Fantasy Reflections: My Fellowship

I have just discovered a wonderful blog, by Gillian Adams! She is a writer of fantasy, who gives "fantasy reflection" challenges to her readers! Her latest challenge is create your own Fellowship of the Ring made up of fantasy characters without using any characters from Lord of the Rings. It's harder than it seems, but so fun! You can check out her post here!

So, here's my fellowship:

1. Prince Aethelbald from Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Goldstone Wood Series

Aethelbald is a strong leader, and calm under pressure. He has slain dragons, and he would not be easily swayed by the power of the Ring. He can also shape-shift into a bird, which would be a valuable asset.

2. Sir Eanrin from Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Goldstone Wood Series

Not only would Eanrin be entertaining to have along, he is also a formidable fighter. He also is a cat and a bard, which is just wonderful. And he would hardly be affected by the ring, being an elf. 

3. Murtagh from Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle

Any fellowship I would envision would have to have Murtagh in it. He is a strong and underestimated character--not just anyone could free themselves from Galbatorix's clutches. Also, where there is Murtagh, there is Thorn--and a dragon would always be a good thing to have with you. Even though some consider Murtagh to be "evil," I do not think he would be controlled by the ring: he was able to overcome Galbatorix, and he would be able to overcome the power of the ring. And Murtagh has amazing skills that I would want on my quest. 

4. Seraphina Dombegh from Rachel Hartman's Seraphina

Not only is Seraphina a strong and independent woman, she also shape-shifts into a dragon--her natural form. She is a gifted musician who would give Eanrin a run for his money on the entertaining side. I would want her on my quest, also, because she's a wonderful conversationalist. She is not attracted to power, and would not be drawn to the ring. 

5. Zane Cobriana from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' Hawksong

Being a shape-shifting cobra (seeing the trend?) Zane can enter any fortress, say, the Black Gates, unnoticed. He is a smooth talker who lures enemies into a state of comfort, before paralyzing them with his garnet gaze. Zane does like power, and would be susceptible to the Ring's power. 

6. Hermione Granger from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series

Hermione would be everyone's best friend on the quest, I would just love to have her along. Plus, she's the smartest wizard imaginable. She excels in plant identification among everything else she's good at, so we would know what's good for food. Hermione rejects power, and would be drawn away from the ring, as she did with the horcruxes. She also has experience destroying said horcruxes, which will come in handy.

7. Nock from Wayne Batson's Door Within Trilogy

You need an archer in your fellowship, and there really isn't anyone better than Nock (sorry Bolt). 

8. Yvaine from Neil Gaiman's Stardust

Yvaine is a star. She looks human, but she literally has the power to outshine her enemies. She travels best at night, being a star, and is not swayed by power. 

9. Ellis from Gail Carlson Levine's Cinderellis and the Glass Hill

Someone in the fellowship needs to be ab;e to invent crazy things, and that would be Ellis. He may look like just a farm boy, but he's capable of inventing powders that will do just about anything, a needed quality. Ellis is young and innocent, but also selfish. He doesn't care explicitly for power, but he does not like to share--he would not be drawn to the Ring initially, but it would slowly consume him. 

Well, there you have it! My fantasy fellowship that does not include any characters from Lord of the Rings. Creating this list showed me that the members of the original fellowship were ideally suited to destroy the Ring. I think my fellowship has a shot! 

What do you think? Have you created your own fellowship?

Glass Slippers

Recently, I submitted a story to Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Five Glass Slippers Contest. The Contest was this: create an original short story using the Cinderella plot-line.

Hearing this, I was ecstatic: a writing contest! Where you create your own original fairytale! I immediately began writing. I wanted to completely change the approach of the Cinderella story, my tale was this:

Masquerade

In a fairy-made gown and a mask, Elwyn's face is hidden along everyone else's at the ball. But Elwyn has a secret: she wasn't supposed to be there. Imagine her surprise when she was the first person the prince asks to dance with. But Elwyn finds the prince's manners displeasing; she would much rather spend her time with the friendly server she had been talking to. Whisking Elwyn away to the room of roses, the server reveals a tremendous secret to her, which sends her rushing away from the ball in haste. She finds the next day that she has captured the prince's attention--the prince whom she detests--and that he is searching the kingdom for her. The only thing the prince has to find her with is a golden slipper made of glass. 

Sadly, my story did not win, but I may post a few excerpts here in the future. And there is good news! Anne Elisabeth will be holding another five somethings contest next year! My personal hope is that it's based on Beauty and the Beast! 

You can view the winners of the original contest here. 

Another talented writer Hannah, also entered the contest, you can view her entries here. By reading her synopses, I can tell that many great submissions did not win. I cannot wait to read the finished product, as I'm sure it will be amazing!

And yes, I know it is not Wednesday. I am quite aware of the fact that it is Friday: a much happier day than Wednesday. But this blog is not simply for Wednesdays! Wednesdays just lend themselves to happy naming conventions.

Happy Gwensday!

Ok, everyone, I don't think I will continue to use the term "Gwensday." But wait, you say, isn't that the name of your blog? Yes, yes it is. But, as it is the title, I will refrain form excessive usage. I came across the term while browsing facebook and mused to a friend how silly it was. She told me I should start a blog called "Gwensday." And the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I've been wanting to start a blog for sometime now, and her suggesting it gave me the idea to do so.

On my blog I will be posting pictures, recipes, art, crafts, verses, poems, short stories, as well as my own general musings. I will also be posting my thoughts on various movies and books. I hope you will enjoy taking this journey with me!

And just so you know, I did not intend for the first post to be on a Wednesday--but you will notice that it is, in fact, Wednesday. My future posts will not be limited to Wednesdays!