More and more LOTRO.

I purchased an expansion pack from LOTRO today because it was on sale for $19.99, it came with the Moria, Mirkwood, Isengard and Rohan expansions. Not only that but I got two new character slots, the Warden and Rune keeper classes and two new steeds! I had no idea about the new steeds so it was a nice surprise to see them in my inventory.

Steed of the Eastemnet

Red-clad Horse of the Gap

I made a woman from Gondor Warden character today and named her Niralieth. She's level 12 right now and still questing around Combe. It's fun so far playing as a Warden...I think defense classes are my favorite. (I love being a guardian!) I'm still learning what it takes to be this class, so many different combinations for fighting! Maybe I'll make a cheat sheet and study it so I'll be prepared when going against baddies.

I maaaaay have made another new character.... this time an elf champion named Elthiriond. He's my first male character! Well, I did make one a long time ago, a man named Ethrilhelm, but that was on a different account and I can't even remember what my username/email was.

Elthiriond is a smirker and has a really sweet hairdo.

Now what I want to do is explore my characters more, meaning I want to figure out their personalities and likes and dislikes. I have it almost figured out for my main, Alellea, but not quite.

Four characters. Alellea (hobbit guardian), Malyndael (elf hunter), Niralieth (woman warden), Elthiriond (elf champion), I wonder if I can keep up!

I do have one more character slot left for Landroval...hmmmmmmm. Another hobbit perhaps?

Ponies!

I got my fifth pony today, the Prized Mathom Society Steed! I've been so excited to get this pony, not only because it's beautiful but because it reminds me of one of the pet rabbits I had growing up, Oreo. I really should stop spending all of my coins on ponies.....naaah. (Starter pony not shown)

This was the first pony I got after the starter one. It's the Spooky Steed of the Bat that I got during the Harvest Festival this year. I decided to name him Mal.

Home sweet home!

I caved and bought myself a hobbit home in LOTRO today. My wallet is no where as full as it used to be but I can fill it up again. I'm pretty excited! Once I get enough money I'll pay my upkeep to last me for a while so I won't have to worry about it.

This is my new home! I'm going to have to do some serious decorating to make it look nice. I think my hobbit guardian, Alellea is happy.

Sit by the firelight's glow...

IT FINALLY HAPPENED. The Lord of the Rings musical will go on a world tour starting in 2015. It took me an embarrassingly long time to write this short article on Middle-earth News because my entire body was shaking from excitement! My hands still won't stay still.

Back in 2007-2008 when the show first started coming about I remember going on the show's website and staring in awe at the photos and videos. Eventually I begged my mom to bring me to London so I could watch it, she said no, of course. So since I couldn't go I became very bitter and kept thinking things like, "Wow I bet it's dumb anyway. You can't fit LOTR in one musical. I'm glad I'm not seeing it. *grumble grumble*" After a while I forgot about the show.

"It took a modern adaptation to get me there."

I was looking around on Amazon for Tolkien related books and came across one that looked pretty interesting. I saw that it had one review, and the reviewer gave it a one star rating. Curious, I scrolled down to see this person's reasoning and it made me, well, sad. In it the reviewer says "My heart sank when I read in the introduction that the author’s first exposure to Tolkien was through Peter Jackson’s movies." My heart sank when read this comment. My first exposure to Tolkien was through Peter Jackson's adaptations and it was the first exposure for many many fans all around the world. It made me sad to remember that there are people who would look down on me for not reading the books first.

Well you know what? I shouldn't feel bad. I should be able to proudly say that a modern adaptation was the beginning of my love for Tolkien. The movies opened up a new world for me, something the books wouldn't have been able to do at that time. I was eight when I saw FOTR in theaters and I'm pretty sure if I attempted to read the book before seeing it I wouldn't get very far. In fact, after watching FOTR I tried to read LOTR. I read all the way up to ROTK and only made it halfway through that book. And I understood very little of the story. All I remember is going up to my dad, very confused, and asking him who Tom Bombadil was.

Once a year after that I tried to tackle LOTR but failed every time. I didn't even get passed FOTR. The only Tolkien book I could understand was The Hobbit. It wasn't until I started college that I had a successful read through. What I learned is that you shouldn't force yourself enjoy something. Even though I couldn't read the book I knew that one day I would be able to. I liked collecting the books and looking at them knowing they were waiting for me.

It shouldn't matter how someone becomes interested in something. What's more important is that someone did get there and that person appreciates it. Being a fan is unnecessarily difficult lately and I don't like it.

This is my say on the matter, feel free to disagree.

Tolkien-Inspired Questionnaire

I saw this post on tumblr and decided to make it into a blog post. This is a LONG post, just a warning.

Frodo: What is your deepest wound, and do you still hurt from it?
My deepest wound happened to me during my senior year in high school. Everything turned out okay in the end but, yes, I still do.

Bilbo: When did taking a chance improve your life?
When I said yes to doing an episode of Warriors of the Westfold last year. I've never been on a live web show before but I thought "What the hell, it could be fun" and because I did this I became a reporter for Middle-earth News.

Samwise: Have you ever done something for a friend that you would never have done on your own?
Hmmmm. I'm upset that I can't think of anything.

Merry: Who would you swear loyalty to, or to whom have you already done so?
I haven't sworn loyalty to anyone and I don't know if I want to. Too much pressure!

My Journey to Rivendell

Last week I decided to try and travel to Rivendell alone in LOTRO. I needed to get to the Hall of Fire to drink a couple wines for an Inn League Quest. I'm only level 31 so I was a little scared that I would die. I made the mistake of going at night and almost fainted when I saw trolls patrolling the roads. I immediately RAN away and peeked around a rock till the sun came up. As soon as it was clear I made a dash for the Ford of Bruinen. I freaked out a little I finally got there. It's BEAUTIFUL. Well the Trollshaws in general is beautiful.

Yesterday was AWESOME!

The Hobbit Fan Event was yesterday and I attended the one in NYC. IT WAS AMAZING. I had so much fun. I was pretty nervous because it was my first official duty as a reporter for Middle-earth News and I went alone. I didn't know anyone but I started talking to the people in line and it was lots of fun. It's a fan event, so I wanted to be with the fans. I saw great cosplays, talked to fellow fans and shared many laughs. Got myself a Nori ring from a woman named Deejay who was thoughtful enough to give out buttons and rings to everyone in line.

Hobbit fan event tomorrow!!!!

Tomorrow is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Worldwide Fan Event and I am sO EXCITED OH MY GOD.
I can't wait to see Richard Armitage and Orlando Bloom in person I may faint right there in the audience once they start talking. Am I being serious or joking you just don't know.

I'll be "close" to the other actors and Peter Jackson. Also I was so happy to hear that Jed Brophy was going to host the Wellington event. I wonder what we're going to see...I wonder what PJ's "thank you" will be.... I wonder how long I'll last in the cinema without crying.

This is a good representation of how I'm feeling right now: