The Adventure Begins...

...TOMORROW!

Yes, indeed! November is only one day away!! The 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge begins tomorrow!!

Are you ready for the adventure?

God bless!

Utterly Baffled Tag

"Excellent!" I cried. "Elementary," said he.

Rachel of The Inkpen Authoress is hosting an Utterly Baffled party! She could not have better timing for this party, as I am expecting to write my first mystery for NaNo this year. 

Yes, you read that right, peoples. Kiri Liz is placing aside her beloved Dragon Tamer (and that means all things CoaL and RoaL) to work on something entirely new. Exciting, treacherous, I know. I can't wait to get started. *grins*

But back to the party. Technically, I shouldn't be filling Rachel's tag out as I have so much other stuff to work on right now (NaNo prep, 30 Day MEC posts, other posts, as well as Christmas music -- I wrote a violin-violin-flute-clarinet arrangement of See Amid the Winter's Snow with In the Bleak Mid-Winter this afternoon for our instrumental group to play for Christmas), but everyone knows that I cannot resist a good tag. And wowsers, is this a good one.

Ready?

1.) You are writing a mystery novel and decide to base the detective off of one of your writing friends: who do you choose? No brainer, there. I'd choose my wonderful CBC, Kathryn, because she'd be the best sleuth... sensible enough to bring Watson to the case, yet not so perfect that she'd be a Nancy-Drew-drive-you-nuts. (And Kathryn -- I hope you're reading this, because your large heart cannot help but smile at my description of your fine self.)

2.) If you and the best of your writing-blog friends were living out a mystery, which of you would be most likely to end up as the victim? *quickly gathers writing buddies, takes a head count, and then contemplates* Uh... the victim? Probably me. I'm obnoxious in public (just ask my sisters), and the murderer would see that as a threat if I knew something juicy (which I usually do), so I'd be the one to die. Please mourn me considerately. Lauriloth, Melody, think up a good epitaph for my tombstone.

3.) If you decided to write a mystery (or if, on the other hand, you do write mysteries) would your style fall under thriller, terror, literary, historical or cozy? Either literary or historical. Cozy wouldn't be awful, but I prefer whoa-this-could-happen-and-see-who's-in-it mysteries to make-you-feel-good mysteries.

4.) Who is your favorite mystery-author? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Hands down.

5.) What is the best mystery you've ever read? Probably The Hound of the Baskervilles. OR Christmas at the Tittletons. Yes, I had to put that in here because it belongs here.

6.) If you were going to be in charge of solving a mystery, where would you want it to be set and what would the circumstances be? Ooh... New England, in the mountains, during the fall so I could have breathtaking views while I sleuthed (never mind the allergies; we're making things ideal). The old architecture of the colonial/pioneer homes would be agreeably suited to hidden passageways and the like, and the mountainous regions would offer great crevices and valleys just begging to be explored. The mystery wouldn't start out with a murder, but rather a theft of great importance which would then lead to a murder to thicken the plot. 

7.) You walk into a library and find a body on the floor. Your first reaction: "Is it the mean Declaration Lady?" And yes, we have her at our library. Believe me.

8.) Your second reaction: Ignoring the body, I'd walk around it, try to find the book I came for, all the while trying to get rid of the little, nagging voice in my head jumping from one thing to the next a hundred miles a minute. I can never shush him anyway, but it'd be ten times worse after seeing that body. Then I would get the shivers and rush out to call the police. After I found a phone, of course.

9.) What do you say when the policeman tells you that you are the prime suspect in the murder? After seeing the dead body... sputtering, followed by "No!" Hopefully, my dad would be there as well, in which case he would calmly take over the situation and explain that I'm a silly homeschooler that plays the piano and burns boiled water. 

10.) How does your answer effect the powers that be? My dad's a well-known pastor in the area. They'd believe him, though I would live the next week thinking that they still suspected me.

11.) Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle walk into one of those Solve the Murder Dinner Theatres and sit down and start to spoil the fun by solving all the mysteries before anyone else and shouting the answers to the crowd: do you retaliate and if so, how? If I could muster enough guts, I'd yell at them to leave the simple questions to the idiots (referring mostly to myself, of course), or I'd say nothing, and inconspicuously find a table near them so I could hear their conversation. Not to make notes, or anything. Why would you even think that?

