The Liebster Award (A Tribute to The Sarcastic Elf)

Image credit: https://theglobalaussie.com/the-liebster-award/

So … technically nobody nominated me for this, but I noticed that Sarah Baran (she’s awesome, you should totally go check out her blog, The Sarcastic Elf, it’s hilarious) said that she nominated anyone who wanted to do it. She did this twice.

So without further ado …

I’m gonna answer her questions.

Twice.

But here are the rules:

1. Acknowledge the blog that gave it to you. Thanks, Sarah! You are my most recent favourite blogger. You just make me laugh so much. (And just saved me from not knowing what to post this week.😂)

2. Answer the 11 questions that the blogger gives you. I do agree — why is 11 the magic number?

3. Give 11 random facts about yourself. Only 11?

4. Nominate 11 blogs. Oh boy. I’m pretty sure all the blogs I follow have already done this award, but … we’ll try.

5. Notify those blogs of their nomination. 👍

6. Give them 11 questions to answer. Hehehehe … this ought to be fun.

Onto the the first set of Sarah’s questions! (Which she got from her friend Kate):

1. What is your favourite season?

Um … generally whatever season I’m not in. Except Autumn. I never wish it was Autumn for some reason, but I often wish, depending, that it was summer, spring, or winter …

2. Do you think it’s even possible to choose one favourite book or book series?

When people ask me this, I generally say the Viking Quest Series by Lois Walfrid Johnson, just cause I know people like answers, but—

I have so many favourite books and book series’! And I love them all for different reasons! How can I possibly choose?!

So no.

No it’s not.

3. What kind(s) of music do you like listening to?

Warrior or Tien from Kaladin by The Black Piper

Rust or the Ultimate Sacrifice from Violet Evergarden

Shroom City from Paper Mario the Origami King

Lapis Luzuli by Eir Aoi

Honestly? It really depends on what mood the scene I’m writing needs …

4. If you could have a fantasy/mythical creature as a pet, which one would you choose?

Other than a dragon or a griffin?

That cute thing that Fred and George gave to Ginny. I forgot what its name is. I just looked up its name. It’s called a Pygmy Puff.

🥹

That’s just adorable!

Also, I think it was a pink flooffy ball of fluff. That’s way too cute!

(Why did she name it Arnold?)

5. Do you like spicy food?

Um … no.

6. Why do you love blogging?

Erm … I’m kinda new to this, so I’m not sure if I’m at the ‘love’ stage yet. I’m kinda in the ‘getting to know it and finding out whether we gel or not, while knowing I have to anyway because author platform and tribe.’

Sigh.

I’m sorry, but that’s honestly how I feel sometimes. (Almost all the time. Unless I’m really excited about the topic I’m blogging on.) Do any of the rest of you bloggers struggle with this?

I do love it, though, when I know people have read my blogs and leave nice comments! That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like ‘Yay! Something I write made someone else happy!’

7. Have you ever gotten a serious injury? If so, what was it?

Ah. This story.

So. I managed to break my leg really badly in what my older siblings dubbed the most stupid and uncool way possible.

By imagining I was a character in a story.

In my room. When I was supposed to be getting ready for breakfast.

I was telling myself a story in my head, all about these snowboarders (I had recently watched the movie Cloud Nine) one of whom was secretly royalty who snowboarded for fun, because when he was wearing a snowboarding helmet, nobody knew who he was and he therefore could just be himself without worrying about being ‘proper’—

*Takes deep breath*

And somehow, I forgot how, he got into a fistfight. And his brother rushed in to help.

 Just to clarify, when I see stories in my head, it’s like I’m watching an anime or a series or whatever — the pictures move in my head, and I can literally see and hear my characters and experience what they’re experiencing, like in a movie, but better.

And when my mental movie is playing—

I need to move around a lot.

And snort through my nose as my characters laugh their heads off.

And whisper dialogue under my breath, and dancing around when my characters are happy, jump when I’m so excited and thrilled by the brilliant line one of them drops—

You can see where this is going, can’t you?

Anyway, here I was, beside the prince snowboarder in a fistfight, being his brother as he rushed in. And his brother threw a punch—

Clearly, I don’t know how to throw a punch.

