Battle of the dorks

[Lush]

I saw "Fellowship" seven times in the movie theaters. My name is Lush and I have a problem.

What are dorkiest/craziest/weirdest Tolkien-related things you've done?

[Farael]

I'll probably loose this one... but I've got two, I'm not sure which is worst

I watched back-to-back extended editions of FoTR and TTT.... and I mean really watched, not sat around while the movies were playing.

Also, I got all three movies extended edition and I watched all 12 hours of it in about a week's time... that's not too bad, up until you consider that it was exams week!!!

My name is Farael and I have a problem

[piosenniel]

I'm in complete denial that my actions are problems

Saw FotR at the cinema 32 times

Organized an extended version marathon party for my friends, who are also hopeless Dorks . . . we can recite most of the dialog for all three films . . .

Made costumes for each of the film openings

And lastly . . . co-moderator on two RPG forums

But really, it's no problem . . .

~*~ Cleopatra, Queen of De Nile

[Lolidir]

Ok I'm not sure how to beat that last one. 32 times? how much did that cost? Well I only saw each one about 2 or 3 times in theaters. I did buy the movies the first day they came out on DVD, I waited untill Christmas for the extended versions to give my parents something to get me. I do have quite a collection of Action Figures, not dolls. I turned 18 on my last birthday and got 2 big boxes of figures. I also have the box to a friends Anduril sword. He was going to throw it away so I took it. And according to my friends coming to the Downs when I get the time is dorkish enough for them. I won't tell them about you guys, but then again maybe they will lighten up on me. Hmmmmmmmmm? Well I'm not sure how that compares to the other ones but there's my story. Perhaps someone could set up a voting or rating something or another. It might add a little to the thread. Well have a good one.

[Roa_Aoife]

Went to all openings in costume. Prior to TTT, I watched the FOTR extended. Prior to ROTK, I watched bot FOTR and TTT. When the final EE came out, I did a 12 hour marathon.

[the phantom]

For just over three and one half years, I have made multiple visits nearly every single day to a website that revolves around a fictional world (The Barrow-Downs is the site, of course).

I have actually driven over 600 miles to meet with a small group of other members.

I have interacted so much with other members over the years that I have almost as many inside jokes with friends that I've never met in person than I do with my friends in real life.

During games of Werewolf, I spent more time thinking about the game, pming my fellow wolves, and posting on the thread than I did anything else, including sleeping.

I've loved Middle Earth since my dad read me The Hobbit in kindergarten. Because of how prominent Middle Earth has been my entire life, I cannot possibly imagine dating, much less marrying, someone who isn't familiar with Tolkien's literature.

If that isn't dorky I don't know what is.

[Thinlómien]

Watching all the three extendeds in one day is a fool's job, but it was nice. I admit, in this battle my marathon is a bit loser...

[Lalwendë]

Hmmm, I only saw FotR once at the flicks, but I saw both the other films twice. I can't count how many times I've seen them at home, as putting the DVDs aside (and I have both versions of all the films, bought on days of release), they've all been on heavy rotation on Sky Movies so they often get chosen during channel hopping.

When I'd just read the books it was the early 80s and I must have been a strange kid. I had this kind of trinity of obsessions: Tolkien, pop music and politics. I had my best black overcoat (with batwing sleeves, retro fashionistas!) onto which I attempted to embroider the White Tree of Gondor, with little beads to represent the stars. My mother went ballistic. I also had one of those canvas army bags which you could draw on (and which mums always used to throw in the washing machine as soon as they could get their hands on them). Mine had all kinds of arcane scribbles on it such as: Frodo Lives!, Frankie Goes To Hollywood Are Cool, and Solidarnosc!. The graffitti also appeared on ring binders and the horrible green paper we had to cover our text books in. The JRRT logo was a strong design feature, as were Runes.

Not long after I read LotR, we were set a task to write a fantasy story for English. The poor teacher expected about 2 or 3 pages per week from each of us in our exercise books. From me she got one and a half exercise books' worth. With maps and family trees and colour illustrations. I've also still got the school exercise book into which I diligently copied all the poems from LotR, with use of all different colours of biro and everything.

