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on: January 20, 2017 05:02

Hello SilverleafArtist! Sadly, the site is, and has been crippled for about 5 years now. Many of the links and functions don't work, and the owners seem to not want to put the time and effort into fixing things. You may try to PM one of the mods directly (Dolwen, Tarcolan, Evil Shieldmaiden, Gandoloran) and see if you get a reply.

Eighth King of Arthedain - It was in battle that I come into this Kingship, and it will be in Battle when I leave it. There is no peace for the Realm of Arnor. Read the last stand of Arthedain in the Darkest of Days.

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on: January 21, 2017 03:27

Hi SilverleafArtist! I think Arveleg probably meant gondolinian (there has been an occasional confusion between Gondo and Gando

), he's the Newbies moderator. Welcome to the site. I joined much more recently than Arveleg, in my case end of November 2013. So I'm not able to compare the site in my time to the earlier times Arveleg wrote about (before the site was hacked, maybe?). The second Hobbit movie, Desolation of Smaug, was just about to be released, so that may have very well responsible for a lot of activity. After the last movie was released, there was a bit of a downturn, but there were and are parts that remained active - the Games forum, the Realm of Vairë the Weaver that I'm a member of. I have the impression that things have picked up a bit again since about Christmas 2016. There are parts of the site that I rarely visit or take part in, so my impression is probably more narrowly based than Arveleg's, but I'm quite happy with CoE as it is. But then, I'm not much of an Internet surfer (now there's an understatement!), CoE probably accounts for three quarters of my time online.

Evil~Shieldmaiden

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on: January 21, 2017 05:06

Arveleg and Gando are correct in their observations. Many of our former members were high school students who 'found' the site after watching LotR films. Once the hype was over, and new films arrived to capture their interest, they drifted away.

For whatever reason, The Hobbit trilogy didn't capture the public's imagination in the same way as the previous trilogy, and many drifted away from Tolkien before they made it to the few Tolkien sites still around.

With the LotR films, a number of the filmgoers became fans of the books themselves, and came here to engage in conversation, or to learn Elvish languages. Many still maintain periodic contact with site. Others have moved on to university and and are busy with their daily lives.

Those of us who are still "regulars" tend to have read the books long before the movies came out, and have a "scholarly" approach to Tolkien's works. Most, but not all, of us are older.

That being said, we are always delighted to see new members. You will not find a more knowledgeable group, or a group more willing to pass along their knowledge to a new generation of Tolkien fans.

I hope you enjoy the site, and find the information you seek. Feel free to ask questions, and reactivate some of the threads that have become quiet. If we're a bit slow getting back to you, thank you for your patience.

SilverleafArtist

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on: January 21, 2017 11:50

Thank you all for your responses! Right - I was a Tolkien fanatic before it was "cool" to be one! LMAO!!!!!!!!! Much of my art and pottery creations have been based upon that interest. In fact, I'm hoping to be redecorating my home to reflect my interests.

Good to have met you all! Brightest blessings!

Trust your journey............

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on: January 22, 2017 06:35

The honour is ours to have met you SilverleafArtist!
a couple of apologies from me are in order.....
First, my earlier post sounded grim. It from a Dunedain Ranger looking upon the ruins of Arnor and remembering the great glory of yesteryear. Being I joined in 2003, I echo what the Evil Shieldmaiden says. This is still a great place to discuss Tolkien, RP, study the languages, etc. It's just the mechanics of the site are a bit rickety.

Second, apologies to you Gando... I did mean Gondo.... I failed in my research. You have kept this site moving since 2013 as you have 15000+ posts in that time! Me... less than 800 in 14 years... not counting the 14 posts I made under my first username I had to abandon due to some crazy circumstances that befell me in 2003.

I'll quit rambling and ask you SilverLeafArtist.... what sort of art do you do?

We who are here do try and do the best with what we have here.

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on: January 23, 2017 04:54

Arveleg said:... Second, apologies to you Gando...

