I'm a High School student who has been in love with LOTR for a good many years (yes, even before the movies came out). I actually saw the animated version of The Hobbit first, which led me down the path of Middle-Earthliness. In any case, I hold a great respect for all other fans of the story, the purists and not-so-purists, and I particularly enjoy all the stuff devoted to JRR Tolkien's Middle-Earth. In regards to the movies, I think that they're spectacular. Perhaps not exactly very canon, but I understand that PJ has tried to be as true to the books as he can.

So much so that though I try to stay as much in canon with the books as I can, I have to admit that the movies have influenced the way I imagine some of the characters and places. An example of this is Legolas' hair. I had always assumed it was brown, for some reason or other, yet when I saw Orlando Bloom sporting the signature blond wig in the movie, the lighter hair colour seemed more fitting.

If anyone's interested (you really must have little else to do to be interested), I love generally fantasy series books: the Eddings' "The Belgariad" and "The Mallorean", Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth series, Diane Duane's "Young Wizardry" series, CS Lewis' "Narnia" Chronicles, Jostein Gaarder's "Sophie's World" (this is actually philosophy), are but a few. My current book is "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Doublas Adams, but exams have significantly cut down my reading time.

Hmmm... taking a cue from the numerous great writers online, I'm now going to attempt to list some of my faves on ff.net - a task more difficult than facing Glaurung and his mom, in my opinion anyway, as there are far too many talented writers here to possibly mention them all and not have ff.net scream at me.

AfterEver, whose Silmarillion fics give the reader a more personal perspective on characters of a time before LOTR- be amazed at the depth of her research and understanding of Tolkien's world (if you are brave enough for certain details, read "Coming of Age"). There's cat, who specialises in portraying the friendship of Legolas and Gimli (I recommend "A Matter of Honor"). Jocelyn is another brilliant writer; simply read "A Little Nudge Out of the Door" and you'll see why, though at the moment I'm hooked on "Trumpet of the Swan", a Galadriel-Celeborn piece. Ithilien's "The Hunting Trip" is brilliant in its depth and mystery, and I think she's one of the best portrayers of Faramir and Eowyn. RikTikTavi's "Out of Darkness" is also very good, focusing primarily on Legolas and Thranduil (which is always difficult ground). Last but probably the best LOTR writer I know of is Thundera Tiger. The depth, breadth, and height of her fics will astound you, as well as her [cruel] skill in leaving you begging for updates. Her specialty is the Legolas-Gimli duo, and for an interesting contrast I strongly recommend "While the Ring went South" and "Land of Light and Shadows", though I can guarantee that you will end up reading all her works anyway.

For more light-hearted ME-twisting, I animately point [with neon signs and pretty flashing headlights] to Camilla Sandman's "Official Fanfiction University of Middle-Earth". I also adore Dragon's Peredhil fics, particularly "A Visit to Imladris" (young Elrond-Celebrian) and Elrond's Boys (in case you haven't figured it out from the title, it's about the twins Elladan and Elrohir). And I think I lost several intestines because of Insomniac Luddite's "Morning Musings" (a feel-sorry-for-the-Valar fic).

I would really like to continue with my listing, of course (believe me, I have a lot more people I want to mention), but unfortunately I don't have unlimited computer time. Thanks to those who have actually read the whole of this, though I myself can't fathom why anyone would want to read my inane babbles. In any case, please feel free to read my stories (they're in a bit of a mish-mash at the moment, as I'm trying to settle into a some semblance of a fluid writing style), and I do welcome constructive criticism (and I would really like AfterEver to continue reviewing my fics, as I fear she has assumed her criticism has driven me off), and please point out any errors you come across.

And a little clearing up about my fics. Pre-LOTR (mainly young Aragorn-centered) stories are a bit on the bizarre side, pushing the boundaries of canon. My latest venture, Mirrors in the Mind, is quite a serious post-ROTK. You see, I use a slightly different style for each of my fics, which may be a bit bewildering for some people. Bascially, you might thoroughly enjoy some stories but detest the rest. In any case, I personally prefer Mirrors in the Mind. Well, won't keep you here any longer, so enjoy!

Long Live Frodo, Prince of the Periannath!