#AtoZchallenge— E is for —Eyrie

From the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai to the Shores of Dragonstone comes the 10th anniversary of the AtoZ challenge...

The Eyrie is the Seat of House Arryn located in the Vale. The Arryn's serve as

Warden of the East from their mountain stronghold which is said to be almost entirely impregnable. The castle is high enough to take advantage of locking criminals in three-walled "sky cells" that opens to a sheer drop down the mountainside. If you remember Tyrion being locked into one of those, it's an outside cell so if you don't want to die you will stay clear from the edge, because you just might fall off.
After Jon Arryn dies, Lysa returns to the Eyrie with her son Robin intending to act as defenders of the Vale. Soon after, Lady Lysa is pushed through the moon door by her new husband Littlefinger, Petyr Baelish. Robin enjoys when 'men fly' out the moon door and sucking on his mother's tit. He is a sick boy.

"Give me ten good men and some climbing spikes, I'll impregnate the bitch." -Ser Bronn of the Blackwater The Cutthroat

Can you guess who the letter is?

E is for Catelyn and Lysa's brother. He marries Roslin Frey at the Red Wedding. Roslin is without a doubt the only attractive daughter of Walder Frey and ___ wasn't expecting to be so pleased. He was an idiot. It was Robert Stark who was supposed to marry Roslin in exchange for safe passage to cross the river but that went awry. So Walder Frey had one more reason to kill Robert and Lady Catelyn. ___ and Roslin were not harmed although ___ was imprisoned in the Frey's Twin dungeon for quite awhile.

#AtoZchallenge— D is for —Dracarys!

From the Shadow Lands of Asshai to the Shores of Dragonstone comes the 10th anniversary of the AtoZ challenge...

Daenerys Targaryen has a lot of titles. Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons, heir to the Iron Throne, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, etc.. Drogon is one of her dragons born in the Dothraki sea. Its egg was black as the midnight sea, alive with scarlet ripples and swirls. He is named for her dead husband, Drogo.

Drogon is believed to be the reincarnation of Balerion the Black Dread, but Daenerys decides to give him a new name for his new life. Drogo is the largest and most aggressive of Daenerys's three dragons and she has problems reining him in.

Dracarys literally means Dragonfire in High Valyrian. It's the word Dany uses to signal to her dragon, Drogon, that she wants him to go all "evil-fire-destruction up on this bish."

Can you guess who the letter is?

"Where Are My Dragons?" 

#AtoZChallenge—C is for —Crows Are All Liars!

Warning: There may be spoilers

From the Shadow Lands of Asshai to the Shores of Dragonstone comes the 10th anniversary of the AtoZ challenge...

Bran Climbs the Castle Tower

The Three-Eyed Raven is a sightseer. He sees things

Bran loved to climb and one day, he is pushed out of the tower window because he saw Cersei and her brother having sex. In order to cover it up, Jamie pushes Bran out of the window. Of all the things Bran was good at, it was climbing.

He survived the fall but is paralyzed and coincidentally, is crippled. Catelyn captures Tyrion the Imp because she thinks he has something to do with Jon Arryn's death and the murder of her son Bran. But Tyrion is innocent of course and Catelyn is severely mistaken about him.

Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are not Baratheons, so how does Robert not know that? Ned Stark knows but he fails to learn the secret before it's too late.

Crows Are All Liars

Is it possible that Old Nan meant the men of the Nights Watch?

The Wildlings called them Crows. Mance Rayder was a Crow turned King beyond the Wall. I guess it is because of their costumes. Men in long black cloaks and black fur. Ravens were used as the delivery service to get messages back and forth because they didn't have Twitter. The other theory could be that Old Nan was just trying to make Bran feel better because he truly wanted to be able to fly just like the raven in his dream/vision told him. BUT *spoiler alert* HE IS the three-eyed raven and learns to fly in that respect. Fly or Die.

The Three-Eyed Raven

Can you guess who the letter is?

 C is for____ She dishonours her father Tywin Lannister. His dynasty is a lie because of her relationship with her brother Jamie. Shame.

April AtoZ Challenge Theme Reveal

(queue the music) From the shores of Dragonstone to the frozen lands beyond the Wall, comes the 10th anniversary of the 2019 AtoZ Challenge . . .

