New Members - Introduce Yourself Here

[Galadriel55]

Welcome to the Downs, Kris! Always lovely to have new people joining! Kick back, enjoy, and make use of this cozy place for all your Tolkien needs.

It's fascinating to hear about your family "heirloom". Did you have an AHA moment when you first saw the "my precious" source material?

[Desert Kris]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Welcome to the Downs, Kris! Always lovely to have new people joining! Kick back, enjoy, and make use of this cozy place for all your Tolkien needs.

It's fascinating to hear about your family "heirloom". Did you have an AHA moment when you first saw the "my precious" source material?

Thanks for the welcome!

I was pretty young, but when I watched The Hobbit animated movie, and saw the character Gollum and heard him saying "Precious" and "My precious" I asked about it and knew after that that the joke came from that story. And I vaguely understood when introduced to LotR that they were connected, The Hobbit first followed by LotR.

I was so young though, The Hobbit was epic and daunting! Even after being shown the bulky hardcover box set of LotR, which was even more intimidating. I wondered how the story could go on and on to fill all those pages with all those words.

But yeah, I understood that the character Gollum in both stories was the origin of a shared joke in my family, when I saw the animated films. That shared family joke is why Tolkien's work kind of feels like part of the family, or inheritance. Something that bonded us, that I could explore in my own way when I was ready.

[Alassë Estel]

Welcome, Desert Kris!
It's really nice to hear about your experience with Tolkien's great works!
The books were at first quite intimidating to my younger self too.

[Alassë Estel]

Oh, and I also really enjoyed reading The Prydain Chronicles!

[Desert Kris]

Originally Posted by Alassë Estel

Welcome, Desert Kris!
It's really nice to hear about your experience with Tolkien's great works!
The books were at first quite intimidating to my younger self too.

Thank you for the welcome!

Originally Posted by Alassë Estel

Oh, and I also really enjoyed reading The Prydain Chronicles!

The Chronicles of Prydain are special to me in a different way, for several reasons. For one thing, they served as a surrogate for LotR until I was ready. So I was fortunate to experience The High King before Return of the King, and wasn't put off by the similar endings, didn't judge it too harshly.

Also, it was one of those rare books/series that I knew I was looking for but didn't realize it until I found it, the right kind of fantasy that I knew I wanted but didn't know how to look for.

The final thing with Prydain is it is something I discovered on my own, through my own reader's journey. I can only ever find people online who know those books, I hardly ever meet anyone in life who has ever heard of them or read them. So in life, they are kind of a hidden, secret series that know one else seems to know about. I am happy and relieved that I found them where so few other have, and been one of the few people who experienced their story come alive in my mind!

[Mithadan]

Welcome Desert Kris!

I will admit that I taped (audio) the animated Hobbit movie. That, of course, was decades before streaming and videotape was rare or non-existent. I saw the Bakshi LoTR film in the theater, and I had the poster of Gandalf with Glamdring, on my wall for several years.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Mithadan

Welcome Desert Kris!

I will admit that I taped (audio) the animated Hobbit movie. That, of course, was decades before streaming and videotape was rare or non-existent. I saw the Bakshi LoTR film in the theater, and I had the poster of Gandalf with Glamdring, on my wall for several years.

I still have a set of 8 theater placards from Bakshi's LoTR purloined by a friend who worked at the local theater. He had the presence of mind to lift them after the movie's run ended there (they would have been otherwise destroyed). They've been a prized possession these past 45 years.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Bakshi's LR was the first and IIRC only movie I ever watched in the old 12" analog Laserdisc format.

Incidentally, the intro to the videogame South Park: The Stick of Truth is a loving pastiche of the Bakshi movie.

[Alassë Estel]

Originally Posted by Desert Kris

Also, it was one of those rare books/series that I knew I was looking for but didn't realize it until I found it, the right kind of fantasy that I knew I wanted but didn't know how to look for.

I know just how that feels!
And it is a wonderful feeling when one finally finds it.