Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

It seems like forever since I've done one of Heidi's awesome Inkling Explorations!  So here I am for the April edition :)  This month's prompt is: ~ a description of a lady in literature ~ After much thought, I've decided to go with a passage from one of my favorite-ever books ( Ivanhoe ), describing one of my favorite-ever heroines (Rebecca of York).  Here we go! Yet had the Jewess this advantage, that she was better prepared by habits of thought, and by natural strength of mind, to encounter the dangers to which she was exposed.  Of a strong and observing character, even from her earliest years, the pomp and wealth which her father displayed within his walls, or which she witnessed in the houses of other wealthy Hebrews, had not been able to blind her to the precarious circumstances under which they were enjoyed.  Like Damocles at his celebrated banquet, Rebecca perpetually beheld, amid that gorgeous display, the sword which was suspend...

It's rather embarrassing, really, how long it took me to come up with a suitable selection for  this month's Inkling Explorations .  I simply couldn't think of a good choice for quite a while, but now, at last, I'm ready to share :) This month's prompt is: ~ a New Year or "new beginnings" passage in literature ~ I'm going with the new beginnings theme, and the excerpt I'm posting is from one of my favorite books, Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis (btw, you can read my review of it  here , if you're so inclined).  This will contain spoilers, because it's practically the last few pages of the book.  Orual has finally come face-to-face with the gods, and is having her questions answered (that's a lame explanation; Lewis does it better).  She is ready to love Psyche truly, instead of with the obsessive and possessive passion with which she has hitherto treated her.  She is at last about to let go of her bitterness and resentment an...

Time for  Heidi's link-up !  This month's prompt is: a Christmastide movie scene WELL.  What better time to post it than on the very Eve of Christmas?  [Or, as we like to say in the security business, Christmas Eve.  (If you got that reference, though…)] I'm going to select the scene of Jesus' birth, as portrayed in The Nativity Story , a movie of which, as I'm sure you all know, I think rather highly ;)   Here it is.  DRINK IT IN.  And then go watch the whole movie, as I plan to do tonight, and drown in the music and the atmosphere and *cough* Joseph and just the general epic-ness that is this movie.

Here I am to share my selection for  Heidi's November edition of Inkling Explorations !  The theme for this month: ~ a giving of thanks in prose or poetry ~ And my choice comes from The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien!  (Natalie, DON'T READ THIS!  If you don't already know what happens in RotK, that is, and don't wish to know.) …Is Natalie/whoever else doesn't want LotR spoilers gone? Okay, then.  We can proceed;) This passage comes after the Ring has been cast into the fires of Orodruin, and Sam and Frodo awake to find themselves rescued and in the camp of Aragorn in…Ithilien, I think.  Sam is disoriented at first, but at being reunited with Gandalf, all the toils and sorrows of his heavy journey begin to fall away, and his out-gushing of relief and exhilaration reach a robust crescendo throughout the whole latter part of the chapter.  It's all joyous and exuberant and wonderful, but for the sake of brevity I must limit it to t...

It's that time again;  Heidi's  September 2015 Inkling Explorations prompt is in!  This time, it's a funny story opening in literature .  Well, naturally, the thoughts turn to Wodehouse, being the comedic genius that he is, but a few other people have already used him, so I thought I'd go with the opening to the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians .   Not long ago, there lived in London a young married couple of Dalmatian dogs named Pongo and Missis Pongo.  (Missis had added Pongo's name to her own on their marriage, but was still called Missis by most people.)  They were lucky enough to own a young married couple of humans named Mr. and Mrs. Dearly, who were gentle, obedient, and unusually intelligent--almost canine at times.  They understood quite a number of barks:  the barks for "Out, please!" "In, please!" "Hurry up with my dinner!" and "What about a walk?"  And even when they could not understand, they could...

Time for  Heidi's July edition of Inkling Explorations !  This month's topic is swell:D a well-crafted animated film climax Oh, it is on;)   When I first read the prompt, I immediately thought of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame , because let me tell you, that movie has climaxes .  I get goosebumps in more than one scene. Initially, my thoughts turned to the opening sequence, which is absolutely shivery-wonderful, BUT, I thought, what if one of the prompts features "well-crafted animated film opening"?  So instead I thought I'd pick the scene when Quasimodo saves Esmeralda from burning.  OH MY HEAVENS ABOVE THAT SCENE THOUGH. Okay, so this video is a little weirdly constructed…just watch until 3:14, and then, for some reason, it switches back to a part earlier on in the video, so…yeah.  Just watch until 3:14.  'T'IS INCREDIBLE.  I get chills.

What-ho, all!  I'm just popping in to share a 'gripping story opening' for  Heidi's  June edition of Inkling Explorations! The prompt is a beginning that grabbed you and kept your attention, not necessarily a high-action one.  I decided at length to go with the opening to The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern  by William Goldman;)  (The opening to the actual PB opening, that is, not the first line of the book.  Because, as anyone who's read it knows, it's a rather strangely constructed book in that regard…anywho.  Rambling.) The year that Buttercup was born, the most beautiful woman in the world was a French scullery maid named Annette.  Annette worked in Paris for the Duke and Duchess de Guiche, and it did not escape the Duke's notice that someone extraordinary was polishing the pewter.  The Duke's notice did not escape the notice of the Duchess either, who was not very beautiful and not very rich, but plenty smart. The Du...

Soooo, I am arriving so late to the game here, but Heidi has introduced a fun new link-up for story lovers at her author blog,  Sharing the Journey ! You can read the details  here , but basically, for this month, we're supposed to share something related to violets from literature/film.  Well, I had a couple ideas for this, but I'm going to go with something from…a TV show!  I hope that's allowed?  It's a "vintage" (sort of) TV show, if that helps XD  Here goes! Yep, Andy Griffith!  Does anyone remember the part in "Andy and Opie, Bachelors" when Peggy is singing with Andy on the porch, and Opie's listening?  Peggy starts to sing, "Down in the Valley," which, in case you didn't know, is an achingly beautiful ballad.  (Oh, and at one point during the song--it might actually be this verse's chorus--Andy joins in with her, singing an absolutely meltingly awesome harmony, and I DIE.  Not really, but it's pretty darn...