My theme is going to be about Game of Thrones based on the books and the TV shows. HBO's eighth and final season will premiere on April 14, 2019 #GoT #forthethrone. Furthermore, you will find a Character from the Game of Thrones on each post that matches the letter of the day.. inspired by Mike Baboons Designs

Blogging from A to Z Challenge Reflections Posts of 2012

As soon as I heard about the AtoZ challenge I wanted to participate, but because of my experience with other Alphabet memes, I didn't want to post a random topic that began with the letter of the day because I would most likely fail in oh so many ways. I'm not that good at writing/blogging.

So I decided to write on a book theme and chose The Hunger Games. I had written my posts a week in advance which meant I had to read the book again and base my posts on the alphabet for each chapter. I got it done. My letter A post was supposed to be about the reaping. The Reaping took place in Chapter 1 and I called it Attendance is Mandatory but I edited it and probably shouldn't have and wrote about the Arena instead, even though the tributes didn't step into the arena until chapter 11. My favorite post was The Letter 'L' The Lake and Lucky Loot only because there were a lot of L words in it :)
I am so glad I scheduled my posts! It pretty much left me free to do whatever else I wanted and visit as many blogs as I could. I didn't always comment but I think I managed to visit most blogs on the list at least. Initially I got a few new comments but not near as many as I left, which was discouraging.

 I think the AtoZ challenge was well thought out and organized, and there wasn't really anything more that could have been done better. Arlee and his team did a great job. Due to the lack of visits I imagine people weren't interested in the Hunger Games or maybe it was that my posts were too long? Was it due to spoilers? idk. I would have liked more feedback but for those who did comment, it meant a lot to me so THANK YOU!

Most commentators said it was really neat that I wrote about the hunger games and that they'd really enjoyed the book and movie and only one did not like the principle of kids killing kids. It was a great experience to learn so much about this book. I loved the Hunger Games and I don't know about participating next year but if I do, I will probably base it on another great book. It was fun.

Aside from that , here is a short funny video spoof of How The Hunger Games Should Have Ended. I personally liked how it ended , with the rule changes and all, but for the sake of the few who didn't.......maybe it would have been better if Katniss were honest about not loving Peeta ? Lol!

Zero to Hero

The Letter Z Chapter 27: Zero to Hero

They came from the poorest district in Panem and they became Heroes. They thought they'd score zero in the training session but Katniss scored the highest and Peeta didn't do too badly either. A girl who lives in the Seam, hunts in the woods, trades in the Hob; a nobody; and a boy who bakes bread who's in love with her. We shall have to see if she chooses him.

"I am pleased to present the victors of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!"

Yellow Victory Dress

The Letter Y Chapter 26: The Yellow Dress

"Venia helps me into a pair of flat leather sandals and I turn to the mirror. I am still the 'girl on fire.' The sheer fabric softly glows. Even the slightest movement in the air sends a ripple up my body. By comparison, the chariot costume seems garish, the interview dress too contrived. In this dress, I give the illusion of wearing candlelight."

The Capitol is furious about her showing them up in the arena. They can't stand being laughed at and being the joke of Panem. It would've sparked an upheaval in the districts of Panem had they both wound up dead. There had to be a victor and the gamemakers decision to reinstate the previous rule that "two tributes from the same district could live" was a good call.
Here's what she was supposed to say to avoid any trouble. I was madly in love with him, and the thought of living without Peeta was impossible to bear. Love made me do it.

X Marks The Spot

The Letter X Chapter 25: X Marks the Spot

Cato grabbed Peeta in a headlock, and the spot Peeta was pointing to marked the "X" for which Katniss had to shoot her arrow that would release Catos arm around Peetas neck. Katniss could do it and Peeta trusted her completely. It was an incredibly intense scene, but Peeta shoved Cato off the side causing him to fall into a pack of mutant wolves. They both watched as Cato struggled with the pack of animals until out of mercy Katniss shot her arrow through his head, then they heard the canon boom. For all intents and purposes they had won. Except when they heard the new rule was revoked they're like FUCK THAT!

She took the deadly berries out of her pouch and handed some to Peeta and on the count of 3 they were going to end both their lives because how could anyone think either of them could kill the other? Did the Capitol really think that Katniss and Peeta were going to put up with their shenanigans? Whatever Peeta did in the arena was to save Katniss. I know Peeta would have sacrificed his life for Katniss but if she killed him she couldn't live with it.

