Bookworms' Gateway to the Lounge & Garden III - All Welcome

[heliona]

Welcome, Phillip! I hope you enjoy yourself here. As truehobbit says, we're all pretty friendly around here. Any questions you have, just ask and we'll do our best to answer them.

(And your English looked great to me! Probably better than a lot of our native English speakers. )

[NaniofNarnórë]

Hello!

Would you mind taking this young and unexperienced Rider of Rohan as an adoptee, to guide her on her journey through the messageboard?

(I apologize in advance for my possible grammar mistakes, especially when it comes to prepositions and idioms. English is not my mother tongue, but I try my best.)

Love,
Nani

[truehobbit]

Welcome to TORC and to the Bookworms, Nani!

Looks like your English is impeccable - what is your mother tongue, then?

What topics of this board do you find most interesting? I look forward to reading your posts.

If you have any questions about the messageboard, that's what we're here for.

[NaniofNarnórë]

Thanks, truehobbit!
My native language is Spanish, I'm Argentinian.
I'm interested in books discussion, and I also like solving riddles . I might give RPGs a try, but I find them a bit intimidating.

[heliona]

Welcome, NaniofNarnórë. :hihi:

I'm interested in books discussion, and I also like solving riddles . I might give RPGs a try, but I find them a bit intimidating.

Well, for books, obviously the best place are the Books Forums, where you'll also find some LoTR (Lord of the Rings) trivia games which may satisfy your riddles need. There is also the Tom's House forum, which has word games threads in it.

RP can be intimidating for a newcomer, particularly if English isn't your first language. I'd suggest trying to find one that has only recently started, or else an inn thread, as that is what we call "RP-lite" ie: not quite so intense and gives you a more gentle introduction to role-playing. However, you'll find that everyone who takes part in RP is very welcoming and understanding as long as you read the introduction and don't immediately kill any of their characters. They're always willing to help. A bit of background research into the role-playing never goes amiss, but if you're interested in it, then that's no hardship.

Anyway, welcome and as truehobbit says, any questions just ask.

(I believe we have another poster from Argentina - Alassë - although she hasn't been on the messageboard recently.)

[NaniofNarnórë]

Thank you thank you!! I've been trying riddles, and books discussion, you people are so warm and nice, it feels like home I'm very glad to have found people to share my interests with, and to take part in such an active forum!

A question...
Do you know is anyone, at some point, is planning to continue with the Virtual Tolkien Study Group? I found it really interesting, and I would really like to take part in discussing the books in a more structured fashion, to keep my ideas in order, for I tend to get things all mixed up in my mind and then I don't know where to start


You can call me Nani

[heliona]

Thank you thank you!! I've been trying riddles, and books discussion, you people are so warm and nice, it feels like home I'm very glad to have found people to share my interests with, and to take part in such an active forum!

A question...
Do you know is anyone, at some point, is planning to continue with the Virtual Tolkien Study Group? I found it really interesting, and I would really like to take part in discussing the books in a more structured fashion, to keep my ideas in order, for I tend to get things all mixed up in my mind and then I don't know where to start


You can call me Nani

Nani it is.

I'm not sure whether the VTSG will become active again. Perhaps once the first The Hobbit film is aired, people will become interested again. Personally, I found the VTSG really interesting (you may have noticed that I posted a couple of times in a couple of The Hobbit threads). I'd suggest just jumping in and reading an old thread and posting your thoughts at the end. Quite often, people have forgotten about those threads and a new poster revitalises things.

I'm so glad to hear that you've been welcomed warmly and have settled in.

[truehobbit]

I'm glad to hear you're feeling at home already, Nani! I've seen you post in books and hope to find time to respond. Sorry I didn't come back to reply for a bit - I was offline for the rest of Holy Week and Easter and am now about to be offline for a few more days.

[NaniofNarnórë]

Hii!

I'm still not ready to jump into roleplaying, so I'm just lurking around by now.

I'm currently rereading LOTR, for the first time in English. I prefer reading in Spanish, for I tend to find books in English less touching, but I read a bit of Tolkien's poetry in its original language (it was the Lament of the Rohirrim) and I fell in love with it, so I knew I would have to read all the books in English! Once I finish them, I'll probably try and post at the VTSG...

truehobbit, heliona, thanks!!

\( ^ _ ^ )/

[heliona]

Hii!

I'm still not ready to jump into roleplaying, so I'm just lurking around by now.

That's fine - lurking and reading lots of roleplaying will help you get the feel of how each roleplaying thread works.