12.) Post a quote from your favorite mystery//mystery author: "You have a grand gift for silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion." ~ Sherlock Holmes

God bless!

CE: Bethjasmine's Mug Cake

Don't forget to visit Knitted By God's Plan where you can read more Character Encounters!

"Do you have any blueberries?"

I tug the freezer open and peer inside. "Yup. Frozen. Will they work?"

The small princess shrugs. "I don't know. This is your recipe."

I groan. "Not my recipe, Beth. This is a recipe my mom found, and I just play with it to suit my taste buds. I don't have recipes. I don't bake."

"And this mug cake?" Bethjasmine looks at me with a smile on her pale face.

"Is not technically baking because we're using the microwave." 

"I do not understand your concept of this microwave, but I do think this will be fun."

I tap my fingers expertly on the counter where the containers of flour and sugar sit. Beside them, happily situated in a bunch, are the eggs, milk, and spices. 

"What do we do first?" Beth gestures to the empty mugs.

"First, the wet ingredients, then the dry." 

"You sound as if you've been through this before."

I grab my favorite mug, the big, dark blue one. "Once or twice."

For the next few minutes I give Bethjasmine my memorized mug cake recipe.The princess's delicate fingers carefully handle the eggs as she cracks one in each mug. I measure out the milk and flour. 

"What is this?" Beth holds the small bottle out to me.

"Lemon extract. You want to smell it?"

Bethjasmine twists the top off and takes a deep whiff. "My, Kiri! That's lemon?"

"That's lemon." 

"What is lemon?"

"It's a citrus fruit." I explain, at once feeling guilty. Of course, she wouldn't know what lemon is. "You don't have that in Findenland."

Beth, however, only looks the more interested in this strange fruit. "Where does it grow?"

"Warm places." I rack my brain to pinpoint something she'd understand. "Uh, like Cotedor. They have lemons and oranges and other citrus fruits in Cotedor."

"Cotedor?" Beth's pink lips pull upward in a smile. "I would love to visit there one day, and perhaps see this lemon fruit there."

My eyes twinkle mischievously. "Maybe one day you will."

"I will? When?"

"Uh," I twirl quickly and grab the now-full mugs. "We need to get these in the microwave." 

And it's only after I have both cakes cooked that I realize I never explained to my princess how the microwave works. But then, I don't fully understand how it works, so that would be wonderful for me to blunder through any type of explanations and only confuse her the more. 

While the cakes cool on the counter, I go after the blueberries in the freezer and plunge into making a syrup to top our mug creations. Beth watches with a fascinated interest. 

"And this syrup we just drizzle on and it melts into the cake."

"It sounds delicious, Kiri. Have you done this many times before?"

I grimace. "The mug cake, yes. The syrup, no, not really. I'm just winging it right now."

"Oh."

I'm not sure whether to interpret that single syllable as her distrust in my cooking skills or her puzzlement at my using the term "winging."

The syrup doesn't take long to put together, and soon I happily hand the bowl of purple syrup over to Bethjasmine. "All yours."

She grins shyly, but takes the offered bowl. Gently, she tips it over the cakes and allows a generous portion to slide into each mug.

"And now," I open the silverware drawer with a flourish and pull out two forks, "for the official taste test."

Beth's eyes go wide as she accepts the fork. "You mean we're going to eat them right now?"

I nod. "What did you think we were going to do with them? They'll go bad if we let 'em sit on the counter just for looks!"

"Oh, no, I meant... I mean... what about your family?"

"Look, Beth, I really appreciate your willingness to share, but you don't have to worry about it." I put my hand on her shoulder. "They all had a mug cake after lunch this afternoon, and I waited to make mine with you now."

"Then I..."

"Can have the whole thing." I eye her pensively as she slips the fork into her cake. "Doesn't Severamer let you have meals to your lonesome?"

"No, our governess insists we share everything." Beth's gaze is glued to her cake as she answers. "And she never allows us sweets like this."

