We Love Shakespeare Week: The Tag

Okay okay, I know it's technically the last day of Hamlette's We Love Shakespeare Week, but I was so busy with midterms and school and all that stuff that I had nearly no time to make any comments on other people's posts (for which I apologize...I wish I had had time...), but I am DETERMINED to finish the tag before the day is out! 

And so, here it is: 


1. When and how did you first encounter Shakespeare's plays?

I started reading them in high school, actually as a part of my homeschool curriculum. I didn't understand them super well, but over the past school year I took a college class (basically "Shakespeare level one") and my professor was really great at helping us understand the plays, so that's how I came to really enjoy and like them.

2.  What are your favorite Shakespeare plays?  (Go ahead and list as many as you like!)

Oooh...definitely Macbeth, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew (which I know is a controversial one but I thought it was somewhat hilarious in certain parts), Midsummer Night's Dream...they're all good.

3.  Who are some of your favorite characters in his plays?  (Again, list however many suits you.)

Well I kind of have to include Iago in this list, not because of his "goodness," but because of the complexity and interesting-ness of his character...

I also love Banquo. He is most likely my very favorite Shakespeare character ever. 

4.  Have you seen any of his plays performed, whether live or on film?

Sadly I have not seen any performed live, though I would love to. In my college class, we watched bits and pieces of many various film adaptations and such, but never the entire production of anything. The two that I remember best are a newer production of Macbeth, with Patrick Stewart. It was set in a kind of weird, horrific place, and it had me tense and nervous throughout the whole thing--super well done, but a little terrifying. We also watched the film of a live production of Taming of the Shrew done by Shakespeare's Globe, which was GREAT, aside from the dirty jokes that unfortunately are sprinkled throughout the Bard's comedies. And then we watched part of a 2018 version of King Lear with Anthony Hopkins as Lear and Emma Thompson as Goneril. It looked really good from what I saw, but I haven't watched the whole thing, soooo...I don't know.

5.  Have you read any of his plays?

Yes!!! I have read maybe ten-ish. I can't remember the exact number. 

6.  Share a dream cast for one of your favorite Shakespeare plays.

Oh dear...boy, I don't know. I guess I have never really thought of that, as shocking as that is. I'm sure that as soon as I finish this post and hit publish, I'll think of something. 

7.  What draws you to Shakespeare's plays?  (Language, themes, characters, the fact that they're famous, whatever!)

I love the characters and the clever language! (Plus, being able to interpret and read the Shakespearean language is a great skill to have.)

8.  Do you have any cool Shakespeare-themed merchandise, like t-shirts or mugs or bookmarks, etc?  Share pictures if you can!

*sighs* Unfortunately, I do not. 

9.  How do you go about understanding his language?  (Do you prefer copies with translation notes, look things up online, or just read so much stuff written in Elizabethan English that you totally know what everyone's saying?)

For my college class, we were required to get the Folger editions of all of our plays, which are really cheap (I got most of mine used for like $5), and they all have really good notes in them. Other than that, I used the Oxford English Dictionary to understand words I didn't know or that are no longer used in our modern English. But as far as understanding the language itself, I think that the best way to do so is just to practice. Now that I've read so much of it, I have gotten used to the language and am able to understand most of it without any help or notes.

10.  What are some of your favorite lines from Shakespeare?  (Maybe limit yourself to like ten, okay?)

"If I be waspish, best beware my sting." 

-Taming of the Shrew, II.i.223

"Know thou this: that men are as the time is: 

to be tender-minded does not become a sword." 

-King Lear, V.iii.35-37

"I'll tarry no longer with you. Farewell, good Signior Love." 

"I am glad of your departure. Adieu, good Monsieur Melancholy." 

-As You Like It, III.ii. 295-297

"I dare do all that may become a man. 

Who dares do more is none." 

-Macbeth, I.vii.51-52

"Let this pernicious hour stand aye accursed in the calendar!" 

-Macbeth, IV.i.148-149

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

that struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, 

Signifying nothing." 

-Macbeth, V.v.22-30

"Why, thou silly gentleman!" 

-Othello, I.iii.349

"Thou know'st we work by wit and not by witchcraft, 

and wit depends on dilatory time." 

-Othello, II.iii.393-394

"The general so likes your music that he desires you, 

for love's sake, to make no more noise with it." 

-Othello, III.i.13-14

And of course, in addition to all those, all the ones that I quoted in my previous post about Iago....

