Top Ten Signs You're Addicted to the Barrow-Downs

[Everdawn]

You know your addicted when everytime you see or hear about John Noble or Denethor, you automatically think "Meela"

[Elentári_O_Most_Mighty_1]

Ah, that's a good one, Everdawn!

And congrats, Finwe- but what's a personal title?

Um...when you start writing in Tengwar for practice...during your chemistry mock...but to be fair I had finished and it was only in pencil...but I didn't rub it out. I wonder what my teacher will think... [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]
But again, that was LOTR general...

Ooh, I checked my old profile, and I was right! Thanks for the tip! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

When you talk about BD topics with friends at school who don't even like LOTR to see what they think...but that's not really obsessive. Sorry, guys! I can't think of anything!

[Lyta_Underhill]

Congrats, Finwe, on the PT! I'm sure it will be something suitably Noldoran and grandiose! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] I had always thought that the conferring of such a thing should be done by the Barrow-Wight leaving some sort of cryptic message that you had to interpret, follow the signs to a particular thread and then answer a question about the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow...turns out I was wrong (or WAS I?)! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] And my deathday is yet to come, Feb. 24, later than I remembered, really. But I try not to pay attention to actual birthdays...

I suppose the real quantitative determination that one is addicted to the Barrowdowns is obtained by determining heart rate and brain wave activity when the subject is shown the particular black, gold and green color scheme of the Barrowdowns web site...just an odd experimental thought! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Cheers!
Lyta

[Daewen]

When your mother wakes you up at nine o'clock in the morning announcing that "We'll be leaving in five minutes" the first thing out of your mouth (without even thinking about it) is "Great. So where are we going?" After she explains you're not going anywhere, and that she and your dad are leaving for your brother's basketball game, you realize that you said something from Lord of the Rings and can't wait to tell everyone on the Barrowdowns.

[Finwe]

Lyta dearest, no air speeds of an unladen swallow were involved. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Elentari, a personal title is something that you come up with (for example, mine is going to be "Deathless Sun"), to take the place of Ghost Prince of Cardolan underneath your nickname.

[Lyta_Underhill]

Lyta dearest, no air speeds of an unladen swallow were involved.

Heh heh, I knew that! I just thought it would be a nice touch...but the paperwork would be astounding! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Nice choice, BTW! I'll let the world wait in breathless anticipation to find out what mine is... [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] (not that it will change the course of a great river nor bring down the Rock of Orthanc, nor reunite the Ents with the Entwives...)

Should be scrubbing the bathtub and doing laundry about now, but I'm not... (can we say "addicted?")--one always wonders about the Elves who did dishes and laundry and such. One doesn't think of them as scullery types (but then again, their clothes probably only smell strongly of flowers and their dishes probably clean themselves... [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] (I hesitate to suggest the idea of "House Elves!") [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

Cheers!
Lyta (the spectacularly bad punctuator)

[Finwe]

Oh dear, not the House Elves! We don't need the Barrow Downs chapter of SPEW going up any time soon! (HP joke, BTW.)


I assume that the Elves had their own hierarchy, so there were probably Elven servants running about the place, making beds, cleaning rooms, washing dishes, and suchlike.


I had a hilarious Barrow-Downs moment today. One of my friends asked me what Beren's title was, and instead of saying "Erchamion" I said "Master of the Secret Fire."

*smacks herself*


EDIT: I just had another one. A friend of mine was talking about the Barrow Downs (from the Books) and she asked me where the wights came from, and I blurted out "Why, all over the world!" It was then that I realized that she didn't mean the forum.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 8:02 PM January 10, 2004: Message edited by: Finwe ]

[Elentári_O_Most_Mighty_1]

Ah, thanks Finwe! But that's a good question. Where do the Wights come from?

And I read in one of Tolkien's letters that he said the Entwives were probably destroyed when their gardens became the Brown Lands- Sauron did a scorching the earth policy or something... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Um...when you are very happy because your family is going out from 11:00am till about 5:00pm and instead of doing your revision for exams tomorrow (and the next week and a half) you come straight on here...

I assume your brain activity and heart rate would increase dramatically? Would there be some kind of a percentage increase that would be the threshold where 'interested in' becomes 'addicted to'?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

*coughcoughdoitcoughcough*

To cough?

...an odd experimental thought!

Wow...doctorate in Physics, here I come!!! Thanks, Lyta! Vy ze vay, vould you be my volunteer?

