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An Awesome Passage

This is one of my favorite passages (from non-scripture, lol). I have LOTS of favorites from lots of stories, and it just so happens that this one is from one I read on the internet that isn't published, but STILL. Read it.

"You know … there's something thrilling in the sound of a sword clearing its sheath. Some indefinable something in the sound that makes your heart leap, and your gut clench, and sets every nerve in your body to tingling. You can tell more from that sound than you can from the fight itself. Intentions can be hidden behind feints and bluffs, emotions can be mimicked or denied through discipline and pattern, moves and actions can be disguised as other moves and actions which leave you unaware. But that first metallic shing … that's what tells you everything you'll ever need to know, about yourself and about your opponent.

Is it a ring or a hiss?

Does it snarl along the edge or does it whisper from its casing?

Is it honest?

That's an odd thought, I suppose, that a sound – let alone a sound associated with a weapon – can be honest, but I hold to it, and as I pull the Master Sword up and out of its pedestal, and that metallic singing rings in my head and the world turns to blue around me for that single, eternal instant it makes perfect sense.

The sound is honest.

This sword is honest.

In a world gone crazy, this much at least I can trust."

Do you see what I mean?

This writer has an amazing writing voice, and she takes awesome advantage of the use of first person. Sometimes with doing writing counseling, when people are writing in first person but making it sound like third person except for the pronouns, I use this passage to illustrate the things you can do with first person.

The way it's written, you can just feel his personality in the style of narration. There's this conversational tone established with the reader that gives you a taste of intimacy. I've seen so many people try that conversational first person, but nooot handle it well and not using it to the advantage of the writing. This author, though, she does it beautifully, taking advantage of the first person viewpoint and the intimate tone to pack a harder punch. "You know...there's something thrilling in the sound of a sword clearing its sheath." Agh, I just love it!

I love how she handles the thing about "an honest sound." There's not a trace of 'author apology' sneaking in, she just writes the word that comes to mind and lets it make sense or not make sense to whoever reads it. It's more important to her to be true to the story than to get embarrassed and try to explain away her word choice, or choose an adjective with a more transparent application! That, my friends, is what you call "writer's integrity."

Le sigh! This is one of those passages that just inspires me. It gives me this weird tickle in my throat, like I'm almost going to giggle (but laced with more excitement and intensity than just a giggle), and just makes me want to write! (until I get into my self-defeating mental circle of "but I can't write well enough, but I'm not good enough," which results in the OPPOSITE of "writer's integrity," btw)

Anyway. I have quite the amalgam of favorite passages bouncing around in my head, all admired and inspiring for different reasons, but this is definitely one of them, and an awesome one at that.

(kfineI'lljustadmitmynerdinessforthoseofyouwhohaven'tfigureditoutandtellyouit'safanfictionbasedonavideogamethatIlove)

Credit where credit is due - the writer's called "Rose Zemlya" and the story is "Legend of Zelda: Reconciliation." Link (haha) to the story here! http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1755123/1/Legend_of_Zelda_Reconciliation

Off to read and maybe write,

Lauren

A Day to Love

I know people have heard me say this before, but my freshman year in college I came up with the phrase "It's not SAD (Single Awareness Day), be GLAD (Grateful Losers Aren't Datingyou)!" We had a big party that you weren't allowed to come to if you had a boyfriend or girlfriend, and we served heart-shaped pizza and played Taboo. It was great.

So, I've been thinking about Valentine's Day. I know some people get excited about it, and some people get grumpy, and then there's all the dislike of the commercialism inherent in the holiday. It's funny, I've always disliked commercialism (specifically commercialism that replaces/clouds the meaning behind the day), but I enjoyed Valentine's Day itself. Candy and all those little Nickelodeon themed cards, amirite?

Well okay, more than candy, haha. Even if V-day WAS brought about for commercial reasons, it's still kind of awesome to have a day set aside for celebrating this thing called love. A break from the routine to let your loved ones know what they mean to you and all.

Usually Valentine's Day does two things for me: leaves me feeling sentimental and sweet, and also makes more poignant the pain of lacking a "special someone" to share it with. Which I think everyone's at least experienced once.

But this year, it was TOTALLY different for me.