Well, that was quite fun! Thanks again, Hamlette! :D 

“We Work By Wit And Not By Witchcraft”

Hello everyone!!! Today is the opening day of the We Love Shakespeare Week, hosted by Hamlette of Hamlette's Soliloquy! Many thanks for hosting, Hamlette! :D This is going to be wonderfully fun. Now, without any more rambling introduction (because goodness knows this post is much longer and rambly-er than it needs to be already), here we go. My topic today is the character Iago, from Shakespeare's play Othello. I have not seen any full movie productions of this play, just so you know, just read the text, so this is what I got from that. *There are spoilers in this post, just so you know.*

(Don't know whose artwork this is, but I like it a lot)

Iago, from the play Othello, is honestly my favorite Shakespeare villain. He is a deceitful, treacherous man, who uses each person he knows for his own personal gain, but he operates with such Class and Cleverness that's it's impossible not to feel just a LITTLE bit of respect for his character.

So, a little background, for a brief synopsis of the play:

Othello is a Moor, which is basically Shakespearian for a person of color, and, TO GIVE YOU FAIR WARNING, the play has a loooooot of racist content going on. He is also the leader of an army, which is kind of where his "identity" as a character is found, in warring and in leading his army. He elopes with Desdemona, the daughter of a wealthy, white noble, and then they go off together to the place where the next battle is, along with his army, second-in-command Cassio, and Iago, the standard-bearer and advisor.

Not long after that, their enemies are defeated. The war is over and there's nothing else in anybody's way. And the army starts partying and kind of just chilling while Iago's devious plots are put into action. In the end *SPOILER ALERT EVEN THOUGH THE BOOK'S LIKE 500 YEARS OLD* Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful, Othello kills her, then Emilia (Iago's wife and Desdemona's maid) deducts that Iago is the villain, then Iago kills her, then Othello kills himself, and Iago is carried off to prison. The End.

Now, with that background, let's talk about Iago's actual character. His main reason for the grudge against and hatred of Othello, his commander, is that some dude named Cassio got the promotion to second-in-command instead of him, and now he wants revenge. Naturally. And not revenge on Cassio! Revenge on Othello, for not picking him.

Weirdly enough, Iago isn't physically aggressive throughout most of the play, which is somewhat strange for such a terrible villain.  He isn't killing people left and right like other Shakespeare villains, and really, it's through  his use and command of language that he is essentially the play’s “director” and the main instigator of most action in the play, or at least I think so. 

In fact, Iago’s verbal, emotional, and mental manipulation of pretty much everyone he meets engineers the entire play’s plot! From the very beginning, he is there (in fact his are the opening lines), orchestrating events and exerting his will on those surrounding him. 

His skills are mainly these: 

1. Planting small seeds of ideas in his listener’s mind, not EXPLICITLY stating his purpose or point, but saying enough to make the hearer think, "wait a minute...something's strange here," and then claim the idea as their own, in a way. Interestingly enough, many of Iago’s “seeds” of ideas are not full, blatant lies. He's an expert at twisting the truth juuuuuuust enough to change peoples’ perceptions of reality, just enough to skew their sight and make them think the way he wants them to think.
2. He's  REALLY good at painting word pictures so that his listener can see in their brain exactly what he wants them to see, glazed in the light that he wants them to see it in. 
3. Basically, he's tricky with words and not somebody you'd want to have any sort of debate with.  Cause you (if you're anything like me) would probably end up losing. 

The reason that he is such a compelling and believable villain is (I think) because Iago is also an excellent actor. People (such as Othello) constantly call him "Honest Iago" or "Loyal Iago" or such terms, and many of the characters even look up to him as a mentor and adviser, constantly bringing their worries and fears to him for resolution. But of course, Iago never gives pure advice or honesty; in fact he is a two-faced, treacherous, equivocating man. 

"Iago doth give up the execution of his wit, hands, heart to wronged Othello’s service! Let him command, and to obey shall be in me remorse what bloody business ever,” he says as he kneels and pledges fealty to Othello.  Buuuuuuut then as soon as Othello leaves, Iago basically never stops hating on “the Moor." (He is also INCREDIBLY and disgustingly racist. The language of race is used constantly throughout the play and, through that, Iago makes Othello seem like an animalistic, "othered" being, almost inhuman and monstrous. It's pretty awful, but that's a topic for another time.) 

