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Hey guys! This week I'm doing the What If...? Fantasy tag, from Sarah/Leilani Sunblade. It looked super fun, so here we are. I'm not tagging anyone specifically, since I wasn't technically tagged either, but should anyone see this and want to do it, by all means, go ahead! ^_^
And now, for the tag...
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1. Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. The cast of the most recent fantasy book you read comes to your assistance… who are they? Will they be helpful?
Actually, the closest thing to a fantasy book I just read is the cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Expanded Edition), by Jason Fry. So though they don't really have cars in Star Wars, I'd be willing to bet that between Rey, Poe, and Rose, they could figure something for me. Finn would be useless, so he and I could play cards while we waited.
2. You go to bed one evening and wake up in the lair of the villain of the last fairy tale you read, where are you and how do you plan to get out?
The last fairy tale I read is a little-known one called Agnete and the Sea King. In it, a young maiden is kidnapped by a lonesome sea nymph, who takes her to his underwater kingdom and enchants her so that she cannot remember her home, only him.
Now, as far as I could tell, the Sea King was not especially powerful, just strong as a normal man, and with a talent for enchanted song. So first, (presuming I'm not already enchanted- which I definitely would not be, since I know better than to fraternize with handsome and hypnotic water nymphs) I would stop up my ears with kelp, then swim to the surface and hope that the enchantment to let me breath underwater lasts long enough. From there, I run to the church and claim sanctuary, because the nymphs cannot set foot in a church. I'll wait them out, then head home safe.
3. You are transported into a fantasy realm and given a mythical creature as a companion and best friend… which mythical creature do you get?
A dragon, I hope! Or a Tolkien-esque elf. :D
Perks of one- maybe we can fly together. Perks of the other- elves are cool, and that's that. If the elf was a man... with any luck I could find a Aegnor/Andrethh style romance!
4. In a strange series of coincidences, you end up needing to take the place of your favorite fantasy hero or heroine. Who are you?
Well, it was a toss-up between Morgan of Melksham, from The Nine Kingdoms Trilogy, and Balsa, from Serei no Moribito- literally. In the end, Balsa won.
So, as Balsa, I am an incredibly skilled warrior, particularly in the use of a short spear. My task is to protect a ten-year-old prince from the people who seek to harm him, and to do that we must live in hiding. In the mean time, I just basically have to be a mother to him, and I feel like that's actually a task I could handle.
5. To go along with question #4, now that you are that character, is there anything you would do differently than that character, now that you are running the show?
Definitely I would take up Tanda on his offer of marriage. In the story, Balsa loves him dearly, but refrains from committing to him because of her difficult past experiences. But I have no such qualms, so both Tanda and I would get a happy ending.
6. If you were yourself in a fantasy novel, what role do you think you would play in the story?
Though the role of main character is appealing, I suspect I'd make a better advisor/helpmate sort of character. I'd be right there supporting the hero emotionally and physically, but probably more from behind the scenes. I make a pretty good friend and confidant, but I have very little ambition or drive, and depend on others for it.
7. One morning, as you are going about your daily business, you pick up an everyday item and a voice booms in your head with prophetic words about your future. What object is it, and what is your prophecy?
I pick up a newspaper on the way into work at the library. As soon as I touch it, the wind picks up, but the rest of the world becomes muffled and visions flash through my mind. A voice booms out "The stories have laid the path; follow the memory they leave behind. Find what has been lost... bring back what has been forgotten."
8. You are transported into a magical realm and turned into a mythical beast… what beast/fantasy creature do you want to be?
An Elf. Failing that, a member of the Fae. Failing even that, a shapeshifter.
9. If you could read your way into any fantasy realm, but the catch is that you can never leave, would you? Which realm would you choose?
Honestly, as much as I love reading fantasy, there is no other place I'd rather live than here. I'm very much in love with my home, even if I do wish we had more hills here (and less winter). If I did leave, it would be to Rivendell, for obvious reasons.
10. As you are going about your normal day, you discover that you have a magical power. What is it?
I am walking outside, enjoying the feel of the wind, when I take off running. When I reach my top speed, I jump- and suddenly discover the secret of flying!
Now I say this, rather than some other cool powers like telekinetics or empathy, because there have been so many times when I feel like I've almost got it. That if I just ran a little faster, breathed a little deeper or jumped a little higher, I could do it. Just take off flying, high and free. It always seems to work in my dreams, anyway.
There's not a whole lot of practical value to being able to fly... but it sure would make my life fun.
^_^
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-Emmarayn Redding
(DISCLAIMER: All images in this post may be subject to copyright. I own none of them. No copyright infringement intended.)
I love your answers! I find it interesting that so many of us who answer this choose to be a sidekick or mentor or side character rather than a hero or heroine . . . Also, nice job on having a car-rescuing crew who's actually helpful. xD
ReplyDeleteI think I may need to check out Serei no Moribito . . . is it a movie or a show? If that makes sense?
Thanks! :D
DeleteI think that being the sidekick/helpmate character takes a lot of pressure off of a person. It's cool to imagine yourself as the hero, but that's a lot of responsibility! Not to mention, I honestly think my personality and talents are better suited to the role of helpmate.
Serei no Moribito, or Guardian of the Spirit, is an anime miniseries. It's super good- not goofy or lewd like so many other anime are. My sister and I both love it. However, I would caution you going into it to be aware that it deals with the Japanese concept of "spirits": that is, fantasy creatures from another realm. These spirits are also sometimes referred to as demons, which to our ears sounds really bad. However, the Japanese concept of a demon is very different from ours. It would be better translated as Fae or fairy. That's the only reason I went through with watching it, because when I looked at it, it had nothing to do with reality whatsoever.
Aside from that element, the whole series is excellent in terms of character development, action, beautiful art, and storytelling. Every episode is important to the plot in some way, so it's filled with Chekov's gun moments and foreshadowing.