My friends at one point acquired new names based on LotR. These were generally on the 'good guys' but if one of my mates had done something deeply stupid they used to get named 'Shelob' for a while. My parents, who had absorbed all the Tolkien babble at home, learned some of the words and if they saw a dark wood they'd say "ooh, look, it's Mirkwood!".

In our front room, there are alcoves on either side of the chimney breast which have floor to ceiling bookshelves built in - one side is entirely occupied with Tolkien material and there still is not the space for all the books to be shelved there. The 78 action figures are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the amount of 'stuff' that's been collected...

And there are whole new avenues of dorkitude still to be explored... I still want to turn a shed into a Hobbit Hole, for example.

Perhaps the dorkiest thing is that if someone wrote a book about being a Tolkien dork then I'd be first in line to buy it to see how I measured up.

[JennyHallu]

This is a very strange and unsettling feeling for me....normalcy! I read my paperback versions of the books so many times they fell apart, I got my brother, my sister, and my debate partner all hooked, and I know my name in both Quenya and Sindarin (but the Quenya sounds like some sort of pasta), and I don't have any notebooks but have sketches of my old RP characters or the movie characters smudging up the endpapers or the margins (and they're quite good, thanks)...but i'm still feeling rather normal.

[Meela]

I saw Fotr 10 times in the cinema, TTT 11 times, and Rotk 12 times. I obsessed over a fictional character named Denethor for four years... very crazy indeed. I actually acted out the movies using my action figures, and I still have plans to film it.

I was a dork once, in fact I am still probably, although more plain crazy than dork now. I've done a lot more, but there are so many little things that I can't really list them all.

[Thinlómien]

I tried to make a play script to our spring party at school when I was about eight years old... And yes you know, it was the Lord of the Rings! Now I can just imagine how long the play would have been... I got to Weathertop before I stopped. I still have the script somewhere.

[Valier]

Well the week the last film came out, my local paper had a huge LOTR spread in there everyday. I actually got all of them.
Also I'm still attempting to make my own 3dish map of M.E. that will hang on the wall.......it's slow going.
I guess this would make me a dork...Or is it just everyone else who doesn't do that type of stuff.

[Bêthberry]

I almost bought a "Lord of the Rinks" tee shirt the other weekend--complete with a fellowship pose (including Arwen) in skates, with the actors played by various Great White North animals, such as moose, beaver, squirrel, elk, etc.

Now, was I a dork for thinking about buying it or a dork for not buying it?

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Now, was I a dork for thinking about buying it or a dork for not buying it?

For both, I think

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I have wached the Exended editons back to back only with small pauses wich I used to play Werewolf. Now that was fun.

I use many hours each days just reading on the Downs, infact ever since I became a member I have not gone to bed before 2 AM. (I allways have to check one more time or write one more PM or talk to someone over msn)

I wached the TTT 5 times in the movie theaters.

I spend a party at my school on beeing drunk and sing The Fall of Gil-Galad to everybody.

[Maeggaladiel]

-I own most of the LOTR-related video games, or have owned them at some point.

-I have the poster advertising said game hanging on the back of my door.

-There's a LOTR action figure sitting on my desk at this very moment. He happens to be aiming a bow at a Pirates of the Caribbean action figure right now, since he's jealous that Johnny Depp has the better position on my desk.

-I spent time positioning said action figures in said poses.

-I once tried to learn Elvish. I know about ten random useless phrases as a result of that endeavor.

-When I was younger and had long hair, I wore it back like the elves in the movies did.

-I'm here, aren't I?

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Some Pretty Standard Ones

I can say "hello" in Elvish.

I studied Dwarvish runes so I could write secret messages in them.

I have corrected friends, acquaintances and almost total strangers when they make mistakes in Tolkien lore. (Example: "It's pronounced SOUR-on, not SORE-on.")

Somewhat Dorkier Things I Have Done

I have drawn maps of places for which Tolkien does not provide enough detail for my liking (Edoras, the lands south of the Shire, etc)

I wrote a short story in which I appear, as myself, called by the Valar as an emissary from the future so that I can be present at the Coronation of Aragorn to give him greetings on behalf of the later Ages of Men.

