it out, eh?

Behold!  There it is again. :)

Read the title: tis the epic novel 'By Darkness Hid' on my Kindle.  With my hand. >_>

My novel again. ;)

And take a look at this: it's the Underground! :D  In black and white. >_>

And look--there's Millard! :)

So that's my Kindle in pictoral form. >_>  What do ye think?  And ye may expect a post on E-reader vs. Paper soon.  Maybe, maybe not.  I'm terrible at promising posts and then not posting...

--

Jake

The Flow'st Upon a Midnight: Christmas Edition

For now, just for $0.99, you can get The Flow'st Upon a Midnight: Christmas Edition from your nearest music retailer or at Amazon.com MP3 store.  This new hit features such lyrics as the original 'Flow'st' and so much more!

;)

I was singing the other day.  If the glass on the car wasn't extra-strong, they would've broken, but the particular song I was singing was 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear'.  And all of a sudden....I starting singing something different.  You know those weird times when you are singing one song and suddenly switch to another?  That was one of those times.  It was still the same tune, but the lyrics were suddenly different...

"The Flow'st Upon a Midnight Three," I sang.

Wha?!

Turns out, there's enough voice-warping available for this song, that you can set 'The Flow'st Upon a Midnight' to the 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear' tune.



C       F        C            
I said to him and he to me.
 F             D7         G7
That I had gone and ate a tree
C                 F        C            
The Flow'st upon a midnight three
  F                    G7     C  
And caused the cat to flee.


So that's my randomness for today. ;)   Other things I have neglected to mention follow: Manny, my sister (older than Vrenith but younger than I) has made a blog!  She actually has two, but the one I personally enjoy the most is 'It Can't Get Any Crazier Than This'.  Check it out! :)  Much pie and randomness etc. :)

Other things may be concerning stories.  I am writing a rather 'whimsical' one right now in the spirit of Alice in Wonderland...my creativity has been shot ever since NaNoWriMo, so the other side of my brain (randomness, mwahahaha) has kicked in.  The contents concern hungry cabinets, man-eating mice, cats, cows, and Eighty-five Pounds (a nearby province).

With that....I'm out. :)

--
Jake

Aye, I Have Something Up My Sleeve...

Woh, it's been a fortnight since I hath posted, hm?  Ten days! :O  Shame on me! 

Excuses first, y'know.  ;)  I have been very very very very busy these days, and I haven't TOUCHED my novel since I finished it... I was planning on doing alot of editing, but alas, events have conspired against me!   It is now the fifth of December, and Procrastination--the hideous beast it is--is crouching at my door again.  Agh! :P

But with other news, I have looked into a wonderful feature NaNoWriMo winners have available for them: the code for a free paperback copy of your own novel!! :D  I am going to take advantage of this very soon...providing I can get some editing done. Perhaps a familial Christmas present?

Anyway, I have something up my sleeve.  Soon, on my other blog, I plan to undertake an undertaking, an undertaking called socks.  Or, more specifically, NaNoWriMo socks.  Aye, I see ye know what I mean: I plan to follow in the footsteps of Millard and Whisper and write NaNoWriMo on my socks.

If ye know the story, Millard, on his blog, decided to write NaNoWriMo on his socks, so he did so and published a picture of it in his celebratory blog post.

Now, Whisper, encouraged by Millard, took up her Sharpie also and wrote NaNoWriMo on her socks as well--but she took a video of it!

So, to top it ;) I am going to write NaNoWriMo on my socks, take a video of it, and then post it on my blog!  But to make it unique *mwahahaha* I am going to write with a giant BLUE sharpie!  XD XD  I shall treasure those socks always. :|  It should be an Elvish tradition. ;)

Anyway, I just have to take up the monumental task of either finding Manny's camera for the video or finding Mom's battery-charger.  And when I say monumental..I mean monumental. :|  I have spent the last hour searching for them *sigh*

With that, my randomness of the day is done again!  Until next time, *tips hat*

--
Jake

Y'know, I Just Realized....

Two days ago, this blog turned one year old.  :)  Ancient, huh?  It's crazy how time flies.  I remember making this blog... >_>  A lot has happened since then.  I've finished two novels--three, perhaps?  Lots of memories here.  I used to make another blog like once a year, LOL.  But not anymore.  Remember the rabbit scare, readers?  "The Thousand Year Meeting"--those were scary days. :O  Epic, though.

I don't suppose any of you have followed this long enough to remember when I finished my second novel.  Or began my third--or even read my synopsis.  Lots have happened.  There's a lot of history here.  Sorta like the Underground. :)  That's over a year old as well... >_>

So what do you remember of the 'old days' when blogs were young and everyone was eager to write?

