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In a hole in the ground there lived...



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Gesæliglic Gēar-nīwe!

Posted by Tolkien , Jan 01 2009 · 11 views
Life
...what? It got your attention, didn't it?


Yes, well, it's not quite 2009 yet here in the farther west. Another twenty minutes ought to do it, but I'm going to bed. It's not like I'm missing anything dramatically new.  tongue.gif

But Happy New Year all the same!

JRRT


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Merry Christmas

Posted by Tolkien , Dec 24 2008 · 14 views
Life
Indeed. It's Christmas Eve and I have some presents to go wrap.  I wish it weren't over so soon.

But anyways, have a very Merry Christmas, people!

JRRT


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Old And New

Posted by Tolkien , Dec 19 2008 · 16 views
Art


A side project. The sprite on the right is the old one (I hope you could kind of tell tongue.gif) and the left one is a revamp. I'm glad to know that I've improved a little from the olden days. Oh, and hue-shifting is very fun.

On another note, last college final was Wednesday! It was linguistics, so it wasn't all that hyper-stressful. And now I'm free to do what I will for the three+ weeks of Christmas break. We're planning to take a trip up to the Grand Canyon with some relatives around New Years. There will be snow (you know--that white stuff that falls out of the sky? It's like so weird!).  I've been to the Grand Canyon once before when I was around seven years old. My only memory is a long rusty railing and a concrete observation point. I'm told this is because I was restricted from *cough* "exploring" after trying to climb over said railing and giving my parents gray hair.

Ah, memories.

JRRT


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If You Look To Your Left...

Posted by Tolkien , Dec 13 2008 · 29 views
Art
...you'll notice a new content block: Sponsored AII Kits. It's self explanatory (literally), and it's short for now (although I intend to add to it).

Hey, and I just decided to use one of the happy benefits of having a blog: free advertising.

Here's a link to the art topic--you'll have to click it if you actually want to see the art.

I've never had luck with art topics (or topics in general tongue.gif ), They usually tend to have very short lives. But I thought this art was worthy of one anyways. Check it out if you want.

Oh, and a here's a neat little avatar-thing that I thought was neat but still not neat enough for a topic:



I call it: Stubby Mata Nui on a depthless ocean. Oh yes.

Hey, this entry is all double-spaced!

JRRT


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Coincidence?

Posted by Tolkien , Dec 05 2008 · 28 views

Where did owned come from?

It struck me today (actually it struck me a long time ago when I wrote it down in some class notes, but lost the page until today) that I could easily connect the expression "owned" and the verb "to own" to the old expression "You've been had!".

Coincidence?


...yes, I know this is completely wrong. I have Google.

Sarcasm is difficult to represent with letters.

JRRT


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On Hwimsa...

Posted by Tolkien , Nov 27 2008 · 31 views
Language and Etymology
Taking a look at one of the names for the Matoran Language that I've come up with:

Matoranoro, cmpnd.  the Words of Those Who Speak [Derived from the two elements matoran, literally "Word-Master Beings, Speakers", and oro "word(s)"]
Matoran, n.  lit. word-master being(s), generalized as "speakers", “those who speak” [From older matoroan; formed from the older compound mator(o) “word master” and the suffix -an “being, individual”]
mator(o), cmpnd.  word-master, a master of words [From the two elements ma(t) "master (of)" and oro "word(s)"]
ma(t), n.  user of, master of [Complete etymology uncertain; it is believed that mat first originated as *maa but this is not definitively attested; also appears as man]
oro, n.  word(s) [Complete etymology uncertain; possibly descended from a stem *hro]

And in other news, I'm thinking of putting up a "sponsored kits" content block to help encourage some better spriting in AII...it's really gone drastically downhill for too long now.

JRRT


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= Matoran Etymology =

Posted by Tolkien , Nov 27 2008 · 55 views
Language and Etymology
Two entries in one day...isn't that against the rules?!