And Finally: The Dorkiest Thing I Have Ever Done (Tolkien-Related Or Not)

When I was a teenager I spent one weekend camping in the woods a few miles from my house pretending to be Aragorn the Ranger watching over the Shire. I had a full costume including a fake sword (broken one foot above the hilt), I slept in a bedroll rather than a tent, and I paid a visit to the place where my father Arathorn had been slain to erect a cairn in his memory. I also did some pining for Arwen (not hard, since at the time I was in love with a dark-haired girl who was too good for me....).

Bb: you really shoulda bought the shirt.

[the phantom]

When I was a teenager I spent one weekend camping in the woods a few miles from my house pretending to be Aragorn the Ranger watching over the Shire...

I read Fordim's story and thought "Cool, I'd like to do that!" rather than "that's dorky".

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by the phantom

I read Fordim's story and thought "Cool, I'd like to do that!" rather than "that's dorky".

That's 'cause it is cool.

I got one of my postings not so long back not by interview, as is usual, but by having a discussion about how Tolkien was better than Star Wars and drawing parallels between events in the Silmarillion and current government policy.

[Kitanna]

~I saw FOTR seven times in the theater, I saw TTT three times in the theater, and I saw ROTK four times in the theater.
~When reading the LOTR trilogy the first time around I felt empty and alone once I had finished it.
~I play with LOTR action figures.
~My family and friends have banned me from playing LOTR Trivial Pursuit.
~I drive to the LOTR soundtracks.
~I have watched all three EE movies back to back at least three times in the last year.
~I've gotten into several arguments over various Tolien related things. And I didn't back down until the opposite side submitted. This might explain why no one talks to me anymore.
~I've made a few LOTR t-shirts.
~I went to my senior prom wearing an Arwen dress a friend had made for me.
~I tried to learn Elvish.
~When I played in WW games it pretty much dominated my life and I forgot about a few papers I was supposed to write due to it.
~I hang around this site and post here more than I talk to my family.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Originally Posted by Kitanna

~When reading the LOTR trilogy the first time around I felt empty and alone once I had finished it.

Is there anyone who does not have this fealing afterwards ?

Actually I allso have this feeling after reading Harry Potter, (don't tell anyone) the difference is that with lotr I can just start on the sil, the hobbit or someting els. I don't start reading the other potter books, i just wait for the next one to be relised. (and translated)

[Glirdan]

I know this comes really short compared to all the others out there, but hey.

In music class, using the laptops, we were allowed to do what we wanted. So, what do you think dear old Glirdan does? He comes here to see how the WW games are going!

My name is Glirdan and I have a problem. Which isn't a bad thing!!

[Durelin]

I arrived outside a movie theater at about 9:30 am, meeting a wonderful friend who was so incredibly nice enough and crazy enough to have arrived there about 5:30 or so, and so was about 4th or 5th in line. I stood outside that movie theater until noon. I entered the movie theater. After watching FotR EE, TTT EE, and RotK, as one of the very first public showings, starting at 11:30 pm, half an hour before even midnight movie goers, I did not exit the theater until approximately 2 am, and was not home until about 3:30 am. I missed an english exam for that, and skipped a total of a day and 6.5 periods of school.

Roleplaying is my biggest hobby, and really my only hobby.

I have been on the Downs now for over three years.

I attempted to learn Elvish, and still plan on doing so.

I own tons of LotR action figures and have played with them, and spent probably over an hour positioning them all in my room when I redecorated.

I saw FotR over ten times in theaters, I saw TTT about 8 or 9 times in theaters, and I saw RotK about 6 times.

Every other thing someone says reminds me of a line/even/character from LotR, book or movie...or from another nerdy film like Star Wars.

I cried several times while reading LotR, even the second time.

I got scared reading LotR, even the second time.

Originally Posted by Fordim

When I was a teenager I spent one weekend camping in the woods a few miles from my house pretending to be Aragorn the Ranger watching over the Shire. I had a full costume including a fake sword (broken one foot above the hilt), I slept in a bedroll rather than a tent, and I paid a visit to the place where my father Arathorn had been slain to erect a cairn in his memory. I also did some pining for Arwen (not hard, since at the time I was in love with a dark-haired girl who was too good for me....).

I've been planning on doing something like this for years. I've also considered living like that for at least a few months.