I'm currently rereading LOTR, for the first time in English. I prefer reading in Spanish, for I tend to find books in English less touching, but I read a bit of Tolkien's poetry in its original language (it was the Lament of the Rohirrim) and I fell in love with it, so I knew I would have to read all the books in English! Once I finish them, I'll probably try and post at the VTSG...

I've never really read in another language and I presume that Spanish is your native tongue. I can see why you'd find it nicer in many ways (I do love Spanish, although I'm not very good at it!) however I'd certainly recommend reading Tolkien in English. From what I've heard from people who have read the original English text and a translated text, sometimes important things are lost in translation. Tolkien was a master of manipulating English, so reading his work in the tongue it was written is probably the best experience (as you've discovered with the Lament of the Rohirrim). Good luck - I know it can be difficult to read Tolkien at the best of times, but in a language not your own doesn't make it any easier. I look forward to your posts in VTSG (don't let the lack of recent posts put you off. ).

[NaniofNarnórë]

That's right, I'm a native Spanish speaker. I've studied English for a long time, but I still need to improve on some aspects.

I'm almost finishing TFotR, the language Tolkien used is so poetic, yet it confuses me as he used many expressions I'm not used to. But what I find most confusing are names. For example, "Michel Delving" is translated into Spanish as "Cavada Grande"... and I can't see any relation between those two names! So I keep my Spanish version of the book at hand, in order to consult it in case I get lost. (My poor "El Señor de los Anillos" books! I've had them for 11 years, I read them at least 15 times between ages 11 and 14, and one of the volumes had to endure my little sister's anger in an occasion, for when she asked me to play with her I didn't pay her attention, because I was too focused on reading, wandering around Middle Earth... yet they're still pretty well preserved, I think. They are very important to me )

I had read novels in English before. English was the first major I chose at university, but I dropped out, it was not for me, even though I was not a bad student. Despite that, I find LOTR to be a very challenging read in English! Still, I love it so so much, and it sounds so beautiful in its original language, I don't mind

[heliona]

Despite that, I find LOTR to be a very challenging read in English! Still, I love it so so much, and it sounds so beautiful in its original language, I don't mind.

You're not alone, Nani. I doubt there's many a native English speaker that doesn't struggle with some of Tolkien's writing at times. I know I certainly do. And that's not even taking into account the fact that a lot of his names are made up (which will probably be why the Spanish translation doesn't work - because Tolkien made up his own languages with their own meanings and roots, unless the translator has an intimate knowledge of Tolkien's own languages, things are naturally lost in translation). Due to Tolkien being British, I believe that quite a few non-British people struggle with some words, and even Brits sometimes find parts difficult.

But that does mean that you can read and reread the books and keep discovering new things.

[celebalqua]

Hi Nani, I'm Cel. I really enjoyed your description of reading Tolkien as a second language and referring back to your Spanish version. I have always wondered how different translations are to the original. As i have never spoken anything but English, i will never really know. I hope the study group does get up and running again, I can see how valuable it would be when reading it out of your native tongue. I know that the style of writing is quite dated and there are many expressions that are not said in modern English so that adds to your woes

I couldn't help but notice you are interested in a little role play. There is an inn in the Welcome thread called the Lucky Fortune Inn which was set up for those interested in role play to have a bit of a dabble. It has been quiet for a while and I am trying to get it going again. so if your keen, you would be very welcome. There is also an OOC thread (Out of character) that you can use to introduce yourself and your character.

Cheers and welcome to TORC

Cel

[NaniofNarnórë]

Only the English names were translated... such as Weathertop -> Cima de los Vientos, Baggins -> Bolsón, Brandybuck -> Brandigamo; and so on. They all make sense, but it feels strange anyway. In my opinion, names of people and places shouldn't be translated, but I understand that it's easier for non-English speakers to read names that sound somehow familiar.

Luckily, Edoras, Meduseld, Gondor, Minas Tirith, Galadriel... all of them have been left unchanged

Every time I reread the books I find something new, and I feel moved by scenes that hadn't stood out to me before. It's part of the charm.

Hi Cel! Nice to meet you
I hadn't noticed that RP topic... I checked it out and I think I'm going to join you, once I think of an appropriate character and story. I have an idea, but I need to work on it a little. So... see you there! ^^

[celebalqua]

Wonderful Nani, look forward to seeing you at the the LFI

[Calma]

Welcome, ethanthunder!

I'm not the author of this thread nor am I an adopter,
But if you have questions, I'll be glad to answer to the best of my ability.