And happy Thanksgiving. :)

--
Jake

To Darkness Fled Book Trailer

Turns out some awesome people made a book trailer video of 'To Darkness Fled' Check this out! The 'To Darkness Fled' trailer, made by a bunch of Nightwingers. ;) Pretty awesome! Epic, in fact. *watches video again*



--
Jake

In Honor of Those Who have OWNED NaNoWriMo!

I am beside myself with joy! :)  I know three--yes, THREE--Elves/people that have already finished--owned--NaNoWriMo.  So this post is in honor of them!  :)  This is in order of done-d-ness--those who finished first are first in line. :D

--

Firstly: Squeaks!

Squeaks has just finished her first novel (HALLELUJAH!), 'In the House of Ramsy Motch'.  AMAZING!  And what's even more epical, is that she is attempting to write the second book in the series by the end of November as well!  WHOO!  *applause*  Good luck, Squeaks! :D  And let us read it sometime. ;)

Second: EP (Elven Princess)!

This is also her first novel, the longest thing she has ever written.  She finished it just behind Squeaks.  :)  GREAT JOB!! :D :D :D :D  It amazed me the speed she was writing. :)

And thirdly (a success story), Millard! (see his post on his finished novel here)

On the eighth of November, Millard was at 10k.  He hadn't written in four days, and he had frantically posted on whether or not he was going to try and catch up--or die trying.  But then he did something amazing.

He wrote 40,000 words in SIX DAYS. 

Believe it, readers!  You want to see his stats? :D  It was amazing!  One of those days he actually wrote 10,000 words!  One day!  GO MILLARD! :D

Here is the comment I wrote on his blog:
"AGGGDKJSDJFSJDKFG!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

MILLARD YOU DID IT!!! DANCE FOR JOY MY DEAR SHINING LIGHT YOU DIIIIIIDDDDDD IIIIIITTTTTTTT!!!!! XD XD XD XD XD XD PRAISE ELLOS!! YOU DID IT MILLARD! Can you feel the overwhelming achievement?! I can, and I'm halfway 'cross the country! XD GOOOOO MILLLARDDDD!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! SOCKS SOCKS SOCKS! :O Y'know, whisper is friends with socks... YOU OWN NANOWRIMO MILLARD!!! OWNAAAAGEE!!! XD

By the way ;) ye are number one. ;) ;) Moahahaha. XD"

--

So congrats NaNo OWNERS!  XD  You did it! Hallelujah!

And for those of us still plugging on through dragging word counts, Endurance and Victory!   We can do it!  Just take a look at those stories up there! :)

Over and out,

--
Jake

Despicable Characters and Some Sort of Betrayal

The title has mostly nothing to do with the post.  Except that it has to do with the excerpt I am going to give you...*turns red*  Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell ye that yet, was I?  Ah, well, the cat's out of the bag *meow* *RWEW!* *tackles cat to the ground and stuffs it into a bag*

Now, where was I?  Ah, yes.  Betrayal and despicable characters.  Both can be summed up in this oneword: Dreadman.  Or, rather, the Dreadman. 

Now, as for an excerpt...aye, I can see that light in yer eyes.  Tis about the Dreadman--I wrote it just last night. :)  Well, tis SORT of about the Dreadman.  At any rate, here it is!

--

Kyrsain was the captain of a dying city guard.


All around him, black-cloaked invaders struck strategically in places of the guard. Men fell without a sound, a wordless cry on their lips.

A man near Kyrsain gurgled and fell, and as the bloodied sword slipped out of him and whirled smoothly toward Kyrsain, he tried his best to defend himself. He struck, defended, parried, and attacked, but the man blocked every strike. Kyrsain could just see the moonlight glint on the man's eyes within the black cloak, and a smile seemed to grace the shadowed lips--or was it his imagination?

Kyrsain slipped on the stones and fell backwards. The man lunged towards him, but Kyrsain struck upward with his sword, and he felt it hit flesh. A cry came from the cloaked man, and he fell.

Kyrsain stumbled upward and glanced around the carnage.

Everywhere, men cried and struggled against cloaked men with thin swords of silvers steel. His men, Kyrsain knew. They were dying, being cut down by the hungry swords of the cloaked men.

"Trnshah!" Kyrsain shouted. The friend and warrior below, Trnshah, killed his opponent with a quick thrust, and turned back toward Kyrsain. He shouted something intelligible back, and Kyrsain yelled, "Gather the men and retreat into the city! Hurry, we must protect the palace! PULL BACK!"

The burly warrior nodded, and began relaying the cry.

The men disengaged from the tangled battle as best they could, and those that survived the furious attack pulled back into the city.

At first, Kyrsain thought they had temporarily escaped, that they would make it to the palace. But then he spotted a cloaked shadow in front of them, and the men, tearing down the streets of Tterin, stopped involuntarily.