I laugh. "But you haven't even tasted it yet! How do you know it's sweet?"

"Because you made it for me."

The simplicity in her reply makes me stumble back. "Well... you did help. We made it together." I dig my fork into my cake and pull it out, dripping blueberry syrup. "You ready?"

Together, we take the first bite, and I grin as Beth's face is overwhelmed in complete joy. "This is wonderful! I don't think I've ever had something like this before!"

"Nothing?"

"No! This is much better than Josette's potatoes!"

"Potatoes?"

"Yes, the ones she used to make for us before the king adopted us. She wasn't a very good cook."

I lift a forkful of lemon mug cake in salute. "Ah, a girl after my own heart."

God bless!

Answering Your Questions About The Challenge

First off, I'd like to say how muchly I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm about the upcoming 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge. Melody and I have been highly anticipating this since June (which was when we first cooked up the idea), and it's great to see the response it's getting so far! And we're not into November yet! Thank you, everyone!

I've had a lot of people commenting and asking me questions about the challenge, and as I realized that many other people are having the same questions, I'm going to do my best to answer them all in one post.

Ready?

Do I have to do all 30 days of the challenge? Absolutely not, if you don't want to! If all you manage to accomplish is one day, we'd still love to have you join us!

Can I group multiple days in one post? Why, certainly! Whether it's anywhere from 2 days in a post or even all 30 grouped together, that's more than acceptable.

May I still participate even though I don't have a blog? Yup. You can leave your answers in a comment either on my blog or on Melody's blog. Or, going into the next question...

May I do the challenge on Pinterest? Totally yes! Pinning one picture a day with a caption is ideal. All we ask is that you leave us a link to your Pinterest board.

What if I discover the challenge after it has started? Can I still join? Sure! You don't have to be with us all the way from day one! The more, the merrier! 

Can I do challenge posts after November 30th? Uhh... the challenge is set for the month of November, so we ask that you publish all of your posts in Novmeber. If, however, you have posts planned and don't manage to get them published before the deadline, you may still publish them, and we will do our best to forgive your tardiness.

Why do I need to tag all of my challenge posts with "30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge" and leave you or Melody a link to that tag? When you tag your challenge posts with that, it makes it easier to find all of the posts. Leaving us a link will tell us that you're participating, so that when the challenge is completed, Melody and I can compile a list of everyone that participated in the challenge and share it with you so that you can read everyone else's challenge posts. If we don't know you're participating, we can't include you on the list, and everyone misses out on reading your challenge posts.

Do I have to follow Lianne Taimenlore and/or The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls to participate in the challenge? As much as we'd love you to follow us and read our blogs, it's not required. You need to link back to our blogs to let people know who the challenge hosts are, but you don't need to be a public follower of either blog. I will say that being a follower of either or both blogs will be beneficial, for if Melody or I post an announcement about the challenge, you, as not a follower, will miss it. Being a follower will keep you up-to-date on what we're doing with the challenge.

Does it matter what pictures I include in the challenge? You may use any Middle-Earth related pictures for the challenge. We do ask that you keep all pictures clean and family-friendly as we have people of all ages and genders participating in this challenge. If we see that you include something that is inappropriate in your challenge answers, we reserve the right to not include you in the final link-up.

Do my challenge answers have a required length? Nope! Whether it's simply a picture, or an essay in length, all lengths are accepted!

Okay, did I cover everything? Hopefully, this clears up any loose ends for you all, but if you happen to have any other questions, please leave a comment!

God bless!

The Liebster Award

Christina L of Idlewild has given me the Liebster award!! Thank you so much, Christina!! Even though it was back in September that you awarded me. I do apologize for not posting about this promptly. And, if any of you readers happen to be curious, liebster is German for "dearest."

Liebster Award Rules:

Acknowledge the blog that nominated you. (Idlewild)

Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created.

List 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers that deserve some recognition.

Post 11 questions for them to answer.

Notify them that they've been nominated.