All day, I felt this sort of brightness, just within myself. No crushes to stress out about, no boyfriend or anything, and for some reason that felt good. It was wonderful to look back on a few months ago, especially, and realize the progress I have made in loving myself, which is a challenge for me. It was just...good! A lovely, full feeling of appreciation and positivity that didn't depend on anyone else. Other than having to go to municipal court for a traffic ticket, I had no reason to cry ;)

I think that, more than anything else, what lent my day such a sweet tone was that I just had this kind of awareness of the love in the world. Knowing that each member of my family (except Lindsay and me) has their special someone, and that on that day, they were dedicating special care and attention and love and appreciation to one another. It's like love is this beautiful aurora borealis that's wrapping around the earth, which I'm not a part of, but I feel a part of anyway. Seeing and knowing it's there is still beautiful in and of itself. And it doesn't make a difference that right now I'm not experiencing the romantic kind of eternal love, because I know I will, and for some reason, on that day that surety didn't give me a sense of longing so much as a sense of security and completion. Things will be the way they're supposed to be, and that's just a beautiful thing, isn't it?

Hoping you all experience love in some way today,
Lauren

A Logic-Based Argument About God :D

One time before I went to sleep, I wrote down this thing. This is how my brain works. Highly logical, highly emotional, and also a bit frazzled and absent-minded, it makes for a rather intense little life even when everything's very mellow! Lol oh me.

Okay, here's my argument/equation/whatever. :) If it makes no sense to you, that's ok - I know my brain is strange!

(a) A God exists who is loving, perfect, omniscient and omnipotent

If (a) A God exists who is loving, perfect, omniscient and omnipotent, then (b) that God knows what is best for us and acts accordingly.

(c) "What is best for us" includes the most effective ways to learn.

(d): The most effective way for us human beings to learn is by discovery, demonstration and applied practice.

If (a) and (b) and (c) and (d) are true, then (e) God would teach us using the principles of (d), allowing us to apply said principles according to our own judgment with (f) allowance made for specific spiritual guidance, direct commandments and intervention from God.

(g) Human judgment is fallible.

If (a) There is a God who is loving, perfect, omniscient and omnipotent, then (h) God has infallible judgment.

If (a) and (g) and (h) then (i) God would organize a means by which he could communicate and correct perceptions of his will toward man in both personal and public ways.

If (i), then (j) personal revelation and inspiration and (k) a Church with organized leaders (who have specified stewardship over different areas, etc) who teach and remind us of correct principles fulfill those means.

(l) For both personal and public revelation, worthiness (freedom from sin through repentance) affects a man’s ability to receive revelation.

(m) Leaders of such a Church are human.

Taking into account (g), (k), (l) and (m), it logically follows that (n) worthy leader/stewards of that Church receive revelation and direction from God.

(o) If (n), then (e) God would teach and direct them according to the most effective principles of learning (d) - discovery, demonstration and applied practice - with (f) allowance made for direct commandment and intervention.

(p) "For behold, it is not meet that I (God) should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant" (D&C 58:26, LDS scripture).

(q) If (n) and (o) and (p), Church leaders are required by God to apply what they are learning (d) using their judgment (g), which is fallible.

(r)The fact that, (l), worthiness aside, (m) Church leaders are human and (g) have fallible judgment does not conflict with (h) God's judgment being infallible and that (n) leaders receive revelation from God.

(s) It is an unsound argument to say that (t) God does not exist or (u) a Church is not true because (q) Church leaders (who are human) use their fallible judgment and sometimes oversights, misapprehensions and even misjudgments may occur. (r) supports (s).

(v) A fallible (g) but worthy leader of the Church who (k) has stewardship over his/her area and (n) receives revelation from a God with (h) infallible judgment teaches and makes judgments more inspired and reliable than the judgments and instruction of a man without the additional inspiration and revelation that comes with stewardship (n) who relies on his own fallible judgment (g).

Man with fallible judgment (g) learns best by exercising his judgment in conjunction with examples and principles from God (e) but still falls short of God's infallible judgment (h).

THEREFORE, if (a) there is a perfect God , and (k) He has established a Church on earth with (r) fallible but worthy leaders, man with fallible judgment (g) and without stewardship (k) cannot soundly judge their own ideas and understanding to be less fallible than principles established through the Church and its leaders.

Ta da!

Okay so this was a HUGE thought process, lol. Well actually, the thought was simple, but making sure to state it clearly and precisely and think it out as completely as possible was the huge part. Sometimes I wonder about going into law or contract-making or something, cuz I love this kind of jank.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts! Do you spot flaws or assumptions in my argument? Feedback plz! :D

I seem to be rather enjoying this blogging business...muaha.