I met my boyfriend of almost a year and seven months through a LotR related game.

And lastly, I will never forget when a 1st grader said I looked like Galadriel when I altar served in my white robe.

Lastly, but there is still et cetera.

And I suppose it's back to denial for me. Or celebration. Whichever you prefer.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

I've memorised every word and punctuation mark in TH, LR, TS, UT, the HoMEs, and all those other 'canonical' books.

And the extended-edition films's script. And the trailers, too.

Plus, I own a piece of Tolkien.

. . .

. . .

. . .

No, not really. Although I wish I did. Would be a great help to all those quiz and quotes threads.

How do you own a piece of Tolkien? Hmmm . . .

[Roa_Aoife]

I am reigning champion of LOTR Trivial Pursuit. I also scored a 97% on the LOTR quiz at nerdparadise.com, ranking me in the top 7... out of 8,000, last time I checked.

I also own LOTR Risk, and as Mordor, I kick @$$.

[JennyHallu]

How do you own a piece of Tolkien?

Not sure, but it sounds kind of icky.

[Lush]

You guys are dorkin' fabulous.

Pio, I don't know how you did it! 32 times!

And my boyfriend still insists on pretending like he doesn't know who I am when I confess to someone I saw the film 7 times.

I'm glad I started this thread. It's given me goals. Dreams. Ambitions.

[Lalaith]

*rushes off to nerdparadise*
*rushes back*

Gah! 86.666! And I thought I 'd got them all right...Roa, how do you check the rankings?

[Formendacil]

Clearly I am a bigger dork (or is that genius) than Lalaith or Roa... since I got 100%.

Of course, having to go there and find out- not to mention being thrilled at the results- is also a clear sign of LotR Dorkiness.

And yes, for the record, I needed no book assistance to take the test. I simply used my uncommonly Tolkien-obsessed brain.

[Eonwe]

This December, I marked the third annual gathering of The Fellowship, a select group of 15 elite LoTR fans. We attended in costume, watched all three extended editions with a projecter, and played an insane amount of LoTR Risk. For dinner, there was rabit stew, freshly baked bread, and a three pound chicken for each, along with enormous quantities of wine, ale, or beer. (well ok, grape juice, ginnger ale, or root beer.) Afterward, we sat in the Grate Hall before a roaring fire and smoked enourmous quantities of Old Toby.

Last summer, I spent inordinite amounts of time ponderously tracing, sketching and enlarging the picture of the Gate of Moria in a silver pen. It now sits beneath the glass on my night-stand along with the invitation, writ in a gold pen, to the very first Gathering of the Fellowship.

Am enbarking on my third annual read through of LoTR.

[Lush]

Well, I just took the test on nerdparadise.com, and I have a 93.3333333

AND I'm taking it on a Friday night, while sitting at home with a bottle of Woodchuck, watching "Celebrity Feuds" with my lame friends.

Oh snap!

[AbercrombieOfRohan]

Let's see. I took the test on nerdparadise.com and scored approx. 97%. But aside from that, I saw Fellowship 6 times and Two Towers and Return of the King 8 times apiece in theatres (including the midnight showings of TT and ROTK.) I've watched the DVD's countless thousands of times at home and Shelob and I watched a marathon of all the EE's on Tolkien's birthday last year. I've bought all 6 of the DVD's on the day they were released.

I once stood in line for 6 hours and 33 minutes to get to meet Sean Astin. And when I got to meet him, I was so excited that I couldn't even say anything and he told me, "Breathe, just breathe."

That took place at the Lord of the Rings Exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston. I saw the exhibit three times while it was there and bought an exhorbitant amount of LotR paraphenalia.

I've consistently dressed up as Eowyn for the past 3 years (well, except for this year when I dressed up as Virgil from the Aeneid/ The Inferno.)

Every year over Christmas break I read all of Tolkien's works in chronological order according to their publication date. Hobbit, Silmarillion, HoME, Roverandom. All of them, and I finish on Tolkien's birthday with a special celebration and re-read my favourite passages to anyone foolish enough to listen. Generally that means me, as my family has long since given up hope. I've been doing this since I was 11.