Weapons of War

The Letter W Chapter 24: Weapons of War

Wow! out of sheer ignorance Peeta outsmarted his opponent. He didn't know the berries he was picking were Nightlock and they killed Foxface. She might have been more leery of stealing the berries had it been a trap but they were gathered and arranged in a neat pile and out of desperation and hunger she nabbed a few too many. She was dead before she knew it. Katniss heard the boom of the canon and was afraid for Peeta and freaked out on him. Damn You Peeta! she said .

Victor's Village

The Letter V Chapter 23: Victor's Village

Long ago, when the Games began, the Capitol built a dozen fine houses in each district. Only one of these houses in district 12 is occupied, that of Haymitchs' because only 2 tributes in the history of the hunger games has ever won from district 12!  It would be quite an honor if Katniss and Peeta win. They would each get one of those houses for their families. They'd be rich and things would be a lot different. 

Up Up Up

The Letter U Chapter 22: Up Up Up It's going to be an unbelievable day!

Inside the first pack contained the remedy that she risked her life for; a hypodermic needle with an anti-infection drug. When she got back to the cave, Peeta was still asleep, and she immediately plunges it inside his arm right before passing out. Time passes.

Katniss wakes up lying in a big pool of blood wounded from the knife Clove threw at her and a bandage around her head. Peeta was much better, and his leg had almost healed completely. It was raining pretty bad, and they were starting to get hungry, but it was no use going hunting. All they could do was sit in the cave and wait for the rain to quit and to keep their wounds from re-opening.

She wasn't very good at acting when Peeta said he didn't have much competition here, Katniss thought "what am I?" Instead, she leaned over and was about to kill kiss him ...... :p and said "there was no competition for him anywhere" which meant Gale was nothing to worry about, and then BAM! Up in the air comes a silver parachute. In Haymitch's' words "It's that easy sweetheart."

They got a basket of food complete with fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, and a pot of lamb stew with wild rice from a sponsor. Unbelievable!

Time To Thresh

The Letter T Chapter 21: It's Thresh Time

The remaining tributes, sans Peeta, all come to the feast to get what they need. Katniss first sees Foxface tearing across the cornucopia grabbing her pack and disappearing, so she decides to do the same only she gets a knife to the forehead and a struggle ensumes. Clove wrestles her to the ground and teases her about killing her and what they did to Rue and Peeta.

If it weren't for Thresh grabbing Clove from behind, Katniss would have never made it back alive. Clove was about to cut her throat. Thresh overheard Clove talking about killing Rue so in defense of Rue he slammed her head against a rock. He looks at Katniss and says "Just this once 12, for Rue". Thanks to Thresh for sparing Katniss' life letting her go free. They both hear Cato calling out Clove's name so they run off. Thresh takes his and Cato's pack with him.
Katniss got what she came for . In her little pack was a loaded syringe with an anti infection drug that she will administer to Peeta.

Sweet Sleep

The Letter S Chapter 20: Sleep Syrup

When she goes to the stream for some water, a silver parachute drops down near her. This time it is a vial of sleep syrup. It dawns on her if Peeta is sleeping it's the only way she'll be able to go to the feast and it will give her plenty of time to prepare. So she tricks him into taking the sleep syrup saying they're just sugar berries and before he realizes what hit him he's out like a light. There was no other option.

"They're sweet as syrup, " he says, taking the last spoonful. "Syrup." His eyes widen as he realizes the truth. I clamp my hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. He tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it's too late, he's already losing consciousness. Even as he fades away, I can see in his eyes what I've done is unforgivable.

She's so wrong. He'll forgive her because he will be alive and not dead and then they can both go home.

Risky Remedy

The Letter R Chapter 20: Risky Remedy

Peeta is so feverish and can barely drink the whole pot of broth after coaxing him for an hour.

It's nice seeing them together, and I love when they are in the cave, but I'm tired of Katniss' constant doubts about Peeta. Why can't she see that Peeta isn't faking it? He loves her for real.

She notices the temperature drop, and it must be because the game makers are manipulating the weather. It could either help Peeta at this point or hurt him- (I'm thinking because of his fever) She climbs into the sleeping bag with Peeta to get warm, but his body is sweltering. Should she leave him to sweat it out or let the cold weather cool him off? All's she can do is place some fresh bandages on his forehead.