Not the slightest need to apologize to me, Arveleg (maybe just a teeny bit to gondolinian, our Newbies mod

)

My post total is a result of my being a games freak, in the main Games Forum as well as in the smaller one in the Realm of Vairë the Weaver. But games threads need others to reply, and there Evil~Shieldmaiden has certainly been more than matching me. The gap between our post totals has increased since my joining CoE end of November 2013 (she has even passed Linda ...)

Hithfaerwen

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on: March 15, 2017 06:52

A late hello to you SilverleafArtist!
I'm also kind of new here, meaning I was active last year for a bit, then I moved into a new apartment, and vanished from the forum. But now I returned, because I missed the forum games and the kind, open-minded folks here.

Those we love do not go away, they walk beside us every day...Unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear. ~ For my unforgettable dear friend Buksi, and the angelic Lindarielwen

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on: March 15, 2017 05:15

Hello Hithfaerwen! Good to see you back! I love your signature quote! Miss Linda here.

Hithfaerwen

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on: March 18, 2017 01:50

I was thinking about perhaps it is time for a new signature, but I still miss these two angels, and I still think it is appropriate to remember them as long as I feel it.

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on: March 18, 2017 03:37

Yes, Lindarielwen's passing is a serious loss to our site (I'm not even going to start guessing what her real-life companions are suffering - she had just married not all too long before ...)

While I'm mostly a games nerd (with some commentary on JRRT's incomplete visions for Middle-earth to be found in HoME, among others), Linda participated in far more threads, so is certainly missed by a large portion of CoE'ers.

[Edited on 08/21/2020 by Gandolorin]

findemaxam48

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on: March 18, 2017 02:37

I try to remain active here the best that I can, but the strain of part time work and full time plus school has it's disadvantages.

This combined with my own creative endeavors. I myself joined the CoE when I was 14. I am now 19. The group of friends I met here (or in a few cases brought here) was about my age or a year or two older-one friend in particular, lotrelessar94, is now in her twenties and working full time in her respective field. Obviously, most if not all of us have begun and finished high school as well as started or graduated college since we first became members here.

The premiere of The Hobbit definitely caused a spike in our membership, that's for certain. Some people stuck around for a bit before drifting off and some people just barely joined before vanishing. I think the main problem with activity on the CoE is that there isn't enough interaction that would appeal to new members. People look at the site, join to learn Sindarin, and jump into the Languages forum...where their questions, greetings, and well wishes go unanswered because there's no one left on the language forums to help them. So, they drift off and find the next best thing.

It really is terribly sad. The CoE is so vast and wonderful. I made many friends here (that I've been blessed to meet in real life and beyond) that no longer run across the site, even though we have regular discussions about Tolkien in group chats and messages. There's just something about the site that has changed. It seems terribly lifeless.

We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.

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on: March 19, 2017 02:25

Hi Maxie, nice to hear from you again!

I have noticed for quite a while that many newbies only post once of a few times. Most of them say they're interested in languages, and there, dirk_math has been active at least end of February.

I may have posted something similar earlier (or maybe on the Arwen-Undomiel site that I joined recently): part of the issues people may have with CoE could stem from the change in equipment / technology used to access the Internet. I continue to use my notebook (which I bought expressly for Internet access). Many people (also) use tablets, but my impression is that quite a few Internet newbies (or those eager to be at what they consider the "cutting edge" ) are going straight to smartphones. From what little I know about smartphones, they cannot access Internet site in the same way as one would with a notebook (correct me if I'm wrong - does it have to do with the necessity for Apps?). And even as far as tablets are concerned, Evil~Shieldmaiden has mentioned that she has stopped using her tablet to access CoE, apparently no end of issues. So my rather uninformed guess is that something needs to be done to make CoE smartphone-compatible?

Personally, I simply cannot imagine accessing CoE on what is, by any sensible comparison, the tiny display of a smartphone - I don't own one, in fact, and will only buy one if the cell-phone market has gone 100 % smartphone. But then Nokia recently announced an updated version of their 3310 phone that looks very similar to my 2004 "stupidphone", so there may be hope for me yet.

