What's your TTF Story?

[Erestor Arcamen]

Hi,

For those of you who don't know me, I'm EA, and one of the moderator's on TTF, I've been a member since 2004. One of the great things about TTF is that it's been around for over two decades now. There are members here (like me) who were teenagers when we first joined. When I signed up, I was in college and had no idea what I was doing with my life; now I'm married, have a child, and a job that I love. It's amazing how much time this site's been around. We've had new admins, moderators, and members come and go since I first joined and each of them has added their own special touches to the forum during their time here. Whether it's been through redesigning the site, adding to discussions or sharing artwork and stories that they've created themselves, TTF is full of amazing members, their love for Middle Earth and their creativity. We've had sections of the forum go away and new sections added. We have a wiki that some people have been working on and the chatbox. TTF has changed since I joined but its core purpose for being is the same, for all of us to share our love of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Maybe this sounds cheesy, it probably does to a lot of you, but TTF is probably my most favorite website on the internet. I plug the site every chance I get on Reddit and elsewhere because I love being here. I love being a moderator (even if I may not be a GREAT moderator, opinions vary 😋) and I love sharing my love of Tolkien with each and every one of you, even if it's just me lurking and reading. So, the reason I joined TTF, after reading Fellowship of the Ring for the first time, was when I first met Tom Bombadil. I was very curious so did a Google search on him and found a fascinating essay that a previous member here had written. I have no idea where that essay is now, but that's what got me hooked. Since I joined, I've seen the site thriving, slowing down to little-to-no discussions, to being filled with pharmaceutical spam for a while. Through all of that, I've still loved this place as much as when I joined. I'm sure for a lot of others it was a single post or discussion on this site that got you hooked too and I'd love to hear your story. What brought you here, what made you stay? Share your story with us, maybe we'll include it in the next TTF newsletter .

Thanks for listening, if there's ever anything I can do for you or if you just need someone to talk to or anything, my direct messages are always open!

Your friendly neighborhood mod,
EA

Also just a reminder, the archives are FULL of amazing discussions. Why not go check them out. If you see one you want to contribute to, send a pm to Squint-eyed Southerner or myself and we can help you to move it back to the active forum!
Link to Archives: https://thetolkien.forum/forums/archives.103/

 

[Thorin]

I was one of the first members to join I think, back in 1999. I was 'guibox' back then, before they moved it to the new platform and the First Age of TTF reckoning really began in 2001. I think I joined because they movies were set to come out and I wanted to find a place where not just the movies, but all things of Tolkien were discussed. I had been reading LoTR fairly often since I was 13, but other than LoTR and The Hobbit, I really knew nothing about the history and lore of ME and being on here turned me on to it. I'm a history buff by nature so it was great to find out more information of stories and history referenced in LoTR that always confused me. After 2008, I was mostly absent until The Hobbit movies came on. After 2013, I don't think I was on very much at all.

I'm glad to be back though and intend to be far more regular than I have been the last 10 years.

 

[Olorgando]

I only decided to get Internet access at home in late 2013 (I'd had it in the company over 18 years earlier).
I had first read LoTR in 1983 (German translation) and 1985 (original).

The first JRRT site I found and joined was "The Council of Elrond", also in late 2013. As "The Desolation of Smaug" premiere was still a month or so away, there was quite a lot going on - though apparently not nearly as much as in the heyday of the LoTR films. Things quieted down after the BoFA EE came out in 2015, and the site was experiencing technical issues, also due to at least one hack. I next joined the site "Arwen-Undomiel" in early 2017 on the recommendation of two members of CoE. Both sites had livelier times and quieter times, but with a noticeable quieting down. I then landed here, again on the recommendation of a member of both other sites.

In retrospect, TTF was the kind of site I was always looking for. One of the "selling points" that convinced me was that TTF had a new owner, mazzly, since July 2019. Maintenance of the other two sites was spotty (CoE) to practically nonexistent (A-U); the latter seems to have been abandoned by all by now.

There simply was much less discussion on those other two sites. In both, what was most active is what one could call the "games section" - that would be Bars & Inns >> The Mad Badger here. The collection on CoE once went over three pages! Problem was, after playing a few years, things got repetitive. And in the Private Message section here, especially with one member, I'm more active (and having more fun) by several orders of magnitude compared to the other two sites combined. Though not a little of our discussions, if ever viewed by others, would probably remind a lot of people of these old coots:

But as I stated in another thread recently, these two are my favorite Muppets anyway! 😁😁😁😁😁

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Who you calling a "coot"?! (I'll cop to "old") 😁

Especially since I first read Hobbit and LOTR in 1967. 😳

I confess to not going online until 2015 or so. Unbelievable, really. I checked out a few Tolkien forums, and landed here, as it was one of the more active ones, and featured some of the more interesting book discussions.

