What's your TTF Story?

[Olorgando]

OOOoooo...... a sneaky adolescent! who'd a thunk it? 🤣

Oh sure, Hal. Just think back that (I'm guessing) half-century when you were that age ... 😁

 

[Halasían]

Oh sure, Hal. Just think back that (I'm guessing) half-century when you were that age ... 😁

Hmm.... smoking my first joint outside the junior high gymnasium on dance night...

 

[Olorgando]

Hmm.... smoking my first joint outside the junior high gymnasium on dance night...

This time of year back in 1969 ... going down the home stretch in 8th (and last) grade at a Catholic school in Quenns, NYC as youngest in my class ... we had school uniforms - friggin' ties! ... in 8th grade we were given the freedom to wear loafers (yippie!) ... at that time the term "joint" probably only conjured up skeletal anatomy to me (though probably not the terms "skeletal anatomy") ...

 

[Halasían]

Gando, you are older than me then. My 'sneakiness' was in 1971 when I was in 7th grade. Skyway, south of Seattle, was even then a bit of a rougher neighborhood. If we are talking electronic forms of entertainment, then building and running a pirate radio station is up there, along with using good old Ma Bell for phone phreaking with a Cap'n Crunch whistle.

Anyway, we really have derailed this thread... 🤣

 

[Chymaera]

I was 10 years old in the third grade. The teachers gathered the four third grade classes together, our teacher began to read us a story. ‘In a hole there lived a hobbit’. Yes that story. Everyday they read a chapter to us. We meet Gandalf and Bilbo and Thorin. Elrond, Beorn, and Smaug. Magic and elves and Spiders. It left an impression.

It wasn’t until much later in life I realized that that year was 1973. The year the Professor passed.

I wasn’t a reader then. I was a TV watcher. Then i become a movie watcher. In 1977 Star Wars came out in theaters. I fell in love and saw it dozens of times. Then i discovered there was a novelization of Star Wars. That is when i became a reader. Words forming pictures in your mind. What a discovery. Then a friends says read this. The Fellowship of the Ring. Professor Tolkien can paint a picture with words like no other. I burned throught Two Towers and Return of the King in no time. Then back to the Hobbit. Then started all over again.

Then The Silmarillion. That was a tough slog. It read like Old Testament Genesis. It was hard I couldn’t find the story. Then back to my friend who had a handle on what was going onexplained it to me. Then back to the book,

Illuvatar and his mental issues. Eä is therapy. Melkor needs to be more like his brother. Play nice and be King of the World. It could have been so nice. Boring but nice.

Then the Music. What a wonderful idea. It’s just a blueprint, a start.

 

[ZehnWaters]

Then The Silmarillion. That was a tough slog. It read like Old Testament Genesis. It was hard I couldn’t find the story.

lol I always find this funny. It was the easiest for me to read because I could just put it down at any given chapter. I've read it 11 times. It's my favourite book. The thing is, it's not a story: it's a history. I'm an historian. Setting, events, people, a narrative. It was the easiest for me to consume. It's also my favourite playground to write stories in too.

 

[Halasían]

Then The Silmarillion. That was a tough slog. It read like Old Testament Genesis. It was hard I couldn’t find the story. Then back to my friend who had a handle on what was going on explained it to me. Then back to the book,

I was exactly the same in my thoughts when I got the Silmarillion. After a couple pages of 'the bible', I skipped ahead to what I knew and read 'Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor' and 'Of The Rings Of Power And The Third Age'. Tried to start again a 2nd time a couple weeks later, and the same. So I skipped ahead to Valaquenta and managed to push through it to get to the Quenta Silmarillion.

 

[Thorin]

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 😄

Ciryaher!!! I didn't know this was you!! ha ha! We old curmudgeons have to keep the First Age alive with our presence! Good to see you, my old TTF friend!

 

[Uminya]

Ciryaher!!! I didn't know this was you!! ha ha! We old curmudgeons have to keep the First Age alive with our presence! Good to see you, my old TTF friend!

Tis I! It's always nice to have a familiar face around, I hope you are keeping well!

 

[Halasían]

Ciryaher!!! I didn't know this was you!! ha ha! We old curmudgeons have to keep the First Age alive with our presence! Good to see you, my old TTF friend!

Tis I! It's always nice to have a familiar face around, I hope you are keeping well!

Class of 2001 Rocks!

 

[Olorgando]

Ciryaher!!! I didn't know this was you!! ha ha! We old curmudgeons have to keep the First Age alive with our presence! Good to see you, my old TTF friend!

Tis I! It's always nice to have a familiar face around, I hope you are keeping well!

Class of 2001 Rocks!

2001 ... were you TTF-old-timers still using modems back then? I dimly recall them being mentioned in some of the really old threads that I trawled through in my beginnings here, late 2019.

 

[Halasían]

2001 ... were you TTF-old-timers still using modems back then? I dimly recall them being mentioned in some of the really old threads that I trawled through in my beginnings here, late 2019.