Christina's Questions
1. Have you read Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery? Do you like it? Yes, I've read the entire series. Did I like it? Uh... they were interesting to read, even though I was only ten or so when I read the books and didn't quite understand everything that went on all the time. I wouldn't consider them some of my favorite books of all-time, but I respect and enjoy them as stories.

2. What is your current favorite song? Nooo!!! *covers eyes* You didn't ask me that! Please tell me she didn't ask me that!! *peeks* She asked me that. Okay... I will think up a legitimate answer. Let's say since it's October and because I'm in the mood for Christmas (what? don't you start playing Christmas music in October?), it's Ten Thousand Hallelujahs by the SMS Men's Chorus. OR... if we're talking soundtrack, I've been listening to Jack and Isabelle from the Jack the Giant Slayer soundtrack by John Ottoman (please note that I don't wholly endorse the movie), OR if we're talking musical, it's Ten Minutes Ago from the Broadway Cinderella (sung by Laura Ones or Lea Salonga... take your pick), OR if we're talking classical, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet has always been a favorite, No. 15. Closing Waltz and Grand Finale in particular, OR if we're talking all things sacred, it's Shadow of the Cross by Benjamin Everson. Wow! If you have not heard that, you are missing out!

{Edit: I just realized I uploaded the wrong video...

sorry, folks! Here's the right one!}

Enough songs? Okay, I'll stop now...

...

After I make sure that you did listen to the above video? No? GO BACK NOW AND HIT THE PLAY BUTTON!

Yes? Good. Now I can move on.

3. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be? Would it have any special skills? (talking, wisdom, etc.) A dragon. And yes, it would fly. *grins*

4. What are three blogs that you highly recommend? Three blogs? THREE?! How can I pick just three? There's a list of blogs on my sidebar that I love to stalk, so you must browse through that selection, but for the sake of the question, I'll say I recommend The Inkpen Authoress, Yet Another Period Drama Blog, and The Musings of an Elf. There are so many more I could write down, but I will be good and stick to three.

5. What is your favorite thing to do at the beach? Be in the water. I'm not a huge sand person, but I love swimming. Emphasis on love.

6. What book character is most like you? (or you consider to be most like yourself) Uhh... probably Jo March. But I'm not as quite outspoken as she is... I'm more of an introvert, with her flair for writing and the obnoxious.

7. What has been your biggest personal achievement? (got into a play, read the entire Bible, etc.) Hmm... this is difficult because I've done both those you mentioned... and wrote and directed the play I acted in. My biggest personal achievement......? I guess I'd consider that writing a novel (CoaL, if you were interested). Now the editing part is... something else.

8. What is one of your favorite Bible verses? Judg-- *gets glaring look from sisters* Uh... *cough* one of my favorite passages is Psalm 40.

"I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord."

9. If you could experience one book (only one!) for real, which would it be? Would you go as one of the characters or as yourself? Ooh, so hard to choose!! *firstoneoffthetopofmyhead* The Horse and His Boy. And most likely as myself. I'd love to experience Narnia firsthand. And sniff the wonderful smell of bacon, and eggs, and mushrooms all cooking together in a frying pan.

10. What is your favorite thing to do in the kitchen? Okay, this is gonna sound weird, but wash dishes. I don't like baking and cooking very much, and I tend to burn, set on fire, ruin, kill, etc. anything that I try to make ('cept mug cakes... I'm getting good at those). But washing dishes gives me a break from life, to stop, get my fingers clean, and just stand. I've come up with a lot of good story ideas at the sink, and I can sing there to my heart's content. Anyone knows that coming in the kitchen to criticize my song selection will get roped into drying and putting all the dishes away, so I'm usually uninterrupted.

11. Yes or no? Maybe so. I haven't the foggiest.

Okay, now to award 11 bloggers... here's what we're gonna do. For everyone who reads this, please comment below. And that's not a friendly suggestion. Well, it is... but... anywho.... please? Pretty please with cherries on top?

The first eleven people to leave a comment I happily give this award. You may drag it off to your blog now, or you can simply respond to all of my questions in your comment (but honestly, I'd take it to show off on your blog 'cuz it's one of those moving awards; kinda spiffy). Anyone who comments after the first eleven, you can answer the questions, too. The more answers to questions that I have, the happier I will be. Who likes making up eleven questions and then see them go unanswered? 