Now, after being dragooned into the ranks of mods, I find I can't escape. 🤣

 

[Olorgando]

Who you calling a "coot"?! (I'll cop to "old") 😁

Would you prefer "fart"??? 😏

Edit:
OK, checking my Oxford E-G / G-E dictionary, coot means chicken. Clucking and squawking ... so what's the problem? 😁

 

[Ealdwyn]

I was a long-time lurker. I'd dipped into TTF and other Tolkien forums for many years but never signed up. I was always impressed with how knowledgable the folk are here. I mean, I love Tolkien, but I'm nowhere near as nerdy (intended as a compliment!) as some of the guys. If there's something you want to know on some obscure aspect of lore, then there's bound to be someone here who's an expert.

Then came 2020. I joined during the first covid lockdown in the UK and found a great community here. Not just enthusiastic about Tolkien but extremely silly too! It feels like my spiritual home

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

We do seem to swing between extremes. 😅

 

[Halasían]

I know I have posted it in summary on here somewhere before, but here goes. I came to TTF in December 2001 and was using an old CB handle name of 'Snowdog'. At that time I was working full time and had a house, a wife (#2 - marriage was declining), and two young kids born in 1989 & 1990, and all the concerns and bills that went along with that.

My Middle-earth experience was I had read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in 1975, and attended a 'line party' at the local mall awaiting midnight, when the manager of Walden Books, was going to open the store the day the Silmarillion was released. I was a serious Middle Earth geek then. Even worked on learning the calligraphy of the Cirith and Tengwar based solely on the information in the Appendices of Return of the King. Then after tech college I got my first fulltime job and found out my college girlfriend was pregnant in the same week. Marriage #1 and a son had my interest in Middle Earth wane for a time as I was cast into the world of 'adulting'. Then one day around the time of my divorce in 1983 I spotted a paperback copy of Unfinished Tales on a rack by the checkout counter of a grocery store. Bought it and read it, and it all started again. Around that time, I was getting into D&D (TSR 2nd ed.) and my ex brother-in-law was gamemastering a Middle earth based campaign. I then got into reading all the books again, and read Lord of the Rings, parts of the Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales several times before life changed again.

The Middle Earth internet backstory is before I joined here, I had been on The One Ring (dotcom) since late 1999 when I first got word that a movie was being made of Lord of the Rings. I logged in a lot at work with their T1 connection, as the home 28.8kbs dial-up modem struggled. I got pretty heavily involved with that site for a couple years, getting into forum roleplaying and the discussions and banter and internet drama. I did go looking elsewhere in late 2000 due to some heavy-handed and preferential modding that was going on there where I found Minas Tirith, Barrow Downs, and Entmoot. Didn't find TTF at that time though. All the while I still lingered on TORc. My very first conversation with Elora, my soulmate, was on September 11th 2001 in some obscure discussion thread similar to this one.

It was when the Fellowship premiered in December 2001 that, despite knowing it was coming, the One Ring server melted down under the abrupt increase in traffic from moviegoers. So along with those three previously mentioned, I went out to look for other new Tolkien sites. That was when I registered here. I may be seen as having appeared in threads in the archives here starting back then. I also joined Ringbearer, Shadow of Mordor, The Tower of Orthanc, and The White Council. My participation in discussions here (and all the other sites) was intermittent going from days of a lot of activity interspersed by days or weeks or even months of absence.

In 2003 I was banned from The One Ring (marriage politics) so again appeared here more, and my mistress (Lady Rian) found me here and we wrote some roleplay fanfiction stuff. Of course that ended abruptly, and I went around the sites I had been on, and found a couple new ones like Council of Elrond.

My TTF story has always been that of a drifter. I was called 'a Tolkien site slut' once by another vagabond who I kept running into. Can't remember their username here. I would drop in here periodically, increasing my participation in 2007 when I moved countries to join Elora, and also joined Arwen Undomiel around then. Elora and I used this place to share our stories even though the 10,000 character limit was a pain in the butt.

Through the years, many if not most of those old sites either disappeared, fell into ruin until the domain expired (Minas Tirith), was gracefully closed down (Ringbearer) or just became pretty much abandoned by the original owners (Arwen Undomiel, Council of Elrond, Entmoot). Barrow Downs still has a solid core of users, but its hard for anyone new to join since they screwed down the spam filter net.

