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

[MCRmyGirl4eva]

When you come on here to tell people you just got the Return of the King soundtrack from the library before bothering to tell people on Facebook. (I also got Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian. Yes, it's a kids' book, but give me a break. I've been waiting for it for AGES, and I've been reading the series since the fourth one came out!)

[Aganzir]

When you crack up at a Hobbit meme that has Thorin (totally just typed that as Thranduil though) hugging Bilbo because you've come up with about fifty related jokes about them during a short Barrow-Downs moot you've been having.

My heart will go on.

[Gil-Galad]

Though I am far and few between posts, I still know the various going on's in the Downs thanks to fanatical stalking of Hookbill's Facebook.

[Galadriel55]

When, upon seeing the words legate and squatter, you automatically add of Amon Lanc and of Amon Rudh to them (and then wonder what the hell those mountains have to do with the context...), capitalize those words, and bold them.

When you think of Lommy when seeing a penguin, and of Agan when seeing a lion.

When Nogrod is no longer a place, nor Anguirel a blade, nor Firefoot a horse, nor Heren Istarion an order.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

My almost twelve-year-old brother says that he has a friend at school who is a member of the Barrow-Downs. When I asked him about it, he told me he doesn't know what his friend's username is, but he swears that he is a Downer. I look forward to having the mystery solved.

My brother has been talking a lot recently about the Downs, actually. After giving a report on Downs-happenings to my family the other day, our house has just been full of Downs-talk. Brother has been talking about the Hobbit movie and joining the Downs. We have had this talk before, of course. My answer was the same to him today as it always has been "you need to read LotR before you join the Barrow-Downs, otherwise you will be confused." I quite expect that once he has read Lord of the Rings in its entirety that he will join the ranks of the dead not long after. My addiction to the Barrow-Downs has manifested itself in my brother. I'm so proud!

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

When Nogrod is no longer a place, nor Anguirel a blade, nor Firefoot a horse, nor Heren Istarion an order.

I recently got a Tumblr account and wanted to have a dwarf-related name for the blog. However, any form of Nogrod was out of the question, for obvious reasons.

Anyway, you all are too cute. Keep encouraging your brother, TGEW.

[Aganzir]

When you stay up till five on the Barrow-Downs instead of Facebook or Tumblr or other such venues. You can't believe how happy this makes me for a change.

[Morsul the Dark]

Overheard someone talking about "the Hobbit" and first thought was to post it here.

[Galadriel55]

When you realize that the author of a book you read has the same first name as a Downer, and lives more or less in the same area, and even looks somewhat alike - and you get all excited and are about to send the said Downer a PM full of (truthful) praises of that book. Unfortunately, I just checked and the dates of birth don't match. Well bother.

[HerenIstarion]

...when you look at your own join date and realize you're still here

[Aganzir]

When you can't read about the Nandor and their leader Dan without thinking of a fellow Downer. (It wouldn't be so bad if it was some real Dan out there, but the fact it's Tolkien makes it impossible to ignore.)

[Galadriel55]

I do some volunteering at a patient registration area in a local hospital, and every once in a while someone with a weird name/background comes in and provides some entertaining change to the routine. Today I was half-listening to some lady answering the routine questions, and I choked a bit when she said her last name was Shasta. The funny part was: I was sure something's not quite right, but it was the fact that Shasta is not female and not that he is miles away from here, which just goes to show that I will not be surprised if any of you spontaneously appear on my doorstep (but hopefully not in the hospital!).

[Galadriel55]

When you cheer more for the TIG team most recent victory in the Arda Cup than for real sports events.

[Inziladun]

When in the course of the job you encounter someone with the surname "Dewight", and your first thought is of this guy.

[Aganzir]

It could also have been Gandalf or Saruman though!

[Galadriel55]

When, while discussing Hamlet (if the King knows that Hamlet realizes that the King thinks Hamlet suspects him...) you think: Hamlet would already be a pro at this if he only played Werewolf.