I own 8 copies of the Lord of the Rings, including the shiny new 50th anniversary edition and my dad's really old, really beat up copy from the 70's, but excluding the audio version and the Spanish copy that I got in Spain.

My room is plastered in Tolkien pictures, of him and his wife, and also pictures from the movies and of the various actors (and I may or may not have an Orlando Bloom card-board cutout... .) I think at last count I was up to around 600 pictures on my walls, which basically guarantees that my room is impervious to the nagging mother, because she's terrified to step foot in it. It's a great defense mechanism I tell you.

I also speak Elvish. I studied it for an entire summer between 9th and 10th grade and was fluent for a time, but my tongue has withered from disuse and I now would probably be able to get around M-E, but it would be trying.

My life = on general principle.

[Gil-Galad]

Hi my name is Gil-Galad, and i am a LOTR-DOrkaholic


me, my brother got me a giant Middle Earth Map for m ywall 2 years ago, sometime when i'm bored i plan battle stratergies if i were Saurman, Sauron etc.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

. . . that I write in my very own mode of Tengwar? Sure, it's the very Mordor to read, but hey! it's fun to see the look on your classmates's faces when they borrow your notes.

Although . . . I discontinued it when I realised I can't cram very well with Tengwar school notes. A student who can't cram is nothing, I tell you. NOTHING!!!

[Holbytlass]

Compared to you fine people I'm not dork-material (maybe I should logoff forever WAAA) BUT in my real life I am since I'm the only one who's obsessed but I have done some things....

~I've watched the movies several times at the theatres by lying to people so they would watch my kids during the day (I said I was running errands)

~Slack off on my day and night wifely duties so I can hang out here and/or play WW games

~I don't have alot of action figures, but I either buy double-one for me and one for the kids or wait till they get bored with theirs and 'adopt' the toys myself.

~Mr. Holby and I are buying our first house in 2 weeks and although it's 2 stories I'm thrilled that the mainlevel is like BagEnd with the main hall running the whole length of the house and the rooms are on either side. And although Mr. Holby is not interested in LOTR at all, we both have same ideas on decorating (country/rustic) so the manipulation will begin by getting it to look more hobbitish

~If I see a Tolkien/LOTR related vanity tag or bumpersticker, I chase down the people and wave fanatically at them or yell in their window that I love it.

[mormegil]

Besides having the habbit of yearly reading the books there are others

--going to all three movies at the 12:01 showing and waiting in line all day to do it...I mean 16+ hours.

--At RotK they didn't let us in the building for a while and it was about 14 degrees outside and I didn't even bring a coat. I was there alone without my coat for over 3 hours before my sister came to bring it to me.

--The movies are either around or on my anniversary, so what we did for three strait years was go to the movies...Mrs. Mormegil is a good sport.

--Spend counltless hours on a website dedicated to Tolkien

--Play WW to a point that it's a moderate obsession and I have and do loose sleep over it at times.

--Mrs. Mormegil knows many of your names and personality traits because I talk too much about this stuff.

[Lush]

You guys are still rocking my world.

Yet in a rush to glorify each other, we have forgotten to honour the great hero of dorkdom, Mr. Christopher Lee.

Among Mr. Lee's many achievements:

Sitting down to read The Lord of the Rings every year, like clockwork.

[Thinlómien]

Other things I have done because of LotR or affected by LotR
- made Tom Bombadil's boots out of paper colored yellow with crayons when 6 years old
- held a "LotR-school" to one of my friends when 7 years old
- established a LotR-club with a friend and my little sister
- started roleplaying
- joined the 'Downs
- studied writing tengwar
- studied quenya (er, I'm not doing very well with my studies at the moment)
- made numerous LotR- board games with my dad and my sister
- started keeping ME olympics with my dad and my sister
- read LotR more times that most people think is clever
What else? Can't remember just now but I'm sure there's loads of other things.

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Originally Posted by Lush

Among Mr. Lee's many achievements:

Sitting down to read The Lord of the Rings every year, like clockwork.

I do that. Almost time for me to start it again...

[the guy who be short]

Originally Posted by Lush

Among Mr. Lee's many achievements:

Sitting down to read The Lord of the Rings every year, like clockwork.

You mean most Downers don't do this?