Her selfish side starts thinking how much more vulnerable she's become since teaming up with Peeta because he is so sick and needy and she has to take care of him. By morning it looks like the Peetas fever has broken and she gives him some crushed berries. He is so happy having her with him.

So now that he's feeling a little bit better, it's Katniss' turn to sleep. He watches her sleep and naturally strokes her hair because HE IS REAL! Katniss is so stupid. He lets her sleep longer than she'd hoped to but gets up and starts attending to his needs again. His leg is getting a lot worse, but the pus is gone at least. They both know he has blood poisoning and in desperate need of a powerful remedy like an anti-infection drug otherwise he will undoubtedly die.

Katniss goes to make more soup, and Peeta wants her to tell him a story. She thinks it will take more effort than the soup. We hear about how she got some money to buy Prim a goat for her birthday, but she conceals the real story from the game makers about her hunting activities to keep the others from getting in trouble back home. She lies to Peeta as well by saying that she sold an old silver locket of her mother's. Anyway, she bought a goat for Prim from an old man, and it was a wise investment. Prim was thrilled with it. Nobody had to know where the money came from. The truth was that she and Gale caught a deer and sold it in the Hob for a good price.

Just then Claudius Templesmith makes an announcement that there is going to be a feast. It will have exactly what each one needs, so make sure to be there first thing in the morning because for some it might be their last chance. Of course, Peeta needs something robust and remedial. Will she risk her life to save Peeta? His life hangs in the balance. The fates will come to take him away if Katniss doesn't get to the feast, but it proves to be a battle of wits and stubbornness when it comes to Peeta letting Katniss go.

Quick Quotes

The Letter Q Chapter 19 Quick Quotes

bottom of page 247 to 248

I never understood why Katniss and Peeta didn't become allies from the start. Does it take bending the rules, or making a new one in this case,  to make Katniss do that? I am more ecstatic over the news than Katniss is. The two can live now. It's a relief but I wanted them to choose it for themselves.

Peeta's doing a good job staying alive so far. How did he do it? Do you think his camouflage skills paid off? I can't imagine him hiding underneath a rock bleeding to death all this time. It's been days maybe even a week since Cato cut him. Katniss should have come to his rescue sooner. When she almost steps on him he says.....


"You here to finish me off, sweetheart?"  I love that!

"Peeta!" she yells. He's all covered in the mudd and very well camouflaged. It's a miracle she finds him. He looks like the rock itself, that's how well he's hidden.

"I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."

Peeta smiles. "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying." :p beautiful.

Katniss reminds him they are on the same team now and that he isn't going to die. She wants to wash him off and clean him up but he's really weak. He wants to whisper something in her ear so she leans down and he says..

"Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."

How can he joke at a time like this? I think he's just happy to see her and I hope the feelings mutual jeez. His wounds are pretty bad and he is suffering from blood poisoning. At least Katniss has a first aid kit from the boy from district 1 except it doesn't have everything she needs to treat him with. She draws out the tracker jacker venom with the medicine leaves and gives him some pain killer. She applies burn ointment on his deep cut and wraps his leg up but it doesn't do any good with his pants being so dirty and full of contagion. She can't stomach all the puss and she's sure she's killing him but then Peeta asks

"How about that kiss?"  She pretty near falls over laughing.

She's not as good as her mother is treating wounds and puss, Peeta jokes about her comment about killing him "Can you speed it up a little?" he asks.

Peeta was right, for a lethal person she sure is squeamish at the sight of all that puss! euh. Peeta hasn't been given a single gift so far.

Katniss needs to move him to someplace safe so he can get better but he can't make it very far without fainting so she finds a cave made out of a big rock 20 meters from where they were by the stream, and he's panting and shivering. She thinks he's going to die and leans over to kiss him then.

After that they receive a parachute gift. A pot of broth. What kind of gift is that when he can't even eat? well he takes it anyway but it's not anything that will save him. What they need to do is make out more. That's the message she's getting from Haymitch anyway. More Romance!

Prim's Piece

The Letter P Chapter 18: Prim's Piece and A Promise

Katniss pulls her bow and shoots an arrow that pierces his neck, killing the boy from District 1, while Rue lay dying. She promises Rue the same thing she promised Prim. "I'm going to win for both of us now."