My right leg shot forward even as the left fell to a sort of half kneeling position, then the right leg twisted, crunched, and I fell on my side. I lay in shock for half a second before rolling to my back.

That crunch had sounded like a movie I once watched where someone fell off a building and hit the ground.

Which was terrifying.

And my ankle hurt.

So I screamed for help.

Fast forward to the hospital, and they inform me that I have very cleverly broken my lower leg bone in a spiral fracture known as a Weber Fracture — apparently a very bad type of fracture. Apparently you have to be very clever to get this type of fracture. I didn’t feel clever when I had to fill out the government document saying exactly how I’d broken it.

I felt stupid.

After six weeks in a cast on crutches and many more in a moon boot and still with crutches … can I just say, I really emphathy whenever I see anyone on crutches now.

They’re not as easy to use as they look. It takes skill to manoeuvre them and use them to move quickly.

Also, having a broken leg is a real pain. I should write a blog post on it someday … because I feel like people in books disregard most of the time how actually painful and restrictive it is to have a broken limb. And also how long it takes to heal from something like that.

Watch this space.

Don’t worry though, it’s been nearly two years now since I broke it, and I’m all good. I can run, I can jump, I can do the same sort of stupid acting out my stories that broke it in the first place—

My Mum is concerned about the latter.

Anyway, onto the next question!

8. Can you sing many songs by heart?

Why is this a question?😉

I love singing songs by heart! Even some anime ones I know in Japanese! Although I may sometimes mess up the Japanese words … 

9. Do you have a favourite plant? If so, what?

Um … I dunno. I really like tulips. I think they’re pretty, and I love counting how many appear in our garden. One year we had like, 40 of them!😃

10. What was the best day of your life (so far?)

Maybe the day I got baptised. All my family was there, and even though I had to give a speech, God gave me this amazing peace where I actually couldn’t feel nervous, even when I tried — like how C. S. Lewis wrote in The Last Battle. 

It was pretty awesome.

I will never forget that. Thank you, Jesus. You made that day unforgettable for me.

11. Open up the nearest book (that isn’t a school book) to page 58. What is the 27th sentence? 

Do Tyndale commentaries count as school books?

Funnily enough, the nearest book was actually a printed out and spiral bound copy of my beta manuscript for my WIP, The Prince of WalfKlau: Dual Heirs.

So … I get to do this with my own book!

🤣

Okay, here we go. 58th page, 27th sentence (the last sentence on the page):

“Okay.”

Um … while that word is a sentence on it’s own, it’s part of a longer bit of dialogue, which I am going to count as the 27th sentence cause I think it’s fun:

“Okay. We’ll cut through the kitchen, then go up the servants’ stairs to our landing. Ready?”

Well, that was fun!

11 facts about myself:

Since apparently the number 11 is supremely important:

1. I’m fond of concept art books from games and movies. I just love looking at concept art, then wanting to make some of my own.

2. My books are animes in my head, and I enjoy them as such while lamenting the fact that animating them myself takes waaay too long and is too hard for anything reasonable.

3. I once had a pet lop bunny named Dots.

4. Chocolate-Chip Cookies! (Interpret that as you will.)

5. I once learned and could play Rondo Allá Turca on the piano. It’s Mozart. Look it up. It’s that famous one that plays during the disastrous Neverfield Ball in the only true version of Pride and Prejudice. (The BBC mini-series.) Was this what prompted me to learn it? Maybe …😉

6. I learnt calligraphy at one point.

7. I learnt Anglo-Saxon poetry at another. But please don’t ask me to quote ‘The harp that once through Tara’s hall …’

8. I can write in Anglo-Saxon/Nordic runes. 

9. I learned military hand signals as research for a fanfic book I was writing.

10. My older sister basically taught me all of the above and much more.

11. I love the movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe so much that there was one point in time where I watched it every fortnight. And I can now quote basically the whole movie.

Well, guys, that’s the first set of questions! The second set is a lot more … bloodthirsty, (looks at Sarah suspiciously) but we’ll see if we can get through them!