[Edited on 08/21/2020 by Gandolorin]

~nólemë~

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on: March 20, 2017 05:59

Hello findemaxam, nice to see the good old set of members dropping by even as there are multiple demands on their free time.

It might be what Gandolorin says, or it might just be the decline of interest in Tolkien sites in general. I frequent several fanfic sites and one non-English JRRT site, and the decline of user paricipation is very noticeable there. That's life though, there are ups and there are downs. For me CoE is always a safe haven, though I'd like it if improvements and fixes could be done in the future.

----------

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit

Hithfaerwen

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on: March 25, 2017 06:07

And what do you think, if we acquire someone who would be able to help the site with technical issues, would it be manageable to give that someone access to do his/her thing?
Are the admins active? Would they consider something like this?

~nólemë~

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on: April 06, 2017 09:10

The staff have already considered such an option, and there was even a volunteer. However, it didn't work out it the end. As for your first question, I am afraid the answer is 'no'; however, our leader Rivka suggested she'd have more time over the summer, so hopefully the necesary fixes will be done then. *fingers crossed*

The majority of our admins are still active, yes. But there are several who are currently quite busy in real life.

----------

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit

sairina_star

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on: April 06, 2017 10:42

~nólemë~ said:The staff have already considered such an option, and there was even a volunteer. However, it didn't work out it the end. As for your first question, I am afraid the answer is 'no'; however, our leader Rivka suggested she'd have more time over the summer, so hopefully the necesary fixes will be done then. *fingers crossed*

The majority of our admins are still active, yes. But there are several who are currently quite busy in real life.

You just answered my internal question about Rivka. I was wondering if she had moved on from this place a long time ago.

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on: July 21, 2020 02:43

3+ years on...

Most all the old movie Tolkien sites are either dead, abandoned, or are on severe life-support. May everyone stay healthy in this accursed year 2020.

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on: July 21, 2020 02:45

Gandolorin said:Hi SilverleafArtist! I think Arveleg probably meant gondolinian

Nah... in hindsight, you are The Gandolorian!

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on: July 22, 2020 06:17

Arveleg said:
Gandolorin said:Hi SilverleafArtist! I think Arveleg probably meant gondolinian

Nah... in hindsight, you are The Gandolorian!

As my knowledge of fantasy besides JRRT is miniscule, if this means something anywhere else I'm afraid you'll have to point me to something searchable for me to get the point.

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on: July 25, 2020 10:05

You know your gran, a bit deaf and slow but always there for you? Well that's CoE. It will never be smartphone compliant because all that stuff is a crock of s**t. Leave it for the twits on twitter with a 280 character attention span. And it would require a complete rewrite of the site which ain't gonna happen. What CoE has got is a happy band of losers with nowhere else to go (yay!).

There have been 50 logins in the past month. Including *deep breath*... Elthir! Yeah I know, right? Still looking for lackadaisical assumptions to correct. And anyway, what did happen to the horses?

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on: July 28, 2020 12:11

tarcolan said:You know your gran, a bit deaf and slow but always there for you? Well that's CoE. It will never be smartphone compliant because all that stuff is a crock of s**t. Leave it for the twits on twitter with a 280 character attention span. And it would require a complete rewrite of the site which ain't gonna happen. What CoE has got is a happy band of losers with nowhere else to go (yay!).

There have been 50 logins in the past month. Including *deep breath*... Elthir! Yeah I know, right? Still looking for lackadaisical assumptions to correct. And anyway, what did happen to the horses?

Yeah thats why I am a wandering Dunedain Ranger that goes from place to place, visiting once grand cities that have fallen into disrepair. It's kind of like Annuminas, where the population gradually migrated away to a bigger, stronger, shinier city-fortress of Fornost Erain. Eventually there was nobody left to tend to the old city and but for a few scarce wandering folk, it was all but abandoned.

I'll drop by now and again and post somewhere when I do until the time I return and all that remains is a pile of rubble.