So!

You read, you comment.

My Questions
1. Would you rather go to a Jane Austen style ball or a barn dance?
2. If you could only see one color for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
3. You were just given a pet rabbit! What do you name it?
4. Don't like rabbits? Fine... then name your pet iguana and tell me its favorite snack. 
5. If you could ask any Disney character a question, who would you pick, and what would you ask them?
6. What would you consider as the most iconic tune of all film music (i.e. Chariots of Fire, Star Wars, Indiana Jones)?
7. When is it acceptable to start playing Christmas music?
8. What was your favorite children's story growing up?
9. What was the first thing you ever memorized (or one of the first if you can't recall the exact first)?
10. I'm visiting your house tonight and your mom asks you to prepare dinner. What do you make?
11. Pick up the book closest to you, and then type out the first full sentence on page five. 

God bless!

A Mother Holds Her Daughter's Hand...

"A mother holds her daughter's hand for only a little while, her heart, forever."

Anne-girl of Scribblings has just released her novel, Queen Mother, and she's invited us all to participate in a fun mother tag to celebrate the event!

And no, of course I'm not late in posting this. How could you even insinuate such a thing? *cough*

It took me a while to go through my stories to find a mother to use for this tag. And not because I couldn't pick a favorite, but I discovered that I have an appalling lack of mothers in my stories. Really, peoples! In CoaL, the only living mother I mention is Vystera Gransen who makes an appearance for about two chapters, and the mother of pretty much my every other main character in every story doesn't appear in the story as actually living, either. I am ashamed of my overuse of deceased maternal figures. I will fix that this, folks. I will write a good mother story because I love my own mother to pieces and I can't imagine what my life would be like without her.

However, I am not totally desolate. There are two strong mother figures that I can pinpoint, and both are mothers in stories that I have mentioned little here on Lianne Taimenlore. One is from my story The Masked Pianist, and the other from Kianna. At first, I wasn't sure which one to choose, but the one I knew better won out, so, my dear readers, I present to you:

Athlia Baléine from Kianna

1. What do you think she would think of the statement used as the title for this post (Well, mother... a real mother, is the most wonderful person in the world.)? She would probably agree with it muchly. Except, perhaps, when thinking of her husband. That would be the most wonderful person in the world in her eyes.

2. How many children does she have? What are their names? Ages? Two. Both girls. Kianna Ardyn Feuraire and Evenette. I'm assuming that Evenette has a middle name or two, like Kianna, but I don't know for certain what they are, considering she hasn't gotten in trouble yet and invoked the whole-name-summons from Athlia. Kianna is 18, and Evenette is only 11.

3. Could you say she "plays favorites"with her children? If she only has one what is her favorite thing about her child? No, she doesn't. Her children are both different, and each one has her pros and cons, you might say. Kianna thinks quick on her feet and loves adventures and new things, yet she has a terrible habit of keeping grudges. And do I mean keeping those grudges. Evenette is a bit of a priss; she loves all things elegant and sophisticated, but she doesn't like to get her hands dirty. Literally. She's all girl. Athlia loves that Kianna is very willing to help people, at least, those people she doesn't think poorly of, and she appreciates that Evenette strives to obey in everything, just as any daughter should.

4. Would she adopt a child in need if she could? Probably. She's very tender-hearted, and she couldn't stand to see someone go unloved.

5. What does she consider her greatest accomplishment? Raising both daughters without her husband. Galfort Baléine died soon after Evenette was born, when Kianna was about seven or eight. Neither Athlia nor Kianna ever really got over his passing, but Athlia knows that she cannot dwell on the sorrow of his death and forget about the present. It was with great effort that she moved forward after he was gone. 

6. If she could change one thing about the world what would it be? Hatred. Athlia disapproves that Kianna is too quick to form a hasty opinion and base an utter dislike on things and people, and she wishes that there were no such things as enemies.

7. What was her favorite activity as a child? Huh... I really don't know. I'll have to ask her. (momentary interlude) Sitting with her father and doing things with him: talking, reading, singing, etc. She has a very strong sentimentality for family.

