trip to the lego store // photography

   Hey guys! It's me again, and I'm going to share with you one (only one, mind you) of my childhood obsessions.

   Yep, the toys for boys! The bucket of bricks I inherited from my older brother when he moved out drove me into a world of buildable fun.

   My favorite sets were Star Wars, the biggest of my collection. I'll have to show you sometime. I've got a bunch... but, quick tip, don't get the retired Endor Base set. It falls apart and will make the cheese slid off your cracker.

   I also really like the Ninjago sets, as well as their movie and TV show. But no spoilers, I've only gotten as far as the tournament of elements!

   The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit sets are also really great. I love my Hobbit Hole :) Not to  mention my wisdom (oh glory, there goes my ego again) in saving up my VIP points for the big purchase.

   Anyway, while my sister was checking out the American Girl Store (check out her blog with many of the photos taken by myself here), I raced over to the Lego store to get a few pictures.

   But dude, whoever sets up this whole display thing should really rethink their scheme! It was hard to get any good pictures, and even with major editing, most of them didn't turn out at all.

Quick note... these pictures are rather old, so the sets displayed are outdated.

One of the Ninjago sets on display, with Lloyd in his... elemental car... thing...

One of Chen's sets

Kai, Master of Fire key-chain

Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age

Fili mini figure with an adorable expression. Yay! Let's go kill a dragon with hugs and flowers!

Terrified Bilbo (as usual)

Kili doing nothing helpful with a dramatic face (as usual)

And the Jurassic World sets! I loved the movie, and am pretty excited about the sets. The only setback is that they're a bit too expensive for my taste, and that Claire's stubby Lego legs aren't high-heeled. Humph.

Adorable Mini Cooper! I wish they had made it red, though.

Aw! I spotted this minifigure proposal. So adorable.

Out for a movie date in one of the displays!

Pick-a-Brick brick holes

I love that they're doing this, it's super fun to just pick the bricks you want.

Tiny round pieces

Thanks for visiting, friend! Come back soon!

Sincerely,
Darrion

P.S., comment below with your favorite childhood toy, Lego or not! I'd love to hear 'em :)

i won a thing! // best of show

Hey everybody!

   It's Darrion again. And I've got some news about the fair...

   If you missed my last post, click here to read about my entries into the local fair.

Well, here it goes.

   Before the fair, I kept it cool and my expectations low as to not have my hopes and dreams dashed against the rocks. I expected to be ranked in 1st place, and hoped for nothing more.

   Internally, I really wanted an extra ribbon. Maybe a Junior Achievement Award like last year.

   Willow and I didn't want to know what we won until our trip to the fair. So zero spoilers from our friends (and mom) were required.

   Finally, the day came and we all packed into the car, jacket thrown in the trunk from the expectation of rain, and camera hung around my neck for safety. I listened to Baba Yetu and Now We Are Free covered by Peter Hollens until we arrived.

   Our first visit was to the sewing entries, where Willow had submitted a shirtdress. She got a first place (yay!), and we saw a lot of our friend's entries as well.

  This is the shirtdress she sewed. We started sewing lessons from a lady at church about one skirt and one dress ago.

Cute, huh? :)

   Then we made our way through the other sewing entries, and finally, we got to the fine arts section. The little kids artwork was first, which was adorable to look at :) We took a minute to view theirs before my sister turned the corner and gasped.

   But first, here's a quick explanation on how their ranking system works.

   This certain fair uses the Danish system, which is ultimately an everybody wins type placing. One third gets 1st, one third gets 2nd, and the remaining one third goes to the people in 3rd. Which is okay, I guess.

But they do have special ribbons, which really determines who was the best. There's Best of Show, Class Winner, the Junior Achievement Award, and others I can't remember. There were only two I saw in my age group (I was in youth, Willow was in young adult), which were Best of Show and Class Winner (I probably glanced over the Junior Achievement).

   Okay, back to the winnings.

