I was thinking that the art hall could start taking comissions soon, and I wanted to open up with a contest. The person with the best/most original answer will win! Here's the prompt:

Based on the book series by Phillip Pullman and the new movie "The Golden Compass", if your soul had an animal personification, what would it be and why? Describe in detail the animal and mannerisms, and why you think this fits you. Also, please limit your answers to non-mythological and/or fictional animals, as this is part of the challenge.

The winner gets to commission the first piece art from the art hall, and the rp's leading to its creation. Contest will be open until January 13th.

GO!

Do you want us to post it here or message it to you? =)

Wh-hoo!!! Golden COmpass is my favorite fantasy book of all time (err the trilogy is my favorite books). I luuuv it <3 <3

Oooh His Dark Materials! I lvoe those books! Loved the movie too ^^.

Go ahead and post it here, that way if you want to edit anything later you can.

I know, the books have been one of my favorite series since I was in middle school. One of the best parts is how as you age you get different things out of it. I liked some parts of the movie, but I hated the ending. Honestly, they completely changed it! If they do decide to make a second one, they are going to have a difficult time explaining how things happen without that climax at the end! (I wont go into more detail, because I am sure there are some who have not seen the movie!)

Hm, difficult question to answer though. If there's one person you never know, it's yourself...

A River Otter I guess.

There are many reasons for this, firstly, Otters are intelligent, I'm not off the charts smart, but I get by. They are playful, shy creatures, and love the water. I'm all of these things.

Small and lean, with dark brown fur bordering on black, with lighter brown tips close to the eyes, just above. About three feet long, on the smaller side of the scale, with a long, thin tail. Wide, webbed feet, with small claws on the end of each toe. Diamond shaped nose with two nostrils at the bottom, able to be completely watertight when going under water. Almost always playful, always wanting to be active and playing, finding enjoyment in almost everything. Curious and always questioning, wanting to know 'why' for everything. Intelligent, enjoys challenges, caring, affectionate, and loves the water.

I don't know if this is right -shrugs-

Its perfect! I love it, and from the limited that I know of you, I would say it is spot on.

My boyfriend and I had a huge conversation about this, lasting a full hour and a half while shopping:
He and I bounced around a few different ideas, and finally agreed that he would be a sunbear and I a fox. A sunbear is an asian species of bear that can edure much higher tempuratures than the average thickly-furred bear. It is an avid fan of honey and berries, and is immune to bee stings I am told. The reason it fits him so well is because he has his own slow rythym to life that the sun bear seems to emulate. He is also a fan of organic foods (haha). They are both more intelligent that the average human/bear. In fact, the reason we came up with this one so well at all was because we took a trip to the zoo one time, and they had this huge sun bear with plexiglass between you and it. It felt like it could just walk right up to you, but it was chill, just sitting around eating some lettuce. I was crouched not two feet away from it watching, and it was pretty intense. Anyway, Pat came up behind me, and was standing near a ventalation window near the glass. The bear must have caught a whiff when he came closer, becuse it dropped the lettuce, reared up, and began making this chuffing sound while it sniffed. Intrigued, Pat put a hand closer to the screened window, and the bear climbed up the wooden post to smell it better. It kept chuffing the whole time, and seemed very intrigued by his scent. The weirdest part is that he doesnt wear scented deodorant or cologne, and he didnt have any food in his pockets, and he had just washed his hands. That bear just really liked his smell I guess.

Meh, I am rambling. But it is a cool story!

If I can think of one I'll post it ^^ But it concerns me... I've been asking myself this question for many years, my friend. I doubt I can come up with a definitive answer.

Oh yeah, so I haven't seen the movie yet. I wanted to but haven't gotten around to it.

What I hate is the movement to BOYCOTT GOLDEN COMPASS, PHILIP PULLMAN WROTE HIS DARK MATERIAL TO KILL GOD. The first time I read the book, I was 9. I read it at least twice a year to this day, and not until 1 or 2 years ago did I understand any connection to god; not until I found this movement online did I understand his concepts while writing it. Honestly, in my opinion, all religion aside-- it's a faukin' STORY for crying out loud. It only has whatever value a reader gives it. I, have always taken it at FACE VALUE and thought of it as a really, really good story and nothing more.

