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Originally Posted by Mithadan
Again, this "history" is entirely subjective. The word "I" appears all too often. I encourage others to tell their own stories.
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I will do that when I have time. I think I did do bits here and there, but will get it all together here soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mithadan
The old, regimented, and structured RPG system was no longer working. The tiered forums and application process was discouraging and annoying potential participants. I stepped in and encouraged a dialogue for the airing of gripes and ideas. A contentious thread that reminded me of the old times. Ultimately, we did away with the old system and allowed a return, with some rules, of the freestyle RPG format. Unfortunately, while this was initially well received, by that time there generally was not a critical mass of enough interested members to resurrect RPGs on the Downs.
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I was one who was put off by the rigidness of the RP forums here and opted to put my time in on other more freestyle Tolkien sites, and even creating my own forum on Runboard (which I still have though its down to me and my wife writing with each other there). My friend (who would become my wife in 2008) Elora and I made an attempt to group roleplay here in
The Lingering Darkness which was based on an earlier RP we were in on TORC. After a few rounds of posts and getting PMs requesting I edit my post so it would go in a direction they wanted the story to go, I quit the RP as did Elora. Life at the time was a bit intense so I wasn't able to focus on writing RP, let alone try and participate in one that was being scripted via the OOC thread and by PM, so ended my serious attempt to RP on Barrow Downs. the 'relaxation' f the rules had me try and write in one of the inns, but my heart just wasn't into it and I retreated to writing my own fan fictions and collaborations with Elors which still goes on to this day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mithadan
I have tried to find enthusiasm in posting over the past few years. Sometimes I have inspiration and interest and, at other times I do not. This is apparently a common theme. At the tail end of last year’s birthday party (thank you Estelyn!) I made a toast to members departed. The list was distressingly long. Members have always come and gone here. Now, it seems, more go than come. This also factors into my lack of posts. Those that I deemed to be my comrades ten, fifteen or twenty years ago are now gone like wraiths in the wind or rarely appear and seldom stay. The analogy to the Elves departing as the ages progress is all too appropriate. Hmmmm, does that make me Cirdan, awaiting the last ship?
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Yes, this is a sad thing, and sadly, too many who I knew back in the early days of movie production on several forums have now been laid in their own Barrow. One was someone I wrote a lot with from 2000 to 2007. I lost touch with them in 2009 when my emails went unanswered. In early 2019, I got a notification from a forum called 'The Land of Rohan' that this person had posted there. One of our RPs was there and I had subscribed, but forgot about the place until I got this message. I visited, and found that her granddaughter was seeing to her affairs, which meant she was trying to log in on various sites in her old computer browser history. She had passed away at age 49.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mithadan
We still have a core of posters with varying interests and this is gratifying to me. Please continue to post! I will now issue the same challenge that I have made too many times in the past. Pick up the book that tickles your fancy, The Hobbit, LoTR, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, HoME, etc. and open the book at random. Read five pages. You will find something interesting. Then post! Simple or complex, it doesn’t matter. Why was Smaug not seen outside of the Mountain for years before the climatic events in The Hobbit? Doesn’t the beast need to eat? Was Baldog part of the canon and what was he anyway? Or scroll through the archives, find a thread from ten years ago and reawaken it with a new post.
I am still here because I am fascinated. By Tolkien and by the community. If you post, I will too.
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Like I said earlier, I'll come through here irregularly and post as long as the site is working and I'm able to.
I'll post my full history here soon.