[Galadriel55]

When your first thought upon seeing your physics TA is that he looks like Legate!!! No, I'm serious! He has the same hair style and colour (though his is a bit shorter), same shape of face, same nose, mouth, etc. Even wears very similar rectangular glasses! Legate, you don't have any twins doing an upper-year physics degree in Kingston, by any chance?

[Tar-Jêx]

When you spend valuable imgur time on the Barrow Downs instead.

[Galadriel55]

When you go here at ungodly hours, when you have so many readings and assignments that you don't even have time to check your email for VERY important messages... My priorities are in the right place.

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

When, while discussing Hamlet (if the King knows that Hamlet realizes that the King thinks Hamlet suspects him...) you think: Hamlet would already be a pro at this if he only played Werewolf.

Werewolf taught me a lot about how to write academic papers.

For the record, I'm only ever good if I'm a villain. If I'm innocent, I play as if I were a wolf and pick a random suspect to attack. I'm personally aware of some minor inconsistencies in my arguments but I'm usually very convincing - aggressive and convincing - nonetheless.

This is how I got the top grade for my bachelor's thesis.

[Mithalwen]

When the company you work for has a clent ref SPM and it is such a struggle to say S******* P**** Management rather than Saucepan Man

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

Werewolf taught me a lot about how to write academic papers.

You know, I think it wasn't so much Werewolf for me as all the other threads, where things are based less on interactions and Freud and reverse psychology, but rather on the arguments itself. Just posting a mini essay (or even a paragraph) in the Books / N&N forum (occasionally others... I recall a deep philosophical discussion going on during a game of Taters to Taters in Mirth) makes good practice for writing well from the first try. When I first joined, I used to just not be able to write well. I wonder why that changed. Suuuure, I had some good instruction. Riiiiiight. I'm serious - I learned how to write with good structure and good arguments from posting here. The Downs is mostly responsible in the raise of my English mark by about 10% in grade 9. (Should we put that as an advertisement? English school as well as wolfy dating site? )


Also, to add a different point, the other day,after a series of work-by-day-don't-sleep-by-nights, I was opening something on the computer and misread loading as Inziladun. Don't ask. Just... just feel honoured or something to hold such a deeply engraved spot in the depths of my mind.

[Aganzir]

I want to talk about something.

Emojis.

The Downs smilies are, to me, the ultimate emojis. They cover a wide range of expressions that a lot of emoji sets lack. Most of all, when typing on my phone's Google keyboard or on facebook, I miss . It captures something happy and playful that the boring ;p most platforms use doesn't even come close to.

Then there's . There's no other emoji that shows the same amount of embarrassment; most others have hints of confusion or shock too. But not enough shock for situations that call for .

(cont.)

[Aganzir]

Speaking of confusion, never have I seen as good a smilie as . There's absolute and total perplexion and bewilderment that I sorely need in other places than just the Downs.

And ! It's simply perfect for expressing that feeling of rightful resignation, and it's nowhere else to be found.

I also love . It's a face of rage that newer emoji developers don't seem to find us capable of. It would be such a stress relief to add it to the end of a long rant on facebook, but we're deprived of that pleasure.

(cont.)

[Aganzir]

Finally, and . There actually is an emoji that works well enough for those two (the smug one, you know which one I mean - not the sunglasses one because it just looks like it's on holiday). The problem is, it's not enough to cover the nuances these two do.

And honestly, who of us has never wanted to convey the images does in their everyday conversation?

All in all, could we please have an emoji keyboard with the Downs smilies?

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Okay, I am with you on this one!
is perfect to me, when you have just said something fun and a bit cheeky.

These emoji also takes me back to the time of msn, back when Glirdan introduced me to a laughing emoji that would turn into the letters lol.

[Thinlómien]

Totally seconded! I believe I've actually saved the rolleyes image on my old computer to use elsewhere...

I also love which has a lot more mirth than the average laughing emoji without seeming a little deranged (like the crying and laughing emojis), and the is a lot more humorous and warm than most of its counterparts. And looks devastatingly sad but fortunately I've hardly had any use for it.

