The Last Goodbye?

Greetings again, dear friends.

 

Last night, I had the immense pleasure of attending a midnight showing of the third and final installment of the beloved Hobbit trilogy, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.

You know me.  I am the very epitome of a fangirl.  I spent several hours after the film spazzing about this and that and everything beyond and in-between.  Smaug’s siege and destruction.  The battle scenes.  The one-on-ones.  The wraiths.  Elrond.  Everything about Thranduil.  Bard.  Legolas (despite the fact that he is a sassypants show-off like his father).  Those rams large enough to ride on up the side of a mountain.  Kiliel (I SHIP IT).  Bilbo's little nose twitch thing.  And lots of other things that aren’t coming to my mind as I write this.  Pretty much the whole movie.  It’s been a while, oddly enough, since I so heavily abused caps lock, exclamation points, and nonsensical emoticons.

After my inner (and outer…) fangirl calmed down to a stable state, however, I realized what my true emotions were in regards to the film.

            Tauriel: ‘…Why does it hurt so much?’

            Thranduil: ‘Because it was real.’

I have ventured to many distant lands.  Each one has a special place in my heart and mind that is a permanent part of my being.  Middle Earth holds some of my particularly fondest memories.

The point is that The Battle of Five Armies, another end to another fantastic adventure, will continue to haunt me with sentimentality and nostalgia for many years to come.

When The Return of the King released, I was still quite young and a bit naïve in the ways of the world, but now that I’m an adult and am burdened with my cares and experiences, I’ve learned to value these childhood fantasies and to approach them in a very different way than I did before.  The wonderful thing is, that I can always relive them.

          “There and back again.”

As I mentioned in my previous post, I tend to judge films very subjectively.  That’s just how I am.  I wouldn’t necessarily call myself my Tolkien purist, but I am in agreement that this movie is in no way perfect in relation to the book.  There are so many things that I could pick at and whine about, but honestly, this movie was so epic that I feel like I can overlook those things quite easily, for the most part.  There are several things that I wish weren’t left out and certain things that I would change if I could, but that’s not what this post is about so I won’t go there.

The book is the book and the movie is the movie.

This movie made me feel so...inspired.  As an artist and a writer, this is a most beautiful feeling.  Battle of the Five Armies was entertaining from start to finish, with nonstop action and continuous development of both character and story.  I’m quite surprised, honestly, how much was covered in just two hours and a half.  I am impressed.

It goes without saying that this is something very near and dear to me.  What I have been able to articulate and put together to form this blog post barely scratches the surface of my thoughts on this topic.  There is so much more that could be said.

            “To these memories I will hold
            With your blessing I will go
            To turn at last to paths that lead home
            And though where the road then takes me
            I cannot tell
            We came all this way
            But now comes the day
            To bid you farewell.”

            —“The Last Goodbye,” Billy Boyd

Despite previously declaring that Battle of the Five Armies would be his last film within the Tolkien universe, director Peter Jackson recently stated that he would “probably” be up for another journey in Middle Earth.  Mr. Jackson, I’d definitely be up for that, too.

So is this really the last goodbye?

Personally, I’m going to hope that this isn’t the case. I think that the greatest stories are the ones that are never-ending; the ones that will forever be immortalized within the hearts of those who believe that there are much higher things in this existence, even if some of those things are just in our imaginations.

 “Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate,

And though I oft have passed them by,

A day will come at last when I

Shall take the hidden paths that run

West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”

“The Road Goes Ever On,” J.R.R. Tolkien

DECEMBER FAVORITES ♥

Hello, everyone! 


I hope you all had a beautiful and memorable holiday season.  ^_^  I sure did.  Christmas is my absolute favorite. ♥  So much family, friends, food, giving, and receiving!  I got so many great gifts…I’m incredibly grateful for all of the amazing people in my life!

 

I apologize that I didn’t get my contact lens review up last month, but it’s mostly because I found out that EyeCandy’s is no longer carrying the specific pair that I purchased! :O I wish I would’ve posted the review earlier, but oh well.  I’ll be buying another pair, and I will certainly write a review for it soon after. 

