You know you're obsessed with LOTR when ...

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

Also, my family just had the audacity to have the balrogs having wings argument with me.

Hahaha! Oh my. Sometimes my family attempts to strike up a serious conversation about Tolkien or the legendarium or the movies. I try to change the topic, because it's just impossible to explain the dynamics of an entire fandom in a few sentences of casual conversations, and they don't get it anyways.

(On the flip side, occasionally my siblings would make up funny alternate endings where Sauron looses because he stepped on a piece of gum and got stuck to the floor or something. I appreciate the Middle-earth mirth. )

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Hahaha! Oh my. Sometimes my family attempts to strike up a serious conversation about Tolkien or the legendarium or the movies. I try to change the topic, because it's just impossible to explain the dynamics of an entire fandom in a few sentences of casual conversations, and they don't get it anyways.

(On the flip side, occasionally my siblings would make up funny alternate endings where Sauron looses because he stepped on a piece of gum and got stuck to the floor or something. I appreciate the Middle-earth mirth. )

I appreciate mirth too, but my family, my mother especially, will come to incorrect conclusions about how characters are by their movie counterparts. It drives me nuts.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

I appreciate mirth too, but my family, my mother especially, will come to incorrect conclusions about how characters are by their movie counterparts. It drives me nuts.

My mother has read LOTR and TH, and she likes them (especially LOTR). My father has glancingly seen the movies and heard snippets of the books. He barely knows anything about the story except that there's a ring involved. However, it would happen when I was reading bits of it out loud to my siblings several years ago, that he'd come in at the precise moment when some ruffian would be speaking none too eloquently. He would then ask me if it's really a good idea to read a book to my siblings which is written with such crude language. I don't think he believed me that it's actually very well-written and has lovely flowing language, but this character was meant to sound rude and uncreative.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

My mother has read LOTR and TH, and she likes them (especially LOTR). My father has glancingly seen the movies and heard snippets of the books. He barely knows anything about the story except that there's a ring involved. However, it would happen when I was reading bits of it out loud to my siblings several years ago, that he'd come in at the precise moment when some ruffian would be speaking none too eloquently. He would then ask me if it's really a good idea to read a book to my siblings which is written with such crude language. I don't think he believed me that it's actually very well-written and has lovely flowing language, but this character was meant to sound rude and uncreative.

Oh goodness! Sometimes my parents would question why I would read things or show things to my brother. Never about LotR, though. They've both seen the movies.

[Morthoron]

You've been discussing Tolkien for years, decades. For me, it's been at least 20 years on the Internet alone (now there's a sobering thought), and even longer if you consider the age of prehistoric barbarism before the PC. You've discussed every issue, every subtle nuance, every arcane or trivial point, every shred, iota and detail hundreds, even thousands of times.

And...yet...you...cannot...simply...walk...away... from...whipping...these...dead...
horses:

1) Balrog's Wings?
2) The nature of Tom Bombadil?
3) The Arkenstone, a Silmaril?
4) Was Legolas blonde?
5) Orcs descended from Elves?
6) Why didn't the Eagles simply fly Frodo to Mt. Doom?
7) Why is a raven like a writing desk? *
8) Who are the Blue Wizards?
9) Celeborn, where's he from?
10) The oldest being in Middle-earth?


* Number seven thrown in to assure you were paying attention.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

* Number seven thrown in to assure you were paying attention.

That is actually the secret answer to the reason the Seven don't have that big of an effect on the Dwarves.

[Aganzir]

Okay, I know this is deeply inappropriate, but... how can you not think of it? You know the Moria refugee camp?

Human rights groups have criticised conditions in Moria (...) as deplorable and depraved.

"Witnessing the charred remains of Moria camp is shocking but comes as little surprise."

It's not funny, and I wish it wouldn't catch my eye but it does. (It would also help if I didn't work in a human rights NGO where this place comes up regularly.)

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...amp-in-greece; the second quote is from a colleague of mine, no less.)