Anywhen...ten things I've actually done for the Matrix:

10. Because of lack of internet access at home(yes, I know...stupid country...), you enjoy going to school because your department provides free internet access. Yay! Gooooooooo CS!

9. Vacations kill you...well, melt you would be more appropriate...

8. You spend almost all your waking day on the Downs...done that a few times...

7. You spend the night creating an ann-thennath poem for your character in an RPG (which is quite not needed)

6. You use Downer endings in real life. Like Sapphire-Flame's, Aethelwine's, Yavanna228's, and many more. Much more.

5. You wilfully destroy your social life to post at the Downs.

4. You wilfully risk your life to post at the Downs.

3. You think one or another Downer is counterintel...wait this belong to "Top ten signs you're involved in espionage." Sorry.

2. You constantly fidget, thinking someone moght have gotten the answers to the quiz already.

and...

1. You actually spent time compiling this list.

Later days!
-&gt;Tino Tonitini, or Elenrod

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 10:26 PM January 11, 2004: Message edited by: Nilpaurion Felagund ]

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

When you actually scare your friends (and not just normal friends either, proper die-hard Lord of the Rings-mad friends) by telling them a joke that was made by another Downer and laughing uncontrollably while they sit there and raise their eyebrows at you.

It was Nilpaurion Felagund who did it. I called Faramir's second-in-command Bruce.

I was shunned for the rest of the day. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Is it strange that I've been following this thread for a very long time, yet this is my first post on it?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

It was Nilpaurion Felagund who did it. I called Faramir's second-in-command Bruce.

I'm touched...somehow I could affect your social life. Quite flattering...

And my little contribution to this forum lives on...*sniff*...*blows nose*...OK, I'll stop now.

Later days! [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]
-&gt;Elenrod

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

A new list!

Top Ten Signs You're Addicted to the Matrix...

10. You see a license plate, and the number reminds you of a Barrowdowner. I just saw one with the number "447" and Turambar just popped into my mind. Weird...

9. You've memorised quite a lot of the Downer's member numbers.

8. You compute the number of your posts. I posted 50 a week during the time between Shadiness and Princedom. If I did that rate during my newbie days, I would have been a Ghost Prince by mid-July, and now I would have 1700 posts!

7. You saw Lush many times! or at least a black cat that reminds you of her...in that case, you remember Barrowdowners when you see their avatars in real life.

6. The first question your sister ask when you pick her up from the dorm is, "So, what happened on the Downs?"

5. 1 in 5 sentences you hear reminds you of LotR...or Barrowdowns.

4. On your way home yesterday, you see the person beside you reading RotK. You were sorely tempted to tell him about the Downs. What kept you from it? You were writing this post!

3. You authorised a manhunt for your "friend" who still hasn't returned your Silm(actually, it's my sister's...) You can't make decent post about the First Age without it!

2. You convince your dad(who's currently reading TTT) to join the Downs, and hopefully become a mod! [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

and...

1. You spent less time compiling this list than the first one.

*insert standard Paul Schaffer music*

Later days! [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]
-&gt;Elenrod Letterman

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 7:38 AM January 17, 2004: Message edited by: Nilpaurion Felagund ]

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

You spend so much time on the Downs that your very own fangirls follow you here.

[Lhunardawen]

10. Because of lack of internet access at home(yes, I know...stupid country...), you enjoy going to school because your department provides free internet access. Yay! Gooooooooo CS!

...when you totally envy your brother for this, and can't wait to go to college. Stupid dormitory...

Also,

6. The first question your sister ask when you pick her up from the dorm is, "So, what happened on the Downs?"

I do? I didn't notice that! Oh well, maybe I do. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

When you actually scare your friends (and not just normal friends either, proper die-hard Lord of the Rings-mad friends) by telling them a joke that was made by another Downer and laughing uncontrollably while they sit there and raise their eyebrows at you.

Oh, I tell BD jokes to my friends so much. Good thing one of them has read enough LotR to relate to the joke, but the others just roll their eyes at me. Poor fellows, they don't know what they're missing. [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

[Lhunardawen]

You know your addicted when everytime you see or hear about John Noble or Denethor, you automatically think "Meela"

This may be a little late...

When you saw how Denethor died in the movie, you thought, "Meela would hate this." Or, "Meela would haunt PJ and kill him for this." [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

You try to finish the lab activity in your computer science class early so that you can be allowed to use the Internet and go... where else? [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

-The White Lady of Lindon-

[Hama Of The Riddermark]

I have to say that of all the numerous LotR forums I've been on this is far and away the best. I have never seen a forum so active, with so many people online at all times and replying. It makes my life at college (almost) bearable [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ...