 

I’m starting to see sunshine outside, so hopefully that means better weather for photography is on the way!  I really want to get my ocarina review up for Songbird Ocarinas, too.  That one that I’ve been promising for a while now, too.  I’m so behind.  Ha ha ha…X)

 

 

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Anyway!  Here we go again with another round of Monthly Favorites!

 

 

My movie of the month is a no-brainer.  Why, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, of course! Where do I even begin with this one? D: Alright, I admit that I was a bit skeptical about this film.  I am by no means one of those “Hey, that isn’t in the book!  BURN IT!  BURN IT WITH FIRE!!” kind of people, but I was a bit concerned about the addition of Tauriel to the story, and her implied romantic involvement with Legolas, who isn’t even supposed to be there, either! ಠ_ಠ ...Now that I’ve seen the movie, I still don’t like Legolas being present, no matter how awesome the barrels in the river scene was, but I was pleasantly surprised with the character of Tauriel.  She’s well designed and written, and yeah, pretty darn cool.  You go, elf girl!  That being said, I think that there may have been a little too much focus on her, especially with her adorkable romance with Kili.  Her scenes were entertaining, yes, but were they necessary and worthwhile?  It’s a point for discussion.

 

Smaug.  One word: epic.  Very well done.

 

That’s my two cents, anyway!  All in all: a very entertaining, well-balanced, beautifully made film.  Looking forward to the grand finale! :D

 

 

 

One of the Christmas presents which I received was Super Junior’s Japanese album, Hero (the deluxe 3-disc edition :3).  I’m in love with this album!  There’s just something extra-special about Kyuhyun’s voice when he sings in Japanese, rather than in Korean.  Each track is great, the DVD includes lots of special features, and all of it is attractively packaged along with a 40-page photobook. 

 

Two of the songs on the CD are ones that I had never previously heard, and I’ve really been digging them: Tuxedo (even someone who doesn't like k-pop would like this song) and Way (the vocals are lovely, and the chorus is so catchy!).

 

 

 

 

I had a food discovery in December!  One that honestly made me go “da-da-da-DAAAA!!”  Ciao Bella Gelato (Dulce de Leche)!  Yeah, I know what you all are thinking.  Ashley, why ON EARTH are you eating gelato in the frigid winter?  I really have no idea, honestly.  I just knew that I wanted to eat it, and so I did.  It had been years since I had gelato, and I was reminded of how absolutely amaaaazing it is!

Yum!

 

 

 

 

Before I reveal my book of the month, I’m just going to make a little note:  I’m not biased.  At all.  Mm-hmm.  ;-P

 

Violet Eyes by Katharine Bond (a.k.a. my best friend slash writing partner slash partner in crime ehehe).

 

Hmm, I was going to talk about this AWESOME★ book a little bit, but I think that I’ll go ahead and write a full review for it instead!  Look for that next week.  :)

If you're interested in purchasing this book, check it out on Amazon!

 

^o^

 

 

 

 

 

 

While shopping on Black Friday, I came across these Sand Lacquer nail polishes by Forever 21.  I had never tried F21 polishes before, so I only bought two of them; a purple and a blue/green (pictured).  …I wish I had bought the entire collection while they were on sale, because these polishes are so gorgeous! ;__; Like liquid snow (er--water?  What?  You know what I'm trying to say!).  So sparkly!  GREAT for holidays and special occasions.

 

 

 

 

Finally, a video game to end this post.  Another Christmas gift!  Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS.

 

Yeah.

 

Goodbye social life.

 

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HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE~!! I HOPE THAT 2014 BRINGS YOU ALL MANY BLESSINGS AND MUCH HAPPINESS.

 

 

Love & cheesecake,

Aianarie xoxo

Random Randomness 10/2/12

Hola! :)

This post is really going to live up to the title “Random Randomness”, I think.  I have been busy with work, so I haven’t had much time for internet (although my Twitter would say otherwise…xD), and there have been so many things I’ve wanted to blog about.  So…let’s get started, shall we?