8. Give this mother a theme song { cannot be "your mother and mine"}. I would say "Mother Knows Best" from Tangled, yet Athlia is vastly different than Gothel. Instead of trying to hide her children from the truth, she strives to lead her children in truth, just as the Creator commands. "No Matter What" from Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical would be a close second, because no matter what happens, Athlia will do what it takes to keep her family together and united.

9. If she could go one place where would she go? One place? In her world or our world? She's happy where she is at home in Pennin, so I don't suspect that she'd want to leave it anytime soon. However, if Kianna's wanderlust got to her, she might think about going to see some of the other kingdoms (Pennin is one of the twelve kingdoms mentioned in TK, you know) or stay for an extended visit at a good friend's house. She loves socializing with loved ones. In our world (I originally wrote that as my world because that's how I think of it in terms of earth and Pennin, but it sounded too selfish so I changed it), she'd like to visit places such as New England with its rocky coasts and gorgeous mountains.

10. Is there anything more important to her than being a mother? Uh, nope, not really. I would say being a wife, but in my opinion, she succeeded in being the best wife while her husband was still alive.

God bless!

30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge Details

Melody Muffin of The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls and I would like to proudly invite you to join us for a 30 day, fun-filled, everything Middle-Earth event! Starting the first of November, we will be hosting a challenge in which we will share 30 days' worth of pictures, quotes, characters, and anything else Tolkien. The challenge will run until the end of November. You may choose to do all 30 days of the challenge, or you may participate only for a few days, whatever you wish. The posts you share may be as short or as long as you want, either being simply a picture or a single quote, an essay several paragraphs in length, or something mixed or between the two. Below is an entire list of which post will correspond with which day, as well as a picture containing the list so you may drag it off with ease to your own blogs.

The only rule we have for you is simply to mark all of the posts you do for the challenge with a 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge tag and share the link either with us here on my blog, Lianne Taimenlore, or on Melody's blog, The Splendor Falls. For example, when I participated in Amy's Celebrate Musicals Week, my link looked like this: http://liannetaimenlore.blogspot.com/search/label/Celebrate%20Musicals%20Week This is to simplify matters when Melody and I post the link-up at the end of the month, it's easy to put everyone together. 

For those of you who don't have blogs, but are interested in joining us in this challenge, please do! Melody and I will be (hopefully) posting every day, so just leave a comment on one of our posts, stating how you would have filled out that day. Or, if you'd rather, you can do the challenge on your Pinterest page! For that, I'd ask that you'd only leave a link to the board on which you'd pin the challenge answers in a comment here on my blog or Melody's. We welcome every and all participation!

Any questions? Please leave a comment below!

Day 1: Favorite Book

Welcome to the challenge! The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion... Tolkien wrote many books about Middle-Earth. Which one is your favorite?

Day 2: Favorite Movie

The animated films from the 1970s or Peter Jackson's more recent live-action adaptions? Tell us which movie about Middle-Earth is your favorite!

Day 3: Favorite Quote

What's the best spoken line in any of the Middle-Earthian books or movies? Please share it with us!

Day 4: Favorite Scene

Out of all the scenes in the books and films, which one is your favorite?

Day 5: Best of the Fellowship

Nine members made up the Fellowship of the Ring. Which member, in your opinion, is the best?

Day 6: Best of Thorin's Company

Thirteen dwarves, a wizard, and a burglar... who would you say was the best from Thorin Oakenshield's company?

Day 7: Favorite Weapon

Middle-Earth is riddled with weapons beyond count, bows, swords, etc. Which one is your favorite?

Day 8: Favorite Costume

Eowyn's white dress, Elrond's council robe, Merry's red waistcoat... there are many costumes worn throughout the various Middle-Earth films. Which one would you say was your favorite?

Day 9: Prettiest Dress

What would you say was the prettiest dress in Middle-Earth? Galadriel's? Arwen's?

Day 10: Most Epic Armor

Battle is nothing new to Middle-Earth, so armor is as common as second breakfast. Who, in your opinion, wears the most epic armor?