I got aobut five, including number one...

[Vuelve]

4. You need more school notebooks halfway through the semester, not because your classes have covered that much information, but because you've written that many posts in the back of your notebooks.

As a matter of fact I happen to be on my 2nd this school year, and its aptly named "My Book of Wisdom Vol. 3".(Vol. 1 was end of last year.)

5. You're not only familiar with the terms "Legolover" and "Leggybopper", you've applied them in real life.

*hangs head in shame* I know, I know,.....


1.You constantly preview your posts before posting them because of the typo forum.
2.You look for a new avatar while waiting for the Downs to load.
3.You end all your posts now with "Black and green on my computer screen." because it is so true. *see below*


***This is my 60th post.Go me!!!***

Black and green on my computer screen,
Vuelve

[Firefoot]

I'm not addicted. No, not at all. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

You start mistaking words.

I've done that. On a street sign I saw Legolas instead of Las Olas.
---
Some new ones:
~You see the avatar of someone on the Downs and know exactly who it is yet you can't remember the names of people you see and talk to at least once a week.
~When you see the font used in the Forum used somewhere else you think it should be in green and black.
~You have been here for less than a month and you are no longer scared of Downers. In fact, if you are scared, it is only because you realize you are exactly like them.
~This one is more LotR than BD. You have waken up in the morning somewhat surprised that you do not have hairy hobbit feet.
~You have (innumerable times) received strange looks from people who barely know you after finding out that you have read LotR several times. (From experience: they look at you even stranger if you happen to have the 1000+ page book of all three with you)
---
I have done many of the things listed on this thread and I'm not sure whether I should be scared or proud of myself. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[Elennar Starfire]

Be proud! (Feet!)

You have a small notebook that you use for writing posts when you can't get to a computer, and you carry it everywhere because of how often something will happen that makes you think of something you want to post, and you don't want to forget. When you are bored in class you dig through your brain for something to write, and get frustrated if you can't think of anything, and sometimes (OK, often) you are writing in this little notebook instead of paying attention. (Teachers think you're taking notes!) You have become very skilled at drawing smilies, because when writing posts you draw in the smilies you want to use.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 5:23 PM January 25, 2004: Message edited by: Elennar Starfire ]

[Finwe]

- Your friends are amazed that you are signed on every day, and think that you actually have a life ( [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]), when in fact, you're reading or posting on the Downs.

- Your parents give you looks when they get their Internet bill. *looks around guiltily*

[zb]

[list=1][*]You have learnt that even on your 33k-max modem connection, you can access the Downs quickly if you turn images and stylesheets off, and log on at weird times when fewer people are using the internet. Obviously, this approach makes image-based threads dificult to enjoy.[*]You read about people composing posts in the back of their lecture pads and think: that is genius.[*]You spend much time listening to the RotK soundtrack in order to make detailed analysis of "Into the West" in the movies forum.[*]You lie awake at night thinking about a post someone else has made, and how you can reply in a way which is both witty and includes detailed Tolkien reference.[*]Your post count fascinates you, as does speculation and calculation about how long it will take you to earn a PT.[*]You are moved almost to tears when you come across a thread which was started in 2000-ish about "what you want to see in the movies", and the original poster who wanted to see the Rohirrim cry death! with one voice and terrible posted again after the release of RotK to say "whoohoo!" (sorry, I can't remember who it was: burra, maybe? I'd look it up if I had a faster net connection)[*]Checking the Downs falls under the checking-email category of high-frequency net activity.[*]Instead of angsting about whether you're as good-looking as your friends, you angst about not being as amazingly clever and knowledgeable as your fellow BDers.[*]You don't write blog entries about current events, you write them about BD discussions.[*]You'd write more blog entries about the Downs, but you're too busy Downsing.[/list=a]

[Finwe]

Instead of angsting about whether you're as good-looking as your friends, you angst about not being as amazingly clever and knowledgeable as your fellow BDers.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I collapsed with laughter after reading that one.

[Elennar Starfire]

The best thing that has happened to you all month was getting to introduce your BDer friends to each other, using their BD names. I got to do it twice in one day! Woohoo!

You are extremely proud of the fact that you have brought four people to the 'downs, and are trying to convince two more to come here. They'll be here eventually!

[Luthien_ Tinuviel]

Checking the Downs falls under the checking-email category of high-frequency net activity.