"I follow him to serve my turn upon him,” Iago states, as well as claiming, “In following him, I follow but myself." In the same monologue as these statements, he acknowledges his own two-faced, scheming, conniving, treacherous nature: “I am not what I am."  This is the voice of a terrible, evil liar. It is also the direct opposite of what God told Moses, definitely, in my opinion, giving Iago a devillish and almost demonic character. “When devils will the blackest sins put on, they do suggest at first with heavenly shows as I do now,” he says, taking pride in his lying and his evil.  

So anyway, Iago is really the one orchestrating the entire play. He grows his control of and influence on his companions and their actions throughout the whole thing, until he is found out and admits his crimes. The weird thing is that after his evil plots and manipulations are discovered, he just says, “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word." 

And that's literally the last thing he ever says. He has no more lines after that, even when the others talk about sending him to be imprisoned and/or tortured. He doesn't even defend himself or try to fight, which *I* found super odd.  The play actually ends about seventy lines after Iago’s last line. Since he wasn't manipulating and directing people anymore, the action sort of winds down after that line, which is super weird.

I think my favorite part of the play might be when Iago is getting Othello to suspect Cassio (a high-ranking officer who, by the way, stole Iago's promotion, or so the villain says) of being a little too close with Othello's wife, Desdemona. The four are standing there talking, Desdemona says something to Cassio, and Iago says, "Ha, I like not that.” (This is in Act III, if you're interested.) Later, after Cassio and Desdemona go their separate ways, Othello starts prying at what Iago disliked. "Why dost thou ask?" Othello says, with Iago's reply of, "But for a satisfaction of my thought. No further harm." In other words, Othello says, "Hey, what's going on?" and Iago says, "Oh, it's nothing. No big deal."

I find this HILARIOUS because it's basically the exact same conversation that I have with my siblings when they won't tell me something or vice versa. "THOU DOST MEAN SOMETHING!!!" (The caps are my addition...) For like five pages, Othello and Iago go back and forth about whether it's important, and Othello becomes somewhat frustrated with his "honest Iago." After several pages of banter, Iago finally, "reluctantly," tells Othello his thoughts, being careful to say "wellllll, I can't be sure, but have you noticed how friendly those two are with each other??" This is also the passage with the famous "jealousy" lines, where Iago warns against the very thing that he is (which is another interesting note, whenever Iago describes a "bad" person, or describes what to "beware," he basically just describes himself). 

(Yes, that is an Iago line, NOT a Loki line. Yes, I agree with the common consensus that Loki's whole character is very similar to Iago's, at least in some ways. But that's not the point. It would be an interesting topic...but not now!) 

The point is, that personally I think Shakespeare was pointing out the significance and impact of words. “But words are words. I never yet did hear that the bruised heart was pierced through the ear.” This line (spoken by Desdemona's father after he discovers her elopement) is pretty much the Shakespearian equivalent of “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” BUT the rest of the play proves the saying completely wrong as Iago’s manipulation wreaks havoc and disarray. (Her dad even dies later because he was sad, further disproving his words.) Words are POWERFUL and can be harmful if used in the wrong way, as Iago's character proves. 

Oh, Iago knows very well that he is evil, a “devil,” but he does not seem to care as long as he does evil well.  He bends and twists the truth, the very embodiment of evil, but not regretful for his evil ever after he gets caught. He is truly one of the most effective, intelligent, and powerful villains in classic literature, I think. Probably the thing that makes him so compelling is his belief in his own lies, the way that he will stop at absolutely nothing because he absolutely believes that he is right. It's almost scary, actually.  

That line, "And what's he...that says I play the villain?" kind of sums up his entire character. It's kind of surprising how well fleshed-out and intricate it is! Not that Shakespeare's characters are all shallow, but in my reading of his works, I haven't yet encountered such an interesting character. Yes, he's awful and evil. But he is human. 

(That being said, it's not impossible that *some* of his anger against Othello was justified, because [according to Iago himself] there were rumors afoot that Othello and Emilia, Iago's wife, had had an affair and Iago was jealous for her...not an excuse for his awful behavior, but a reason nonetheless.) 

But, even with his evilness and awfulness (because I'm not saying I like him, that would be perverted and wrong), he is a fascinating character to study. The play's title is Othello. But Othello is not the main character. 

All right, I think I have rambled for long enough here! Before I go though...has anyone read the book I, Iago by Nicole Galland? And if you have, is it any good? It happened to come up when I was researching the play and I was wondering if it's worth reading at all. 

Well, thanks again for letting me participate, Hamlette! This was very enjoyable! :) 

Happy Shakespeare Week, everybody! 

20 Questions Book Tag

Hello there! And Happy 2019! It's ridiculous, how fast 2018 went by...but that's beside the point. Mem has tagged me for this 20 Questions Book Tag, and I thought that it was high time I finally actually did it! So, here we go!