Day 11: Favorite Battle

The Battle of the Five Armies, the Battle of Pelennor Fields, the battle at the Black Gate... which one is your favorite?

Day 12: Favorite Location

Middle-Earth is strewn with beautiful lands (the Shire, Lothlorien, Rohan), unforgettable cities (Gondor, Helm's Deep, Minas Morgul), and amazing dwellings (Bag End, the Golden Hall). Tell us your favorite location!

Day 13: Funniest Quote

What is the funniest quote said in Middle-Earth, from either book or film? We'd love to know!

Day 14: Saddest Quote

Middle-Earth is not without its tragedy and sorrow. What is the saddest quote spoken in either book or movie?

Day 15: Best Steed

The horses Shadowfax, Mertle, Arod, Bill, Minty, and Brego aren't the only steeds to be ridden in Middle-Earth, as other, fouler creatures such as wargs and fell beasts are used to get around. Which Middle-Earth steed would you say was the best?

Day 16: Best Antagonist

Sauron, Gothmog, Wormtongue, Morgoth, the Witch King. Who is Middle-Earth's best (or worst, rather) enemy?

Day 17: Favorite Male Character

Who is your favorite? Aragorn, Bilbo, Samwise, Beren, Thorin, Gandalf, Faramir, or another male from Middle-Earth? Let us know!

Day 18: Favorite Female Character

There aren't many female characters that Tolkien wrote, but I'm sure we all have a favorite from the epic few he created.

Day 19: Least Favorite Character

We've covered favorites, now let's get into the opposite. Who is your least favorite character to walk the lands of Middle-Earth?

Day 20: Scariest Moment

Aragorn walking the Paths of the Dead, Bilbo escaping the goblin halls. Which, in your opinion, is the scariest moment to occur in Middle-Earth?

Day 21: Saddest Death

With battle comes death. Which Middle-Earth death is the saddest?

Day 22: Favorite In-Book Song

 Tolkien included many songs that his characters sing in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, etc. Which song is your favorite from any of the books?

Day 23: Favorite Soundtrack Song

Howard Shore wrote the score for Peter Jackson's iconic LOTR trilogy as well as for the new Hobbit films. Which song from any Middle-Earth soundtrack is your favorite?

Day 24: Best One Does Not Simply

We've all seen Boromir's meme, "One Does Not Simply." They've multiplied all over the internet world. Which one would you say was the best?

Day 25: Epic Actors' Saying

Seen or read any interviews with the actors that played in Middle-Earth films? What is one of their sayings that you consider funny, inspiring, or just plain informing?

Day 26: Character You Pity Most

Gollum is usually the most pitied Middle-Earth character, but perhaps you pity someone else more, or in a different way. Please share with us!

Day 27: Coolest Visual Effects

The beasts of Middle-Earth, the stunning architecture of Gondor or Erebor, a specific fight sequence... much of Peter Jackson's films were shot against a green screen. Do you have a favorite CG (computer generated) location, animal, or action?

Day 28: Most Inspiring Scene

What would you consider the most inspiring scene in any of the Middle-Earth books or movies?

Day 29: Your LOTR Collection

By "LOTR" here, I mean all things Middle-Earth, of course. What does your Tolkien collection look like? Do you have the all the books? The extended DVDs? A soundtrack, or a bookmark, perhaps? If you want to include a picture, that'd be awesome!

Day 30: Best LOTR Picture Ever

Have a favorite Middle-Earth picture that you've either found somewhere on the internet or made yourself? For the last day of the challenge, share the best Tolkien related picture that you've ever come across.

By the way, this entire post can be found here on the 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge page on my blog. 

God bless!

Elves, And Hobbits, And Dwarves... Oh My!

Yes, I'll admit that I'm a little late in posting this (okay about a month late, but who's keeping track? *ahem* I'm not), but so many other things came up that I never had the chance to finish this whole tag out. Anywho, this tag was part of a Tolkien Blog Party of Special Magnificence back around the twenty-second of September to commemorate the anniversary of both Bilbo's and Frodo's birthdays, hosted by The Edge of the Precipice, and you can find the link to the original party HERE. And yes, I'd highly suggest that you visit there.