   I turned the corner and clapped my hands over my mouth to suppress the sequels. I was definitely not expecting that.

My Hobbit Hole door watercolor had won Best of Show in my category.

*squealing intensifies*

(photo credit to Willow)

I was so surprised, I just laughed.

   Surprisingly, it got a 2nd place on my other entry, but also a Class Winner ribbon. How that works, I do not know. I thought they'd... you know... put the winner of the class ribbon on a 1st place winner. But apparently, a few judges had different views :) I was surprised to get this in addition to best of show.

Two ribbons total. I was pumped.

(photo credit to Willow)

  
   On the next wall, we found Willow's watercolor. Surprisingly, it hadn't won a ribbon in young adult. But she had much tougher competition than I had.

I think it turned out great! Smiles and congrats all around.

   This specific door is 221B. Bakerstreet, the apartment that Sherlock Holmes lived in. She wanted a simple door, and didn't realize that black just isn't really black :) Purple was the most used color, as you may have noticed. The checkered tiling was really hard. But she pushed through it, and the lovely matting really brought out the orange.

   Willow and I worked on our doors at the same time during art class, though she finished hers first.

   Well, after that we spent the rest of the day roaming the fair, which you'll soon get to hear about in a day at the fair. I'll make a post about that adventure soon!

In the meantime, thanks for reading, guys! I really appreciate it. Blog ya later :)

Sincerely,
Darrion

*internet thumbs up*

thorin in blue // pencil and colored pencil

Hey guys! Darrion again.

   Quick announcement, I've joined a Pinterest group board called Christian Artists where a bunch of us Pinterest artists can post our artwork. Click here if you'd like to take a peek! There's quick a variety of styles on there, seeing that there are over 40 people who've joined.

  Okay, back to our regular programing ;)

   It's Thorin drawn in his own eye color, blue (though in some early photos he actually has gray eyes, which is odd...). I did this one a while ago, actually... I think it was in mid 2014, but I'm not positive since I've only recently started putting dates on the back of the paper.

   Anyway, this was my first experimentation with colored pencils and regular pencils together, so pardon the mess. The woman in red I posted earlier was done a while after this one, and Thorin is a great deal smaller than her, hence less detail.

   I hope you guys like this one! Also, I did one of Thrain (with red again) shortly after Thorin, so that one should be coming soon.

Sincerely,

Darrion

may your memory never fade, fili // pencil

Yes, finally that Fili tribute I promised you months ago.

   It's actually been done for a while, but I've been lazy, and also the sun hasn't been out, giving me bad light for the photo.

   Okay, yes, I am one of those fans who's not satisfied with Fili's part in the Hobbit trilogy. I found his lack of screen-time... disturbing.

   I'm also rather upset that Bilbo didn't say this line at the end. But, you know. Nothing we can do about it now.

   Or is there? Let's not let his memory fade away, let's give him some well-deserved love. I love how after the movie came out, I say lots of fanart about Fili, He's one of my favorite characters in the Hobbit (in order: Thorin, Bilbo, Fili {Kili's fallen a good ways down by now}) and I really miss him. 

   I'm glad there are other fans out there who think so too. Thanks, guys! :)

Sincerely,

Darrion

One Last New Year

   Fireworks filled the TV screen, illuminating our dark living room with their colorful splendor. The local landmark was ablaze with pink, blue, and green explosions timed to the beat of the year's musical hits.

   My dad held up his glass, smiling. "Happy new year!"

   "Happy new year," my mom repeated jubilantly, reaching across the couch to toast.

   Willow, my older sister by two years took a swig of her apple-cyder while bouncing my little frightened dog on her lap. She grinned, holding her glass high for a toast with my dad.

   I snuggled down into the couch, not partaking of the regular festivity. I took the time to remember something special, something that was very important to me. I would never be able to do this again. Just this one time. After taking a sip of my cool, chocolaty milk, I breathed deeply and whispered.

