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

[Elennar Starfire]

I guess you're addicted to the 'Downs when you say, "I'll be a Ghost Prince before 2004!"

~When you are upset, because you are so close, but won't be a Ghost Prince by 2004. Oh well, I'll be a Ghost Prince by the time I've been a member for a year!

~When you plan to celebrate the day you joined the 'downs.

~When you care more about your "deathday" than your birthday.

[Everdawn]

When you realise youve been here for a year and you cant tell where the time has gone.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 7:56 PM December 31, 2003: Message edited by: Everdawn ]

[Tar-Alcarin]

Whwn youve only been here for month and your already a Mod cause you have so many posts.

[Elennar Starfire]

~When most of your New Years Resolutions involve the 'downs or LotR. For example: Read UT and HoME and post more often in Books. (Yes, that is one of mine.)

[Elentári_O_Most_Mighty_1]

Oh golly, this thread has REALLY grown...

quote:
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You know you are obsessed with the BD when you begin to write your homework using European spelling even though you are an American.
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hehehe I do that all the time! My teachers circle the words and write a bunch of question makrs near it. It is pretty funny.

European spelling? Is that English spelling? As in correct spelling? [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

Hmmm...I don't know, it's more lotr than BD, but:
When you read 'me' as Middle Earth
When you write all your Christmas cards in Angerthas
When as a result of the above 7 people come up to you and ask you to teach it to them (well I go to a grammar school...I know someone who writes in greek script as a kind of code- like I use Angerthas).
When you hand in all your school work with your name as 'Elentári Silivriel'...not that they know that, as it's in Angerthas (I think my teachers have given up on me. Or they just love me too much lol, in fact I think they do, due to getting good marks and stuff. It is very scary...)

EDIT: Ahh an obvious one: when you come on BD several times a day...

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 3:09 PM January 02, 2004: Message edited by: Elentári_O_Most_Mighty_1 ]

[Finwe]

~ When you've reached 1916 posts in 8 months. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

~ When you begin to think of yourself as your BD alter-ego (I'm becoming more and more of a Finwë. It's rather scary. Especially because I don't want to get my head bashed in by a Dark Lord's mace. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img])

[Galadel Vinorel]

~ When everytime you see a tree, you stop to talk to it, and ask if it's an ent.

~ When you send more time posting on Barrowdowns than talking with your friends on the phone or AIM (this one is especially for girls).

~ When you refer to your character's father as Aba (father), and talk to your friends about him like he's real.

[symestreem]

Do you mean ada, Galadel? [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Elennar Starfire]

European spelling? Is that English spelling? As in correct spelling?

Yep! Americans are bad spellers, so we have to make excuses... [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

~You dream in colours-but only black, green, and gold!

[zb]

Here's mine:

---
You were a member of bd back when it was on ezboard, but finally managed to quit (in order to spend time actually studying). The other day, you recall a discussion about balrogs (not/) having wings. The discussion included a comment about a flying black shadow-thing mentioned in HoME which could possibly have been a balrog. What sticks in your mind is the reply, "no, that was Tom Bombadil on his hanglider".

You proceed to google 'bombadil hanglider' to try and find out who made this joke. Nothing turns up, and in desparation you enter barrowdowns.com into your browser.

Little do you know your peril...
---

And here I am again. Let this be a lesson to you all - never think you've truly quit the downs until you're dead. And probably not even then.

ps: do any long-time bd-ers know who made the bombadil hanglider joke? It will bug me forever, at this rate.

[Aiya]

*When you haven't done an essay that's really over-due, and then in frustration your english teacher suggests a slightly different interpretation of the question, so as to invite Silmarillion-based topics and comparisons. And then when you have the 3 week overdue essay in the day after.

*When you multi-task as follows:
-In one window of your computer you're doing a couple of hours of work for your father - and plan to use the money to buy a HoME.
-In another you're looking up pictures and maps to print-out and put on your walls. No need to ask what -type- of maps.
-And in your third window, you're writing a post on the signs of your obsession.

Aiya

[Estelyn Telcontar]

zb, welcome back to the Downs - here is the thread with the hangglider reference - enjoy!

[Elennar Starfire]

When you see the word 'bolt' you think 'Book of Lost Tales,' and when you see the word 'home' you think 'History of Middle-Earth.'

When this also applies when you hear these words...

[Elentári_O_Most_Mighty_1]

When you spend several hours trying to trace when your 'deathday' was on hearing that to someone (sorry- awful memory) their deathday is more important than their birthday. (I did a search of posts from my first account which I can't access because my password got blocked by my filter and I think it was on 28th June or something...)EDIT: Just corrected a stupid spelling mistake [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:40 AM January 10, 2004: Message edited by: Elentári_O_Most_Mighty_1 ]

[Finwe]

When you're more excited about getting a PM from Esty saying that you're qualified for a personal title, than you are about your boyfriend asking you to *coughcoughdoitcoughcough*.

*sheepish grin*

[The Saucepan Man]

When you spend several hours trying to trace when your 'deathday'

Elentári, you can find the day you first registered on your profile. I know as I checked recently to find out when my "deathday" is. Turns out it was 4 days ago. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Congrats, Finwe (on the PT, that is [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ). [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Goldberry]

I think it was on 28th June or something...

A lovely deathday, Elentari, as it is my birthday! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I knew I was addicted to the downs when I went into a state of forgetfulness because I hadn't been on the downs for several days straight, so I was starting to go into a crazed sort of state. I completely forgot about all those confounded tests I had today! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

And this doesn't really have to do with the downs themselves but...every time I see the name "Theodora" in social studies, I think Theoden, and then I start renaming every other name I come across in my textbook.

And Congratulations, Finwe, on your soon-to-be PT! (not that the other thing isn't important [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]) A PT is exciting news indeed! I was recently thinking it was about time you got a PT. You deserve it fully. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 8:39 PM January 09, 2004: Message edited by: Goldberry ]

[Finwe]

Why thank you all! I nearly died laughing when I read your posts.

[Lhunardawen]

I think I'm totally addicted to the Downs because I ask my brother (Nilpaurion Felagund) to post for me while I am in school. Don't ask why I can't use the computer during the weekdays...I don't think you would understand. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

And I envy Finwë who is already getting a PT though I have been here before her... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Congratulations, Finwë! You deserve it! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 1:11 AM January 10, 2004: Message edited by: Lhunardawen ]

[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]