1.       how many books are too many books in a book series?

Well...I guess that would depend on the series. There are some, like the Redwall books, that I absolutely love but just go on...and on...and on....and on...and then start repeating. I guess that about 10 is the absolute maximum for a book series. Like Ranger's Apprentice. I like the first 10 books, the original series, but then all the spinoffy things (Brotherband and the prequel and sequel series-es) just aren't the same. 

2.       how do you feel about cliffhangers?

Hehe...well...

If I'm WRITING them, then I absolutely love them. If not, then I get mad. 

3.       hardback or paperback?

I guess it depends on the book! I usually prefer hard covers, but then those are much more expensive. If I have one book from a set in hard cover, then I want the rest to match, and vice versa with paperback. If it's an anthology or collection, then I definitely want hard covers. 

4.       favorite book?

Oh goodness no. I could never choose an ABSOLUTE favorite! But I suppose...maybe The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. That or A Tale of Two Cities. 

5.       least favorite book?

Dr. Potter's Medicine Show by Eric Scott Fischl. I had to read it my first year in college and it was absolutely awful. 

6.       love triangles, yes or no?

I can't stand them!! I get so mad at the stupid people who have to make resolving difficulties the most difficult thing possible and can't just sit down and calmly talk about anything!

7.       the most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

I am somewhat ashamed of this one, but Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. For one, school started and I literally have no time for pleasure reading during school, and for another, it just didn't "grab" my attention like Dickens' other works did. I remember it was very good! But it didn't enthrall me the way A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations did. 

8.       a book you’re currently reading?

I am STILL working through The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers (but you know school so that's taking ages), and I am reading the very first draft copy of one of my cousin's books to give her feedback! And now is time for a public apology for how very little I have been reading lately...

Oh, except for Shakespeare. I have been reading lots of Shakespeare. I just finished Titus Andronicus, which was somewhat brutal to read--the most shocking and distressing of all his plays I have read--but that's another story.

9.       last book you recommended to someone?

Ooooh…I think The Dragon's Tooth by N.D. Wilson. Since I work at the library, we get to set out employee reccomendations and that was my latest. 

10.   oldest book you’ve read? (publication date)

Hmm...I'm actually not sure. Maybe The Iliad  or one of those ancient Greek or Roman books. As far as publication date I have absolutely no idea. I'm guessing it's one of the old classics, maybe Beowulf. 

11.   newest book you’ve read? (publication date)

I don't read a lot of new books, but I think it would be N.D. Wilson's Outlaws of Time series. I haven't read the most recent one, but the one before that, The Song of Glory and the Ghost, was published in 2017. 

12.   favorite author?

*slams head on keyboard* 

I can't even answer that!!! But, for the sake of the post, I have to say either C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien. 

13.   buying books or borrowing books?

Well, borrowing books is nice cause you don't have to pay for them...but I like to write in my books (I know, I'm a horrible person), underline passages that I like or note stuff in the margins, so probably buying them is better. Then I can have them on hand to lend to other people too! 

14.   a book you dislike that everyone else seems to love?

I     I wasn't a fan of the Percy Jackson series...I tried...I read maybe the first 3 or 4, but just didn't like them at all. 

15.   bookmarks or dog-ears?

Oh, bookmarks all the way!

16.   a book you can always reread?

Hmmm...maybe The Hobbit? It just doesn't get old, if you know what I mean. There's so much goodness in there. 

Also, the book doesn't have THIS ATROCITY, so it's much better than watching the movies

17.   can you read while hearing music?

It depends on the music. If it's soundtrack or instrumental, then usually I'm fine with it. If it's vocal music, then I have a harder time. 

18.   one POV or multiple POVs?

Usually just one. Or if there are multiple, I like a very OBVIOUS and clear transition from POV to POV just so that I don't get confused. 

19.   do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

That definitely depends on the book. If it's a really short one I'll read it all at once, but since I hardly have time for pleasure reading, in real life it takes more than a day. 

20.   who do you tag?

If your birthday is in January, I tag YOU! Go for it. (And that means you too, Josiah.) 


That was most fun, thanks for tagging me, Mem!!! I shall leave you all now and go back to...whatever it is I'm doing.

#CoverLove Tag!!! (Also Merry Christmas!)

Hello there, everyone! I was tagged a while back by Ruth from Amongst Spring Blossoms for this, and I figured it was about time I got it done! So, without further ado....