   "One last time."

   I looked around me. My family was smiling, and I saw my happy sister. Mouthing what I had just whispered to myself to her, she shook her head, indicating her confusion. She had forgotten. I didn't blame her, there were so many things to celebrate, not only to morn the passing of a year and the end of an era.

   "May your memory never fade." And with that, the past was left behind me as I joined the glad ringing in of the new year with my family and my countrymen, but at least for me, it was a bittersweet celebration. This would never happen again. It was truly one last time.

To you who said it with me... we went out together.

Sincerely,

Darrion

Fili and Kili - I'll be home for Christmas pencil drawing

Ho, ho, ho, Merry (almost) Christmas!

   Okay, this time of year has been a bit less Christmasy than usual, seeing that the Hobbit's tearful ending happened just a week before Christmas Day.

   But other than that, I have been thinking that these two things (Hobbits and Holidays) should not be apart as they are. Other than people saying "it's the most wonderful time of the year" with the cover of the Hobbit on it, I haven't seen so much Christmas cheer in the fandom these days.

   Though there's not much to be cheerful about. I mean, salty tears in the air do not induce cheer.

   And to add to those mixed Christmas feelings, I've done a drawing for you. It's suppose to be from the Battle of the Five Armies. Yes, I do know that in the movie this is not how it all rolled out, but for a moment let's forget about that and use our imaginations.

   I've got another "in memory of" pencil drawing for Fili I'm working on now, so keep an eye out for that.

   The medium I used was pencil, though I think maybe someday I'll re-do it in charcoal.

I'll be home for Christmas

if only in my dreams

   This song has always been sad for me. And now, it's even sadder. Kili promised his mum he'd be home for Christmas. But they were home, for the last time, they were home.

Merry Christmas,

Darrion

#OneLastTimeQ&A - Tag

Hello, people of the internet!

   Yes, one last time. We saw it on Tuesday night. All I can say if bring a handkerchief, like me. I needed it a lot. I hardly cry in movies, but I sobbed (literally) in this one.

   Anyway, back to the odd title... as you know if you're following this blog, I made a post a couple days ago with my #OneLastTime watercolor. This hashtag looks a little bit different, no?

(I know that's not very well edited, but I was in a hurry)

   It's a Q&A? No, I'm not answering questions about the movie. I'm asking them.

   It's a tag I came up with, a few simple(ish) questions about the movie for us, the fans.

The rules are simple:
1. You must be tagged to take the Q&A quiz
2. You must tag (and notify) at least three other bloggers (or tumblr, or facebook, or wordpress, or whatever they're on) for this Q&A
3. You must answer the following questions to the best of your ability
4. You must have seen the Battle of the Five Armies to be tagged/take the quiz. 

   But what if I haven't seen the movie yet, you ask. If you tag someone who hasn't seen the movie yet, they can just answer them after they do. If you or the person you tagged are not planning to see the movie, then they may respectfully decline :)

   Okay, here are the questions (which I will answer first)...

Spoiler alert (who dies) in the answers of questions

1. Tell your story of how you came to see the movie(s), or got into Tolkien in the first place.

   My mom took my sister and I to go see the Adventures of Tintin in theaters, and in the trailers before the movie started, the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey trailer played. It was beautiful, and the music (the Misty Mountains) stuck in my head through the whole film until we got in the car. I asked Mom if we could go see it, and she suggested we read it first. After reading the books, we watched the Lord of the Rings, and soon went to go see the Hobbit for the first time. And that's how my journey began.

2. Who are your three favorite characters in the Hobbit trilogy?

   Thorin, Bilbo, and Fili, in that order.

3. Did you cry in the Battle of the Five Armies, and if so, in which scene(s) and what type (sniffling, sobbing, choke-crying)?

   I cried in many, many scenes... the ones to note would be the deaths (though I did nearly cry when Bain and Bard were after the dragon, it was a well acted scene on the part of Bain). I was choke-crying through Fili's death. Kili's made me sniffle/cry, and Thorin's came back to sobbing. But when Bilbo came back to the Shire, and when the credits rolled and the song played, those were happy tears.

   Basically I cried the whole way through. Now, to be clear, I'm not a real movie crier, i.e. I don't cry much in movies. But in this one, I cried harder then I have ever cried so far in my life. My handkerchief was over my face most of the film. Willow is usually the one who gets emotional in movies, but she was the one patting my arm for comfort this time.

4. Were the deaths compelling to you, and if so, who's?

   Every death was very compelling to me, but the hardest to take was Fili's, then Thorin's, then Kili's (in that order). Fili's was so brutal, and he was so strong, it made me weep openly. Thorin's was so compelling because of the acting (wonderful acting on the part of Richard Armitage). The way he delivered his lines was gentle, and with Bilbo's reaction to his death... it made me cry. Kili's was pretty bad, but it felt more like 'sad' then 'heartbreak' to me.

5. Over all, were you satisfied with the movie itself?

   Yes. I think there were things they could have changed, added, or left out to make it better, but overall I think it was a emotional and very good film.

6. Describe the movie in one word.

   Beautiful.

Okay, now on to the nominees...

1. Megan Jane (http://revolutionarydaydreams.blogspot.com/)
2. Sarah (http://sarahssword.blogspot.com/)
3. Willow (http://inthewordsofwillow.blogspot.com/)

Okay, that's it for now! More Hobbit stuff comin' soon :) Thanks guys!

#OneLastTime

a very fond farewell,

Darrion

#OneLastTime watercolor

One Last Time.

One last walk down the theater isles.

One last time of your stomach churning as you watch for the first time the newest (and last) Hobbit film's logo appear on the dark theater screen.

One last time of leaving the theater, into the light of day, having seen an ending, the ending.

One last time of getting into your car, sighing, and remaining silent on the drive home, because you know there's nothing you can say to add to what just happened.

One last time of texting your friends, telling them the news: "it was the last time."

One last time of going on to whatever social media website you choose, scrolling through endless screenshots, fanart, and fanfictions, having nothing to add, but at the same time having everything to say.

One last time.

I'm glad I joined this group of fans. I'm glad I saw that preview for the first Hobbit movie, the Unexpected Journey. I'm glad I got my mom to read my sister and I that first chapter of that first book.

Maybe you won't cry in this movie. And that's okay. And maybe you will, and that's okay.

But whatever happens out there, however this story ends, I just want to say...

Thank you. Everyone. Peter Jackson, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian Mckellen, thank you to everyone, from the cook to the producers, for this. All of this. You've lightened my world, made me smile, and made me cry. Thank you.


And to you, who have shared this journey with me, thank you all.

And as we take this final walk, final time of the lights dimming and the theater hushing, know this is a time we may forget one day.

But it is not this day. The day may come when we break all bonds of fellowship with this fandom, but it is not this day. This day we remember, by all that you hold dear from that good earth, I bit you stand, fans of this world!

#OneLastTime

Darrion

King Fili Sketch by D.M.R.

Hey guys!

   I stated in my last post (Thorin Sketch) that I was in the works with another drawing, which I have here for you now :) It's King Fili, as he would have been (since Fili was Thorin's next of kin, he would have become king after Thorin died). The link on the photo is to my the website my sister and I share, The Girls Who Time Forgot on Weebly. Both cosplays and fanart are on there, if you'd like to check it out :)

   I actually finished this a while ago, but just kept fiddling with the light source until I got to this. The original photo was edited (not by me, let me be clear) with the crown on. He would have been such a great king... *feels*

   Here it is! As you may notice, there's white light (probably natural cloud/sun light) shining from the right (our right, not his :) and then there's -I'm guessing either candle or fire light- on the other side. Which looks odd if you can't see the different colors of it (i.e. my pencil sketch) and it's more dramatic if there's one light source, I think. Hence my fix of eliminating the second light source :)

   Sorry it's taken me so long to post this, I totally forgot that I even finished it :) I hope you guys have a good one!

