They've been there, done that...at least five times.

Actually, I think they' re up to about ten laps by now. And still spreading the gap! :rolleyes: :D

Well theoretically they haven't completed a single lap yet ( small comfort for those of us passing through the earlier chicanes), since they are still aquiring baubles and attaining new levels - the question is when they have reached the highest level, are they deemed to have reached Nirvana, Downers summa cum laude and with les felicitations de la jurie? Or do they reincarnate and depress the rest of us as they scamper past for the second time ..

Lal, why....why....why....did you have to accept the invitation to Elrond's council? Isn't Aragorn's court good enough for you? Anyway, good luck on the jouney. :)

I hope I'll get a good reputation :(

It will come in good time Finwe. That is if you post good posts, that cause a lot of thinking. Or maybe for another route, just between you and me (or anyone else that reads this). Post here ,(or any of the mirthful threads) people like it when you make them laugh.

Well, I've borrowed Mithalwen's car as I thought it might be in safer hands (sorry, couldn't resist... ;) ), and in the boot I've stowed a barrel of Stewards' pipeweed and a couple of bottles of Gondormorangie. I heard there was a party planned in Rivendell... :smokin:

Lal, Lal, Lal welcome, and WELCOME indeed. Do you need any help getting those bottles out of the trunk?

It's so nice to see one of the gentler sex hereabouts. Perhaps you'll have a bit more luck in getting Arwen to speak -- quiet girl. She does have a cousin or something hereabouts who looks a lot like Liv Tyler: won't shut up.

At any rate, party's on the terrace.

It isn't the same car ... but this one I have had for 9 of its 15 years and it has survived til now ..really I AM a very good driver .... however I am impressed it made it to Rivendell...

Actually I think you stole it! Slipping off without word. Intent to permanently deprive! I don't suppose you were thinking of coming back and I won't be going anywhere .... :( And.. and .. you've been smoking in it haven't you?

I think it went wild in the Old Forest actually (sorry, ripping off Rowling there ;) ), so it might find its way back to you eventually... I did stop at the Edoras service station to havea smoke, so as not to make it all stinky, so if there's a smell of tobacco then it weren't me, it must've been them sneaky Hobbits.

Now, I must find the buffet as it appears that Fordim, SpM and davem have been cooking up vol-au-vents and garlic bread and stuff... I think Arwen's been domesticating them. What will she have them doing next? Embroidery? ;)

Ah, good timing, then. One Mithril-spangled banner, please. I'd like it in Midnight Blue, with the constellations Perseus, Andromeda, and Wilwarin.

And a stellar compass would be nice, mounted on the top of the staff. Thanks.

Hey, who is that I see carousing about the terrace with Saucepan Man and Lalwende? Is it. . .could it be. . .? It is!

Welcome to the Council of Elrond Child of the 7th Age!!

(Say, do you know anything about looms? davem and I sure could use a break. Oh, and if you wouldn't mind, could you bring me another drink? I'm parched from all this weaving, and the smoke from davem's pipe is rather thick. . .)

It's the quiet ones who sneak in unobserved through the back entrance....

"Carousing"? Me? Never....

Thanks Fordim for those kind words concerning the Council of Elrond. The funny thing is I do know how to spin and weave (after a fashion). But this hobbit has no intention of spending her time on domestic labor. I understand they have a good library here, and I intend to use it.

As to being thirsty, I'm partial to miruvor. Frodo and the gang couldn't have taken it all with them.... And bring out some extra as well. I'm sure there'll be a larger party coming up the trail in a very short time.

Aragorn's court is becoming a lonely place, is it only you and me Mith? Of course, I can't blame anyone if they aren't satisfied with being next to Aragorn, I guess that's the key in life, rising up the ladder, and getting promotions ;) . Good luck on the journey Child. :)

Lonely? In Aragorn's court? Have another look, Boromir88 - to get to Aragorn's side, you'll have to push aside Bêthberry, Heren Istarion, mark 12_30, Kransha, littlemanpoet, Rimbaud, Mithalwen, Mister Underhill, Aiwendil, Firefoot, and The Barrow-Wight himself! No sense in trying to push me away - I'm family! ;)

But, Esty, we can push you away - we just have to rep you hard and send you spinning to visit other set of relatives at Elrond's Council! ;)

So, who comprises our population at Rivendell at this point?

~ Saphy ~

[QUOTE=Lalwendë]I think it went wild in the Old Forest actually (sorry, ripping off Rowling there ;) ), so it might find its way back to you eventually... I did stop at the Edoras service station to havea smoke, so as not to make it all stinky, so if there's a smell of tobacco then it weren't me, it must've been them sneaky Hobbits.

QUOTE]
Well I had this message from one B Butterburr, who is managing the Under -Pelennor Garaging " I've something that belongs to you. If you recollect Lalwende and the TWOCing, your car that she took, well it's here. Come back all of itself it did. But where it had been to you know better than I . It had a leaking fuel line and was running on fumes... but it goes..." Well I think it was jolly mean not to get the Noldor smiths to touch up the body work while it was at Rivendell and I will be invoicing for the fuel line ... ;)

Wel I am an under acheiver so I wouldn't know... :rolleyes: but I will be glad of your company untill you continue your meteoric rise..... but I am sure there will be new people along as others pass ... I mean HI has been having a quiet phase - I am sure he won't be around long either like bb & Helen .... Oh well at least I will get my own way with the redecorations.. :D

PS To find out who is where, go to Members List and click on "reputation" and it will sort accordingly

Geetings all you high-achievers!
At the risk of sounding negative, I was wondering if there is a way of turning off the reputation system and simply opting out. While I understand that it was not intended as such, the reputation system seems to have taken on something of the air of a competition on the Downs to see who can accumulate the most points the most quickly. For personal reasons - which I can explain by PM if necessary - I would really prefer not to see the Downs as a competitive place, as least not where I am concerned.

