[Laialthriel]

Child of the 7th Age~ I as well have been wondering about the future of the Downs myself. I am not worried about it, but rather <I>interested</I> to see how it all plays out after RotK is released. My prediction is that we will lose a lot of the 'new' fans, and I do not say this disrespectfully as I am a pretty new recruit myself. No offense to anyone who falls under these categories, but right now, a <I>lot</I> of fans have been caught up in the LotR world because of Orlando, Elijah, Viggo, etc. They are all caught up in the romantic fantasy of it all (well, I guess we all are, aren't we? ) and are now joining a lot of LotR clubs, Orli adoring group, and the like. <P>It will not last, my friends. When something is being hyped like our beloved legend is, there are going to be crowds flocking to it. Which is the general idea of hype, right? So now a lot of people are liking the fact they have something new to talk to all of their friends about and they like the movies, so they decide to go online to see what other cool things they can find about this so naturally...they come to the Downs! (I get some brownie points for that, right? j/k) <BR>But when the final movie is out and the craziness dies down, and some new good-looking guy shows up in a different movie, they're going to fade away. Do not worry about losing any of the specialness of your own experience with ME. You can choose to let the idea of 'Ringers' scare you out of it if you so desire, but I pray you don't. <P>There is a large line, as you all well know, between the true, Tolkien-loving enthusiasts, and the more whimsical (again, <I>no offense</I> to <I>anyone </I>is intended) newly 'addicted' fans. But we need to make sure we don't cut off any up and coming true fans by throwing the baby out with the bath water. <P>Hey, they're having a lot of fun with LotR, and more power to them. I was introduced to Tolkien through the movies, and am now an adorer of his work. I will love the world of ME forever now and I am truly grateful. I know there are more like me in the crowds of 'newbies' out there and it's for them that we patiently explain that Mordor is not the name of that 'big bad guy who wore the Ring', in hopes that they too can come learn about, and enjoy the amazing world of ME. <P>I mean, that is why we read these books. Right? We love them and truly enjoy them. That's what it is all about.<P> ~*Laialthriel*~