The masks of inscrutability, or are you really you?

[Mariska Greenleaf]

It is not Eomer and his alter-ego that change between the Downs and the so-called 'real world'. Rather, it is his surroundings. In 'real life' he is surrounded by fools and idiots (with a few exceptions) and on the Downs he is surrounded by a bunch of wonderfully witty and fun and intelligent people.

That is so true. I'm the same person here as I am in real life, I even have the same name, but it is the people around me that are so different. I wouldn't go that far to say that I'm surrounded by fools and idiots (although sometimes I am), but in real life I'm dealing with people who have no interest in Tolkien whatsoever.
So, the real Mariska enjoys Tolkien's books on her own, and luckely has the Downs for that matter, but for the rest of my "real life", I have enough to do that doesn't involve Middle Earth, and honestly, I lilke it that way.