1.  Have you read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit? If so, how many times? YES! Currently working on my fifth time through. And that includes reading The Hobbit and ALL of the appendixes at the end of The Return of the King.

2.  Have you seen any movies based on them? Only Peter Jackson's amazing film adaptions: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003), and An Unexpected Journey (2012). "Seen" is rather uninformative, considering I have the majority of all four movies memorized.

3.  Who first introduced you to Middle Earth? I'd have to say probably my parents. My dad read the books when he was younger, and then after RotK came out in 2003, he allowed us kids to watch them AFTER we read the books. Of course, we all immediately loved them.

4.  Who are your three favorite characters?  (Feel free to elaborate on whys.) I'm torn! Favorite characters because of humor and quotes would be Legolas, Pippin, and Merry, otherwise for actual character and morals I'd go with Samwise, Faramir, and Eowyn.

5.  What's your favorite Middle Earth location? Lothlorien. Hands down. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it might change once I see how Peter Jackson visualizes Mirkwood.

6.  If you could belong to one of the races of Free Folk (Men, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents), which would you choose? Elves. Without a doubt. Or, if I had to choose a second, I'd say either part of the Rohirrim or a quiet inhabitant of the West Farthing.

7.  Would you rather eat lembas or taters? Lembas. 

8.  If you lived in Middle Earth, what weapon would you prefer wielding? A bow. These long-range weapons have always appealed to me, even before I knew about LOTR, so once I saw that so many in Middle Earth used them, I was only more enticed.

9.  What draws you to Tolkien's stories?  (The characters, the quests, the themes, the worlds, etc.) First and foremost would be the adventure. I love a good fantasy. And these are clean, wholesome stories that you don't have to worry about immoral things popping up while you're reading. The characters that Tolkien created were so memorable, so quotable, that you can't help but like them. I went into this a little more in this post here, if you'd like to read more.

10. List up to five of your favorite lines/quotes from the books or movies. I thought about ignoring the five limit and posting tons of favorite quotes from the movies, but on second thought, let's follow instructions and simply keep to quotes from the book, though not including any songs, because that just wouldn't be fair. And I just noticed that the majority of my favorite quotes come from The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.

There was a terrific splash, and a shout of "Whoa!" from Frodo. It appeared that a lot of Pippin's bath had imitated a fountain and leaped on high. Merry went to the door. "How about supper and beer in the throat?" Frodo came out drying his hair. "There's so much water in the air that I'm coming out here to finish," he said.

No spider has ever liked being called Attercop, and Tomnoddy, of course, is insulting to anybody.

"Go not to the elves for counsel, for they will say both yes and no."

In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat; it was a hobbit-hole, and that meant comfort.

 When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would be shortly celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.

And, please don't forget about the great event that Melody and I are hosting during the month of November! We'd love to see you join us! 

God bless!

You're Invited!!

What: A 30 Day Middle-Earth Challenge

Who: Everyone is invited to participate (even if you don't feel like doing the entire challenge, or if you don't have a blog)!

Where: Here on Lianne Taimenlore and my excellent friend Melody's blog, The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls

When: The entire month of November, from the 1st all the way to the 30th

Why: A few months ago, Melody and I came across a picture on Pinterest of a 30 Day Lord of the Rings Challenge, and we both decided that we'd love to be able to do something like that. However, at the time, we were both too busy to do anything with that idea, so we swapped a few emails and decided to wait until the great month of November, in preparation of The Desolation of Smaug coming out in theaters in December, and that instead of only doing LOTR things, we'd incorporate all things Hobbit as well as the rest of Middle-Earth just because we love all of it. We'd love to see you join us! 

Below are buttons for you to share the challenge. I apologize that I wasn't able to get the HTML code to perfection so you could simply copy and paste onto your blogs and Pinterest pages, so instead, I'm going to ask you to save the buttons to your computer, add them to your sidebar or Pinterest as a picture, and then link to either my blog (Lianne Taimenlore) or Melody's blog (The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls). Thank you so much!

 

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to post a comment! Hope to see you all there!

God bless!