A figure, taller than the rest, stepped out, his cloak of black blowing back behind him. "How...good of you to join us," he said, his voice a low hissing.

A bolt of fear slammed through Kyrsain, and he pushed it back. Yet he could not help but tremble inside at the inexplicable evil aurora of the man.

Quietly, more figures, shadowed by the moonlight, their faces black from their hoods, stepped beside the man. Closer they came, until the remnant of the guard were surrounded.

And then they struck.

The cloaked men moved forward, quick as lightning, and struck again and again, and the mass of men became a massacre, a battleground of blood.

Kyrsain ducked the first blow his opponent gave him and quickly beheaded him, but no more defeated him than another man took his place, engaging Kyrsain once again.

Through the din and haze of battle, Kyrsain glimpsed the leader of the men--for he deemed that is what he was--engaging Trnshah. Their blades whirled back and forth, and showers of sparks illuminated their desperate swordplay. Slowly, little by little, Kyrsain saw that Trnshah was pushed back by the skill of the other man.

"NO!" Kyrsain yelled, and he stabbed wildly at the man and drove his way through the battle, hacking, slashing, just so he could get to his friend in time.

But he was too late.

As he emerged from the massacre, he saw the man--the cloaked man--stab once, and Trnshah slumped to the ground with an anguished cry, and said no more.

Rage, anger, grief--all of these combined into Kyrsain's emotions, fueling his swordplay as he ferociously attacked the man in the black cloak, the man who had killed his friend.

The man stumbled slightly, but soon recovered. He parried once, and then drove Kyrsain backward. "Do you think you can defeat me?" the man spat, hacking away at Kyrsain's defense. "I am the Dreadman, second only to Magorth."

The Dreadman? Magorth? Kyrsain felt sick to his stomach.

"Magorth has already won your precious Tterin, and he shall conquer all of Arowdae," the man taunted, "And then, you will forever stay in our darkness, be whipped by our people, and bear the brunt of our anger, for all of time, until you die."

"No!" Kyrsain screamed, wildly stabbing at the Dreadman.

A searing pain blasted through his stomach, and darkness hovered on the edges of his eyes. Pain, oh pain! His head swam and he collapsed to the ground.

"You have already lost," the Dreadman said.

But Kyrsain brought his sword up from the ground, and slashed, one last time, at the Dreadman. He grunted in pain, holding his bleeding side.

As Kyrsain looked up at the Dreadman, his hood fell back, and his hideous face was revealed, a burned, marred face with two black eyes leering out at him. Pain overcame him, and darkness swam under his vision. The Dreadman, growling in anger, swung at Kyrsain's head. He raised his sword one last time, in weak defense...

A flash of pain and death overcame his earthly body, his life was severed.

The Dreadman spat on the corpse, and left Tterin to burn.
 
--
 
Tell me if it was too intense.  O.o  I may change it a bit.  Tis completely unedited. :)  Tell me what ye think!
 
--
Jake

Vrenith, Procrastination, and a Hefty Dose of Oskar's Quotes

Aye, ye read the title right. >_>

Now, to start off, I am wishing Vrenith a very late birthday.  It was earlier this November, and I have, alas, overcome by NaNoWriMo, neglected posting on it.  So, for the record....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VRENITH!

And another thing: Vrenith, my sister, has finally made a blog.  It is a motley band of topics (mainly concerning dragons and drawings), but it promises to be excellent.  So do me a favor--go and flood her blog!  Follow, comment, do whatever is necessary, but give her a hearty welcome into the blogosphere! :)  Ye can find it here.

Procrastination.

That hated thing.  The evil beast that destroys one's dreams and novelings, the creature that creeps into one's soul and blackens all creativity, the thing that must be slayed at all costs.

There!  I am done.  I had to get that out, readers...it was imperitive. 

Now, I'd like to share some of Oskar's quotes.  :)  They have been rattling around in my head lately...

“I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again.”

— Hanwyt Moor, famed shoe burgular

“Whether crushed or sheltered by the Maker’s hand, ’tis beneath it we go, from breath to death.”

— Triliban Plubius the Bruised, The Bridge, (Skree City Press)

“Ugh. Might they have thought of something else?”

— Verbichude Yay, Art: If I Like it, it’s Good, (Torborro Press)

“I’m round as the moon and just as big—ouch! That hurt!”

— Izikk the Slapped, Bandages Abound, (Humer House Publishers)
“I should’ve known.”

— Chonk

“I’ve an idea! Attend closely to me and you might find your shoes.”

— Bimm Stack, Never Do Something You’re Good at for Free, Unless You’re Nice, (Skree City Bookhouse)

*sigh* Have I mentioned lately that I love the Wingfeather Saga? *checks own blog*  Aye, I have.

Farewell for now!

--
Jake