This
board and fanclub are my first experience in any fandom. Except for a
few years at adolescence when I could share my passion with others, and
wear circlets and capes in the RW and roam golden woods at fall,
pretending birches were mallorn, and sketching my favourites
characters, I had lived outside of any fandom whatsoever until I
learned about this fan club. I learned about a film called FOTR just a
few days before it was released, and nearly had a heart attack looking
at the trailer :-) Nobody around me could understand my utterly
hysterical state :-) Some of my friends even thought I was deranged and
needed help (wonder why) and indeed I have lost friends because of
LOTR. But like others here, I had to find out what others were feeling
about the film, and one night of a certain late December I randomly
typed 'Lord of the Rings' in the search engine and found the Official
film site, then the fan club. Fan Club?? I said. I had no idea such
thing even existed - or any other things related to Tolkien for that
matter (Tolkien is not part of my cultural background at all). And
there I was, having to decide about posting on a... what? a 'message
board'??? Nah. And finding a 'handle'?? But after lurking for a little
while, there it was, it became nothing short of a love affair. I had
never encountered anyone at all with whom I could talk about LOTR that
way, and though I was (and still am) intimidated with having to express
myself in a second language, the passion was too strong, I just had to
jump in. Since then I have discovered a whole universe, more fabulous
than I would have possibly dreamed of, and found people creative and
passionate as I would NEVER have thought possible, and friendships I
will only describe as deep.
My reasons for staying in this fandom/community have shifted from time
to time; over the months (and now years!), to share a passion has made
me look into issues and things that were not always so easy to look at
- but then, it is Lord of the Rings, right, not some soap opera, it was
bound to touch sensitive issues :-) But from the beginning I have been
in awe at what I see here, the depth of it or the silliness of it, and
I stay because of that, and because I learn about myself and about the
world all the time, and of course about Tolkien and his amazing gift to
us all. This fandom does indeed mean fellowship and it has been a
source of inspiration for me, more than people can think of, and though
I feel lost at times, and though I know I probably keep to myself too
much, wondering if I will ever contribute like I would really want to,
and not just 'take' things that others give me, I am glad I can come
back every day and find a great place to share it all.
But I am starting to ramble, better stop here.. thanks Prim, and all...
FF