Yeah, at home. Being up in the mountains I had a 28.8kbs dial-up to a local independent ISP a friend ran from his computer repair business in the nearest 'big-town' eleven miles away. The best anyone got out there over the turn-of-the-20th century copper telephone lines that were strung up along the railroad tracks was 28.8. I had a meme of Eddie Albert of the Green Acres TV show with him up on the pole with an archaic IBM 'brick' laptop with the two wires stuck in the side. It seemed like that sometimes.

I did a lot of my internetting at work though where I had the use of a T1 connection.

 

[Uminya]

2001 ... were you TTF-old-timers still using modems back then? I dimly recall them being mentioned in some of the really old threads that I trawled through in my beginnings here, late 2019.

I actually used my school's internet for most of my early posting; I didn't have the internet in my house until 2002, but it was indeed dial-up when we did get it

 

[Lithóniel]

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/

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/

Mae govannen!
I’m very new to TTF, but it feels like home here. Somewhere I can belong. I’m only 14, so I don’t really know anyone who loves it as much as I do. I started off with watching the movies a couple years ago and I instantly fell in love. I’m currently reading the Lotr books and it’s cool to see what’s different and what’s the same. I love it soooo much. Also, I’m very fascinated with elves (just like Sam lol). They’re so amazing.

Anyway, thank you all so much for making TTF what it is.

~LOTR4liiife

EDIT: I totally forgot to tell how I found TTF, but basically I was googling something about Sindarin and stumbled across this.

 

[Persephone]

Interesting stories... I wonder if I should post mine ... oh well...

it all started in another forum... I met a nice fellow there and he brought me here. He said this was a better place. So, I followed him here and he was right - it was better than the other place. I met so many nice people on here - from everywhere. Back then I was working for a bank as their web designer. My time on TTF was usually on breaks (I used another computer outside the office), or at home (I sometimes even wrote pages of RPG at 2am).

There was a time when the whole board thought I was dead. Long story short - am still alive, but I realized that, even though this is all online, some have real emotions invested.

RPGs were my thing. I enjoyed writing and reading and I learned so much from the RPGs in terms of actual writing. There were several people here who started avoiding me because I guess I was too serious about the RPGs and they think it was weird.

When I left for the first time it was because my father died of liver cancer. I returned, but didn't stay long cause no one was here.

I'm back now and hoping to see more life since there's renewed interest in LOTR and Tolkien.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Sorry for your loss. It can be life-changing, I know.

I'm back now

We're glad you are! 😊

 

[Persephone]

Sorry for your loss. It can be life-changing, I know.

We're glad you are! 😊

Thank you! Still trying to get my groove back

 

[Maeglin]

Well, this is a blast from the past! Today I checked my email and very randomly saw that some old thread I was in had been resurrected on here, and I had no idea that the site was still connected to my email or even still in existence! It just so happens that I started re-reading LOTR for the first time in years last month, so it was serendipitous to get the email and I figured I'd poke around and was pleasantly surprised to see some old names I remember (Erestor, Ancalagon, the former Ciryaher...wow this makes me feel old)!

My original username was Glorfindel1187 (or some number like that). You might be able to tell from the grainy avatar picture that I haven't accessed this site in some time (according to my profile, I think I last updated info in 2009, but I don't think I've posted since the much earlier 2000s). Anyway, I remember discovering TTF for the first time when I was 15 years old and my parents had just moved us to a new town where I knew absolutely no one and it was the middle of the summer, 2002, so it wasn't like I could just make friends in school at the time and it was pre-cell phone era, so I was pretty much alone and friendless. Reading Tolkien always felt like (and still does) going home, so I don't remember what possessed me but I must have done a search for something about the books and it led me here, to this amazing place of Tolkien nerds like me, and discovering this was an awesome escape from my summer of loneliness and gave me a sense of community. I posted quite regularly for maybe 2-3 years, right up through the end of high school, then college and all the tomfoolery that comes with it took over and I pretty much drifted away.

All that said, I can't believe it's been 20 years since I found TTF and that it still exists with some of the same people! I'm obviously much older now, and I've got an amazing family (wife and 2 kids: 4-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy) and career (English teacher - go figure...a fantasy lit nerd is an English teacher) and working on my Ph.D.

I'll try to check in semi-regularly, especially as I'm slowly re-reading the series now and my daughter is soon approaching the age where I can at least try to read The Hobbit to her. It truly did warm my heart and give me some great nostalgia to find this place again today. Wishing you all the best!

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Great story. Welcome back! 😊

 

[Olorgando]

... and career (English teacher - go figure...a fantasy lit nerd is an English teacher) ...

Welcome back, Maeglin.

Your being an English teacher immediately made this question pop up in my mind:

Are any of JRRT's works on the curriculum? I'd guess "The Hobbit" for younger kids, LoTR for the older ones (you didn't state what grades you teach).
I went to school for seven years in the US (NY), 1966 to high school graduation in 1973, then two more years of college until I returned to Germany.
Oddly, somehow I missed LoTR, though it was the time of the first craze ...