The comments and feedback are nice, but I don't much care for the point accumulation. On the old system where one was rated with bones, I did turn it off. Overall, I see no problem with the system as a whole. Most people seem to enjoy it. I just believe that those of us who wish to avoid competitive situations should be allowed that option. :)

There are no winners or losers on the Downs. Reputations is not a contest, but it is a measurement of approval of and by our members. We are all living within the bounds of the same reputations system, so though some people may be uncomfortable being numerically rated against their peers, everyone is treated equally by the system.

Overall, the Reputations feature of vBulletin has been a positive influence on the Downs. Only occasionally and for very short time periods has it become the main topic of discussion, and when that happened, it subsided as quickly as it started. Most of our members have been prodded by Reputations into cleaning up their posts in both content and appearance. With such forum-wide benefits, allowing people to turn it off would skew the results and make the system inaccurate.

With that said, even if I could turn it off for specific users (I can’t), I wouldn’t. I have been quite happy with Reputations ever since we started using them, and I am sure they will continue to work well for us. I recommend that anyone who perceives the system as negative (or even oppressive?) remember again that the Downs is not a competition. It is just a place for you to read and discuss everyone's favorite topic: Middle-earth.

Thank you for your prompt response and explanation, Barrow-Wight. I did not mean to imply that I thought the reputation system was a negative or oppressive thing as a whole. As I said in my first post, I believe that most people do enjoy it. I, too enjoy the immediate feedback aspect of it. I just don't care for the idea of point accumulation, as, whether anyone cares to admit it or not, it does lend an aura of competition to posting. Being in the vast minority in my opinion, i.e. not liking the point aspect of it, I had no expectation of or even intention of suggesting that it be stopped for everyone.

Now that you have explained that giving folks the option of not participating would skew the calculations for others, I understand why that option is not offered. That is all I wanted to know.

(Later - Edited for clarity as I wrote this post intially at work & was interrupted just as I went to place it on the thread.)

Indeed, I enjoy the ratings system not merely for its measurement qualities, but simply because it allows me to direct short expressions of "Good show" or "Well said" to the poster without having to resort to the cumbersome and limited PM system. It works great if I've got a one line comment or something I'd rather not muck a thread up with or that means something only to the poster. It is a quick, on the spot comment system that I've enjoyed using! Good show, BW! :D

Cheers!
Lyta (that was a slight bit longer than one line!)

I take that as a good thing. That only prods people to write intriguing, thoughtful, posts and gets you to learn a lot more about Tolkien. ;)

I think also if you look at the discussions on the board (even this one), most people get a long and enjoy eachother's input.

Welcome and well met Bethberry to the Council of Elrond! Delighted to see you.

Sherry? Pipe? Loom?

Why, thank you fellow countryman Fordim.. Make mine port, poured, not spattered. And I'll raise a broom to that loom, thank you very much. :p

Nice to see that we can now rely on Esty's capable hands to keep things in line in Aragorn's Court. Congatulations Esty! :)

How in the world can Rivendell make room for five wizards?

Easily! They must have all attended the White Council there at some point, surely...

Lalaith,

Your post above could very easily be a topic of deep discussion, but this is not the right thread to do so. ;)

I think a congrats are in order to Heren and Bethberry. May you find prosperity and welcome in Rivendell :) .

I am sure you will be joining them soon and a there will be a new influx at Aragorn's court .... I wonder what the next level is ...... a place on the White council? A Captain of the West or perhaps being accounted one of the Aratar?

What about "Has a high place at Manwe's council"?

And the final level should be; "Knows the mind of Tolkien."

Mith:
If you are speaking to me, then....I wish I could stay in Aragorn's court. I never liked Elrond, or any of that elvish stuff, I guess I'll just start writing bad posts to get negative reps. :eek:

Or how about "Exploded in a Puff of Faerie" or perhaps "Too Lofty for This World" :D


Cheers!
Lyta (enjoying the Fame of Frodo, an ambiguous rating to say the least, but one that seems to fit! I'd feel a bit out of place at either Aragorn's Court or Elrond's Council!)

The final title should be "Eru", I mean you can't get any higher then him right?

Or another powerful title name could be one of Gandalf's lines against the Balrog...
"you are a Servant of the Secret Fire."

As if you can, Borrie. :p

Final title.
 

But there can only be one! Must the top repped Downers duel for this final title?

I am immortal, but I can be killed. Yeah.

I like this one, it's quite descriptive of the inside of my head. :eek: Lalwende's brains, ever combusting like the universe in an endless cycle of evil pixies and Light and custard. ;)

And welcome to all the lovely new members of Elrond's council! The more the merrier! Anyone fancy a game of Tengwar Scrabble? :)

YAY, my reputation is now 23! Obey me!

*Kid looking with his mouth open and dweels*

I said obey me!

*silence...*

OBEY ME!!!

*Get's a potato of a old man in a wheelchair against the head*

Old man: He he he, you didn't saw that one coming did you laddy? He he he

Ok, it's not much, but it's a good start

Lalwende, you both instigate and inspire! Now I absolutely must do that.