[Pitchwife]

When the site is down for 24 hours and in spite of not having posted anything of substance for months you feel like your hometown has just been bombed.

Since Agan, Rune and Lommy talked about emojis above (what a newfangled word; when did we stop calling them smileys?) I'd like to say a few things about message icons, which are another nice way of nonverbal communicarion and come handy for indicating the tone of the following post. I mostly use Thumbs up (signing approval, obviously, e.g. in cases when I can't rep somebody right now) and 1420! (the tankard - for festive occasions, like birthday felicitations in the rare case that I remember to post them) and sometimes the Pipe (which has a somewhat scholarly air for me as well as an almost Legate-like smugness); also the Silmaril instead of a light bulb for sudden insight. Sting, the Eye and the Arrow (strangely mislabeled Eye as well) have their uses as Gifted hints in Werewolf. What are your favourite ones?

[Galadriel55]

I couldn't agree more about the smileys (and also about the words emojis ). I sometimes habitually type in the code for one of ours on a different site, and they either come out all wrong or don't translate to a picture at all - let alone such a unique picture as our Merisu or Rolleyes.



Aside from that, you're also very addicted to the Barrow Downs when you can't resist clicking the button on your favourites bar on a regular basis even though you know it'll just bring you to a different site.

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

And honestly, who of us has never wanted to convey the images does in their everyday conversation?

So true! I just found myself using *merisu* in a Facebook comment, lacking an appropriate smiley (fortunately to a Downer, who'll understand).

[Aganzir]

You keep coming back.

I wasn't going to have a two-year hiatus. I was just a bit busy at work. But you know how it goes with this thing that all things devours; birds, beasts, trees, flowers...

Anyway, here I am.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I have definitely become treeish, but this is still a vital piece of home on the internet for me. There are Downs-specific things that splash over into other areas - still being amused over funny pics of skwerlz, for example, or missing the : rolleyes : smiley...

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Since Agan, Rune and Lommy talked about emojis above (what a newfangled word; when did we stop calling them smileys?)

And now there's also emoticons. Still can't tell the difference between them.

Fun fact: last year as the creative component of an application, I had to describe my favourite emoji. So I screenshotted the Down's emoji panel for them to see and wrote an essay on the Merisu smiley, with Rolleyes and Eek as runners up. Needless to say, I got the position.

[THE Ka]

It's been several years since you last posted, yet you still have the old habit of lurking through the threads reading and simply enjoying every last bit.

Love all of you, I promise I'll try to interact more over this year.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by THE Ka

It's been several years since you last posted, yet you still have the old habit of lurking through the threads reading and simply enjoying every last bit.

Love all of you, I promise I'll try to interact more over this year.

A transition from treeish to Entish is always welcome.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Originally Posted by THE Ka

It's been several years since you last posted, yet you still have the old habit of lurking through the threads reading and simply enjoying every last bit.

Love all of you, I promise I'll try to interact more over this year.

I think it would be awesome if some of the ancient wights would start to haunt the barrows again. Just on a semi-regular basis.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

A transition from treeish to Entish is always welcome.

Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne

I think it would be awesome if some of the ancient wights would start to haunt the barrows again. Just on a semi-regular basis.

Semi-regular being the key word. *looks at the differences between timestamps of the last posts*

But indeed, I second what has been said. And would certainly support the notion that Entish is better than treeish. At least from this particular perspective - nothing against trees otherwise (right, Ungoliant).

[Galadriel55]

You're addicted to the Downs when classmates ask you about that black site with the sword at the top.

Also, the two hours of intense posting activity today were the happiest two hours in a long time (and quite possibly raised the average posts/day of involved Downers by a couple decimal points. That was a lot of posting!)

[Morsul the Dark]

The length Your membership on the downs has bypassed the amount of time since you last talked to your father. Too Dark?

Your membership on the downs is old enough to drive.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

Your membership on the downs is old enough to drive.

Ugh, that is a terrifying way to put it. Thankfully it isn't there for me yet, but it could start preparing for attending a driving school.