Whew. Just needed to get that rant out there.

Amen, honey. I think the most interesting part is the Pullman was not in anyway trying to kill God, he was trying to make the point that we should not be so blinded by dogma and tradition that we forget to consider what we believe God is. I think one of the most important points of the book was the power of love, and rather than demonizing the book and is author the Catholic church, who is making a huge stink and calling the series the "anti-Narnia", should focus more on the positive points of the works. They should tell people about the Chritian/Catholic/Humanistic natures the book professes, and urge people to consider why they feel Pullman is wrong on other counts. All their protests are doing is stirring up curiosity, which is fairly counterproductive right?

My girl and I just watched the movie last night. I've read all three but largely forgotten pieces (especially the Amber Spyglass), and she has only read the Subtle Knife (that name seems to grab more people, in my experience :P). But after watching the movie we headed for a snack at BK and had this same discussion, and also brought it to some friends. For me, we came upon.. a lynx. I'll give all our reasons here, but I'm too lazy to differentiate who's was who's :P.

We felt I would have a lynx for several reasons. One, cats and I love each other almost completely sans exception, including the occasional bobcat kitten that ends up in people's homes (the kittens of the bobcat, for those who don't know, are nearly indistinguishable from a really pretty housecat kitten). The way a cat's attitude can shift from feigned apathy to intense, playful, or any number of other things without any notice seems to match how I act as well. Lynx are highly intelligent, but unless activity is necessary, like most cats they tend to just hang out, which is something like me. They are highly solitary creatures, and I myself have to be coerced to leave my room on most occasions :P. In my mind, lynx of all varieties are related with capability, and I in my arrogance like to believe I am a capable person :P.

If I did indeed have a lynx, it would be a bobcat (lynx rufus), which would have the typical gray/brown fur, with darker coloration along the back and almost white along the stomach, with dark brown to black spots. It would be of average size for a lynx, and it would enjoy laughing at people as it outwitted them. It would be smarter than me (because I'm too lazy to really bother thinking a lot of the time), and probably funnier and quicker with comebacks. :P

Very cool Phantas!!!

Quick little random bit of info: When confronted with another lynx, the cats will sniff each other's faces and scent glands, then butt heads to indicate a friendly greeting. Ah, zoo field trips= nirvana...

My spirit animal would most certainly have to be a flying animal. I always dream of flying, and there are very particular things I remember about flying that makes me think that it's more than just a dream. I play on the thermals, have wings that maneuver myself through the air... so many things. It's not like flying in the air like superman, nor does it feel like a modified sense of falling (which is what people speculate most people's flying dreams are since man can't fly naturally) But it's so much more than that in my dreams... and I also have this call.. a scream like a large falcon or raptor. I'd almost think I were a bat because of a few things, but I definitely feel more... raptor-like, almost like a dinosaur. So, either I'm the missing link between velociraptor and a bird, or I'm your run of the mill falcon. I'm thinking red tail hawk, maybe.

Okay, I did a lot of thinking about this one before deciding to answer it, because I wanted to answer it honestly. It would be really cool to say I'd be something like a snow leopard or a peregrine falcon or some other animal I admire for its grace or its deadly beauty. I mean, who wouldn't want to be something like that?

But is it really me?

I don't think so. I wasn't going to answer at all, because I had this vision quest idea that to get a true answer, a real one, I should fast for three days, pierce my triceps with sharpened eagle bones, tie buffalo skulls onto the bones, and drag the skulls behind me while I hiked up into the Catskills until my true spirit animal appeared in a hallucination borne of starvation, pain, and blood loss.

But that's not me, either.

After a few days' soul searching, I was no closer to an answer. So I went onto the movie site to see what the "Meet Your Daemon" quiz would turn up. I was as painfully honest in my answers as I could be, and after I had entered my last one, I was sure the result would be either something dumb like a monkey, or way too cool for me, like a tiger. But the animal it turned up was a surprise, and one that made me sit there thinking for a few minutes, turning over the possibilities. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed to be right on.