Rue asks Katniss to sing. She used to sing Prim a song to sleep, so she begins singing Prims Piece

Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your eyes

And when they open, the sun will rise

Here it’s safe, and here it’s warm

Here the daisies guard you against every harm

Here your dreams are sweet–

–and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it’s morning, they’ll wash away

Here it’s safe, and here it’s warm

Here the daisies guard you against every harm

Here your dreams are sweet–

– and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

She remembers Peeta's words and how he doesn't want to just be a piece in their games. "Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their games."
For the first time, she understands what he means and doesn't want the game makers to think Rue is just a piece in their games.

She wants them to take responsibility for her death and holds them accountable, so she gathers a bunch of wild flowers knowing they are probably watching her, and says farewell honoring Rue with a District 12 three fingered salute.

She grabs both victims packs, and now six tributes are left. She receives another gift from District 11 that should have been for Rue. A loaf of bread. To get far away from the day's events she climbs high up into a tree and goes to sleep while clutching the bread tightly and dreams peaceful dreams of Rue.

At the end of Part II, it is announced that the rules have changed. Someone must have pleaded for it. It smells like it was meant just for Peeta and Katniss too.

Two tributes from the same district can win this year. Both can live.

Odes and Obstacles

The Letter O Chapter 15, 17 The color Orange

Rue heals Katniss' stings with the same medicine leaves found in the Orchards of District 11.
In Katniss' orange backpack there was a pair of opticals but she didn't think they worked. Rue tells her they are night vision goggles. The workers used them to see at night when the torchlights didn't work. A kid in her district once got killed for wanting to keep a pair.
Katniss barely recovering from the bomb blast that hurt her ear in the explosion, goes in search of Rue. She's worried something might have happened to her when she hears a Mockingjay call and Rue scream. She finds Rue trapped in a net and before she could get her out, Rue is shot with a spear to her chest.

Nuking the Nest

The Letter N Chapter 16 : Katniss blows up the Nest of Supplies

...to even out the playing field "Let the 74th Hunger Games begin, Cato." I think. "Let them begin for real."

Nice Shot even though it took 3 arrows! The Careers booby trapped all the supplies so it needed to be nuked. Nuff said . 

The Mockingjay

Letter M Chapter 15,16: Medicine and Meat

Rue and Katniss become Allies. Rue heals Katniss' bee stings by chewing up medicine leaves in her mouth and applying it to the sting which relieves and soothes the pain immediately, bringing out the venom poison. Katniss shares her meat with Rue and treats Rue's burns with the burn medicine she got from a sponsor. I think Katniss' mothering skills attract Rue but the mockingjay pin is what made her decide to trust her. Back home she sings to the mockingjay and they can carry messages for her like when she signals a call letting everyone know when work is done. It is also the mockingjay that becomes the symbol for the rebellion. Between the two of them they make up a mockingjay call to communicate to each other. Rue is the same age as Prim.

Kat feels stronger with a whole new sense of perspective in the Game now that she has a weapon to hunt with (the bow and arrow). She strategizes over what her next move will be. Rue informs Kat that the Careers are hording all the supplies near the cornucopia and Katniss thinks maybe if they could even out the playing field and get rid of their food supply it would make it a fair game because the Careers don't know how to be hungry like they do.

The Mockingjay Call

The Lake and Lucky Loot

The Letter L Chapters 12-14: Looking for the Lake and finds Lucky Loot

Staying alive in the game is one thing. Running for your life when the game makers let loose fireballs is another. They launch them at Katniss and lure her toward the lake, licking her wounds. Her leg is badly burned. Her injuries lead her to climb a tree for safety out of the way of the other Careers. They had been looking for her with lover boy.

Night falls, and a nest of tracker jackers high up on a tree limb looms over their sleeping heads unknowingly. They are large poisonous bees spawned in a lab created by the Capitol in war times, like landmines in the districts of Panem. It is the only thing that will save Katniss from the careers, and she's gotta try to drop it on them while they're still sleeping; if she wants to live. It's a perfect opportunity really, thanks to Little Rue's ingenuity for pointing out the nest of Tracker Jackers.

She has until sunrise before they wake up, to carry out her plan. A parachute drops a pot of ointment for her burned leg. Lucky Loot. Lives are at stake. All of them seem to have been bitten by the giant wasps including Peeta. Lucky for her she was able to retrieve the bow and arrow from glimmer who dies from tracker jacker poison.