For one, I have been having so many OTP feels lately.  It is ridiculous, really.  I didn’t think I was an OTP kind of fan.  My numero uno couple has always been, is, and will always be Link x Zelda.  Playing Skyward Sword has definitely fueled this one.  They are so stinking cute in this game.  Don’t get me wrong, all the ZeLink is not the only reason why I love the game.  Not quite!  Skyward Sword is a feast.

            Secondly, Sasuke x Sakura, my favorite couple from Naruto.  I think they look so great together, and their unique storyline leaves open many romantic opportunities that Kishimoto-sensei really needs to take advantage of…I hate Sasuke, though.  I’m not even sorry.  I don’t believe that what he’s gone through is enough to justify his actions.  However, I think Sakura deserves the man of her dreams, which is why I ship them.  I really hope this couple is canon.  Either way, though, I’ll be interested to see how Kishimoto-sensei handles this couple.  On that note, I have been reading a lot of SasuSaku doujin.  Okay, I admit it, a lot of it is garbage, but I was very impressed with some of the artwork and storylines that fans have come up with.  Maybe in the future I’ll blog about my favorite doujin suggestions.  …On a side note, there is a CRAPLOAD of hate involved with this ship…And, I may or may not be working on my own SasuSaku doujinshi...

            About a week ago, I was re-reading Inuyasha, and I was reminded of how much strife this series put my heart through.  There is so much sexual tension between Inuyasha and Kagome.  It’s insane!  I’m glad that I watched/read this series when I was much younger, because now I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to handle the stress. lol

            Clintasha (or BlackHawk).  They just need to shut up and kiss already.  I’m looking forward to Captain America:  The Winter Soldier.  Have you been following?  *wink wink*

            All of my recent OTP feels have not been positive, either.  Some people’s ships drive me crazy.  I mean, if a ship makes enough sense, even if I hate the couple (*cough* for example, Naruto x Sakura *cough*), I dispose myself to accept it.  Because it is possible for them to be canon, so I can’t just ignore its existence.  The exception being Link and Zelda; I can’t stand them being paired with anyone else other than each other.  It just irks me.  Just.  Don’t mess with them.  Please?  Thanks.

            So when I see, for example, Sasuke x Hinata, Black Widow x Loki, or Sesshomaru x Kagome, it drives me up a wall.  I’m usually a very tolerable (or extremely passive) of people’s opinions and I DO NOT get involved with shipping wars, but SRSLY PPL.  Y U NO MAKE SENSE?

            OK, I’m done discussing this.  Next.

So, of course I got the Avengers DVD.  I’ve already watched it twice.  I also had a chance to watch the deleted scenes and Marvel’s first-ever gag reel.  *confetti*  I’m glad they decided to change the Agent Hill scenes that they originally had in the beginning and end of the movie.  I thought those scenes were weird and somehow didn’t fit in the grand scheme of things.  I liked the scene between Hawkeye and Loki, particularly the part where Loki is standing under the crack in the ceiling and the light is on his face.  It gave me chills!  I can see why the scene was cut, but it was still interesting.  Also interesting was the extended Steve Rogers scene in which he is getting used to the modern world.  I found this cute and amusing, although it was serious in tone.  It was quite long (which is probably why it was cut) but I enjoyed watching it.  …Oh Stan Lee.  Ha ha ha.

            The gag reel was hilarious.  Instead of trying to describe it, here, you can watch some of it here:

But really, you should buy the DVD if you haven't.

And we are getting closer and closer to The Hobbit with every passing moment.  The second the presale tickets come up I’m buying one for the midnight showing.  Here is the 2^nd theatrical trailer, with my compliments.

Before I let you go, I would like to direct your attention to my latest deviantART journal: [link], in which I talk about my writing hiatus and my October art projects.

That’s it for today!  ‘Til next week!