Hanasian - besides significant busy-ness in my personal life, the bust of the Hobbit movies, etc. I personally did find the general "feel" of the forum to be taking a turn toward less whimsy and fun than I had experienced in years gone by. In my brief time as a moderator, it certainly felt as though there was some tension between moderators and particular groups of people using the forum in particular ways, not all of them all-age user friendly. Just a brief reflection...

In any fandom I have experienced, there are lifers and short termers. I think we've seen the cessation of the short termers for the time being. At least until this purported TV series gets off the ground (presuming it ever does).

The lifers tend to be a little more considered, mayhaps a little older (assumption there, so shame on me), who have been around lotr forums at least since, say, the 90's. We've seen them rise and fall. We've seen factions evolve, rise and crumble. The epic tale of Empire writ small. Perhaps also a little more grizzled and battle scarred - less inclined to give ground.

It seems almost inevitable to this social scientist that online communities will go through seasons. This is not, per say, a bad thing...for renewal is essential for longevity. As the saying goes: if you're green you grow, if you're not you rot.

What was cool then isn't now and so on and so forth. What is ok isn't. There are The Rules and then there are the rules. Any newcomer understands this. They may or may not read The Rules, but they all experience the rules in how current denizens of any community interact and respond to them. And so it goes, same as it ever was.

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R'AMEN

Interesting reflection. Maybe I missed it.

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Dunedain Ranger of the North
Annalist, Physician, & Historian
of The Black Company of the Dúnedain,
The Free Company of Arnor

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