Way Back When

[Aethelu]

@Taethowen I remember taking part in a Miss Meduseld competition! I think I came last in every round because I was playing it deeply unladylike.

[Taethowen]

@Aethelu as far as I know, I was the only one to ever run Miss Meduseld. Though if someone picked it up after my semi-plaza-retirement, I don't know.

[Finduilas Faelivrin]

I can barely believe the War and Peace-sized novels we used to write for posts back in the day (but it sure was a blast!!). I looked at a few here: http://web.archive.org/web/200511271948 ... Position=1 (August 2005). I don't know how I managed to do that, AND hold down an almost full-time job at the same time AND had two school-aged girls. I just skimmed through this thread when I was Gamesmastering and held a bunch of titles as well as had the SCR of Faramir. Yipes!

Major Finduilas Faelivrin
Commander of the Ranger Reserve Force
Pub Master of Minas Tirith
Games Master of Minas Tirith
Houses of Healing Herbalist

I cannot for the life of me recall how I managed this. And this was before Findy was Ranger Commander, Kingdom Ruler and then Administrator.

Now, I'm struggling to keep up with one or two short, somewhat coherent posts at a time. But it's still a blast to drum up those memories.

[Allacan ob Burzum]

I remember how I used to manage it; I used to spend every available spare hour in the IT suite at college and uni, sometimes until late at night. In fact, on one occasion I got locked into the college entirely and ended up stumbling around the college theatre (black-out curtains and big open space, very scary) trying locked doors until I gave up and called my mum asking her to contact the caretaker. Thank lord mobiles existed by then or I'd have had to use the alarmed fire exit and then explain myself to the firemen and women

Another of my favourite memories; It wasn’t something that took place on the plaza but it was definitely enabled by it. I remember chatting to possibly Firimar/Berutiel or maybe Ciarda I think on MSN messenger one night while drinking Baileys, and one of them said something about measuring with her fingers. I didn’t know what this meant (ah the naivety of youth) so I stuck my finger in the bottle of baileys, and it promptly lodged itself there. For hours; The other person only discovered what had happened because they noticed my slower trying and gradual sobriety; try typing with a bottle of Bailey’s on your finger!

Funniest bit of this is, I was telling @Shivased I think it was about the incident the very next night, and laughing my head off about it all over the very same bottle of baileys. And without thinking, while I re-enacted the story I actually stuck my finger back in the bottle and got stuck AGAIN!

I also have a feeling at least one of the other ladies admitted to having done so themselves, on an entirely unrelated incident! Moral of the story is; Baileys is good but don’t let it steal your fingers.

[Shivased]

@Allacan Beorhtlig yeah, that was...a night. I was the other person who got their finger stuck....that same night. You were telling me, and I decided to grab my bottle of Bailey's and try it....

[Lirimaer]

[Aethelu]

@Taethowen It was on my return to the Plaza, so somewhere between 2008 and 2011. I think. My memory is terrible at the best of times :roll: :?

[Taethowen]

@Aethelu I am 99% sure I only ran it in 2007, but I possibly made it one more year. It's been so long I'm not really sure.

[Allacan ob Burzum]

@Shivased Quite how we didn't burn the whole kingdom down when rulers together, I will never know!

[Taethowen]

APPARENTLY, based on my Way Back When snooping just now, @Shivased ran a round of Miss and Mr. Meduseld in spring 2009, at least?

[Shivased]

@Taethowen and @Aethelu I ran it once in a spring festival. It became a pretty popular event and was run by a few different people. It was a lot of fun!

[Taethowen]

@Shivased Awww, I'm so glad that it became a Thing! It makes my heart happy to know I started a semi-iconic Rohan event! *gets a little teary-eyed*

[Boromir88]

There are many names I see and recognize, but when I joined way back around 2004 and stayed somewhat active until 2010, I rarely ventured outside the Lore forums.

So my fondest memories are feeling that I was always excited to learn something from members such as (but not limited to) geordie, Dorwiniondil, Lord of the Rings, Phil_d_one, Eldy

Then Elenhir's treatise on Balrogs is the most comprehensive essay on the topic that I ever came across. And I'd say that still rings true, for me, today.