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Well now, anyways, I've been working on this little project here and there for a long time now, and I think it's starting to come to a complete enough stage that I can post it. As a whole, it's basically my take on the form and history of the "Matoran Language" (in dictionary form).  The language itself is called Matoranoro, which is "The Words of Those Who Speak" and also Kuitoronui, which is "The Great Speech".

Right now I plan to post a short series of excerpts from it describing the etymology of certain Matoran words and names, and eventually to post the entire dictionary of it.

Of course, I'm not really expecting many people to be extremely interested in it, since it's mostly just the long-winded and complicated ramblings of a linguistically obsessed geek. tongue.gif But we shall certainly see. I guess I don't care all that much one way or the other--it's my hobby, after all.

And it's really fun to do. tongue.gif

So, first "excerpt": a complete etymology of the word kanohi. Much of this stuff is actually given in a silly little SS I wrote called The Time.

kanohi  cmpnd.  Mask of Power [Formed from the element ka “power, ability” and from the word nohi “face, mask” (see entries)]
ka n.  power, energy; ability, (creative) potential [Complete etymology uncertain. The word could have theoretically developed from a hypothetical form *kae; also spelled cah or ca (using the old orthographic letter c); also realized as aka, akha, kan, kar, khar and, in very rare cases, as the prefix gah- (separate from the elemental ga-)]
nohi n.  (outer) face, mask [Used by mask-makers to refer to the powerless Matoran mask; nohi comes from the ancient form noehii, which, in turn, is formed from the ancient element noe, the elemental word for the substance of Protodermis and from the suffix -hii “thing, object.”  Thus, nohi may, historically, be rendered as “thing of Protodermis”]

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And there it is.

JRRT


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Thanksgiving Cometh...

Posted by Tolkien , Nov 26 2008 · 13 views
Life
Thanksgiving has to be one of my all-time favorite holidays (seconded only by Christmas). The fact that I am from a family of cooks (at least on one side) may influence my opinion somewhat. This I am thankful for. No powdered mashed-potatoes or hormone-infested turkey and cream-of-corn at this meal. Good heavens no!

...no, this doesn't mean I am a cook. I leave that to other, more capable people.

Oh! And if you ever get a chance, look back in your history book and try to find out who it was the Pilgrims were thankful too! It might end up being a pretty difficult task.

And two days of badly needed college break! Yes. Two. whole. days.

JRRT


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Disappointment To Anticipation

Posted by Tolkien , Nov 24 2008 · 52 views
Storyline
My reaction to the end of the first true arc of the Bionicle storyline and the beginning of the next:

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «


JRRT


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May I Say...

Posted by Tolkien , Nov 21 2008 · 32 views
Life
...abhorrently vague writing assignments are abhorrent.

"Construct an essay describing how you personally could fulfill a social role (either professional or traditional), explicating your qualifications and suitability in achieving that role, as well as analyzing what your choice says about you and your value system."

GAH. These sorts of assignments are frustrating because it ends up that the bulk of the work that you have to do is in trying to interpret what the assignment is saying. And then after you've finally figured it out, the tail end of it is the actual writing of the essay.

Well, first real entry (and you thought it wouldn't happen!). And first...rant.

JRRT






Chapter I

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"Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a blog-hole, and that means comfort."

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A Short Bio of the...Author?

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The author of this blog currently resides in the rather dry, bare, sandy climate of the southwest United States. He is currently taking a break from school, having completed an M.A. in English Linguistics, and looks forward to starting a PhD. in the near future.

His primary interests include such -ologies as mythology, philology, etymology, syntax, and phonology, along with a healthy passion for historical linguistics binding all these bewildering fields together. Some less academic hobbies include reading classical literature and mythology, high and epic fantasy, science fiction, and the occasional Tolkien biography, as well as attempting (and mostly failing) to write fiction modeled after these genres. His taste in music ranges from classical arrangements to modern film scores (especially when there is not much difference between the two).