Since you like books best to start here in the Book Forum.
We were all new at one time.
Don't be afraid to post your opinions/likes/dislikes/thoughts.
Do take a moment to read about two pages back to catch up to the conversation, though.
We're all forgiving of newbies here.

If you want you can come around to the Talk Forum. (The Bird and the Baby)
Just light conversation going on there.
I hang around the TVM and the Hello thread is fun as well.
Just tell them Calma sent you. :D

I'll check back to see if you are doing ok.

Have have fun here.
Glad to have you among us.

[Novice]

Hi Ethanthunder,

Welcome to TORC, and welcome to the Booksworms' Lounge.

I'm one of the original adopters, but I've had a little hiatus and everything is looking kinda new -- as it does when one has been on a journey and returns home to discover the family has undertaken renovations and turned your bedroom into a bathroom! :)

Therefore, I'm not much help with the technicalities of how things work, but let me reassure you that some things never change: this is a very friendly site, and everyone welcomes new faces and fresh input into conversations, so don't hold back! As long as you use common good manners, your input will always be welcomed in any conversation. :)

The only restriction is in the roleplay threads, which always require that you contact the threadstarter for permission to join in the storytelling.

Have fun. :)

[heliona]

Welcome EthanThunder. :)

I'm one of the newer adoptees to this thread.

As Novice said, this messageboard has recently undergone a transformation and so we're all working out how to do things and get things working (with regards posting etc). :) But if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask and we'll do our best to answer.

As you said you like books, you might want to check out the Books forums. If you're (relatively) new to LoTR then don't be afraid to jump in. The "oldies" like it when new people come in and start a discussion from a different point of view. Just have a quick search first of the topics that have been posted to make sure that you're not repeating something that has already been posted about. :) Instead, if you do, just reply to that topic and that'll shoot it back to the top again.

You may discover that old topics (from years and years ago) look a little odd now. It appears that in this last messageboard move, the formatting has gone a bit wonky, so they may be a bit difficult to read.

One thing I will suggest about posting in Books is make good use to the "quote" function. You'll notice a little "Quote" button on the top right-hand-side of a person's post. If you click that, then it opens up a reply window with the entire post quoted. Obviously if you're quoting from something/someone else (for instance LoTR) then just use the "quote" code. (That is (quote) .... (/quote) but replace the ( and ) with [ and ]. ) This board uses standard BBCode, which you can see if you click on the link on the right-hand-side of the Post a Reply box. :) (I will add however, that this site is going through regular updates as the administrator tweaks things. At the moment, although in my settings I have BBCode enabled as standard, it isn't on for this topic, which means I can't post using it. I suspect this will change in due course! :))

There is some good information in the Welcome forum. There are two sticky topics at the top of the Welcome forum - I suggest you take a quick look at them. :)

Anyway, I've gone on enough. Welcome again and ask any questions you need to. Also, don't be afraid of us! :)

[siddharth]

Thanks everyone.
I'm Siddharth. I've been here for about a week. Well, I've never been part of any forum before, so I'm a novice about these things.

My first introduction to LOTR was through PJ's movies. About 5 years ago I watched it for the first time and was really fascinated by them.
Then I decided to read the books. Guess what? For days, I actually forgot the real world. Gosh! There was so much more!
Since then, I've been a die-hard Tolkien and LOTR fan.
Now, about myself. I am from India. I am a highschool student and will be turning 18 soon. Like Ethan, I'm quite shy when it comes to conversations.
When bored, I try to write stories and poems. I soon want to try out the RPs but need help about it. Till now, I've had a few posts in the LOTR and Hobbit movies sections.I love Tolkien's books, but I've read them only around 3 or 4 times. Hence I confuse many names and places. I soon want to take part in the books section too.
Thanks to Heliona, I came to know about this thread. I will ask my queries whenever I will need and thanks to you folks in advance.
At present, I'm having problem of creating my signature. I would like to solve the following problems:
1. How to insert pic in sig ?
2. How to insert a pic stored in PC?
3. When I inserted a pic from the net by copying URL, and saw the preview the pic was there. But when I submitted the pic, and saw my posts, it was not there. Then I made a new post. Still it was not there. How to correct it?

Thanks.

[heliona]

Welcome, siddharth! :) Glad you found this place. :)

Firstly, the last few pages should have some good advice on them, although as I mentioned in my email, this is a new board, so some things may be different (we're all learning about the new things as we go along :)).