1. Would you rather fall out of a tree, or touch an electric fence (to start off violently.)

The electric fence. Mostly cause I’ve always wondered what the shock torture in Star Wars feels like. And I don’t want to break my neck, so …

2. If you could be an element (fire, water, air, earth) which would you choose?

First of all, it’s:

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony … but everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked … (not a nerd, *cough* no not at all …)

Second of all, Water! Cause Katara! And cause I think I like Water Element’s style best.

And I don’t want my group to be destroyed (air), be throwing round rocks all day (earth) or have to be ruled by Fire Lord Ozai (fire.)

3. Heroes or Villians?

What do you mean by that? My stories need both …

Unless you’re Snow White with the Red Hair and can get away with having just an antagonist, rather than a villain. I should really do a post sometime on the difference, and how Prince Izana is the central antagonist despite not being a villain …

Thoughts …

4. What’s the worst piece of advice someone’s ever given you?

Context: I was with my youth group at the Steampunk Museum in a town not far from my own, and one of my friends told me just after we’d checked out this seemingly dead end fake train tunnel: “There’s actually a secret passage if you press the right thing.”

Ha. Ha. Ha.

You’re a funny boy, pulling the wool over our eyes and making us touch spiders in an attempt to find a lever that wasn’t there.

5. Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate to eat, Vanilla to smell.

6. Would you rather step in horse manure, or have an old, chewed up wad of gum get stuck to your hand?

Ewwww! How about neither!

The gum … (shudder). I would find it easier to get off than having to meticulously clean my boots of horse manure …

7. Who are three fictitious characters you wish the author would have burned at the stake?

Is it sad I can actually think of some?

Bonnifer Squoon. (Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeather Saga.) Just hearing his name makes me mad!

Calabah (Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion series.) Ugh. *shudder*. Calabah was just … despicable. Nuff said.

King Taravangian. (Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive.) I’m kinda torn about this one, cause on one hand I feel sorry for him and sympathise with him, but on the other … creepy. Just creepy. This man is somehow incredibly sympathetic and yet also terrifying, creepy, and downright despicable in what he does … hats off to Brandon Sanderson. He’s just a really good writer.

8. Who are three fictitious characters you think deserved so much more than what the cruel author gave them?

Elhokar Kholin (Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive). I won’t spoil it, but if you know, you know. I really liked Elhokar … especially towards the end of Oathbringer …😢

That poor boy in Jennifer A. Neilson’s The False Prince who got killed as an example to the other three.

Keefe. But there is hope for Keefe’s future still! Let’s hold to that!

*Cries over Keefe’s trauma*

9. What is something that makes you laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME you see it?

Um … Instagrammer @hallievankley Hallie Van Kley’s reel about Being an Author. Every time I see her with that pen and that expression about ‘killing off innocent characters …’ I crack up.

Cause it’s true.

But her expression … that’s pure gold.😂

10. Sword or bow?

Sword. Bows take more strength than you think to shoot, especially war bows that can actually work on a battlefield. Hmm. I keep getting a lot of great post ideas from doing this …

11. What is the one word that describes your life?

Creative.

Now to nominate bloggers!

I’m pretty sure all the bloggers I know have done this award, but … here goes anyway!

I. L. Tanis @elfwing’s adventures 

Joy @discipleship with joy

Annabelle Batie @pen and ink

Sarah @the sacrastic elf (cause yes. I think it would be funny to see you answer my questions.)

I don’t really actually know many other bloggers yet, so feel free to do it if you haven’t! And thank you Sarah @the sarcastic elf for all these lovely questions!

Here are my questions:

1. Would you rather be an elephant or a giraffe?

2. What is your favourite historical novel?

3. What music makes you dance every time?

4. Write at desk or write wherever?

5. What is the weirdest thing you have ever researched for your book?

6. If you could instantly fluently speak any other language, which would it be, and why?

7. What is one fandom you could rave all day about?

8. What are your top two best ending you’ve ever read/seen, and why?

9. Do you like anime? If so, what’s your fave? Why?

10. Do you like pafiet?

11. If you could meet one character from your WIP in real life, who would it be? Why?

Well, that’s all for now! It’s Easter Friday for me today, but I wish you happy Easter regardless when you read this or what day it is for you!

Happy Easter!

~Until the next story, fun tale to tell … enjoy your adventures, I pray you stay well~

— Hadassah Waugh