If I had to identify my soul with an animal, it would be one who had survived by adaptation rather than bravery as its habitat shrank. It would be an animal that lived off cunning rather than strength; who was able to swallow its pride and eat garbage rather than starve, and who wouldn't feel sorry for itself. I'm a decent athlete, a decent scientist; I enjoy my hobbies and my books and prefer solitude when I can find it. I'm not fooling myself into believing I'm going to find a way to cure cancer, or become a great leader, or discover a crop fertilizer that has no negative impact on the environment and is insect-proof. I'm just a person doing the best I can with what I have. When I have a windfall of success, I cache extra money away for the future. When times are lean, I scrounge. I listen to my friends' complaints, but I don't often complain myself. In a real fight, I would probably try to run away rather than be a hero.

The daemon that the movie page gave me was a fox. I think it's right on the money.

You know Fury, I think its funny, because I thought mine would be a fox, for both similar and different reasons.

I like that they are survivalists, that a fox can survive in places no human could expect an animal to find a niche. City, suburbs, forests, mountains, nothing is off limits or beyond its ability if it has to make do. If stuck, a fox will gnaw off its own leg rather than just lay down and die. However tenacious, a fox is still an animal given to play, and one of the few that will frequently engage members of another species in its games.

I felt like this was exactly who I am, and when I was discussing it with my boyfriend he said that there was a bit more to it than that. When approached from the perspective of a human, a fox is a bizarre animal: It seems caught between a cat and a dog, yet is completely poised and self-possesed, rather than awkward. He said to me "A fox is both caught between two worlds, and carving its own all in the same moment. A fox is a catalyst, and that is you to a tee."

I like this game, it is fun. And I'm gonna go check out that site, see what it says!

Hmm... I took that test and it gave me a tiger named Nicoleus, because I am a "modest, assertive, competitive, and solitary leader".

I understand what they are getting at, but I dissagree, mainly because tigers are too flashy. I think I'm a bit more subtle.

I just visited the page too, and was kinda surprised when it gave me my match. But when I read why, I was impressed to see the logic behind it. My daemon is Araphon, a mouse. My profile said that I am modest, flexible, softly spoken, passive, and spontaneous. And that pretty much nails me. Usually on personality quizzes, you never see characteristics like passiveness and spontaneity paired together, but that's actually me.

I would describe myself as a quiet person overall. Of course I speak up when I'm around my friends, and I'm the jokester, but in general I'm pretty soft spoken. In lectures I typically never raise my hand to answer, though I think deeply about the questions the professor asks, and if I'm called on, I'd like to think that my responses are accurate and well thought out. I hate to describe myself as passive, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. By no means am I a pushover, but I'm not one of those people who will absolutely refuse to change if the situation calls for it. I believe there is a way to stick to your beliefs and yet go with the flow. As for being spontaneous, I certainly agree with that. I like to have my daily habits, but there's never any guarantee that I follow them. I oftentimes wake up for class before my alarm goes off, (even though sleeping is probably my favorite hobby :P) and between classes, I can never predict where I'll be. My weekends are rarely the same, and oftentimes I find that the plans we made have completely changed within a minute's time.

So in the end, I love my mouse daemon, even if he wasn't what I would have expected. :)

LOL, if your mouse doesn't work out, you can always take the kitten from your avatar! :D

Lol, aww that poor kitty. So much anger. That can't possibly be healthy :P

Visited the page. I have a tiger daemon named Amantha, because I am "assertive, modest, responsible, solitary and inquisitive."

Funny, with the exception of 'modest', those are all things I used towards lynx XD. However, because I'm odd like that, I've opted for the "let my friends judge it too!" option, and will let you know of any changes =3

Edit: In fact - http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/?898639

Click it. You know you want to.

Currently, Amantha is: a Wolf!