Sincerely,

Darrion

Thorin, Thrain's son Sketch by D.M.R.

Hey guys!

It's D, and I've (finally) got another drawing to show you! This one is of Thorin Oakenshield, from the Hobbit.

  Oh, and the reason this drawing has a different link then this blog is because it's on the website Willow and I have, The Girls Who Time Forgot (click here for the fanart page!).

   Anyway, this pencil drawing is off of a photo of a bedraggled Thorin from the DOS movie visual companion book, though I did give him a more pleasant slight smile then the picture originally portrayed. I started it because I was bored out of my skull, and instead of using up my time on Pinterest, drew this. I've had a fear of curly complex hair for a while, and this certainly helped me get over that.

   Well, I've moved on from this to start yet another Hobbit sketch... sorry none fandom friends... it's of Fili, as he would have been as King Under the Mountain. So keep a look out for that!

Thanks guys :)

Sincerely,
Darrion

P.S.,
   If anyone of you knows about digital art pads/tablets, please let me know! I've been wanting to get into the digital art world, but I have no idea what to expect or what to get. So if you've done it before, if you would please leave a comment and give your valued advise, I would be very grateful :)

P.P.S.,
   And I just realized... I have thirteen followers! Thank you guys so much for your loyalty, honor, and willing hearts! (if you understood that reference, internet huggles!) You can all be the thirteen Dwarves and I'll be the Hobbit. Just kidding :) I think I'd rather be a Dwarf, actually... what would you want to be? Comment below! :) Okay, I'm really going now. Thanks for following!

My Reaction to The Battle Trailer Illustrated in Gifs

Hey, everyone!

   Now, if you're a Hobbit fan, I hope you already know about the trailer for the Battle of the Five Armies that came out yesterday. If not, click here to watch it!

   Quick backstory, we didn't realize that it was going to come out when it did. Yes, we saw the short "Coming Tomorrow" video, but when Willow read the time, she thought it would come out at twelve o'clock at night. Later, we saw on a pin that it was up right then and there, at twelve in the afternoon! So, we watched the trailer (while filming our reactions, which is a whole other post) and totally freaked!

   Okay, so I promised gifs, and here they come :) These of of my (and some of Willow's) reactions before, during, and after the trailer.

When we saw that the trailer was up, Willow and I basically looked like this...

*freakin' out*

And then, it started. The New Line Cinema emblem appeared.

*dis gonna be gooooood*

 And then Smaug suddenly roars and breathes fire

*Durin's beard that startled me*

Tauriel appears

*sorry guys, I just had to*

"Those who survived, and those who did not." 

 *can't*

Pippin's song starts playing, "Home is behind..."

"Until the stars are all alight..." The Dwarves are walking in their armor, and (the soon-to-be-deceased) Kili is seen

*why you do dis to me?!*

It looks like Legolas's eyes are filling with tears

*wat are my feels doin'*

"Will you have peace, or war?" "All shall fade..." "I will have war!"

*why you gotta play me like dis*

"Will you follow me? One last time."

*raises hand as high as is humanly possible*

And after. At first, it's freaking out again.

Then, it's sitting and silently contemplating

And back to crying

My dad comes home and I show him the trailer

And then, to make it worse, I lay in bed and listen to "Into the West"

Why does it have to go so soon? It's all going to be over in December. And to kill my inner feels even more, I read this...

"This is the last time we’ll all be united as Tolkien fans for the sake of one trailer. Just know that I love you all and I would gladly sail to the Grey Havens with you at the end of this adventure."

... and I added this... "<-- If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together."

We only have so long to wait, until it's all over. I hope I've made your feels even stronger with this post. You're welcome :')

Sincerely,

Darrion