About photos in signatures: only Premiere Members can have signatures showing. Whether or not someone is a Premiere Member or not is indicated (aside from the signatures) is that the username is red. At the moment, no-one can get a Premiere Membership as Jonathan (who is the Administrator of TORC - which I'm sure you've worked out is TheOneRing.Com for short) is busy working things out and trying to get the messageboard perfect. Getting a Premiere Membership (also known as a PM) - when it is sorted out - will involve paying some amount of money to help maintain the website and in return you get a signature and also the option of Private Messaging (at least you used to be able to send Private Messages to other users who also have a Premiere Membership, but at the moment, that's not happening).

So, obviously, you'll not be able to see your picture that you've uploaded at a signature because at the moment you don't have a Premiere Membership. However, if when they become available and if you decide to get a PM, then what you've set as a signature will then show up. Obviously you're doing something right if the image is showing up in your preview. :)

(Also, to insert a picture from your PC, you need to upload it to an online photo-sharing website. Flickr (http://www.flickr.com) and Photobucket (http://photobucket.com/) are popular ones.)

I hope that helped.

[siddharth]

Thanks a lot. It really helped. See you at the forums then. Ill come back when in problem.

[siddharth]

In VTSG why shouldn't I mention my age?

[heliona]

As far I know, it's just referring to the TORC policy for posters that are under the age of 18 to not mention their age. That policy applies to all forums on TORC. :)

[siddharth]

How do I delete a thread I created? I know , it can't be deleted once someone has posted a reply. But how to remove it before anyone replies?

PS: I've not seen any threads posted by you, heliona. : )

[heliona]

[quote="siddharth"]How do I delete a thread I created? I know , it can't be deleted once someone has posted a reply. But how to remove it before anyone replies?

PS: I've not seen any threads posted by you, heliona. : )[/quote]

You aren't able to delete your own threads, only the moderators can do that. But what people do who want their thread deleted for whatever reason (mostly because they discover that it is redundant) is change the thread title to include "MODS PLEASE LOCK". You might want to send an email to the mods (there's a link in The One Ring forum at Tue bottom of the main index) which lists all the mods (remember to put TORC in the title otherwise it probably won't make it through their spam filter) just to bring it to their attention.

As for me starting topics, if you start looking, you'll see some. :-) I tend not to start any in the Movies forum, though. Everyone else seems to get there first! :-D

[GreyWitch]

Hello!

I've just joined the forum and I'm looking forward to meeting all of you. I thought I'd introduce myself here as well. I've read through the adopters thread and decided that this would be the most appropriate place for me, since I'm also mainly interested in books. I don't read nearly as much as I'd like to, but I do love books, and Tolkien's are among my top favorites.

I'm from Romania, and I've been a fan ever since the first movie came out. I've also read the LOTR and Hobbit books in the meantime, and I'm now re-reading. I'm on chapter 2 of "Fellowship", so the big adventure is just beginning again for me. I only wish I had it in English as well, but I can always read it again... and again... and again . It'll be great to have people to talk to about my experience as I continue reading, which is why I wanted to join your community. Although I've probably seen the LOTR movies 3-4 times, and "The Hobbit" twice, I may not be as knowledgeable as many people here, so I apologize in advance for any possible blunders.

This is not the first message board I've been on, so I'll probably be ok, mostly. I am curious though as to the meaning of the avatars we can choose from. I chose mine because I like the way it looks. But do these avatars actually mean something? I recognized the horse emblem of Rohan, and a few others, but if someone could tell me more about them, it would be great. Thanks!

[rowanberry]

I'm not an official adopter on this board, but I think Heliona is busy with her exams at the moment so, I'll try to substitute.

About the avatars: they are either heraldry designed by Tolkien himself, or banners designed after his artwork; some are made after heraldry designed for the LotR movies. Your avatar, for example, is Tolkien's own design, for the House of Haleth, a powerful clan of humans in the First Age, thousands of years before the events in The Hobbit and the LotR. By the way, it's remarkable that this clan got its name after a female warrior who took over the command in a battle after her father and brother had both been killed, and lead the clan for the rest of her life. (Later, though, Haleth became a male name for the Rohirrim.) Mine is also designed by Tolkien, for the House of Fëanor; he was a very powerful elf in the early First Age, some kind of a mad genius, who was remarkable both in good and bad. Both of these stories are told in The Silmarillion, a collection of stories and legends from the history of Middle-earth, which I heartily recommend if you can get it into your hands.

[Novice]

Rowan, "Mad genius" is an intriguing description of Feanor! :)

[GreyWitch]

Thanks a lot for the explanations, Rowan! It seems I chose well.

[heliona]

A belated welcome, GreyWitch. If you have any more questions, then feel free, but it seems that you've settled in nicely.

Rowan, you explained that much better than I could have done, so thank you very much!