It was a good day when the ownership of this site was passed on to new blood with a drive to preserve and update the creaky forum software. My participation increased even more (Much to the dismay of some) and these days its one of only a few Middle Earth sites I still visit.

After all that reminiscing thought-stream hot air blah blah, the answers to your questions Erestor are:
1. What brought you here? The One Ring dotcom server crashing in December 2001.
2. What made you stay? The content, the drama, the even-handed moderation, the forum software (it was one of a few that had a 'dark mode) the consistency (crashes and data-corruption was few and far between in my experience), and the mindful preservation of old discussions.

One minor annoyance I learned to live with here is the tendency for topics to get derailed. Overall, the experience here has been mostly good. Another minor annoyance here is those who can't stand the thought that a new adaptation is coming to TV and the fact some people like it despite its faults and shortcomings.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I know I have posted it in summary on her somewhere

Not in a sensitive area, I hope! 😳

 

[Halasían]

Not in a sensitive area, I hope! 😳

You'll have to ask her. 🤣

I had to edit that about a hundred times as I sloppily typed it out the first run and posted it prematurely.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Better than posting posthumously.

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

Thanks for sharing the stories, I appreciate it. I know I haven't been here forever but do remember the clunky software. I'm not sure if that was the first iteration that you're talking about or not but it was the dark forest-green site with the two trees at the top. SES and I were just talking about the other sites out there a few days ago after I was googling and found a bunch of old forums I'd never heard of, it was interesting to browse through some of them.

 

[Uminya]

Oh yes, like Thorin I've been here since before the domain was changed; the forum used to be attached to some fan site of the old "Webmaster". Most of my posting was during the early 00's, and life circumstances and changing tastes drew me away from this place for quite a while. I think I tried to come back a few years ago, but the site was down and at the time it looked like there was no longer an administrator. It's nice to see some familiar faces still, and that people still post here 😊

I also changed my username; while I don't share a hobbit's distrust of boats, I decided that "Ciryaher" wasn't really my style any more 😄

 

[Starbrow]

I've been around a long time, joining in 2003. I've loved LOTR since I read it in high school and have lost count of how many times I've reread it. I have also read almost all of Tolkien's other fictional works, including HOME. I don't post much, but I love to read what other, quite knowledgable members post. I admire the amount of time and effort some of you put into your posts discussing fine points of Tolkien's work. Especially, since I am usually too lazy to get off the couch to get my books from the other room to check a fact. 😅

I joined The Tolkien Forum because it was at the top of the list when I first searched for a LOTR site way back when the internet was still pretty new and our modem speed had increased. I come on almost everyday to read the new posts. Thanks to all the members who post and make this one of the highlights of my day.

 

[Goldilocks Gamgee]

When I was 3, my grandfather read me the Hobbit. About three years later, I asked my father what his favorite book was, when he was a teenager. He said LotR, and I decided to read it, and fell in love with it at once. A year or two ago, I - while searching the internet about proof of whether Balrogs have wings, to avoid doing homework - stumbled upon this website, and was amazed by the sheer number of knowledgeable fans. I joined, and only recently stopped being a "New Member" and became a "Member". I'm very happy about that.
I think I am most likely one of the youngest members of the forum, though. I am still in Middle School but participating in some of the TTF discussions make me feel older than I actually am. My knowledge of Tolkien's works also grows a lot here!

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

recently stopped being a "New Member" and became a "Member"

Welcome to the ranks of the Elite! 😄

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I am still in Middle School

We'd never know it from your posts.

 

[Goldilocks Gamgee]

Welcome to the ranks of the Elite! 😄

That's actually how it feels!

 

[Halasían]

Lovely story Goldilocks Gamgee!

I joined, and only recently stopped being a "New Member" and became a "Member". I'm very happy about that.

I may be mistaken, but I think once you are a 'member' you can go into your 'account details' (click on your user name at the top) and add a custom title.

 

[HALETH✒🗡]

When I was 3, my grandfather read me the Hobbit. About three years later, I asked my father what his favorite book was, when he was a teenager. He said LotR, and I decided to read it, and fell in love with it at once. A year or two ago, I - while searching the internet about proof of whether Balrogs have wings, to avoid doing homework - stumbled upon this website, and was amazed by the sheer number of knowledgeable fans. I joined, and only recently stopped being a "New Member" and became a "Member". I'm very happy about that.
I think I am most likely one of the youngest members of the forum, though. I am still in Middle School but participating in some of the TTF discussions make me feel older than I actually am. My knowledge of Tolkien's works also grows a lot here!

Your story sounds great!
I'm still in school too. I'm going to finish the 11th grade this year. It's the last school year for Russian students.