I couldn't resist taking it too. My dæmon has a damn cool name, even if its species isn't exactly what I would have chosen. But I'd like to think he fits me.

Skaene the Gibbon Daemon
*Modest, Solitary, Inquisitive, Dependable, and a leader

OK, but I wish it had put some negative traits up, too :D I definitely have more than enough of them. I thought the quiz was pretty nice: None of the questions made it really obvious as to what your dæmon would be, like some quizzes do.


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As for what animal I would pick for myself, as much as I'd love to say Peregrine Falcon (since they're my favorite bird ever), or snow leopard, or dolphin (my favorite animal of all time), I think... I think I'd have to go with a horse. I guess they're mainly domestic now, but they were once wild, as were all animals. Primarily, horses are not companion animals, despite the domestication, and I'm fond of telling my family that I'm anything but a companion animal. I enjoy solitude and am self-sufficient enough to work best by myself or to just do most of the work in a group project and attempt to explain it to the people that get paired with me (inevitably, I'm always paired with at least one person who doesn't understand it, and with my friend Ariel, who doesn't do work at all). Also, horses communicate through body-language mostly, which is another trait of mine-- I'm not very vocal in day-to-day interactions, but if I'm annoyed or upset or happy, you can easily read my body language and expressions.

I guess those're just the reasons I came up with off the top of my head. If I think of any more I'll put them up here; I'm sure there are more I could come up with, maybe. But for now this is all my fried brain can dredge up.

I think it is cool how many of the traits you saw in yourself, and used when choosing your daemon, were also noted in the quiz. Kudos!

Hey y'all! Give me a night or two to deal with work crap, then I promise to get results posted!

All right guys, sorry about the delay! I had to do my sis's b-day, move in, and cover my boss at work all weekend. Whew!

Anyway, after a long debate, FURY takes it, with AlannaLioness a CLOSE second. SO, Fury gets the first contracted piece for the Art Hall, and AlannaLioness gets to use my employee discount. ( :D )

Thank you guys for participating, you guys had some absolutely wonderful responses!

Ooo! Wow! I'm speechless. Not sure what to write, even! Thank you so much, Rose! This must be one of those times when honesty pays off, because I took what was deep inside and tried to articulate it as well as I could. I'm not always very good at that, but I guess you understood what I was trying to say.

Now I need to start thinking seriously about what piece to commission. Something deep, but lively - something an RP or three can come out of.

Congrats you guys! =D I can't wait till those art pieces are done and I get to seee theem! Then I won't be the only person on the board drawing. ^_^;

Grats to the both of you =)

So I sat down to join the crowd and take the test, and we tossed a snow leopard named Desra my way. Interesting, saying my qualities were Assertive, Modest, Shy, Solitary and Humble.

So, for those who know me, what do you think of this? Cause I was kind of suprised actually.

http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/?961858

if you want to take the mini-quiz

Congrats Fury!

Okay! I have decided what piece I'd like to commission. It was tough - we have so much great tension going on with the whole Thyra thing, that at first I was tempted to requisition something about that. But in the end, I decided on happy thoughts. I'd like to see a sketch of the Gather, any part of it, doesn't matter, as long as there's a story being told. An aerial view of the whole setup, or an intense barter, or even a weyrling or two wandering around at the edges of the stalls, young dragon in tow, both watching with wide-eyed wonder.

Is that possible?

Yeah, it might take me a bit to get to it though... School is a pain -m- (<- cthulhu face)

We'll have to do the whole post leading to commission and all!

Ooo, thank you! I can't wait to see your work. Please, take all the time you need and just let me know what I can do. Er ... except, don't ask me to draw. :blink:

I missed the contest but I went and took the quiz anyway. My daemon is a tiger named Romulus and it says that I am modest, shy, proud, assertive, and competitive. I feel that it is pretty accurate. To be honest, I took it a few times by myself and wasn't satisfied with the results it gave me. It didn't describe my personality correctly at all. I don't think I was as honest as I could have been. But I had my fiance help me with the test and it pretty much nailed it. ^^;; So now I'm a little annoyed with myself.