Loves to all,

Lauren

If You're Curious About "Us"

That title sounds a little bit like something it's not ;D

But in case anyone was curious about the comment conversation that artist and I had about his piece (see previous post!), I wanted to copy it down for ya. :)

In his "artist's comments" he said, "To me, this painting defines my male perspective of love. I like to think that she is completing his puzzle by placing the final piece, rather than removing it. Which one I intended is a perpetual question to me. It is much more interesting to me to hear what others take from it."

My response: "I definitely saw this as her giving him his final piece, rather than taking it, before I even red the description. Either way it's very clear from the mood their postures give off that this is a tender moment of giving love, rather than taking something (though they both seem somewhat hesitant. Then again, given the nature of love and true vulnerability, that's extremely appropriate!). I love how her other hand is on his hand, as if to calm and reassure him."

Some other chick: "from the little things I notice one might think you didn't have much luck with women P:
cause her hand is grasping the piece in a way which people do when they take.and he isn't looking at her,which makes me think he doesn't like what she's doing."

Me again: P.S. I disagree with (that person) because to me, the hand looked specifically like it was holding to place in! It is a bit ambiguous, for sure, but that was how I saw it.

On second look, though, it strikes me a different way like she is taking the piece out, but only to look at and see closely...and then she'll put it back. Which in a way is expressive of an even more intimate emotion, IMO.

I love love LOVE the vulnerability of his pose. It makes so much sense, to be taken off guard and feel exposed, while someone you love but are afraid to trust - but are taking the leap to trust anyway - removes/completes your heart piece, the final piece.

The artist's response: "You are definitely looking at it the RIGHT way. In that, I mean stumbling over which it may be. I had hoped that the painting would have that effect. You eventually have to...compromise."

My response again: "Maybe the compromise, for me, is not so much settling on one way of viewing it so much as settling on the idea that it will always be in-between, able to reflect either way, in a sort of "push and pull" fashion. It's like instead of the picture giving us "an answer," it gives us a question - and part of the challenge is learning what the question even is. I think that's perfect, for a piece representing the balancing act of learning to emotionally love and trust another person. Maybe neither she nor he know whether or not she's giving or taking - and maybe neither of them know which answer is "right" either. But either way, it's a moment they're sharing, and the blurred lines of ownership - who the piece belongs to, who should have it, where it belongs - lends a new sense of perspective to the phrase "become one flesh," hm? ^^ They obviously aren't in the mature phase of love that couples reach closer to the ends of their lives...but they're at the beginning of it and not sure how to proceed, which I find very tender."

His response: "Beautifully interpreted! I think you have definitely "seen" most of the painting. Thank you."

Signing off, Lauren :)

P.S. last entry, full of typos and skipped words, silly me!

Hmmmmmmmmmm...

I realized that I love to write my random thoughts and share my silly moments, so lo and behold! A blog! I'll probably tell y'all about my crafty and artistic doings, share random experiences, and let you sneak a peek into the corner of my little mind!

Factoid: In my Freshman year of college when I took my first semester of Arabic, I told my good friend Amanda that la means "no" and nam means "yes". From then she started calling me "Lala" and I called her "Nam-nam". :)

So a couple months ago, I saw this totally gorgeous piece of artwork featured on DeviantART, my art networking site.


Us by *davidofarbela on deviantART

I left a comment just pondering the picture, which led to a little conversation about it, and then - this guy I never new sent me a ntoe asking for my help in seeking publication and professional connections for marketing art and writing! I felt like "whaaaa? I'm just a (then) 21-year-old kid who doesn't do anything professionally and doesn't know anything!" I felt totally overwhelmed, especially since this guy was so talented and knew so little about the internet and marketing and is living with his family on a low-income bracket.

But then I stopped pressuring myself (like "YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW MORE THAN YOU DO SO YOU CAN HELP THIS MAN'S LIFE!!!), and instead started thinking about the things I do know. See, I have this tendency to discount my own knowledge or ability when they're just things that are natural to me, not done for school or work but fun. But after taking a step back, I realized I have a fairly awesome network of artists and publishers. Not to mention I've checked out publishing options so often in anticipation of the day I finish a book that I kind of know tons about where to search for legitimate options.

I ended up writing him this huuuuuge list of options, which he found quite helpful. He was grateful enough to offer me a free piece of art, and since can tell by my gallery (heeeheeeehee) how much I love Legend of Zelda, he's going to do a Zelda piece personally for me. Isn't that super-sweet?! Sweet like awesome. Though I guess it's also sweet like "awww." Sweet like Awwwsome.

Thanks for reading! Look forward to writin' more bloggishness!

Signing off,
Lauren