(Apologies in advance for the awful quality photos...my phone's camera isn't great, but I wanted pictures of the actual books that I have at home.) 

1. A book cover featuring a gorgeous dress:

I know what you're thinking. That's an American Girl picture book. What kind of "gorgeous dress" is that? Now, the thing is, I really don't own any other books with dresses on them, and there aren't really any in my house for some reason. And let's face it, we ALL wanted Felicity's outfits when we were ten years old. At least, I know I did. 

2. A book cover with no people, just a pretty scenery:

This book is so underrated! Tolkien wrote it for his son, Michael, after Michael lost a little toy dog. So, Tolkien wrote about the adventures that the little dog had after being lost. It is such a sweet, funny, lighthearted story, and a quick read! 

3. A book cover that's ''well-loved'':

No explanation needed. This book has been taped sooooo many times I have lost count (actually I just taped it again like a week ago), and has gone through many hands. It's actually my dad's, but it has been read countless times by me and my siblings. It really smells good though...:D 

4. A book cover that just makes you smile:

This is just such a fun book, and Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are so whimsical! It's definitely a good one. (As you can tell, my Luke Skywalker ornament on our Christmas tree decided to photo-bomb...) 

5. A book cover that is your favorite color:

Well, favorite color is hard for me...I love so many colors! But Dandelion Fire (at least the old original cover) is such a nice shade (or shades) of blue--I have a soft spot for royal blues and purples. 

6. A cover of a book with fond memories attached to it:

I remember when I was maybe 7 or 8, I used to check this book out from the library (before I owned it, of course) just because I loved the cover, and there was a certain, particular copy that I always wanted. It was the one that was the most worn, the one with yellowed pages and an old, sweet, bookish smell. I read this one over and over when I was younger, even when I was too little to fully understand all the words. 

7. A book you wanted solely for the cover:

So the library I work at had a book sale a while ago, and I happened to see a copy of David Copperfield on the table. I picked it up, pulled it out of an old, red protective case, and there was this lovely hardcover book! You can't tell from the picture, but it is a very nicely textured surface and the lettering/decorations are all in gold, very fancy. AND it was in great condition, so of course, I had to buy it...it was only a dollar anyway! I have no idea how the pattern on the cover got shadowed over top of my background, but it looks kinda cool...maybe something to do with the flash on my camera...hmmm....

Anyway, there it is! Thanks again, Ruth, that was very fun! :) 

Now I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! 

"For to us a child is born, 

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful, 

Counselor, 

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, 

Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government

and of peace there will be no end, 

on the throne of David 

and over his kingdom, 

to establish it and to uphold it 

with justice and with righteousness 

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." 

Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)

In Which Anna Discovers a Scammer and Completely Destroys Them

So the other day, I got a Messenger text from an old family friend who I am friends with on Facebook. I thought it was a little weird, no preliminary pleasantries or reminiscing, just a blunt "How are you doing?" I also thought it was weird that her messenger account (*I am leaving all real names and info out, for privacy's sake*) said it was linked with a phone number, not with a FB account, which...well, she's a friend of mine on there so it wouldn't make sense for her account to not be linked to FB. Anyway. I responded with a wary, "I'm doing well, how are you all?" Then this happened: 

Already I was pretty sure this was fake. For one, it doesn't sound like her "voice" at all, and for another...well, anyone knows that people randomly offering money are usually scammers. So I decided to play along for a while.

Now, at this point I decided to mess with the scammer by asking the same of the supposed person's son--whose name and nickname me and my family all know. So: 

There was no response for this for a day, which made me sad. But then the person replied!!!! So I referenced a fake person named "Josh" (which was obviously completely made up, but of course only I knew that).

NOW I started laughing. Angie????? Really???? You need question marks after telling me your own son's name????? Is that the BEST you can do?  Honestly, even *I* would be a better scammer than you! But I kept playing along. (And his name isn't Angie, by the way.) 

(Just so y'all know, I did NOT try the number, I was just playing along.)

By this point I knew that if I didn't say I texted the number then they would really suspect, so I typed out a lecture for them and ended the conversation with an appropriately devastating gif (which doesn't work in screenshots of course, so I added it for your benefit). 

