With sadness

[Ash]

It breaks my heart to see this board slowly disappearing while so much remains unsaid. I left here years ago because much of the arguments became superficial to the essence of the novel and film.
But perhaps as Eli and Oskar have now passed into adulthood in our collective minds it seems right that we leave the very thing that made them so strong (childhood) does not resonate so strongly with us any more.
Childhood is special and an extremely fleeting period of our existence that must inevitable leads to growing up, and the board has grown up to realise we''ll never really understood the motives and thinking of an Oskar/Eli. Because that world has died and is closed to us. It died a natural death when we no longer were children.
All we have left is a is an ache and longing for what we no longer understand, a mercurial and capricious false adult view of what being 12 years old means, and that won't work once we are no longer children.
One can't appreciate the sadness of moving on from something that touched our souls so imitatively as LTROI, but we need to move on and leave it behind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjIWriDTptY

[PeteMork]

But it's all still here. The evolution of all our thoughts and reactions to both the book and the beautiful film it inspired. And how it has permanently affected so many lives and created so many friendships.

All here In this beautiful museum for all to see who just happen to pass by on their journey to somewhere else.

[JToede]

Mmmm..... I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request.
The next chapter at the end of a book is chapter one. I was told we should read a book 3 times, once to know it, second time to understand it and third time to enjoy it. (Or in some cases 4,5,10 etc.) The new-ness and excitement of discovering something new may fade (as happens with everything), but the enjoyment doesn't.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[gkmoberg1]

You know, it is what you make of it. For a movie at the age LTROI is at, I think the level of activity here seems appropriate. I'm a member at a couple other movie and author boards and the pattern seems typical.

As for me, I stick around because I enjoy the dynamic we have, plus I enjoy reading JAL's other works. Oh, and of late I've found following the steady growth of the stage play interesting to follow and report on.

And while I'm here making confessions, I'll throw this in: I've long been a fan of what is the (very) long gone & defunct group Split Enz. Back when they had released songs like One Step Ahead and I Got You, well those LPs were about glued to my & my sister's turntables. We had at least Waiata (Corroboree) and True Colours. Being a mere 1/2 way around the globe from you & them, well, we never got to see them in concert - but that would have been grand. ... zooming back to today, spotting recently that Neil Finn is touring as part of Fleetwood Mac (?!) has put Split Enz back in me & my sis' heads. Problem is nowadays we don't know where those LPs have gone off to and to boot we don't have working turntables anymore. But we can still rattle off the lyrics! ... so, yeh, nursing (happily) a few obsessions.

[Jameron]

And while I'm here making confessions, I'll throw this in: I've long been a fan of what is the (very) long gone & defunct group Split Enz

"I got you - and that's all I want"

Seems to dovetail nicely with this boards obsession

.

[dongregg]

I stay on to interact with the other members, who are a remarkable group of minds and hearts.

[intrige]

A part of me will always be with this board, and LTROI. I grew up here in a sense, and the story spoke to me so deeply. I remember thinking about LTROI the other day, and about if JAL ever publishes a sequal to it, I felt like I could cry then, of happiness. For my childhood, for everything the book showed me. One of the most important lessons are how puwerful a story can be to another human. And ever since, I have not only longed for that feeling again. But to produce it and give it to other humans. Like a destiny of sorts. I could one day give such a gift to another person that I will never know even exists. Let the story live on without me, and last longer than I. Stories are so very very human. So I craved for belonging, love, and the powerful emotions such a story could bring. Now, I have belonging, I have love. But a part of me is missing until that day I can give a story away. A mission, a life goal. Have a dog, have a child. marry, and write a book. Have I made those goals, I will die happy and I know it. All thanks to LTROI.

I will always have that book in my shelf, always have the movie in my computer folders. Always.

An inactive forum can't erase that. The forum is not dead, it is merly dozing off. A new wave will come one day. I know it. And then I'll be here, watching gleefully.

[dongregg]

I stay on to interact with the other members, who are a remarkable group of minds and hearts.

Like Trge. Like petemork, GKmoberg1, TToede, jameron. Like woofy, A_C_L, sauvin. others, like nightrider, I'm in contact through social media and e-mail.

Thanks, intrige. Your words mean so much to me.

[intrige]

Thanks, intrige. Your words mean so much to me.

Now you just made my day Thank you

[Mishrashade48]

I stay on to interact with the other members, who are a remarkable group of minds and hearts.

A couple of months before he passed away, I had a wonderful video chat with ltroifanatic where we discussed the movie, the book, and why the forum was special to us. I honestly told him that in the beginning it was at first special only because of the movie. But, as time went on being here, it became more about the wonderful people that make up this forum and also the fan fiction that come from here. There are so many stories that still make my eyes water and keep me at the edge of my seat.

I don't post that much and I don't send out a lot of PMs to others like I used to, but that doesn't mean I'm not observing the other topics and the discussions that occur here. It's always enjoyable to me to see what the other Infected are talking about and viewing how passionate they can get about certain things, especially if has anything to do with the book or movie that brought us here.

There are still times that I wish I was able to say goodbye to ltroifanatic and I feel regret for not talking to him more when I could of. In the end though, I don't have to say goodbye to him because he's still here amongst all the great conversations and stories of this forum. So, I won't, and I won't say goodbye to this forum either because I've found a second home where that spark that brought us together is still living strong.