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Gandolorian the Mandolorian!
on: July 28, 2020 12:14

Gandolorin said:As my knowledge of fantasy besides JRRT is miniscule, if this means something anywhere else I'm afraid you'll have to point me to something searchable for me to get the point.

Ever since I watched The Mandalorian I always se your name and think Gandolorian the Mandolorian!

Evil~Shieldmaiden

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on: July 29, 2020 02:13

As evidenced today, I pop in from time to time to see how things are going; and to play a few games. Hopefully, once the Amazon series starts showing, we will have more activity.

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on: July 29, 2020 06:51

You know what they say, E~S. Do not look to hope, it has deserted these lands.

Hey Arveleg (tag Arveleg) what show do you watch that reminds you of me?

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on: July 30, 2020 10:55

tarcolan said: Hey Arveleg (tag Arveleg) what show do you watch that reminds you of me?

None comes to mind. Of course I don't interact with you every day somewhere on the interwebz. I did start shortening Gandolorian's name to 'Gando' but then saw what it meant.

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Gandolorian the Mandolorian!
on: August 20, 2020 09:13

Arveleg said:
Gandolorin said:As my knowledge of fantasy besides JRRT is miniscule, if this means something anywhere else I'm afraid you'll have to point me to something searchable for me to get the point.

Ever since I watched The Mandalorian I always se your name and think Gandolorian the Mandolorian!

Uh-huh, extended Star Wars universe stuff. Kind of "Middle-galaxy" instead of "Middle-earth".

Which does from the beginning include the Gandalf "clone" Obi-wan Kenobi.

[Edited on 08/21/2020 by Gandolorin]

"He had a ring, a golden ring, a precious ring." ~ from The Hobbit

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on: August 20, 2020 09:17

Arveleg said:I did start shortening Gandolorian's name to 'Gando' but then saw what it meant.

Eh? Once again you post in riddles ...

[Edited on 08/21/2020 by Gandolorin]

NenyaGold

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on: August 21, 2020 08:13

Psst... Google it...

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on: August 25, 2020 07:42

I.Don't.Google.

Wiki comes up with
Gando (crocodile), a short-muzzled crocodile of southern Asia
Orlando Gando (born 1992), São Toméan footballer - Orlando, yet???

Whatever.

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on: August 27, 2020 01:58

It's a little less innocent than that, Gandy (new nickname for you). I use DuckDuckGo search engine as they don't track your searches.

"He had a ring, a golden ring, a precious ring." ~ from The Hobbit

NenyaGold

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on: August 27, 2020 03:45

I don't either. It's just a term used for "search the internet for it".

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on: August 29, 2020 03:34

tarcolan said:It's a little less innocent than that, Gandy (new nickname for you). I use DuckDuckGo search engine as they don't track your searches.

Hey, I have Vietnam War scars, Gulf War I (Khomeini vs. Saddam Hussein) scars, Gulf War II (Bush Sr,) scars, and Gulf War III (Bush Jr,) scars. I sniff contemptuously at any "little less innocence".

(Translation: In every one of these conflicts, at a distance of at least 2000 miles from the action, I have managed a clumsiness leaving a scar - but don't tell anyone else!)

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on: October 08, 2020 09:58

Gandolorin said:
tarcolan said:It's a little less innocent than that, Gandy (new nickname for you). I use DuckDuckGo search engine as they don't track your searches.

Hey, I have Vietnam War scars, Gulf War I (Khomeini vs. Saddam Hussein) scars, Gulf War II (Bush Sr,) scars, and Gulf War III (Bush Jr,) scars. I sniff contemptuously at any "little less innocence".

(Translation: In every one of these conflicts, at a distance of at least 2000 miles from the action, I have managed a clumsiness leaving a scar - but don't tell anyone else!)

I take it the post and the translation is another Gandolorian riddle? At least the weather wasn't mentioned.

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on: October 09, 2020 01:37

I got my World War 2 scars on ebay.