Sorry for this random post, but I thought it was an interesting event, and it's also a PSA. If someone ever offers you money or something like that over the phone/online...well, do your research. If anything, ANYTHING seems the slightest bit fishy about it, then it's probably just fake. And if you want to use my spiel and tell them that they have been "Loki'd"--by all means do it! ;D 

Introducing...the Characters that Fill My Brain, Part 5: King Colderan

Well, that's what I've been doing, folks. Although I suppose I DO have an excuse! The semester was wrapping up for me over these past couple weeks, and today I officially finished my last final of the fall 2018 semester! Phew! Anyway, it's nice to have that done. I haven't been as "in-tune" with the blogging world because of that, but over the break there are a couple tag posts that I need to get done, and I hope to have more time for reading and commenting too! 

But, back to the subject. Today is the last day of my character post series, wrapping up with the last (and chronologically oldest) of the main characters. I really like this guy--he's so nice...but anyway, here it is! I would like to introduce you to King Colderan! 

Age: 

Depends on which book you're reading. In his "solo" book, (wherein he is the main character), he is mainly in his mid/late twenties. In later books, he is older, and by the time of my main trilogy, he has been long dead. (It's not really a spoiler...I mean, even for an elf, that would be really old.) 

Appearance/"Casting": 

His dark hair (now streaked with the smallest tinge of gray) contrasted with his son’s fair locks, and he had soft, gentle brown eyes that sparkled gold in the light.  His back was always straight, his head always high, though not in an arrogant way.  Because of an injury from a year ago, he now walked with a heavy limp, but he didn't complain or seem to pity himself.

As far as "casting" goes, I sort of imagine Colderan (as an older person) to look a little bit like Ben Miles, the actor who portrays Sir Timothy Midwinter in Lark Rise to Candleford. (*Naturally I don't approve of all the stuff that he or any other actor I have mentioned is in, but, setting that aside, I think he looks somewhat like Colderan*)

Family:

A wife and two children (one of which is Lehye'ahl), many siblings who he was never very close to, and parents he was never close to. 

Friends:  

His closest friend, named Amris, is a very intelligent and skilled elf, who is a genius at math and pretty much everything else. Colderan and his wife were also good friends with several people of different races, including a dwarf-girl and a member of the first royal family of Bdellith (this was centuries before Rhondin's time, however). 

Skills (or Un-Skills): 

Colderan is very good with words and is a skilled public speaker, as well as a good writer. He often gets lost in thought, and could be described as a "dreamer." With that personality, he can sometimes drift away and forget what other people are saying, but he never intends to be rude. He can be stubborn and argumentative when he wants, but only about things that are extremely important to him. He is trained to use a sword but he hates it, and he is skilled at horseback riding. Colderan is a problem solver, but unfortunately many problems that he faces are not ones he can solve. He can be overzealous at times in his efforts to comfort people, and, when he was younger, was a bit naive about how to think before speaking. 

"Well, all of those stars are up there—I’m not sure how to say this—but isn’t it amazing that we’re a part of the same world, the same…same universe, I suppose—that every single star is a part of?  No matter how big or important we think we are, there’s always something out there that reminds us that we really aren’t that big after all.” 

Fears:

Losing the ones that he loves. He is terrified of storms at sea (after several awful experiences which I'm not going to tell you about) and hates watching people climb around in the rigging, just in case they happened to fall. 

Loves (or Likes, I suppose): 

Being with his loved ones. Being at peace with all the races in the land and seeing his own people willing to form friendships with others. He loves sweet, warm drinks (especially hot cocoa), and is a huge fan of his friend's mother's chicken dumpling soup. He likes comfortable clothes and being able to slip his shoes off while working in his office, and overall loves it when his people show honest, true care for each other.

Five words/phrases that describe this character's personality 

(to prevent me from rambling any more):

Kind. Gentle. Courageous. Forgiving. Strong-hearted.

“Why must we distrust them?  Why can we not become allies and friends?”  Colderan stood in a small tent, a little spot of shade for working elves that had been appropriated for him and his father to speak in private.

          “They are of different races, Colderan—not just of a different land, they are completely different than us.  I would hesitate even to call them ‘people;’ ‘creatures’ is a more accurate word.”  

          Colderan began to pace heatedly about the tent.  “Father, they are just exactly like us.  They are people as well, every bit as intelligent as we are, though perhaps in different ways.  They simply look a little different—even though they do things rather differently than we do, they're really, on the inside, the same.  I would bet that the dwarves are just the same as us.” 

Songs that remind me of this character 

(for any reason, this does not mean that I necessarily support or agree with the musical group, and nor does it mean that the song is EXACTLY like my character, it may have several lines that are "right" or could just have the right "feel."): 

Burlap to Cashmere: "Closer to the Edge", "Other Country"

The Neal Morse Band: "Breath of Angels"

And Lastly...a collage!