In addition to these things, he also harbors the deep-set enjoyment of the Bionicle sets and storyline essential to any hapless LEGO geek who has made the decision to become a member of the BZPower community. Without it, he obviously wouldn't be here writing this, and you wouldn't be reading it. This fact is, in part, what inspired his lasting interest in the art of pixeling, a skill that he apparently isn't all that bad at, although you might never know it, seeing as his severe lack of motivation and excess of procrastination usually prevents him from producing anything much at all.
 

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= Some Writings =

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Unknowledge [Review] - (Epic) Finalist in Epics Contest #7: Murder Mysteries. Unknowledge centers around the mysterious death of Toa Moihu and ensuing investigation by Toa Ros, interwoven with the quest to uncover the reality behind the dark nature of the Dedh-See Scroll. Ultimately, the truth that Ros discovers and is forced to confront may be darker than anyone could have imagined.

Judgement [Review] - (Epic) Judgement opens with a death sentence pronounced upon Toa Jor, watch-Toa of Metru Nui. It then follows the events leading up to this shocking scene, with the arrival of Toa Jovan, bearing grave news concerning the fate of the universe itself, as well as a plan to stop it.

Windows Through the Void [Review] - (Epic) Windows is a serial inspired by the old online serials of Bioniclestory.com. Serial 1 follows Takanuva, Toa of Light, as he journeys across the void to a world of dark trees and night, only to find that he must accomplish another task before his original quest can be completed.

The Time - (SS) A semi-mythic account of the origin of Avan, the first Matoran, in the Time Before Time--the Time of the Great Beings.

Despair - (SS) 1st Place winner of the 2010 Library Summer Olympics (SS category). "Despair" is a prequel to the epic Unknowledge, beginning with the arrival of a mysterious Toa in the city of Moa, deep within the Waste. His motives are unknown, as the nature of the dark Kanohi he wears. But the subsequent arrival of Toa Ros soon sets things in motion, leading up to an epic confrontation between hope and despair.

Dust - (SS) The Dark Hunter Devastator returns to Karzahni, his native land. He must find the Matoran called the Builder and retrieve a stolen tablet, but along the way his encounters with the crazed, broken Matoran and the dreaded Karzahni himself provide him with a sliver of new perspective in this land of dust and living death.

A Storm is Coming - (SS) Entrant in the (now stalled) Lesovikk's Hiatus contest. It tells the tale of Toa Lesovikk's three-day battle with a Rock Lion in a strange land where it never rains and the encounter he has there with the castaway Toa Jovan. Can Lesovikk find the strength to finish his task, or will the memories of his past defeat him? A storm is about to break.

Remember [Archive] - (SS) The Mountains of the Matoran are a strange place, but even stranger are the discoveries to be made within them. Two Agori venture deep into the heart of the mountains, and soon their plight becomes a struggle for survival as they try to escape the strange corridors of this dark place. But at the end of their journey lies a revelation more shocking than they could ever have imagined.

The Coming of the Toa - (SS) 3rd place Judges' Choice winner of Short Stories Contest #8. A glimpse into an alternate history of Bionicle, where something has gone terribly wrong. Kua seeks to discover what it is that the Matoran have lost, the darkness in their past. But can even he resist the power of the darkness that lies beneath?

The End - (SS) Nga-Ro has waited for so long in the darkness and cold of the ruined city. He has forgotten much. But now...even he must find the strength to resist the darkness of death and remember his duty. For the end has come...

The Sight - (SS) 1st place winner in the 2012 Flash Fiction Marathon (Visions Category).

The Power - (SS) 1st place winner of the 2012 Library Summer Olympics: Artistic Gymnastics Reimagine (Bionicle category).

Once Whole - (SS)

Hue #1471 - (SS)
 
Looming - (SS)

 
Static [Review] - (Co-authored Epic, OTC) Gold medalist in the 2012 Library Summer Olympics: Epics Unlimited Prompt Relay. Co-authored with Grant-Sud Rises, Velox, and Legolover-361.

Ever Up - (SS, OTC)

Long Day - (SS, OTC)
 
Beyond the Ridge of Tears - (SS, OTC)
 
The Trumpet Sounds - (SS, Blog)



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