Last but not least it's very sad to learn about halfir's passing. I never participated in his Bombadil and Goldberry threads, and now I sort of regret not doing so. I'd really like to find them and read them. He was an inspiration and a big reason I became so passionate about Tolkien.

[Winddancer]

That is my biggest upset about the Plaza, is that SO much wonderful stuff has been lost. I really hope that it get's fixed. Not to use again, but at least so we can retrieve and archive all that was already written.

[Flame Fried Ent]

@Shivased Quite how we didn't burn the whole kingdom down when rulers together, I will never know!

Maybe cause that had already been done?

[Pallador]

Mathen! Omg his insane RPG that you had no chance of keeping up with unless you stayed awake 24/7! :D

That was an insane RPG!

[Winddancer]

Totally insane! :D

[Lail]

I used to love Mettare in Rohan! It was one of my favourite things. I also had a lot of fun with the Adventurous Souls RPG also in Rohan. And the time we all RPed child-versions of ourselves... and I had fun on the Jr Drill Team.

But its weird I am not a very nostalgic type of person and I feel like there's a lot I've forgotten! Even IRL, my friends reminisce and I'm like "I totally don't remember that." Should I be worried?

@Winddancer - while I'm glad some of my more embarrassing posts and especially stories are no longer, I do think its a shame so much was lost! Hopefully one day it might resurface!

[Winddancer]

Man looking back in the old archives I found threads I had been running and I have NO recollection of it, at all!! So know what you mean @Lailyn :P But all that Lore and some of my best rps with my now bf are gone and that is heartbreaking.

[Elarith]

@Lailyn Mettare was brilliant! I remember the gift exchange and feast.

I’d forgotten all about AS until someone else mentioned it. That was a lot of fun, I’d be up for more of that!

[Allacan ob Burzum]

And the time we all RPed child-versions of ourselves

Oh wow I remember that - it was soooo much fun!

[Lail]

Yes! I think it was when we had the kiddo SCRs. I can't remember their names, but it was fun.

[Allacan ob Burzum]

For anyone who is trying to access the older archives for the plaza, including Kingdom Pages and Houses!!! http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.lotrplaza.com/

(Courtesy of Eldy's personal archive - thank you Eldy!)

[Winddancer]

For anyone who is trying to access the older archives for the plaza, including Kingdom Pages and Houses!!! http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.lotrplaza.com/

(Courtesy of Eldy's personal archive - thank you Eldy!)

That is linked up to the left as well, The Archives :D

[Eldrith]

Mathen! Omg his insane RPG that you had no chance of keeping up with unless you stayed awake 24/7! :D

The March against Therion! I joined right as it started. It's where Eldrith met @Eamila Bolger ... It led to her becoming the ranger cook..
I remember writing posts and then posting it and seeing seven other people have already taken actions that would make mine impossible.. LOL.
But goodness it was FUN!

[Winddancer]

I got a couple posts in, went to bed and then couldnt keep up when I got up :P

[Eldrith]

@Winddancer it lasted for a week or two or three I think...slowing down barely towards the end! Mathen and I did a follow up way later in OOME after Eldrith had left Gondor. I may have poisoned him...

[Winddancer]

Would be cool to see him come back :)

[Eamila Bolger]

Oooh, that's what it was called! The march against Therion! Now I remember, @Eldrith !
I also remember your turnip meals, lol!

[Joel Cotton]

Argh, most of the threads I try to open up say that the Wayback machine didn't capture it. Am I doing something wrong?

[Winddancer]

No, Joel. Unfortunately they weren't captured then. Which is why I hope that one day we can get Old Plaza fixed, if for nothing else than the archives and access to old posts.

[Joel Cotton]

I was afraid of that. Darn it!

[Winddancer]

Yeah, it sucks :( Keep trying, threads on the front page are more likely to be saved than if you keep going back through the Last Page option

[Idesinholde]

Oh! So many good memories.. I loved all the lighthearted stuff. So things like the fan club forum,and being ridiculous in there, or having your own house and playing with coding with friends who also had no idea what they were doing
Oh and marriages!!

My favourite memories are off the plaza however; chatting with other plazaits on MSN and AIM

[Wamba_the_Fool]

Oh man, the off-plaza chats... I had Pidgin installed for multi-service capability, and I swear at times had like a dozen windows open.

I can type quickly now, albeit not correctly!