Instead of angsting about whether you're as good-looking as your friends, you angst about not being as amazingly clever and knowledgeable as your fellow BDers.

Classic.

-You are extremely unhappy with the fact that although you've recommended the Downs to just about all of your Tolkien-fan friends, they all have excuses not to come here (perhaps they're afraid they'll end up like me)!

-About half of your jokes originate from funny things people say here.

-You spend a whole day laughing about a funny post you read.

[Kransha]

-You'd rather be a Ghost Prince of Cardolan than the Emperor of a large and powerful country.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

You spend most of your time compiling a third original Top Ten list, but due to the fact that most of the things you do for the Downs are pilfered fropm fellow Downers, you are in deep guacamolé.

Later days! *sigh*
-&gt;Elenrod

[Miriel Undomiel]

You're addicted to the 'Downs when you post a meaningless post here while watching Friends.... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[The Elusive Spirit]

A friend says "... I basically waste my life away on this site," and you exciedly reply "Oh! You have one of those too!?" Then proceed to tell him about the great Barrow Downs! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Kaiserin]

When you're down, you Barrow-Down! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

When you get genuinely upset if someone ridicules your theories on the Downs. Way more upset than you get when you lose all your money or fail an exam!

[Lhunardawen]

Instead of angsting about whether you're as good-looking as your friends, you angst about not being as amazingly clever and knowledgeable as your fellow BDers.

Ouch. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Forgive me, dear Nilpaurion, but I have to do this...correct me if you want to, though.

When you and your brother (a fellow BDer) did a paper-chat when you were bored, imagining that you were in Downs chat, and even included some forum mods in the conversation! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 3:50 AM February 07, 2004: Message edited by: Lhunardawen ]

[zb]

You know you're addicted when your response to seeing a 'forum temporarily down for maintentance' notice is to:

1. Curse.
2. Hope that you are the first one to post a signs-you're-addicted message related to it.
3. Go and watch FotR on video to take your mind off the pain.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Hi, Lhunardawen! Care to reveal the contents of that said piece of paper.

Oh, wait. It's in my bag.

Details tomorrow. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Oh, and by the way: The forum was temporarily down? How? When? Is that why I felt a sudden loss of vigour whilst I climbed a hellish slope yesterday?

No, you fool. You just forgot to bring water.

Right.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

You know you're addicted when your response to seeing a 'forum temporarily down for maintentance' notice is to:

sigh with relief because that finally gives you time to do something else! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Vuelve]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know you're addicted when your response to seeing a 'forum temporarily down for maintentance' notice is to:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sigh with relief because that finally gives you time to do something else!

You see the notice and realize you finally have a chance to do your homework; or you could go to the chat instead,or give those crosswords another try, or look for a new avatar/sig,........... [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

[Saraphim]

You know when you're addicted to the Downs when the Forum is your homepage and you get shaky and nervous when it is closed for maintainence.

*twitch twich*
*looks at the screen, at all the nifty new buttons*
"This isn't my Barrow! Where is my Barrow, precious?"
*twitch twitch*

[Finwe]

When you start twitching when random posts of yours from the day that the admins were testing the Downs disappear.

Even though they weren't important, I still started hyperventilating.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Indeed. When your post count is mercilessly halved when the site is reconstructed, and you stare at the screen in shock for about 10 minutes whilst muttering snatches of words such as "How could this happen?" and "So much time and effort erased!"

[Elennar Starfire]

Your BD friend says at lunch "They killed the Barrowdowns!" meaning the change, and you immediately panic and yell "What? Who? No Barrowdowns?!?!!?" forgetting that you are in the library and should be quiet.

Scared me, she did, yesss, precioussss.

[Ashton]

Yes I did Elennar, It was actually quite fun doing too. I love scaring you, you are too much fun to tease

Anyway. you know you are addicted when you...

Spend three hours on the downs when you are supposed to be writing a reasearch project (right now in fact)

You go into utter panic mode when you miss getting on the downs for one day

You call their friends by their Downs name a lot instead of their real name (yes that means you Elennar!)

You spend your lunch time talking with your friends about your latest find on the BD's

You get grounded from the computer because you are on the downs too much

Your home page is the BD's and whenever someone tries to switch it you go into a towering rage and IMMEDIATELY switch it back

Your grades are suffering because instead of doing your homework you start posting on the BD's and writing PM's to all your friends

Your parents have considered throwing the computer away because you are on it too much

You are always on the lookout for an avatar, every time you get on the net (and start cussing out loud because the coolest picture is only a bit too big)